Storyline
Flashback, ten years earlier in Foosha Village: A few days after Luffy receives the Straw Hat from Shanks, Garp takes Luffy to Mt. Corbo, a mountain nearby where only the strongest survive in its forests. Luffy wants his grandfather to let him go and tells him once again that he has set his sights on becoming King of the Pirates. Garp, however, wants Luffy to stop with the mischief, saying it’s bad enough that Luffy ate of a devil fruit. He stresses again how Luffy and Ace should one day become the strongest navy soldiers and nothing else. Luffy continues to protest and clings to a tree. Still, Garp manages to drag Luffy all the way to a small hut.
Garp keeps knocking on the door until a fat woman comes out and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t stop. But when she sees that it is Garp, she gets a fright, as do her two subordinates Dogra and Magra. The fat woman’s name is Curly Dadan and she is the leader of a gang of mountain robbers. Dadan demands that Garp take Ace back with him, since he is now 10 years old and difficult to subdue. The latter doesn’t want to hear about it and also wants to hand over Luffy, his grandson, to them. The gang is more than shocked by this bad news and wants to refuse, whereupon Garp blackmails them that he might have locked them up because of their actions, which he has otherwise overlooked. Luffy, meanwhile, runs around until someone spits on him. It’s Ace. Luffy expects an apology, but Ace doesn’t say a word. Garp then introduces Luffy to Ace and explains that he would live here with him from now on. Dadan is shocked, but she doesn’t dare say anything against it in his presence. Garp then says goodbye to everyone and leaves the rest to Dadan. Without saying a word, Ace goes into the cabin. Luffy follows him shortly after.
Luffy enters the cabin and is suddenly threatened by mountain robbers with a knife. They want Luffy to give them his money. But when Dogra explains that this is Garp’s grandson, who will also live with them from now on, they are shocked. Meanwhile, Dadan brings in a pile of meatballs and says they should eat first. Luffy tries in vain to get one, but they are faster and stronger. All that’s left for Luffy in the end is a small bowl of rice. He asks Dadan about getting some more. She threatens Luffy and asks if he even knows where he is. Luffy denies this and Dadan explains that they are a notorious gang of mountain robbers. Luffy expresses hating mountain robbers, thinking of Grizzly and his gang. When Luffy sees that Ace got some meatballs, Dadan explains that Luffy has to work hard for his life here. She explains his duties for the next few days, not letting him say a word to Garp. The only thing Dadan can promise him in the process is that he will get a bowl of rice and a glass of water every day, the rest he would have to arrange for himself. Luffy agrees, which in turn shocks Dadan, expecting Luffy to burst into tears now. Luffy talks about having ended up in the jungle several times before because of Garp, where he had to try to live on his own. As Ace walks out of the hut, Luffy chases after him.
Forest: Luffy runs after Ace and introduces himself to him. He is no longer angry with Ace, taking a cue from Shanks. As Luffy tries to make friends with Ace, he lets a log roll on the little boy. The log does catch Luffy, but since it’s made of rubber, it’s only half bad. Luffy then catches up with Ace at a bridge, but Ace knocks him off the bridge and down the cliff with an iron pipe. In the evening, Ace returns with some fish. When asked where Luffy is, he only says that he doesn’t know.
Hut: That night, Dogra and Magra are worried because Luffy still hasn’t returned and that Garp will surely take out his wrath on them. Ace doesn’t care a bit about Luffy either. In his mind, he’s still thinking about the things he heard when some men said that if Gold Roger had another child, it would be best to kill it right away. As Ace passes by Dadan and her companions unnoticed, he overhears Dadan drunkenly saying that she wouldn’t care if her fosterlings that Garp dragged in died. After all, one of them is the devil’s child and the world government would surely punish her.
A week later, to Dadan’s horror, Luffy makes it back to the cabin. He’s been chased by wolves. He doesn’t tell anyone that he has Ace to thank for this. Luffy is then thrown into the room with Ace, where he immediately falls asleep. The next day, Luffy follows Ace again, although Dadan actually wants Luffy to do some chores.
Forest: Ace tries to shake Luffy off as best he can. To do this, he runs across a river of crocodiles that Luffy hasn’t seen, for example, or he climbs up a rock wall and throws rocks down so Luffy can’t follow him. It went on like this for two months.
Hut: Dadan says that Luffy should give it up, since he’s only causing her worry that way. Dogra finds it interesting how Dadan cares about the boys after all. Suddenly, Luffy walks in – with a completely swollen head. A wasp’s nest has fallen on his head.
Forest: On a rainy day, Luffy chases Ace one more time, but loses his trail, as he often does. Ace watches from afar, but then gets a fright when a massive tiger approaches Luffy. Luffy can’t move for fear. Ace is about to intervene when a grizzly bear shows up, distracting the tiger and giving Luffy time to run away. After Luffy survives this adventure as well, he drops to the grass and looks up at the sky. It has stopped raining and now there is a rainbow. Luffy has to laugh. Now that three months have passed, Luffy can now handle anything Ace puts in front of him and is starting to keep up with him. One day, Luffy manages to chase Ace out of the forest. He reaches the Gray Terminal.
| TV Episode Guide | Post-War Arc (Anime) |
