This is where unwanted things gather, be they objects or people... Of course, it's a lawless zone with no doctors, and crime and disease run rampant.
A foul stench perpetually hangs in the air here, with mountains of garbage spontaneously combusting under the sun, shrouded in smoke year-round. This is the Gray Terminal!
..."Ugh! It stinks so bad! So much trash! Where is this place?"
Upon arriving, the pervasive stench made even Luffy complain.
"Ace said it's called the Gray Terminal," Bai Yun explained, tightly covering his nose. Compared to this smell, what were stinky tofu and fermented herring? It was an eye-opener; he'd never seen such a massive landfill before.
Suddenly, Luffy spotted Ace ahead and immediately ran off, eager to prove himself to Ace.
Bai Yun quickly followed, "Luffy, wait for me!"
But not long after Bai Yun started running, his foot suddenly sank, and he fell into a hole beneath the trash.
"Holy crap! What the hell?!"
Luffy, however, didn't hear him; he was too eager to prove himself to Ace... Up in a large tree, Ace and Sabo were counting the money they had accumulated over the years, funds they planned to use to buy a pirate ship when they became pirates.
"A pirate ship?"
"You want to be pirates too! Hahaha."
Hearing that Ace had the same dream as him, Luffy shouted happily, which startled Ace and Sabo, causing them to immediately jump down from the tree.
"Tsk, it's the last day, and you guys caught up. What a shame."
Ace looked at Luffy and Bai Yun? Bai Yun? he asked with a hint of disappointment.
"So this is the Luffy and Bai Yun you were talking about," Sabo added.
"Of course! Bai Yun and I are super strong! Now we can be friends, right? You're Sabo? Ace's friend, so can we be friends too?" Luffy said, grinning with his white teeth.
Sabo didn't answer but instead pulled Luffy aside.
"What should we do, Ace? They've discovered our secret."
"Hmm... I'm sorry, but we'll have to silence them!"
"I agree," Sabo replied.
"Then you take care of Bai Yun, and I'll handle Luffy!"
Ace assigned the tasks, and the two immediately turned their heads.
Ace grabbed Luffy by the neck, and Sabo grabbed... huh? Where is he?
"Hey, Ace, where's that guy named Bai Yun?"
Ace realized, "Oh right, where's Bai Yun?"
"That's right! Where's Bai Yun?!"
Luffy also realized, "Bai Yun's gone!"
Bai Yun: ...I really appreciate you guys finally remembering me.
"Bai Yun is gone!!!"
Luffy finally panicked; Bai Yun had gotten separated from them.
But before they could go look for Bai Yun, the small-time thug who Ace had stolen money from arrived with Porchemy, a member of the Bluejam Pirates. That money was actually protection money for the Bluejam Pirates.
Ace and Sabo immediately darted into the bushes to hide, but they forgot one person: Luffy.
"Let go of me!"
"Ace, Bai Yun, help!"
Luffy, held by Porchemy, cried out for help.
Ace and Sabo immediately ducked their heads to avoid being seen.
Porchemy heard the name Ace. Wasn't that the name of the brat who stole his money?
"Kid, you know Ace? Where is he?!"
Luffy realized he couldn't betray his friends and immediately pouted, indicating he didn't know.
"I don't know~(○ﾟεﾟ○)"
But his acting was terrible.
Seeing that he wouldn't speak, Porchemy took him away, confident he would make him talk.
Once the people left, Sabo and Ace jumped out. Their first concern wasn't Luffy, but the treasure.
"Quickly, move the treasure! Hurry!"
"It's only a matter of time before that kid Luffy talks."
They didn't believe that Luffy, at such a young age, could withstand Porchemy's interrogation... Meanwhile, Bai Yun struggled to climb out of the trash hole, his entire body reeking.
"Damn it, what rotten luck."
"Where am I supposed to find Luffy and the others now?!"
Looking at the endless piles of garbage, Bai Yun felt lost.
"The Gray Terminal? Luffy, Ace, and Sabo's first meeting! Oh no! The Porchemy incident!"
Bai Yun remembered it clearly because of Ace's death during the Marineford War in the anime, which triggered the flashback arc of Luffy's three brothers.
Luffy was captured and interrogated by Porchemy, an executive of that pirate crew, and because he didn't reveal Ace and Sabo's location, he was accepted by them, and the three brothers officially formed their bond.
"But where do I look for them?"
Bai Yun was worried but didn't know where to start.
Just then, a vagrant from the Gray Terminal walked by. Bai Yun, emboldened, asked,
"Excuse me, do you know where Ace and Sabo are?"
The vagrant glanced at Bai Yun. "What little brat? Scram, scram!"
Bai Yun had no time to waste. If he wouldn't take the polite offer, then he wouldn't get anything! His bracelet instantly transformed into a flintlock pistol. Holding the gun, Bai Yun's eyes turned cold as he asked,
"I'll ask again."
"Do you damn well know where Ace and Sabo are?!"
With the gun pointed at him, the vagrant's legs went weak, and he shakily pointed in a direction.
Bai Yun immediately put away the gun and ran in that direction.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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