The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp

Year 1512 of the Sea Circle Calendar, East Blue, Loguetown

The morning sea breeze carried a salty scent. The port of Loguetown was already bustling. A small warship slowly docked. The gangplank was lowered, and three figures walked down one by one.

"Big Bro Roy! Didn't you say you were taking us back to see Grandpa Roc and Grandma Elin? Why are we here?" a 9-year-old Luffy bounced along at the front, a piece of meat still in his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.

Roy had one hand in his pocket, the other gently ruffling Luffy's head. "We're here to see an old friend first. No rush~"

A 12-year-old Ace followed behind, carrying a small cloth bag containing a gift he had specially chosen at Marine Headquarters—an exquisite shell wind chime. Grandma Elin loved the sound of the sea breeze. "Last time we went back, Grandma said she wanted a wind chime to hang by the window..." Thinking of seeing his grandma soon, a slight smile appeared on Ace's lips.

Two years ago, when Roy had first taken them back to his hometown in the East Blue, the scene had been quite chaotic.

(Flashback, Two years ago, East Blue, Dawn Island)

In the morning, the mist had not yet dispersed. At the foot of the mountain on Dawn Island, an old house stood quietly in the sea breeze. Three figures walked to the door with light steps. A young Ace and Luffy carried small bags, looking around with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!" Roy stood at the door, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Creek—" The door slowly opened, and the sturdy figure of Roc poked his head out, about to scold his son, "You brat, you finally decided to come back..." Then he saw the two little ones peeking out from behind Roy, one on each side.

"Hm? Who are these two?" Roc raised an eyebrow, his expression switching from anger to confusion in an instant, then his face changed drastically. "W-Wait a minute..." He looked Ace and Luffy up and down, his eyes wide as saucers. "You-you brat... you actually have such big kids behind our backs?! You bastard!! How can you be so irresponsible?!"

"They're not mine..." Roy's face instantly darkened. He had just opened his mouth to explain when Roc leaped up, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him down (he immediately bent down to avoid hurting his father). "You dare to argue? This brat with the grumpy face looks exactly like you did when you were a kid! And this pot-bellied little monkey!"

"Whoa! Don't pull Big Bro Roy's clothes!" Luffy rushed over to "rescue" him but was picked up by Roc with one hand. "Whoa! Old man, you're so strong!"

"Let me explain..." Roy's words came out in a rush. "They're really not my sons. They're students I brought back."

Just then, Elin came running, her apron still on. "What's wrong?" She saw Ace and Luffy and froze. "S-Son... are-are these yours that you had in secret?! You've been hiding this from us for so long..."

"Mom! It's not what you think..."

"You've even learned to talk back!" Elin's eyes turned red, but she was already sobbing. "How could you let the children be without a mother at such a young age?!"

"I told you they're not..."

"Who taught you this? To do something but not admit it?!" Roc said angrily.

"We're really not his kids!" Luffy kicked his legs in the air and shouted, "He's our Big Brother Roy! Not our dad!"

Ace had a complicated "I don't know these people" expression on his face and finally couldn't help but take half a step back, until Elin suddenly came forward and hugged the two children. "Poor children..." Her voice was as soft as the wind. "Don't be afraid. From now on, this is your home." Her embrace had the faint scent of lavender, soft and warm.

Ace was stunned. In that moment, he thought of all the things he had never had in his dark childhood.

Luffy was already laughing and rubbing against her. "Grandma smells so good, even better than Aunty Bell-mère!"

Elin chuckled and wiped her tears. "You must be hungry, right? Grandma will go make some food."

That day's lunch was the highest-standard welcoming feast in the East Blue. Seafood hotpot, sweet and sour fish, pickled plum rice balls, yam and pork rib soup... a whole table full, the aroma filling the air. "Eat more, you're at the growing age," Elin said with a loving tone as she served them rice. "You two are so thin it breaks my heart."

After the meal, she took out balls of yarn and fabric she had treasured for years and personally sewed clothes for the two children.

"I want a red cape!" Luffy rolled around in the pile of fabric. "Like Big Brother Roy's! I want the cool kind!"

"I want to make you a pair of pajamas that look like a Marine uniform, is that okay?" Elin asked the stubborn Ace. Ace was silent for half a second, then finally nodded, his face red.

At night, the two children were finally lying in soft beds. Ace lay with his eyes open, looking at the wooden ceiling. The wind chime outside the window tinkled softly, and he could hear Luffy mumbling in his sleep, "Grandma's fried rice is so good," and the sound of Elin gently closing the door. It was as if something was slowly being mended.

The next morning, before the sun was up, Ace, for once, stood主动 at the kitchen door and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Elin turned around and smiled, ruffling his hair. "From today on, you and Luffy are also my children."

From then on, every time they went back to the East Blue, Elin would prepare a table of good food in advance, sew new clothes for them, make snacks, and tell them stories of the sea. Ace respected her as his own mother and never refused her lightly; and Luffy was known in the village as a "grandma's boy," shouting all day at the village entrance, "I have the gentlest grandma in the entire East Blue!" He even declared that he would "build a flying ship for grandma when he grows up!"

(End Flashback)

The morning sun fell on the pier of Loguetown. The sea breeze blew gently, the air mixed with the smell of fresh fish and ship fuel. Luffy, while chewing on the last bite of his finished rice ball, was mumbling non-stop. "Who are we here to see anyway? Is it really more important than seeing Grandma Elin? I really want to eat grandma's stewed meat, the soft, fragrant kind."

"Soon, soon, be patient," Roy said, helplessly ruffling his head.

Before he could finish, the air suddenly became thick, and a heavy white smoke filled the area.

"Fog?!" Luffy's eyes widened. He reached out to grab it, but the smoke easily passed through his fingers.

"This is not a natural phenomenon," Ace immediately became alert, a flame igniting on his fist, the pale blue light giving off a warning heat. "A Devil Fruit user."

From deep within the smoke, a familiar, low voice sounded, filled with suppressed anger and weariness. "...Roy, you brat. You're here to cause me trouble again, aren't you?"

As he spoke, a tall, silver-haired man slowly walked out from the center of the dense fog. His broad body was wrapped in a white Marine coat, with thick cross-patterns on his shoulders. He had two burning cigars in his mouth, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it swept over them.

"Long time no see, Smoker." Roy smiled as brightly as if he were seeing an old friend, spreading his hands in a "harmless" gesture.

Smoker took a deep drag from his cigar, his eyes narrowing in the swirling smoke. "So these are the two little brats you brought?"

"Hey!" Ace stepped forward, annoyed, a flame flashing on his fist. "Who are you calling a little brat!"

"Wow!" Luffy, however, was not angry at all. He got close to Smoker's face, his eyes full of stars. "You can make smoke! So cool! Did you eat the 'Smoky-Smoke Fruit'?"

"The Plume-Plume Fruit!" Smoker bit his cigar, a vein popping on his forehead. The dense fog swirled slightly with his emotions.

Seeing this, Roy quickly patted Smoker's shoulder. "Don't be so serious. I really have business this time. Let's have a drink first?"

"Cut the crap. You suddenly appear in my jurisdiction, all mysterious. You're definitely up to no good."

"How could I~ I often go back to my hometown to see my parents, and to see you, my old neighbor," Roy blinked, then his tone changed, and he leaned in, lowering his voice. "But this time... there really is something else."

Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Spit it out."

"...It's about Red-Haired Shanks's arm."

The moment he said that, the air seemed to fall silent. Smoker's pupils constricted slightly. "As expected..." The two exchanged a look. No more words were needed, but an unspoken danger filled the air. Ace and Luffy were still bickering in the back, completely unaware of the undercurrents between the two adults.

"You really don't let a person rest as soon as you come back," Smoker sighed, biting his cigar. "Investigate all you want, but don't cause any trouble."

Roy smiled without speaking and gently waved his hand. "Take me to the old place in Loguetown for a drink. We can talk slowly."

-------

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