Douluo Continent Chat Group: Building My Academy

"This is Luffy, your future younger brother, Dadan. Please take care of Luffy as well."

"Hello!"

Luffy greeted Ace with a smile, but Ace only glanced at him sideways, showing slight disdain.

"I don't need any younger brother..."

Bang!

Garp withdrew his iron fist that had smashed into Ace's head, revealing a kind smile. "Refusal is useless. Luffy is your little brother."

"You old geezer!"

Ace remained huddled up, head in his hands, looking weak and helpless.

Dadan, who had originally wanted to bargain, silently shut her mouth, glanced at Ace, and could only silently apologize in her heart.

Luffy's eyes gleamed as he stared at the large red envelope on Ace's head, instantly feeling a sense of agreement.

If his grandfather can beat him up like that, then this must be his older brother!

Seeing this seemingly joking scene, Zephyr was impressed by Garp's unwavering trust in his subordinates.

If Dadan were a bad person, and Ace and Luffy were forcibly entrusted with her care, how could things possibly turn out well? Dumbledore's favorite student has already proven this point.

The Monkey family's ability to recognize people is truly exceptional.

Stepping forward, Zephyr pulled Garp aside and whispered, "You old bastard, did you pay Dadan the custody fee you owe her?"

"Management fees?" Karp blinked. "There should be, right?"

"That means there isn't one."

Zephyr was immediately annoyed; Garp was truly unpredictable.

Zephyr rummaged in his pocket, pulled out several stacks of Berries, and stuffed them into Garp's hand. "Give these to Dadan."

Raising children is very expensive.

"Huh? Oh, okay, sure."

Garp should respond with a four-man combo. He always raises his children in a hands-off manner, focusing on ensuring they don't die.

Such heinous acts as being tied to a hot air balloon and thrown into deep mountains and valleys are commonplace. Growing up properly is definitely not in Garp's mind.

Garp deeply admired Zephyr's parenting experience. Most of the admirals in the Navy at different stages were trained by Zephyr, making him the father of naval education.

"Hey, Dadan, here you go. I'm not letting you take care of my grandson for nothing. I'll still pay you what you owe."

Several stacks of peals were thrown over. Dadan was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to grab them, counted them quickly, and after confirming that there were no peals, a big smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Mr. Garp, you should have said so earlier... Wait, why didn't you give it to me before!"

Halfway through her praise, Dadan suddenly realized that he didn't give money to Ace, but gave money to Luffy. Could it be that this old man was being unfair?

"Ah..." Garp grinned, without a trace of shame in his tone, "Because I forgot, it was Zephyr who reminded me that made me remember."

Upon hearing this, not only Dadan was stunned, but Ace, who was already being entangled by Luffy, was also stunned.

"You old geezer, what did you say?!"

Ace, his defenses broken, kicked Luffy away, his face flushed with anger, and he glared at Garp with resentment, his heart filled with rage.

Forgotten? Why should he be forgotten!

Ace was currently in the most unpopular and annoying stage of adolescence, and Garp's words were undoubtedly a sharp rebuke to his fiery temper.

Garp blinked, seemingly sensing something amiss in Ace's words, and immediately pointed at Zephyr.

"Yes……"

"Shut up! I can live perfectly well on my own without you all!"

Hot tears welled up in Ace's eyes. Sure enough, he was unwanted. This was not his home. He had to leave.

Sabo, yes, go find Sabo!

Roaring and howling, Ace straightened his small body and charged forward with all his might, trying to escape into the forest.

But a large hand firmly held Ace down, and then a towering figure blocked his way.

"It was I who suggested that Kapuna give Dadan some money. It's not easy for a family living deep in the mountains to raise a child."

"Your name is Ace, right? Ace, don't you want to make things easier for Dadan, who's taking care of you?"

Zephyr looked at Ace, whose face was contorted like that of a wounded beast, his expression complex. The boy's psychological problems were more serious than he had imagined.

"Dadan?"

Ace froze, his expression hardening. He turned to look at Dadan, who looked worried but immediately pretended not to care when she saw him, and fell silent.

"I……"

"Although I don't know what you're thinking, don't worry."

Garp walked over, without explaining anything further, but simply reached out and patted Ace's head; the two large bumps from before had now subsided.

"You will always be my grandson, my family, and that will never change."

"Waaah..."

With a sob, Ace suddenly felt ashamed and embarrassed. He tried to stop the tears, but a warm stream still flowed down his face.

Zephyr sighed inwardly, patted Ace on the shoulder, turned him around, and sent him back into Garp's arms.

Garp naturally embraced his grandson, his eyes unusually thoughtful. Was it right or wrong for him to tell Ace about his origins?

Luffy, who had been kicked away, got up, dusted himself off, and was about to go back to find Ace when Uta, who had followed him, angrily pulled him back.

"Why did that guy suddenly hit someone, and now he's crying on his own? It's so embarrassing."

"Uta," Luffy looked at his crewmate, "Are you angry? Why?"

"Me!" Uta was even angrier when she saw Luffy's serious and confused face.

Shanks bent down, patted the two little ones on the head, and laughed, "Alright, hitting people is wrong, and you shouldn't laugh at other people's tears."

Shanks' gaze deepened as he watched Ace's figure.

Captain, you've left us with a real problem, you sinful man.

……

After a while, Ace calmed down, blushed, and left Garp's embrace, standing blankly to the side without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, Dadan didn't say anything, but just happily tried to show the rooms to Kapu and the others.

"It's getting late. Would you like to stay here as well? There are plenty of empty rooms."

Seeing that no one objected, Dadan led the group to their lodgings and then secretly withdrew.

Let them handle those conflicts between the grandfather and grandson themselves.

Ace remained silent, letting Garp lead him along, his head never lifting, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Luffy wanted to play with Ace, but Uta grabbed him tightly and wouldn't let him go.

Karp was having a bit of a headache. He realized that he really didn't know how to take care of children, and could only look to Zephyr for help.

Zeff remained silent, only glancing at Shanks, indicating that it was time for him to take action.

Shanks smiled, flicked his cloak, and strode towards Ace.

"Mr. Karp told me that you already know about your origins, is that right?"

!

Ace looked up abruptly, and Shanks, with a smile on his face, came into view, a sight that was utterly repulsive.

Turning his head away to ignore it, Ace then glanced at Garp, indicating that he didn't recognize the stranger.

Garp opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shanks spoke first.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Shanks. I used to be an apprentice on Roger's ship. I grew up on Roger's ship since I was a baby. Captain Roger and the others were like fathers to me, so you can call me brother."

Shanks spoke to himself, his voice like swords piercing Ace's ears.

Shanks came into view, and Ace stared directly at the red-haired man in front of him, clenching his fists.

"Damn pirates!"