Guided kindly by the hobo, Bai Yun immediately headed in Ace and Sabo's direction, confirming that there were indeed more good people in the world.
Upon arriving, he found no one; Ace and Sabo had already moved their treasure.
However, practicing his marksmanship had given Bai Yun excellent eyesight, and he noticed the faint figures of Ace and Sabo on a nearby hillside.
Bai Yun immediately rushed over again, almost exhausted, only to see Ace and Sabo burying their treasure. He decided to replicate their physiques first to recover slowly.
"Ace!"
"Where's Luffy!"
After replicating their physiques, Bai Yun shouted, startling Ace and Sabo once more.
"Bai Yun!"
"Luffy has been captured by Porchemy, a member of the Bluejam Pirates!"
"Where! I'm asking you! In which direction!"
Bai Yun roared. Any slower now, and Luffy would endure another punch.
"You! Those are real pirates! They kill without batting an eye!"
Sabo couldn't help but interject, reminding Bai Yun that going there meant fighting real pirates, not just brawling.
"I'm asking you for directions!"
"Why do you think Luffy would betray you!"
"I just went to your original treasure spot, and there was no one there! Luffy hasn't betrayed you even now!"
Bai Yun was furious. Although, if he put himself in their shoes, he wouldn't believe Luffy could withstand torture either, but now wasn't the time for empathy.
Bai Yun's words struck Ace and Sabo like a bolt from the blue. They couldn't believe Luffy had endured the torture without betraying them. Just moments ago, they had even considered silencing him...
"Hurry up and speak, you brat!"
Porchemy, wearing spiked gloves, relentlessly punched Luffy, who was almost a bloody mess.
But he still wouldn't speak.
Bai Yun, arriving on the scene, saw Luffy's state, and a surge of sorrow and rage filled his heart.
"Stop!!!"
Sabo and Ace charged forward, pipes in hand.
Porchemy, seeing Ace and the others appear, was actually pleased; he wouldn't be punished by the captain now.
"You've come to me, so I don't have to look for you! Give back the money!"
Porchemy grabbed Ace's head. With his towering stature, one hand was enough to hold Ace's head. Sabo immediately struck Porchemy's head from behind with a pipe, rescuing Ace.
Bai Yun seized the opportunity to go around and rescue Luffy.
"Bai Yun!!! It hurts so much!!!"
Luffy cried out, tears streaming down his face.
Bai Yun nodded sympathetically. "I know, I'm sorry I'm late! But next time, remember to check if your companions are behind you!"
Bai Yun grew angry as he spoke. If only you had pulled me out of the trash heap, none of this would have happened.
Leading Luffy to the escape route, Bai Yun watched Porchemy fight Ace and Sabo. He was a genuine pirate, several times larger than the two of them. After a short struggle, Ace and Sabo were already injured, but Porchemy also had wounds on his body.
"Hmph!"
Bai Yun exhaled, raised his arm, and a flintlock pistol appeared, aimed at Porchemy's head.
"..."
In the end, Bai Yun didn't shoot Porchemy in the head. He wouldn't kill him, but Porchemy's captain wouldn't let him off either. He quickly adjusted his aim.
"Bang!"
The bullet left the barrel and accurately struck Porchemy's right arm.
"Ugh!"
The shot instantly silenced the scene. Porchemy, Ace, and Sabo all looked at Bai Yun.
Bai Yun's eyes were cold. Remembering Luffy's condition, he fired another shot at Porchemy's left leg.
"Ah!!"
This time, Porchemy finally couldn't help but scream.
"Come back!"
Bai Yun shouted, snapping Ace and Sabo back to reality. Ace and Sabo were still children. They had seen guns before, but it was their first time seeing someone younger than them fire one.
"Don't chase us, or the bullets won't have eyes!"
Bai Yun warned Porchemy's subordinates, then carried Luffy, and began to retreat with Ace and Sabo... The four of them fled to the area below Ace and Sabo's new treasure hiding spot.
Bai Yun finished bandaging Ace and Sabo, then focused on bandaging Luffy, who was the most severely injured.
Of course, he learned his medical skills from Hongo as well.
Ace and Sabo watched Bai Yun's back, filled with curiosity about why Bai Yun knew so many things.
"Bai Yun, who... are you, exactly?"
"You're so skilled at bandaging."
"You have such amazing weapons."
"You can use a gun, and you're so accurate!"
Ace couldn't help but ask.
Bai Yun paused his movements, slowly turned to face them, and sighed.
"Sigh!"
"Actually, I was trained by an assassin organization."
"We select talented and capable children to join, and we train them for free to enhance their strength."
Bai Yun emphasized the words 'for free' heavily, then continued with a smile.
"You two are very talented. You can fight pirates at such a young age. What do you say, want to join?"
Ace and Sabo were stunned. Who wouldn't want a free opportunity to improve their strength!
"Really!!"
Bai Yun's smile vanished instantly.
"No."
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"..."
...
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".
Get access to 50+ advanced chapters.
Membership starts at just $6.
Your support makes a world of difference and helps me write more!
Thank you for reading!