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Garp stared down at the paper in his hands, arms shaking as the tension grew. His arms bulged at the strain of holding himself back, teeth grinding together hard.
“S-sir?” He raised his head, staring hard the Marine trembling before him.
“Dismissed.”
The man bolted and Garp returned to the paper.
Spade Pirates Join Whitebeard
Ace, the stupid brat, went and became a pirate—against his orders!—and worse, even worse, he joined up with Whitebeard. Admittedly, he didn’t try very hard to track the wayward brat down and drag him to the nearest base for enlistment, but this was going too far! No grandson of his was going to become a pirate and the sooner he got that through the boy’s thick head, the better.
Garp paused, blinking down at the paper before he smoothed it out, his grandson’s cocky smirk now wrinkle-free.
A considering moment, and Garp grinned.
“SENGOKU!” The Fleet Commander’s door burst open and Garp followed. “I’M GOING TO VISIT MY GRANDSON, SEE YOU IN A FEW WEEKS!”
Garp’s laughter echoed down the hall as he bolted and Sengoku seethed at his desk. “Garp, you moron, get back here! I didn’t approve this! Garp!”
“A-approaching,” the Marine sobbed, hand trembling where he saluted. “Approaching the Moby Dick, Sir!” The white flag had already been raised and the several Marines necessary on deck were crying, bemoaning their fate of serving under Garp the Fist.
“Good! Now where’s that snail!?” A cart was rolled out, Lt. Cmdr. Jenkins directing it closer, his face remarkably blank and neutral for the massacre they were walking into.
A burst of haki from the pirate ship before them sent most of the crew collapsing and Garp grinned wide. Those who remained conscious wished they weren’t. Jenkins set up the large snail, the receiver placed in Garp’s hold momentarily. Garp pulled it closer, clicking down the receiver. He cleared his throat.
“AH-HEM, TESTING TESTING, CAN YOU HEAR ME? IS IT WORKING?” Garp bellowed, his voice screeching across the deck. His crew cried for mercy, collapsing with their hands over their ears. There was a brief screech of static as he cleared his throat again.
“What do you want, Garp?” Whitebeard bellowed from a safe distance away, his booming voice loud, but not as loud as Garp’s with a megaphone transponder snail.
“Newgate, you bastard, I always knew you were a despicable pirate, but I didn’t think you were so monstrous to do something like this!”
Marco stared across the water, where the Navy ship was settled some distance away, before he looked up at their captain. “Pops, what could he possibly be talking about?”
Whitebeard, for his part, frowned, his typical smile gone. “It’s one thing for a Marine to begrudge a pirate, but this is different,” he mused. “And Garp doesn’t have much use for grudges. But he sought us out for a reason.”
There was a sound below deck and coming quickly closer—a sound not unlike a wild herd of beasts. The door to the deck crashed open and then their newest brother was skidding into view, half a hank of meat shoved in his mouth. Ace dived for the rail and Marco threw out an arm just to make sure he didn’t topple over.
“Come to watch the entertainment?” Thatch mused as Ace chewed faster, eyes narrowed on the navy ship. The young man swallowed hard before he cupped his hands around his mouth.
“SHITTY OLD MAN, YOU’RE INTERUPTING LUNCH!”
The crew was silent, staring at the reckless dumbass in horror.
“DAMN BRAT, YOU SAYIN’ FOOD’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME?!”
“FOOD’S ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU! GET LOST!” Ace was leaning over the rail and Marco was very tempted to tip him over and drown the idiot before he started a war.
“Ace,” Thatch couldn’t continue, too horrified to even know where to start. Whitebeard raised an unamused brow.
“STUPID BRAT, I GO THROUGH ALL THIS EFFORT OF TRACKING YOU DOWN, AND THIS IS THE GREETING I GET?! I SHOULD TEACH YOU A LESSON YOU’LL NEVER FORGET!” Garp bellowed and they vaguely saw him moving about the deck.
“I’d like to see you try! You haven’t caught me yet!”
“I HAVEN’T BEEN TRYING!” Garp insisted and Ace laughed. Loudly. “GIVE UP BEFORE YOU MAKE ME GET SERIOUS, BRAT!”
“Make me!”
“Ace, please don’t piss off Garp the Fist,” someone whimpered.
“I’LL MAKE A MARINE OUT OF YOU YET, YOU MARK MY WORDS!” Garp declared, much to the horror of the Whitebeards.
“Never gonna happen, Old Man! I’m a pirate and I’m not joining the Navy!”
“YOUR’RE JOINING, EVEN IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU TO THE ENLISTMENT OFFICE MYSELF! IF YOU’RE NOT ON THIS DECK IN TWO MINUTES, I’M DRAGGING YOU DOWN MYSELF!”
“TRY IT AND SEE!”
Garp was quiet and Ace was heaving for breath, a feral grin on his lips as they squinted to see what the Vice Admiral would do next.
“IF YOU’RE NOT ON THIS DECK BY THE COUNT OF THREE,” Garp paused dramatically and Ace sneered. “THEN I’M TURNING THIS SHIP AROUND AND ENLISTING LUFFY BY THE END OF THE WEEK!”
Ace screamed and, before any of them could stop him, was pure fire, hurtling towards the Navy ship even as the crew cried out in alarm.
“Ace!” Thatch yelled and Marco’s arms were already flames, frown set and sandalled feet talons, perching dangerously upon the rail.
“You leave my brother out of this!” Ace bellowed and the Whitebeards snarled at the dirty tactic Garp would go to. For all they’d ever heard, the man was fierce but fair.
“HE’LL BE A STRONG MARINE, JUST LIKE YOU’LL BE ONCE YOU STOP BEING STUPID!”
“I’m a pirate, you delusional old man, and Luffy’s gonna be one too! You can’t force him to be a Marine any more than you can force me!”
Ace dive bombed Garp and they watched the struggle from the deck, the two wrestling as Ace shut down his flames, grappling with the Marine. The receiver was dropped in the struggle, but it was still on, still broadcasting.
“Watch me! You’ll be a Marine, just like I raised you to be!”
“Raised me?! Raised me?! You left me with mountain bandits and routinely abandoned me in a forest filled with animals that tried to kill me!” Ace shot back and Whitebeard raised a hand to halt any of their movements, eyes narrowed.
“That was just training, how else would you get strong?!”
“Shitty old man, I almost died, Luffy almost died! We’ll do whatever we please!”
“No grandson of mine is gonna become a no-good pirate, so sit down and enlist already!” Garp roared and tackled Ace to the deck.
“Stupid Gramps, I’m already a pirate!” Ace wreathed himself in flames and shot up, perching up on the mast and sneering down at him. “I’m a pirate of Whitebeard and he calls me son!” Garp was seething as he picked up the receiver and faced the Moby Dick.
“NEWGATE, YOU DESPICABLE PIRATE, YOU KIDNAPPED MY GRANDSON AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!”
“He didn’t kidnap me! I left last year, he had nothing to do with it!”
“IT WAS FINE WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND WITH YOUR FRIENDS, BUT I WON’T HAVE YOU CONNECTED TO WHITEBEARD! GET DOWN HERE AND SIGN THE PAPERWORK!” Garp demanded and Ace stuck his tongue out at him. “THE DISRESPECT! RESPECT YOUR ELDERS, BRAT!”
“Ace!” Whitebeard bellowed and both stared at him intently. “Do you want to join the Marines?”
“Never!”
“ABSOLUTELY HE WILL!”
“Shut the hell up, Gramps!”
“Gurararara~ Then Garp, looks like you’re out of luck!” Whitebeard taunted. Marco shot forward, gliding across the open water to hover above Ace, speaking to him quietly before he perched on the mast next to him. Garp raised a fist, shaking it towards the First Division Commander.
“YOU STOP CONFUSING MY GRANDSON! HE’S GOING TO BE A MARINE WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT!”
“NOT!” Ace sneered back and Marco smirked.
A twinkling bell rang out and everyone paused. A cheerful young man propped open the door to the deck, smiling warmly despite the murderous intent polluting the air. “Garp-san, it’s time for lunch!” the boy declared and Garp snapped his fingers up at Ace to get his attention, then pointed down to the deck beside him.
Ace, wonder of wonders, obeyed, and landed in a crouch before the hero of the Marines. He straightened, arms crossed and frowning up at his grandfather. The elder gazed back calmly before he held out a hand. Ace shook it and they both nodded.
“Did… did he just…?” Thatch was in awe. Horrified awe, but awe all the same. “Did he just… agree? For lunch?!”
“Ace, I promise we’ll still feed you, even if Garp is your grandfather!” Haruta called across the waters, hands cupped to carry his voice. Ace waved back at them.
“See, Gramps? They’re taking care of me just fine.”
“Humph. Are they really? Because last I knew, you could eat one of them gators all by yourself.”
“Well, we fish plenty. Hasn’t been a problem yet. What’re we having?”
“Got Makino’s stew recipe. Kelan’s been doing a good job of it. Hey, Kelan, you made that stew I wanted?”
“It’s ready for you, Garp-san! Once you told me your grandson’d be joining us, I started this morning! Should I add more water to the pot? I’m afraid I was more preoccupied with making enough for the two of you!” the boy smiled, looking deliberately up at where Marco still perched.
“Nah, bird can starve for all I care,” Garp waved off Kelan’s concern but the boy frowned. A long moment, and his lips curved down further, brows furrowed. “He’s got his own crew! Don’t look at me like that!”
“Garp-san, I’m surprised at you, treating a guest so poorly. And after all this concern over Ace-kun. I’d imagine you had a lot of questions for one of his new crew—since you went through all this trouble. You really mean to tell me you’d let him return? Without getting as much information as you can?”
They could see from here Garp’s suddenly brilliant smile. “Bird boy, come join us for lunch!”
“Hey, don’t bully Marco!”
“Quiet, brat, I’m gonna gather intel whether you like it or not!” Garp insisted, a heavy hand ruffling Ace’s hair, despite his growl of warning.
“No you’re not, because Marco’s going back for his own lunch! Which you interrupted, shitty Gramps!” Garp lashed out and brought Ace tight under his arm, rubbing hard at his head as he hissed. “Let go!”
“Behave and maybe I’ll even let you have some of Dadan’s whiskey!” Garp threatened and Ace paused in his struggling. “Now, we’re gonna go have lunch and then you’re gonna sign the paperwork!”
“That wasn’t the deal! The deal was lunch!”
“That’s why I said after! You’re enlisting!”
“I’m not!”
Marco straightened, wings flaring wide in brilliant blue and gold before he swayed down from the mast, landing gently on the deck and eyeing the two.
“Ace’s already declined, yoi.”
“You be quiet, I’m threatening my grandson!” Ace wiggled out from Garp’s hold and scurried to hide behind Marco, glowering at Garp. Garp huffed and crossed his arms. “Fine, you can join us for lunch. But I’m not sharing my stew!” Garp decided and nodded determinedly.
Kelan clapped his hands together, smiling wide. “Then we’ll have lunch here out on the deck, it’s such a nice day for a picnic!” the boy declared, then hurried back towards the kitchens.
Garp motioned to the deck and eyed his crew with a raised brow. “Well, you heard him, we’re having a picnic, go get tables,” he ordered.
The Marines awake trembled, staring first at Marco, then at the Moby Dick. “But—but, Sir… what about the pirates?” one brave soul whimpered.
Garp threw up his hands in defeat, snarling as he did so. “Fine fine, but I’m not sharing my stew!” He marched to where the receiver lay and picked it up, scowling across the water. “Oi, Newgate, you’re invited to lunch, but I’m not sharing my stew! You can bring your own picnic!”
The Marine soldiers still awake promptly decided to not be.
It was an odd day, Marco noted. Settled on a Marine ship, lunch spread out (courtesy of the Moby’s many cooks and Kelan) and… peacefully? Eating.
Now, Ace was feral when they first… recruited him but he’d since calmed down and showed off the manners he had. And while the boy could put it away, it was always that he just had a large appetite and maybe just a bit of a messy eater.
Apparently, he’d been behaving for them.
It was a free-for-all between grandfather and grandson and god have mercy on anyone who would try and intervene.
(No one attempted nor wanted to.)
Ace’s former crew had strong-armed their way onto the Marine ship with the few commanders who dared and Deuce, as former first mate and longest friend, was settled protectively at Ace’s side and not attempting to join in on the family bonding via food. He chose instead to eat from the Moby’s share, half convinced he’d lose a hand if he didn’t.
“Shitty gramps,” Ace hissed, guarding his bowl protectively even as he reached for the fourth bowl of rice Kelan was handing back. “Back off, you have yours, this is mine!”
“Little Brat, look who made the food!” Garp spat back, chewing vigorously. “You behaving?”
“What? Yes?” Garp swiped at him and Ace ducked. “Hey!”
“Become a Marine!” Garp demanded and Ace dumped half the bowl of rice into his mouth, cheeks puffed full. Garp inhaled a bowl of noodles. “Be a good role model for your brother!”
“Nefer!” Ace managed and Garp scowled. Ace swallowed hard. “I already have a bounty, there’s no turning back now!”
“Course there is! I’ll put in a good word for ya!” Garp insisted and Ace stared him down, eyes narrowed, before they both dived for the last plate of ribs, wrestling for it. Garp came up the winner and Ace stole the chicken wings. “You’re my grandson, Senny’ll understand!”
“Because of Dragon?” Ace asked and Garp nodded cheerfully. “Wouldn’t he be more worried?”
“Naaaah!” There was a long moment of silence, the two settled into something peaceful. “You happy?” Garp asked, staring down his grandson, legitimately serious. Ace gazed back at him, then turned to take in the crew who joined him. There were amidst their own quiet conversations, but routinely glanced at him. Ace turned back to face Garp, then nodded. “Well. I guess there’s no helping it then,” Garp mused.
“Ah, Garp-san,” Kelan cooed as he returned from the kitchen, toting a cart and three other nervous Marines rolling out more. “There’s a call for you,” he motioned to the snail shoved in between steaming bowls and plates.
Garp picked it up and unlatched the receiver. “Whaddya want?” he demanded.
“Gramps, you said you wanted me to call,” a boy called out, displeasure obvious. Ace perked, grin widening before Garp’s grin grew feral.
“LUFFY, GUESS WHAT? YOUR BROTHER SAID HE’S ENLISTING, HE’S GIVING UP THE PIRATE LIFE!” Garp bellowed. Ace dived for his grandfather with a shriek even as the snail blanched.
“EHHH?! NO WAY! ACE WOULDN’T DO THAT! GRAMPS, DON’T LIE!”
“You shitty old man, stop putting words in my mouth!” Ace fought for the receiver even as Garp held him back.
“Ace! He’s lying, right?! Right!? You wouldn’t become a stinky marine, would you?!”
“Never! Gramps is just going senile, Luffy!” Ace yelled.
“BECOME A STRONG MARINE!” Garp insisted, rolling and trapping Ace beneath him, grin wide as he sat on the teenager. “LISTEN TO ME, YOU STUPID BRATS!”
“Never!” Ace choked out and the snail stuck out its tongue.
“Stupid Gramps, Marines are dumb! I’m gonna be the King of the Pirates!” Luffy declared. Garp roared and started wrestling in earnest, him and Ace rolling away. Marco gingerly collected the snail, Luffy’s face scrunched up as he heard the fighting. “Ace? Gramps? Don’t ignore me!”
“Luffy, was it?” Marco asked and snail!Luffy blinked.
“Eh? Who’re you? You’re not Gramps.”
“No, I’m Marco,” Marco introduced himself. “Ace joined my crew.”
“Ehhh? That doesn’t sound like Ace. He wanted to make his own crew. Are you lying?”
“No.”
“Hm,” the boy hummed, seemingly not completely sold. “I guess it’s a mystery then.”
Marco blinked down at the snail. “No, he joined.”
“Oh. How come?”
“We recruited him.”
“Recruited…” the boy repeated.
“Luffy, I joined Whitebeard’s crew!” Ace hollered.
“JOIN THE MARINES!” Garp insisted.
“NEVER!” Ace refused and Luffy laughed.
“So you’re Ace’s friend! Nice to meetcha, I’m Monkey D. Luffy! And I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”
“Cheeky little rascal!” Garp sat on Ace again, grinning down at his grandson. “Aha! Join the Marines! If you can’t even beat me, you’re not cut out to be a pirate!”
“Ehhh?! Ace lost to Gramps?! Ah well,” Luffy seemed surprised and then promptly unconcerned. “I can totally take ‘em, Ace.”
“No you can’t!” both shot back and snail!Luffy made a surprised expression. Whitebeard’s crew snickered.
“Whaddya mean?! I can totally take Gramps!”
“Luffy, you’ve never even won against me!” Ace wheezed and snail!Luffy pouted, muttering under his breath.
“Well, I’ve been training! I’m definitely stronger now! I can totally take you!”
“He’s right, I’ve been training him hard,” Garp declared, immensely proud of himself.
“How? By tossing him into the gator pond?” Ace scoffed and Garp looked surprised. “We could take them when he was seven, it’s not much of training.”
“Sure it is! Especially when I knocked him out and tied his arms up!” Garp enlightened him and Ace kicked him off hard.
“You what?!”
“He what?” Marco and Thatch echoed in horror.
“Luffy!” Ace shouted at the snail and the snail tilted its head before laughing.
“Yeah, that was tough! Gramps just watched and everything! I finally beat them up after that big one tried to eat me again!” Ace stared at the snail, then growled at his grandfather.
“You know he holds a grudge!” Ace said and Garp shrugged.
“S’why I threw him in,” Garp told him and Ace narrowed his eyes. “Besides, that’s nothing to what the tiger did to him!”
Ace lunged for his grandfather, wrapping his hands around his throat and shaking him. Garp laughed, wheezing through the attempted murder. “YOU THREW HIM TO THE TIGER LORD?! YOU THREW LUFFY AT THE TIGER LORD?! ALONE?!”
“He’s fine, isn’t he?” Garp howled and Ace shook him once more before letting go and diving for the snail, snatching the receiver from Marco’s lax hand.
“Luffy!” Ace demanded. “Luffy, how bad was it?!”
“I beat him up, just like we used to!” Luffy told his brother brightly and Ace sagged heavily against Marco, holding desperately onto the receiver.
“So he tried to eat you too,” Ace moaned.
“No!” Luffy denied quickly and Ace slumped a little further. “Maybe just a little. It really hurt when he threw me down the mountain though. Luckily Makino had that spare pipe around, so I went back up and challenged him again!”
“Gave him quite the bump!” Garp agreed and Ace made a wounded noise of distress. “There there,” Garp snickered and Ace growled at him.
“But I won, all by myself! You couldn’t do that!” Luffy crowed and Ace couldn’t muster up the anger to snipe back. “So that means I’m stronger than you! Ha!”
“No way, I’ve faced waaaay stronger people than the Tiger Lord,” Ace told him blandly and snail!Luffy looked surprised.
“Really? Stronger than the Tiger Lord? Wow… the Grandline sure is tough, huh? Good job, Ace!” Ace turned pink at the praise, grin wide even as Thatch cooed at him. “I’ll be there soon, so let’s meet up, okay?”
“You still got a year left, squirt, better train hard,” Ace teased and Snail!Luffy looked determined.
“Of course I will, because I’m gonna be the King,” Luffy decided and Ace’s grin widened.
“See you then, Luffy.”
“Wait for me, Ace! I’ll catch up soon! Gramps, I’m gonna fight the bear!”
“Go for it!” Garp cheered and Ace looked briefly concerned before he grinned again. “I’ll let Makino know to get the first aid kit ready! Make sure he doesn’t eat you!”
“Ack, Gramps, no way he will! Bye Ace!” the snail clicked off and Ace was still grinning when Garp made a loud noise.
“Why didn’t he tell me ‘bye’?” Garp demanded. “Stupid grandson, I should toughen up his training! Ungrateful brat, after everything I’ve done!”
“You’re a terrible grandfather,” Deuce muttered and Garp zeroed in on him, eyes manic. Deuce stiffened in surprise.
“I know you, you’re Ace’s friend! Come here brat!” Garp reached for him and Deuce scrambled away, Ace jerking forward to fight his grandfather. “I’m more than strong enough to take the both of you!” Garp roared, grabbing Ace and then snatching Deuce. The blue haired doctor in training squeaked in surprise. “Fist of Love!” Garp smacked the both of them down and Ace hissed, holding tight at his head while Deuce looked plenty more dazed. “AHA! That’ll show ya! Become a Marine, Ace, and be strong like your grandpa!”
“Stupid old man!” Ace snarled and Garp grinned down at him. “Leave my friends out of it!”
“I’ll do what I want!”
“Hypocrite!”
“Why you!” Luckily, they rolled away from the food. Deuce felt carefully around his head, flinching at the bump he felt forming.
Ace was standing before Garp, hands on his hips and Garp stared down at him, arms crossed over his chest. The crew of the Moby Dick watched from the deck, waiting now for their newest brother to rejoin them. “Don’t go causing trouble brat, anymore and I won’t be able to talk Senny into it,” Garp groused.
Ace smirked. “I feel like running wild all of a sudden.” Garp swiped at his head and Ace skipped back, hand raised to hold onto his hat as he laughed.
“Stupid grandson,” Garp hissed and Ace beamed at him before he jumped and reverted to flames, soaring over the gap between their ships and landing carefully on the rail. “You take care of yourself, brat!”
“Sure will, Gramps! Don’t go keeling over just yet! Luffy hasn’t left yet!”
“He’ll be a Marine, you mark my words!” Garp shook his fist at Ace, even as his eldest grandson laughed.
(There was a shimmer and Garp saw three little boys laughing gleefully, pipes in hand, and just as quickly, it faded. Garp’s chest squeezed at the loss and remembrance that he hadn’t seen his grandsons nearly as much as he liked as they grew up.)
“Bye Gramps!” Ace waved as the Moby began to pull away and Garp scowled for a moment, before he grinned wide.
“NEXT TIME I WON’T GO SO EASY ON YOU, BRAT!”
Stay safe and stay strong. I won’t be able to protect you anymore.
“Garp-san, you raised a very nice young man,” Kelan noted calmly at his side and Garp sucked down a heavy breath.
“He grew up well,” Jenkins intoned gravely and Garp burst into proud tears.
“DIDN’T HE?! THAT’S MY GRANDSON, THE STUPID LITTLE BRAT!”