Ling's breathing gradually settled as he turned toward the nearby window. The sun was already sinking beyond the horizon, filling the room with a warm orange glow that stretched across the wooden floor.
Makino remained beside the bed until Woop Slap gently tapped her shoulder.
"Let's give him some time, Makino. Go make the boy something to eat. Soup would probably be best."
She looked at Ling once more before nodding.
"Alright."
Makino left for the kitchen while Woop Slap headed outside to find something for his injuries.
The room soon became quiet.
Ling stared out the window for a while before looking toward the doorway they had disappeared through.
"Makino..."
He knew that face.
Green hair beneath a yellow kerchief, matching green eyes, and features he had seen countless times before.
Then there was the old man.
"Mayor Woop Slap..."
The glasses and unmistakable cleft chin left little room for doubt.
Ling had seen both of them long before waking in this room.
His gaze eventually dropped toward the small table beside the bed. A glass of water rested near the edge, its still surface reflecting his face.
A ten-year-old boy with dark hair and a round face looked back at him, a bandage wrapped around his forehead.
"Ling..."
He slowly raised a hand and touched his cheek.
Memories of the explosion and the endless darkness surfaced first. Then came ten years of another life: Selene teaching him how to read, Alfred returning from the bakery with flour covering his clothes, Susi preparing meals for the family, school, birthdays, stolen bentos, coconut pastries, and countless ordinary afternoons in Cozia.
For ten years, Ling had experienced those moments from behind the child's eyes without being able to control anything, but now they felt different.
He remembered watching Selene guide the child through his first words, but he also remembered sitting beside her and struggling to pronounce them. He remembered hearing Alfred laugh when the boy learned to walk, along with the weakness in those tiny legs. When Susi stayed beside him whenever he became sick, Ling remembered watching her and being the one lying there while she cared for him.
Both sides of those memories belonged to him.
There was no second voice somewhere inside his head. No separate child waiting to take control.
Ling lowered his hand and looked at his reflection again.
"I'm neither..."
He remained quiet for a moment.
"...I'm both."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm Ling."
About half an hour later, the sun had disappeared completely, leaving Foosha Village beneath the darkness of evening. The faint glow of lamps outside filtered through the window while Ling rested against the wooden wall behind the bed.
A knock came from the door.
"Come in."
His voice sounded weaker than he expected.
The door opened, and Makino stepped inside with a tray balanced carefully between both hands. A bowl of freshly cooked soup rested on top, thin trails of steam rising from the surface as the smell of fish and warm broth filled the room.
Ling's stomach immediately reminded him how long it had been since he'd eaten.
Makino noticed where he was looking and smiled.
"I brought you something to eat. Mayor said something warm would probably be easier for you."
She lowered the tray onto the table beside him.
"Are you feeling a little better now?"
Ling looked toward her.
Despite everything that had happened since waking up, he still hadn't properly introduced himself.
He straightened as much as his injured body allowed.
"My name is Ling, and you have my gratitude."
He lowered his head respectfully.
Makino blinked before smiling.
"No worries, Ling. My name is Makino."
She paused.
"You can call me Sister Makino."
Ling looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Sister Makino."
Her smile widened slightly.
Makino picked up the spoon, scooped some broth along with a small piece of fish, and blew gently across it before holding it toward him.
"Here."
Ling hesitated.
He tried lifting one arm, only for a dull ache to run through it.
'Maybe not.'
He opened his mouth instead.
The soup was simple, but after everything he'd been through, the warm broth tasted far better than he expected.
Makino prepared another spoonful.
"You need to eat while it's warm. It'll help you recover."
Ling didn't argue.
By the time the bowl was empty, some of the weakness weighing down his body had eased. He leaned back against the bed while Makino gathered the tray.
The door opened again not long afterward.
Woop Slap stepped inside carrying a small bundle of herbs, several leaves and stems sticking out between his fingers.
"Mayor, you're back."
Makino moved a chair closer for him.
Woop Slap sat down and studied Ling for a moment.
"Finally settled down?"
"Mayor," Makino said, "his name is Ling."
Woop Slap looked toward him.
"Ling?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"To rise above, is it? That's a good name."
Ling paused.
'To rise above...'
It was the name Tessa had given him in this world.
"Makino, crush these for me."
Woop Slap's voice pulled his attention back.
Makino accepted the bundle and began grinding the herbs together. Before long, a sharp scent spread through the room as the leaves became a thick green paste.
"These came from Namonaki," Woop Slap explained. "They work well for injuries like yours."
He glanced toward Ling's bandages.
"If you rest properly and don't do anything stupid, you should be back on your feet within a week."
Ling raised an eyebrow.
Makino noticed.
"That means no trying to wander around before you're ready."
"I wasn't planning to."
Woop Slap gave him a doubtful look.
Ling decided not to argue.
Makino carefully removed the old bandages and began spreading the herbal paste across his bruises and wounds. The mixture felt unexpectedly cool against his skin, and Ling tensed slightly.
"Cold?"
"A little."
"It'll pass."
Once she finished, Makino wrapped clean bandages around him and gathered the used cloth.
"There. Done."
Woop Slap rose from the chair.
"Get some rest."
Ling nodded.
"Thank you, Mayor."
He then looked toward Makino.
"And thank you, Sister Makino."
Makino smiled.
"Sleep well."
The two eventually left, and the door closed behind them.
Ling remained sitting against the bed for a while before something Woop Slap had said returned to his mind.
'Namonaki...'
He searched through everything he remembered about Dawn Island, but no place by that name came to mind.
As far as Ling knew, Namonaki had never appeared in One Piece.
'Namonaki Village?'
A faint smile appeared on his face.
'There's still a lot of Dawn Island the story never showed.'
Ling lowered himself onto the bed and finally allowed his exhausted body to rest.