One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Ouch, ouch, ouch…! Why does it hurt when I'm made of rubber?! Let go of me, Grandpa!"

Luffy squirmed as Garp dragged him up a mountain, with Wright trailing behind. Both had changed into casual clothing for the occasion.

"Leaving you in the laid-back Windmill Village was a huge mistake!" Garp bellowed, a wide grin on his face. "Pirate King? Nonsense! You and Ace are both going to become the strongest Marines!"

No, you're overthinking this. Those two are natural troublemakers; becoming Marines is out of the question.

Wright followed Garp with a resigned expression, silently shaking his head.

"Dadan! Get out here!" Garp pounded on the door of a rundown house.

"G-Garp, sir!" Curly Dadan appeared reluctantly with two of her subordinates, her face full of dread. "Please, give us a break!"

"Ace is already ten years old, and we can't handle him anymore! I'm begging you, take him away!"

"Oh? Ace is already that big?" Garp laughed heartily.

"Who's this kid?" Dadan asked, noticing the boy darting around energetically.

"Luffy, say hi!" Garp hoisted Luffy up in one hand.

"Yo!" Luffy greeted casually.

"This is my grandson! He's your responsibility from now on!"

"Huh?! Your grandson?!"

"And now there's going to be another one?!"

"Well, unless you'd rather spend the rest of your life in prison…" Garp's tone turned ominous.

"Uh… sometimes prison doesn't sound so bad, actually…"

"…!" Just as Garp was about to retort, Wright cleared his throat and pointed to the side.

"Oh! Ace, you're back!" Garp turned to see a scowling ten-year-old standing nearby—Portgas D. Ace.

"This kid's Ace," Garp announced, setting Luffy down. "He's three years older than you, and from now on, you'll be living together. Get along, okay!"

He completely ignored the sparks of hostility already brewing between the two boys.

"Are you sure about this, Garp, sir?!" Dadan and her gang made one last desperate plea.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Garp's voice grew colder.

"W-We'll take care of them, we promise!" The bandits burst into tears.

"Hahaha! Then I'll check on you next time, Ace, Luffy!"

At the foot of Mt. Colubo, Garp stopped and turned to Wright. "Wright, I'm entrusting Ace and Luffy to you. Just try not to let Dadan and her crew notice you."

"Oh? I thought you'd introduce me to those bandits earlier," Wright replied, scratching his head. "If I'm supposed to watch over them in secret, I didn't need to tag along with you."

"No… if you hadn't come with me and shown yourself to Ace, he wouldn't trust you. That kid… he's as stubborn as they come." Garp sighed.

"And Luffy… even though I'll be training him myself, he needs a playmate his own age. From now on, they're brothers. When I'm not around, at least they won't be lonely."

Wright paused, then said, "Dadan and her crew are bandits. Are you sure it's a good idea to leave two kids in their care?"

"We both have our duties as Marines. We can't visit often. If they're going to grow into outstanding Marines, they need to endure tough training!" Garp clenched his fist, his tone serious.

"If they stayed in the village, life would be too easy. Sure, they'd be happy, but they'd never adapt to the harsh realities of the sea. The world out there… it's not what it used to be!"

No, you're basically training them to become pirates… With your methods, how could free-spirited kids like them possibly join the rigid ranks of the Marines?

Wright kept his thoughts to himself, knowing there was no point in arguing. Garp throwing a toddler into the forest for "survival training" wasn't something a normal person could even conceive.

"So, you want me to train them without interfering too much with Dadan's bandit life, right?" Wright confirmed.

"Exactly. When they're out and about, that's your chance to step in. No problem, right?" Garp eyed Wright. "Oh? I almost forgot, you're from a noble family. Spending months in the wild must be a bit much for you, huh?"

Seeing Garp's sly grin, Wright rolled his eyes. "You don't need to provoke me. Since I agreed, I'll do it. During my pirate-hunting days, I wasn't exactly living in luxury."

"Hahaha, a fine young man! I'll leave it to you, then!" Garp's laughter echoed as he departed, leaving Wright to sigh.

"Garp… your approach to raising kids is going to send them straight down the wrong path…"

One week after Luffy's arrival at Mt. Colubo:

"Boss Dadan! That kid Luffy's been missing for a week, and he just came back!"

On their first day together, Ace had ignored Luffy completely. Determined to be friends, Luffy had chased Ace into the forest but quickly lost him. It had taken him a whole week to find his way back to Dadan's hideout.

"Huh… The kid's got potential. Must be Garp's training," Wright mused, perched in a tree watching the scene unfold. Over the week, he had kept an eye on Luffy from a distance. The boy had been injured and chased by wild beasts, but he'd managed to pull through without major problems.

"Ace, though… Still sneaking off to Gray Terminal. Some things never change…" Wright sighed. Having grown up in the Goa Kingdom himself, he knew the place all too well.

Over the past few days, Wright had secretly followed Ace to his hideout and met his close friend, Sabo—the runaway noble. Ace had even mentioned Luffy to Sabo.

"Hey, Ace, where are you going? Take me with you! Let's be friends!"

The next morning, Luffy found Ace slipping away again and immediately gave chase, ignoring Dadan's exasperated shouting.

Another week passed like this. Wright watched the two boys—one running and the other chasing—navigate countless dangerous situations for kids their age. Each time, it ended with Luffy failing spectacularly.

"Sigh… Luffy, I don't have all day to watch you chase Ace around. Guess I'll give you a hand."

The next time Luffy followed Ace into the forest, Wright discreetly took action. Strangely, the obstacles Luffy faced seemed much easier to overcome:

The crocodile looked sluggish, the tiger seemed bruised, and the large bird appeared to have lost some feathers…

"Wow! What is this place? It stinks!" Luffy stumbled into Gray Terminal, finally catching up with Ace.

Unaware of Luffy's arrival, Ace and Sabo were counting their loot.

"Hey, Sabo, I bet Luffy's being chased by some beast again. He's so annoying, always following me!"

"He just wants to be friends, doesn't he?" Sabo sighed, adjusting his top hat. "Ace, we've been saving for five years, but this isn't nearly enough to buy a pirate ship. We need to work harder."

"Wow! A pirate ship!" Luffy's loud voice startled both boys.

"You want to be pirates too? Me too!"

"Luffy?! How did he catch up to me so fast?!"

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