Chapter 42 The Past of the Night! Ace cried out in tears! (Ch 42)

“Garp, you really did this on purpose…”

Zhan Guo, who had been relieved, caught a glimpse of the pillar of fire that suddenly ignited in the air. His pupils suddenly shrank, and his eyes were full of disbelief and anger:

“Don’t just stand there, everyone, attack that flame immediately. We must not let the source of evil escape!”

“Ming… Got it, everyone cheer up!”

“Even if it’s Ace the Fire Fist, he’s just an ordinary man with those handcuffs on!”

All at once, the remaining sailors raised their weapons, pointed their guns and cannons at the blazing flames, and adjusted the angles in a tense and orderly manner.

The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder and burning sensation. Everyone’s heartbeat seemed to be in sync with the war drums, shaking this sea area that had been baptized by war.

“Fire!”

With the order given, a thunderous roar instantly tore through the sky, and countless shells and bullets intertwined into an impenetrable firepower network, rushing towards the center of the fire.

However, just as the artillery fire was about to engulf the flames, a burly woman suddenly stepped forward and built an indestructible barrier with her flesh and blood to block the overwhelming attacks one by one.

“Da…Dadan!”

When Garp realized something was wrong, he turned around suddenly and saw the familiar figure. He felt indescribable pain and anxiety in his heart.

“Stop it now!”

He shouted around, but his voice was so weak amid the roar of artillery fire. He could only rush forward regardless of everything and cleverly caught the former’s falling body.

“Why are you doing this?!”

Garp hugged Dadan tightly, tears silently falling, his hands felt the warmth of the life in his arms quickly dissipate, and he choked up and said:

“I didn’t stand by and watch… Dadan… They were all lied to… Ace will be fine…”

“Vice-Admiral Garp…”

“Karp…”

Looking at the former naval hero in front of him, who was now holding a woman covered in scars from protecting pirates, Sengoku was stunned. The naval soldiers around him also stopped what they were doing and focused their eyes on the two of them. The sound of artillery fire gradually dissipated, leaving only the whistling sea breeze and the sound of waves hitting the side of the ship in the distance.

“Ahem… ahem, stinky old man, you asked me to take good care of him, and I think I did it.”

Dadan looked at the flames in the sky that were getting closer and closer, and his voice was a little hoarse and tired:

“That… kid is still the same as before, always making me worry…”

“Old woman—”

As the attack suddenly stopped, Ace in mid-air finally noticed something was wrong.

He dragged the already half-unconscious Bucky and rushed out of the embers of the fire. The steaming hot air was like an angry fire dragon, swirling and twisting around them, carrying a pungent smell of smoke and burning wailing, and finally rushed down.

“I’m back…”

He quickly rushed to Garp, knelt on the ground, and tightly grasped Dadan’s powerless hands:

“Why am I so stupid… Have you forgotten that I’m the user of a nature-type devil fruit?” Ace’s eyes were filled with regret.

“You…you little brat, I…don’t care whether you live or die.”

Dadan forced out a smile with difficulty, and with the last bit of his strength, he raised his hand and gently tapped Ace’s head.

However, when she caught a glimpse of the iconic red nose of Bucky who was unconscious beside her, her eyes trembled for a moment, and finally she slowly lowered her hand.

“Dadan——”

The air around me seemed to freeze, and the sea breeze became unusually heavy at this moment, carrying a hint of sadness and sorrow…

….

“Hahahahaha, look at you, you’re in trouble again, Ace.”

On the hillside of Gorpo Mountain, amidst the lush forest, a burst of hearty laughter broke the silence of the surroundings.

Two figures, one big and one small, sat cross-legged facing each other, busy fighting over the freshly roasted game, the aroma of the meat was tempting.

“Who asked you to mind your own business, old man! Give the meat back to me!”

Little Ace had a boil on his head and murmured in mock dissatisfaction:

“I am still too young. When I grow up, I will definitely settle accounts with that old woman and make up for the loss of face today.”

Garp laughed when he heard this and patted the former on the head:

“You little bastard, you have great ambitions!”

“But you’re right. You want to be the strongest marine. With that woman’s skills, she won’t be your opponent in the future!”

He tore off a piece of meat and chewed it in big mouthfuls, his face full of satisfaction and pride.

“But before that, you have to learn how to protect yourself. Dadan, she is actually most afraid of sea water.” Cap said mysteriously.

“Afraid of sea water? She’s not a devil fruit user!”

Ace was stunned, his eyes widened, and asked in confusion:

“Are you kidding me, old man?”

“You little brat, are you itching for trouble again?”

Karp suddenly punched the former on the forehead and pushed him back to the ground.

“That grumpy old woman was actually quite gentle once…”

“Want to hear a story?”

He sighed as he spoke, a trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes, his gaze was deep:

“Ten years ago, Sengoku and I had just dealt with Shiki the Golden Lion. When we were on vacation, we suddenly received an order from the Navy Headquarters to escort the Princess of the Kingdom of Dodoria to Wano Country.”

“Princess? Have you ever escorted a princess?” Ace asked, rubbing his forehead.

“Don’t interrupt me, little brat! Just listen to me!”

Garp glared at Little Ace:

“It was a stormy night, and the ship we were on encountered huge waves. Coincidentally, the ship of the Rocks Pirates, the dominant force on the sea at the time, was also caught in the storm and was swept into our route that same night.”

“Because the ship was luxurious, Kaido, who was still a rookie at the time, mistakenly thought that the ship was loaded with treasures, and encouraged the enemy to launch a fierce attack on us. In the fierce battle, I was seriously injured and could only watch the innocent princess being abducted by pirates.”

“This is one of the reasons why I have refused promotions countless times in my life and still insist on staying on the front line. I cannot forgive myself for my powerlessness at that time.”

Karp’s voice was low, with a barely perceptible tremor.

“And what happened next? What does this have to do with that wild old woman?!”

Little Ace listened attentively and asked eagerly:

“It can’t be…”

“You guessed it right, Dadan is the princess of the Dodoria Kingdom.”

The former suddenly interrupted, with a hint of heaviness and emotion in his tone.

“What?!”

The barbecue in Ace’s hand suddenly fell to the ground. He shook his head in disbelief, as if to get rid of this ridiculous idea from his mind.

“That rude, barbaric old woman who always yells at us is actually the princess of the kingdom?”

Karp was stunned for a moment, finally nodded, and continued:

“After the battle, we tried our best to chase them, but we could never find any trace of them. And Dadan, who had no news at all, naturally lost her former identity and status after that.”

“It wasn’t until a few years later that I accidentally wiped out a group of bandits while chasing Roger…”

Garp’s voice was a little choked up, “But by then, she had already turned into a bandit who was afraid of water and addicted to alcohol…”

…..

The memories in his mind receded like the tide, and Ace gently carried Dadan on his back.

He stood up, with blazing flames surrounding the two of them. His eyes pierced through the smoke, as if he could penetrate the barriers of time and space and see all the hardships and changes that the former princess, now Dadan, had experienced.

“Old woman…Come on, I’ll take you home.”