"Gum-Gum: Pistol!" Luffy threw a punch, his hand stretching towards Ace.
Ace dodges it swiftly, he the leaped into air, nad kicked Luffy in the face. He was sent flying on a tree.
Luffy got up.
"Damn it! Not yet, I haven't use my new technique."
"Gum-Gum: Shield!" Luffy stretched his finger with his other hand.
Ace rushed and pulled Luffy's finger which bounce back on Luffy's face. He lost again.
"Is there any point of having that power?" Ace said.
"That will conclude Luffy's fight for today. 0 wins and 68 loses again." Sabo announced.
"Next!" Ling reminded.
It's Sabo vs. Ace. Sabo and Ace rans towards each other. Sabo punched, Ace dodges. Ace pulled, Sabo dodges.
This continued for a few strike until they backed away from each other.
'I don't wanna lose!' Ace.
'I want to be stronger!' Sabo
They both jump in the air at the same time, they drew their fist and punched at the same time. Ace dodges Sabo's fist while Sabo was punch into face, falling in the ground.
"Ace won again!" Ling announced.
"Overall score, Luffy lost all 68 matches today again. Ace 41 wins and 25 lose. Sabo 39 wins and 27 lose."
"Damn! It's always close match between them." Luffy frustrated.
"And Ling goes undefeated again. Damn it!" Sabo.
"Just wait for me to become 10! I'll beat you three up!" Luffy shouted.
"We'll be 13 by then." Ace answered.
"Let's go have dinner." Ling called.
"I want really want a crocodile meat." Luffy suggested.
"Let's go to the river then." Sabo answered.
The four then ran for a few minutes and arrived at the river. Luffy jumped and slammed it on a crocodile knocking it out.
Sabo and Ace also leaped in the air to do the same, knocking another two crocodile.
This past month, Ling noticed that his appetite is really getting bigger, becoming like these three.
"Ling, cook all this." Luffy said.
Ling skewered them crocodiles and roasted them.
"Clockwise." Ling muttered.
The crocodiles are getting roasted very quick. Luffy on the other side already salivating.
"That's really a helpful ability." Sabo.
"It's really helpful for someone like Luffy." Sabo joked.
"Hahahah". Everyone laughed.
"That's a good one." Ace.
In just a minute or two, the whole crocodile meat are cooked.
During the last month, aside for punching, sparring, and meditating. Ling trained his ability called 'Clockwise', it's a technique that let him to speed up a process.
For example, he can make unripe apple to a ripe one, and ripe apple to a rotten apple. For now he can only do it on a small things.
It can even speed up the process of healing wound, but for now he can only do small wounds like cuts that are not deep, scratches, and bruises.
"A devil fruit, huh! I wonder if I can find one in the future." Sabo said.
Luffy who's eating on the side heard this and swallowed an entire leg.
"What kind of ability you want, Sabo?" Luffy asked.
"I'm not sure." Sabo.
"Is it really worth trading swimming for devil Fruits?" Ace said.
'Hahahaha. You just never know Luffy literally has a god fruit.' Ling thought.
"For my ability, personally It's worth it." Ling said.
"Some fruits are worth having and some fruits aren't worth it. So you need to know which fruit you have before immediately consuming it." Ling explained.
"How can you know?" Ace asked.
"There's a devil fruit encyclopedia out there." Ling answered.
"How do you know?" Ace.
"Do you wanna know how I ended up here in Goa Kingdom?" Ling.
"You're not from goa kingdom?" Sabo.
"Well me and my parents are traveling to Goa Kingdom when a storm ate our ship, I was washed ashore in the Foosha Village."
"Really!" Sabo shocked.
Ace and Luffy too.
"My parents found a devil fruit, they wanted to exchange it for a noble status." Ling.
Hearing the word noble made Sabo clenched his fists, but he controlled his emotions. Ling obviously noticed it.
"I ask them what is a devil fruit, and they explained it. They mentioned that there's an encyclopedia about devil fruits out there."
"After waking up after a day of being unconscious, Makino gave me a wooden chest that my parents are holding."
"So I ate it." Ling finished his story up.
"So you didn't know what It was and still ate it. What a tough guy." Sabo sarcastic.
When they three looked at the fire pit, one crocodile is already missing. All that left was just bones.
"So fast." The three said in unison.
Luffy who just ate a whole crocodile has a big stomach bump. His eyes closed, but there's still a smile on his face.
"Let's test our strength against the giant bear." Sabo said.
"Let's go." Ace joined.
"Hey! Wake up!" Ace kicked Luffy.
"You!!" Luffy woke up mad.
"Let's go then." Ling followed the three.
Nearing where the bear lives. The four heard a loud roar coming from a cave.
"It's near!" Sabo said.
"Someone bait it outside from the cave." Ace.
"I'll do it. But remember this bear is a lot more stronger the Porchemy." Ling volunteered.
"This bear is also stronger than me. Be careful." Ling said before he flickered away.
Arriving inside the cave, a large bear at a height of a two story house. It's a very massive bear, it has a scar on it's face.
"It's sleeping."
To wake up the bear, Ling charged a punch to it's face.
"Rooooar." The bear.
Outside the cave the three heard the roar and had a defensive stance. Ling ran outside the cave as soon as possible and regroup with the three.
"It's coming." Ling announced.
When they bear came out, It stood on his leg, revealing it's massive height and body.
"If we can't beat this, we can't defeat the tiger. And if we can't defeat the tiger, we wouldn't stand a chance against Bluejam and his crew." Ace firmly said.
"I see. It's good that I suggested it." Sabo.
"I'll go first!"
Ace dashed forward and leap into the air and swing his pole into the bears head.
It hit but it made the bear more angrier. Ace still descending the bear swing his large paw at Ace.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted.
Luffy and Sabo rushed to help Sabo. Luffy stretched his arms and hold the bears hand tightly to stop his attack on Ace.
Sabo with the opportunity, Sabo catches Ace and step back for a moment. Ling flickered in front of the bear, its hand was still being held back by luffy.
Ling threw a barage of punch until the bear stumbled behind. Seing the opening, Ace went behind the bear a swing his pole again. Bringing it on his knees.
Sabo took the chance to deliver a strong blow on its head. Luffy let go of the bear and also throw a punch.
"Gum-Gum: Pistol!"
The bear roared in rage. Luffy's attack bounce back at him. Sabo and Ace regroup with Luffy and Ling.
"It's enraged. It's going to be more powerful than before. Be careful!" Ling alarmed them.
"I'll tank, Ace, Sabo backed me up. Luffy, throw a punch whenever you see an opening." Ling.
The three nodded in agreement.
Ling charged first, seing Ling the bear swing his paw faster than before. Ling, Skip, to dodge and flickering on its side and attack again.
Sabo took the opportunity to attack while the bear isn't looking, unfortunately for him the bear turned around and swing at Sabo sending him into a tree.
"Sabo!" Ace shouted.
Luffy went to check on Sabo.
"Damn you!" Ace angered.
"Ace we gotta run. We can't beat this guy." Ling said.
"I don't want to run away!" Ace firmly said.
"Luffy, Sabo! Run away while we stall this guy."
Suddenly, an old man wearing a brown hat with a pipe on his mouth ran towards the bear.
He was grinning.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked.
Ace also stop his move and looked at the old man.
The old man vanishes and arrived in front of the bear. He smirked. The bear swing his both hand, planning to smashing the old man's head into a paste.
"Old man, It's dangerous!" Sabo shouted.
Just before the paws hit the old man's head, some kind of energy was released from him.
'Conqueror's Haki.' Ling thought. He felt the spirit energy on his skin sending him goosebumps.
'He finally appeared. Everything went according the plan.'