East Blue, Windmill Village
Windmill Village in East Blue, known as the weakest sea, is the hometown of Marine hero Garp. Today, however, Garp did not appear as a hero but came to Gorbo Mountain just outside the village.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Garp's iron fist pounded on the wooden door, causing it to creak.
"Who the hell is banging on the door so hard? Do you know whose territory this is? You better be careful...!" A rough female voice, with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, bellowed as Dadan violently opened the door. Her furious expression froze.
"Yo," Garp greeted with a smile, raising his hand.
"Garp?!!!" Dadan sat down on the ground, her face pale with horror.
"Why?!!!" The Dadan family inside the house screamed in terror. The Marine hero Garp was here—weren't they doomed?
"Long time no see, Dadan. You look energetic," Garp grinned, but to Dadan, his smile seemed ferocious.
"Mr. Garp, I swear I didn't do anything wrong this time!" Dadan burst into tears, her nose running.
"I'm not here to catch you today," Garp said, pressing his nose.
"Really?! Then why are you here?" Dadan asked cautiously.
"I'm leaving this brat with you. Raise him." Garp lifted Ace, who was hiding in his arms, and handed him to Dadan.
"What?!!!" Dadan thought she had misheard. Who was she, a bandit leader, to raise a baby? What a cruel joke.
"Any questions?" Garp's expression turned sinister.
"No, no problem! Just leave it to me!" Dadan immediately bowed.
Ace, observing the fat, orange-haired middle-aged woman with a fleshy face and a mouthful of food, felt a mix of emotions. Dadan, the woman who would raise him for seventeen years and Luffy for ten years, was practically their adoptive mother. In the original story, after learning about Ace's death, Dadan, who feared Garp the most, beat him like crazy. Beneath her rough exterior was a heart full of love.
"Then I'll leave him to you," Garp said, closing the door and disappearing.
Taking Ace into her arms, Dadan sighed, then noticed how Ace looked at her, startling her as if a string in her heart had been plucked.
"Boss, do we really have to raise this brat?" a bandit cautiously asked.
"Ahem! Do we have a choice? It's the Marine hero Garp's order," Dadan coughed dryly, trying to cover up her earlier emotions. "Do you want to be captured by Garp?" she asked gloomily.
"!!!" The bandits shook their heads quickly. That terrifying man had captured and executed the Pirate King. For him, killing them would be like squeezing a chicken to death.
"We have no choice but to raise this kid," Dadan sighed.
"Boss, why does it look like you're smiling?" a younger bandit hesitantly asked.
"Are you kidding?! I'm not smiling. Raising this brat is a disaster!" Dadan shouted, her hair practically standing on end.
"Gu! Gu!"
An inappropriate sound drew Dadan's attention to Ace, who seemed hungry. "Is he... hungry?" Dadan stammered. What should a baby eat? Milk? But they had none in this bandit den. Ace's eyes, however, were fixed on the roasted meat on the oven, the skin slightly burnt. From Badelila Island to Windmill Village, Ace had only drunk some water. Being in Garp's rough hands, it was a miracle he was alive. Fortunately, Ace had the combat turtle breath method, allowing him to go without food.
"You... you want to eat barbecue?" Dadan asked, seeing Ace point at the roasted meat. A baby eating barbecue?
"Don't blame me if something happens! It's your choice," Dadan muttered, taking Ace to the oven.
Soon, Dadan's hesitant expression turned to shock as she watched Ace devour the roast meat like a starving ghost. The small body seemed like a bottomless pit, with almost an entire roasted antelope stuffed into his belly. Ace's body swelled like a rubber ball, reaching a terrifying size.
"Hey! Kid! You... you!" Dadan stared blankly at Ace, who had expanded like a balloon, suddenly anxious. If the kid died on the first day, wouldn't Garp kill her?!
But then, Ace's body started squirming and rapidly shrank back to normal. His height also began to grow.
"Your understanding is heaven-defying. You comprehended Complete Absorption by first eating—completely absorbed."
Complete Absorption: Able to quickly absorb 100% of the nutrients in the food you eat.
"Your physique has been enhanced!"
Ace felt warmth spreading throughout his body as the food he had consumed was quickly digested. Every cell in his body absorbed the energy at a terrifying speed.
"Is this complete absorption?" Ace subconsciously clenched his fist, feeling much stronger.
Just by eating, his physique could improve, giving him the strength of the monsters in the pirate world. Ace, familiar with the original work, knew that those so-called monsters had extraordinary digestion and absorption abilities. They quickly digested and absorbed endless food to build their inhuman physiques. His complete absorption ability was far superior, instantly digesting and absorbing food to enhance his strength significantly.
Ace was thrilled with his newfound skill. Most importantly, he wouldn't have to drink milk like an ordinary baby. The mere thought of Dadan feeding him milk made him shudder.
"Hey, boss, did this kid grow up a bit?" A bandit named Dogra asked with uncertainty.
"Okay, it seems so," Dadan replied, examining Ace closely. Her experience as a bandit told her that Ace had indeed grown, but it was unbelievable. Even without baby-raising experience, it was impossible for even a Sea Kings cub to grow after just one meal.
Contrary to Dadan's disbelief, the bandits quickly accepted it. After all, it was Marine hero Garp's order. Big people often had things happen that little people couldn't understand.
"Um, can you put me down?" Ace asked, smiling at Dadan.
"What?!!!" Dadan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can talk?!"
Dadan, having learned from Garp that Ace was less than ten days old, subconsciously put him down. "I was in my mother's belly for twenty months. Isn't it reasonable for me to speak?" Ace explained.
Many bandits nodded in agreement, finding it reasonable. After all, Garp brought the baby, so it made sense.
"Uncle, I need your help," Ace pointed at the strongest-looking bandit, Magura.
"Me?" Magura pointed at himself, hesitated, then walked over.
"Can I punch you? I feel like my strength has grown a lot," Ace said sincerely.
Magura, amused, waved his hand. "Come on, hit me, hahaha."
"Then I'm sorry," Ace bowed politely.
"So polite!" Many bandits took a liking to Ace.
"Let me help you, hahaha, ugh!" Magura felt a massive force hit his abdomen, sending him flying into a wall.
The bandits and Dadan were stunned. A baby just days old had knocked away the strongest bandit with one punch.
"Well, it works well," Ace said, satisfied with his fist's power. He had been practicing the Combat Turtle Breath Technique before birth and, combined with his complete absorption ability, his physique had no trouble beating an ordinary adult man.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't expect my fist to be so powerful," Ace said, helping Magura up with an apologetic smile.
"No, it's okay," Magura forced a smile. Given that Ace was brought by Garp, even if he wasn't, it would be shameful to be angry at being beaten by a baby.
"I just ate and my fists became stronger. It makes sense, right?" Ace said, smiling politely at the dumbfounded Dadan and bandits.
Even the bandits who initially thought the situation was reasonable began to doubt it. What kind of monster was this kid? Despite their thoughts, Ace had settled into Dadan's house pretty fine.