Prologue: An Unexpected Meeting
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece
Going out to sea has always been a dream for Ace and Luffy. A life at sea where they could be as free as they want to. As they sit below deck, chained together with other people surrounding them, they couldn't be farther from the future they want.
How long has it been? Weeks, months. All they knew is that it's been far too long. Everyone bellow deck has been starved to the point where they have no energy to fight back and those who tried have already been killed in front of them to send a message.
For some reason unknown to the brothers, Luffy seemed to have even less energy than he should have. Ever since those slavers slapped these handcuffs on him, he's had barely enough energy to remain coherent.
How did this happen? One day they were out hunting on Mt. Colubom heading back to Dadan's hideout, as soon as they got close to the run-down shack, they were jumped. Doing the best they could; Ace and Luffy tried to fight them off, but to no avail. Hearing the fight from their hideout, Dadan and the rest of her gang stepped in to save the boys.
Unfortunately, that would be the last time either of the brothers would ever see Dadan and her gang again. One by one, each of the mountain bandits were killed by the slavers. As they were being dragged away kicking and screaming, they saw Dadan reaching out for them, screaming their names, as one the slavers pulled their pistol and shot her in the back of the head.
"Hey Ace, you awake?" Luffy asked, the exhaustion in voice couldn't be missed. Whether it was from the lack of food, their poor conditions, or the cuffs around his wrist, he didn't know anymore. His skin was starting to look paler than before he was abducted. His clothes were in tatters from when they fought back. The only piece of clothing he had that was still in mostly good condition was his straw hat.
"Yeah Luffy, I'm up," Ace answered, while not sounding as tired, it's clear that their time one the ship is certainly taking its toll. His appearance wasn't much better. His clothes were just as beat up and he had a few more bruises than Luffy.
"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Luffy asked. This wouldn't be the first time he had asked this question. Not a day went by without him asking this question at least once.
"I don't know," Ace lied. He had an idea of where they were going. He overheard some of the crew talking about the profits they were looking to make from selling them and everyone else. He needed to get Luffy and himself off this ship as fast as possible. The problem is that neither of them knew where they were, how to get out of their chains, or even what they could do in this situation. "Look; no matter what, I'm going to get us out of this. I promise." He wasn't entirely sure he could keep that promise, but the last thing he needed was for either of them to lose hope.
"Be sure to keep that spirit kid," a man said as he came below deck. In one hand he was carrying a sizeable case and the other was in his coat pocket. "My clientele just loves to beat the spirit out of brats like you." He said as he grinned maliciously at the brothers.
Why wouldn't he be smiling at the sight before him. He's been a slaver for years; he knows a good haul when he sees one. The pirates he had locked up always sold quick; whether it be to marines that want easy credit for their capture, various people wanting revenge for whatever reason, or nobles or celestial dragons that want new toys. The random civilians always fetched a good price, plenty of people out there with deep pockets that wanted to buy a new play thing. Men, women, children, it didn't matter; they all sold well. The ones that still held onto some misplaced sense of hope also sold better; they were more fun to break. He almost felt bad for them. Oh well, nothing a good pay day couldn't take care of. The slaver doesn't give a damn about what happens to the cattle. Once they were sold off, they were someone else's problem.
What made him smile the most though is the two children before him. For all their talk of absolute justice, the navy are quite possibly the most corrupt organization in the world. There is no shortage of marines willing to sell one another out for some beris. Thanks to a particularly greedy captain conveniently letting some information 'slip', the slaver got a tip on a figurative gold mine. He got information on the grandsons of Vice Admiral Monkey D Garp, the bane of all pirates and the hero of the marines.
The number of potential customers was enough to make the slaver giddy with anticipation. Pirates around the world would give anything to enact revenge against Garp and almost all of them were willing to do so through these boys. Even nobles and celestial dragons would buy these kids either to have a prize to brag about or to have leverage against the Vice Admiral. Hell, if everything plays out in his favor, he could make enough beris to rival Roger's fortune
"What do you want you bastard?!" Ace asked with venom in his voice as he glared daggers at the slaver.
"Oh, not much," he answered as he kneeled in front of the boys, just outside of their reach. Could they do anything to hurt him, no. It was always smarter to play it safe though; less someone has some trick up their sleeves, sometimes literally. "I just need you to do something for me." He said as he stared directly into Ace's eyes.
"Bite me," Ace said defiantly.
This didn't bother the slaver in the slightest, if anything his grin only grew at that. "Fine, then how about we make a deal then. You see, as you probably guessed by now me and my marry group are slavers. We make a living by selling people to the highest bidder. As you are now, you aren't worth as much as this kid here," the slaver said as he gestured towards Luffy. "Hell, you're almost not worth selling at all. But with my help, you'll be worth oh so much more," the slaver explained as he put the case on the floor. Opening the case, he pulled out what looked like an orange fruit with an almost flame like design on it. "All you have to do is eat this."
"That's a devil fruit," Luffy said absent mindedly as he eyed the fruit.
Hearing his brothers words, Ace's eyes went wide. He knew that devil fruits exist thanks to Luffy, but he didn't think he would ever see one in person. Is it the same type as Luffy's or is it something in a class of its own? One thing he knew for certain is that they came with their own special powers and if this bastard wants him to eat it then it can't be for anything good. "And why should I do something that only helps you?"
"Simple," the slaver said as he pulled a pistol from inside his jacket. "It's pretty obvious that you care about this brat. Either do as I say, or I'll shoot your little friend." He finishes as he presses the barrel of his pistol into Luffy's shoulder. "It would be such a shame to damage merchandise as valuable as him. My clients prefer to be the ones doing that themselves"
There's no way Ace would just willingly do as he was told by some bastard slaver. But if he doesn't, then he'll hurt Luffy. Then again, the slaver said that Luffy is worth a lot of beris. Would he really risk doing something that would cost?
"Don't do it Ace," Luffy said. There's nothing wrong with eating a devil fruit itself. He just didn't want Ace to be forced to eat one, especially for his own sake.
Finding his resolve, Ace stood firm. "There's no way I'm going to eat that," he said defiantly.
Hearing that, the slaver's grin only widened. There are few things he loves more than some defiant idiot that doesn't fully understand their situation. Breaking them of their asinine ways is always so fun and satisfying.
Bang
The gun shot rang through the hold, only to be drowned out by Luffy's screams of pains as he clutches his bleeding shoulder.
"Luffy!" Ace screamed as he to check his brother's injury. He would have been able to if it wasn't for the slaver smacking Ace away with the butt of his pistol.
"So, are you going to do as you're told or keep playing tough?" the slaver said as he pressed the barrel of his pistol into Luffy's knee cap. "Personally, I'd love it if you kept testing me."
"You bastard," Ace snarled as he rubbed his cheek, wiping away a trail of blood in the process.
"Now here are your choices. Do exactly as I say and I'll send my medic down here to patch up your friend's shoulder. Your other option is you keep being a defiant little shit and we see how much pain your willing to let the brat take." The slaver said, enjoying the dirty look he was getting from Ace. It's one of the many looks he has seen from all the people he's sold. The internal conflict before giving in to his demands may just be his favorite thing. "You have till the count of three."
"Wait, I'll do whatever you want," Ace said as he stared at the floor boards, cutting off the slaver before he started counting down. As much as he doesn't want to give into this guy's demands, it's his duty to protect his little brother.
"Smart move kid," the slaver said, pouting that he can't have just a little more fun. "First off, put these on," he said as he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his jacket pocket.
Looking at the cuffs, wondered what was so special about them. He's already chained up as it is.
"Those cuffs are just to make sure you don't become a bigger pain in the ass," the slaver answered, knowing what Ace was thinking.
Taking the cuffs, Ace puts them on. He just wants to get this over with as fast as possible so Luffy can get help. Without speaking another word, the slaver hands Ace the devil fruit. Looking at it for a few seconds, Ace momentarily feels a surge of trepidation course through his body. There's no telling what kind of devil fruit he's about to eat. Suppressing what he's feeling, Ace eats the fruit as fast as possible. The taste alone was almost enough to make him want to vomit. Upon swallowing the last of it; he immediately dropped to the ground, feeling as though he just lost all his strength.
"Got to hand it the marines; thanks to them selling us those sea stone cuffs, handling devil fruit users is so much easier." The slaver said as he started making his way to the upper deck. "Enjoy your last glimpse of freedom everyone, in two days' time all of you will be sold off to highest bidder," the slaver announces to everyone, enjoying various looks he was getting from everyone.
There really is nothing sweeter to him than their looks of disparity and disdain. Standing on the stairs leading to the deck, the slaver takes a moment to soak it all in. He has a full hull and his contacts within the human shop they're going to has already set up the auction. All he has to do now is make it to Sabaody and he can spend the rest of his life on easy street.
Almost as if on cue, the ship came to a sudden stop, resulting in the slaver to break out of his train of thought and trip down the stairs.
"What the hell just happened?" the slave questioned angrily as he got back on his feet. "I swear if that useless navigator hit a reef, I'll sell him myself at the auction," he said as he made his way to the stairs.
As he got closer to the stairs the slaver could hear the shouts of the crew, all of whom were trying to figure out what happened as well. Amongst all their yelling one thing stuck out.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of the slavers above deck yelled. The sound of various slavers cocking their rifles and drawing swords could be heard bellow deck. In place of an answer, a wave of something washed over everyone below deck. All of the prisoners were now sweating profusely as they felt whatever had washed over them. The sole slaver with wasn't as lucky. He had dropped to the ground once again, sweat was practically poring off of him and looked far paler than he had only moments ago. Additionally, he looked as though he was desperately trying to regain his breath.
"What was that?" the slaver croaked out, fear lacing his voice. Looking up he could see cracks spread throughout the flooring above him. A second later he could hear a single pair of footsteps. With every step the cracks would spread even farther and become more pronounced. By the time the steps made it to the top of stairs sunlight was already seeping through.
As the steps made their way down the stairs, a lone figure could be seen, though his image was shadowed thanks to the sunlight. As the figured stepped out of the light it turned out to be a single old man with long gray hair going past his shoulders and an unusual beard of the same color wearing a dark blue t shirt and gray spotted pants with a sword strapped to his hip. As he stepped out of the light everyone could see that his clothes were soaking wet. Why they were in that condition, no one wanted to ask.
Taking in the sight before him, he spotted exactly who he was looking for; two young boys. The straw hat on the younger one was a dead giveaway. "Looks like I finally found the right ship" the man said. Upon seeing what state the boys were in, particularly Luffy's bloody shoulder, he gained a far more serious expression as he looked at the state of the rest of the people being held against their will. "Can I assume that you're the one responsible for this?" the old man stated as his gaze focused on the slaver.
If looks could kill, the slaver had no doubt he would be dead a thousand times over. Who the hell is this old geezer? Where the hell did he come from? His ship is in the middle of the grand line and is still days away from Sabaody. If he had come by ship then his crew should have been able to spot him much sooner. All those questions and so much more were racing through the slavers mind, but the thing that stood at the forefront was the unimaginable amount of fear that he he's feeling.
Every fiber of his being was telling him to run, but where could he go? He was below deck and the old man was blocking the only escape. He could try fighting his way out but the only weapon he has on him is his pistol and give how close the two are to each other the slaver wasn't confidante that he would win.
He needed to do something, anything would be better than waiting and hoping for the best. Given the look he was getting from the old man, the slaver could tell that he is far from happy with him. "You bastard!" the slaver yells as he draws his pistol. He has to do something, rationality be damned. Even a slim chance is better than doing nothing.
By the time the slaver had drawn his pistol and pointed it at the old man, he has already lost sight of his target. A second later he heard something hit the floor with a meaty thump. It took a few more seconds to realize that his forearm had been severed from the rest of his arm. Dropping to the ground, the slaver yells in pain as blood spews from his arm.
"Why don't you stay there for now," the old man says nonchalantly as he searches the slaver's pockets, looking for the keys to the cuffs. Upon finding the keys in one of the coat pockets, the old man smiles. It would have been to much of hassle to have to search the whole ship. "It's your lucky day boys, I had to choose between checking this ship and another," he says as he approaches the two boys.
"Who are you?" Ace asked while trying to sound tough. If the slaver was too much for him and Luffy then they didn't stand a snowball's chance against this newcomer.
"Relax, I'm not here to hurt either of you," the old man said, chuckling at Ace's tough act. "Now hold still while I get these cuffs off of you."
"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" Ace asked. As far as he knew, there is only one person in the world that would have helped him and Luffy get out of this situation and that was their grandpa. For a total stranger to come to their rescue seemed a little too good to be true.
"You boys wouldn't know it but I'm your uncle," he said as he gets Ace's cuff off. "My name is Rayleigh, I'm sure the two of you have a lot of questions but we really need to get off this ship and we need patch up Luffy's shoulder." He finished as he took off Luffy's cuffs.
"Don't worry, I got it," Luffy said as his shoulder combusted into a bright flame. A second later the flames died down to reveal a fully healed shoulder with the only trace of the wound being scar from where the bullet hit him.
"That's an interesting devil fruit you have there." Rayleigh said as he turned his attention to the next closest person to him. "Would you release everyone here, I'm in a bit of rush." Rayleigh said as he tossed a would be slave the keys to the cuffs.
"Of course," he said excitedly as he removes his cuffs. One by one, each would-be slave is freed from their cuffs. With each person released, the slaver was becoming more and more terrified. He was already surrounded by people that all felt the deepest contempt towards him. With each person released, his chances of survival were becoming even more slim.
The slaver tries reaching for his pistol with his remaining hand only for the old man to step on it.
"I'll be taking this," Rayleigh said as he picked up the pistol before turning his attention to the rest of the rest of the prisoners. "Now that all of you have your freedom, you should take care of this slaver before fleeing. Don't worry about the rest of the crew, I've already care of them." He said as he tossed the pistol to the closest slaver. "Come on boys, neither of you need to see this." He said as he made his way up the stairs, both Ace and Luffy following close behind with hints of hesitation being seen on their faces.
Hearing his words, the slaver turned white as a ghost as he turned his attention to the people he was going to sell. Each one looked at him with an expression that held the upmost contempt and disgust towards him as they moved to get their hands on the closest blunt objects.
"Wait! Please don't do this," the slaver begged. Not a single person showed any interest in sparring him. The slaver needed to get out of there. There's no way any of these people were going to show him mercy. He tried to run, but the prisoner that caught pistol shot him in the leg. "Please! I'm sorry!" the slaver tried begging again.
Up on deck
The slaver's wales of pain could be heard the only other three people on deck. While his wales of pain did have some effect on the boys Rayleigh didn't react at all. The yells of pain continued for a few more minutes before a single gunshot rang out from below deck.
Cutting the ropes that were holding up a lifeboat, the raft falls to the ocean. Grabbing the boys by the back of their shirts, Rayleigh jumps to the raft.
"Where are you taking us?" Luffy asked, his curiosity showing.
"To the island I live on to get you two cleaned up and fed. Neither of you seem like you've had a decent meal in a while." Rayleigh answered, hearing both boy's stomachs growl at the mention of a good meal. "Now hold on," he said as he jumped into the ocean.
"What are you doing?" Ace asked as he leaned over the edge of the raft.
"I'm going to push the boat. We'll reach Sabaody in a couple hours. Now hold on tight, I don't want to have to fish either of you out of the ocean. There are plenty of Sea Kings looking for an easy snack." Rayleigh gave his final warning.
Deciding to listen, both Ace and Luffy get a tight hold onto the sides of the boats. As soon as Rayleigh started pushing, both boys struggled to hold on. Their knuckles turned white almost instantly. They couldn't believe how fast they were going. Neither of them could process what it takes for someone to be able to swim so fast. They didn't expect to meet yet another monster like Garp.
True to his word it only took them a couple hours to reach their destination. The second the boat touches sand, both brothers jump out and start hugging the ground as if their lives had depended on it. Never in their admittedly short lives did they ever think that would be this happy to be on solid land.
"Quit being so over dramatic. It wasn't that bad." Rayleigh said as walked on land, earning him some dirty looks from Luffy and Ace. Seeing there looks, Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh as memories of his times dealing with new crew members when he was still active. "Come on, let's get you two cleaned up and fed."
Getting up, they start following Rayleigh as he made his way across the island. Simply looking around, they could tell that this island is nothing like dawn island. Everything just seemed so foreign to them. Everything from the giant trees and massive floating bubbles to the architecture of the buildings were far from what they were accustomed to. Nothing they saw was as extravagant as Goa Kingdom but seemed high class when compared to Foosha Village.
"What is this place?" Luffy asked.
"That would be Sabaody Archipelago. The last stop on the first half of the grand line." Rayleigh answered as his focus became sharper. On any other day, he could walk through any of the groves without giving it so much as a thought. For now, that isn't the case. "Be sure to stay close to me."
'So, this is the grand line,' both thought in unison. Just hearing what ocean there in someone made their surroundings seem even more foreign.
Before long, the group made it to their destination, a small bar on top of a hill called 'Shakky's Rip-Off Bar'. Upon entering, they saw a tall, slim woman with short black hair wearing a pink tank top with a spider design on, black pants, and white shoes sitting at the bar while reading a newspaper.
"Hey Shaky were back," Rayleigh said, gaining the attention of his wife.
Hearing her husband, Shaky quickly put down her newspaper and turned her attention to the commotion at the door. "It's good to have you back. I see you found the Luffy."
"Just in time too, they were only a few days away from showing up at a human shop. It's seems your contacts are as reliable as ever."
"Was there ever a doubt," Shaky said teasingly as she stepped out from behind the bar. Taking a closer look at the boys. If she didn't know any better, she would think the two are brothers. They certainly look similar enough. Knowing better though, she was curious as to who the older boy is. Shaky has a good idea as to who he is. Shaky is aware that Garp was looking after Rogers kid. If he had any common sense, which at times is generous for the marine, he would keep Rogers kid and Luffy together to make it easier to look after them. "It's good to finally meet you Luffy," Shaky said as she turned her attention towards Ace. "So, who would you happen to be?"
"Ace," was his curt response. Ace is thankful to Rayleigh for saving him and Luffy and Shaky seems nice enough, but he has a responsibility to look after Luffy and he wasn't going to let his guard down until he knew his younger brother is safe.
"It's good to meet you Ace," While Ace does share some resemblance with Rogers, she sees a lot more of Rogue in the boy. Shaky smiled as she took a seat next to her husband at the bar.
"So who are you people really?" Ace asked. Being saved by random strangers is far to absurd for the young to believe. Having spent so much time near Goa Kingdom and Grey terminal left Ace feeling jaded about the willingness of adults actually helping each other. "You said you're our uncle but I know that's a lie." Ace leveled an accusing glare at Rayleigh. He would maybe believe him if Ace and Luffy were blood brothers.
"Believe what you want but it's the truth." Rayleigh replied as casually as possible. "What, do you want me to actually explain it to you two?" he asked as he took in expressions. Ace continued to glare at him while Luffy tilted his head to the side, clearly confused by the situation. "Fine; Luffy, you're the son of my little sister Mia." Turning his attention to Ace, "Ace I was the first mate and best friend of your father, Rogers"
Both boys reacted in completely different ways. Luffy looked genuinely surprised since the only person he knew he is related to by blood is Garp. While it didn't make the biggest difference for him it was still great to know he has other family members.
"Bullshit!" Ace didn't react nearly as positively. "I don't have a father and I'm definitely not related to that bastard!" his words had a impact on Rayleigh and Shaky. Despite having never met him, Rogers loved his son. He did what he could to protect him from the World Government. Hell, Rogers nearly gave up being a pirate just so he could be with Rogue and Ace. He would have done it if wasn't for all the dangers a selfish decision like that would bring. What has this boy been through and what has Garp told him?
"Ace… I'm not going to tell you how to feel about your father but know that he loved you and his only regret was that he couldn't be there for you and your mother." Rayleigh's tone was a somber one. When he talked with Rogers about this decision, it was the only time he's known the Pirate King to doubt himself.
"Bullshit! If he was really as great as everyone says then why… why…" Ace couldn't finish his sentence. Gol D Rogers was the most wanted criminal of the World Government. Anyone with association to him were either hunted down are still being hunted by the marines. So many times Ace has heard that if the rumors of Rogers having a child are true then that child should be executed just for existing. Ace has basically live his life believing that he has no right to live and believed that until he met Sabo and became brothers with Sabo and Luffy.
Rayleigh and Shaky felt for the boy, they truly did. But there was nothing they could do to change the boy's mind in this moment. All they could do was be patient and be there for the boys.
Time Skip
Garp has been a nervous wreck for weeks. While he mourned the death of Dadan and her bandits, he has been searching tirelessly for Ace and Luffy. He promised Rogers and Dragon to look after the boys. Hearing of their disappearance is the most scared and worried he has ever been. Though no one could tell by looking at him. The Hero of the Marines was so on edge that even the men under his command gave him a wide birth.
Garp was on a war path, and everyone knew it, though not everyone knew why. For weeks he ransacked every slaver and pirate ship he could find. He was so persistent his searching that the very sight of him terrified slavers and pirates more then usual.
Even politicians and royalty were scared if Garp turned his gaze their way. Over his years of service, Garp has amassed many enemies. Both on the seas and in the countries he swore to protect. He tried to not think of what would happen if one of them has Luffy and he truly dreads what would happen if they learn of Ace's heritage.
If word got out about who Ace is, there would be nothing he could do to protect the son of Gol D Rogers.
Garp's war path came to an end when he received a call from Woop Slap. The mayor of Fuusha Village has called him many times over a den den mushi when he heard the news of what happened to the boys. But his most recent call shocked the admiral. Somehow Makino received a letter from the boys letting her know that they are safe and with their uncle.
It took a moment for Garp to realize who could be the boy's with. There were three possibilities and only one of them made sense.
Setting foot on Sabaody, Garp has heard the rumors Rayleigh having settled down here. He didn't bother to try to arrest the former First Mate of the Rogers Pirates if he laid low. It was simply too much work and too dangerous to go after someone who's now retired.
Garp's instinct eventually led him to Shaky's Rip Off Bar. Taking a deep breath, Garp is happy he ordered his men to stay on the ship. This is already going to be difficult enough with out them possibly making things worse.
"We're closed," Shaky said from the bar as she was reading a newspaper and heard the door open.
"I'm not one of your customers, Shaky," Garp said as he approached the bar. Shaky is one of the few criminals Garp has encountered and failed to arrest.
Hearing a voice she hasn't heard years, Shaky puts her paper down and turns towards the admiral. "It's been some time Garp. So, are you here to finally arrest me?" she asked teasingly.
"You know why I'm here," by this point, Garp's anxiety about the boys was reaching it's breaking point.
"You're right, I'm surprised you didn't get here sooner." Even seeing an anxious and frustrated Garp in front of her wasn't enough to Shaky to break character. She has dealt with plenty of raging hot heads over the years to be fazed by yet another one.
On cue the door to the bar slams open again. "Shaky we're back!" Luffy practically yells at the top of his voice. Ace was off to the side while Rayleigh was behind the both of them laughing at the younger boy's antics.
Both boys came to a sudden stop as they saw the tall in intimidating figure before the, "Gramps," they both say in unison as they subconsciously take a step back.
Before either boy has a chance to make a break for it, Garp is in front of them hugging them so tight that it was hard for the brothers to breathe. In that moment all the worry Garp has felt since they were taken had disappeared.
"Grandpa" both boys repeated. Of all the reactions they were expecting, they didn't expect to be hugged.
"YOU LITTLE BASTARDS HOW DARE YOU WORRY ME LIKE THAT!" Garp shouts as he gives the both of them a fist of love to the tops of their heads. That was the reaction they were expecting. Garp was more worried then he would ever admit, but he isn't the type to voice those feelings.
As soon as Garp had hit the boys they had held their heads in pain and in that moment Garp had found his own head smashed through the floor boards.
In the time since Ace and Luffy had come to Sabaody, both Shaky and Rayleigh have grown fond of them. While they are a handful, they enjoyed their company immensely.
The second she saw Garp lay a hand on the boys, Shaky had hit him as hard as she could. "Next time you hit either Ace and Luffy, you better be ready to lose something you hold dear." Shaky threatened Garp as she lifted him up by his shirt leveled a rather terrifying glare towards the admiral while using her free hand to mime a pair of scissors. That last action was enough to drain the color from the faces of each of the men in the bar.
"Understood," Garp said quietly while grumbling to himself. Hearing some snickering to the side, Garp was on the verge of giving the boys another fist of love but stopped as felt a pair of glaring eyes digging into the back of his skull.
Time Skip
When things had calmed down, Garp had found out about what had happened. To say he is furious would be an understatement. The idea that some slavers had managed to learn about Luffy and kidnap both of his grandsons left him speechless. Garp is a aware of just how corrupt the Navy is. Unfortunately, no one could figure out who is responsible. Shaky and Rayleigh couldn't learn anything on their own. Even discreetly threating slavers around Sabaody turned up no results.
For Garp, he has gained large number of enemies over the years of his service. As much as he would like to point a finger and blame someone, there are too many suspects pin point anyone. The only people in the Navy Garp believed had nothing to do with this situation is Sengoku and the men directly under his command.
All they know is Luffy is a slightly known target for the underworld and Ace may be one too simply by association.
Garp was ready to take the boys back to the East Blue but stopped when Rayleigh started reasoning with him. Taking the boys back hides them but for how long. Unless he retires, Garp has to return to duty sooner than later. And if the boys were found once, what's to stop them from being found again.
Until Garp deals with whoever is responsible, he can't trust any other marine and he can't bring the boys with him because of all the risk.
That's when Rayleigh offers a deal to Garp. Let the boys stay with him and Shaky. The two of them are more than capable of protecting Ace and Luffy and Sabaody is much closer to Marineford that Dawn Island. Garp can arrive here in a fraction of the time in case something happens.
The Marine in Garp hated the idea of having to trust a damn pirate to watch over his grandsons. But the grandfather in him saw this as the best option. Despite them being criminals, Rayleigh and Shaky are two criminals he holds in the highest regards. He knows their good people, they just stand on the opposite side of the law.
Sitting at a bon fire behind the bar, both men staring at the roaring fire as they enjoy their drinks. Ace and Luffy have long since gone to bed and Shaky is taking advantage of the peace and quiet of the bar.
"I still don't like it," Garp has been thinking on this for feels like hours. Every time he contemplates alternative options, he quickly realizes that risk outweighed the cons. There was no where safe in the East Blue or the Grand Line to leave his grandchildren. The other Blues had to man risk to be comfortable with and the New World is out of the question.
"Still doesn't mean that it's not a good idea." Rayleigh countered. He knows Garp needs just one more push to agree with the plan. Unfortunately, a key trait of his whole family is their stubbornness.
"What, so that you can fill their heads with ideas of piracy?! No grandchildren of mine are going to grow up to be some damn pirates." He already decided, the boys are going to be marines and that's final. They just need a few more fist of love to get his point across.
Chuckling at the admirals antics, Rayleigh shakes his head while sipping his drink. "Who are you trying to fool with that?" Spend a minute with Luffy and anyone will find out what he is going to be. He's as honest as could be about his desire. The conviction in voice surpasses most adults and is something no child should at such a young age.
Ace as authority problems, he'd be kicked of the Navy the second he starts basic training. If anyone found out of his heritage, he's as good as dead.
Just looking at them and Rayleigh could tell what their future holds.
Garp knows this, he just can't and won't bring himself to admit this out loud.
"If it make you feel better, I promise to leave whatever path Ace and Luffy take up to them," more than anything else, Rayleigh wants to see what kind of pirates they'll become. He wants to read the stories the news writes about them as they carve their paths through the world. That promise showed his intentions to Garp. "Just imagine what kind of sailors those boys are going to be when they grow up. They'll cause trouble no matter what they do."
"Of course they will, those kids are born trouble makers." If there is one thing that both have learned is that everyone born with a "D" in their names have had some kind of impact on the world.
Both men laugh at what kind of monsters they are going to be training. While Garp was learning what his grandsons have been through, Luffy let it slip that him and Ace were training under their uncle. Upon hearing this, Garp immediately jumped to the conclusion that Rayleigh was trying to turn them into pirates and immediately stated that he was going to train the boys to be marines.
After a quick hit to the head, curtesy of Shaky, Garp quieted down long enough for them to explain why they were training the brothers.
If they were going to be in danger, then they should know how to defend themselves. Both Ace and Luffy are already strong for their age, but that won't matter against slavers from the Grand Line. Given what they want to be in the future, Rayleigh and Shaky will train them to defend themselves now and help them hone their skills for the future.
After hearing the explanation, Garp had to argue that he should be the one to train them. After enough time arguing, they finally agreed on working together.
"How we about drink Ace and Luffy's future"
"You're acting like they're not going to give us plenty of reasons to drink"
They both laughed as they downed their drinks.
And that's it for this chapter. How about that, I was able to actually able to make a deadline I set. I honestly can't remember the last time I did that. In all honesty this story has been in the works for a little over a year and never been able to finish this chapter in that time. Things change, plans change, and idea leads to another that leads to another. Hell, Infernal Dragon Slayer was originally a One Piece fanfiction before it became a One Piece Fairy Tail Crossover before it became what it is. If you can't tell I've been wanting to do something with One Piece for a while
Unlike with Infernal Dragon Slayer, I'm not taking time to set things up and just jumping straight into canon in the next chapter. No matter what I thought about for an extended background for Luffy and Ace to build on their relationship as brothers, I couldn't come to a definitive decision on what to do so it'll just be brought up randomly throughout the story.
So let's get to what's going to be different in this story. First off, this story won't be as serious in tone as my others, and I'm writing this just to have fun. If it's not obvious, Luffy has a different devil fruit. Originally I was going to say what it is in this chapter but decided on just waiting and letting all of you guess. At least I left a little teaser. All I'm going to say is that I got the idea from Xerzo LotCN.
The Straw hats will have an expanded crew though none of the East Blue captains will be joining.
If you've read my other stories, then all of you know I like darker and more violent characters and situations and that will be true here. Luffy will have no problem killing people. Luffy will be slightly smarter and more mature but that's mainly when the situation calls for it, he'll still be the laid-back goofball we all love.
There's going to be other changes but what fun is it to say what I have planned right off the bat.
As for the pairing, it will be LuffyxHarem. Why, again I'm just having fun with this so why not. None of the girls in the harem will be with him for the hell of it, there will be build up and development throughout the story and there is a reason to justify each one of them. I'm not going to say who is in it so all of you will have to wait and see. All I'm going to say is that Alvida isn't in it. Honestly, I'm not a fan of her in anyway.
So that's the chapter, what do all of you think? Like it, hate it, think it sounds interesting, think I should abandon it and focus on IDS, let me know.
As always, if anyone has any questions feel free to leave it in a review and I'll answer it in the next update or PM me and I'll reply as soon as possible.
Next update should be in a couple weeks and it will either be Path of Revenge or A Cursed Sword.
Till next time
Mreh.