4 Chapter 4

After Garp witnessed Ace and Sabo performing some of the Six Powers, he gave them a chance. He made them choose what technique they wanted to improve because he said the way they executed those techniques were crap.

Ace chose Iron Body while Sabo chose Finger Lance. Garp corrected him, saying the proper name was Finger Pistol, but Sabo just made an annoyed face.

"Finger Lance is much cooler sounding than Finger Pistol, Gramps!" Sabo said back then.

Of course, Ace and Sabo exchanged pointers. In the end, the both of them improved the two techniques they had no idea how to develop and do properly. That was a year ago.

Ace and Sabo used the last five years to train their body and learn different techniques. They decided to stick with the names they called their version of the Six Powers. They learned and improved Flicker, Air Jump, Finger Lance, Iron Body, and Observation Haki.

Garp told them about Observation Haki too. He was very curious how they learned it on such a peaceful and weak island out in the weakest sea, East Blue. Ace explained it to Garp.

"We took turns with a blindfold and a steel pipe. Whoever wore the blindfold would try to avoid the swings of the steel pipe. It's a game we played to train our Iron Body and improve our alertness."

Garp's mouth was wide open when he heard how they played around. It was exactly how Observation Haki was commonly awakened and trained!

"You brats… you're really training hard to be great marines, huh?" Garp asked with a sweet smile that definitely didn't suit his terrifying old face.

"Hell no!"

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

-----

(PRESENT DAY)

"What a fat bear! How did we never come across this one?" Sabo asked Ace as they carried the tied up bear they just hunted back to Dadan's house. Their home.

Dadan likes to keep up this cold image of a scary bandit who only took Ace and Sabo in as the family's lackeys, but the two knew that she loved them deep down. The rest of the bandits gave up long ago and treated Ace and Sabo like their nephew.

"I know right? This bear feels as heavy as two!" Ace said with similar glee.

Another thing that he and Sabo loved doing was eating. With the amount of training they do, it was natural to be a big eater. They walked a familiar path to go home. When they got there, they saw Garp and a kid running around chasing a dragonfly.

'Ahh! Today's the day! That's Luffy!'

Ace recognized Luffy at first glance. The straw hat on his head was just a dead giveaway. Ace was so engrossed with training and getting stronger with Sabo that he completely forgot that Luffy lived on the same island.

If Ace just simply went down the mountain and visited the town at the foot of Mount Colubo, he would have seen Luffy. But, he really had no reason to go down and visit the quaint town of Foosha Village.

Ace didn't outwardly react. He just watched the scene play out. This must be the time when Garp took Luffy to the Dadan Bandits.

"We're not a daycare, Garp-san! Why are you dumping him on us?" Dadan talked back to Garp. It was a surprising sight for both Ace and Sabo.

"Well, would you rather spend the rest of your life in prison?"

What Garp said poured cold water over Dadan, Dogra, and Magra as they stood outside the house to face Garp. Left with no other choice, they accepted Garp's you-don't-have-a-choice request. Ace knew it was most likely about Dadan taking Luffy in along with him and Sabo.

"Fine, we'll take him." Dadan sighed.

"What a crappy shack," Luffy nonchalantly commented.

"You wanna fight, kid?" Luffy ignored Dadan and went back to chasing dragonflies. "He's not listening!"

Luffy just kept on chasing the big dragonfly he saw. He was so focused on trying to catch it, he didn't notice the small bump in his way. Of course, he tripped over it and fell face first on the dirt.

Ace and Sabo watched it happen and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Through the years they spent, Ace and Sabo got really close and developed similar personalities. They trusted each other enough to share their secrets. Ace being the son of the King of the Pirates and Sabo being a highborn.

"Ahh! Ace! Sabo! You're here!" Garp said when he noticed Ace and Sabo.

"Who's this kid, Gramps?" Ace asked.

"That's my grandson. Hey, Luffy! Get up!" Garp called. Luffy got up and patted the dust and dirt off his clothes and hat. "Luffy! That's Ace and Sabo. They're three years older than you. You'll be living with them starting today. Say hi."

Luffy looked at Ace and Sabo curiously. Ace was really excited. He knew Luffy had a warm personality. He'd fit right in.

"Yo!" Luffy said with a smile and a small salute. "I'm Luffy! I will be King of the Pirates!"

"The hell you will!" Garp said with his signature Fist of Love.

"Ouch! That hurts! Why does your punch hurt, grandpa?" Luffy screamed at Garp as he rolled on the ground, clutching his head in pain.

"Because I'm a marine! Amazing, right? You should be a marine if you want to be strong!"

"HELL NO!"

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

"AHH! DON'T HIT ME!"

Ace and Sabo just laughed at the sight of Garp being just as much of a kid Luffy was. They then carried the bear they hunted to the house where it'll be butchered for its meat.

"Woah! That's a big bear! Did you two kill it?" Luffy's attention was caught by what Ace and Sabo carried, so he followed them. Garp looked warmly at the sight.

"We did!" Sabo said.

"So cool! You guys are strong, too! Let's become friends!" Luffy said, but Ace decided to mess with him a little despite wanting to just say yes.

"Ha! We don't accept weaklings as friends, kid!" Ace said to Luffy with a smirk, earning him a glare.

"You're a kid, too! And I'm not weak, you know? My punches are like pistols!" Luffy boasted as he puffed up his chest like Garp does. They really were family.

"Pistols? Then, my punches are like cannons!" Ace retorted jokingly, but Luffy took him seriously.

"Geh! Cannons? Amazing! You're really strong!" Luffy said as stars formed in his eyes. Sabo laughed at Ace and Luffy's interaction.

"You're a funny guy, Luffy! If you stick with us, your punches will be like cannons too!"

"Really? Alright!"

After that, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had a feast with the Dadan Family. Garp also joined them. There was more than enough meat to make everyone full. Their feast lasted from day until night.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had their own room. They had three separate futons. They laid them out in a way that they all had space to roll around while still being close to each other.

"Hey, Ace, Sabo," Luffy called out to them as he lay down on his futon. "Today was fun! I'm glad you guys are my friends."

Sabo smiled while Ace's eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't you have friends at Foosha Village, Luffy?" Ace asked.

"Not really. The other kids don't like me much," Luffy answered, his face rather sour. But Ace felt he wasn't really bothered by it.

"Ehh? Why not? You're pretty neat. With you being rubbery and all," Sabo said as he pinched Luffy's cheek before stretching it.

"Who kn0ws? But it doesn't matter. I have you guys now," Luffy said with a wide grin. Ace and Sabo had similar grins on their faces.

'Damn, Luffy as a kid is adorable. You can't help but feel happy when you're around him. Knowing who he is, no wonder.'

"Hey, what else do you guys do for fun?"

"We fight."

"Really? Is that why you guys are strong?"

"Of course! We train hard too."

"Can I join?"

"Sure thing, Luffy. But maybe not tomorrow," Sabo said which earned him a pout from Luffy.

"Why not? I told you guys I'm strong! I won't hold you back."

"It's not that. Ace and I will each be fighting a strong opponent tomorrow. We can't really afford to look out for you while we fight," Sabo quickly explained.

"But I told you I'm strong. Can't I just watch?"

"Then," Ace said to get Luffy's attention. He thought of a good challenge for Luffy. "If you can chase us tomorrow, you can stay and watch us fight."

Sabo and Luffy grinned for different reasons. Luffy probably thought it was an easy challenge. All he had to do was chase them, right? But Sabo knew it was impossible for Luffy. They were just that fast.

"Alright! That's a promise, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Don't cry if you can't even follow us, alright?" Ace said, teasing Luffy.

"Ha! Why would I cry? Men don't cry!"

"Men don't, but you probably will."

"What'd you say?"

"Now, now, it's evening already. We should tuck in and sleep," Sabo said to diffuse Luffy's energy. It worked, seeing how Luffy calmed down and tucked himself in his futon. The three of them lied down, enjoying the silence.

"Goodnight, you guys." Ace and Sabo heard Luffy say before he snored. Both of them slept soon after.

Back then, Ace thought he wouldn't need to sleep similar to Blackbeard. But he didn't. He still got sleepy. However, Ace didn't have the weird sleeping habit that Portgas D. Ace was famous for.

With those thoughts, Ace fell asleep.

…

"You remember our promise, right?" Luffy reminded Ace and Sabo.

It was a bright morning. Ace and Sabo were raring to go and fight the giant bear and tiger of Mount Colubo. Ace will fight the giant bear, Sabo will fight the giant tiger.

It was Ace's resolute promise to himself to awaken Armament Haki. The giant bear was still physically tougher and stronger than Ace, but not by much. What made the bear dangerous were its sharp claws that would easily gut Ace if he got hit. Back then, Ace didn't fight the bear until it was beaten. Animals would always go berserk and get stronger when they're in a dangerous situation. When that happened, Ace and Sabo just ran away.

This time, Ace didn't plan on running. He was resolute. It was either beat the bear or die trying. If the threat of death wasn't enough and Ace won without awakening Armament Haki, then the only solution was to set out at sea and challenge strong opponents.

"Yeah, I remember," Ace said to Luffy.

"Shishishishi! Good!"

"You ready to try and chase us, Luffy?" Sabo asked.

"Of course! Do we go now?"

"On three!" Ace started counting down.

"Three!" Luffy got his game face on and prepared to run.

"Two!"

"One!"

Ace and Sabo Flickered. Luffy watched them disappear on the spot. He had absolutely no idea where they went.

"What the-? You guys are fast!" Luffy shouted before trying to find any sign that would tell him where Ace and Sabo went. He found none. "Damn it!"

Meanwhile, Ace and Sabo were laughing as they flew through the air with a combination of Flickers and Air Jumps.

"Poor Luffy! I bet he didn't even see us move!"

"He probably didn't! Let's start teaching him tomorrow?"

"Sure!"

Ace and Sabo stopped at a thick tree branch that could support their weight. They closed their eyes and used Observation Haki to try and sense where their targets were. They opened their eyes at the same time.

"Mine is a hundred meters away on our right," Sabo told Ace.

"Mine is much farther away right in front of us."

"See you back at the house?"

"You bet. Don't die on me now, Sabo."

"Ha! I should be telling you that!"

With wide grins, the two boys went their separate ways for their toughest challenge yet. They were always together whenever they were in the forests of Mount Colubo, even when Ace tried to fight both the giant tiger and bear at the same time.

For the first time since they became friends, they were hunting alone. Both of them were determined to go home with a win.