Chapter Thirty : Onward

"I see, so he's gone now..." Garp sighed as he sat down on the ground. All he can do was stare at the young boys whom he had considered as grandsons.

Receiving the news from Dadan that Roger has departed wasn't a surprise for Garp. They had already talked and accepted it. But still, after reading the letter that day, Garp's mood soured noticeably. Without any second thought, he called Sengoku and asked for an immediate leave.

And there he was at Dawn Island a week later. Garp asked the three about what happened in which they explained with visible melancholy and shock in their tone. The boys didn't even have any complaints in the whole talk. Usually, Garp didn't like that kind of voice that they're using but he'll let it slide, just this once. He maintained a neutral face, allowing them to be calm and have collective thoughts. Garp may be tough but he knew when to draw the line. The Ace, Sabo, and Luffy he left months ago weren't the same boys he was speaking to that moment.

"But still you three are idiots!" Garp yelled as he shook his head, finally releasing his anger. "When was the last time you eat? Sleep? Bathed? What do you think you're doing!?"

The three shared a look of guilt and shock. They looked horrendous. Bags were under their eyes, a sign of how much sleep they had in the past days. Their clothes were soiled and dirty with a foul stench. That was not even the worst part, there were cuts and slashes in their skins that were left untreated. To sum it up, it's the worst state Garp has had ever seen them in. He needed to be harsh on his words to make his hardheaded grandsons understand how much their actions were affecting their health.

"Beating yourselves up is not a way to cope," Garp stated sternly, looking at them straight in the eyes.

"Fighting takes my mind off..." Ace replied, biting the inner of his mouth.

"Well, better stop it now," Garp replied with a scoff. "I thought you're the one who's looking after your brothers, Ace."

Ace was visibly shaken by it. He bowed his head, unable to look at the old Marine officer.

"Ne, Jiichan," Luffy called him with an intense voice. "Can you train us?"

"Train you?" Garp echoed with eyebrows raised. "At that state, there's no way I'm gonna turn you into strong Marines!"

Ace snorted, "Like that'll happen..."

"Garp-san," Sabo called out. "There's this thing called Haki that Roger-san taught—"

"Haki!? At your age!?" Garp questioned angrily, making the trio cowered in fear. "What the hell was that bastard thinking!?"

"W-We didn't learn it! He just introduced it to us, that's all." Sabo quickly retaliated.

Garp sighed, still annoyed. That sounded like something Roger would have done. "Haki is something that develops the more you fight. Kids like you shouldn't be involved with it."

"It's too late for that now." Ace said, crossing his arms.

"If you take care of yourselves first, I might consider it," Garp announced. "Now, go to Dadan and take a bath! Make sure to scrub every piece of dirt on your body!"

The brothers scuffed as they do what they were ordered to, leaving their grandfather behind with his own thoughts.

"I hate baths, Sabo..." Luffy whined as his blond brother scrubbed his head. The bath that was prepared for them by an angry Dadan was lukewarm, something Luffy loved. But it still didn't stop the rubber boy from complaining. Water is water and it made him weak.

"You're too dirty." Sabo teased with a small chuckle, scrubbing him in a much gentler way.

Luffy lowered his head in the water. He was blowing air making bubbles rose. "I miss how Dad would wash my back..."

Ace looked up at him. For the first time in a week, Luffy has finally mentioned him. The three of them unwillingly just avoided the subject overall till Garp had forced them to talk earlier.

"Deal with it, Lu." Ace replied, ending the silence.

Luffy stared at him, "Don't you miss him, too?"

"Of course, I do." Ace scoffed in a slightly offended tone. He breathed patiently, not wanting to be angry. "It's just that I'm not ready to talk about it yet..."

They were all so lost after it happened. Ace and Sabo didn't cry the next day but Luffy seemed to not run out of tears. The bandits were nice enough to give them food but none of them wanted to touch it. They just remain inside the room the whole day, unsure what to do next.

Ace hated how he and Sabo cannot find words to console Luffy because hell knows how much Ace and Sabo needed it too.

Gone was the voice who used to tease them. Gone was the laugh that made them feel better. Gone was the father who used to care for them.

It was just the three of them again. Alone.

The only reasonable voice who stopped them from their madness was their grandfather, Garp. Ace was honestly surprised that the Marine was back so quickly. And that talk they had did enlighten Ace. He saw how terrible he and his brothers looked. He just got used to it, not realizing how bad it has become. Guilt crept again as he perceived that he failed again as their brother.

"What do we do now?" Luffy questioned in a low voice making Ace break away his thoughts.

"We live, Luffy." Sabo was there to answer. His voice was laced with a hopefulness that didn't falter.

Ace sighed heavily. "I think it'll be better if we come back to our old lives as soon as possible."

"Yeah, it's for the better." Sabo voiced his agreement.

"Okay..." Luffy nodded slightly.

And silence engulfed the bathroom again.

Time heals all wounds they said but Sabo does not agree. The wounds remain and you'll never know when will it reopen. Even the simplest things or reasons are enough to trigger it.

Sabo was wrapped with the idea that they needed to be normal again but the thing is, it will never be the same. When Roger came into their lives, they experienced a transformation; similarly, when they lose him, their whole world shifted and nothing was ever the same.

The three of them have never experienced losing someone they loved. Grief was something they need to overcome together and Sabo was thankful that he has his brothers with him.

It's been two months since then. They're taking their first steps to get used to their new lives. Sabo was the voice of reason whenever Ace would scold Luffy when he cried. Luffy has always been a different case when it comes to crying and letting his feelings out.

Right now, they just finished another session of training. They were walking in silence, just contempt with each other's presence as they went back to their treehouse to clean and treat their wounds.

Sabo sighed and smiled. Out of nowhere, he spoke up.

"March 20th."

Both his brothers halted and turned to him. They copied each other reaction, a frowned curious look. Sabo chuckled to himself noticing how Ace and Luffy can pass as biological brothers by how similar they look.

"What?" Ace questioned.

"My birthday, it's on March 20th. When's yours?"

Ace carried an air of smugness as he smirked. "I always know that I'm the oldest unless we have the same birthday. It's on the first day of the year."

"Sabo lost!" Luffy exclaimed with laughter.

"January 1st, huh?" Sabo sighed in disappointment. Ace may be the oldest but everyone knows that he's the mature one.

But realization hits the blond boy. His happy face was changed into an annoyed almost angry face.

"Your birthday was two months ago! Why didn't you tell us!?"

"It's no biggie." Ace simply shrugged.

His brother's nonchalance only angered Sabo even further. "Didn't it occurred to you that Roger-san wanted to celebrate it!?"

Ace flinched with those words but quickly replied. "I don't want to and besides, it's too late now. We already agreed to live our life with no regrets, remember?"

"Still, you should have said something!"

"Yeah, Ace!" Luffy agreed with a shout. "Dad wanted to give you a gift!"

Sabo let out a small eep. In his panic, he put his hands on the boy's mouth. Luffy being Luffy as always and doing it at the wrong time. But it was too late now.

"What. Gift." Ace demanded emphasizing his words. He crossed his arms and stared at them with an angry look.

Sabo let go of Luffy allowing the boy to breathe again. "No! we'll only give it to you when it's your birthday. Wait for nine months till then!"

"Like you're the one to talk, Sabo." Ace scoffed. "Your birthday's two days ago!"

"Yeah, Sabo!" Luffy blinked. "Wait— it's two days ago!?"

"Uh... It's no big deal?"

"It is! C'mon, let's celebrate it! Let's eat on a res-tow-rant!" Luffy whined, stomping his feet on the ground.

"That's not necessary..." Sabo said, dryly. "And it's pronounced as restaurant, Luffy."

"Let's go. As long as it's on Edge Town, I don't mind."

Sabo looked at Ace in surprise. It's a rare occurrence that Ace had agreed to Luffy's suggestion. Sabo sighed admitting his loss.

"Alright," Sabo agreed with a smile. "Just this once."

"Yes!"

Luffy extended his arms and pulled an annoyed Ace and laughing Sabo in his arms.

Luffy still can't believe that Roger's gone. It all happened too quickly for him to comprehend. One morning, they were training with their father; and then on that same night, they had to bid their goodbyes.

Sometimes, when Luffy remembers the memories they had with him, he would just start crying. Ace did scold him but Sabo always told him that it's okay to cry. That gave Luffy so much confusion on which side to believe to.

One thing that made him feel better though was Makino. Luffy believed that she's an angel. She was always there for him, knowing the words of reassurance to comfort him. It's nice to talk to her about his feelings. Whenever he was feeling down, she would make him hot chocolate and offered to hug him to feel the warmth. Makino understands him in a way Sabo and Ace don't.

The boy realized that as much as it hurts losing their father, they still talked about him. It's hard not to. Everywhere on this island, there's a memory that you can associate with him. They shared even the simplest stories over and over again. Never getting tired of it because those are the memories they cherished and cling to.

Sabo was the one who came up with the idea. They can't continue to suppress what they want to feel or express. And once they accepted what happened, it didn't hurt as much before.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and now it's been more than a year since Roger first appeared.

The three of them were at Edge Town, trying to find a merchant willing to buy the goods they had. They have quite the haul today. A crocodile's skin was worth a lot since not anyone was willing to get them.

"Are we there yet?" Luffy asked, pouting. His hands were getting too tired carrying a sack.

"Patience, Lu." Sabo reminded him as he rubbed the sweat from his forehead.

"We need to be quick." Ace intervened. "Jiji is arriving anytime today."

Both Sabo and Ace shared a look of grimace but Luffy just laughed. He howled in excitement which bothered his brothers.

"C'mon, aren't you excited that Jii-chan's gonna teach us Haki?" Luffy grinned, happiness was evident. He jumped up and down.

The three of them did train about Haki using what Roger taught them to do but neither seemed to unlock it. But after months and months of begging and being turned down with a Fist of Love, Garp finally gave in.

"No," Sabo answered grimly. His face turned sour just by thinking of it.

"But we need to know 'bout it if we wanna be pirates!" Luffy blinked in realization as he turned to his blond brother. "Or Revolutionary."

Sabo chuckled as he patted Luffy's back. "You ready for the training? It's gonna be harder than usual, you know."

"Of course," Luffy nodded sharply. "It'll be worth it once—"

Luffy stopped on his tracks making Sabo do the same. Luffy turned around and there was their older brother, Ace, standing very still. He was looking at a small crevice between two buildings. It became evident when Luffy heard the laughter of men inside. They were shouting and howling like wild animals. Bottles were being thrown in the ground and the smell of beer was evident. Those things were normal in Edge Town as the law was rarely practiced in this area.

Those drunk men were talking mean about Roger.

Frustration builds up inside the young boy. He hated how people like them dared to talk bad about the person whom they considered as their father. Those men don't know anything about him and yet, there they were insulting the Pirate King as if it's nothing. These men were the reason why Ace use to hate himself with a passion. They were complete cowards.

Roger didn't do anything other than live his life freely. And Luffy still can't understand why people hated him for it.

Luffy was only able to focus again once Ace flinched. Ace's anger was evident. His eyes were fuming, staring at his prey, ready to attack any moment now. He grabbed the pipe on his back and tightened his hold.

"Wait— Ace!" Sabo yelled as he grabbed Luffy and run after the freckled boy.

Ace turned at them with a scowl. "Sabo, if you're gonna stop me, that's not gon—!"

"I'm not gonna do that," Sabo interrupted. He also grabbed his pipe and readied it. "We'll beat 'em. Together."

Ace's anger was immediately changed into shock. His lips formed into a sneer as he nodded.

And the three of them launched an attack to defend their father's legacy.

"Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday!" Luffy continuously shouted as he jumped on Ace's back. He tackled his brother on the ground making the older boy groaned in pain.

"Happy birthday, Ace." Sabo greeted with a smile. Offering a hand, he pulled up the now twelve-year-old back on his feet.

"It's too early for all this commotion..." Ace grumbled, not appreciating being woken up so early in the morning.

"But me and Sabo got you a cake!"

"A cake?"

"Yeah, it's from Makino. I asked her last time she went here and she agreed to make one!" Luffy explained enthusiastically. "Makino likes to bake. That's what she does whenever it's my birthday so I thought that you'd like it, too."

"We're having cake as breakfast?" Ace deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, there's no rule that says we can't do that." Sabo laughed. "And if there is, I'm pretty sure we ain't gonna follow it either."

Luffy grabbed a box in the corner and put it in front of them. Luffy encouraged Ace to open it and so he did.

It was a two-layer chiffon cake. The frosting is a combination of blue and white creating the effect of an ocean wave. There was also a decoration of a sunken boat with treasure on its side. A skull with crossbones was on the top.

Makino overdid herself, Ace thought. It was mesmerizing to look at. A shame that they have to eat it but that's its purpose. It was unusual for them to have a sweet treat so it was a nice surprise.

"I think we should give you your gift first," Sabo suggested, standing up.

"The gift that you hid from me for months?"

"We did." Luffy chuckled. "But that's what Dad wants!"

Sabo gave him another box. It's smaller this time and decorative. Ace breathed in as he removed the red ribbons.

It then revealed a bright orange hat. Ace's gray eyes lit up in awe. He grabbed it and inspected it closer. A string of red beads was sitting on the rim. Two long red side straps hung downside that met a medallion that's a bull skull. But what caught Ace's attention the most, was the smileys in the middle. One smiling and one frowning.

He put it in his head and looked at the mirror in the far back. He asked in a murmur. "What do you think?"

"It looks good on you!" Luffy complimented. "Now the three of us wear hats!"

"Luffy's straw hat belongs to Dad," Sabo spoke up with a genuine smile.

Ace blinked. "Really? I thought it's from Shanks?"

"Shanks did tell me one time that it's from his old captain. I just didn't realize it sooner that it's from Dad." Luffy happily explained.

Ace smiled, feeling warm inside. He can't remember when was the last time he celebrated his birthday nor if anyone actually cared for it. He never actually cared for it himself since it's also the same day of his mother's death.

Ace shook up his thoughts before it escalated from that. His parents would not like that he likes to sulk on his birthday. He owes his life to them. Thinking about dying was like spitting in their graves and mocking all of the sacrifices they made just for him.

He didn't care about gifts. But this gift was the first and last thing he would have ever received from his father. It's the bittersweet truth.

"Let's eat." Ace announced.

Luffy yelp as he grabbed the cake using his hands. "It's so good!"

"I see, Makino's lesson on manners does not affect you." Sabo teased, laughing at Luffy's face full of frosting.

Finding no reason not to, Ace and Sabo did the same and ate the cake using their hands. It's not that just the great exterior design, the taste of the cake was also heaven. Ace enjoyed how the cake just melts in your mouth.

After eating, the three of them collectively laid down. The cake was gone in mere seconds and they had enjoyed every piece of it.

"Ne, Ace."

"Hmm?"

"I'm happy that you're born," Luffy chirped.

"Thank you for being alive, Ace," Sabo added.

Ace remained still, breath was hitched. He bit down his lips. Hearing those words from the persons that he loved the most, was a nice feeling. A small tear managed to escape from his eyes unbeknownst to his brothers.

"No, thank you..." Ace whispered.

He smiled as the realization hits him.

His father was right. He will never feel lonely again.

A/N: Next chapter is a timeskip. Five chapters remain

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