Should I make Ling knowledgeable about where to go and what to look.
OR...
Or go blind...
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Most of the comments says go blind so I'll go on that route!!!
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Three months later.
At the docking station of Foosha Village on Dawn Island, the first light of dawn spilled across the harbor, painting the sea in soft gold.
"Ling, why don't you take more fish with you?" Gaimon called out, hefting a basket of freshly caught tuna.
The same fisherman who had found Ling unconscious on the beach all those years ago now looked up at the towering young man before him.
"Hahaha, Gaimon, my boat's already packed with food. If I take any more, I'll sink before I even leave the harbor," Ling replied with a wide grin.
"The little kid I found on the shore is now more than twice my size…" Gaimon muttered with a nostalgic sigh.
"Seven years… it feels like yesterday."
Nearby, the mayor approached with his hands behind his back.
"Why not take a bigger boat?" he asked.
"This one's fine!" Ling said.
"I'll find a proper ship out there somewhere."
He turned to Makino and grinned.
"Makino, I hope you find a husband soon! You're getting old!"
"Hey!" she pouted, folding her arms.
"Make sure to take care of yourself. Eat properly," she added with a small smile.
"Take care, Ling!" Luffy shouted from the dock, waving.
"I'll see you out at sea, Luffy!" Ling called back as he untied the rope and pushed off from the dock.
"I'll grow even stronger than you!" Luffy yelled.
"And I'll become the King of the Pirates!"
Makino watched Ling's boat drift away.
"He's finally gone, Mayor… I'm going to miss him."
The mayor crossed his arms and gave a gruff snort.
"It's a disgrace to the village to become a pirate," he muttered.
After drifting at sea for almost a full day, Ling finally spotted something on the horizon.
A small boat, floating alone in the vast ocean.
He didn't rush. Instead, he took his time and rowed toward it.
"Since Luffy's journey is the main focus of the story, there's never been an official world map," Ling muttered to himself.
"All I remember are the islands Luffy visited. And since I don't want to interfere with his future, I'll have to take a different path."
He leaned back slightly, gazing into the endless blue.
"But just because I haven't seen a map doesn't mean it doesn't exist now that I'm actually here. I should've broken into a noble's house and stolen one when I had the chance…"
"Well, at least I have a compass. If I really need a map, I can head for Loguetown, northwest, if I remember correctly."
"With this tiny boat, it might take months. Maybe even a year if I keep drifting like this. And I'm terrible with directions... I really need a navigator."
"A navigator is probably the most important member of a crew. Before I even think about reaching the Grand Line, I need to find one."
"A doctor too. This world's too dangerous not to have one onboard. But I'm not going to take just anyone."
"What I need in a crew are loyalty, ambition, and potential."
After about five more minutes of rowing, Ling finally reached the small boat.
"Hm? Smells like food… Is this a food stall? On a boat? In the middle of nowhere?" he mumbled, raising an eyebrow.
"Oi, kid! You buying or what? I sell oden, the best in East Blue!" an old man called out.
The curtain over the little stall was pulled back, revealing a tanned, bald-headed man standing behind the counter.
"Oh?! Really? I'll have some then!" Ling's eyes lit up.
Though his dream was never to be alone again, his love for adventure, exploring new cultures, and tasting food from around the world hadn't changed a bit.
"I'll have ten bowls of oden, please!" he said, eagerly taking a seat.
'Foreshadowing?' He chuckled internally.
Then he stood up and struck a dramatic pose.
"Oden wouldn't be Oden if it wasn't boiled!"
Ling declared, mimicking Kozuki Oden's stance and expression perfectly.
"Hahaha! You're a funny kid," the old man laughed.
"I'm Ganzo. And since you dared question my oden, I'll give you one bowl free. The other nine'll cost you."
"Eleven berries each, so that's ninety-nine total."
Ling blinked.
"Huh…?"
Ganzo gave him a sideways look.
"Don't tell me you think that's too expensive."
"No, no...it's cheap!" Ling replied quickly.
How can you earn money with that price and by the look of this place, you don't have customers to often."
"I just love cooking oden. Alright then. Eat up before it gets overcooked. What's your name, kid?"
"I'm Ling!" he answered, already halfway through the first bowl.
"This is delicious!"
Ganzo smiled.
Just as Ling was about to start on his fourth bowl, he heard splashing.
Three figures were paddling quickly toward the stall on a wooden plank.
"What's going on out there?" Ganzo muttered, stepping forward to get a better look.
"Tobio!" Ganzo called out as the small group approached.
"Grandpa…" Tobio mumbled.
Meanwhile, Ling continued eating, unbothered by the sudden arrival.
"How many times are you going to run off before you're satisfied?" Ganzo crossed his arms, glaring at the boy.
"You always disappear and come back like nothing happened!"
"No, I don't! My henchmen were hungry, so I thought I'd get them some oden," Tobio defended himself.
"Henchmen?" Ganzo raised an eyebrow and turned to the two ragged men now bowing in front of Ling.
"Please! Give us something to eat... we haven't had anythingin days," one of them pleaded.
"We promise we'll pay you back someday, just not today! Pirates robbed us this morning!" the other added.
Ling tilted his head.
"Then what'll you give me in return?"
"We're treasure hunters!" the first man said.
"Once we find Woonan's treasure, we'll pay you back in full."
"Now that's interesting," Ling said, suddenly more alert.
"What're your names?"
"I'm Danso, and this is Danzo," he said, pointing at the man beside him.
Ling nodded thoughtfully, then pushed his last bowl of oden toward them.
"So… who's this Woonan you're talking about?" he asked.
"The Great Gold Pirate!" Tobio jumped in, eyes shining.
"Besides the Pirate King, Gold Roger, Woonan is the second most successful pirate to ever come out of East Blue!" the boy said proudly.
"They say he stole a third of the world's gold, but only from scumbags. He never touched honest folks."
"Heh?!" Ling raised a brow, amused.
'That's ridiculous,' he thought.
'Even if he had an island made of gold, it wouldn't make a dent in the world's total gold.'
He was intrigued.
"So he's strong, then?" Ling asked, now genuinely curious.
"Woonan is invincible! They say he's on the Island of Gold. I just know it!" Tobio declared.
While still chewing, Danzo chimed in,
"We were chasing his treasure, but this afternoon we got ambushed by pirates."
"What a crappy day…" Danso sighed.
"Right after we were robbed, we ran into Eldoraggo the most fearsome pirate around here. He's got a bounty of 10 million berries."
"And then we heard this deafening roar, and out of nowhere, a beam shot through the ocean and blew our ship apart."
'A roar and a beam? That sounds like a Devil Fruit power,' Ling thought, narrowing his eyes.
'But in East Blue? That's rare. The only Devil Fruit I remember appearing here later is Alvida's smooth-smooth fruit."
'Still… a hidden island, a legendary pirate, treasure, and a Devil Fruit user? Sounds like a damn good adventure.' A grin slowly crept across his face.
"Danso, do you know where this Gold Island is?" he asked.
"We had a map… but our brother Branxo had it. He got separated from us when our ship was destroyed."
"But we were close to the island when Eldoraggo attacked. I know how to get there. If we leave now, we can reach it before sunset."
"Perfect," Ling said, standing up.
"I'll help you get your treasure back."
"What?" Danzo blinked in confusion.
"You got robbed this morning, and Eldoraggo showed up right after, right?" Ling asked calmly.
Realization dawned on both men. They nodded.
"So here's the deal. I'll help you get your treasure back, but anything valuable we find belongs to me," Ling declared with a smile, eyes shut in mock serenity.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Danso slammed the counter.
"It took us half a year to gather info on Woonan's treasure!"
Still smiling, Ling clenched his fist and with a swift punch through the air, released a shockwave that rippled across the ocean's surface.
Waves surged outward, shaking the food boat.
Ganzo and Tobio braced themselves. The air trembled with the force of Ling's strike.
Danso and Danzo immediately dropped to their knees, clutching his leg.
"No-no-no, that was just a joke! We'll take you! We'll take you there right now!" Danso stammered, drenched in sweat.
"Wouldn't you owe me again since I gave you food?" Ling casually said.
"Yes...yes..." Danzo shaking.
Tobio suddenly stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Hey! I won't let you hurt Woonan, and I'm not gonna let you steal his treasure either!" he shouted.
"I'm going to join his crew and go on an adventure with him!" He dropped into a clumsy fighting stance.
"Let's go!" Ling jumped on his boat.
Danso and Danzo followed.
"Hey!! Don't ignore me!" Tobio shouted.