Hey everyone and get ready for this chapter. This chapter will focus on the progression of Light's character as well as the meeting of Ace and Sabo, just like before there'll be similarities to the Canon but an overall different turn of events and different outcomes, just the way I like it. They'll be a lot of content in this chapter, meanly because I want to get the childhood parts over with soon. I really want to get the main story before too long.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.
"Pirate" Regular speech.
"Pirate" Thoughts.
Finger Pistol Attack names.
(Pirate) Words said previously.
"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.
[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.
"Pirate" people talking over communication.
Enter Ace & Sabo, The Brothers Meet
A few days had passed since the Red-Hair Pirates had departed, and soon enough, Garp had returned to personally train Light again, which was why they were once again in the middle of the forest.
Right now Light was face-to-face with a large gorilla that was at least three times bigger than him. Light dashed forward and cocked his fist back as if he was preparing to throw a huge punch. The gorilla was getting ready to dodge it, but before it connects the punch was revealed to be a feint and Light jumped over the gorilla, going on kicking it in the back of its head.
"The monkeys were a lot faster than this thing; it gets hit too often." Light commented as he watched the gorilla fall to the ground.
"Maybe, but that gorilla packs more of a punch." Garp informed him while watching from the sidelines. "It's also better at taking a beating so one punch won't keep it down."
As if proving his point, just like Garp said the gorilla got back up. It wasn't going to give up easily and it charged at Light this time, swinging its fists wildly. Light easily side-stepped the gorilla's berserk rush and kept bobbing and waiving around its fist. Once he saw an opening Light dived into the gorilla's guard and punched it in its chin, face, and finally its cheek in quick succession. After those three rapid hits, the gorilla fell once again.
This time it wasn't going to get back up. Seeing that it was over, Light walked over to a nearby tree and picked up his Straw Hat which he left there to keep it safe from getting damaged. He had a string strap tied to the bottom of it so the hat would dangle over the back of his head inside of wearing it. This was just his preference.
Garp was pleased with seeing him dispatch the gorilla. "Heh, you brat. I leave you alone for just a year and you grow so much stronger under my nose."
"Well, it was a pretty eventful year." Light said, dusting off his sleeves.
His grandfather walked up to him and had a big grin on his face. "I'll bet, at this rate you'll be a strong Marine in no time."
Light had a feeling Garp would say something like that and sighed.
"Listen, Gramps, there's something I want you to know." Light told him.
"Yeah, what is it?" Garp asked.
"I don't want to be a Marine." Light flat-out confessed. While he didn't feel like telling him he wanted to be a Pirate, he felt he should at least set the record straight. "I've already decided that I won't follow you into the Navy."
Those words instantly made Garp furious. "What?! What are you talking about? Why else do you think I've been training you all these years? To make you into a strong Marine!" He barked.
"And I appreciate all that. But from the start, it was my choice to make." Light responded, nonchalantly. "And I choose to not be a Marine."
"This is that damn Red-Hair's influence, isn't it?!" Garp shouted, even angrier. "You let him corrupt your mind, didn't you?!"
"Not true, I've actually been thinking about this for a while." Light admitted. "It's just… I finally made my decision after meeting them."
"Well, think again!" Garp then raised his fists. "I'll have to knock some sense into you with my Fists of Love!"
And Light spent the rest of the day trying to survive Garp's outrage.
Hours had passed and Garp had finally calmed down. This was fortunate in Light's case as he was able to survive Garp's fists long enough to still be in enough health to walk. Though had Garp kept going any longer and that may not have been true.
That wasn't to say that Light got out of this ordeal unscathed, he was covered in bruises and dirt. However, he didn't seem to complain. Now the two of them were walking down the hill. The sun was setting into the distance—casting everything in a warm, golden glow as they passed through the trees, obviously heading back to the village.
"You really can't control yourself, can you?" Light said, attempting to break the silence.
Garp sighed and shook his head softly, feeling usually down right now.
"You probably hate me for being such a strict granddad." He spoke, with a grim expression.
Light wasn't expecting that. But he didn't speak since Garp wasn't done.
"But Light… The reason I put you through all this harsh training… And want you to become a Marine, is because I don't want you to go down the wrong path." Garp confessed, sincerely. "That is my wish."
Light was honestly surprised by Garp's sudden change in demeanor. This was the first time they had seemed to have a meaningful conversation like this. And so Light talked back.
"I don't hate you. But I just feel like you can't see things from my perspective." He spoke. "Even if you say you don't want me to go down the wrong path. How can you expect me to believe that the only right path is the one you pick out for me?" Light asked genuinely. "All I wish is that you would let me decide my own path, for better or worse."
"Even if that path you choose will make you into a criminal?" Garp argued. "There aren't many options you can realistically take. I don't want to see that happen, to see you become my enemy."
"I know the Marines are a strong force that helps the world. But…" Light paused, carefully considering his next words. "If I became a Marine I'll be bound by a conformed standard and will only be able to be what others expect me to be. I'll never be able to be what I truly want."
"And, what is it that you want?" Garp asked, now curious.
Light looked up at him with a serious look. "To be the Strongest in the world."
"What does being the Strongest mean to you?" Garp questioned. "Do you just want power?"
"Not exactly. I can't really explain but, whenever I meet someone stronger than me I get this strange feeling inside. And all I can think about is whether or not I can surpass them or not. But more than that, I want to keep surpassing the current me, and to keep reaching new heights." Light looked up to the sky, feeling soulful. "Until I soar higher than anyone in the world. There are a lot of strong people in the world. I wanna soar past them all."
"So it's not the strength itself he wants, but the journey it takes to reach that strength. He wants to take on everything the world can throw at him just so he can find out how far he can go." Garp thought slightly amused. "He really is like a wild animal, his desires are more instinct than reason."
Garp was staring up at the darkening sky before he sighed and let out a laugh. "Alright, that's enough sappy, emotional talk!" He said loudly as they continued down the hill. "Oi Light. We're in luck today! The Navy left us plenty of food! Now we can eat till we burst tonight! Hahahaha!"
Light just smiled and shrugged. "As always, food is the first thing on your mind."
As the two of them reached the bottom of the hill, the sun completely set and darkness covered the sky as night fell.
The next day, they were once again in the forest. Expect now both the forest and the trees themselves seemed strangely bigger. While walking the two of them were engaged in yet another argument.
"Would you just tell me where we're going?" Light asked, annoyed.
"Be patient would ya!" Garp shouted back. "We're almost there."
"You keep seeing that, and yet all I see are more trees." Light complained. "And we've never been this deep in the woods or this high up in the mountains."
"That means we're getting closer." Garp reasoned.
"Or we're lost." Light argued.
"Shut it, we aren't lost!" Garp barked. "We just haven't gotten there yet, ya brat."
He started to grumble which Light took notice of.
"Hey Geezer, you seem angrier than usual today." Light mentioned out loud. "Did something happen?"
"Did something happen? Don't pretend you don't know!" Garp shouted accusingly. "You thought I wouldn't have heard about it from Makino, about how you told Red-Hair that you wanted to be a PIRATE!"
Light clicked his tongue with irritation. "Tch, I should've told her to keep it a secret." He whispered under his breath.
"No grandson of mine is going to become some stinking Pirate." Garp spat. "You and Ace are both destined to become strong Marines."
"And as I told you, that's for me to decide." Light reminded him irked. "Besides I turned down Shanks' offer to leave and join his crew, doesn't that count for something?"
"Bah, that's the only reason why I haven't smashed you upside the head with my fist." Garp brushed off. "As far as I'm concerned that was the only smart decision you've ever made in your life."
"That doesn't mean much coming from you." Light thought as he continued to follow him.
"Leaving you in that peaceful village was a mistake." Garp said as they walked over a fallen tree, that acted as a bridge over a small river. "You'll be living with Dadan and her boys until you and Ace become strong Marines."
"Dadan?" Light repeated.
"That's right!" Garp answered, and Light could tell by the tone of his voice that this was decided and no amount of complaining or arguing was going to change that. "From now on, this is where you'll be living."
"Who's Dadan?" Light asked anyway.
"She and her boys are Mountain Bandits, you're going to be living with these guys." Garp decided again. "Try to get along with them."
Light groaned, until his instincts spiked and he looked up, it was almost like he could see something moving between the trees. Though he could only make out the silhouette, he clearly saw the branches swaying softly as if they were just touched by something for a second.
Light narrowed his eyes. "…Was that a person?" He thought before turning back to Garp. "By the way, you keep mentioning an Ace, but who exactly is that?"
"Starting today, he's going to be your big Brother." Garp answered, but his tone had become a little more gentle, if only for a moment before they set off again. A few minutes later they reached a small house in the middle of a large clearing. A decent-sized place with a watchtower in the back with a line of clothing hung to the nearest tree— it looked like a handful of people lived there.
"It's a bit of a dump." Light thought, looking around. "Though I guess it makes sense for bandits."
Garp walked on ahead and banged on the front door. The front door opened and surprisingly enough the one who answered was a woman. But not just any woman. She was a rather tall and overweight woman with long, orange, curly hair, a big, masculine face, and a cigarette in her mouth. She wears a white-collar shirt, a pink beaded necklace, chequered trousers held up with a large belt, and heeled boots. "So annoying! Who's the reckless daredevil!?"
"It's me." Garp answered darkly.
At his voice, the woman's eyes snapped open and she backed away in fear, stammering. "G-Garp-san!"
At his name, two men appeared right behind her. The shorter of them was hardly taller than Light and was wearing polka-dotted dungarees and a turban on his head while carrying around a dictionary in his hands. The taller man's overall appearance resembles that of a chicken. He has what appears to be a wattle on his chin, and a comb on his bald head. He has a mustache and sideburns, and big eyelashes. He wears a decorated jacket paired with a scarf around his neck, and a pair of shorts held up by a standard sash. He also sports what appear to be, long, striped socks.
All of them were looking terrified at the sight of Garp and were now actually retreating a little.
Just then, Garp said conversationally. "You seem to be doing well."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Dadan called out loudly, which got Light's attention. "I wish you'd just leave me alone for a change! That Ace is already 10 years old you know!"
Light raised a brow, considering the name Ace was brought up again.
Garp chuckled at that and asked. "Is he? Has it really been that long already? How's he doing?"
"It's nothing to laugh at." The short man called out as Garp began to laugh. "If he gets any wilder we won't be able to control him at all! Just take him with you!"
"Anyway." Garp ignored him.
But the little guy got annoyed by that. "Don't change the subject!"
Light who had been watching this whole conversation silently began to run out of patience and spoke out. "Are you guys done with your bad comedy routine yet?"
"Huh?" Dadan looked as if she finally just noticed Light was there. "Who's the kid?"
"Take care of him too." Garp said bluntly. The three of them stared at Garp with speechless expressions—as if they thought he had been kidding around. The three of them stared at him before Garp called Light over. "Now come on Light, say hello."
"Hey, freak shows." Light said aloof as if he couldn't be bothered to take them seriously.
The man who looked like a chicken looked from around Dadan and asked. "Whose kid is that?"
"He's my grandson." Garp stated simply. "And if you think Ace is wild then trust me, he's wilder."
They stood there with their jaws falling open in horror. For a moment they seemed too stunned to speak before they cried out.
[WHAT!?]
The little man screamed out. "We gotta take in another one?!"
"Garp's—I mean—Garp-san's grandson?!" Dadan repeated.
They all got on their knees and screamed boldly.
[Not happening!]
Light shrugged, thinking they overreacted too much. "Sheesh, what's their problem? Rude."
While thinking that Garp crossed his arms and said. "Well, you have your decision. Do you want to spend the rest of your life behind bars… Or will you raise him?" He didn't stop. "I've turned a blind so far. But you've committed as many crimes as there are stars in the sky."
Now Light stopped and noticed the implications of what Garp just said. "Wait, wait second. You're telling me you, a Marine, are letting wanted criminals remain at large just for your own personal advantages?"
"That's right." Garp smiled as if he was just complimented for thinking of a brilliant plan. "It makes it easier than raising kids myself and they can't possibly turn me down. It's the perfect plan."
"And it's illegal. Not something a Marine should be doing." Light pointed out, narrowing his eyes at him accusingly. "I thought you didn't want me to become a criminal, Mr. Navy soldier."
BOINK!
Rather than trying to justify himself Garp just used his default answer and punched him upside the head and barked. "Don't get smart with me you brat!"
"Damn, geezer." Light muttered, slowly getting to his feet.
With that settled, Garp turned back to the Bandits and addressed them. "Anyways like I said, take care of him or else."
[No way!]
The three of them shouted out as Garp laughed.
The chicken head scratched his head and began. "Well, true I don't want to go to prison."
The short man then finished voicing his opinion. "But sometimes prison actually seems tempting. Our hands are full with just Ace!"
Dadan suddenly cried out. "And now you want us to take your grandson too!? I'm sure that kid's just as much of a monster, isn't he?!"
"Hey." Light called out getting their attention. "I'm not thrilled with the idea of living with you freaks either." He said bluntly.
Dadan heard him and yelled out. "You wanna die, you brat?! Who're you calling freaks?!"
Light just pointed at them, starting with the taller man. "You look like a chicken." Then he pointed to the shorter man. "You're a dwarf holding a dictionary." Finally, he pointed to Dadan. "And you're a woman, yet the most masculine person I've ever seen."
After hearing that Dadan glared at him even more, but before she could say anything Garp burst out laughing. "GAHAHAHAHA!"
"What are you laughing at?!" Dadan yelled at him.
"Ah come on." Garp brushed off, still laughing. "You gotta admit he has a point, Gahahaha!."
By that point, Light stopped paying attention to them. Suddenly he felt like he was being watched and turned his sights in the direction of the trees.
What he saw shocked him. It was a young boy, looking no older than ten or eleven years old sitting on the dead body of an animal. He had smooth black hair and a stretch of freckles was splashed across his cheeks and nose. His body was rigid as he looked down at Light with his arms folded and holding a long metal pole. But what Light really noticed was his eyes.
They were dark, cold, and filled with an anger that seemed so deep that it was beyond rage… Hatred. It was radiating off him like an aura. Light's instincts were going off around this boy, it was almost like facing one of the dangerous animals in the wild but now he didn't know what he dealing with. He only knew this boy was strong and dangerous.
Garp turned to see him and had a different reaction. "Oh! Ace!" He said with a grin as he walked over to them.
That surprised Light. "That's Ace? Then… he's my brother?" Needless to say, he wasn't like what he expected.
"Oh! you're back, Ace!" The chicken man called out.
Ace didn't respond and just glared down coldly at Light as if he was daring him to take another step.
Light responded in kind and gave Ace his own glare, he didn't allow himself to be intimidated, and it almost felt like watching a stare down from a Lion and a Tiger.
Garp's heavy footsteps sounded and he walked up to Light, standing beside him and saying. "Light, that's Ace." He smiled up at Ace and finished. "He's two years older than you. Starting today you're going to be living with these people, so you better get along got it?"
"Ehhhhhh?!" Called out Dadan's voice from behind who had gotten up back to her feet. "You can't just decide by yourself!" She demanded.
Light and Ace continued to glare at each other silently—Looking as if they were about to attack at any moment. Light was the one who made the first move and picked up a small pebble on the ground.
Light held the pebble in his hand and held it like he was about to flick it. Which he did, and it was aimed right at Ace. After being thrown, the pebble traveled with the speed and force of a bullet fired from a Pistol. It reached Ace in the blink of an eye but Ace didn't move or even change his expression, and the shot passed him only grazing a few strands of his hair.
Ace acted as if he knew the pebble wasn't going to hit him while Light didn't look upset like he didn't actually plan on hitting him. It was almost as if they were both challenging each and the result made them both glare even harder at each other.
The others watching didn't say anything, feeling the atmosphere was extremely tense, Garp not feeling that broke the silence.
Garp kept his smile and started a small laugh "Haha, they're already getting along."
[No, they clearly hate each other!]
The other three shouted, disagreeing with Garp as if it was obvious. Which in this case, it was.
"Anyways, try to get along." Garp repeated.
But the other three didn't seem to be willing to give up without a fight as Dadan yelled out. "You think it's settled?!"
He turned and gave them the evil eye. "You have a problem?" Garp asked menacingly.
A look of pure terror came across their faces as they stood up straight and all recited.
[We'll take care of him!]
"My business here is done then!" Garp said as he turned away. "I'll come to visit when I have the time!"
"Ummm… What about child support?!" The chicken man called after him.
"Put it on my tab!" Garp called back.
"This isn't a bar you know!" Dadan screamed at him.
Garp turned back and glared. "Huh?"
"Welcome anytime!" She yelled out, sweat pouring down her face.
Light looked at them with half-lidded eyes. "It's like they're trained animals or something."
As they watched Garp retreated into the woods until he was out of sight. The short man turned to Dadan. "Hey Boss, what are we going to do with another one to take care of?"
"Well, first let's have something to eat!" She said sourly. "Go cook something up!"
As they all went to enter the house, Ace jumped down from his kill and walked towards Light. Ace walked right past him without saying a word, though he stopped after taking two steps. Then they both just stood there, the tense atmosphere returning, it almost felt like the temperature dropped a bit. There were many things they could've said to each other, but they both chose not to and so Ace kept walking and entered the house himself.
Light turned around and watched him walk through the door. "I wonder why he's so angry." He thought to himself before following him inside.
After Light went inside the house, the place appeared to be deserted as Light looked around, hoping to find either Ace or Dadan and her two grunts.
As he wandered he suddenly felt danger and quickly jumped to his side. This was the right choice because when he looked at the spot he was just standing in, there was now a man holding a hand knife who appeared to have come out of nowhere.
"Who the hell are you?" The Bandit asked and they all appeared out of the darkness—a decent amount of them were gathered around Light, like guards—prepared to grab him if he tried to escape.
"If you don't want to die." The Bandit held up his knife threateningly. "Then fork over all your cash!"
"You want it?" Light reached into his pocket and took out a single coin. "Here!"
Light flicked the coin just like he did with the pebble outside and unlike with Ace, it hit. The coin hit right between the eyes of the knife-wielding Bandit, and he cried out in pain as the others were surprised. Light used this chance to rush in and stood right in front of the Bandit, he jumped up and uppercut him in the chin, followed by snatching his knife from his hands.
Light jumped back to where he was standing before and the Bandit hit the ground hard. The others Bandits all looked at him with surprise and anger. "Who the hell is this kid?!"
"He's Garp-san's grandson." Said a familiar voice. The lights suddenly brightened as the door opened and the little man from before was there. The other Bandit's eyes opened wide with horror as sweat poured down their faces.
"This kid is…?" One of the Bandits croaked out while pointing at Light.
"He's gonna be living with us from now on." He finished as if speaking a death sentence. That was when every single Bandit came out of the woodwork and cried out in panic.
"Why'd you take him in?!"
"This isn't a nursery school you know!"
"Boss, you're totally gutless!"
Dadan then came back with a giant plate of meat and yelled out. "Shut it, you scumbags!"
They all fell silent at that. "It's time for dinner!" She added, pointing to all the food. At that, drool come down from the other Bandits' faces as they launched themselves toward the meat. They all devoured the food like a pack of hungry animals, they were even fighting each other over some of the food. Light just cringed as he watched them.
"They're worse than the wolfs." He thought, watching them punch each other for meat.
In the end, it was Light, Ace, and Dadan who were sitting around the fire in the center of the room. Ace was devouring some of the meat he stole earlier, while Dadan sipped some sake. Light took the last bite of his meat and was left with a bone.
After twirling the bone in his hand for a bit he got up and spoke. "Well, I'm bored." Light threw the bone in some random direction and turned toward the door. "I'm going for a walk outside, don't wait up."
"Do you not yet realize where you have been left!?" Dadan barked.
"Yeah, I do." Light looked around and saw the Bandits still gnawing on the bones of their meat like dogs. "It's a house filled with a rare bread of dogs called Mountain Bandits."
Ace hid his reaction, but he found that funny. Dadan however just got angrier and stuck a knife into the floor in front of Light.
"Shut it, you damn brat!" She yelled at him. "This is the hideout of the Mountain Bandits who rule Mt. Corvo, the Dadan family!"
"What a creative name." Light told her sarcastically. "How long did it take you to come up with it?"
"I said shut it!" Dadan barked louder. "It's already a pain in the ass raising you! If you don't want to be here, that's fine with us! Just go out somewhere and die like an animal!"
"Now, now Boss…" The chicken man, whose name Light found out was Mogra spoke up, trying to calm down Dadan.
"The life of a Mountain Bandit is harsh! Starting tomorrow we're going to work you half to death! Cleaning! Laundry! Shoe and weapon polishing! Theft, looting, swindling, and killing! And listen… You're not gonna say a single word to Garp about the stuff we make you do!" Dadan continued with a smug smile. "If you wanna live here you'll have to get anything you need for yourself, and that's including food. You'll have to raise yourself to be strong."
She paused expecting Light to start complaining, but surprisingly enough he just yawned.
"Is this lecture done yet?" Light asked, sounding bored and unfazed.
This made Dadan fall face-first into the floor. "That's all you have to say!?" She cried, startled.
"I'm a lot more used to taking care of myself than you might believe." Light reasoned with a shrug. "And I live my way by my rules, so I won't be doing any of those things you want me to do." He said like it wasn't up for debate. "Nor do I need any food from you, I'm more than happy to get it myself, in fact, I hate the idea of having to rely on someone else." Light went back for the door. "Now then, I'm going."
But before he left, Light grabbed a remaining piece of meat.
"Hey, what are you doing with that?" Mogra asked.
"Oh, I'm not eating it." Light assured him. "I'm going to use it as bait to draw in more animals, could be good for hunting."
"Wait, that's dangerous!" The short man, whose name Light found out was Dogra, warned him. "The animals up this mountain are incredibly ferocious; a child won't survive against them."
"You seem to be forgetting there's another child who just killed one of those ferocious animals." Light reminded them, referring to Ace. He then opened the door. "Besides, I do plan on becoming stronger, but…" He looked back and smirked. "I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than you guys."
And with that, Light closed the door on his way out and left.
Ace, who hadn't said a word, just looked at the door, thinking about the kid who just left. He didn't want to, but Ace found himself thinking about he had acted, and how Light carried himself with so much confidence and regard. Hoping to dismiss these thoughts, he got up and decided to leave as well.
While outside, Light was walking through the thick and luscious trees and trying to get used to the scenery since he was going to be staying for a while. Surprisingly enough though, when Light started walking up a tall hill, he saw that Ace was already going up the hill and was almost to the top.
"How'd he get ahead of me? He was still at the house when I left." Light wondered, scratching his head. "Well, I suppose he's lived here for years, so he would know his way around better than me." He then shrugged. "Ah, whatever."
He continued his hike through the woods and upped his pace to reach the top of the hill. When he got to the peak in front of Light was a rickety old rope bridge that stretched over a large and deep gorge. Ace was already crossing the bridge and was currently halfway across by the time Light stepped on it.
Realizing someone else was there, Ace turned around and looked displeased to see Light behind him. Light didn't care that Ace wasn't happy to see him and just kept walking. However, he came to a halt after they were only a few feet apart from each other. Light simply planned on walking pasted Ace, but Ace instead started to slowly walk up to him, with his hand gripping his steal pole and his eyes filled with hatred.
Light knew what he was planning to do and prepared himself. Ace charged forward and brought down his metal pole to strike at Light, but Light held out his hand and caught the metal pole, stopping its charge only an inch away from his forehead. Ace looked taken aback like he was shocked and surprised that his attack was actually stopped, more than that he couldn't free his metal pole from Light's iron grip.
Knowing he had his attention, Light spoke. "I'm not following you." He told him. "I just happened to be going this way because I wanted to look around the forest. After I cross the bridge we can just go in different directions."
Ace's surprised look turned to a frown, and he just sighed, pulling back his metal pole after Light released his grip and turning around. "Fine, just don't follow the path." He relented.
"So you can talk." Light commented amusedly before walking. "Fine then, I'll go through the brush."
After the two of them stepped off the rope bridge, Ace walked along a straight path while Light walked into the trees and plants to enter deeper into the forest. After they parted ways, both of them thought about the same struggle they had back on the bridge.
Ace looked at his metal pole. "I used all my strength, and yet, not only did he stop it, but I couldn't break his grip." He thought, not sure what to think. "What's up with that kid? I know he's the old man's grandson, but still."
Light looked at his hand, which was really bruised. "I caught it, but he had way more power than I expected. It was like catching a hammer." Light thought, surprised and somewhat impressed. "I knew he was dangerous, but… I didn't think there was anyone so close to my age that was this strong."
Both of them continued trailing forward, going wherever they planned on at the moment. Even though they couldn't know their current thoughts were so similar, both of them learned a little bit more about each other.
And this was just the beginning…
A long while passed, and while Ace had already returned by sunset, Light was still out in the wilderness. It wasn't until the moon came out from the clouds signing it being nighttime did Light decided to make his way back. Through the dark of the night, a small figure was seen walking past the shadows of the large trees, stopping in front of the door to the hideout.
Light's expression wasn't one of pain, but his body was in much worse condition compared to when he left this morning. Almost every inch of his body was stretched and bruised. He was covered in dirt and blood, though not all of the blood was his own. His clothes were torn, he had a few gashes on his chest and shoulders, they all resembled bear claws, and he had a small cut on his forehead with the blood dried up.
As if the damage to his body wasn't anything new Light opened the door and walked in like normal. After going inside, the little man named Dogra happened to be close by and saw him enter. More than that, he was surprised by what he looked like.
"EHHHH! I-It's you!?" Dogra cried out.
Light looked as if he just now noticed he was there. "Hmm? Oh, hey, Dogra."
Hearing the scream, Magra showed by. "What's with the screaming?…." He stopped dead in his tracks as he stared at Light. "EH?! You?!"
"Yes, me… Problem?" Light asked, wondering what the fuss was about.
"Who is it?" Dadan now showed up as well and also saw Light. "You're still alive?"
Light tilted his head a bit. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Where the hell did you go?!" She demanded.
"Now, now." Magra said in a more gentle voice as he turned to Light. "Where were you? Where did you go?"
"And where'd you get those wounds?" Dogra added, sounding almost concerned.
"I went to the bear caves and ran into a whole heap of them." Light explained. He said it like it was normal.
But based on their expressions and common sense, it clearly wasn't.
"The bear caves?" Dogra repeated, shocked. "Why'd you go there?"
"I went to do some training; it's just… Things were a bit different from how I planned." Light brushed off, not wanting to explain more. "Still, though, I do this stuff all the time with the old man, so I'll be fine after some rest."
"That doesn't sound fine at all." Magra argued quickly. "Garp-san must be out of his mind to think doing that stuff is survivable."
"Well, in any case, it's a good thing he's safe." Dogra said to Dadan.
"The hell it is! This just means that the troublemaker has returned!" Dadan shouted. Light, not wanting to deal with this, just walked past her.
As Light continued, he made his way to a small room in the back and opened it. The last thing he could hear was Dadan shouting something about putting him to work before he closed the door, shutting out his voice. The first thing he saw in the room was Ace, who already seemed to be asleep, but he wasn't in the mood the think of anything else right now, so with a tired thud, he hit the floor and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning it was bright and sunny, and Light went back outside, heading for the woods. Right now, Light had a new shirt to replace the old one that was torn up and a few bandages around his face and body to cover up the wounds from last night. Just like before, as he made his way down the path, he saw Ace in front of him, but like before, he chose not to pursue him and kept to himself.
While hiking through the woods, he made his way past large rocks, under branches, and once even underneath a large hole in a tree truck until he found what he was looking for, a pond with strong currents of water. Light picked up a small pebble and threw it into the pound. When he did, the back of a crocodile surfaced.
Smiling at what he had found, Light took a few steps back and ran towards the edge of the pound before he jumped up in the air and fell towards the water. The school of crocodiles came out and opened their jaws to bite him to pieces, but Light swung his fast with great speed and punched one of them in the head. He then landed in the water, and they all swarmed him.
Unbeknownst to Light, a few feet away from the pound was Ace standing on top of some rocks, who had seen the whole thing. He first saw him arrive and looked annoyed until he saw his run-up to the pound, which confused him. Then, when he saw Light jump in, he gasped, thinking Light was either crazy or suicidal. He damn near jumped after him until he saw Light fighting them off.
Now Ace just stood there, shocked at what he was seeing and not knowing how to react. After watching for a few more seconds, Ace left and didn't look back.
The days would go by, and this cycle would repeat itself. Ace and Light would run out of the house while Dadan shouted after them to get back and do chores. Every day Light would go farther and farther into the woods and would always endanger himself for the purpose of training himself to be stronger.
One day he fought against a giant snake. Another day he was climbing up a cliff to reach a large bird's nest and was attacked by giant birds. One day he went into a large river that was filled with fish with sharp teeth. Another day he disrupted a beehive and tried dodging the bees. And that were just a few of the many things he did.
Light kept on hurting himself doing all this, but that never seemed to bother him. Day after day, rain or shine, he kept going back for more.
One particular day though, was different. It was a day filled with rain and some thunder to boot. Light was still running around in the woods, looking for something to do. He was now in a much deeper and thicker part of the forest. It was starting to look more like a jungle than a forest.
"Hmm, what should I do this time?" Light asked himself, looking around.
THUD!
Suddenly Light was silenced when he heard an unfamiliar noise. It sounded like a thud, but it was very loud, almost as if something giant was taking large steps on the ground he tensed up when he realized that the sound was coming from behind him and it was getting closer.
Wanting to know what was going on, Light looked over his shoulder and looked to see the shadows of the trees in the direction of the noise.
RUMBLE!
Lightning flashed as Light saw something that made his jaw drop. It was a tiger… But not just any tiger… It was the biggest creature he had ever seen. Light was barely bigger than one of its claws. As the enormous beast lumbered forward, the boy quickly ran out of its path and stood beside a tree.
Light always had good instincts, like that of a wild animal, and because of that, he knew that this was his only option for survival. Even if he was stronger than most humans and animals twice his age or size, this tiger was on a completely different level. Before it, Light was nothing but prey.
Fortunately, the tiger never noticed him, and to his surprise, the tiger lunged forward, attacking an equally huge bear with a jagged scar over its eye.
"ROOOOOAAARRR!"
"GRRROOOOWWL!"
The titanic beasts of prey roared as they began to savagely attack one another. Light watched in shock and amazement. He was shocked already to see the tiger, but now there was a second giant beast with comparable strength, and they were fighting only a few feet away from him. He might as well have been a bug, considering how little his presence was compared to them.
Still, he decided to follow his instincts and head off in a different direction to get away from the two wild beasts.
After a few minutes, he decided that he was far enough and stopped. As if to signal that, the rain stopped, and the sky cleared up. The sun shined in the sky, and a rainbow had even formed. But Light still kept his thoughts on the tiger and bear he saw just moments ago.
Light clenched his fists. "That was insane. I never felt pressure like that from anyone in my life. Not from training or from those Mountain Bandits. How the hell can animals that big even exist?"
Light could only voice his thoughts to himself right now. He knew he didn't have anyone to talk to, but he just felt that he had to say what he was thinking out loud.
"I couldn't do anything but run, I thought I could take on anything this Island had, but there's no way. I wouldn't survive a minute against those things." Light said, gritting his teeth until he stopped and looked back. "At least, not yet. But now I have something to work towards."
Light now had an interested smile on his face.
"Yeah, that'll work. My goal, for now, will be to become the Strongest creature on this Island, and that means taking down both the tiger and the bear. If I can't do that much, then I can't very well say I'll be the Strongest in the World." Light said determinedly. "No doubt, I'll have to train even harder now."
With a new set goal and a new determination to strive forward, Light continued making his way through the trees to find a way to train himself. After that day, he made his training even harder, and in no time at all, he had become even stronger.
Days, weeks, had gone by, and before long, more than three months had gone by since Light had started living with the Mountain Bandits. One thing that changed was his build. Light had a stronger physic now compared to when he first arrived. His height and size had only grown a bit, but the muscles on his arms, legs, and torso had much more definition.
The results of his training were really starting to show. That and the fact that unlike when he was living with Makino, while with the Mountain Bandits, he had been eating nothing but meat every day, somethings fish. Thanks to that, his muscles grew more and became more durable at a quicker rate, plus all his training pushed him to his limit almost every day.
His strength was now on a different level compared to before, along with his speed and other attributes. Most people would find it hard to believe that all that power was in the hands of an 8-Year-old boy.
It was another sunny day, and Light was walking uphill through the forest. He decided to look around in parts of the forest he'd never been to before and thus was heading upwards. Strangely enough, though, across the hill, the forest seemed to end, which piqued his curiosity at what was on the other side.
After walking the last few yards, he reached the top of the hill. Light's eyes widened at how surprised he was at what he saw. At first, it was hard to see since the place was covered in mist, but through the hazy white mist was junk… Not just a hill of junk, but a mountain… or rather a whole mountain range of junk.
"Wow, what a place. It's like a garbage Island, only on land." Light said, looking around. "Where did it all come from?"
Light walked a bit closer, and as the afternoon sun shone through the fog, it gradually became clear, and Light could make out that there was a giant wall at the furthest point of the junk mountains. Nearby all the junk mountains were worn-out buildings where people seemed to be living, but there was a giant wall that stood between them and the very tops of colorful roofs.
"I get it." Light said, frowning. "Over the wall are the towns of the Goa Kingdom where all the Nobles live, and down here is where all the poor people live. Damn stuck-up Nobles, I still hate them."
Even though Light has been to the Goa Kingdom before, he always entered through the shore route by using a boat and thus never knew there was a wall here nor that there were mountains of thrown-away trash and people living outside the wall. It was times like this when he really didn't regret stealing from the people in town, regardless of what Garp said.
Deciding to continue his look around, Light walked down the hill and went past the mountains of junk, even climbing up some of them to get a better view of the place. Light wasn't really looking for anything in particular, he was just looking.
Just then, an old man carrying a sack over his shoulder and a knife with him almost ended up crashing into Light but stopped just a step before the collision. "Out of my way, kid!" The old man barked at him. But Light wasn't fazed, which seemed to irritate the man even more. He held up his knife. "I said move!" He threatened. "Or I'm gonna—"
Before he could finish, Light kicked a rock on the ground forward, and it hit the old man on the forehead, which knocked him off his feet. Light, quick and slick, stepped forward, swiped the knife from the old man, and stepped back.
"I could never get used to this thing." Light said, referring to the knife in his hand. "Too short and fragile."
The old man sat up and was shaking with anger. "Why you…"
But the man didn't get a chance to finish because over his shoulder in the distance, someone was shouting. "I think he went that way!"
A look of panic came over the old man's face before he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. Light just watched the old man run away with a raised eyebrow. "Wonder what that was all about." Choosing not to dwell on it, Light went back to climbing.
At some point, Light came up to a patch of trees… As he stood atop a hill of junk, Light spotted something in the distance. Ace was there, carrying a large sack under his arm, and was clearly running somewhere familiar.
"Ace? Is there where he goes every day?" Light asked no one, surprised at seeing the cold boy in a place like this. "Wonder where he's going."
Light decided to find out. He jumped off the junk and ran after Ace, entering the patch of large trees.
Light wandered through the trees until he reached a small clearing, and he looked up at one of the trees to see two boys up there. One of them was undoubtedly Ace; the other, however, was a boy Light didn't recognize. He looked around the same age as Ace, with a missing tooth and short curly blonde hair. He was wearing mostly blue, but his most noticeable feature was his large black top hat with a pair of goggles wrapped around it.
"…Put it away. We can't let anyone else see it." Ace said to the other boy, moving the large sack in his hands.
From a birds-eye view, you could see that the two of them were sitting on top of the tree in front of a where a part of the tree branch they were sitting on was cut up like some kind of trapdoor filled with treasure. The sack Ace was filled with more wealth, and they were counting its worth.
"I wonder how much we need for a Pirate ship." The boy with the top hat asked.
"Don't know." Ace replied. "10,000,000 or 100,000,000 maybe? Long way to go."
Light could only barely hear them from the ground, so he jumped onto the tree and climbed up it like a monkey. In a second, he reached the top and was only a few inches away from them; he then asked. "What're you guys talking about?"
The suddenness of hearing a random voice appear out of nowhere made the two boys jump and slam the trapdoor shut as they looked to their right. When they saw Light, Ace and the other boy exchanged terrified looks and, in desperation, tried to knock Light to the ground.
[Be quiet!] They both shouted.
Light was fast enough to dodge and jumped to the ground himself. The two of them scrambled down the tree like insects, following after him.
"This is bad." Light said to himself. "Looks like I have to fight them."
He was proven right as Ace charged forward and tried to punch him. Light blocked Ace's fist with his palm. But the other boy followed up by trying to kick him on his right. Light let go of Ace's fist and swiped his leg to trip the boy in the top hat. It worked, but the moment he let go of Ace, he was met another punch which he dodged again by jumping backward at the last second to gain distance.
"Two on one sure is rough." Light noted. "They obviously have experience fighting together."
"He finally found this place." Ace said grumpily. "I guess I just hoped he'd never find his way all the way out here."
"And what's worse, he saw our treasure." The other kid said. "What should we do?"
They both were quiet as they thought it over. "He found our secret." Ace said slowly. "He'll tell somebody if nothing is done." His expression turned as cold as ice as he said. "We gotta kill him."
"Alright." The kid said. "Let's do it."
"Hey." Light called out, confused by the sudden stop in the fighting. "What're you guys whispering about."
"What else? We're going to kill you!" Ace shouted with an annoyed expression.
Light didn't seem fazed and just asked. "Okay, but how do you plan on killing me?"
After asking that question, there was an awkward silence. It was as if the answer to that question was something that never occurred to them, and they had no idea themselves. The silence was soon broken when Ace pointed at Light.
"Sabo, kill him already!" Ace yelled, pointing at him to do the job.
"What?!" The now-named Sabo cried out. "No way you do it!"
"I've never killed anyone before!" Ace yelled.
"Me neither!" Sabo yelled back as they argued. "And I don't know how!"
"You know, you could just not kill me." Light suggested.
"We can't do that!" Ace yelled.
"Why not?" Light asked curiously.
"Because… B-Because… Uh." Sabo sounded as if he couldn't think of a reason on the spot. He then turned to Ace. "Why can't we kill him again?"
"Don't ask me." Ace looked away.
"What!? But this was your idea!" Sabo reminded him.
"Shut up!" Ace shouted back.
"I can't tell if they get along or not." Light thought to himself.
Just then, they heard another voice call out through the trees. "I hear a voice from the forest!"
Ace and Sabo froze, glancing over their shoulders as another voice said. "It sounds like a kid's voice!"
"Oh no." Sabo whispered, looking at Ace. "Someone's coming."
"We can't stay here." Ace said at once. "We gotta move from here before they find our treasure."
The two boys ran, and Sabo grabbed Light's arm to bring him along. They all jumped into some nearby bushes to hide.
The voices they heard got closer and closer—A group of men into their sight. "Everybody knows those brats around here. Ace and Sabo. Are you sure it was Ace who took the money?" Said a large, bulky man with long lilac hair, a thick neck, and muscular arms. He carried a Sword in one hand and a frown on his face as he looked down at the three average-sized men with him—two of which looked beaten up.
"Yes… We're sorry." said the one with a bandaged arm in a sling. "We shouldn't have let our guard down."
"How outrageous he is." The large man said sourly. "He can't just steal our money! If Captain Bluejam hears about this, he's going to kill all of us!"
"Dammit." Ace whispered from where the three boys were crouched behind the bushes. "I didn't know those thugs were working for Bluejam."
"You mean that money you stole was from them?" Sabo hissed at him.
"I shouldn't have taken that money." Ace said seriously, and Sabo rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Bluejam? I've heard that name before." Light thought. "He's a Pirate that's been docked around here for a while and is known for his brutality; all the rumors say he kills for the smallest of reasons, the same for his crew."
"He has a real Sword." Sabo muttered, pointing at it. "That's Porchemy, who works under Bluejam. He's crazy. You know that, right? They say he scalps his opponents after they lose a fight with him while they're still alive."
Ace grit his teeth. "Yeah, I've heard that."
"Hey, guys." Light muttered, getting their attention. "I think I have a solution."
"A solution?" Sabo asked, unsure. "What is it?"
Light picked up a small rock next to him and threw it. At first, the two of them almost jumped in panic, thinking Light had given away their hiding spot, but they soon learned that wasn't the case. The rock landed in another bush away from them, and it caused a rustling sound that caught the attention of the Pirates.
"What was that?" One of the injured Pirates asked.
"It might have been Ace." Porchemy guessed. "Come on, let's go see."
They started walking towards the bushes in the opposite direction and were completely looking away from where the three of them were hiding.
"It worked." Sabo whispered with relief and excitement, turning to Light. "Great job, your solution saved us. We can get away now."
"You go on ahead." Ace said, not taking his eyes off Porchemy.
"You idiot." Sabo hissed angrily. "Now's not the time for this. We need to run while we have the chance."
Ace stood up and looked determined. "I won't run away, not from him or anyone, ever."
"Don't." Sabo said desperately. "He's on a completely different level than the Delinquents from town."
"I know." Ace clenched his fists. "But still… I never back down." he said seriously.
"You…" Sabo started.
"Guess it can't be helped." Light joined the conversation, standing along with Ace. "If he won't run, then there's no choice. We'll have to fight."
Ace looked a little surprised, not expecting Light to agree with him. Sabo was also surprised, but for different reasons. "What? Don't encourage him. Can't you guys understand how reckless this is? If we fight these guys, we could die." He exclaimed, hoping he could somehow get it through their heads.
"Don't worry so much. I have another plan." Light reached into his pocket and took out the small knife he had taken from the old man from before. "On my signal, jump out and attack."
Now both of them just looked confused. Light faced forward and aimed his knife at Porchemy, waiting just for the right moment to strike. After being taught how to handle a gun by Ben and Yassop, Light was confident in his ability to hit a target from far distances or even moving ones, so using all that, he knew it was a safe bet that he wouldn't miss this shot.
Once Porchemy turned and was facing his direction, Light acted quickly and threw the knife at Porchemy's knee.
STAB!
Because it was so sudden and because it happened so fast, it took a moment for things to fully sink in for Porchemy. Then like a slap in the face, the pain of being stabbed in the knee hit him and made him scream out in pain.
"AARRGGHH! What the hell!" Porchemy yelled, falling to one knee.
"Porchemy!?" One of the men shouted, running up to him dumbfound.
"What happened? Where'd that knife come from?" Another man asked, shocked and confused.
Now that they were in disarray, Light shot out from his hiding place and dashed forward like a speeding bullet. In a second, he reached Porchemy, who couldn't react in time to realize what was about to happen. Light clenched his fist to build up power, jumped up, and with a great swing, he smashed his fist straight into Porchemy's forehead. The blow was so strong that it rattled the grown man's brain, knocking him out before he even knew what hit him, and like a sack of potatoes, he hit the ground with a thud.
Light landed on the ground, and the other three Pirates were too shocked to think straight. They couldn't figure out what shocked them the most; That a child suddenly appeared out of nowhere, that he was crazy enough to try and punch a psycho like Porchemy or that Porchemy was just taken out by one hit from a child.
They didn't have time to think it over, though, because the second Light's feet touched the ground, he shouted. "Now, do it!"
Knowing that had to be the signal, Ace and Sabo jumped out from the bushes, and following Light's lead, they punched those three Pirates right on their heads to knock them out. They each took out one, and the remaining third one was taken out by both of them hitting him at the same time as if they were competing to see who could do it first.
And with that, all four Pirates were taken out by a trio of unarmed kids. Two of the three in question seemed surprised by it themselves.
"Whoa, we actually did it." Sabo said, somewhat amazed. "I just jumped out and attacked without really thinking, but I didn't think it would actually work."
"Don't forget they're only unconscious." Light reminded him as he removed his knife from Porchemy's knee and put it back in his pocket. "We better go before they wake up; that strategy won't work if they can see us."
"Oh crap, you're right." Sabo said with urgency, turning to Ace. "Ace, this time, we really need to leave!"
"The fight's over now, so it should be okay to go now, right?" Light asked, agreeing with Sabo.
Ace simply nodded. "Don't worry, I agree. Let's get out of here."
Sabo sighed in relief while Light walked away from Porchemy. And now, the three of them began to exit the sense. Ace and Sabo didn't seem to mind Light following them.
A bit of time passed, and it was now evening. The sun had begun to set, and the sky was orange. Ace, Light, and Sabo were all sitting by some trees in the woods, deciding to talk now that they were away from danger. Light sat on a tree branch, Ace sat cross-legged on a tree trunk, and Sabo leaned against the large rocks next to him.
"That's a real bad habit you've got Ace." Sabo said with a frown while Ace was looking over his fist. "Refusing to run away even when you're up against real Pirates? Why are you so eager to die?"
"It doesn't feel right." Ace muttered as if he hadn't heard a word Sabo was saying. "It was better before."
Sabo just sighed as he shook his head.
"After this, Bluejam's crew will never forgive us." Sabo continued thoughtfully. "They'll be after us from now on."
"Has something like this happened before?" Light asked, curious by the way Sabo was talking about this.
"In a way." Sabo replied. "We steal from other thieves and people from town, plus we get into fights with some delinquents, but it's never anything this bad. We were just lucky you were here this time." He then smiled at Light. "I never thought you'd actually rush in on Porchemy like that. You're as wild as Ace said."
"You told him about me?" Light asked Ace, surprised.
Ace looked away. "I told him how crazy you are."
"He told me how you were always doing insane things that would normally kill someone." Sabo elaborated. "I had a bit of trouble believing it, but considering what I just saw today, now I have to believe it."
"Well, I don't know who you are." Light pointed out.
"Oh right, I'm Sabo." Sabo introduced himself. "And you already know Ace."
"I'm Light." Light introduced himself. "Now then, mind if I ask what you guys were hiding up in that tree?"
"It was a treasure stash." Sabo answered though Ace spoke up at that point.
"Hey, Sabo! Don't go around just giving away our secret like that!" Ace said loudly, irritation clear in his tone.
"Oh, come on, he's already seen it, so there's no point in heading it." Sabo reasoned. "Besides, he just saved our hides today, so what's wrong with letting him in on it?"
Ace looked like he still didn't like it and huffed.
"Anyway, it's where we hide all the treasure we find." Sabo continued. "We stash it all in a place we keep hidden, and one day when we've collected enough, we plan on using all the treasure we have to buy a Pirate ship and set sail."
"You guys have a stash of stolen treasure too?" Light asked, not expecting that.
"Too? You also have a hidden treasure stash?" Sabo asked with the same expression.
"Yeah, mine's hidden in a bar back in Foosha Village." Light confessed. "I wasn't really planning on what I'd use it for, but I've definitely got a lot from stealing whenever I went into town over the years."
"Hmm? Stealing a lot of money from the town over the years, that sounds familiar for some reason…" Sabo muttered, trying to remember. Then out of nowhere, his eyes widened as if it suddenly hit him. "Wait! Are you the Wildcat of Goa?!"
This made Ace react as well. He also heard that name and was surprised when he heard that the kid sitting in front of him could be the infamous thief from the rumors.
"The guy who supposedly sneaks in and out of both Edge Town and High Town all the time and swipes valuables without being caught or seen?" Ace spoke, joining the conversation. "That's you?"
"That is what they call me?" Light replied casually. "But I wish they'd thought of a better name for me."
"Whoa, well, after seeing the way you took out Porchemy, I guess it makes sense." Sabo complimented.
"Well, I've always been light on my feet, and stealth is one of my strong points." Light said.
"Then, why didn't you run?" Ace suddenly asked, frowning at Light. "From what you're saying, you could have just escaped when Porchemy showed up. If you'd just left us and ran, you could have gotten away safely. So why didn't you?" Ace almost sounded angry. "Why'd you bother trying to help us?"
"Oi Ace." Sabo said, trying to calm him down. "Calm down a bit."
"I don't get it!" Ace pressed on, wanting an answer. "We're not friends, and you hardly know us. I was even planning on killing you, so what reason could you've possibly had to not have run? Did you want something from us? Are you just trying to screw with me? Answer me."
"Because…" Light spoke wistfully as if he was trying to find the right way to say it until he decided to just say what was on his mind. "Because I didn't want to run."
Ace blinked, unsure what to say to that, but Light went on to explain. "Even since I was little, training was the only thing I ever did, and I trained because I wanted to be strong, stronger than anyone else. That's why I trained every day, no matter how hard it was, all so I could be so strong I could beat anybody. So for me, it's different if I'm running away from an animal or something, but running from a person is the same as admitting I'm too weak to win and that hurts more than an injury."
Ace looked lost for words as he thought over what Light was saying. On some level, it was similar to Ace's way of thinking, which is what surprised him. "You've only ever been training?" He asked slowly.
"Yeah, just me and the old man." Light confirmed.
"What about your parents?" Ace asked, still at a loss.
"As far as I know, I haven't seen them since the day I was born." Was Light's simple answer.
Ace just stared long and hard at Light. "You never run from a fight, no matter who you're facing?" He asked, his tone no longer as cold or harsh as it had been up until now.
"That's right." Light nodded.
"You want to be stronger than anyone in the whole world?" Ace continued, his voice surprisingly gentle, as he was afraid of what might be Light's answer.
Light smiled. "The Strongest in all the world."
Sabo looked over and saw Ace clenching his fist. His eyes were no longer filled with anger… It was… Curiosity.
"I get it, Ace…" Sabo thought, guessing what was on Ace's mind. "He's a lot like you, isn't he?"
Ace's face was shadowed, so they couldn't see what was going on in his head at the moment. "I see." Was all he said as he turned around so that the other two couldn't see him. "But still." He added, now sounding skeptical. "I seriously doubt that'll happen."
Light's expression was now confused and curious. "Huh, why that?"
"Because." Ace turned back to him, now with a smirk. "The one who's going to be the Strongest in the world is me!"
"What?" Light sounded like he had trouble believing it. "How's that even possible? I'm already stronger than you are now."
"You? Stronger than me?" Ace sneered, jumping forward. "Quit dreaming. I'm way stronger than a kid like you!"
"Oh really?" Light also jumped forward. Now he and Ace were right in front of each other. His expression changed to a prideful one. "Then why do we find out right now?"
"You wanna fight me?" Ace had the same expression. "Fine, let go."
"Alright, that's enough; cut it out, you two." Sabo said calmly, stepping between them and pushing them apart. "You can fight later. Right now, I've got a problem."
The intense atmosphere melted away, and Light asked. "A problem?"
Sabo nodded. "Because of what happened today, Bluejam's crew will be trying to find and kill all three of us, right?"
Ace blinked. "Well, yeah. I guess."
Sabo walked past him and continued to talk. "I've been living in this forest, but it's close to their base, in Pirates Cove. What do you think would happen if I fell asleep somewhere and they attacked me?"
"You'd die." Ace said bluntly.
Light nodded. "It's kinda obvious."
"Right." Sabo said, looking back at them. "So I've gotta ask you something."
"Just spit it out already." Ace said, annoyed by how long this was taking.
"Let me stay in your place." Sabo requested.
"You mean with the Mountain Bandits?" Light asked, surprised. "Is that a good idea?"
Ace scratched his head. "Well, it is a safe place to hide from Pirates."
"But what about Dadan?" Light reminded him.
"That won't be a problem." Ace brushed off. "She might not look it, but she's a pushover when it comes to children."
"Seriously?" Light sounded skeptical.
Ace looked back at Sabo. "All right, you can stay at our place."
"Great, I'm saved." Sabo said, relieved.
And with that, the three of them walked down the trail heading for the Mountain Bandits' base. While walking, Sabo turned to Light.
"Hey, Light." Sabo spoke out.
Light nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"
"I figured I might as well ask since the three of us are in the same boat. Wanna join up with Ace and me?" Sabo offered. "I don't mind if you hang with us, you're definitely strong enough, and we still owe you one for today." He then looked at Ace. "You don't mind either, right?"
Ace didn't face them and kept walking. "I don't mind if he can keep up."
"That's his way of saying he wants you to join." Sabo said with a grin.
"SHUT UP!" Ace barked, having heard him.
"Sounds good to me." Light smiled, accepting their offer.
And with that, the trio of boys continued their walk through the woods in the dark of the night, now having made a new friendship. But at the time, they had no way of knowing that this meeting was the start of a chain of events that would change their lives and everything around them in a way they never saw coming, but for now, all that could be said was.
It shouldn't be boring.
To start things off, the reason I had Light spend all his time training is that I plan to make him both stronger and battle-hardened than Luffy was, so he has to train as much as he can. That's the only way it'll make sense. Plus, I can't see Light wanting to cling to Ace any way he can, as Luffy did, so there's no real reason for him to try to follow him every day.
Speaking of Ace, I made his viewpoint of Light different too. Instead of being an annoyance, he was someone Ace thought was strange yet worth thinking about. And at the end of this chapter, he sees Light from a different perspective. I always planned to make Light share similar traits to Ace because it just happens to have the traits I'd want in an MC. They aren't best friends at this point. Right now, they're more like friendly rivals. Sabo is his friend, though.
As for the part about him beating Porchemy, if you think about it, it makes sense. He caught him by surprise, gave him a grave injury without him realizing what was happening, and hit him in the forehead. Considering how much stronger Light became after three months of living with the Mountain Bandits, it'd be strange if he couldn't do that.
Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed; if you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.