2 Happy Birthday!!!

5 years later

On Dawn Island in the East Blue. In a House on Mt. Colubo

„Hey, wake up! How long do you plan to sleep on our Birthday?! The others will finish our special birthday breakfast before we get to even try it!"

Being woken up by a loud voice, that was persistently screaming for me to wake up, I reluctantly opened my eyes after vaguely perceiving something about a special breakfast. The first thing I saw was a familiar wooden ceiling. The second thing I saw was a young Ace. He impatiently leaned over my face the moment he saw me opening my eyes… ,why did I think of him as young just now?' that thought flashes through my mind for a second…

…

!!!

ACE!!!

„I remember!!!"

Exclaiming loudly I shot up from my lying position only to unintentionally headbutt Ace.

„Ouww! Hey what are you doing?!"

„Sorry, it wasn't intentional, you just surprised me."

After half heartily answering and apologizing to Ace I tried sorting my thoughts and memories that I seemingly unlocked during my sleep and which also made my head a bit dizzy. My memories returning means that today is Ace's and mine 5th birthday. Slowly the memories returned to me piece by piece and it didn't take a full minute to regain them all but my head felt like exploding afterwards. My first life, my dead, my meeting with ‚it' and my second life with Ace. No wonder I had to wait till my 5th birthday, being born with so many memories in a babies head would have turned me into vegetable!

„Hey Jackson are you even hearing what I'm saying?!"

„Ah sorry, I spaced out for a bit. You said something about a special breakfast right?"

„Yeah, the others set up tables outside and we have sweet pancakes for breakfast since it's our birthday but they begun eating without you! Hurry or there won't be any left!"

Sheesh he is really hyped for the pancakes. Understandable since the food we get is delicious. My thoughts still aren't as clear as i would like them to be but let's go eat something first. Getting up I follow Ace as we head outside. There Dadan and the others are enjoying pancakes just as Ace described.

„Morning" greeting them all shortly me and Ace sat at the table next to each other and begun to devour the pancakes in front of us. During breakfast no one talked and everyone was focused on their food since there was always the danger of someone eating your share of the food, so I used the opportunity to once again sort out my memories while eating.

It's been a year and a half since Garp brought us to Dadan and 1 year since He told us about our father and mother. I didn't have my memories then so I was quite shocked just like Ace was. It led to both of us deciding on using our mothers name, to honor her love and sacrifice for us, Portgas D. but Ace back then became a bit gloomy for a while after learning about our parents and I could emphasize with him quite well since they were my parents as well. Strangely, when thinking back to how I acted I don't get the feeling that it would have been much different even if I had regained my memories earlier in time.

In my previous life my parents didn't really care about me, they were both really young and I was an unplanned child. Like what did you expect to get by fucking without a condom? A plasma tv? After 2 years they seemed to have enough of me and brought me to an orphanage were they left me. So thinking that my mother in this world sacrificed herself for us and held on to us until she breathed her last made me feel something bittersweet. Being loved for a high price…

„Hey Jackson what are you thinking so hard about? You even stopped eating, are you alright?" (Dadan)

„Brother you have been acting out of it since earlier, is something wrong?"

„Haa? Ah No! I was just remembering that gramps promised to visit today and I was wondering if he will bring presents like last year!"

„Hmpf! What's so good about marine caps for as present? He should have bought us something cooler, like a sword for example!"

Honestly can't argue with that… still

„But Ace you don't know any swordsmanship. What if you stabbed yourself with it during a fight?"(unnamed Mt. Bandit)

„Shut up! Why would I stab myself? It can't be that hard, Pointy end towards your opponent same with the sharp side!"

His outburst just made everybody laugh

After we were done with breakfast everybody besides Dadan wished us a happy birthday, Dadan the tsundere just gave us a ‚hmpf' and turned her head away. If she were 20-25 years younger this perhaps would have looked cute…

But a grown 38yo lady going tsuntsun…

Anyways me and Ace walked into the forest while the others were tidying the tables and washing the dishes. I remember promising him to search for our own hideout after we argued with Dadan a month ago but honestly where in this forest would a hideout be laying around.

„Say Jasckson, we are the same age but why are you taller than me?"

Ace suddenly started to talk to me while we were searching behind bushes and on trees.

„Huh? Does that bother you?"

„Yeah, I mean shouldn't we be the same? Isn't that how it works for twins?"

Great, how do I explain to a 5 years old what what dicygotic twins are? I mean we look almost the same but I am a head taller, have rouges pinkish blond hair and her golden amber eyes while Ace inherited the deep black hair and eyes of our father Roger.

„I don't know, maybe we are special?"

I just answered him like that and thank goodness he accepted it as easily as that. When it was around afternoon we returned to the house and shortly after Garp arrived. He came and wished us a happy birthday and a long and happy life. Kinda cheesy to be honest but no complaints from me. After that he gave us our presents and we got… marine shirts -.-

Not a uniform or anything just a t-Shirt with the marine symbol on the back.

„Oi what's with this marine presents old geezer?!"

„What's wrong with marine themed presents? Future marine soldiers should be happy to receive them! And call me grandpa!"

„Future marine soldier my foot! Who said we want to be marines?! Old geezer! Old geezer! Old geezer!"

„Why you little brat!"

Ace received a fist full of Garp's love and care in response. I kinda don't want to interfere but you know how the saying goes: „Bros before Marines Hoes!" cough I meant hero's ;).

„Stop hitting Ace you old geezer! We will become strong pirates when we grow up! Strong enough to beat you!"

„Ohh…? Really? Is that so?"

…

FCK… going by the thick mark on his forehead and the way he is holding his fist I am about to receive a lots of his love and care…

„Run!"

Shouting at the same time me and Ace sprung up and ran in different directions as if we practiced it in advance. Obviously that did little to nothing for us as we were caught and properly ‚educated' about what awaits pirates when caught by grandpa.

Later that night we lay down to sleep with huge bumps on our heads. For some reason even Dadan had a bump on her head. Despite the beating I think that today was a great day. I recovered my memories, don't feel any different because of it and grandpa came for our birthday and even stayed for the night. Me and Ace were both lying down on one of grandpas arm. Now all that is left is for my cheat to activate.

As if it was waiting for that, a transparent lightscreen appeared in front of me displaying what character has been chosen and how high the synchronization rate is.

[chosen character: Gol D. Roger]

[synchronization rate: 0%]

[synchronization speed: 5% every year]

[speed boost quest: run 10km while blindfolded every day for 365 days for additional 5%]

…

„HOLY MOTHERFCKING SHT!!!!"