By the third day, Ling could finally walk without needing to support himself against the walls.
Calling it walking might have been giving himself a little too much credit.
His injured leg still ached whenever he put too much weight on it, forcing him to move slower than usual. Compared to yesterday, though, when crossing Woop Slap's house without grabbing onto something had felt like an achievement worthy of celebration, this was already a huge improvement.
More importantly, after spending the past few days either unconscious or recovering indoors, Ling desperately wanted some fresh air.
After carefully testing his leg and making sure it could support him, he pushed open the door and stepped outside for the first time.
Warm sunlight fell across his face as a gentle sea breeze drifted through the village, carrying the familiar smell of saltwater and fish along with the faint scent of wood and cooking fires from the nearby houses.
Ling narrowed his eyes slightly and looked around.
'So this is Foosha Village...'
Foosha was far smaller than the city Ling had grown up in back in Cozia. Rustic wooden houses lined the dirt roads, while several windmills rose above the nearby buildings, their broad blades turning beneath the morning breeze.
Farther ahead, the road eventually led toward the docks. Fishing boats rested beside wooden piers as fishermen moved back and forth carrying nets, baskets, ropes, and whatever else they needed for another day at sea.
By Ling's rough estimate, there couldn't have been more than a hundred people living here, perhaps even fewer.
Compared to Cozia, it was tiny.
Still, he didn't dislike it.
People greeted one another whenever they crossed paths, shop owners chatted casually with their neighbors instead of hurriedly calling out to passing customers, and children ran between the houses without anyone seeming particularly worried about where they were going.
It felt less like a town and more like one enormous neighborhood where everyone knew everyone else.
Ling watched a group of children disappear around the corner of a nearby house. His gaze lingered there for a moment before wandering toward another street, then another.
'No Luffy...'
He wasn't deliberately searching for him, but it was difficult not to keep an eye out. Luffy lived somewhere in this tiny village, and Ling couldn't help wondering when a familiar black-haired boy might suddenly come running around a corner.
When no such boy appeared, Ling looked beyond the rooftops instead.
A massive forest-covered mountain dominated the landscape behind the village: Mt. Colubo.
'Grey Terminal is somewhere past there...'
The Goa Kingdom's capital stood farther inland, separated from Foosha Village by Mt. Colubo and the enormous forest surrounding it. Somewhere within those woods also lived several groups of mountain bandits, including one particular woman Ling remembered very well.
'Dadan...'
A small smile appeared on his face.
He would probably meet her eventually.
Ace and Sabo should be somewhere around the mountain too, most likely getting themselves into trouble at that very moment.
For a second, Ling considered finding out exactly where they were.
Then a dull throb came from his injured leg.
He looked down.
'Not yet.'
He had only just managed to walk outside without looking like a newborn deer. Climbing Mt. Colubo in his current condition would be less of an adventure and more of an extremely stupid way to reopen his injuries.
Ace, Sabo, Dadan, and everyone else could wait until his body had actually recovered.
Ling turned toward the sea.
From here, the waters surrounding Foosha looked perfectly peaceful. Fishing boats moved lazily near the coast while sunlight glittered across the surface.
Somewhere beneath those waters, however, lived something considerably less peaceful.
'The Lord of the Coast...'
The enormous eel-like creature prowled the waters around Foosha Village. Compared to the monsters found elsewhere in the world, it wasn't especially impressive.
That didn't make it harmless.
Ling certainly wouldn't forget the role it would eventually play in Luffy's childhood.
His gaze remained on the water for another moment before returning to the village.
It was strange seeing everything so ordinary.
Shanks had spent time here. Luffy was growing up somewhere among these houses, while Ace and Sabo were beyond the mountain. Dragon had been born in the Goa Kingdom.
Yet an old woman nearby was hanging laundry outside her house, a fisherman farther down the road was loudly complaining about the price of rope, and somewhere between the houses, a dog had apparently decided that barking furiously at a windmill was an excellent use of its morning.
A faint smile appeared on Ling's face.
Then he remembered why he had come outside.
His first destination was Gyoru, the fisherman who had found him on the beach and saved his life.
Ling made his way through the village at a careful pace, keeping most of his weight off the injured leg whenever the ache returned. His eyes still wandered toward the occasional side street or group of children as he walked.
Once, a black-haired boy darted between two houses.
Ling's attention immediately snapped toward him.
The child turned around.
'Nope.'
He continued walking.
His appearance quickly attracted attention.
Foosha Village was a quiet, close-knit place, and news about the mysterious injured boy Gyoru had carried back from the shore had apparently already spread through most of it.
"Hey, isn't that the kid Gyoru found?"
"He's awake already?"
"Careful there, boy. Don't push yourself too hard."
Ling smiled awkwardly and nodded whenever someone greeted him. These people didn't know him, yet several still stopped to ask how he was feeling, while others immediately gave him directions when he asked where he could find Gyoru.
Finding the fisherman wasn't difficult.
After following the directions through a few streets, Ling spotted him behind a small fish stall, arranging his merchandise. Fresh fish lay across beds of crushed ice, their scales glistening beneath the sunlight, while pieces of dried and smoked fish hung from wooden racks behind him. Salt, smoke, and fresh seafood mixed in the air around the stall.
Gyoru was speaking with a customer when his gaze happened to wander toward the street.
The moment he noticed Ling, his face lit up.
"Oh!"
He immediately raised one hand.
"Kid! You're awake!"
Ling smiled and approached the stall. Once he stopped in front of Gyoru, however, his expression became more serious.
"Thank you for saving me, Gyoru-san."
He bent forward into a deep bow.
Gyoru stared at him for a moment before hurriedly waving both hands.
"Hey, hey! None of that."
Ling straightened.
"It's nothing, really," Gyoru continued with a wide smile. "I'm just glad you're alright."
Before Ling could answer, the fisherman turned toward the racks behind him.
"Here, take this."
He grabbed several pieces of smoked and dried fish and began packing them into a small bundle.
Ling blinked.
"Huh?"
By the time he realized what Gyoru was doing, the fisherman was already tying the package shut.
Ling quickly shook his head.
"No, I can't accept that. I already owe you so much, Gyoru-san."
Gyoru looked at him as though he'd just said something ridiculous.
"No can do."
He pushed the bundle toward him.
"It's a celebration gift—for waking up safe and sound."
Ling hesitated.
"But—"
"Come on, kid."
Gyoru grinned.
"Just take it. Think of it as a present from an old man."
Ling looked down at the package, then back at Gyoru's stubborn expression.
'He's really not going to take no for an answer, is he?'
He sighed inwardly and accepted the bundle with both hands.
"...Thank you."
Gyoru immediately laughed.
"That's better!"
They talked for several more minutes. Gyoru asked about Ling's recovery, while Ling assured him that Makino and Woop Slap had been taking good care of him. The fisherman still warned him more than once not to overdo things simply because he could walk again.
Eventually, after thanking Gyoru once more, Ling tucked the bundle of fish beneath his arm and continued toward Party's Bar.
By then, his injured leg was beginning to protest. The pain wasn't severe, but the dull ache that had faded earlier was steadily returning.
Ling frowned.
'Maybe Gyoru was right.'
Apparently, being able to walk again didn't mean he should immediately spend the entire day wandering around the village.
Still, Party's Bar wasn't far.
He could rest once he got there.
As Ling turned onto another street, a familiar figure happened to be walking toward him.
Woop Slap noticed him almost immediately.
"Oh, Ling!"
His eyebrows rose as he looked the boy over.
"You're out and about already. Feeling better?"
Ling stopped in front of him and nodded.
"Yes, much better now, Mayor. I was just heading to Sister Makino's bar."
Woop Slap's gaze dropped briefly toward the bundle beneath Ling's arm.
"Visited Gyoru, did you?"
"I wanted to thank him properly."
"Hmm."
A small approving smile appeared on the mayor's face.
"Good."
He adjusted his glasses and gestured down the road.
"Mind if I walk with you?"
"Of course not."
The two continued toward the bar together.
Woop Slap naturally slowed his steps to match Ling's pace without mentioning the limp. Around them, fishermen carried baskets toward the docks, neighbors spoke across wooden fences, and the occasional villager greeted the mayor as they passed.
Before long, Party's Bar came into view.
Even before they reached the entrance, Ling could hear laughter, overlapping conversations, and glasses clinking against wooden tables.
Woop Slap pushed open the door.
Ling stepped inside and looked around.
The bar was busier than he had expected. Villagers occupied several tables, drinking and chatting among themselves, while others sat along the counter. The smell of food and alcohol hung faintly in the air beneath the constant hum of conversation.
'What a busy bar...'
Behind the counter, Makino moved easily from one customer to another. She poured drinks, collected empty glasses, wiped down the counter, and occasionally stopped to exchange a few words with one of the regulars.
Her eyes eventually wandered toward the entrance.
The moment she noticed Ling, she smiled.
"Ling."
She placed the glass in her hand onto the counter and looked him over as he approached, her gaze briefly dropping toward his careful steps.
"You're already walking around?"
"A little."
"Does it still hurt?"
Ling hesitated.
"...A little."
Makino nodded toward an empty seat at the counter.
"Then come sit down. You've already walked enough for today."
Ling didn't argue.
A few nearby villagers glanced toward him, clearly recognizing the boy everyone had been talking about. Some offered friendly smiles or brief greetings, but no one crowded around him or started asking questions.
Ling was grateful for that.
He reached the counter and carefully climbed onto one of the stools.
Then he noticed something.
His feet were dangling several inches above the floor.
Ling stared at them.
For some reason, this felt slightly insulting.
He quietly looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed.
Woop Slap took the seat beside him and unfolded his newspaper.
Makino came around the counter carrying a glass of water. She stopped when she noticed Ling's feet, then quietly walked to the side of the counter, picked up a small wooden footrest, and placed it beneath them.
"There."
Ling lowered his feet onto it and immediately felt more comfortable.
"Thank you, Sister Makino."
"You're welcome."
Makino rested a hand lightly against the top of his head before returning behind the counter.
"Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"I'll make you something."
"You don't have to. Gyoru already gave me fish."
Makino glanced toward the bundle beneath his arm.
"Then we'll save that for later. You still need something warm."
Before Ling could object, she had already turned toward the kitchen.
He watched her disappear through the doorway, then slowly lowered his gaze toward the wooden footrest beneath his shoes.
'...I really need to grow taller.'