One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

Little Ace had been a whirlwind of energy ever since arriving at the Navy branch in Loguetown. Every day, he was running around and causing such a ruckus that, if not for his young age and limited stamina, he might very well have torn the roof off the entire branch.

Rouge, to avoid suspicion, only ventured out during the quieter hours of the night. At other times, she confined herself to her room to prevent anyone from catching sight of her.

None of the Marines stationed here knew about the orders from Navy Headquarters. Besides, people like Bellemere and others were trustworthy individuals Karl could rely on. There wasn't much need for Rouge to be so cautious.

But for Ace's safety, she chose to stay in her room, waiting for the storm to pass.

Karl couldn't persuade her otherwise.

This was a mother's love—one that drove her to endure such confinement for her child's sake.

Little Ace, however, didn't feel the least bit constrained.

His energy allowed him to play outside for only a short while each day before returning to watch the Marines train.

Despite receiving no formal instruction, Ace, blessed with exceptional talent, had already learned Shave (Soru), one of the Navy's Six Powers (Rokushiki).

Though performing the technique left him nearly exhausted each time, Karl was utterly stunned when he witnessed this.

He had always known Ace was gifted but never imagined his talent to be this extraordinary!

Even Karl himself hadn't touched upon the basics of the Six Powers until he was ten years old. It was only later, with years of effort—and the help of his system—that he perfected them.

Comparing himself to Ace was almost disheartening.

If Ace were properly trained and not left to grow up untethered like in the original timeline, Karl was certain that by the age of ten, Ace would have mastered the Six Powers completely!

Such innate potential surpassed even the likes of Akainu and the other admirals in their youth.

"It's no surprise—he's his son, after all. It seems I must nurture him into a pillar of the Navy," Karl thought to himself, already planning for the future.

Ace's education had to begin early. Karl knew the boy's lineage: his father was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

Ace, however, showed no intention of broadcasting this fact. On the contrary, he harbored a strong resentment toward his father.

Compared to Roger, Ace seemed far more attached to Karl, who had spent these past few days accompanying him around Loguetown.

"Are you seriously thinking of raising him to be a Marine?" Rouge asked softly, stroking the sleeping Ace in her arms. "I feel like that's impossible. After all, the Navy is his enemy."

Karl shook his head with a smile. "You're looking at it the wrong way. His true enemies aren't the Navy but those who exploit it from the top.

"My dream is incredibly ambitious, and to achieve it, I'll need capable allies. That's why I want to train Ace—he has the potential.

"As for the truth, wait until he's older and more mature. Then, you can tell him everything.

"If he chooses to hate me or the Navy, I'll respect his decision and won't force him.

"But for these next few years, I plan to train him strictly according to Navy protocols. I hope you won't interfere, Miss Rouge."

Karl's tone had turned uncharacteristically serious.

Rouge took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, but you must guarantee Ace's safety!"

"Haha! Don't worry! I'm not like that old geezer Garp!"

"Kid, are you talking about me again?"

A familiar voice suddenly interrupted. Both Karl and Rouge were startled to see Garp standing there with Bellemere, who wore an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Lord Karl. Vice Admiral Garp moved so quickly I had to run to catch up…"

"You've done well. Go ahead and attend to other tasks."

Hearing Karl's dismissal, Bellemere exhaled in relief and left.

Garp, meanwhile, ignored Karl and focused on Ace.

"Oh my dear Ace, come to Grandpa!"

As Karl stepped forward to greet him, Garp brushed him aside and went straight to Rouge, gently lifting the sleeping Ace from her arms.

"You two should keep your voices down. What if you wake him? He's still a growing boy and needs his rest. How can you be so irresponsible?"

Garp scolded Karl and Rouge softly, but his expression was full of tenderness.

Ace had completely melted Garp's iron heart.

Neither Karl nor Rouge found this surprising—it was simply Garp's way. He had always been defenseless when it came to children.

"If only that brat Dragon would bring me a grandchild already," Garp muttered, cradling Ace as he complained about his son. "I want my own grandkid! Ugh, it's so frustrating…"

Karl could only shake his head at Garp's grumbling.

Clearing his throat, Karl said, "Old man Garp, didn't I hear from Sengoku that you were tracking that so-called 'Devil's Heir,' Douglas Bullet?

"What happened? Did you catch him, or is he still evading you?"

"Oh, right!" Garp exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "I came here to ask for your help, and then I got so excited seeing Ace that I forgot!"

Handing Ace back to Rouge, Garp dragged Karl outside, careful not to disturb the sleeping child.

"So, what's going on, old man? Don't tell me Bullet's too strong even for you?"

Garp laughed heartily and gave Karl a playful smack on the head.

"Don't underestimate me, kid! Is there anyone in this world I can't beat? If one punch doesn't work, I'll just keep punching—hundreds, thousands of punches if I have to!

"But Bullet… He's a real troublemaker. Bold, cunning, and absolutely ruthless! He's already destroyed several islands and nations.

"If we don't stop him, he'll plunge the world into chaos. That's why Sengoku has a plan to lure him to an uninhabited island and take him out with a Buster Call."

"A Buster Call? Just to deal with one pirate? Isn't that a bit excessive?"

Karl was shocked. Though he had watched One Piece in his previous life, he'd only made it as far as Big Mom's arc before being reincarnated.

Back when Karl and Garp had chased Roger's crew, Bullet was no longer aboard.

Thus, Karl had little knowledge of Bullet's origins—or why the Navy viewed him with such dread.

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