"Gum-Gum: Pistol!" Luffy shouted, his arm stretching out toward Ace.
Ace dodged easily, leaping into the air and driving a kick into Luffy's face. The boy went flying and slammed into a tree.
Groaning, Luffy stood back up.
"Damn it! Not yet—I haven't used my new technique!"
With a peace sign, Luffy stretched his two fingers.
"Gum-Gum: Shield!"
Ace smirked. He rushed forward and yanked Luffy's finger. It snapped back, slamming into Luffy's face. He tumbled back, dazed.
"Is there any point in having that power?" Ace scoffed.
"That concludes Luffy's fight for today! Zero wins and sixty-eight losses again!" Sabo announced dramatically.
"Next!" Ling called.
Now it was Sabo versus Ace.
The two clashed in a flurry of strikes—punch, dodge, kick, dodge. Neither could land a clean hit at first. Then they leapt, fists met. Ace slipped past Sabo's punch and landed on Sabo's cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Ace wins!" Ling declared.
"Overall record: Luffy, still winless at 0 and 68. Ace—41 wins, 25 losses. Sabo—39 wins, 27 losses."
"Damn it! It's always so close between them," Luffy groaned.
"And Ling goes undefeated again. Damn it!" Sabo muttered.
"Just wait until I turn ten! I'll beat all three of you up!" Luffy yelled, fists clenched.
"We'll be thirteen by then," Ace shot back with a grin.
Ling looked at the sky.
"Let's have our dinner—it's almost dark," Ling said, stretching.
"I want crocodile meat!" Luffy announced eagerly.
"Then let's head to the river," Sabo agreed.
The four boys sprinted off together. At the riverbank, Luffy jumped straight onto a crocodile, knocking it out cold. Ace and Sabo followed suit, leaping high and slamming their pole into two more beasts.
Ling sighed as he watched their antics. Over the past month, he'd noticed his appetite growing to match theirs.
"Ling, cook them all!" Luffy ordered, stomach already rumbling.
Ling skewered the crocodiles over a fire.
"Clockwise," he whispered.
The meat roasted far quicker than it should have. On the side, Luffy was practically drooling.
"That's a handy ability," Sabo said, impressed.
"It's really helpful—especially for someone like Luffy," he added with a smirk.
"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst out laughing.
"That's a good one," Ace admitted, chuckling.
In just a minute, three crocodiles were fully cooked. What usually took twenty minutes was done in a flash.
Ling had been creating this ability for weeks.
'Clockwise'.
By accelerating time, he could speed up processes: ripen fruit, rot food, and even accelerate healing for small cuts and bruises.
"A Devil Fruit, huh… I wonder if I'll ever find one," Sabo mused aloud.
Luffy, already munching, swallowed a whole leg.
"What kind of power would you want, Sabo?"
"I'm not sure," Sabo admitted.
"Is it really worth losing the ability to swim just for a Devil Fruit?" Ace asked skeptically.
Ling smirked inwardly.
'Hah. If only they knew. Luffy's fruit is literally a god-fruit. The most broken fruit in the world.'
"For me? It's worth it," Ling said calmly.
"Some fruits are worth it, and some aren't. You have to know what you're eating first."
"How can you tell?" Ace asked.
"There's an encyclopedia out there. The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia," Ling explained.
The three perked up.
"Do you wanna know how I ended up here in the Goa Kingdom?" Ling asked suddenly.
"You're not from here?" Sabo was shocked.
Ling shook his head.
"My parents and I were traveling by ship. A storm wrecked us. I was washed up at Foosha Village."
"Really?" All three looked shocked.
"My parents had found a Devil Fruit. They wanted to trade it for noble status."
At the word noble, Sabo clenched his fists, though he kept his composure. Ling noticed anyway.
"They explained to me what Devil Fruits were, and mentioned that an encyclopedia existed. After the wreck… Gyoru found a chest near me, and he gave it to Makino, who then gave it to me. Inside was a devil fruit."
"And you just ate it?" Sabo's jaw dropped.
"Yeah. I didn't know what it was at the time," Ling replied evenly.
Sabo shook his head in disbelief.
"Unbelievable. You're telling us to check an encyclopedia first, but you just ate one blindly? What a guy."
Ling laughed inwardly.
'If only they knew I'm a die-hard One Piece fan. I know every important detail about this world better than anyone.
When the three turned back to the fire, one of the crocodiles was already gone—nothing left but bones.
"So fast," they muttered in unison.
Luffy leaned back with a bulging belly, grinning even in his sleep.
The next day, after another spar with Dexter's gang and a quick lunch, Sabo spoke up.
"Let's test ourselves against the giant bear with the scar."
"Yeah, I want to see how much I've grown," Ace agreed.
"Hey! Wake up!" Ace kicked Luffy, who was snoozing again.
"You!!" Luffy shouted angrily, springing to his feet.
"Let's go while it's still early," Ling said, following them.
They trekked toward the cave where the bear lived.
"It's near!" Sabo said, tightening his grip on his pipe.
"Someone bait it out," Ace suggested.
"I'll do it," Ling volunteered.
His expression turned serious. "But be careful. This bear is stronger than Porchemy. I can feel it—it's stronger than me too."
Inside the cave, the beast lay sprawled on the ground, massive as a two-story house, surrounded by bones and scraps of flesh.
"It's sleeping…" Ling muttered.
He grabbed a rock and hurled it.
The bear's eyes snapped open.
"ROOOOAR!"
Outside, the others braced themselves, ready. Ling sprinted out and rejoined them.
"It's coming," he warned.
The bear emerged, towering above them, scar glaring across its face.
"If we can't beat this thing, we'll never beat the tiger. And if we can't beat the tiger, we'll never stand a chance against Bluejam and his crew," Ace said firmly.
Sabo nodded.
"I'll go first!" Ace charged, leaping high and slamming his pole down on the bear's skull.
The beast snarled, more enraged than hurt. As Ace descended, it swung its massive paw.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, stretching his arms to grab the paw and hold it back.
Sabo darted in, catching Ace and dragging him out of danger. Ling flickered forward, fists flying in a barrage at the bear's knees. It stumbled, giving Ace time to get back up and slam his pole into its other leg.
The bear buckled, and Sabo smashed its head with his pipe.
"Gum-Gum: Pistol!" Luffy attacked, his fist connecting.
The beast roared in fury, unfazed, then grew even more violent.
"It's enraged—it's stronger now! Be careful!" Ling shouted.
"I'll tank! Ace, Sabo, back me up! Luffy, wait for openings!" Ling ordered.
They nodded and charged.
The bear swung faster now. Ling flickered aside, counterattacking, while Sabo lunged in—only to be swatted into a tree.
"Sabo!" Ace cried out.
Luffy rushed to check on him.
"Damn you!" Ace growled, gripping his pole.
"Ace—we can't win. We need to retreat," Ling urged.
"I won't run!" Ace barked back.
Ling knew Ace's personality, so he stayed back with him.
"Luffy, Sabo—go! We'll stall it!"
Before they could move, an old man in a brown hat appeared, pipe clamped between his teeth. He grinned as he strode toward the bear.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked.
Ace froze mid-step, watching.
The old man vanished, reappearing before the beast. The bear swung both paws down to crush him.
"Old man, get out of there!" Sabo cried.
Just before the blow landed, a wave of pressure exploded outward.
Ling's skin prickled as goosebumps shot down his arms.
Conqueror's Haki.
He clenched his fists.