Cedric's Unusual Friend #47

Ah! He did the thing! The same thing Shanks and Naguri gramps did!" Luffy exclaimed, his jaw and eyes wide open in shock as he pointed at Cedric, who was watching the Tiger turn around and leave with a blank expression.

"What thing?" Cedric replied, raising an eyebrow as he turned to Luffy, giving him a confused look despite knowing what the boy was talking about. The young man didn't want to make it obvious to avoid raising questions.

"There was this giant bear and this sea king... Shanks and Naguri gramps just glared at them and told them to go away, and they did!" Luffy replied, jumping up and down in excitement.

"That's actually completely different..." Cedric replied, firmly shaking his head, much to Luffy and Ace's confusion. "They probably used something called Haki to scare away the beasts..." He explained, resting his shoulder on his shoulder as he resumed walking, prompting the two brothers to do the same.

"I just made the tiger realize it couldn't win with a good smack on the head," Cedric concluded with a chuckle.

"Is that so...?" Luffy said, scratching his head in confusion as he caught up to Cedric and walked beside him. "It was still pretty cool!" He added, beaming as he gave the young man a thumbs up.

On the other hand, something else seemed to catch Ace's attention as he put on a thoughtful expression. "What is Haki? And how did they use it?" He asked after a momentary pause.

"I have no idea how they used it, but it's a mysterious power that strong people use to predict their opponent's moves and protect themselves with invisible armor..." Cedric said, raising two fingers as he trailed off at the end of his sentence.

"And for a few chosen people, they can overpower the will of others and make beasts flee or knock other humans out..." He concluded, raising a third and last finger.

"Knock other people out...?" Luffy said as he alternated his gaze between Ace and Cedric, seemingly trying to remember something. "Isn't that what you did to Bluejam's goons, Ace?" He asked, his eyes widening as he settled his gaze on his brother.

"Now that you mention it..." Ace said with a thoughtful expression. "But Bluejam was still conscious, so maybe it was something else...?" He added, seemingly seeking confirmation as he turned to Cedric.

"Well, it doesn't work on everyone..." Cedric replied, shaking his head at Ace's words. "It only works on those with wills weaker than yours or something along those lines..." He added, pausing as he seemed to consider something.

"For example..." The young man said as he put his fingers to his mouth and loudly whistled, turning to look at the sky as a gigantic bird began descending toward them from the sky.

"Someone who can scare away that tiger might not necessarily be able to do the same for Chuchun here since he's stronger..." Cedric went on, unfazed by the shocked expression of the two boys as he leisurely patted the giant bird's head.

"Ah! A monster bird! It's going to eat Obstetric!" Luffy exclaimed in a panic as he saw the giant bird, causing Cedric to almost faceplant as the boy found yet another strange name to call him.

"Calm down, you idiot!" Ace said with a sigh as he gave his little brother's head a harsh knock. "The bird is clearly his friend, and more importantly, how do you even know that word, and what does it even mean?!" He asked, clearly appalled.

Cedric quickly gathered his bearings and bitterly chuckled at the comedic scene before him. "This is Chuchun, a Super Sparrow..." he explained as he scratched under the giant bird's beak, causing it to cry out in enjoyment.

"They're pretty common in South Blue, but I'm not sure there are any in the east..." Cedric added with a shrug. "That's why your grandpa told me to keep him hidden. He didn't want Chuchun freaking everyone out..." he concluded with a chuckle.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed as he quickly overcame his shock and regained his overly hyped demeanor. "Does he let you fly on his back?!" he asked as he paced around the giant bird with curiosity in his eyes.

"I don't think he'd mind, but I never tried," Cedric answered, smiling as the giant bird pushed its head against his chest. "I don't intend to either unless it's necessary..." he concluded with a shrug.

"Aww... how come...?" Luffy asked, seemingly disappointed by Cedric's reply. "It'll probably be really cool to fly in the sky!" he added, arguing his case as he raised a clenched fist.

"Well, it's because he's my friend... you wouldn't want to climb over your buddy's back and make him carry you, would you?" Cedric said with a chuckle as he looked at Luffy with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, now that you put it like that..." Luffy said with a rare thoughtful nod as he alternated his gaze between Chuchun and Cedric. "I guess it's kinda rude... sorry, big guy..." he went on, his gaze settling on the oversized bird, much to Cedric's amusement.

"That's enough messing around..." Ace interjected from the side. "We still have to get to Gray Terminal and return to Dadan's place before night..." he added as he started walking without waiting for a reply.

Cedric merely smiled as he instructed Chuchun to take to the sky and began moving behind Ace, followed by Luffy.

...

Sometime later

The Gray Terminal

'And I thought East Clover town was wretched...' I mused as I sat on a giant tree branch overlooking the Gray Terminal, watching all sorts of vagrants and shady characters scavenging the many small trash mountains littering the place.

The Gray Terminal was dreary and desolate, characterized by the imposing cliffs and jagged rocks rising sharply over the water's surface alongside the mountainous heaps of trash almost everywhere.

It was shrouded in mist and fog, adding to its eerie and mysterious atmosphere. Its rocky terrain was predominantly gray, with little vegetation, giving the entire area a barren and unwelcoming aura.

Besides the trash heaps, I noted many makeshift shelters and huts constructed from salvaged materials, reflecting the makeshift and hardscrabble nature of the inhabitants' lives.

Overall, the appearance of the Grey Terminal was one of desolation, ruggedness, and harshness, reflecting the challenging living conditions and lawless nature of those who lived there.

"I heard a great fire that burned this place clean some time ago..." I said as I turned to Luffy and Ace sitting beside me and enjoying their bento lunches. "How come it's full of trash again?" I asked, genuinely curious about what happened after the great fire.

"Nobles, eh...?" I said with a sigh. "I'm glad I haven't encountered one of those since I left home..." I added with a chuckle, pausing as I noticed several armed men with swords and guns come from afar and start beating up the scavengers.

"What's going on here?" I asked with a frown as I looked at Ace. "Those guys look like pirates..." I added, trailing off at the end of my sentence as I waited for a reply.

"They are... they call themselves the Gally pirates..." Ace replied with an indifferent shrug. "Apparently, they're big shots in East Blue, but they just beat up the scavengers and poor folk to extort their money..." He added with a scoff.

"The Gally pirates...? Where have I heard that...?" I muttered, finding the name familiar, but I couldn't remember from where. "Do they have bounties?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I don't know about the crew, but their captain has a bounty..." Ace said with a nod, pausing momentarily. "I think it was five hundred thousand..." He added, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hm? So they're just a bunch of small fries. No wonder I can't remember the name..." I said with a chuckle. "Say, do you want to make some quick money?" I asked with a grin, causing the two boys to stop eating as they turned to me.

...

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