One of the many times Palila went out to buy groceries, long before she met Dadan, someone had come to pay her children a visit.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Ace, you're getting soft!" said that monster known as Garp as he punched Ace.

"MOMMYYYYY! HELP!" Luffy screamed as Garp spun him around like a spinning top.

Garp wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for Palila, who had returned from shopping, very, very angry. "DON'T TOUCH MY CHILDREN!" She yelled.

Garp opened his eyes in surprise. "Princess?" he asked aloud, recalling something he had been told a long time ago.

Thanks to Garp being distracted, Palila took the opportunity and sent him flying with a single kick.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"SHE SENT THE OLD MAN FLYING!!!"

The brothers were speechless, they knew she was strong but not strong enough to send the demon of Garp flying into several trees. "Who are you?!" asked an enraged Palila, as Garp got up from the blow. "I expected no less from someone from that crew..." declared Garp.

"He's Ace and Luffy's grandfather!" explained Sabo, trying to avoid more conflict. But it was no help at all, at least for Sabo, "Call me grandpa!" who received a reprimand from Garp.

Some time later, after the misunderstanding was resolved, Garp spent the rest of the day with them.

Did grandpa and mom get along wonderfully, sharing stories about their beloved little ones? Definitely not.

Garp wanted to do everything in a crazy and rough way. Palila didn't like this at all, just as Garp didn't like the fact that his grandsons were under the care of a retired pirate.

"Why did they have to choose a despicable pirate?!" Garp complained.

"Excuse me?! Why did you had to be a Marine?!" Palila retorted.

They also spent their time competing in all sorts of ways.

"Look, kids, this is how you hunt a bear!" Garp declared as he lifted the dead bear.

"That's the dumbest way to do it I've ever seen. Is this what they teach Marines these days?" Palila disagreed.

"And what do you know about proper hunting? You pirates are nothing but a bunch of fools!" said Garp. "I used to hunt since I was a girl!" only for Palila to respond back in the same manner. "So did I, and much better than you, I assure you!" This attitude was getting them nowhere. It was only driving the brothers crazy.

"WHY DON'T YOU STOP FIGHTING?!" Ace shouted at the top of his lungs.

"HE'S A MARINE! / SHE'S A PIRATE!" They both responded at the same time.

It was at night when the children were asleep that they finally stopped arguing and sat down to talk about a topic Garp wanted to know about.

They were far away from the treehouse so the kids wouldn't hear what was discussed that night.

Some time later...

The guards of the Goa Kingdom tried to enter the forest, but it was impossible. No matter how hard they tried, the forest seemed alive. The roots grew so tall that they prevented anyone from entering. The few who managed to enter were devoured by the forest animals.

It was as if they were following orders to kill any intruders. They had no choice but to retreat and report back to the king.

The king didn't care about the situation and ordered them to return to their duties or be killed. Foolish king, they kept failing anyway, all while, our family of four went to Fosha to spend some time together at the beach.

"Look, Ace! It's you!" Luffy pointed to the drawing in the sand he had made of his brother. It was a strawberry with Ace's face.

"It's identical, Luffy, I'm really impressed!" Sabo teased.

"I'M NOT A STRAWBERRY!" Ace yelled angrily.

"It's just that, Ace, you're making...the...the...face," Sabo pointed out. Apparently, Ace ended up making the same expression as Luffy's drawing.

"MOM!" Luffy shouted when Ace pounced on him. Palila quickly came over to scold the three of them.

"You have to behave. Especially because there's something I need to tell you," Palila took a breath before continuing. "I'm going on a business trip soon. They're offering me something I've been looking for a long time. I can't pass up this opportunity."

Luffy hugged Palila. "You won't take long, right?"

She smiled softly at him. "I'll try to come back as soon as possible."

Things happened very quickly after Palila's departure...

"I'm sorry..." Ace said as he felt his life slipping away. A while after his mother left on her business trip, the Marines arrived. Cannonballs were being directed at the island. No matter where they went, there was no escape. Ace tried, but in the end, he couldn't save his brothers or Dadan.

Now him and his brothers were on the brink of death.

"Mom?" For a moment, he heard his mother's sweet voice as she lifted him. At one point, he fell unconscious, only to wake up in a completely white place. He tried to move but his body felt strange.

It was then that he realized something, he was a small bird. He was about to panic until his mother arrived. "Everything is fine, you're safe." she said as she gently stroked his feathers to calm him down. "I have a lot to explain...so let me do so..."

Some time earlier with Palila.

For a while, she had a bad feeling. She almost didn't accept the business deal if it weren't for what they were offering. Well, it could also have been that she saw the guy had something she wanted so much and looked for a way to get it.

But what was it that she wanted so much? It was a dagger that for many wouldn't be a big deal. But for her, that dagger was the most valuable of all, and she already knew who to pass it on to.

"He's just as stubborn as you. So let him use it," she said with melancholy in her voice as she looked at the dagger in her hands. "He'll need it if he wants to fight back against the world."

She remembered the face of a blonde boy with freckles. That boy was looking at her with a smile as bright as the sun.

"Dreamers..." A smile crossed her face. When she stopped recalling the past, she realized something alarming.

"What are you doing?!" she furiously demanded. "Sorry miss, but we're not going where a Marine fleet is stationed," pointed out the captain of the ship. This puzzled her until she paid closer attention to her surroundings.

"In that case, it's fine..." she said as she approached the railing in secret and jumped overboard. Just before touching the water, she transformed into a majestic phoenix, taking off carefully to avoid being seen.

She landed in Fosha Village, which was engulfed in flames like everything else. She rushed to the mountain, where she went deeper until she found a wounded Dadan. She indicated that the children had gone towards the river.

She was already leaving when she stopped to hear what Dadan wanted to say. "Don't worry about me, just make sure to save them." Dadan wasn't crying and let no one say otherwise or they'd regret it. "They are mine too, you have nothing to worry about," Palila assured her.

"Thank you, princess."

Upon reaching the river, she stopped a cannonball coming in her direction. Her hair had turned into flames, like the anger she felt at that moment. And it wasn't unjustified, seeing that her children were gravely injured before her.

Her healing abilities could cure illnesses but not reconstruct entire organs. There was only one way to save them, but it was something very unethical to do without consent. But what other choice did she have? Her children were on the verge of dying.

"Rest, my children, mommy is here," she said softly as her arms turned into wings. With them, she enveloped her children. The brothers were wrapped in flames until they turned to ashes.

"This doesn't change anything, you were never less or more my children..." she said through tears as from the ashes emerged three small phoenix birds. She never wanted to listen to Garp. But here she was...

— I know what your lineage can do. Do it, so they can go where no one else can, a place where no one can find them…— suggested the crazy Garp.

— HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! I'm not going to take them from their home!— Palila refused.

— Sengoku is suspecting, I don't know how much time is left before they're found— added Garp.

— Why do you trust me?...— she asked, confused.

— Because they trust you.— Garp affirmed.

She could have refused before. She really didn't want this, they deserved to grow up in their home, they didn't have to be displaced because someone thought it was a good idea to destroy the lives of an entire population. All for personal interests.

But now she had no other choice, it was this or lose her children. She would lose sweet Luffy, cunning Sabo, grumpy Ace.

So she did it, she did what only the members of the royal phoenix lineage could do. The ability to turn someone into a phoenix. The forbidden art.

It was like giving her DNA, they would be her children in more ways than one. All to save them and avoid another lost on her life.