Windmill Village was a small village in the Goa Kingdom of the East Blue. The people were simple and honest, and the village got its name from the whirring windmills that topped every house. It was also Garp's hometown.
Aites had been in Windmill Village for a month now, and in that time, he had come to accept the fact that he had been transported to another world.
When Aites had woken up a month ago, he found himself lying in a cabin on a Marine warship. When he went outside, he saw nothing but Marines in their blue and white uniforms, along with Garp.
Aites didn't know what had happened after he passed out; he just assumed Garp had happened to be passing by and saved him.
After all, for a powerhouse like Garp, dealing with an ordinary wolf would be child's play, wouldn't it?
When Garp had asked him his name and about his parents, Aites had just shaken his head and said that he had no name and was an orphan.
Aites truly had been an orphan in his past life. It was only thanks to the charity of the old orphanage director that he had been able to attend university, after which he had paid his own tuition by working part-time.
And in this life, he had no idea where his parents were. For all he knew, they might have met with disaster while away on business.
Whether it was because he felt sorry for Aites or for some other reason, Garp had immediately adopted him as his younger son. Upon arriving at Windmill Village, he had dumped Aites with the village mayor, Woop Slap, for temporary care.
Afterward, he had instructed all his Marines that not a single word regarding Aites was to be spoken. Not even Fleet Admiral Sengoku was to know anything about the boy. With those orders given, he had boarded his warship and left.
Aites didn't mind. He was already deeply grateful that Garp had adopted him at such a critical moment. To him, it was a guarantee of safety.
Besides, although Garp was only a Vice Admiral, he was treated like an Admiral and was indeed very busy. The Garp of this era was not as carefree as his future self in the original story.
It was standard practice for Marine officers on missions abroad to keep their family's information confidential. It would be a disaster if an old enemy sought revenge and brought harm to their loved ones.
Take Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army in the original story, for example. Aside from a select few, the powerful figures of the world only knew that Dragon was the world's most dangerous criminal; they didn't know he was the son of the Marine Hero, Garp.
If that fact were to become known, it would damage the Marines' prestige and reputation abroad, which was why the World Government did everything in its power to hide it from the public.
What Aites couldn't figure out, however, was why Garp would hide this even from his old comrade, Sengoku. It seemed he wanted to completely eliminate any information related to Aites, preventing the World Government from ever finding out.
Aites couldn't wrap his head around it for the moment, but if he couldn't, he couldn't.
Right now, he was in no position to think that far ahead. Since he was here, he would make the best of it.
Since fate had given him a second chance, he would seize it and start anew with this new identity.
Back in the present, a month later, Aites was on a stretch of coastline, doing push-ups facing the deep blue sea, the salty wind on his face.
The scorching sun beat down on the beach, stretching his small body into a long shadow.
Sweat streamed continuously down his bare torso. The sand beneath him was instantly soaked, only to be evaporated a moment later.
"496."
"497."
"498."
"499."
"500."
Aites counted through gritted teeth as he did the push-ups. When he hit 500, he collapsed onto the ground like a deflated balloon, panting heavily.
Aites had not been idle for this past month. After first getting accustomed to his new environment with Mayor Woop Slap, he had immediately begun training. He had also checked the current year. Garp was still young, looking to be only in his forties, so the timeline was still early.
When Aites found out, his suspicions were confirmed. It was currently Sea Calendar 1490. There were still five years until Roger would become the Pirate King, which gave Aites a chance to grow stronger.
Originally, Aites had wanted to ask Garp to teach him how to train. It would have been an opportunity to study under a top-tier powerhouse—who also happened to be his cheap old man.
But who would have thought that the unreliable Garp would leave in such a hurry? He had come and gone in a flash.
Now there was no telling when Garp would be back. Left with no other choice, Aites could only try some simple training methods on his own.
Things like push-ups, long-distance running, and sit-ups—training techniques from his previous life.
However, the physical constitution of people in this world was generally excellent. A month ago, Aites could barely do a few push-ups. Now, he could clearly feel the night-and-day difference in his body.
Although the change wasn't massive, it was a good start.
"Aites!"
Just then, a voice interrupted his thoughts. Aites got up and saw that it was Mayor Woop Slap.
Woop Slap, wearing glasses and a shirt with red hearts on it, walked up to Aites with a kindly smile. "So this is where you were! Little Aites, you must be tired. It's time to come home and eat!"
Home!
The word made Aites pause. In his previous life, he'd never had one.
But now he did. In this village, he had a home, and a cheap old dad.
Coming back to his senses, Aites smiled at Woop Slap. "Okay, let's go, Uncle Slap."
Under the high sun, the two figures, one large and one small, walked off into the distance.
Along the way, the villagers all greeted Aites with smiles, and Aites smiled and nodded back at each of them.
In one month, Aites had officially become a part of the villagers' world. They all knew he was Mr. Garp's newly adopted son and naturally treated him with great care.
Soon, Aites followed Woop Slap to a house. This was Garp's house. It was a bit larger than the others. Although Garp didn't care about such things, the villagers had made it as big as they could out of respect for their Marine Hero.
With Garp away, Mayor Slap had moved in to make it easier to look after Aites.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple. The space wasn't large, only a few hundred square feet. A round wooden table was set against the wall, with a newly added candelabra on top and a circle of wooden chairs below.
At the very back was a large bed, about ten feet wide, big enough for both Aites and Slap.
This alone showed just how casual Garp was, but it was precisely this simplicity that made it feel more like a home.
Before long, a simple but filling meal was brought out.
Slap knew that Aites ate a lot because of his training, and that he was a growing boy, so he had specially prepared two roast chickens for a hearty meal.
Aites's eyes lit up. After a word of thanks, he began to wolf down the food.
Aites had discovered that the food in this world contained a large amount of energy. Especially when eaten right after training, that energy would turn into a warm current that flowed through his body, nourishing his flesh. This was one of the reasons why the physical fighters on the seas were so monstrously strong.
Aites could clearly feel his body grow a tiny bit stronger. It wasn't much, but that was likely because the energy in a roast chicken was limited. He could try a Sea King next time—but that would have to wait until Aites was actually capable of killing one.
"Thanks, Uncle Slap. I'm heading out!"
After devouring the two roast chickens like a whirlwind, Aites ran back outside. He had to continue his training.
In a world where the strong were like clouds and the weak were like ants, the stronger he became, the more of a guarantee he would have of surviving in the world of One Piece.
"That little guy is a lot like Mr. Garp. They both have that same drive."
Slap smiled as he watched Aites hurry out. Then he looked at the table, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
The table was piled high with the bones Aites had left behind. However, a single, untouched chicken leg had been placed neatly in front of Slap's seat.
"Alright, I guess the little guy has a heart."