By the fourth day, walking had become considerably easier.
Ling's injured leg still ached whenever he put too much weight on it, but compared to barely being able to move a few days earlier, the improvement was obvious.
Naturally, the moment he became confident enough to walk around without constantly worrying about falling over, he found himself returning to Party's Bar.
The morning rush had already passed by the time he arrived. Only a handful of villagers remained inside, talking quietly over drinks while Makino stood behind the counter wiping down several glasses.
She looked up when the door opened and smiled.
"Good morning, Ling."
"Good morning, Sister Makino."
Her gaze briefly dropped toward his leg as he approached.
"You're walking much better today."
Ling nodded.
"It feels better too."
"Does it still hurt?"
He hesitated.
"...A little."
"Then sit down for a while."
Makino nodded toward the counter.
"You've already walked all the way here."
Ling didn't argue. He made his way toward one of the stools, and as he climbed onto it, his gaze wandered toward the wall behind the counter.
A wanted poster hung there.
The red hair, three scars across the left eye, and familiar grin made the face impossible to mistake.
'Shanks.'
Ling's attention dropped toward the bounty printed beneath his name. It read 1,004,000,000 Berries.
'Elegia.'
Late last year, the Red Hair Pirates had spent time in Foosha Village with Selene traveling alongside them before leaving sometime before winter. Selene had later continued toward Loguetown.
Then, early this year, the incident on Elegia had taken place.
Uta's power had awakened Tot Musica, the island had been devastated, and the Red Hair Pirates had taken the blame before leaving her behind. Shanks had apparently returned to Foosha briefly afterward before departing again, roughly two months before Ling himself washed ashore.
Ling looked at the bounty once more.
'So Elegia is already over...'
There wasn't much for him to do while his leg was still recovering, so Ling eventually wandered behind the counter and began helping Makino with some of the simpler work. He wiped tables, carried empty cups, and cleaned whatever he could reach without putting too much strain on himself.
Makino let him help, though anything remotely heavy had a habit of disappearing from his hands before he could carry it very far.
By the third time, Ling looked at her.
"I can carry that."
"I know."
Makino placed the small crate beneath the counter, then pointed toward the cups waiting nearby.
"You can take those instead."
Ling looked at the stack.
"...Fair enough."
He returned to work.
The familiar motions gradually brought back memories. The wooden counter, the smell of food, and the sight of people sitting around eating and talking reminded him of his family's bakery in Cozia.
Ling's movements slowed.
Makino noticed but continued cleaning beside him for a while before asking quietly,
"Thinking about something?"
Ling nodded.
"Home."
Makino paused for a moment, then returned to the glass in her hands without asking anything else.
Ling's gaze eventually drifted toward the kitchen.
An idea came to him.
"Sister Makino."
"Hm?"
"Do you have coconut?"
She glanced toward the kitchen.
"I think so. Why?"
A small smile appeared on Ling's face.
"I want to make something."
---
Not long afterward, the warm smell of freshly baked coconut bread filled Party's Bar.
Ling couldn't handle everything himself with his leg still recovering, so Makino took care of the heavier work while he guided her through the recipe and helped wherever he could.
The steps came naturally.
He had watched Alfred make coconut bread countless times, and the younger Ling had helped often enough back in Cozia that he barely needed to think about what came next.
When the first batch was finished, Makino broke off a small piece and tasted it.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"This is really good."
Ling smiled.
"My dad always said customers should taste what they're paying for."
The words left his mouth naturally.
Then his hand stopped.
The smell wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough that he could almost picture Alfred behind the counter again, hear Susi somewhere nearby, and see Selene stealing a piece before it had properly cooled.
Makino quietly placed another piece in front of him.
"Then the baker should taste it too."
Ling looked at her before taking it.
"...Yeah."
He bit into the bread.
It was warm, sweet, and familiar.
For the first time since arriving in Foosha Village, something tasted like home.
The villagers apparently agreed.
By the end of the morning, there wasn't any left.
---
The following day, Makino asked Ling if he wanted to make another batch.
Several villagers had already begun asking when there would be more, something Ling found slightly amusing. He hadn't intended to accidentally add one of his family's recipes to Party's Bar's menu.
Still, he didn't mind making it again.
While helping Makino that morning, Ling noticed that the injuries beneath his bandages barely hurt anymore.
That reminded him of something.
"Sister Makino."
"Hm?"
"Namonaki Village is where Mayor got those herbs, right?"
Makino looked up from the glass she was cleaning.
"That's right."
"Is it far from here?"
"Not really." She thought for a moment. "Only about a kilometer. People from Foosha go there fairly often."
Ling raised an eyebrow.
'That close?'
He had assumed it was somewhere farther across Dawn Island.
"What kind of village is it?"
"Mostly farming," Makino explained. "They grow rice, vegetables, medicinal herbs, things like that. Foosha gets some of its supplies from there."
Ling nodded.
"Are there other villages nearby?"
"There's Pinwhale Village farther north."
"Pinwhale?"
"They have more hunters there. Animal hides are one of the things they're known for."
Neither village had ever appeared in One Piece.
Ling found himself becoming increasingly curious about what else might exist beyond the places the original story had focused on.
---
By the sixth day, Ling's injuries had healed enough that staying around Foosha Village was beginning to make him restless.
That morning, he found Gyoru preparing his boat near the docks. Ling watched him load his equipment for several moments before speaking.
"Can I come with you?"
Gyoru stopped what he was doing and looked him over, his gaze briefly settling on Ling's injured leg.
"You sure you're feeling up to it? You're still recovering."
"I'm almost healed."
Gyoru scratched the side of his face.
"Almost isn't quite the same as healed."
Ling couldn't argue with that.
"I'll be careful."
Gyoru studied him for another moment before smiling.
"Alright. You can come."
Ling's expression brightened slightly.
"Really?"
"Sure. Just listen to what I tell you and don't push yourself if your leg starts hurting."
Ling nodded.
"I won't."
"Good."
Gyoru gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning back toward the boat.
"Come on, then. I'll show you what I can."
The trip wasn't particularly exciting, which Ling quickly realized was probably a good thing.
Fishing wasn't some dramatic battle against the ocean. Most of it was ordinary work—preparing lines, handling ropes, checking nets, watching the water, and cleaning whatever they caught.
Gyoru patiently showed him how fishermen handled the ropes and explained how they watched changes in the wind, currents, seabirds, and the movement of fish near the surface. Whenever Ling had a question, he answered without complaint and made sure the boy understood before moving on.
Ling listened carefully.
None of it would help him win a fight, but in a world dominated by oceans, knowing how to work around the sea was useful, especially for someone who could no longer swim.
At one point, Ling found himself staring across the open water.
The calm surface brought back the towering wave, the darkness inside the barrel, and Alfred's final words.
'Live.'
His fingers tightened around the rope in his hands.
"You alright, kid?"
Gyoru's voice pulled his attention back.
Ling blinked and looked toward him.
"I'm fine."
Gyoru watched him for a moment before giving a small nod. He didn't ask anything else and simply returned to the net in his hands.
Ling did the same.
---
The following morning, Ling woke without pain.
He climbed out of bed and took several steps toward the door before stopping.
Ling looked down at his leg, bent his knee, and shifted his weight onto it.
There was no pain.
He tried again, putting his full weight down before taking several normal steps across the room.
Still no pain.
A smile appeared on his face.
'Fully recovered.'
Ling checked the rest of his body. The bruising had almost completely faded, the swelling was gone, and movements that had bothered him only a day or two earlier caused no discomfort.
By the time he entered the main room, Woop Slap was already sitting at the table with his newspaper.
Ling walked past him normally.
The newspaper lowered slightly.
Ling stopped.
"What?"
Woop Slap adjusted his glasses.
"Your leg."
Ling glanced down.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Hmm."
The mayor looked him over for another moment before raising his newspaper again.
Ling watched him briefly, then continued toward the kitchen.
Not long afterward, he joined Gyoru at the docks.
Moving around the boat felt completely different this time. There were no careful steps or lingering soreness, and Gyoru noticed almost immediately.
"You're moving better today."
Ling nodded.
"Everything stopped hurting."
The fisherman looked him over.
"Everything?"
"Pretty much."
A relieved smile appeared on Gyoru's face.
"That's good. I was worried you might've pushed yourself too much yesterday."
"I'm fine."
"Glad to hear it."
Gyoru scratched the side of his face.
"Those herbs really are something."
Ling smiled slightly.
"Maybe."
He didn't think much more about it.
By the time they returned to Foosha Village, Ling had decided not to rush toward Mt. Colubo.
There was still plenty he could learn around Foosha. He could continue helping Gyoru, begin strengthening his body properly, and prepare himself before heading into the mountain.
Once he was ready, Mt. Colubo would be next.