Ling, Sabo, Ace, Luffy, and Naguri sat around a firepit.
After rescuing the four boys, Naguri had led them to his camp—about thirty minutes from Grey Terminal and thirty minutes into the pirate coves.
The sun was setting in the west, the sky slowly deepening into twilight. It would be dark soon. In the center of the camp, a giant boar roasted slowly over the flames.
Since Luffy was always hungry around this time, Ace, Sabo, and Ling had hunted the animal on their way to camp.
Somehow, the topic had shifted to pirates. Any guesses how? Who else but Luffy could bring that up?
Naguri revealed that he had once been a pirate—the captain of the Naguri Pirates.
"What?! You're a pirate?" Sabo blurted, eyes wide.
"I always thought you were just some weird old guy obsessed with building strange things. Every time I saw you in Grey Terminal, someone was hassling you."
Ace silently nodded. He too had often seen the old man being pushed around whenever he and Sabo went to Grey Terminal.
But Luffy…
He was thinking about something else entirely. The way Naguri had scared the giant bear earlier reminded him of Shanks.
"Hihihihi!" He giggled to himself.
"You guys know nothing! That's how real pirates are!" Luffy declared proudly.
"Like you know anything, brat," Sabo shot back.
"I do! Shanks never kills people for no reason!" Luffy argued.
"Oi, it's done. Let's eat," Ace interrupted, slicing meat off the boar. He handed everyone a portion.
"Oh, thank you," Naguri said with a nod.
"So, what's a pirate captain doing in a place like this?" Ace asked.
Sabo and Luffy turned their attention to the old man.
Ling, meanwhile, just kept eating. He knew where this conversation was heading. It was playing out exactly the same way it had in the anime.
Soon, Ace would walk away at the mention of the name Roger. Then Sabo and Luffy would follow, leaving Ling with a chance to speak privately with Naguri.
'A few weeks ago, since I stopped sparring with Dexter and his gang, I started watching Naguri in Grey Terminal.'
'I learned what time he came and went and that he always visited twice a day—morning and afternoon. With to many eyes already on him, he wouldn't notice me watching him, even with Observation Haki.'
'Over time, I noticed his route. He always passed near the cave where the giant bear lived.'
'That's why I agreed to Sabo's request to fight the bear—because there was a good chance Naguri would show up.'
'Even if he didn't, we could've just outrun it. And if Ace had insisted on staying and fighting, I could've sent him seconds or minutes into the future, and bait the bear and run straight to Naguri's place.
Naguri puffed on his pipe. "Sure, I'll tell you. Ever heard of Gold Roger?"
Ace's expression darkened.
It was Luffy who responded first. "Yeah! He's the King of the Pirates!"
Naguri nodded. "We challenged him to a fight once. Got beaten badly, and not long after, my crew disbanded."
"Eh…" Luffy's excitement dipped.
Sabo and Ling stayed silent, listening.
"And that's how I ended up here," Naguri said, exhaling a trail of smoke.
"But still… you fought the Pirate King! That's so cool!" Luffy grinned.
The conversation drifted on. Luffy asked question after question, eyes shining with curiosity.
Ling didn't say much. Since Luffy was already training alongside him, Ace, and Sabo, he didn't ask Naguri for guidance.
Sabo, however, kept glancing at Ace. His friend looked angrier with each word.
Then Ace suddenly stood and walked away.
"Huh? Where'd Ace go?" Luffy asked.
"Well… about that," Sabo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"He left when old man Naguri mentioned the Pirate King. You see, Roger… he was Ace's father."
"WHAT?!" Luffy shouted, nearly falling over.
"Don't bring it up around him," Sabo warned quickly.
"He'll kill you."
"Why?" Luffy blinked in confusion.
"I think… he hates him," Sabo said quietly.
Sabo stood, ready to follow Ace.
"Ling, Luffy—come on."
"I'm going to talk to Naguri for a bit," Ling said instead.
"Alright. Let's go, Luffy," Sabo waved.
Once the two left, Naguri turned to Ling.
"What is it you wanted to ask?" he said, puffing smoke.
"How did you scare off that bear… just like that?" Ling asked, pretending to know nothing about Conqueror's Haki.
"Oh? So that's what you're curious about," Naguri said, puffing calmly on his pipe.
Ling nodded.
"Conqueror's Haki," Naguri answered simply.
"Ever heard of it?"
"No," Ling said, shaking his head.
"How can I obtain that power?"
Naguri didn't answer right away. He stroked his chin, considering.
"Hmm… do you have a dream? Ambition?"
"Yes. I want to travel the world freely," Ling replied without hesitation.
"Is that truly you want? Or want to believe?" Naguri asked.
He studied him a moment, then stood and walked into the trees without another word.
Ling blinked, staring into the fire.
'Why did he leave after asking that... What did he mean by that? Dream? Kingly ambition?'
Since he was a One Piece die hard fan, he already know that you need a kingly ambition and strong will to have a Conqueror's Haki, so he was confused by that question.
"And what does he mean 'What I truly want and want to believe' Am I missing something?' He thought.
When Ling returned to Dadan's house, Sabo and Luffy were already asleep, fresh lumps on their heads. Looks like Luffy had asked Ace about Roger anyway.
'Should've come back sooner,' Ling chuckled quietly.
Ace was asleep too, wrapped tightly in a blanket.
Ling leaned against the wall, folding his arms.
'Even now, I'm not strong enough to beat that bear. A month of training wasn't enough. The gap's still massive.'
'My old routines—running, lifting—they barely affect me now. I can train all day without tiring. This world's bodies are different. Using workouts from my old world is pointless.'
He sighed, eyes drifting to the ceiling.
'Another month or two, Garp might show up. His probably tied up with Reverie preparations. The Marines must be busy escorting nobles to Mariejois right now.'
"Fuck it. I'm sleeping early tonight."
A second later—Zzzzz…
Three more weeks passed.
During those three weeks, a lot of movement was happening in the world of One Piece.
Revolutionary Army continues their search for Nico Robin, who they call 'The Flame of Revolution'.
Pirate captain Mont Blanc arrives in Jaya Island. World renowned Dr. Hogback falls in love with a performer, Victoria Cindry. Then a few days later, Cindry dies from a tragic incident, making Hogback falls into depression.
Ling tightened his fist, focusing everything into his right arm. Muscles bulged, veins popping. With a full-force swing—
BAM!
The boulder shattered, fragments exploding across the ground.
Ace, Sabo, and Luffy came running at the sound.
"You're awesome, Ling!" Luffy beamed.
"Damn it, he's getting stronger than us…" Sabo muttered, fists clenched.
"I'll be the next one to shatter a boulder!" Ace declared.
"Grrr! I won't lose either!" Luffy shouted, punching a nearby tree—
BAM!
The trunk split clean in half.
Ace and Sabo froze in shock.
Ling calmly covered his ears.
"LET'S GOOOO!!" Luffy screamed, voice shaking the forest.
Another three weeks passed.
Hogback met Gecko Moria who offered him to revive Cindry using his devil fruit power in exchange for helping him raise zombies armies.
Days later, Moria steals a shadow from a maid called Margarita and used it to revived Cindry. This is also the time when Thriller Bark settles in Florian Triangle.
Ling had moved on to smashing medium-sized boulders—the size of small cars. Ace had managed to shatter a small boulder two days earlier, and Sabo had followed an hour later.
Luffy, meanwhile, had been pounding away at a boulder all week with nothing to show for it. But he'd improved enough to beat Dexter's gang of seven alone, though he still struggled.
Sparring records had shifted: Ling remained undefeated, while Sabo had overtaken Ace by three wins. Luffy still hadn't earned his first victory.
Ling's Rokushiki training had improved too.
For Shave, he can do up to three kicks instantly, sustaining it for thirty seconds.
And for Rankyaku, he can kick fast enough to create small shockwaves.
On Geppo he can stay airborne for two seconds—if he didn't fail.
"Since Ling, Ace, and I can smash boulders now, and Luffy can beat Dexter and the baboons, I say we celebrate!" Sabo suggested.
"I know a good place," he added.
"Let's go!" Ace, Ling, and Luffy agreed in unison.
After thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at the Great Gate—the only entrance to the Goa Kingdom.
An old man in a cloak shuffled forward, covered head to toe, a hump on his back, leaning heavily on a walking stick.
A guard stepped up. "Hey, what's in the package?"
"Animal pelts," the old man rasped.
"Go in," the guard nodded.
Before reaching the inner city, one had to pass through Edge Town—a rough area swarming with outlaws and thugs.
As the old man entered a narrow alley, thirty men surrounded him.
"Hey, old man! Leave your stuff and walk away!" sneered a thug with a baseball bat.
The others laughed, closing in tight.