A huge wooden hammer slammed down on Luffy and bounced.
"I am made of rubber," Luffy told the tall, blue-haired man named Porchemy.
I was tied to a wooden post, opposite Luffy.
Ding: New Quest — Escape the Bluejam Pirates.
Porchemy turned to me, and it hurt my neck having to look up to someone who was ten feet tall.
"Do you know Ace or Sabo?"
I was caught off guard by the size of the man and how ugly he looked—so ugly I didn't even hear the question.
"OYEEE, black-haired brat! I am talking. Answer when I ask a question!!!" said Porchemy as he swung his big, ugly fist at my face.
I just felt pain as the punch landed on my face. I think even some teeth fell out, and blood leaked from my nose and face.
"I don't. I was looking to see if someone needed help, since I heard screaming."
Porchemy and the other Bluejam Pirates looked at me and started laughing out loud.
"He wanted to help someone in Gray Terminal—hahaha, both these kids are funny."
I felt another punch land, and my vision began to blur.
Ding: Skill learned
Physical Resistance (Passive)
Physical Resistance (0% proficiency)
Luffy yelled, "Stop hurting him! He said he doesn't know anything."
Porchemy yelled, "Bring me my gloves."
I heard him hit the seven-year-old Luffy, who told him no when asked about Ace and Sabo's treasure.
Luffy screamed and cried for hours, but he didn't give up anything about where Ace and Sabo's treasure was. I had woken up by now. I looked at Porchemy with pure anger.
He felt my stare on the back of his head and turned to face me again. "Got something to say, kid?"
"No. You like picking on someone weaker this much?" I asked with a smirk.
My head started to bleed again.
"What did you say, brat? Talk now, brat!"
"Let me see that smirk again, brat," he yelled.
I felt my eyes closing again.
BANGGGGGG!!!
"They are finally here," I said under my breath.
It was Ace and Sabo.
Ace lunged and knocked out one of the fodder with his metal pipe.
"Ah, I am happy you came. This makes things better. I was having a hard time getting your friends to talk."
Ace lunged at the ten-foot man with no eyebrows and got grabbed out of the air by his neck.
Then Sabo came from behind and knocked Porchemy on the back of the head, making his head bleed.
"I got him, Sabo!" Ace said. "Get them both."
Sabo grabbed a knife and cut Luffy's rope and mine, putting us on his shoulders.
"Let's go, Ace."
"I won't RUN," Ace told Sabo.
Sabo placed us down on the dirt.
"You're so reckless." said sabo as stood next to Ace ready to fight.
Luffy and I watched in awe as Ace and Sabo fought the ten-foot man.
Ding: Escaped Bluejam Pirates
50 EXP rewarded.
Level 2 reached
All attributes increased by 2
Free attribute points available: 5
"Wahhh wahhhh waghhh waghhh." Luffy was crying a river.
"You have a bad habit, Ace. When faced with a real pirate, it's best to run."
"Do you have a death wish?" said Sabo to Ace.
Ace ignored him and kept trying to fix his metal pipe.
"Waghhh wahh, I thought I was gonna die, wahhh!!"
"Shut up. You're so annoying. Stop crying already!!!" Ace yelled at Luffy.
"I don't like cowards who cry a lot."
Luffy sucked in all his tears and stopped crying.
I chuckled watching this happen. It even caught Ace and Sabo off guard.
Luffy looked at them, bowed, and said, "Thank you." Holding in his tears, he said, "You helped me."
I also looked at them, bowed, and said, "Thank you for saving me as well."
They looked at me. "No problem, haha. It was our bad—you kinda got dragged into our mess."
"What's your name?" Sabo asked. "Never really seen you around."
"My name is Sora."
Luffy continued his crying under his hat, making Ace and Sabo have to calm him down.
"Hey, why didn't you cough up the location? They wouldn't mind killing women and children," yelled Ace.
Luffy spoke low. "Because I thought if I told them, you wouldn't want to be my friend."
"It's better than dying, isn't it? And why do you want to become my friend so bad?" asked Ace.
"Because."
"Didn't I give you a hard time? And why do you follow me so far?"
"Because… I have no one to trust, and I don't like the mountain bandits, and I can't go back to the village. And if I didn't follow you, I'd be alone, and being alone hurts more than being hurt," yelled Luffy, with tears still bawling from his eyes.
Ace went quiet and asked, "Is it easier if I am around?"
Luffy just said yes to his questions.
"But I don't like weak kids like you," said Ace.
"What!!! I am strong! Have you been hit by a spiked glove? And I am only seven!" They bickered for a bit until Sabo stopped them.
Sabo said, "We have a problem. The Bluejam Pirates will definitely try to kill us."
He looked at me.
"Sora, do you have a safe place to stay?"
"Nope, I don't. I don't have parents either, and no friends either. And after seeing all you guys did, it was superrr cool, so I was wondering if I could also be your guys' friend. I am ten, and I promise I won't cry."
"Hehe, sure can," Luffy said. Ace and Sabo looked at him. "Oyeee, we don't know if we can't trust him."
"He got beat up by the guy a lot and even talked back to him for hitting me. I think he's a good guy," Luffy smiled.
They both looked at me. "Are you going to betray us?"
I looked at them and said, "No," right away.
"Okay, bet."
"Hmm, that still doesn't solve our problem, guys. So what if Sora and I are sleeping in the forest and get jumped by the Bluejam Pirates?"
"You guys are gonna die," said Ace.
"You guys are gonna die," said Luffy.
"Okay. Here's my plan. Let's huddle up."