Working Men...

Chapter 11

Title: Working Men...

….

-Ace POV-

After everyone wakes up, I give them some instructions to go and call over any of their friends. 

I need the manpower because I am not going to sea like a poor champ. Or like Luffy did, with just a rowboat. That is asking yourself to be killed, at least unless you have crazy luck as Luffy did. Lady luck just spread her legs for him.

The way he survived some catastrophically deadly situations is crazy.

But I do not plan to count on something like luck for my success. From what I know from the manga, Roger never ran from his enemies and was able to become the Pirate King highly due to his luck too. He was as brave as they come, Ace in the manga was like that too… and look where that got him. 

Being brave without power has another name to it… it's called stupidity.

Still, that doesn't matter to me, as I am neither stupid enough to fight an enemy I have no chance of winning head-on. Neither am I someone who cares about what people say about me. 

The only reason I even came to this dump called Gray Terminal is to use this place and gather some resources for the future. But to also find a certain someone, though it seems like things have gone a little off the rail, well that doesn't matter. The enemy of a good plan is chasing after a perfect plan.

I simply need to have a general plan and improvise along the way as countless situations clash together and create different outcomes. 

Anyway, now the plan has changed. I am no longer here to just find that person, I must develop my own place in this world that I can work for me.

….

….

Four hours later of me using my base hands to bend metal into wheels, straightening it out, making fishing hooks, and many more things.

That is when I hear some other people talking and I see that my four men came back, and now there are ten. I also see the guy that I knocked out yesterday amongst them.

Well, it doesn't matter anyway, I just look at them and ask. "Okay, now tell me your names and your professions before being kicked into Gray Terminal."

….

After a while, they tell me their names and professions, before they get kicked out into Gray Terminal. Their jobs seemed to be building-related like carpenter, blacksmith, and such.

This was a little lucky on my side as I got some useful guys and not another plumber or something like that.

"Okay, now I got a job for you guys, I want you all to build a small cottage which will be our workshop and kind-of house." I explain to them, I need to do my own thing now. Also, my arms are kinda tired by mending metal by hand. "Anyway, I will go and hunt for you guys. We need to eat something now don't we? See you in an hour."

I start walking towards the forest at this time. I have a whole different plan actually, I will obviously hunt but I will also introduce them to Cat. As soon as I enter the forest I jump high into one of the trees, I then exert my muscles a bit more and start jumping from tree to tree.

I guess I should start training Haki seriously soon too. I haven't shown any progress on it at all.

….

-General POV-

As Ace was doing that, at the top of a mountain closeby. Dadan and her bandits were all eating breakfast at the moment.

"Ace didn't come back home yesterday." Says Dadan calmly.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. You don't have to be worried Dadan. You know how strong Ace is." Says Magra as he takes a spoonful of rice and greedily shoves it in his mouth.

"Who the hell said that I was worried!!!" Exclaims Dadan as she kicks up the table, throwing a fit at Magra's insinuation that she was worried about Ace.

When everyone saw this they all thought. 'Yep, she is worried all right…'

….

But while that was happening, Ace is jumping amongst trees when he suddenly stops dead on his tracks.

He looks around when he sees nothing. He closes his eyes and concentrates on his hearing.

 'I am being followed.' Concludes Ace. 'I can feel someone's gaze on me.'

This was an extremely strange feeling, and Ace frowns slightly at this.

"I know that you are following me. You can come out now." Calls out Ace. 'It would be awkward if no one was actually here.' 

No one answers or anything like that. Ace's frown becomes deeper once again. That tingling feeling is still there, but he doesn't know what to do about it. In this world he will trust his instincts a lot, they haven't been wrong like 90% of the time for him.

….

-Sabo POV-

What?!?! How the hell could he even tell I was here!!! That scared the sh*t out of me, I didn't expect that.

I only heard that another kid my age was gathering people in Gray Terminal. I was curious, and when I saw how the adults seemed to listen to him. I decided to follow him and see what he does in his free time.

It was crazily hard to follow him and I am actually tired, but still, I am quite far away from him. So how could he tell that I am following him? He has some crazy instincts.

Still, I better hide, the guy is crazy strong and crazy smart. I would rather not anger him.

I see Ace's frown go away and he says out loud. "Must have been my imagination…"

I breathe out a sigh of relief once I hear this and start following him once again. That almost made my heart stop. 

….

Ten minutes later and I am extremely tired by following Ace. He moves at such fast speeds and weird directions that have no meaning. This is it then, I better stop following him for today.

I stop and immediately jump to another tree. I learned something new today at least, I now know that jumping from tree to tree in a forest is easier. No animals to really fight against and it's generally safer if you are agile.

….

As I am going back I contemplate how hopefully my father will never find me. Living in Gray Terminal might be hard, but it's better than being a noble where everything everyone does is fake.

"Ah, so you are the guy who has been following me." Says a voice suddenly next to me.

….

-General POV-

Sabo is surprised by that and suddenly stops in one tree and almost falls off.

Ace just comes behind him and pushes him off the tree. 

"Woaaah!!!" Yells Sabo in panic as he is about to fall down. But he doesn't fall down like he expected, as he sees that Ace had grabbed him by the hand.

"Why?" Wonders Sabo, confused, and thankful at this.

Ace just looks at him and smiles. "You owe me one now because I saved your life."

"That is not how favors work!!!" Exclaims Sabo annoyed. "You were the one who pushed me in the first place!!"

Ace just looks at Sabo with an unimpressed look on his face. "Yeah… whatever floats your boat. But you have to pay me one hundred million beries because I saved your life."

"What the hell!!!" Exclaims Sabo out loudly. "There is no way I will do that!"

"Ehhhh… so you wanna die then?" Asks Ace as he looks at Sabo with a pitying look in his eyes.

"Huh? No, I don't wanna die!" Says Sabo.

Ace's sad face returns back into a smile and he asks. "By the way, wanna join my pirate crew?"

…..

AUTHOR NOTE:

3rd Update today…. I am on fire… I love the support that I have been getting to continue to write this story.