CHAPTER 11

East Blue, Dawn Island, Foosha Village, Makino Bar.

"Old man, which person you said will be our Master?" Ace, who had just finished eating, immediately asked Garp who was sitting beside him.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly a direct blow came hitting Ace's head again while Garp shouted, "Call me Grandpa!"

"Sick!" Ace immediately screamed in pain while holding his head.

"Hahahahaha-"

*BOOM!*

Luffy who laughed at this also immediately received the same blow as Ace felt.

"Sick! Damn it, Grandpa! Why did you hit me too!" Luffy shouted in a desperate and scared tone while holding his head

Slap and Makino who were with them in the Bar just smiled because it had become their habit every time they got together.

"Luffy, the person who will be your Master is on business in the Kingdom of Goa." Makino suddenly said with a smile.

"Eh? Makino, do you know her?" The feeling of pain suffered by Luffy suddenly disappeared and immediately asked Makino. Ace's gaze also turned to Makino out of curiosity.

"Um…" Makino nodded, "We just met before and he's a very polite person."

"Is he really that strong? How did he look?" Ace suddenly asked directly.

"I don't know if he's strong or not, Ace. However, it seems that he is strong because of that Garp-san said. Other than that, he's just like Luffy. He's a devil fruit user. And also for his age, he seems to be your age." Makino said casually with a smile.

"Ha? My age?" Ace was stunned to hear this.

"A devil fruit eater like me?" While Ace was dumbfounded Luffy was very excited and immediately asked, "What kind of devil fruit ability does he have, Makino?"

"Hmm… I'm not very clear. However, he just used his ability to fly."

"Fly! Wow! Amazing." Luffy's eyes were full of stars hearing this.

Ace himself was quite mesmerized but his gaze turned to Garp and said, "Hey, Old Man. Are you not wrong? He is the same age as me. What can we learn from him?"

*BOOM!*

Suddenly a fist hit Ace's head again.

"Call Grandpa, Bastard!" Garp roared loudly again and then said, "Don't underestimate it. That person is very strong. Even I can't beat him one on one myself" Garp said seriously.

"Serious?" Luffy and Ace are shocked to hear this.

"Grandpa, can't you beat him?" Luffy suddenly immediately asked and then muttered under his breath while looking at Ace, "Ace, then….. Is it possible that we can beat him?"

"..." Ace immediately fell silent. Because unlike Luffy, Ace himself knows about Garp's popularity. Because of that Ace fell silent after knowing that the person who would become his Master was stronger than Garp.

"Excuse me. Is this the Makino Bar? Is Garp-san here?" Suddenly the entrance to the bar opened and saw Ares walking in while looking at everyone who was in there, "Oh? Looks like I'm not in the wrong place"

"Hahahahaha…. Son, you finally arrived" Garp said excitedly seeing Ares coming and immediately got up to greet him, "How? Have you finished your business?"

"Um…" Ares nodded and continued, "The shop you recommend is really good, Garp-san. Everything I need is there and it's also quite cheap. I bought a lot of things there for some time to come."

"Ha ha ha ha…. right? You didn't go wrong following this old man's advice." Garp said proudly.

When Ares and Garp were talking, Luffy and Ace's eyes were also looking there until Makino's voice sounded, "Ace, Luffy. The man your Grandfather was talking to was the new Master Garp had recruited. His name is Ares."

"Really? But, why does he look so weak? Is it true that he is stronger than Grandpa?" Luffy asked stupidly while sticking his little finger into his nose.

Ace also narrowed his eyes and looked at Ares seriously. Seeing Ares' appearance, Ace didn't feel the scary feeling that Garp had, but the feeling that Ace had was like seeing a weak noble, " Is that old man lying to us?" Ace thought but the thought was immediately dismissed because Ace knew Garp was not good at lying like Luffy.

"Luffy, Ace. Come here." Garp immediately called out to them.

Ace and Luffy immediately walked over to Ares and Garp followed by Makino behind who smiled while continuing to stare at Ares.

"Luffy, Ace. Introducing this is your new Guru. His name is Ares." Garp immediately introduced his most precious grandson and then continued, "Ares. These are the two Grandsons. I want you to be able to train them to be strong people so that they can become strong Marines like this old man. Hahahahaha..." Garp immediately said with a laugh.

"No! I don't want to be a Marine, I'm going to be a Pirate" Ace immediately refused

"Truly. I don't want to be a Marine. I will become a Pirate, no, I will become a Pirate King" Luffy also immediately stated his determination.

"Bastard! You two will become Marines like this old man." Garp roared in annoyance.

"No way old man!" Ace immediately said with determination but there was a tone of fear especially after seeing Garp raise his hand, "Haven't we made a bet before?"

"Bet?" Ares raised his brow and became curious about the contents of the bet.

"As long as we win the bet. You have to keep your promise parents. You can't force me and Luffy to become Marines" Ace immediately said seriously.

"Truly. We will definitely win that bet" Luffy also nodded and looked at Ares, "Let's fight! We will definitely win and win the bet we made with Grandpa"

"Ah?" Ares looked confused after hearing Luffy wanted to fight him then looked at Garp "This... Garp-san, what do you mean?"

"Hehehe…. Look, Ares. I previously tried to persuade these two Bastards to train with you and become strong. However, both of them didn't want to and kept on rejecting it. Out of necessity, I asked to make a bet with them. They will fight with you. As long as they can win the battle with you, I will not force them to become Marines and they are free to do whatever they want. Meanwhile if they lose to you, they will have to come with you to train to become stronger" Garp said shyly.

"Ah? So?" Ares's gaze then looked at Luffy and Ace with a look of interest, "Do you guys really want to fight with me? You know, I'm stronger than your Grandpa. I see that you two are afraid of your grandfather, why don't you just admit your defeat?" Ares asked politely.

"Impossible! Pirates will not back down from a challenge!" Ace immediately said with determination.

"Right! There's no way we can lose to you! You must be weaker than Grandpa." Luffy also expressed his opinion.

"Really? Well then, if I win against the two of you head on. Are you two willing to become my disciples?" Ares asked with a smile.

"This…." Ace and Luffy were silent for a moment.

"Hee…. Don't you guys dare? You said that you wanted to be a Pirate. However, you are afraid of betting? Are you a girl?" Ares tried to provoke.

"Ha? Okay. We agreed. As long as we lose against you. We will be your students" Ace said then paused, "However, I hope you don't use your devil fruit ability" Ace suddenly remembered Ares' devil fruit ability.

"Ace, why can't he use it? Isn't that an ability possessed by him? Isn't that unfair?" Luffy asked stupidly which made Ace look at him with an angry look and hit him on the head.

"You stupid! If he uses his devil fruit ability. Is it possible that we can attack him? Neither of us can fly, you idiot!" Ace said annoyed.

"Ah?" Luffy suddenly enlightened and looked at Ares, "Yes. You cannot use your devil fruit abilities. That's not fair" Luffy nodded like a smart guy.

"Heee~ You two are quite interesting. However, fine. I will accept both of your requests. Besides, facing the two of you as well, I don't need to use that ability." Ares said in a provocative tone as well as a little mocking.

"Bastard! Stop underestimating us! Even if Grandpa admits you, we will definitely beat you!" Ace shouted in annoyance.

"Ha ha ha ha…. Interesting. Then, let's find a place for you to fight." Garp said with great pleasure.

Everyone including Makino and Slap immediately came out following Garp and the others to one of the vacant lots in Foosha Village. The vacant land that was chosen as the battle arena was an empty land that was quite far from Foosha Village because Garp didn't want to interfere with the activities there. Arriving at the vacant land, Garp, Makino and Slap took a position on the side of the field while in the field only Ace, Luffy and Ares were left. Luffy and Ace stood side by side while Ares stood in front of them with a distance of 5 meters.

"You guys can start first." Ares said casually while putting on a small smiley face.

Ace and Luffy nodded at each other, suddenly Ace took a few steps back leaving only Luffy there.

"Ah? Don't you guys want to attack me at the same time?" Ares asked in confusion.

"No! You will beat you one on one and prove to Grandpa that we are stronger than you" Luffy said with determination.

"Oh I see? Well, then. Have a good fight. Come on. You can attack me first."

"Really? Then I accept" Luffy smiled happily and immediately positioned himself in a fast attack stance, "Gomu-Gomu No...."

" Oh? This position? Interesting…. However, this attack lacks a lot in terms of preparation for the attack" Ares did a brief analysis with the abilities released by Luffy.

"Gatling Gun!" Luffy's hands immediately stretched forward to attack Ares. However, this attack has the same type of attack as the attack from the Gutling Gun, this attack is carried out repeatedly. With the stretchy and stretchy nature of the rubber, Luffy can carry out this kind of attack.

Luffy's attacks are quite fast for ordinary people. However, for Ares, this attack was very easy to dodge even without using his Observation Haki. Ace who was watching the battle immediately frowned, " This guy… He can dodge Luffy's attack easily…. He's not an ordinary person." Ace immediately came to his conclusion.

"Unlucky! Why didn't all my attacks get hit?" Luffy looked confusedly ahead as all of his attacks were easily dodged by Ares.

"At this level of attack, Luffy. You won't be able to touch me" Ares just smiled and continued to dodge Luffy's attack.

"I see" Luffy nodded and immediately stopped his attack and suddenly stretched his arms back and ran towards Ares, "Then, if it can't be done with a far attack, how about a close attack" Luffy immediately ran towards front, "Gomu-Gomu No…."

"Haaaaa….. Your attack has a lot of gaps, Luffy" Ares didn't wait long, Ares immediately appeared beside Luffy which made Ace, Luffy, Makino, and Slap surprised by his speed and said quietly, "Too many gaps in prepare to release your abilities. With that gap, the enemy has many opportunities to attack you. Like this." Ares immediately covered his hand with Armament Haki but consumed a little because he didn't want to harm Luffy and directly hit Luffy to the ground through his head.

*BOOM!*

Luffy's body was immediately hit firmly down while his hand that was pulled back also came back.

"Sick!" Luffy suddenly screamed in pain after receiving the attack.

"Sick? Are you kidding me, Luffy? You're rubber, there's no way a blow like that would hurt you" Ace asked confusedly.

"Unlucky! I don't know why either. His punch was the same as Grandpa's. It is very painful!" Luffy's current feeling is a little scared as he holds his head with his hands.

"That punch I sent you was coated with the power of Haki. That's what caused you to feel pain when you received my hit." Ares while fighting also ran between the two of them.

"Haki?" Ace and Luffy suddenly asked in confusion. The feeling of pain that Luffy was experiencing earlier also suddenly disappeared out of curiosity.

"Haki is an ability that everyone has, but very few people can awaken Haki because it takes a lot of practice and a lot of experience to be able to awaken Haki. Haki itself is divided into three. First Armament Haki. This type of Haki is a Haki that can be trained and also has the function of attacking and defending. This type of Haki can also help someone attack a devil fruit user like Luffy or a natural devil fruit user who cannot be attacked by his physical body using ordinary attacks. Previously, the attacks I used to attack Luffy also used this ability. The second is Observational Haki. This type of Haki can also be trained and has the function of predicting attacks, knowing things hidden in the distance without using eyes, or various other functions. Lastly is the Haki of the King. This Haki cannot be obtained through practice. Because this Haki is innate. This Haki has the function of being able to defeat opponents weaker than him with just the aura it emits."

Ares paused for a moment and looked at Luffy and Ace, "You two know, in this world not everyone who is strong can use Haki. However, all the strong people in this world can use Haki. Take, for example, your grandfather Vice Admiral Garp. Garp-san himself is one of the most powerful people in this world. Also the person with the scariest Haki ability."

"What?! Grandpa, are you really that strong?" Luffy suddenly looked at Garp with a surprised look. Even Ace himself just found out about this news.

"Hmph!" Garp raised his head with a proud look and also thanked Ares for increasing his prestige in front of his Grandson.

"Ace, Luffy. Do you guys still want to fight against you? You see, I'm also one of the users of these three Haki and my Haki mastery isn't weaker than Garp-san's. It's even possible that Hakiku mastery can be said to be higher than Garp-san's. If you guys fight against me now. The result will be the same. You won't beat me. Even without the need to use my devil fruit, I was able to defeat the two of you with ease."

"..." Ace and Luffy fell silent. Luffy himself doesn't have a problem with this while Ace himself has a feeling of unwillingness because in Ace there is a desire to move forward and never back down.

"Ace, Luffy. How about you follow Garp-san's bet? It wouldn't be a bad thing for the two of you to follow him anyway. Moreover, the two of you are also not forced to become a Marine. You can still choose to become a Pirate or not after you go to sea. Also, don't worry. As long as you are my student. I will definitely train you two using Haki abilities. And also for Luffy, I will help you to develop your devil fruit. How?"

"Really?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Why should I lie? After all, it's quite interesting to have a disciple too." Ares said casually.

"Okay. Then, I'll come with you" Luffy is the most important thing he can still be a Pirate, Luffy will not choose to refuse. Moreover, Ares will teach him to use powerful abilities and help him develop a devil fruit. Isn't that not a bad thing?

Garp who heard this immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Garp was very happy that Luffy accepted it because then Garp was sure that Luffy would become very strong and Garp's worries would slowly start to subside when Luffy went to sea.

"What about you, Ace? Did you accept it too? I think this offer is not bad for you, right?" Ares asked again.

Ace clenched his fists tightly and looked at Ares, "Is it true that we won't be forced to become a Marine? Is it true that we can choose whatever we want in the future? Is it true that you will help us become stronger?"

"Right. All your questions "Yes". And don't worry either. I'm not going to make you a Marine. Because I don't want to be a Marine either." Ares said casually while shrugging his shoulders.

"Ha?" Luffy and Ace are shocked to hear this.

"W-wait… Y-you're not a Marine?" Ace suddenly asked nervously.

"So true. I'm not the Navy. Why? Do you think I'm a Marine just like Garp-san?" Ares asked in a strange tone.

"Um… B-but, weren't you together with Grandpa?" Luffy asked carefully.

"Well, even if I'm together with Garp-san, should I become a Marine? Also, I'm 15 years old. It's still not time for me to become a Marine."

"Hey, then. How about you become my Partner? I will be a Pirate, you will be my right hand. Don't worry, I will definitely become the Pirate King" Luffy said excitedly.

"Eh?" Ares was confused by Luffy's question until suddenly he saw Garp who appeared behind Luffy and immediately hit Luffy.

*BOOM!*

"Bastard Luffy! Do you still want to take the opportunity to invite Ares to join your crew?! Unlucky! Ares will not become a Pirate!" Garp immediately shouted angrily because he knew the consequences of Ares becoming a Pirate. However, Garp also had a small hope in his heart. If Ares joined one of his grandson's Pirate crew, Garp's worries would instantly disappear completely.

"Sick! Sick!" Luffy screamed in pain again while beside Ace could only swallow his saliva and take back the words he wanted to say. Ace himself also has the desire to attract Ares to join his crew almost as much as Luffy.

"Hehehe… I'm sorry, Luffy. However, I don't want to be a Pirate. I prefer to be an adventurer who can go anywhere I want. I want to see the whole world without anyone bothering me and I want to have the freedom that no one else gets" Ares said with a smile,

Ace was silent hearing these words from Ares, Ace wanted to try asking but suddenly Ares looked at him and asked again, "How is Ace? Do you agree to be my disciple? Luffy has agreed. If you agree, tomorrow I will start training you two until we wait for Garp-san's friend to arrive and then we will go to the island where I live to continue training there."

"Ace, you better accept it. Otherwise, I might chase you and beat you, Shishishishishi" Luffy immediately provoked Ace and the previous pain was gone.

*BOOM!*

However, Ace who heard Luffy's provocation immediately hit Luffy's head which made Luffy's body fall back to the ground and then looked at Ares, "Okay. I accept it"

Garp who heard this was overjoyed. Garp finally didn't have to worry anymore. Because Garp believed that the two of them would become very strong under Ares' guidance. Makino and Slap also breathed a sigh of relief even Makino was very happy to hear this.

"Very nice. In that case, we'll start training tomorrow while waiting for Garp-san's friend to come here before we move. For today you collect all the clothes that you will use during your stay on the island where I live."

"We understand" Ace and Luffy nodded. Luffy has bounced back.

Ares then looked at Garp, "Garp-san, how long will it take for Kuzan to get here?"

"It will take at least three days. The boy has informed me that he has sailed and will follow the windless zone to arrive here soon."

"Good" Ares nodded and suddenly asked, "By the way, Garp-san. May I ask, where will I live while I am here?" Ares asked shyly. Ares himself could actually go to the hotel to stay. However, Ares found it too troublesome.

"How about you stay at my house, Ares-kun?" Suddenly Makino immediately offered her house.

"Makino-san's house? Is it okay?" Ares asked in confusion.

"It doesn't matter. Incidentally my own house has two rooms. Room one is usually used by Luffy. However, since Luffy went to live with the Bandits on Mount Colombo. The room has never been used again"

"Ah? So. If so, I accept it. Thank you very much." Ares immediately accepted it.

"You're welcome" Makino smiled gently and then looked at Ace and Luffy, "Ace, Luffy. Because you guys will be leaving soon. You'd better go say goodbye to Dadan. He must be very sad to hear of you two leaving."

"That's right, Ace. Let's go back and tell Dadan the news." Luffy nodded excitedly.

"Um…" Ace himself just nodded and didn't give any further answer as if he didn't really care about Dadan knowing it or not. However, in Ace's heart, Ace has considered Dadan as his mother in this world. This can be seen when Ace saved Dadan in the arson incident in the Kingdom of Goa several years ago and also took care of Dadan carefully at that time.