Don't know if he was dreaming about meat, but Luffy smacked his lips, saliva flowing down the corners of his mouth, creating a miniature lake in the hollows on the tree trunk.
"Ahem, don't be nervous. Old man Garp asked me to come and see you. Have you forgotten me? I held you when you were a child, and you called me uncle at that time."
Like a spring breeze thawing, Atlas displayed a gentle smile and looked at Ace and Sabo, who appeared wary.
"Old man Garp?"
Hearing Garp's name, the guarded expression in Ace's eyes softened a bit, but he still didn't let go of his defensive posture.
There are only a few people who know Garp's name. If the World Government knows that he is the bloodline left by the Pirate King and can find him here, it wouldn't be surprising for them to know his relationship with Garp. This alone makes it challenging for Ace to face him.
"...."
Seeing that Ace was still very wary of him, Atlas also felt a headache. Now, Ace was like a hedgehog with explosive hair, pricking anyone who dared to get close. Except for a limited number of people, gaining his trust was just too difficult.
However, Atlas was not surprised at all. It was all because Garp's education was too indulgent, and he did not pay any attention to Ace's psychological problems. When Ace was still immature, Garp told him that his father was the Pirate King and that his mother wanted to give birth to him. To inform him about his death would have been too trusting in the ability of a child of just a few years old to withstand stress, right?
The environment he lives in all day long curses his father, coupled with the lack of fatherly and maternal love, so Ace will be particularly interested in the father-son relationship with Whitebeard in the future. Fortunately, although Dadan looks fierce on the surface, she makes up for his shortcomings in maternal love to a certain extent, and his birth inherently contains Rouge's deep maternal love.
So Ace's current psychological state is that he resents his irresponsible father but desperately longs for the love from his father. At the same time, he has to try his best to hide the fact that he is the blood of the Pirate King and endures the abuse from people around him without them knowing it. This gives him the idea of escaping from everything and pursuing freedom.
It must be said that Garp is the most unsuccessful educator in the pirate world. His son became a revolutionary soldier, and his two grandsons clamored to become pirates. It's understandable for Dragon; after all, he has lofty ideals and wants to change the world. But what about the two grandsons? It's hard to describe in one word.
"Ah... Uncle, are we there?"
It may be that sleeping on Atlas' hands was uncomfortable, but Luffy was quickly awakened. He rubbed his slightly groggy eyes and looked around subconsciously.
"Hey! Luffy, come say hello to your brother!"
Atlas shook Luffy's body casually.
Luffy looked at Ace and Sabo, subconsciously followed Atlas's words, raised his right hand, and said hello. "Yo!"
"Eh!!?"
"Brother? Ace, you're..."
Sabo was surprised and wanted to ask, but when he thought of Marine's presence, he immediately stopped what he wanted to say.
"The son of the Pirate King?"
Atlas took over the conversation and said calmly.
"How do you know??"
'Shit'
After realizing that he actually agreed with the other party, Sabo immediately covered his mouth with his hands to prevent any sound from leaking, and at the same time looked at Ace worriedly.
'This guy's goal should be Ace!!!'
'Really....'
The palms that were slightly relaxed once again tightly grasped the water pipe in his hands, and his expression became more alert.
"Sabo, I'll hold the guy in front of me down later, and you can take the opportunity to escape as far as possible! This guy's target is me!"
"Ace, how could I leave you and run away alone..."
"Sabo..."
The two were about to stage a scene of brothers being separated from each other, but Atlas on the opposite side became a little impatient.
'By the way, why do you two little brats have so much drama? If I say one sentence, you can come up with ten f**king sentences.'
"Hey! Can you two brats stop thinking so much? First of all, the guy I have is Garp's grandson, so he is also your brother."
"It turns out that that guy is also my grandpa's grandson!"
"You shut up!"
"Oh!"
"Also, Garp told me that you are the son of Pirate King Roger, so I am not here to execute you, and you don't need to be so vigilant!"
Ace looked suspicious. 'Although old man Garp was very unreliable, he wasn't that unreliable, right? He actually directly told outsiders his identity.'
Of course, this was made up by Atlas. Anyway, Ace now has no way to ask Garp for verification, and Garp's character will likely make Ace believe some of it. This will undoubtedly have some influence on Atlas's next persuasion.
"What! Roger the Pirate King is his father! Is he the pirate who was chased and beaten by grandfather?"
Luffy's voice sounded again.
Boom!
"Ah! It hurts so much. Why are you hitting me again?"
Luffy screamed in pain and touched the big bump on his head aggrievedly.
"Second," Atlas ignored Luffy's yelling but showed a hint of mockery on his face. He stretched out a finger, and a strong blast of flames spurted out, instantly reducing a towering tree in the distance to powder!
"Based on my strength, do I need that much time waste if I want to execute you?"
The three little ones didn't answer; they just stared blankly at the waves of air coming towards them and the... smoke and dust flying in the sky!
Just a moment... and the tree was destroyed!!!?
Sabo was so shocked that he was speechless. He didn't even bother to pick up the black top hat that was blown to the ground by the airwaves. He just stared at the Marine in front of him with wide eyes.
'Gulp..'
Can humans... still be so strong?
'How the hell can we defeat him!!?'
Ace didn't offer any resistance. Despite witnessing the contemptuous expression on Atlas's face, his words appeared feeble and insignificant in the face of such overwhelming power. The watchfulness in his eyes slowly diminished, and the tense muscles that were once tight began to loosen, gradually relaxing.
Deeds carry more weight than words. Even if Atlas's rhetoric was impressive earlier, it pales in comparison to the demonstration of strength in this moment. He believes Ace, too, comprehends this undeniable truth.
"You're incredibly powerful, Uncle!"
On the contrary, Luffy resembled a curious child. He gazed at the site of the explosion, then shifted his attention to Atlas, his small head tilting sideways repeatedly inquisitively.
"So... you trust me, Ace?"
Atlas wore a smile once more as he glanced at Sabo and Ace, who hadn't yet formalized their bond as sworn brothers.
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A huge thank you to Queffelec for joining my Patr*on.
Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari