Chapter 2: Becoming brothers!
I do not own One Piece
A few weeks after Shanks left Luffy's grandfather came to check on him. His name is Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, the man known as the 'Hero of the Navy'. He is a tall, tan, muscular old man with a scar over his left eye. Usually in his uniform, but today he was wearing a red tropical shirt with light-colored shorts and sandals. He was walking Luffy through the forest outside the village to take him to an old friend's house who would look after him while he was gone.
"Grandpa, why do I have to go to this weird person's house?" Luffy thought he could take care of himself. He had plenty of money from when he turned in Higuma's bounty, so he wasn't worried about going hungry anytime soon.
"I've told you already, you brat, I know you met the Red-Haired Pirates. I won't let you be corrupted by them. You're going to be marine just like me!" He stated matter-of-factly.
"But I don't want to be a marine! I want to be a pirate!" Luffy proclaimed with a grin which in response got him fist to the back of the head courtesy of Garp. He then picked him up by the back of shirt facing him, "No grandson of mine is going to be some dirty pirate!" Luffy stuck his tongue out in response, and they continued their journey. It wasn't long before they made it to Curly Dadan's place, a leader of a group of bandits that owed Garp a few favors.
They were led inside her house where she was sitting drinking and waiting for him.
"So, this is your grandson Garp?" she asked while watching the kid eat the few slabs of meat that was served to him and his grandpa.
"Yeah, I need you to take care of him for a bit. I'm sure he and Ace will get along swimmingly." He said grinning. Dadan immediately refused saying they could barely control Ace and adding another 'monster child' was out of the question, but when Garp pointed out that she owed him for turning a blind to the crimes she's perpetrated she admitted defeated.
"Fine. We'll take him." She relented.
"Great! Luffy, you'll be staying here from now on, and I forgot to mention Ace is three years older than you. Try to become friends with him, ok?" he questioned with a thumbs-up.
"Ok, grampa." He said finishing his and Garp's plates of meat. His stomach growled, "Do you have any more meat?" he asked innocently.
"WHAT?!" Dadan said passing out.
"Boss!" The bandits who worked for her panicked trying to wake her up to no avail.
The next day Luffy met Ace, but Ace spit at him having no intention on being friends with some little kid. Luffy, as stubborn as ever, was not deterred. For about three months he followed Ace whether it was over a rickety bridge or jumping through the trees avoiding giant and dangerous predators. Eventually he caught up to him and met Sabo and convinced him to let him be friends with them. Ace was firmly against it, but Sabo found him interesting, so he thought why not.
It wasn't long before they eventually became the closest of friends running around the forest and beating up its various denizens or robbing the thieves and pirates of Grey Terminal blind. They spent the next nine months like this further strengthening the growing bond between all three of them, but they were in for a shock when Luffy returned to their hideout with his latest haul.
"Oi, Sabo, Ace, are you guys here?" His shouting got their attention, and they jumped down to the forest floor to see what he got.
"Let's see, you got a few bags of money in here as well as some two small well-designed chests. Luffy, where did you get this stuff?" Sabo questioned while patting his head for a job well done.
"Hmmm, some guy called Perchemy? Pormechi? Something like that, but he was a pretty big pirate, and he seemed like he really didn't want to lose those chests so I thought it must be something pretty good inside them," he said sheepishly rubbing his head.
Ace reached for the chests first knowing who exactly Luffy stole from, "His name is Porchemy, and he's with the Bluejam Pirates. He's gonna be pissed when he finds out his treasure is missing, so let's see what's inside so we can ditch the boxes and store the loot." Said Ace as he set the two chests side-by-side and preceded to open them by busting the locks with his pipe, "Eh, what the hell is this?!" he shouted.
Luffy and Sabo looked over his shoulders to see what was wrong, "Fruit?! What could be so special about fruit that you keep them under lock and key?" Sabo inquired.
"This is awesome! I can't believe how lucky I am! Guys these aren't regular fruit. They're called devil fruits! Hold on a sec", Luffy ran up to their treehouse and fumbled through his belongings looking for, "Yoshi, I found it!" He hopped back down and pulled out a book.
"This is a book Old Man Ben gave me before he and his crew left. He said it was written by this super smart old guy who knew about a bunch of them!" Ace, ever the one to be skeptical, wasn't buying it.
"Bullshit. Devil Fruits are a myth at best, and a bedtime story at worst. You really think eating some fruit is gonna give you powers?" Ace questioned indignantly. He had heard about these so-called Devil Fruits and scoured the entire island hoping to find one but never did. There was no way not one, but two would just suddenly pop up from seemingly out of nowhere.
"I'm not lying Ace!" Luffy said angrily, "Watch I'll show you!"
He then raised his hands to his side, and they started turning transparent and the wind was picking around them, but Sabo and Ace noticed that the biggest change was Luffy's arms were blowing with the wind; like he had become it.
"What?! What the hell is happening to you?!" Ace yelled with his jaw dropping. Luffy started laughing.
"Shishishi. I ate the Kaze Kaze no Mi (Wind Wind Fruit) making me a wind human." He said disappearing into the wind and reappearing in the sky with his lower body replaced with a funnel of wind.
"No way! That's so cool! Oi Ace let's eat them. What if we could do something like that too?!" Sabo exclaimed excitedly. Ace saw arguing would have been a losing battle so conceded immediately.
"Fine." He then looked at the two fruits. The one on the left was round and orange. It looked had many swirls going up it, looking like flames dancing around it. The one on the right was banana shaped and was black with red stripes across vertically.
"I'm taking the one on the left," he picked it up and looked to his right to see Sabo grabbing the other. They both looked a little nervous but nodded at each other and took a bite out of their respective fruits. Ace spoke first.
"That's disgusting! Why didn't you warn us, you little brat?!" Ace shouted feeling like he just swallowed ashes.
"Man, that tasted like an old tire." Sabo said wiping off his tongue trying to rid himself of the taste. Luffy descended to the ground reforming his legs and rubbing his head.
"Sorry about that. I honestly forgot, but who cares now. Do you feel different? Try to change something. A leg or and arm. Anything." Luffy said jumping up and down. Now his best friends could be just like him. Ace closed his eyes and began to concentrate on changing his body. A few seconds later, Ace's left arm, eye, and his right leg were on fire.
"Hot! Hot! Wait, it's not hot. I'm not on fire. I am fire!" He stared at his flaming appendages in wonder. Meanwhile, Sabo picked up the book Luffy brought to determine what fruit Ace had eaten.
"It looks like you at the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame Flame Fruit) making you a flame human. It's under the category of Logia devil fruits." He then went on to explain the logia category of devil fruits as well as the paramecia and zoan type devil fruits.
"Damn, I didn't even know there were different types of devil fruits, let alone thought they were real." Ace said still in wonder of his newfound ability.
Sabo closed the book and stood up, "Well looks like it's my turn. Apparently, I ate the Taru Taru no Mi (Tar Tar Fruit) making me a tar human. Let's check it out." He held up his right arm and it turned black and had red embers flowing through it. It was no longer fully solid as if it was melting with the drops falling to and scorching the ground at his feet.
"Wow that's so cool!" yelled Luffy with stars in his eyes. "Now all of us have cool powers." But the moment was ruined when he was sent crashing face first into the dirt.
"You goddamn idiots! Here I am coming to check on my precious grandsons, and what do I find! You can't be marines if you can't swim!" Garp shouted, raising his sleeve on his blue dress shirt. Luffy got back up and dusted his clothes off, "I told you already grampa, I don't want to be a marine! I'm gonna be a pirate!" For once Ace agreed with him.
"Yeah, what he said. I don't want to follow orders especially from you, so I'll pass." Garp then noticed there was a third kid in front of him that he didn't know. "Who are you, another wannabe pirate like these two idiots?!" he shouted, raising his fist walking towards Sabo. Luffy jumped to his defense.
"Stop it grampa! He's our friend so you can't hurt him!" but this made Garp even angrier.
"You little squirt! How dare you talk like that to your grandfather? Seems like you all need a few 'fists of love'." he said cracking his knuckles. All three boys suddenly felt a chill going down their spines and took off into the forest screaming. "Get back you little brats!" Garp yelled giving chase.
Five hours later
The trio were in various states of dishevelment. They were all laid out on the ground deep in the forest trying to catch their breath.
"I think we finally lost him." Ace said in between breaths, "Stupid old man, chasing for hours."
"Who, you are calling stupid you little brat? I'm your grandfather!" Garp said landing with a thud before them. "You were able to keep running for a long time. Good, stamina is key to being a marine." He folded his arms and smiled.
"Grampa, give it a rest!" I'm gonna be a pirate!" Luffy yelled kicking his feet, still lying on his back out of breath.
Garp knew even with all his pushing for it, they would never become marines. It's not like he really wanted them to. He just wanted them to be safe, and being a part of the same organization that he holds rank in was the easiest way. But there was a hard way. One that he didn't want to take because he wanted his grandkids to be kids for as long as possible. 'Alright, if they are going to do whatever they want then I can at least make sure they can defend themselves' He thought lowering his fist.
"Get your butts to Dadan's house. I took down a few off those giant boars, so skin them and grill them. I'll be there afterwards so I can tell you something important." Luffy and Ace were surprised to say the least. They just knew they were going to be chased for another few hours, but grandpa seemed serious about whatever he wanted to tell them, so they took off towards Dadan's seeing as they were currently starving anyway.
Garp waited until they were gone completely from his observation range and then took out a transponder snail. Pura pura pura pura, pura pura pura- gatcha. "Hello. Fleet Admiral Sengoku here."
"Yo Senny, it's me. I have a unique situation and I need you to send me someone." Garp replied cryptically.
"What's this about Garp? You sound unusually less straightforward." Sengoku questioned. Garp never beat around the bush. He always spoke his mind even shouldn't have.
"Is this a private line?" he asked seriously. Sengoku went quiet for a few seconds, then there was a click on the other end. "It is now. Now what's going on, Garp?"
"My grandsons somehow got their hands on devil fruits. Logia devil fruits. Their kids and I need to have someone teach them how to use them without destroying this island."
"I swear Garp, your family causes me nothing but trouble. Fine, since it's you who's asking, I'll oblige you, but I can't send you either of the admirals. I need them he for quarterly reports and in case something gets stirred on the Grand Line. I can send you Smoker though. He's still only a Captain and he's in Loguetown, plus it helps that you trained him yourself so you know you can trust him." Garp smiled devilishly.
"Good, tell him to be here in two months or less if he knows what's good for him. Also, send two 'punching bags', will you?" He then hung up the snail, and made his way towards Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. When he walked through a small clearing, he saw they had built a fire and were already on the fourth boar haven picked the first three clean.
"Oi, brats. Starting tomorrow I'm going to be training you up until a special teacher can get here." This statement got all three kids' attention.
"Grampa, we already said we don't- "I know so shut up and listen!" he yelled, making Luffy promptly close his mouth.
"I know you don't want to be marines, but I am not going to let you go out to sea without being prepared. I'm gonna teach you the Rokushiki techniques as well as something called Haki. Now, sit down and I explained them and then we can get to work." They all sat down on log opposite of him in front of the fire where he proceeded to explain everything about each Rokushiki technique. After about a five-minute explanation he showcased each one starting with Soru and ending with the Rokuogan (Six King Gun). Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were amazed. "I expect you to be able to at least perform the first six by two months' end." Garp said loosening is tie and undoing his top button. "Now, the best way to learn is through actual combat, so come at me!" They all were nervous about fighting Garp but took ready stances and charged him while activating their Devil Fruit powers. Thus, they would spend the next two months being pummeled to the ground by the hyperactive geezer.
Two Months Later
Forest on Dawn Island
The trio had Garp surrounded and were looking for any openings like he constantly drilled into him. He shifted his stance to the right 4 degrees then Luffy rushed in, "Soru" He sped towards Garp and aimed a fist at his head that was blocked. He grabbed Luffy's extended arm when Ace and Sabo pincered him mid throw, "Nensho Shigan (Burning Finger Pistol)" Ace shouted while Sabo used a Rankyaku (Slicing Wind Blade) drenched in tar. Garp bodily slammed Luffy into Ace, jumped over the burning wind blade, and clobbered Sabo with a Tekkai (Iron Body) covered fist sending him crashing into a tree across the clearing. They all shook the dust off and got back up breathing hard and bruised up. Garp gave them a critical look over, 'They're getting pretty good. I must use Kenbushoku (Observation) when they fight me together. For little brats they have the primary Six Powers down. Hopefully with Smoker helping them train their Devil Fruit abilities and I can finally get around to teaching them Haki.' "Alright that's enough. You all should go get cleaned up and be at the docks in an hour. Your new teacher will be arriving." The boys dragged themselves to Dadan's with Ace mumbling about their grandpa being a crazy old man.
"Oi" Garp yelled stopping them in their tracks. They turned back to look in his direction, "You will spend half your time training with him, and the other half learning Haki from me, but one condition. Don't discuss my training with your new teacher. Garp said crossing his arms.
"Why not old man?" Ace asked looking at him strangely.
"Because He is a grown man who should learn it on his own. The only reason I'm teaching it to you is because you are all my grandsons and I need you to be able to take care of yourselves. Now, get moving!" The trio continued their path to Dadan's house thinking about what Garp said. That he was doing this because he didn't want them hurt.
An hour later, Garp and the boys were waiting at the dock of Fuusha Village waiting on this 'special' teacher of theirs when a marine vessel came into view. They would have been normal to see except there were two ships even bigger than the first being pulled behind it with large chains attached to the railing.
"Grampa, why are there two ships being brought here if they are empty?" Garp looked at Luffy in surprise, "How do you know they are empty vessels?"
"Old Man Ben taught me to feel this shift in wind as people move, and the closer that first ship gets, the more I can tell there are no changes in the wind on those second two ships."
'That's a neat trick. Maybe it will help him learn Kenbushoku even faster than usual' Garp's thought was interrupted by the first ship finally docking with the captain coming ashore. The man walking towards Garp was muscular with white hair and brown eyes and had a unique habit of smoking two cigars at a time. He was wearing a thick white and blue jacket that he keeps open with dark green fur lining the neck, wrists and hem. It also had the kanji for 'justice' emblazoned on the back of it.
"Boys, meet your new teacher. This is Smoker, one of the up-and-coming marines who was trained by none other than me. Also, like you he has been a Logia user since a child, so he'll be able to teach you about your powers better than I can.
"Vice Admiral Garp, it's good to see you again," the newly introduced Smoker said while still smoking his cigars. He looked at the three boys that he would be training for the foreseeable future. 'They don't look like much, but I know better than anyone appearances can be deceiving' he suddenly shuddered remembering his time as a cadet when he first met Garp.
"Oi, old man, what's that on your back?" Luffy said pointing at the silvery white metal rod on his back.
Smoker chuckled and pulled his weapon out, "Do you want to touch it?" He held it out for him, but as soon as Luffy touched the tip he dropped to the ground feeling completely drained.
"LUFFY!" Sabo and Ace rushed forward to catch him. "Teme, what did do to him?!" Ace demanded to which Smoker only laughed in response.
"My weapon is called a jitte, but mine is a little special," he said placing it on his back. "It's been tipped with Sea Prism Stone, a mineral that has the same effect as the sea on devil fruit users, so it comes in handy." He then launched is self in the air using smoke, "Meet me at the northern part of the forest in five minutes. I don't intend to waste time." He said taking off flying at high speeds.
"So cool!" All three boys said with stars in their eyes. They took off running to meet him there while Garp was on the back of the first ship undoing the chains. He gripped one in each hand and dove into the water. The marines who accompanied Smoker were bugging out watching a Vice Admiral swim and drag two Navy battleships with ease around the other side of the island.
A few minutes later Smoker, Ace Luffy, and Sabo where in a field just north of Fuusha Village with plenty of space to train.
"Alright, can either of you fully transform into your respective elements?" he asked to which they all shook their heads no.
"That's fine. When I was a kid, I had to figure it out on my own, but you don't. So, let's get started. The boys spent the rest of the morning and noon trying and failing to fully transform into their elements. The furthest they got was partial transformations on their lower torso or some of their limbs until, "Yeah, I'm doing it!" Luffy yelled getting Sabo, Ace, and Smoker's attention. They looked in his direction and saw a blue gust of wind moving in place with Luffy's face smiling where his head should be.
Ace, frustrated with the youngest getting it first, started pushing his flames harder causing them to spread out and burn the grass around him.
"Oi don't force it like that," Smoker said causing him to stop.
"Close your eyes and envision yourself becoming your element. Feel that power flowing through you and follow it. Let it spread through every part of you." He instructed.
Ace and Sabo took his advice, and it took them both another half an hour to get a full transformation down. 'These kids have good instincts. Maybe this won't be me playing babysitter for a few months.' Smoker thought.
Garp had finally made it to where they were training stopping next to Smoker. "How are they doing?"
"Pretty well considering it's the first day. I think they'll be able to control and use their abilities with ease in a few months' time."
"Good. Send them to the eastern shore when you're done with them." Garp said walking back into the forest, formulating his own little 'lesson plan' for the boys.
Smoker let another hour of letting the boys get used to shifting pass before he called a day. "Alright that's enough for today, your grandfather wants you to meet him on the eastern shore, so get moving." He said sitting down against a tree with his hands behind his head.
"Tch, stupid old man is a slave driver," Ace mumbled completely exhausted from shifting back and forth from solid body to his elemental state for half the day.
"Let's just go, before he comes looking for us." Sabo said equally as tired as his friends. The trio then trudged to the eastern shore wondering what Garp had in store for them.
They walked through the last row of trees leading to the eastern shore and saw Garp waiting on them with his arms crossed. "It's about time. I was starting to think I was gonna have to come and find you," he said smiling.
"Whoa! Those ships are huge!" yelled Luffy looking at the two ships that had run ashore.
"I'm glad you like them, because you will be getting up close and personal with them for the foreseeable future. Now, sit down and I can discuss with you three what exactly Haki is. Ace, Luffy, and Sabo did as instructed, being very eager to get stronger by any means.
"Ok, first up is Kenbushoku or Observation Haki. Put these blindfolds on and wait. They put them on and waited as he said wondering where he was going with this. Luffy was getting impatient until he felt a small shift in the air and tilted his head to the right just as a rock sailed past him.
"Good job brat, your devil fruit will make it easy for you to pick this up," he said throwing another two at Ace and Sabo which hit them dead on.
"Oww! What's your problem old man?!" Ace yelled rubbing his bruised forehead.
"Hahaha! This is the same training I did so suck it up you little babies." He then continued to throw rocks at them all afternoon. 'I'm gonna do this one at a time. I need to make sure they have one down before going on to the next.
"Alright, it's time for dinner, so start a fire you three." A few moments later the kids were eating frivolously while Garp stood off to the side. 'Maybe a small taste of the next step.' he thought, walking towards the exposed hull of one of the decommissioned ships.
"Oi, you guys check this out." They all were mid bite when they looked up and saw Garp punch a chunk out of the ship.
"Awesome! Was that this Haki stuff you keep talking about?" Luffy asked now right in front of his grandpa jumping up and down. He put his hand on Luffy's head.
"Nope. These are what I like to call 'battleship bags'. Punching bags only did so much for me in my youth, so I started going to the marine graveyard for ships at HQ and started punching these for training with only my natural strength. Why do you think my fists are so hard? This helps you with learning Busoshoku or Armament Haki." He said raising his right fist.
"While training tour observation, you will spend an hour punching these battleships, and as you get stronger and older the longer, you'll be able to last doing it." He paused to make sure all three of them were paying attention. Once he saw they were listening, he continued, "This is the deal kids. You will spend half your time training with Smoker, and the other half training with me. Now the before you start, I'll show you the third type of Haki." He then released a small amount of his spirit over the island. The trio were barely standing and breathing increasingly more franticly. Just as they thought they were done for Garp stopped.
"That was what is known as Haoshoku or Conqueror's Haki. Unlike the other two it can only be strengthened by the user and not through training, but I'm pretty sure when the time comes you will awaken to it. Now get to punching!" The boys spent the remainder of the night punching the battleship he assigned to them. They all went to bed that night with busted and bloody fists.
Sabo was bandaging Luffy's hands when Ace spoke, "Damn, I can't believe that old man! He shouldn't be allowed around children at all!" he said flexing his hands trying to alleviate the pain. This made Sabo laugh as he finished the last bandage.
"Well look on the bright side, we are getting trained by the man known as 'Hero of the Navy', so think about how strong we'll be when finally leave here at 17."
Ace wanted to argue that wasn't the point, but conceded when he realized Sabo was probably right. They knew next to nothing about the seas or the world outside this island. And he figured the real bigshot pirates already knew the things that they were being taught, so getting a head start probably wasn't a bad idea.
"Fine, but if Luffy hurts himself and starts crying, you are on babysitting duty," he added teasing the kid he now saw as an annoying little brother. 'Little brother? Where did that come from' he thought to himself.
Sabo expected an outburst, but when he looked in his direction Luffy was already sound asleep in his bed. "Hehehe, if we don't take this seriously, Luffy is going to be stronger than both of us. Then we'll be the crybabies." He finished laughing.
"Please, he hasn't ever beaten me in a fight, and that was before I became a flame human. I plan on being the strongest pirate ever. I'll have more notoriety than anyone, and that will be my existence to the world." Ace proclaimed proudly.
"Well, I just wish to be free to do as I please, so being a pirate seems like the best path for me. Anything is better than being some stinking noble who thinks they're better than everyone." Sabo said with a grimace.
"You know I never cared about that, and I'm pretty sure if Luffy knew that he wouldn't either. You're our friend no matter who your parents are."
"Same to you Ace. Same to you." He looked surprised to know that Sabo already knew who his father was. He just walked to his bed, "Let's get some rest. We have some busy days ahead of us." Sabo nodded and went to his bed next to theirs and was out in a few short minutes, while Ace was still contemplating something. 'He's right. They care about me and knowing who my dad is wouldn't change that. We may not be blood, but these two are my family' he thought looking at the sleeping forms of Sabo and Luffy, who was muttering about meat in his sleep. Suddenly, he remembered there was a way for them to be family. He just needed to pilfer from Dadan's personal stash.
Over the next four months, Garp and Smoker put them through hell. Smoker would make them spend an entire morning switching from solid to element trying to make the speed of the shift as fast and as natural as breathing. He would randomly swing at them with his jitte to see if they were keeping their guards up which he did to get the kids to get used to shifting instinctually. If that wasn't enough, Garp's idea of training was akin to torture. He would have them blindfolded while swinging a club at them to train their observation Haki, as well as continued uses of the 'battleship bags.' He wasn't sure when their Conqueror's Haki would manifest itself, but he was certain that all three boys had the potential to wield it one day.
Last day of Training
Garp found himself surrounded by the trio again, but this time he was on guard. They had gotten a lot stronger over the last few months, as well as gotten to the point where using their powers was second nature.
"Come at me anytime, you brats." Garp said arrogantly.
Luffy went at him first with a flurry of punches that were all blocked and sent him crashing to the ground with a fist to the face, or so Garp thought. The Luffy he hit turned into wind and disappeared. 'A clone made of wind. Pretty Smart' he thought but didn't have time to stay idle. He bent backwards to dodge the kick from Sabo responding with his own which Sabo saw coming with Observation. He turned his torso into tar and formed a hole where Garp's leg would go right through, and he closed around it before he could react.
"Guys, get him now!" he shouted, still holding on to Garp. Luffy and Ace appeared as wind and fire respectively, and both drew their right fists back. Both attacks had a slight gray coating to them. "Kaze Kaze no Pistol" "Fire Fist" they both shouted sending a speeding wind fist and giant flame fist at the old man.
He raised his hands to his sides and sent a blast of Armament at them blowing them away as well as their attacks. "Good, you brats are using your devil fruits and Haki rather well. When you're older you might give me a challenge." The boys were lying on the forest floor spread eagle trying to catch their breaths. Before they could challenge him for the millionth time Smoker came through a line of trees with a Den Den Mushi in his hand. "Vice Admiral, the Fleet Admiral is on the line." Garp took the call and answered casually, "Yo Senny, what's up?"
"Don't what's up me Garp, I'm your superior officer. I need you back at HQ, some things are stirring in the New World. Also, Smoker's relaxation is over. He needs to get back to Loguetown. I'm sending Aokiji to get you." Sengoku ordered.
"Good. I have a favor to ask him anyway."
"Jeez, you always give me a hard time. Fine but you owe me rice cakes for an entire year." Sengoku complained.
"HAHAHAHA, you got it Senny. How far away is he?" Garp inquired.
"Knowing him, he's probably about two weeks away."
"Ok, I'll see you at HQ. gacha." He hung up the transponder snail and looked at Ace, Luffy and Sabo who were back on their feet, playing with their powers without a care in the world. 'Even with the brutal training I've put them through, they still are just kids.' "Alright you little brats, you have two weeks off for your normal routine, but when we leave you better push yourselves even harder!" They all nodded their heads in affirmation, then Garp and Smoker both turned to leave with the former saying, "Oh yeah, the 'punching bags' aren't optional. I expect you to keep that up every day you're on this island."
"Crazy Old Man." Ace pouted crossing his arms.
"He's a slave driver." Sabo dropped his head in his hands.
"Those things are hard." Luffy complained looking at his bandaged hands.
Garp just laughed in response walking away. After a moment of sulking Ace told Luffy and Sabo to follow him to an old tree stump near their hideout. Upon arrival Sabo and Luffy saw three empty sake cups, while Ace went to a near by tree and pulled a bottle of sake out of it.
"Oh, you stole that from Dadan!" Luffy pointed out when Ace began unscrewing the cork.
"Did you guys know?! We can become brothers if we exchange this cup of sake!" He said pouring some in each saucer.
"Brothers? Really?!" Luffy exclaimed.
"When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship, but our brotherhood will always be with us! Wherever you are, whatever you do, we'll always be bonded together!" he said picking up his saucer with Luffy and Sabo doing the same. "So, from now on, we're brothers!" he yelled with them clinking their cups together.
"Yeah!" They all yelled together knowing no matter what that they would be brothers for life.