[OP] Matchless 無双 / AceLu

05 PROLOGUE: Sweet Today, Cold Tomorrow

"We're going to a friend of mine's. Behave well, I'm warning you, boy." Garp said, making his way through the thick forest with Luffy, the size of his palm in his hand.

"Uhuhuhuhuhuuuuu!!!" Luffy whined as he kicked his legs at the air, "Grampsss I thought we were going to Ace!!!"

Garp didn't answer. He continued walking. Luffy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Graamps!! This isn't another marine thing is it??" Luffy started again.

He hated whenever Garp gave him the marine training. It was never a surprise to him, but the pain was definitely increasing throughout. It would always hurt as if he was beaten for the first time. Literally no one could harm Luffy with that kind of punch but his grandfather. Luffy shivered at the thought.

"You gonna keep asking questions? Maybe I'll just throw you here, huh? Might make a nice lesson don't you think?" Garp retorted.

"Nuh uh!!" Luffy squirmed around, trying to get on his feet, "I don't need training from you!! I'm gonna be a pirate, not a marine!"

The single mention of "pirate" in Luffy's mouth was enough to make Garp go insane.

"You say what, boy????" He dropped Luffy and gave him a punch in the head.

----

It was a normal day for the bandits and Dadan. They were sitting around, waiting for Garp to come back with news.

"Why can't we just ask Ace? He'll know all about it." A less bright bandit asked.

"You're missing the point, man, did you forget Ace is literally mute?" Another shot back.

"He's not mute, the brat just doesn't want to talk."

"That's the same thing-"

Dadan slammed the table, making everyone jump from their seats, "Quiet!!" She then glanced around at the startled men, then shot a glare.

"What are you morons sitting around for?? I'm the only one waiting. Go clean up the place!" She ordered.

"Yes boss!!" Everyone chirped out and scrambled to work. Dadan sighed and sat back in her chair. Ace had gone out a few hours ago. She wondered if sending Garp of all people on a mission to find a doctor for Ace was really a good decision.

Dadan groaned. No news from Garp. She decided to pluck out a cigarette to cure her boredom.

Just as the woman was about to walk outside to light her cig, her eyes widened, "Oh, Garp-san, you're back!" A few bandit heads popped up behind her own with the same expression on their faces.

"Yep." Garp replied. He put Luffy down onto the grass, who started to run in circles.

"So.. anything for Ace yet?" Dadan asked, she tried her best to ignore the lively kid, until she lost it. The little boy was way too much of a distraction for her to even run her mind through what she was trying to ask. She groaned impatiently, "For sakes, will you tell that brat to shut up already??"

Garp only chuckled, it sounded like a scoff mixed in with the noise, "Better get used to it. He'll be living with you guys now."

Dadan choked on the smoke emitting from her cigarette, she looked like she was about to die, "P-Pardon me..?"

The bandits beside her freaked out too, their eyes bulging out inhumanely as they shivered at the thought of taking in yet another child.

"Wh-Who is he anyway?? You can't just give a random child to us and decide for us to raise it!"

"He's my grandson."

That was enough to have everyone's jaw drop, hitting the ground like dumbbells. Garp's casually blunt tone never did him any justice. Dadan tried to pick herself up, trying to process the information that had been forcefully shoved into her face.

"B-But-!!" Dadan stammered, she looked like she was about to cry. Her face scrunched up in an unreadable expression being mixed with fear, derangement, annoyance, anger, sadness--- and everything in between. "C-Come on, Garp-san...!! Y-You can't just..!!" She let out a creaky hysterical chuckle as she tried reasoning with the still marine, her hands shakily trying to prove her point with vague gestures.

Garp raised an eyebrow, "I can't?" He questioned, a tone almost demanding, his eyes flaring with a glint that ordered Dadan to oblige without further protest.

"Y-Yes.. Garp sir...!" Dadan dreadfully replied, she felt her body sinking at the sound of her own voice, agreeing to foster yet another problematic kid.. who was apparently Garp's grandchild in fact..!! Dadan knew from the look on the child's face that he was no less trouble than Ace.

"Hey! That's gross!" A raspy voice caught the attention of the adults as they turned to face Luffy, who was scowling up at a figure, seated on a big rock. Garp felt himself chuckling, completely ignoring the fact that Luffy's cheek was coated in a sticky substance, supposedly Ace's spit, that Luffy stretched miles wide from his face.

"Ah, there you are Ace! Just in time," Garp grinned, with his hands in his pockets, he walked closer and gave Luffy's head a taste of his fist, "Play nice now!"

Luffy yelped at the pain, not even the straw hat was enough to shield his head from the blow, "Yeoww! Gramps!!"

Hearing the cry from his grandson, Garp gave a slight chuckle once more, "Alright then." He turned to Dadan, "I'll be off now. My work is done here."

Dadan was still in shock, but she shook it off quickly because she needed to ask her questions, "Wh-What do you mean?? Wait what about Ace's doctor?? H-Hey! When will you be back??" She shouted, but the man was already miles into the forest.

"The boy is the answer~" Were the last words from the old man as he began to hum and disappear.

Dadan let out a hopeless groan as she collapsed on her bottom with a loud thud.

"He's never coming back is he?" One bandit quietly muttered, sucking air in through his teeth.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe going to prison isn't that bad of an option after all..."

"Yeah, with not one, but two brats to deal with..?? And this new brat is the grandson of the man himself...!! Sounds like we're in prison already..."

The bandits all sighed in defeat as Dadan just stared off into space with a deranged look on her face.

Meanwhile, said brat was still trying to figure out the sudden attitude change with Ace. Luffy touched his face, and remnants of the thick spit stained his fingers as he observed it. Jeez, there's no way a normal person could gather that much spit last minute. Luffy didn't know why, but he ended up licking his hand, which then made him jolt in realization as he saw what he was doing.

"Ack!! Why did I do that??" Luffy yelled out loudly to himself. He sat there for a while, staring at his hand.

He decided to sleep it off. Luffy wasn't the one for deep pondering and sleepless nights.

He'll worry about it tomorrow, knowing that whatever he just did would go to the back of his mind and never to be heard of again.