Over the past two days, Luffy had been dropping by the camp whenever he lost track of Ace.
Usually, he'd show up around noon, sometimes one, always hungry. But now it was already past 3:00 p.m., and Luffy still hadn't come.
During those visits, Luffy would always talk about Shanks. He spoke of the red-haired pirate, Ace, and he lives with Dadan and her gang of bandits. Though he often says he hated bandits.
He had also asked some pointers on how to get stronger.
"Just train," Ling had told him. "And build up your stamina."
Not wanting to sit around and wait, Ling laced his boots and went on his usual afternoon run.
"Maybe I should head toward Grey Terminal," he muttered.
"See if I can spot Naguri."
An hour earlier, just outside Grey Terminal, two boys crouched behind a bush, hidden in the tall grass.
Nearby, a third kid wearing a straw hat was being hauled off by his shirt collar.
Four men stood around him, one tall with a sword on his shoulder, another with a green and red bandana, one with yellow hair, and the last wore a cap low over his eyes.
"What do we do?" the boy in the top hat whispered.
"What do you mean, what?" the other snapped.
"We move the treasure."
"But what about Luffy?"
"He'll talk the moment they pressure him. He's a crybaby."
The kid in the top hat looked conflicted.
"We'll move the treasure first," the boy in red.
"Then we come back and ambush them after they come here for the treasure. We will save him."
The top-hat kid hesitated then nodded.
Back in the present, Ling had just finished thirty minutes of running and arrived at the forest's edge.
The Grey Terminal loomed ahead scrap piles, smoke columns, and worn-out paths twisting between heaps of rusted metal.
At that very moment, the boy in the top hat had just snuck into Grey Terminal, feeling that something was wrong earlier.
He ducked behind a sheet of rusted steel when he heard someone was talking about them.
"Do you know where Ace and Sabo are?" asked one of the men.
"You guys are delinquents, aren't you?" replied a man clutching a raggedy doll.
"You'd better not mess with those two."
From behind his cover, the boy in the top hat froze.
Then he bolted.
Ling, who had just stepped into Grey Terminal, spotted him darting through the smoke with a panicked look on his face.
"Sabo," Ling muttered.
He watched Sabo disappear into the forest, worry etched clearly into his expression.
And just like that, Ling understood why Luffy hadn't shown up today.
He followed Ace and met Sabo.
"I'll wait for those two here and save Luffy with them. It's harsh, but he needs this development."
Fifteen minutes later, Ace and Sabo arrived at the Grey Terminal, each wielding their infamous pole. Without wasting a second, they rushed forward.
Ling moved the moment he saw them. He flickered into them. Ace and Sabo skidded to a stop, raising their poles defensively.
"Who are you?" Ace demanded.
"No time for this, Ace! We have to go!" Sabo urged.
"Relax," Ling said calmly, hands raised.
"I'm Ling. Luffy's friend. I recognized Ace from the way Luffy described you. You two look worried. Is it about him?"
"Ling…" Ace muttered, lowering his pole slightly.
"Yeah, Luffy did mention a friend recently."
Sabo grabbed Ace's wrist. "We really don't have time!"
He pulled Ace, and the two took off again.
"Wait! What happened to Luffy?" Ling called after them.
In a crumbling shack deeper within the Grey Terminal, Luffy was hanging by his arms. His face was swollen, blood trailing down his chin.
"Tell me where it is!" Porchemy roared.
"I… won't," Luffy rasped, his voice barely audible.
"I won't."
"I won't tell you."
"I won't tell you."
Porchemy scowled, breathing hard. "Fine. I'm done asking."
He stomped over to a box in the corner and drew a sword. Without a word, he approached Luffy slowly, the blade dragging along the ground.
"Die."
He raised the blade.
CRASH!
The wall exploded as Ling burst through it. He launched into the air mid-leap and kicked the sword clean from Porchemy's grip before it could hit Luffy.
"You again?!" shouted a thug in a green-and-red bandana, the same man Ling had beaten back in Foosha Village.
Before the others could react, Ace and Sabo charged in.
"Stay out of my way!" Ace growled, swinging his pole with full force. The bandana-wearing pirate was knocked back instantly.
Sabo dove toward the remaining two, the blond man and the one with the cap swinging his pole at them.
"Ace! Ling! Sabo!" Luffy cried out, his voice cracking with emotion.
Porchemy's blade went flying. The pirate barely had time to register what happened before Ace leapt high into the air, pole raised.
With a furious yell, Ace brought it down on Porchemy's head. The pole snapped on impact.
Porchemy staggered backward.
"Ace!" Sabo shouted, he was surrounded by the three remaining thugs.
Ace hesitated for a split second, unsure whether to stay or help.
Ling's voice cut through the tension. "Don't worry! I'll handle him. You two deal with the others and back me up later!"
Ace nodded and bolted toward Sabo.
"Sabo, I've got your back!"
Ling rushed Porchemy and threw a punch. Porchemy blocked it and caught Ling's right hand mid-swing.
With a grunt, Porchemy drew a pocket knife and thrust it forward.
Ling vanished.
Skip.
He reappeared, his arm freed.
Porchemy was surprised but charged again.
Ling disappeared once more, then used the incomplete version of shave, reappearing behind Porchemy. He slammed a punch into the pirate's back.
Before Porchemy could fully turn around, Ling had already leapt into the air.
With a sharp exhale, he swung his foot, his incomplete version of Tempest Kick. It wasn't perfect, but just like shave he could only kick three times intantly.
The kick landed solidly, slamming into Porchemy's temple and sending him crashing to the ground. He was knocked out cold.
Meanwhile, Sabo and Ace finished off the last three pirates.
Panting, the two looked up just in time to see Ling descend from the air.
Both boys stared at him eyes wide with a mix of shock and admiration.
Ling approached Luffy and carefully untied him.
The boy was crying silent tears.
Ling felt a pang of guilt, but he knew it was necessary. If Luffy didn't face this now, his personality might change and he wouldn't become the same Luffy Ling knew.
Sabo and Ace stepped closer, checking on Luffy.
Ling gently lifted him onto his back. Luffy clung to him tightly, burying his face between Ling's shoulders, muffling his cries.
"Let's go before Bluejam himself shows up," Ling said.
The two boys nodded.
"I know a safe place. Follow me."
Ling sprinted through the woods, with Sabo and Ace right behind him.
Minutes later, they arrived at Ling's camp.
Ling set Luffy down gently on a large rock.
"Waaah!" Luffy wailed.
Sabo stood quietly behind a tree, arms crossed.
Ace slumped onto a nearby rock, frowning.
Ling busied himself by tending to the fire, roasting some meat.
"Ling, right? You're pretty strong. I'm Sabo. Hehehe,"
Sabo said with a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"Nice to meet you. You guys hungry? It's done," Ling replied.
Luffy immediately stopped crying and lunged for a piece, chomping into it hungrily.
Sabo sat on a log while Ace grabbed a chunk and began eating too.
"Earlier you vanished and...poof out. How'd you do that?" Ace asked between bites.
Sabo looked over curiously. Luffy kept chewing, eyes wide.
"I ate a Devil Fruit," Ling said.
"It's called the Time-Time Fruit. I can send myself into the future anywhere from milliseconds to years."
"That's so cool!" Sabo's eyes sparkled.
Ace looked equally impressed.
"I did too!" Luffy exclaimed, swallowing a huge chunk of meat and pulling on his cheeks.
"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit! I can stretch and I don't get hurt unless it's sharp stuff!"
"You too, Luffy?" Sabo grinned.
"Ohhh, so that's how you survived falling off that bridge," Ace said.
Sabo sighed.
"We really messed up. Bluejam's pirates won't let this slide. They'll come after us."
At the mention of Bluejam, Luffy started tearing up again.
"Waaah! That was so scary! I thought I was gonna die!"
A tick mark popped on Ace's temple. He jumped to his feet.
"You're so annoying!"
"Shut up already! Stop crying!"
"I hate crybabies and cowards!"
Luffy froze, his mouth clamped shut. Even Sabo looked surprised.
Ling, still tending the fire, tried not to laugh. It's even funnier in person than in the anime.
Luffy stood up and bowed his head.
"Thank you… for helping me." His voice trembled, and tears slipped down again.
"You…" Ace started, but Sabo cut him off.
"Hey, he's just being thankful."
Ace clicked his tongue.
"You should've just told them where the treasure was. They were ready to kill you!"
Luffy clenched his fists, his straw hat shading his eyes.
"Because… if I did that, you wouldn't be my friend."
Ace blinked.
"It's better than dying! And why would you want to be my friend that bad anyway?"
Luffy trembled.
"Didn't I give you a hard time all this while? Why would you follow me?"
He gripped the fabric of his shorts tightly.
"Because… living alone is more painful than getting hurt!"
Ling's chest tightened at those words. They hit deeper than he expected.
Memories of his past life the loneliness, the isolation came flooding back.
'One Piece was what helped me those years.'
Without realizing it, Ling's eyes drop a tear.
"Ling? Are you okay?"
Sabo asked, noticing.
"I'm fine," Ling sniffed, wiping his face.
"It's just… Luffy's right. Living alone is far more painful."
Sabo nodded solemnly. He, too, remembered his days before meeting Ace.
"You're right."
The conversation between Luffy and Ace continued, same in the anime. When Luffy said he wanted Ace to live, there was no hesitation in his voice. And continued to banter after that.
After a long pause, Ace frowned.
"What the hell! Why's everyone getting all mopey now?"
"Ahem!" Sabo cleared his throat.
"I have a problem. My place is near the pirate cove. If I fall asleep from exhaustion, I could get attacked."
He stood and raised a hand.
"That's why I need your help. I'll stay with you guys from now on."
"I wouldn't mind," Ace shrugged.
"Me too!" Luffy added.
Sabo turned to Ling.
"What about you? Where do you live? Now that you clashed with Bluejam's pirates, you're probably on their hit list too."
Luffy beat him to the answer.
"This is his place."
"Really? Then you should come with us too!" Sabo said.
Ling paused.
'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I've been alone this whole time…'
He nodded.
"What do you think, Ace?" Sabo asked.
"I don't mind," Ace replied.