Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Tale! Two Legacies are Born!

My life has been far from normal. After all, my father was King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. Since the moment I was born, I was destined to be… different. People call me by many names, like Portgas D. Anne, "Airess Anne", and eventually even "Gold Anne". My name is Gol D Anne, and this is the tale of how I aim to be a greater pirate than my father ever was, and to change the World Government. But like any other great tale, before I can get to that, I have to start the beginning…

When I was born in Baterilla, I was my mother and father's pride and joy. Although, I didn't get to see my father much before his execution, as he was out on his adventures. When I did get to see him, my father would take me aboard his ship and showed me off eagerly to his crew mates. However, everywhere else on the island, he would attempt to keep me as hidden as possible. He feared the government would put two-and-two together that he had a child. He feared they would take away his loved ones for his actions.

I was too young to understand at the time, but when I was two years old, my mother told me not to talk about my father in town for awhile. When I asked why, she would simply tell me it was dangerous right now and to either wait it out, or to get stronger so the bad guys couldn't hurt me for who my father was. I didn't know who said "bad guys" were, so I just kept my mouth shut. Whenever I would go with my mother to get supplies, she would be somewhat cautious when talking to people, especially when they asked about me. Every time someone would ask about whom my father is, my mother would simply tell them he was a Marine that died fighting pirates. I couldn't understood why my mother would lie like, but I always knew not to speak up.

When we got home, my mother would sit in her rocking chair near the window, rocking back and forth while holding her belly in deep thought. This happened for a little over a year and a half. One day, my curiosity got the better of me. I toddled my little three-year-old legs over to my mother and asked what she was always doing. She looked up from her belly in surprise, looked at me, then gave me a soft smile as she said, "Oh, well… I guess it is about time for me to tell you. You see, real soon, you're going to be… a big sister." My eyes lit up. I jumped around excitedly as my mother giggled at my innocence. I was going to have a baby sibling!

Not even a month later, my mother was in her bed with a midwife helping her through her delivery. I was right at the bedside as my mother was handed her child. There was a strange, muscular man standing in the back of the room with a Marine uniform as my mother hugged my new baby brother. My mother, who was covered in sweat, was smiling softly as she spoke, "Before Anne was born, there were two names he chose. If she were a girl, her name would be Anne. If she were a boy, she would be… Ace. So our newest child's name… is Gol D. Ace. Our child…"

I looked in wonder at the crying, fragile baby as I joyfully said, "Ace… Hi, Ace. You're so tiny."

My mother looked towards the strange man and gestured for him. He came over and Mother lifted the newborn towards him. He held the little thing in his thick arms, looking down at him tenderly.

Just then, my mother started to cough and hack up blood. The other adults rushed over to my mother while I cried out, "Mama!"

The Marine man turned me around and quickly ushered me out of the room, telling me, "Let's wait outside…"

Outside of the room, both Ace and I were balling our eyes out. All I could do was call for Mother in fear. The Marine man knelt down to my level and moved the blanket surrounding Ace a bit, allowing me to see hi face more clearly. "Anne, I won't lie to you. Your mama is… she put all of her energy and health into making sure your little brother was born. There is a chance that she might not make it. If that happens, you'll have to be strong, not only for yourself, but Ace as well. She might not be around to protect him, so you're going to have to be strong, so that you can help make sure Ace grows up big and strong, as his big sister. Can you promise you'll stay strong for him, at least?"

I bit my lip hard, trying to hold back tears. I nodded my head sharply. "I… I promise to be the greatest big sister ever! I'll be strong for my baby brudder!"

The man gave a smirk, then asked if I wanted to hold Ace. I nodded vigorously as I wiped the tears out of my eyes. He sat me down in a chair and gave me detailed instructions on how to hold a newborn. He sat next to me as he moved my brother onto my lap. He showed me how to hold the baby's head and cradle it against me. After making sure I had a proper hold, he got up for a moment and checked on how things were in the other room. I looked down at little Ace and couldn't help but give a soft smile at the small black hairs sprouting out of the top of his head, his small sleepy face from crying himself to sleep, and the tiny little fingers that threatened to peek out of the blanket that wrapped him. This small thing was MY brother. He was the tiniest person I had ever seen. He looked so fragile, like the smallest movement I made could break him. "Hi, Ace! I'm your big sister. You can call me Anne. You're very small, but soon you'll grow up big and strong, just like me! We'll play together, tell lots of stories, and eat a lot of food! I'll show you some of my favorite toys later. But you can't eat them! Trust me, they don't taste too good..."

The door to my mother's room, and the Marine came back out grim look on his face. He sat back down next to me and readjusted my hold on Ace. "Anne, I'm sorry, but… your mama did not make it. If it makes it any easier, she passed with a smile, knowing Ace would have you around... Before your father passed, he asked me to take care of you two, to keep you safe as you both grow up. So, we're going to be going on a little trip. The midwife is currently packing your things, and then we'll head out."

We sat there in silence for a good few minutes. I held Ace close as I bit my lip, trying not to cry. I may have been too young to fully understand what death was at the time, but the way the man was talking to me, I know I wouldn't being my mother for a while.

Stocking a lock of Ace's hair, I finally looked up to him and asked, "Um… who are you?"

He looked at me in shock, before breaking out in a deep, hardy laugh. As he wiped tears from his eyes, he exclaimed, "That's right! I never introduced myself! Gyah ha ha! My name's Garp. Monkey D. Garp!"

The midwife came out of what used to be my room with a little suitcase. Garp gently eased Ace from my arms and cradled him in one of his. I took the suitcase from the midwife and thanked her with a bow, just like how my mother taught me to do. Garp turned toward the front door and said, "Alright, let's get going…"

Dragging the heavy suitcase in one hand, I took Garp's pinkie in my other tiny hand. My fingers couldn't even wrap around his pinkie all the way. He looked down in surprise, but gave me a sympathetic look and led the way to a small sailboat with the Marine's insignia at the docks. He helped me onto the boat and had me hold Ace while he set up the baby crib he had gotten in town. After making sure it was secure, he placed Ace into it, before letting the sails go.

As the boat began to drift out, I felt it swaying underneath me. I wobbled back and forth, trying to get my bearings, and Garp just let out another hardy laugh. "Gyah ha ha ha! What, don't tell me this is your first time on a boat!" I shook my head and tried to protest, but as I tried to, I couldn't help but fall over on the deck, causing Garp to laugh even further. "Just make sure to hold onto something until you can get yer sea legs. Don't worry, you basically got the sea in your bloodline!"

Taking his advice, I grabbed onto one of the ropes coming down from the mast to stabilize myself. As the boat trudged through the water, I could feel the sea breeze blow through my long, black locks. I closed my dark eyes, taking in the salty breeze through my nose, and gave a slight grin at the new sensation the wind gave me. "Uh oh, I know that look… that's the look of a born seafarer's first experience at sea! Heh, you know, when you're older, you could join the Marines and you'd get the opportunity to experience a life like this!"

I opened my eyes and gave him a confused look, then asked, "But what about being a pirate? Pirates sail, too! Mama said Papa was out sailing the seas all the time and loved it!"

"No, no, no," Garp protested. "You have to stay away from that life! It'll cause you nothing but trouble! Trust this ol' grandpa. If you must stay on the sea, take the Marine or sailor route. Nothin' good'll come from being a pirate!"

I wasn't sure what to think. My father was a pirate and loved it, but I wasn't entirely sure what a pirate really was. I knew what a Marine and sailor were, but some people talk badly about them, too. So, I just looked out at the horizon, letting the wind hit my face. "I like the wind," I told Garp. "It can go anywhere it wants. Someday, I'm gonna become the wind!"

Garp laughed yet again and snickered, "You do that, Anne. You do that."

Days passed on the little boat. I learned a lot from Garp on how to run a boat, at least a small one. I also learned the name of the different parts and what each one did. Whenever I wasn't eating, sleeping, or helping take care of Ace, I was hanging on at the top of the central mast, enjoying the salty sea breeze. While I was up there, I noticed something off in the distance. "Hey, I think I see land," I exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the island. "This is the part where you yell, 'Land, ho', right?!"

"Sharp eyes ya got there," Garp told me. "That would be Dawn Island, yer guys' new home."

Garp sailed the boat near a small, peaceful village full of windmills. As we walked through it, Garp carried Ace in one arm as I held onto Garp's other little finger again in order not to get lost. People would greet him with cheerful smiles and waves, and then do the same to me once they noticed my small figure hidden behind him. He would return their greetings as we made our way to the edge of a deep forest. I shrunk as my face lost color looking at the ominous forest in front of us. I looked up at Garp and asked, "Are we going into that scary place?"

He looked down to me with a big, reassuring grin. "Yeah, but don't worry! Your Gramps will protect you!"

He briefly sat sleeping Ace down onto a thick patch of grass, turned to me, stuck his hands under my armpits, and lifted me up onto his shoulders before picking Ace back up. "Woooooooh! I'm so high up," I exclaimed merrily as I raised my arms up above my head. "If you were taller, I could reach the sky!!!"

Garp chuckled at my innocence, just like my mother used to. Picking Ace back up and picking up my suitcase, he made his way into the forest and up a mountain. With every tree we passed, I would raise my hand up, trying to reach the branches above my head, failing to realize just how tall trees actually were. After what felt like eons of playing with Garp's short hair, we finally reached a small hut up in the mountains. "Welcome to your guys' new home. A good friend of mine will be taking care of you," he told me as he took me off his shoulders by the back of my shirt.

"Wait, you aren't staying?" I asked in horror with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll be just fine," he told me as he messed up my hair, leading me towards the door.

Garp knocked on the door. No response. He knocked even harder the next time. Still no response. I went up to the door as I told him, "You gotta do it like this!"

I began to bang on the door with both of my fists nonstop, as hard as my little muscles could, until the wooden door swung open furiously. "I heard ya the first time, dammit! We don't want any, so scram-" a heavyset lady with bright orange hair shouted in the doorway.

She froze in place when she made eye-contact with Garp. "Did you say something?" Garp said as his eyebrow twitched.

The lady straightened up, and nervous said as she began to sweat, "G-Garp! I-I said… It's always great to see you and… wait, what's with the brats?"

"I'm glad you asked," Garp said with a laugh, pushing me closer to the lady and handing her sleeping Ace. "Dadan, they're Gol D Roger's children and you'll be taking care of them! Say hello, Anne."

I stiffened up, gave a sharp bow, and said the way mother had me rehearse occasionally, "I-It's nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Gol D Anne, it's nice to meet you. Please take care of Ace and me."

The lady named Dadan did not move an inch, just stood there taking it in. "WAIT, WHAT?!"

"What? You do owe me," Garp told her, picking earwax out of his ear with his pinkie finger. "That, or I guess you could be spending time in prison with some of the crimes you've committed."

"M-My, what adorable children they are," Dadan laughed nervously. She then gave a sigh and said as she looked down to me, "I don't know, something about them screams hellion to me. Especially the overly polite one. Brats are never that nice..."

Garp gave a laugh, before saying, "Anne? No way! She'll be an angel!"

Dadan gave another sigh and said, "Just don't expect too much. After all, you're giving these children to a group of bandits."

Garp bent down to my level and put a hand on my shoulder. "I know this has to be very scary for you, but you're a strong girl," he reassured me. "Besides, I'll still come by every now and then to give you training, so that you can become a mighty Marine one day! Both you and Ace! So, can you be strong for your gramps and Ace?"

I bit my lip as my eyes watered, but I nodded. Even though I was only three years old, I knew I had to be strong as Garp walked away. There was nothing I could do at this point. Besides, he said he would come back. "I promise! I'll get strong and protect Ace," I yelled at him.

Dadan then led me inside with her and introduced Ace and me to the group of bandits, which I would end up calling my family. Well, at least until I started calling a few certain boys my family...