"Ahhhhh!!!"
Crouched in the bushes, little Ace's face was as red as a monkey's backside. He was using a big leaf to cover his lower half, looking both furious and mortified.
"I am definitely going to kill you!!!"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Ozz twirled Ace's shorts around one finger as he laughed his head off. For such a little brat, this kid already knew how to feel embarrassed.
Under normal circumstances, Sabo would have been rolling on the ground laughing. He had never seen Ace make a face like that before.
But right now they were facing an enemy, so he kept a tight grip on his little iron pipe, circling Ozz like a wary cat, clearly looking for a chance to snatch Ace's shorts back.
He suddenly lunged, committing to the attack in one fierce pounce straight at Ozz.
The result was obvious.
"Hey!!! Sabo, why are you also…"
"I do not want this either!!!"
A moment later, both brats were tamed and obedient, squatting in the bushes and not daring to show their faces.
Right about then, because Ace had not come home for dinner in a long while, a woman came into the forest calling his name.
She was around thirty, still beautiful and full of quiet charm. This was Rouge.
"Ace!!! Ace???"
She called again and again, her voice drifting through the trees, and from the sound of it she was getting closer and closer.
"This is bad!!!"
Ace heard his mother's voice drawing near and then looked at Ozz, this suspicious stranger who had just flattened them without breaking a sweat. His forehead broke out in cold sweat.
He did not care about running around bare bottomed anymore. Ace roared and charged out of the bushes, sprinting straight at Ozz.
"Do not you dare touch my mom!!!"
Ozz: "(＾v＾)ノ"
Rouge: "???"
…
"You are not allowed to treat your Uncle Ozz like that!!!"
"I have always taught you that, Ace!!!"
If there was someone that little hellion Ace truly feared in this life, it was only his mother.
Facing Rouge with her sharp tongue, hands on her hips and anger written all over her face, Ace swallowed hard and immediately calmed down.
Watching Ace's mom scold him, Sabo did not even dare lift his head. He sat properly at the table, staring intensely at the rice in his bowl and counting the grains like they were his entire world.
Ace's mom is terrifying.
Ozz, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying Rouge's cooking, eating heartily while watching Ace out of the corner of his eye with a smirk.
The way Ace glared at him, furious and fuming, only made him more amused.
Rouge frowned when she saw Ace's expression. She raised her hand high, clearly about to slap him across the face.
But just before her palm could land…
"There is no need for that, Lady Rouge. I was only teasing Ace a little."
Ace just stared blankly as a hand suddenly appeared beside his cheek, catching Rouge's hand and stopping the blow for him.
He froze.
The reason he did not dodge or block was simple.
He had never been hit before.
Ever since he was little, Rouge would get angry and scold him when he got into trouble, but she had never once laid a hand on him. And today, for the sake of a stranger…
Clatter.
Ace slapped Ozz's hand away from in front of his face, teeth clenched, and bolted for the door. No matter how Sabo called after him, he did not look back.
Sabo's eyes went wide. He glanced between Ozz and Rouge, hesitated for a heartbeat, then immediately chased after Ace.
"Ace!! Wait for me!!!"
In an instant, the two little figures disappeared from sight.
Ozz parted his lips, not having expected things to develop quite like this.
As for Rouge, she had already regretted raising her hand the moment she swung it. Now, watching Ace's back vanish into the distance, she walked to the doorway, eyes shining with tears.
"Ace…"
She could never bear to hit him. But this time was different.
Ozz had saved both their lives. Even if she added Roger into the equation and did all the emotional math, that debt of gratitude still could not be erased.
And these years of safe, quiet living, and the fact Ace had been able to grow up healthy, were not just thanks to the people of Windmill Village. It was Ozz's money and the bodyguards he sent that had made it possible.
When it came to taking care of Ace, Ozz had done no worse than a father. In fact, he had done more than Roger ever did.
She could not allow Ace to be that rude to him.
"Lady Rouge…"
Ozz smiled softly and handed her a handkerchief.
"It is just a little misunderstanding. I will go bring him back."
Rouge took the handkerchief and gently wiped her tears. Gratitude showed on her face.
"Then I will be counting on you, Ozz-san."
…
Plop.
Ace hurled a stone into the river with all his strength, the splash matching his mood. He sat in a sulk by the riverbank while Sabo stood anxiously beside him.
"Do not be mad anymore, Ace!"
Sabo did his best to coax him, but Ace did not seem to hear him at all. He just kept throwing stones into the water, one after another, sending ripples spreading across the surface.
At that moment, a rustling sounded from the distant brush.
"Who is there!!!"
Both brats snapped to attention.
Thanks to good genes and years of training in the woods, they were both very capable fighters. They were not monsters yet, but they could easily beat down a normal adult in a one on one.
They stared toward the rustling sound as a few figures stepped out from the trees.
The very last people they wanted to see.
"Oh, look at that. It is Ace and Sabo."
The broad shouldered man at the front had a big blade slung over his shoulder. He looked down at the two kids and sneered.
"So you are the brats who stole our treasure a few days ago!!!"
Ace and Sabo's hearts sank.
Over these past years, the two of them had hustled and scammed and straight up robbed to save up enough treasure to buy a pirate ship. Naturally, sometimes they failed to get away and those victims came back looking for payback.
Strangely, every time they got beaten unconscious, those pirates would just vanish afterward.
Their first instinct was to run, but they quickly realized that the exits had already been sealed off by the surrounding pirates.
"Damn it!!!"
Back to back, hemmed in by the river, the two boys stared warily at the ring of armed pirates.
The brutal looking men obviously did not take the kids seriously at all.
"Oi!!! Where did you hide our treasure!!!"
If it was just one or two of them, Ace and Sabo might have been able to win. But these were full grown pirates with blades and guns. Their odds did not look good this time…
"Give it up, brats. Tell us where you stashed it!!!"
Just as the two exchanged a look, ready to dive into the river to escape, a voice suddenly rang out of nowhere.
"Looking for my treasure?"
A tall figure appeared in the forest, walking toward them at a leisurely pace as his footsteps echoed closer and closer.
Step.
Plop.
Plop.
Unhurried, Ozz strolled into the clearing and came to a stop in front of the pirate captain. Looking down at the man, he wore a calm smile, his presence radiating effortless dominance.
"You want treasure? Then you can have mine."
"Take my head, and you will have more wealth than you can ever spend."
"Come and claim it if you dare."
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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