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Ace thinks his life is pretty okay. Sure, everyone hates him and wishes he didn’t exist. He’s overheard sailors and such calling his father- no, Gold Roger a demon; The man who should’ve been killed at birth. He isn’t stupid, he knows that if anyone learned about his bloodline, he’d be hunted and slaughtered for it.
The son of a demon is always bound to be a demon as well, after all.
However, there were two people in Ace’s life that he could trust with anything.
Sabo was a boy he met at the age of five years old. The two made the perfect duo, getting into all kids of trouble by stealing from others within the Gray Terminal. Even if they hadn’t gotten along at first, the two were as close as brothers now. He trusts Sabo with all of his secrets- including the one he didn’t want to tell anyone, even gramps.
Of course, the second person Ace trusts is Gramps. Garp the Fist. Hero of the Marines. With his dumb joyful grin and his hardheaded nature. Ace likes to think even though they aren’t related by blood, that he inherits a few of those traits. After asking Sabo, the blond boy snorts and immediately confirms that Ace had that stubborn nature ingrained into his being.
Garp took him in as a baby, hid him from the very Navy he was loyal to, and even made sure to stop by as often as he could. Being a Vice Admiral meant Garp couldn’t get away from his work as much as he'd hoped, but he did his best. And while he wasn’t very gentle, he seemed to truly want the best for Ace.
If only he’d stop calling Ace his granddaughter.
Sure, the old coot didn’t know Ace was a boy. Or that his name was Ace. Ace had known he was a boy since a bit before he met Sabo, and the other boy even suggested his name change not long after revealing his secret. Sabo had merely said that he understood, and the secret was safe with him. After all, Sabo was the same way!
But Ace couldn’t bring himself to tell Garp the truth. Sabo understood, but that was only because Sabo was also a boy. But… Garp was also a boy- or- a man. Ace scratched his head in annoyance, frown scrunching the freckles on his cheeks as his brows fell.
“What’s bugging you now, Ace?” A high pitched, yet still gruff voice spoke from behind. Ace’s brown eyes widened slightly, before he turned abruptly. Not too far away, Sabo was scrambling up the tree branch. They had been collecting money for a couple of years now, and have been storing it in this tree Ace had chosen to internally debate revealing his deepest, most darkest secret to the old man who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Ace let out a sigh of relief, turning so he faced the other boy. Sabo’s golden gaze sparkled in the light of the setting sun, almost warping them to a hue of orangish-pink. His grin was stretched across his face, the palette of pure white skewed only by the missing tooth on his upper jaw.
Ace groaned, returning to scratching his messy head of hair. “It’s nothing.”
Sabo’s golden eyes were squinted into mere slits, and a pout replaced the shining smile. “Oh really? Nothing at all has gotten you this stressed out that you didn’t hear me coming? Nice try, idiot, but I know when you’re beating yourself up over something. Now, tell me.” The boy finished with a huff, crossing his arms and abandoning the bag at his side. Ace frowned, that stubborn attitude refusing to back down from this challenge. He wouldn’t just dump it all on his friend, even if he had initially trusted Sabo with this secret in the first place.
The two boys glared at one another for quite some time, before Ace let out a grumble. Sabo immediately returned to smiling, though it wasn’t as big as before. He waited patiently for Ace to speak up.
“It’s that shitty old man. I keep wondering if I should tell him about… about Ace. About me.”
This brought a small flicker of realization to Sabo, and his smile flattened into a straight line. Ace was obviously going through a dilemma, even if he doesn’t want to show it. Garp could either react fine, supporting his grandson no matter what- or he could react horribly, deciding to change his mind and out Ace as the child of Gold Roger. He watched quietly as Ace zoned out, having already withdrawn back into his mind. Sabo allowed the darker boy to ponder, which in turn allowed him to do the same.
From what Sabo has heard of Garp, the man was basically risking both his life and career by protecting Ace. Ace had also heard from the village at the base of the mountain that Garp had an actual grandson- blood related and all. Still a baby though, only 4 years old. And yet, Garp still visited Ace. He still loved him, even if he didn’t know the truth. Sabo had made up his own mind for Ace.
“You should tell him.”
Ace’s head shot up, shock and surprise mingling into one expression. He choked as he tried to speak his mind, but Sabo only watched him with a determined gaze.
“Ace, think about it, you idiot. He’s risked so much keeping you here. He has a blood related grandson, but he still visits you. Do you really think he’ll easily toss you away for this?”
When Ace took too many moments to respond, Sabo sighed in annoyance. “He’s here now, right? Go talk to him. Tell him. It’ll help your dysphoria, and he can actually put forth an effort towards it as well. I’m going to go back to my bed and sleep. See ya.”
The blond boy dumped his findings into the hidden crevice before jumping down from the tree. Ace watched him go, unable to even form a solid sentence. Ace huffed, before beginning his trek back to Dadan’s hut.
Inside, Garp was chugging a bottle of alcohol, but none of it seemed to be affecting him in the slightest. The mountain bandits scurried away from his waving hands and boisterous tone, only crawling in to set down more food. Garp’s brown eyes flicked to him, before a guffaw shook the wooden house.
“Ann! My beautiful granddaughter has returned!” He spoke, before jabbing a stick of meat towards the ginger bandit. “Dadan, you useless criminal! Grab some food for my granddaughter!”
Ace winced slightly at the name and title, but did nothing as he walked up to the fire. Food was placed beside him, and he grabbed a leg of some animal- probably a boar. He vaguely made out Garp telling stories of his time in the Navy, but it all sounded like it was buried in fuzz to him
Before long, the moon hung high in the sky. Bandits lay around the room, snoring away after all the drinks. Ace’s eyes opened, and he jumped in surprise as he realized he had dozed off. A quick glance around the room offered the fact that Garp was no longer in there with them, and Ace grumbled as he rose to his feet. His knees whined in protest, but he ignored them as he quietly opened the door.
Outside, Garp stood not too far away. He was leaning up against one of the massive trees that grew in this forest, staring up at the night sky. His eyes were distant, a wistful look taking up most of his face.
Ace walked forward, but Garp did not move. It didn’t take too long for him to reach his grandfather, and even then, Garp had not budged. Ace stood there for a few minutes, about to give up, when Garp’s brown eyes finally dropped to the small 7 year old.
“Ann… what is it? You should be sleeping, a strong marine needs her rest.”
Ace stared up at Garp, fists clenched to his sides. He had a conflicted look to him, as if he were afraid to even speak, but strongly desired to do so.
"Grandpa*, I'm a boy. My name is Ace."
Garp stays silent for a bit, eyes widening at the boys words, before a jolly laugh erupts from him. His grin stretched wide, glowing like the sun.
"I've always wanted another grandson! Ace... what a strong name!"
Ace felt his shoulders drop in relief, and for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile graced his lips.