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In a backwater island in the East Blue, deep inside a jungle, in a treehouse slept three young boys. The twins woke up first and attempted to untangle themselves from their little brother's rubbery limbs, trying their best not to wake him. When Luffy woke up early, he got whiny.
Ace was the first to free himself, meaning it was his turn to get breakfast, while Sabo stayed behind, making sure Luffy wouldn't be alone when he woke up. Jumping from the tree to the ground, Ace made his way into the jungle.
...
Luffy woke up an hour later to the smell of meat being cooked. "MEATTTT!!" He sat up with a shout, almost headbutting Sabo in the process, who avoided being hit only thanks to his reflexes.
The boy threw himself out of the treehouse and face-planted to the ground. Quickly getting up and running to where Ace sat roasting a crocodile, Sabo walked not far behind him, making sure Luffy didn't fall into the fire pit. (Even if it was a rather small and controlled fire, with Luffy being a trouble magnet, it was better to be safe than sorry.)
Luffy sat next to Ace, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Ace grumbled but let his baby brother hug him. After everything that happened with Bluejam and Sabo's sperm donor, Ace was trying his best to be nicer to his brothers. (He still can't help but be afraid that he may lose them at any moment.)
After they ate, Luffy begged his big brothers to go with him to find a strong beetle, and how could anyone resist those big brown eyes? Ace and Sabo ran after Luffy, making sure not to let him out of their sight. After two hours of searching, they found nothing, so they compromised by hunting more game. And, as fate would have it, Luffy got swallowed by crocodiles at least six times during their hunt.
Sabo walked (read: stumbled) to the shore with Luffy on his back where Ace was sitting on a large rock. "Luffy, how many times do we have to tell you this! Stop getting swallowed by animals!" Ace punched the top of his head.
Luffy half glared at his older brother, blowing out his cheeks in an adorable pout. "Hymp! How come Ace doesn't get swallowed!" Ace smirked, putting the younger in a headlock. "Because I'm strong, and you are a weak baby that needs protection!" Sabo chuckled at the sight, a gentle smile on his lips.
...
The sun was at its zenith. The brothers strolled through the gray terminal until they spotted something that glittered in the sun. Interest piqued, they approached cautiously until they could see the thing. The thing in question was a notebook with a golden buckle keeping it shut.
Picking it up, they decided to take it with them. Luffy was excited about what might be inside; Ace thought it was boring; and Sabo was curious about its contents. Making their way to their treehouse, Luffy kept bouncing around his brothers, pestering them to give him the notebook (it didn't work).
The ASL brothers sat in a loose circle while Sabo fiddled with the buckle.
"Bingo!" the blond shouted, gaining the attention of his twin, who was trying to wrangle the youngest. "Did you unlock it? What's inside?" Sabo smirked. "I don't know yet, but we're about to find out." Turning slightly to the side, he said louder, "Maybe it contains a story of an amazing pirate?" Luffy stopped squirming right away and focused entirely on his blond brother.
"Alright, let's give this thing a read-!" Sabo didn't get to finish as the yellowed pages started to glow. A yell was heard, and then silence.
Where once three children were, now lay an old notebook with a full page of text of 'somebody' ranting about Gol D. Roger.
Random island, New World.
The Roger Pirates were residing on a beach of a secluded island; they had partied the night before. Rayleigh was walking down the gangplank of the ship, being the only one of the crew who didn't drink until he blacked out. (He still had a hangover, though.)
Looking over the beach, he did a headcount, making sure nobody got lost or accidentally injured. (There was only so much that Crocus could handle, and his patience was running thin.) He could see Buggy and Shanks sleeping in a tangle of limbs, (he swore he saw Buggy take off his legs the night before because of a game he and Shanks played), Gaban was awake, nursing a headache. Taro sat next to him, his hair a mess, leaning against a rock, while Spencer attempted to stand up (he failed miserably, faceplanting into the ground, after which he gave up and just lay there).
And the cherry on top was Roger, who fell asleep under a tree, only to somehow wind up in it, hanging from one of its branches. How did he do it? Nobody knows. All Rayleigh knows is that his captain is about to fall out of that tree and most likely crack his head open on the ground below.
Walking over to the tree, his first mate imbued his leg with Haki and kicked the bark with full force. The tree ended up falling over with Roger still in it, Rayleigh could see his captain under the leaves trying to get out (it was mildly entertaining).
After a short struggle, he saw Rogers' head burst from underneath the leaves. He looked around with a grimace until he saw his best friend, at which point it turned into a pout (and wasn't that a strange sight, after all, the guy was a dangerous pirate). "Rayleighhh, why would you do that?" the grown man whined. "Sorry Captain, but I had to get you down somehow," he smirked. "Well, there are other ways to go about it, you know!!"
All in all, it took the entirety of the crew about 40 minutes to get back on their feet.
The Whitebeard Pirates were sailing towards what their scouts said was an uninhabited island. That is, until they saw the Oro Jackson... "Pops, should I go there and give their crew a heads-up about our arrival?" Whitebeard and Roger might be on friendly terms, but Marco was sure the other crew would not like them just suddenly showing up without warning, especially since this was pure coincidence.
"Hmmm, very well son. Let's give that man-child a heads-up. Also, tell them to bring out the alcohol! Gurararara!" Marco sighed heavily; he was trying to get his pops to stop drinking so much. Transforming into his phoenix form, he took off in the direction of the island.
...
They felt his Haki before they saw him. "Oh, and to whom do we owe the honor?" It was Gaban who asked. "Pops thought we should give you a heads-up, Yoi. We're going to be docking soon." Roger, flanked by Rayleigh, walked up to the phoenix. "Oh, is your captain looking to spar with me again?" Marko gave him a lazy smile. "I don't know, Yoi, but if so, I hope the island won't sink."
Three screams could be heard, three little bodies fell to the ground. Luffy was fine because he was made of rubber, while Sabo and Ace tried to cling to the flora in an attempt to soften their fall.
Luffy, of course, recovered first and went to check on his brothers. He helped Sabo by inflating himself to let his brother fall onto him, and Ace by grabbing him and pulling him off a high-hanging branch.
The three boys examined their surroundings, seeing that they were in another jungle. "Where are we? This jungle is too different to be anywhere on Dawn…" Ace grimaced. "Shishi! I'm sure Sabo knows! Sabo is smart!" The adoration in his little brother's voice made him flustered. "Sorry, Luffy, but I also don't know where we are, but maybe if we find somewhere recognizable, we might be able to tell where we are." The blond placed his hand on his chin.
"Huh, that idea isn't even half bad." Ace said, turning towards his twin. "Shishishi! I told you Sabo is the smart one!" Ace whirled around towards Luffy. " OI! Fuck you mean 'the smart one'!? Are you saying I'm not smart?!" Ace screamed. " Luffy didn't say anything about being dumb, you said it!" Sabo giggled, " Oh fuck you!" Ace said and started walking in a random direction.
The two remaining boys decided it would be best not to leave the oldest to his own devices, especially in an unfamiliar jungle. Jogging up, the three headed straight ahead.
After the Moby Dick docked near the Oro Jackson, a party between the two crews started. Rayleigh sighed heavily, knowing that most of the crew would have a killer hangover the next morning. The Whitebeards partied hard; he saw Roger having a drinking contest with Edward himself, and next to him was an exasperated Marco trying to get him to stop drinking so much. Then his Haki pinged, alerting him to three strong presences coming from the jungle and approaching where they all were.
From the side, he could see Marco looking in that direction, clearly noticing them too. The party didn't stop, but it definitely became quieter to listen to the rustling in the jungle. The crew grew anxious; some even reached for their weapons. Whatever it was, it was approaching fast.
...
None of them were expecting to see three kids to burst from the foliage. All of them looked stunned, their eyes bulging out, disbelief clear on their faces.
The boys stopped in their tracks, taking in their surroundings. Two of them had black hair, one had freckles, while another had a scar under his eye, and had a strawhat. The third one was blond and had a nasty scar across his left eye. They looked around until the freckled one's eyes fell on Roger, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
" You.. Piece of SHI-" Ace said, pointing at Roger, only to get punched by Sabo, sending him crashing into the sand. "Don't you dare start!" Sabo said angrily, looking down at his brother, now sitting up. "What do you mean 'don't you dare start'?! Do I have to remind you—" "Yes, Ace, Luffy and I know your daddy issues are bigger than the Red Line! No need for a reminder." The blond rolled his eyes. "Why, you!" The freckled youth tackled the other, and they started fighting in a mess of limbs on the ground.
The pirates stared in confusion at the brats brawling, (Rayleigh was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the little hellion called his captain 'a piece of shit'.) that is until Thatch decided to break them up. Cautiously approaching the kids, he reached out his hand, only to snap it back when the blond almost bit him. Looking back at his crew, they sent him unhelpful glances, smiling but doing nothing to help whatsoever. (Unhelpful bastards!). He tried again, this time coating his hands in Haki (he didn't feel like getting his hand bitten off by a feral brat, thank you very much!).
Thatch swiftly grabbed the brats by the back of their clothes holding them up. The boys were practicaly screaming at eachother, some of the insults were so... 'colorful' That their ears turned red. ( some of which was Marine slang (how did these feral brats know it???)
"Who are you guys? Wait! ARE YOU GUYS PIRATES!" The one with the straw hat asked. The two kids in his hands seemed to still only now realizeing that they were picked up by an unfamiliar hand...and promptly both of them kicked Thatch in the stomach...hard.
The cook doubled over, clutching his stomach and curling into himself further; he could hear Haruta laughing at his pain. ( that traitor!). The two older ones pulled the little one—Luffy, was it?—behind them, the freckled one standing between the crew and the other two brats. " Who the hell are you scum!".
"Gurarararararara!" Whitebeard's laugh rattled the island, grabbing everyone's attention. "Feisty brats! What are kids your age doing in a jungle, no less on an uninhabited island in the New World of all things?", " And why should we tell you?" That earned him a smack from the blond. " I apologize for my twin brother; he tends to be quite hot-headed. My name is Sabo, this idiot is Ace, and that is Luffy." He said, placing his hat over his heart and bowing.
"Hahahaha! No need to bow to us!" Roger said, now standing up, which made Ace bristle; his hackles rising while glaring at the man. Roger, seeing that, stopped in his tracks, now remembering that this was the same child who called him a 'piece of shit' as soon as he saw him. ( He was curious, though, what caused that reaction?)
"But seriously, Yoi, what are kids your age doing here? Where is your guardian?" Marco said, coming over, which earned him a stone-cold glare from Sabo. It didn't scare Marco, more like startle him, but still.
" OI! We aren't some useless kids! We can take care of ourselves; we've been alone since forever, and somehow we are still alive! So I say we are doing a fucking great job!" Ace yelled. That comment about being alone did not sit well with Marco, not at all. " We didn't say you were useless, we are just worried for you three Yoi. The sea is a dangerous place you know. Also with how feral and reckless you Brats are, you should not be left unsupervised," the phoenix said matter-of-factly. "Hey, Sabo, what does that word mean? Is it something I can eat?"
The blond shook his head, a small smile on his lips. " No lu, its not something to eat. It means that we shouldn't be left alone without an adult to watch us.", " That sounds like a load of bullshit..." Sabo turned to glare at his twin. "You brats should not be here" Rayleigh said approaching the loose circle formed around the boys. " Don't you have parents to go back too?" he said tilting his head. " Sabo's sperm donor is a bitch and a half, I'm an orphan, and Luffy doesn't know his." Ace said turning away.
"...Um, okay, this is awkward...Do you have any 'alive' relatives?" Izou this time spoke, hiding his face behind his fan. "Oh, yeah, we have Grandpa! But he's mean!" Luffy said, pouting. "Okay, ignoring that he is 'mean,' do you know his number?" Thatch would like to have a word with this 'grandpa' because leaving his grandkids in a dangerous jungle was not responsible! "We do, but Gramps told us to only use it in case of emergencies." It was Sabo who spoke. "But I guess we can call him..."
*puru puru puru*
"What is it?" A familiar voice said from the other side. "We have your grandson; come pick them up!" Marco yelled into the microphone, "What were you thinking, letting them loose in a jungle of all places! Are you insane!" There was silence on the other line before the other person answered. "Huh? Where are you?", "We're in the New World, at — island.", "I'll be there...", Marco only hoped he would come.
Garp didn't care that he now apparently had grandsons (it's not like Dragon gave him updates on his life, so for all he knew, he could have grandsons already), but it would be a cold day in hell before he allowed some pirates to harm or corrupt innocent kids!
"Bogart! Full speed ahead! We're going to pick up my grandsons!" His right-hand man looked at him for a while before turning around to follow the order. He would have a word with these pirates about kidnapping kids!
Not even two hours later, they could see a ship approaching. Roger was the first to spot it, looking away from the kids. It was a marine ship, but not just a random marine ship noo.. it was GARP THE FIST! Why couldn't they have a peaceful day? He heard a loud thump. Looking over, they saw a very displeased-looking Garp stalking toward the boys.
The three, seeing the man, took off running in his direction. They tried to stop them at first, but the brats were too fast. "Gramps!" they screamed in unison, all but throwing themselves onto the mountain of a man that was Garp. The marine caught the three projectiles with ease, holding them close. "Gramps, I never thought I would be glad you're here!" said Ace, burying into his uniform further. "Shishishi! Gramps came for us!" Luffy was practically beaming in the man's arms. "Heh, I never thought I'd miss you, old man." Sabo hugged him tighter.
Garp, for his part, acted as if this was normal, but the two crews were in utter shock. " THAT'S YOUR GRANDPA!!?".
"BAHAHAHAHA! By the looks of it, you three gave them hell, huh, you little devils! I'm proud of you!" The pirates felt cold sweat drip down their foreheads; just knowing that there were currently four Monkey D.'s on one island made even the most seasoned members of the crew shudder with fear. "Garp, I didn't know you had grandsons, you sly dog!" Roger laughed walking over to the family. " They really are your spawn through and through! HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh, no, Ace and I are adopted," Sabo said, still clinging to Garp. "Ace was adopted as an infant, and I ran away from home. Ace's last name is Portgas." That got a reaction. (Buggy shouted in the back, "I told yall his freckles looked familiar!" but got his mouth shut by Shanks, who was gaping in shock.) " Di- did you say Portgas? As in Portgas D. Rouge?" Roger choked out. "If so, what is it to you!" Ace yelled, hackles rising.
"Okay, I think it's time we got an explanation. First of all, what are your full names? Second, how did you two end up in Garp's care after all you said you are Rouge's child and she is very much alive? Third, since when did Garp have grandsons!" Rayleigh finally snapped and decided to ask the important questions. "...I think it would be better if we sit down for this...there is a lot to unpack here..." The blond said, getting out of his grandfather's grasp.
They all sat around with the captains plus Garp sitting behind the boys as they sat cross legged on the sand, it took a while for them all to calm down .
" So to start let's introduce ourselfs properly." Sabo said elbowing his twin. " OW! you fucker! what was that for!", " then get your ass in gear chop chop!". " Ugh, I'm Portgas D. Ace thats all you need to know-." , " But what about the fact that your dad is Gol D. Roger?" Luffy asked innocently.. and then all hell broke loose...
Whitebeard's and Roger's eyes went wide as realization dawned on them. " WAIT I HAD A CHILD WITH ROUGE!? HOLY SHIT RAYLEIGH SHE AGREED TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME!!" Roger couldn't keep a smile off his face; he married Rouge and had a child! (Forget the part about Ace getting adopted by Garp as an infant, maybe Garp was like a godfather who earned the title of Grandpa by being close to his son?)
" Why the fuck are you so happy!? She died giving birth to me because she had to keep her pregnancy for 20 months!" Ace's gasp of exclamation silenced everyone. "Wha- what? Why would she do that? What happened to make her make such a decision?" Roger sounded desperate; nobody could blame him—his future wife and mother of his child had died during childbirth.
" She had to do it because they were hunting down pregnant women to end your cursed bloodline!" The venom in the child's voice was undeniable; the pure hatred in his eyes made Roger freeze. "Since I was five, I heard people talk about how they would take delight in killing Rogers spawn! 5 when I learned the whole world hated me!" Ace's eyes filled with tears, he tried to hide his face until Luffy decided to bring him into a crushing hug. Wrapping his arms around his baby brother, he hid his face in his hair. Sabo also joining the hug.
He felt a large hand on his back. Looking up, he saw Garp. In the safety of his family, he let himself come undone. He hated crying and would later be embarrassed about it, but now... now he was safe.
After Ace calmed down, Roger asked to speak to his child and his brothers alone. Garp agreed only if Bogart could go with them or at least keep them in sight, to which Roger agreed. Nobody knew what happened between the 4 of them, (Bogart later told Garp what happened on the ship) But when they returned, Ace was hiding in his father's coat; the said father smiled widely, Sabo hanging on his shoulders, and Luffy riding on his back. And when asked the three brats would just look at eachother and giggle saying 'Its a secret!'.
Sabo was next. " So to keep it short. My Sperm donors were absolute dicks with sticks stuck so far up their ass, that they were pokeing out their mouths-." 'Damn this ones vulgar!' Thatch muttered not to far away. " So I decided to run away into the jungle on Dawn island!" He smiled a toothy grin, " So tell me brats have you had a run in with the 'Tiger Lord' yet?" Garp asked excitedly. " Yeah we beat him up a few times!" Luffy cheered " Mhm we use him as a means to get stronger!" Ace added.
" Oh?" their grandfather sounded amused. " And what about Nessie?", " Shishishishi, he tried to eat me once! But its ok because he also ate the bandit that tried to hurt me!" As if the brat's childhood couldn't get any crazier! Seeing their confusion, Garp decided to be merciful and answer their question, " Nessie is the name of the 'Lord of the coast, he's a seaking." A stunned silence followed. 'JUST WHERE HAVE THESE KIDS GREW UP IN!?' was a collective thought of the pirates. " Gurara!" Whitebeard's laugh was loud, shaking the island. "Your home island never ceases to amaze, Garp!"
" AHEM!" They all turned to Sabo. " As I was saying! After i ran away i meet Ace, that demon decided to rob me! He bashed my head with a pipe and took off!" Sabo stared pointedly at Ace, who stuck out his tongue at his twin. " I decided to get even with him, so I chased after him. And when I caught up with him..." He paused for a dramatic break, seeing others leaning in expectantly." I pushed him off a cliff!"
A chorus of shocked gasps, croaks, and yells rose among the gathered pirates. "Yeah, I remember that fall. I had a concussion for a few days!" Ace said, glancing at his brother. " That's not something to be proud off!!" Marco yelled, coming closer to the brats. Just hearing about those three's exploits gave a few crew members heart attacks!
" Ugh! When is it my turn!" The twins turned twords Luffy. " sight.. Alright you can have your turn now Lu..." They said in unison. " YAY! WELL IM MONKEY D. LUFFY AND IM GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!!" Garp stared, Whitebeard and Roger laughed, Rayleigh and Gaban could see the resemblance between their captain and this brat. Shanks and Buggy stared, the Whitebeard Pirates looked on in shock, and the Roger Pirates looked at the kid as if he had grown a second head. But they all collectively thought 'Damn the kid got balls to say that in front of two emperors!'
" Gramps told me that Mama left me in his care after a close call on his job!" Luffy smiled, " Wait.. you said 'mama' right?", "Mhm!", " Than why did you refer to your mom with 'he' instead of 'her'?", it was Haruta that asked, the kid just stared at him, which was slightly concerning. " Because mama is mama, why does it matter?" Luffy said tilting his head. "... you know what? Yeah your right why does it matter?" Namur said shrugging his shoulders.
Luffy didn't get to finish his story as the three boys started to get enveloped in golden light. The three brothers held eachothers hands looked up at Roger Whitebeard and Garp and smiled. Turning around the ASL brats waved to the remaining pirate crews. And in the next moment they were gone.