East Blue, Foosha Village.
A small, unassuming village in the so-called weakest of all seas—the East Blue. Yet, this was the hometown of the Navy's legendary hero: Monkey D. Garp.
Today, however, Garp did not return to Foosha Village in his usual, larger-than-life manner.
Instead, he made his way up the mountain just outside the village—Mt. Colubo.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Garp's iron fists slammed against a wooden door, the hinges creaking under the impact.
"Which bastard is knocking like that?! Do you have any idea whose turf this is?! I swear I'll—!"
A rough, bandit-like voice yelled from inside. Moments later, the door burst open with violent force, and a scowling, cigarette-chomping woman with frizzy orange hair stood in the doorway—only for her face to freeze.
"…Yo."
Garp gave a casual smile and lifted his hand in greeting.
"G-Garp?!?!"
Dadan's legs gave out, and she fell flat on her rear, her face frozen in horror.
"EH?!?!?!"
Inside the house, the rest of the Dadan Family shouted in panic.
The Hero of the Marines, Garp, was here?! They were done for!
"It's been a while, Dadan. Still kicking, I see," Garp said with a grin.
But to Dadan, that grin was downright terrifying.
"G-Garp-san! I-I swear, I haven't done anything illegal lately!"
Dadan was in tears, nose running, her voice trembling.
"I'm not here to arrest you today."
Garp nonchalantly picked his nose.
"R-Really?! Then why…?"
Dadan asked warily.
"This brat's your responsibility now. Raise him well."
Garp reached into his coat and lifted out a bundled-up baby—Portgas D. Ace.
"WHAT?!?!"
Dadan thought her ears had failed her.
Her? The boss of a mountain bandit gang? Taking care of a baby?! What kind of sick joke was this?!
"Is there a problem?"
Garp's expression darkened, his grin turning wicked.
"N-Not at all! Leave it to me!"
Dadan bowed so fast her forehead almost hit the floor.
The baby Ace looked up at the orange-haired, rough-edged woman with a cigarette between her lips. His eyes flickered with subtle emotion.
Dadan.
The woman who, in the original story, raised Ace for seventeen years, and Luffy for ten.
Calling her their foster mother wouldn't be wrong.
In the canon timeline, upon hearing of Ace's death, Dadan—usually terrified of Garp—flew into a rage and beat him senseless.
Beneath her gruff, foul-mouthed exterior hid a heart overflowing with love.
"Then I'll leave him to you."
Without another word, Garp handed over the baby, slammed the door shut behind him, and vanished without a trace.
"..."
Cradling Ace in her arms, Dadan let out a heavy sigh.
But then, she caught the way Ace was looking at her—and for a moment, it felt like something deep in her heart, something she'd never known was there, had been gently plucked like a string.
"Boss… are we really gonna raise this little runt?" One of the bandits behind her asked nervously.
"Ahem. What choice do we have? It's Garp's order, after all." Dadan coughed awkwardly, clearly trying to cover up the emotional stir she'd just felt.
"Or do you wanna end up in Garp's custody?" Her face darkened with menace.
"!!!"
The bandits all shook their heads furiously.
This was the man who had captured and helped execute the Pirate King!
To someone like that, squashing them would be as easy as crushing ants.
"We've got no choice… looks like it's up to us to raise the kid." Dadan sighed again.
"…Boss, why does it look like you're smiling?" A younger bandit squinted at her suspiciously.
"Don't be ridiculous! Who's smiling?! Raising this brat is a disaster waiting to happen!" Dadan snapped like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Grrrrrrrgle!
Suddenly, an ill-timed rumble drew everyone's attention to the bundle in her arms.
"…That sound… don't tell me you're hungry?" Dadan stammered.
Wait, what were babies supposed to eat again?
Milk? But they didn't have anything like that in this whole bandit hideout!
Then she noticed something. Ace wasn't looking at her. He was staring—no, fixated—on something else entirely.
The roasted meat on the fire.
A whole leg of lamb was charring on the spit, skin blackened in places, still dripping with fat.
From Baterilla Island to Foosha Village, Ace hadn't eaten anything but a little water. Being in Garp's ham-fisted care, he was lucky to be alive.
Fortunately, Ace had the Combat Hibernation Technique.
As long as he entered a meditative hibernation, he didn't need food.
But now… he was starving.
"Y-You want the roast meat?"
Dadan asked, watching the baby's eyes locked onto the sizzling meat, unmoving.
Wait, wasn't he just a baby? Could a baby even eat roast meat?
"Well… if something happens, don't blame me! This was your idea!"
She had no milk to give him, and Ace wouldn't stop pointing at the meat. Reluctantly, she brought him closer to the fire pit.
Moments later, Dadan's expression shifted from confusion… to utter disbelief.
The tiny baby in her arms suddenly started scarfing down the roast meat like a ravenous beast from hell.
Meat disappeared into his mouth in chunks, one after another, like he'd never eaten in his life.
That small body of his devoured nearly an entire roasted lamb's leg, bones and all, like a bottomless pit.
Within seconds, Ace's stomach ballooned outward, his whole body swelling like an overinflated ball.
"W-Wait! Kid! Y-You—!"
Dadan stared, wide-eyed, panic creeping in.
If this brat died from overeating on the first day, Garp would literally kill her!
But then, something incredible happened.
Ace's swollen body started to wriggle and squirm—and in the blink of an eye, he returned to normal size.
Not only that, he was growing taller.
[Your comprehension is unparalleled. Upon your first meal, you have unlocked: Total Absorption.]
[Total Absorption: Enables complete and rapid digestion of all nutrients from consumed food.]
[Your physique has been enhanced!]
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TL/N:
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