Chapter 3: The Horizon
The years in Shizuoka had a way of blurring together, marked only by the height of the tide and the increasing frequency of things Luffy broke by accident. But the morning Ace was going to leave for Musutafu, the air felt different. It was still, the usual sea breeze replaced by a heavy, humid heat that seemed to radiate from Ace himself.
Ace stood on the edge of the sea wall, his hands tucked into his pockets. At fifteen, he had outgrown the awkwardness of his early teens. He was lean, with shoulders that had broadened from Garp's relentless training, and a face that had settled into a calm, focused intensity. He looked out at the Pacific, his gaze steady and unreadable.
A few yards away, Luffy was tangled in a pile of his own limbs. He had been trying to see if he could wrap his legs around his neck twice, a feat that had resulted in him becoming a human knot on the concrete.
"Hey, Ace," Luffy grunted, his voice muffled by his own knee. "Are you really leaving today?"
"The train leaves in an hour, Luffy," Ace replied, not turning around. "The school doesn't like to be kept waiting, and Musutafu isn't like this place."
Since the Monkey family lived far from Musutafu, he had to move in there with Garp.
Luffy finally untangled himself with a loud snap of retreating rubber and sat up. His hair was a mess of sand and salt, and for the first time in his life, his signature grin was replaced by a look of genuine contemplation. "You're gonna be a real hero now. Like the ones on the news."
Ace finally turned. The restless, explosive anger he'd carried as a child had mostly burned away, leaving behind a quiet, smoldering confidence. He saw the way Luffy looked at him—not with the envy most kids felt toward a prodigy, but with a pure, stubborn pride.
"I'm just a kid still, Luffy," Ace said, walking over. "I'll be learning to be a hero first at school for a few years"
"But you're the strongest," Luffy insisted, standing up. "You're gonna show them."
Ace smiled, a soft, rare expression. "I'm going to show them I'm not just Garp's grandson."
As if to prove a point, he held up his hand. He didn't just blast fire; he breathed it. A tiny, concentrated spark of white-hot flame flickered at his fingertip. With a flick of his wrist, the spark zipped through the air like a bullet, tracing a glowing arc before it hissed into the ocean. It wasn't just power; it was precision.
He didn't stop there. For a split second, his entire forearm shivered and turned into a column of translucent, swirling fire. The heat didn't singe his sleeve; it was as if he had momentarily moved beyond the physical world. Then, as quickly as it appeared, his skin returned, solid and tan.
Luffy's eyes turned into saucers. "Whoa! You turned into a ghost! A fire-ghost!"
"It's temporary," Ace said, his voice dropping. "It takes a lot out of me. But it's how I'm going to get ahead. While the big guys are throwing punches, I'm going to be the one they can't touch."
"You better grow stronger while i'm gone Luffy. I want to see you on TV!" Ace laughed, showing a bright smile that could make a woman's heart drop.
Despite people seeing Luffy's quirk as weak, Ace believed in his brother. He truly believed Luffy could become a hero, maybe even the number one if he stopped being such a ditz.
Luffy smiled back, "I'm gonna get way stronger while you're gone! I'm gonna learn how to hit so hard the air breaks!"
"Better start practicing then," Ace said, giving Luffy's head a rough pat.
The walk to the station was quiet. Garp was already in Tokyo, busy with the endless bureaucracy of the Ministry, and Sora had said her goodbyes at the house, her eyes red but her smile wide. It was just the two of them on the platform.
"Musutafu is a long way, Ace," Luffy said, kicking at a loose stone on the platform. "Is UA really that big of a deal?"
Ace looked down at his ticket, the UA logo—a bold, intertwined letters—shimmering under the station lights. "It's the only place that matters, Luffy. If I want to be a hero on my own terms, I have to pass their exam. It's not just about power; it's about proving you can handle the pressure when the whole country is watching."
"You're gonna pass," Luffy said simply, looking up with total confidence. "You're gonna be the best student they ever had."
Ace smiled, a soft, rare expression. He reached into his bag and pulled out his battered straw hat. He looked at it for a long moment, the frayed edges a reminder of every scrap they'd had in the dirt back home. He shoved it onto Luffy's head, pulling it down until it covered the boy's eyes.
"Keep this safe," Ace said. "I can't exactly wear a straw hat to the most prestigious school in Japan. I want it back when you get there."
Luffy gripped the brim, his small fingers digging into the straw. "I'm going to definitely get there!"
"Better start practicing then," Ace said, giving Luffy's head a rough pat.
When the train pulled in, Ace stepped onto the stairs and looked back one last time. Luffy was standing there, the oversized hat wobbling on his head, waving both arms so hard they looked like blurry ribbons of rubber.
"Don't get into trouble, Luffy!" Ace shouted over the hiss of the pneumatic doors.
"I'm gonna be a hero!" Luffy yelled back, his voice echoing under the station rafters.