Not long after making his deal with Naguri, Ling decided it was time to head back.
Night had already settled over the secluded cove, and although his own camp was several miles farther up Mt. Colubo, he still remembered the route they had taken earlier.
"I'll come back tomorrow."
Naguri glanced toward him from beside the fire.
"You could stay here tonight, noshi. Let those injuries heal first."
Ling looked down at the scratches along his arms. The marks left by the wolves had already faded considerably compared to when he first arrived.
"I'm already healed."
Naguri's hand stopped halfway toward his pipe.
His thick eyebrows lifted, revealing the eyes normally hidden beneath them as he looked more closely at Ling's arms.
"You... have a Devil Fruit, noshi?"
Ling hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Yeah."
Naguri was going to be teaching him from now on, so hiding the fact that he had eaten a Devil Fruit would only become more troublesome later. That didn't mean Ling intended to tell him everything about it yet.
"What kind?" Naguri asked.
"I'm keeping that part to myself for now."
Naguri studied him for a few seconds before the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Fair enough, noshi."
Ling flexed one arm while looking at the remaining scratches.
He had started noticing the difference only after moving onto Mt. Colubo.
Back in Foosha Village, Ling had assumed the herbs from Namonaki Village were simply unusually effective. The injuries covering his body after he washed ashore had healed far faster than expected, and even Grandpa Mayor had looked surprised when Ling recovered completely.
At the time, there hadn't been much reason to question it.
Several days of constant training on Mt. Colubo had changed that.
Bruises that should have taken a couple of days to disappear could fade within half a day. When Ling exhausted himself through training, the fatigue that should have lingered for several hours could sometimes disappear after roughly an hour of proper rest.
The scratches from the wolves were only the latest example.
'So it wasn't the herbs.'
His recovery wasn't anything close to regeneration. Injuries still needed time to heal, and exhaustion didn't disappear the moment he stopped moving. His body simply recovered far faster than it normally should.
'The Toki Toki no Mi...'
Ling still didn't know exactly how the fruit was affecting him, but the pattern was becoming difficult to ignore.
'That explains why Grandpa Mayor looked so shocked.'
Naguri was still watching him from across the fire.
Ling lowered his arm.
"I'll be fine."
Naguri remained quiet for another moment before nodding.
"Then don't get lost on the way back, noshi."
"I won't."
Ling picked up his things and left the cove.
---
The next morning, Ling woke early and started toward Naguri's camp.
His own temporary base lay farther up Mt. Colubo, while Naguri's cove was closer to the midway forest leading toward Grey Terminal. Several miles separated the two places, and even at a steady jog, Ling needed close to an hour to cover the distance.
He didn't mind. Running through the uneven terrain had already become part of his daily training.
By the time the familiar rocky path between the cliffs appeared ahead, Ling's breathing had quickened slightly, but he still had plenty of energy left.
Naguri was already waiting near the cave.
"Morning."
"Morning, noshi."
Ling glanced toward the cart they had used the previous evening. After seeing the piles of scrap scattered around the cove, he had assumed they would be heading toward Grey Terminal to gather more materials.
"So, are we going to Grey Terminal?"
"No need, noshi."
Naguri reached beside the cave, picked up an axe, and held it toward him.
Ling accepted it.
"...What's this for?"
"Come with me."
Naguri turned toward the forest, leaving Ling to follow with the axe resting against his shoulder.
They didn't travel particularly far before the old pirate stopped beside a large tree. Its trunk was unusually thick, covered from root to branch in dark, rough bark that looked noticeably different from the surrounding trees.
Naguri pointed toward it.
"Cut it down, noshi."
Ling looked up at the tree before adjusting his grip on the axe.
"That's all?"
"That's all."
After everything he had imagined helping with an unfinished ship might involve, cutting down a tree sounded simple enough.
Ling raised the axe and swung.
Thunk!
The impact traveled straight through the handle and into his arms.
Ling frowned at the shallow mark left behind before raising the axe and striking again. The second blow barely did any better.
"What kind of tree is this?"
"Ironwood, noshi."
Ling slowly looked over his shoulder.
"You could've mentioned that before."
Naguri grinned.
"No-shi-shi-shi-shi-shi!"
Ling watched the old man walk away before turning back toward the trunk.
'Fine.'
He tightened his grip and swung again.
The task quickly proved far more troublesome than he had expected.
The ironwood was incredibly dense. Every strike removed only a small amount from the trunk, and the repeated impacts gradually spread from Ling's hands into his forearms and shoulders. He adjusted his footing, changed the angle of his swings, and kept working even as sweat began running down his face.
Nearly two hours later, Ling finally lowered the axe and stepped back.
His palms ached around the handle, his shirt was damp with sweat, and he had only managed to cut through roughly half of the trunk.
Ling stared at the result.
'Two hours just for half...'
He had seriously underestimated it.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Naguri returned along the trail and stopped beside him. His gaze moved from Ling's exhausted appearance to the half-cut tree, and a familiar grin appeared across his face.
"Still working on it, noshi?"
Ling gave him a tired look.
"Do you want to try?"
Naguri held out his hand.
"Give me the axe."
Ling handed it over.
Naguri stepped toward the tree, shifted the axe onto one shoulder, and swung with a single casual motion.
Thunk!
The blade passed cleanly through the remaining section.
The enormous tree leaned to one side before crashing heavily onto the forest floor.
Ling remained where he was, staring at the fallen ironwood while Naguri casually lowered the axe.
"No-shi-shi-shi-shi-shi!"
'I spent two hours on that.'
Ling looked down at his sore hands before glancing toward Naguri again.
The difference between them was ridiculous.
Instead of discouraging him, the sight only made Ling tighten his fingers around the axe when Naguri handed it back.
'I'll get there.'
Naguri noticed the change in his expression.
There was no frustration or complaint in the boy's face anymore, only the same determination he had shown the night before.
The old pirate gave a small approving smile.
'Good, noshi.'
"Bring the cart."
Ling nodded.
"Alright."
He returned a short while later pulling the same heavy cart Naguri had used the previous day. By then, Naguri was standing beside the fallen ironwood.
Ling stopped nearby and looked from the cart to the enormous trunk.
"How are we getting that back?"
Naguri bent down, slid his hands beneath the tree, and lifted.
Ling's eyes widened as the entire ironwood rose from the ground.
The tree had to weigh several tons, yet Naguri simply settled it across his shoulders and adjusted its position before looking toward him.
"Ready, noshi?"
Ling stared for another second before grabbing the cart handles.
"...Yeah."
After watching the man send a giant bear flying with a staff and cut through half an ironwood tree in one swing, Ling was beginning to think he should stop being surprised.
---
Once they returned to the cove, Naguri carried the ironwood toward the unfinished ship and immediately began chopping it into smaller sections.
Ling spent the rest of the morning doing whatever the old pirate told him to do. He pulled the cart around the cove, moved materials where Naguri needed them, brought over tools, and carried the pieces of timber and scrap that he could handle while Naguri continued working through the massive tree.
By the time Ling finally stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead, nearly half the day had passed.
Naguri was still working near the ironwood, steadily separating another section while Ling stretched his aching shoulders. Some of the exhaustion from the morning had already started fading.
Ling looked toward the path leading back up Mt. Colubo.
"I'll head back now."
Naguri glanced toward him.
"Done for the day, noshi?"
Ling nodded.
"I still have my own training."
Naguri gave a small nod and returned to his work.
"See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
Ling picked up his things and left the cove.
---
The trip back took some time, but Ling eventually reached the familiar part of the forest surrounding his temporary camp.
He had barely entered the area when leaves rustled overhead.
Ling slowed and looked up.
A familiar monkey sat on one of the branches, staring down at him.
A smile appeared on Ling's face.
"Blackie."
The monkey immediately erupted into an irritated series of shrieks.
Ling's eyebrow twitched.
"You still don't like it?"
Blackie answered with another loud hoot.
Ling adjusted his shoulders and continued toward the clearing.
"Too late. That's your name now."
The monkey followed through the branches above him.