Time flies, and a month passes quickly. Ace finds himself once again under the care of the Dadan family, courtesy of Vice Admiral Garp. The door creaks open, revealing Ace's familiar face.
"Ace!" Dadan exclaims, her surprise quickly masked by a dry cough. "Hey, you little brat is back again. It's really annoying."
"Cough," Garp interjects, and Dadan snaps to attention. "G-Mr. Garp, are you here too? Do you want something to eat?" she asks, her tone now flattering.
"No need," Garp replies. "I have something else to do. Anyway, I'll leave Ace to you after that."
Dadan promises to take care of Ace, but her attention is diverted by an oddity. "Mr. Garp, what's going on with your face?" she asks, noticing the burn mark on his right cheek.
"Um?" Garp's eyes harden. "Yes, I was wrong. How could Mr. Garp be injured? Hahaha." Dadan laughs awkwardly.
"Ace, next time I'm on leave, I'll continue your training. Remember, your goal is to become an outstanding sailor." With his parting words, Garp vanishes in an instant. ...
"Dadan, party!!" Watching Garp's departure, Ace's face lights up with a triumphant grin. ...
Garp has already returned to his warship, setting course for the Navy Headquarters....
Aboard Garp's ship, he silently traces the burn on his cheek. "Is this the potential of the Mera-Mera Fruit?" he muses. His mind replays the final day of special training—the image of a flaming blade soaring into the sky. The power displayed far exceeded Ace's own limits.
Even he, who had been using Conqueror's Haki to train Ace, was left with this burn from the attack....
"The destructive force is even more potent than Sakazuki's Magma Fruit. It's simply..." Garp marvels at the extraordinary events of the past month....
The Magma Fruit is listed in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia as the natural devil fruit with the most potent offensive power....
It's a force that can incinerate even flames, leading some to say that the Magma Fruit is superior to the Flame-Flame Fruit....
Yet, the destructive power that Ace unleashed with the Flame-Flame Fruit surpassed even that of Sakazuki's Magma Fruit....
Garp has a hunch that if Ace possessed the same level of power as Sakazuki, Sakazuki's prized Magma Fruit would crumble under the force of that attack....
This is a phenomenon unprecedented in these seas.…
"With such power, you should be able to carve out a good life for yourself, right, Ace?" Gazing out at the vast ocean, Garp's face breaks into a warm smile.
…
Time flies, and three years have passed. Ace, now ten years old, has experienced significant growth.
In these past three years, Ace has encountered Sabo at the Grey Terminal and embarked on a journey to "accumulate" wealth....
Moreover, although Ace's strength did not skyrocket as it did during his training with Garp, it has been steadily progressing....
With Ace's ability to Complete Absorption and Combat Turtle Breath, the improvement in strength can be said to be smooth and unimpeded....
Thanks to his extraordinary comprehension, Ace has also made a rough estimate of his own strength...
In terms of sheer physical prowess,he's on par with a Navy Headquarters captain.
Of course, as a natural devil fruit user, Ace is invincible against opponents who are unable to wield haki.
Moreover, he wields the most formidable power in these seas—the infusion of Conqueror's Haki. He also commands awe-inspiring abilities like the Flame Ring – Blue Hole and Itto Kaso. Should he unleash his full power and catch an enemy off guard, even a Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters would not escape unscathed from Ace's onslaught.
Overall, Ace's strength is not weak even in the Grand Line.
....
But today marks a new chapter. Garp introduces a fresh face to the Dadan House. "Dadan, this is my other grandson. I trust you'll raise him too," Garp's laughter fills the air as he presents a seven-year-old boy.
"Are you joking?! This isn't a daycare; I won't do it!" Dadan protests, her indignation clear. Isn't this taking advantage of her good nature?
Garp's eyes narrow, his aura turning menacing. "Huh? Would you prefer to spend your entire life behind bars?"
"Yes, yes! I understand! I'll take care of him," Dadan quickly capitulates, realizing that arguing with Garp is futile.
"Ace, you two need to get along," Garp instructs, turning to grin at Ace, who is perched on a large tree.
"Monkey D. Luffy?" Ace squints, his gaze landing on the boy clutching Garp's hand. This is the protagonist of the original One Piece world—Wang Luffy, who has consumed the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.