...
Ever since Sabo "left," Ace had transformed the guilt and grief of failing to protect his brother into an even firmer resolve.
He would give everything he had—including Sabo's share—to protect their remaining little brother, Luffy.
His heroic sacrifice at the Summit War was the ultimate manifestation of this belief; he fulfilled his promise to his brothers with his life.
In the scene, time flew by, and Ace finally reached the age when he could set sail.
On the day of departure, the only ones who came to the shore to see him off were some of the bandits from Dadan's family, the tavern's Makino, and Luffy, who had already grown into a teenager.
The ordinary villagers of Windmill Village didn't even know that deep in Mt. Corvo lived such a boy.
Surprisingly, Dadan herself did not appear in the send-off group.
She stayed alone in the wooden house, silently smoking. Amid the swirling smoke, her expression was complex and unreadable.
It wasn't that she had no feelings for Ace—quite the opposite. Precisely because she regarded him as her own son and harbored deep affection for him, she had once dared to beat up Garp for Ace's sake.
She simply didn't go because she was afraid.
She was afraid that if she watched Ace sail away with her own eyes, she wouldn't be able to hold back her emotions and would burst into tears on the spot—that would be far too embarrassing for a bandit boss like her.
Although she wasn't present, when Ace asked someone to relay his thanks and farewell to Dadan…
Hiding inside the house, Dadan could no longer hold it in. She pulled out a crumpled silk handkerchief from her bosom, pressed it tightly to her face, and let the tears of reluctance and pride flow freely. Sobbing quietly, she whispered her blessing:
"Ace… you little brat… out there… you have to keep pushing forward! You have to stay safe!"
At the shore, as Ace's small boat gradually disappeared into the vast sea, teenage Luffy clenched his fists tightly. His eyes burned with an unprecedented hunger and determination.
The urge to set sail grew wildly in his heart. He too wanted to set out as soon as possible, chase his dream, become a free and powerful man like Ace and Shanks, and then become the Pirate King!
After leaving Windmill Village, Ace quickly made a name for himself on the seas with his strength and boldness.
He unexpectedly obtained the precious Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit), turning into flames and greatly increasing his power. He became a supernova that even Marine Headquarters found quite troublesome.
Among those most annoyed and helpless about this was none other than Garp.
He had tried every possible method—even using his "Fist of Love"—to steer Ace toward the path of the Marines, yet in the end, Ace still followed in his birth father Roger's footsteps and became a pirate whose fame was spreading far and wide.
It was as if everything had been scripted by fate long ago—no matter how hard Garp tried, he seemed unable to change it.
Not only did Ace become a pirate, he even formed his own Spade Pirates.
During one voyage, he deliberately paid a visit to Red-Haired Shanks. When Shanks heard from Ace that he was Luffy's older brother, an extremely surprised expression appeared on his face.
He hadn't expected Luffy to have such a powerful older brother.
The Red Hair Pirates and the Spade Pirates held a lively banquet together, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves to the fullest.
The light curtain continued to play Ace's subsequent story.
With his overwhelming strength, he defeated a Warlord of the Sea and fought the "Sea Hero" Jinbe in a five-day, five-night battle with no clear victor…
In the end, he was defeated and recruited by the world's strongest man, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate. He joined the Whitebeard Pirates and became the commander of their 2nd division. His life's trajectory grew ever clearer through the light curtain's scenes.
Meanwhile, years later, Luffy finally reached the age to set sail.
Wearing that straw hat, he boarded a crude little boat and began his own adventure. Along the way, he endured countless hardships and met important companions.
The first time the two brothers reunited after parting in Windmill Village was in the desert kingdom of Alabasta.
At that time, Luffy—fighting to help his companion Vivi—was locked in a life-or-death battle against the thieving Warlord Crocodile…
Here, the scene gradually faded. Thus concluded the recollections of Ace, Luffy, and Sabo's childhood and teenage years.
[Outside the God Valley light curtain]
"Two became pirates, and one became the Revolutionary Army's Number Two… Garp, your 'Marine nurturing plan' has completely fallen apart, huh~"
Zephyr had just walked over from Dragon's side. Knowing he could no longer persuade Dragon to turn back, he simply stopped dwelling on it and instead teased his old friend Garp in a mocking tone.
"Sigh…"
Garp let out a heavy sigh. His face was full of frustration and confusion as he scratched his head. "Just where did my educational philosophy go wrong?
All three of them were clearly such excellent prospects. They would've been perfect as Marines! I could have protected them, and they could have become respected heroes. In the future, they might even have taken our places…
Become the new pillars of the Marines—the 'Three Admirals'… who knows?"
Garp's words were filled with regret and a helpless "why won't you turn out the way I want" frustration.
At this moment, he more or less understood how his future self felt.
Ace, Luffy, and Sabo had all shown extraordinary potential. If they had joined the Marines as he wished, under his protection and guidance, they would surely have become top-tier forces to combat pirates and uphold justice…
Ace's sensitive identity might even have been washed clean through it.
Yet fate, like a mischievous child who loves pranks, had stubbornly pushed them all toward opposition against the World Government.
[At this moment, the light curtain's scene returned to the present perspective]
Amazon Lily, on a remote coast of the island of Nine Snake.
Silvers Rayleigh had brought Luffy here to begin two years of special training.
He first laid down some rules, one of which clearly stated that the Empress Hancock was not allowed to visit Luffy at will, lest it interfere with his training.
Though Hancock was extremely unwilling—the mere thought of going so long without seeing her beloved Luffy filled her with torment…
For the sake of Luffy becoming stronger, she ultimately bit her lip, swallowed her longing, and nodded in agreement.
Rayleigh led Luffy deep into the island's interior, a place rarely visited by humans and teeming with powerful ferocious beasts.
What Rayleigh intended to teach Luffy was the essential power of the top-tier strongman on this sea: Haki!
At that moment, a gigantic elephant with terrifying tusks—resembling a moving mountain—charged toward them with earth-shaking momentum…
Clearly regarding them as intruders.
Yet Rayleigh didn't even turn his head. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he calmly began his first lesson.
"Listen, Luffy," Rayleigh's voice was steady and clear.
"Haki is a latent power hidden within the bodies of all humans. It is the concrete manifestation of a person's aura, presence, or 'intimidation'…"
As Rayleigh explained, the giant elephant had already roared its way right up to them.
Luffy reacted quickly, immediately entering Gear Second. His entire body turned bright red and emitted steam as he shot forward at lightning speed, trying to stop the elephant.
"Gomu Gomu no—JET Pistol!"
"Bam!"
His fist, packed with immense force, smashed hard into the elephant's thick hide, producing a dull thud—like striking unbreakable rock.
The elephant merely shook its head, completely unharmed. Instead, it grew even more enraged and charged furiously toward the still-standing Rayleigh!
"So… so tough!"
Luffy stared in shock at his own fist—his attack had completely failed to breach the giant elephant's defense.
Just as the elephant's massive hoof was about to crush Rayleigh, Rayleigh not only didn't dodge—he actually smiled faintly and said to Luffy: "Looks like using it as your initial teaching model couldn't be more perfect."
He continued explaining with perfect composure: "Haki is mainly divided into two types.
The first is the ability to sense the position and number of enemies beyond your line of sight—and to a certain extent, even predict their next attack.
On Skypiea, they call it Mantra. But its universal name across the world is 'Observation Haki.'"
Rayleigh didn't look at the elephant, yet he effortlessly evaded every attack.
"And the second type…"
Rayleigh's gaze sharpened as he looked at the now even angrier giant elephant whose attacks had missed.
"…is 'Armament Haki.' It's like donning an invisible suit of armor over your body, greatly enhancing both your defense and attack power.
Most importantly, this power can touch the physical bodies of Logia-type Devil Fruit users—it's an effective countermeasure against them!"
Before his words even finished, he suddenly raised his hand. With overwhelming force, he sent the giant elephant straight to sleep with one strike!
Then, seemingly casually, Rayleigh lifted his hand, extended his index finger, and lightly flicked Luffy on the forehead.
The motion looked gentle, but its speed far exceeded Luffy's dynamic vision!
"Thonk!"
A crisp, muffled sound rang out.
"Waaahhh!!! It hurts!!!"
Luffy instantly clutched his forehead and crouched down, tears nearly spilling from the pain.
That familiar, bone-deep agony was exactly like his Grandpa Garp's "Fist of Love"!
Rayleigh looked at the grimacing Luffy and nodded in satisfaction: "Did you feel it? That's the basic application of Armament Haki.
Next, you need to learn to sense it… and then master it!"
His gaze turned toward the still-menacing giant elephant. "Your first real combat assignment is to use it as your opponent—to begin experiencing and attempting to apply these two powers."
The grueling training had officially begun.
...