Author here: Should I teach them haki early?
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The Night Before...
An hour after Ling, Ace, and Sabo defeated Porchemy and his gang, Bluejam arrived with his crew.
Just like in the original timeline, the outcome didn't change. Porchemy was killed by Bluejam after failing to get the money.
The Next Morning. Dadan's House, Mt. Colubo
"One. Two. Three. Four..."
"Ace, Luffy... what the hell?!"
Standing with her arms crossed, Dadan, a bandit who lives in Mt. Colubo and is the leader of the Dadan Family. She is Ace, Luffy, and Sabo's foster parent, even though she doesn't show her real feelings towards them, she deeply cares about these three kids.
Dogra and Magra are also a notable members of her bandit gang, standing nearby equally dumbfounded.
Dadan pointed at the two unfamiliar boys who were sleeping on the floor.
"Ace, Luffy! Who are these two?!"
Sabo stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"You mean me? I'm Sabo!"
"Sabo...? I've heard that name before."
"Great! Then no need for introductions. Thanks for letting me stay." He smiled brightly.
Dadan is in disbelief. So did Dogra and Magra.
All she could do was sigh and wave it off.
Then her gaze shifted to the other boy.
"And who the hell is kid?"
Ling was still sleeping, his body finally relaxing after days of non-stop training. His guard was down for the first time in ages.
"Hey! Kid! Wake up! Who are you?"
Ling groggily opened one eye.
"Me? I'm Ling. Thanks for letting me stay." Then he rolled over and went right back to sleep.
Dadan let out another long, defeated sigh. She couldn't stand their shamelessness.
"Fine. I'll give you all a place to stay, but you'd better start pulling your weight around here."
"Thank you, Dadan," Sabo mumbled before dozing off again.
"So quick."
An Hour Later.
All four boys were awake now. The sun was at its peak already, though still morning.
They are running towards the river to get something to eat for breakfast.
'Usually I'd be prepping for sparring around now,' Ling thought.
'It's time to relax a little.'
'I've been so paranoid about changing the future… We're still in the Goa Kingdom. Not much will change unless something huge happens.'
'Sure, Sabo surely won't be a Revolutionary if Dragon doesn't have to save him, but I think he still will be revolutionary when he grows up. He's already got a deep hatred for the nobles, especially after what happened in Grey Terminal in the future.'
'And worrying about Luffy's personality? That's stupid. He'll always be Luffy, a goofy, reckless, selfish and kind to the core person.'
'If any minor change happens, I'll handle it. But one thing that I don't want to change is that Ace, Sabo, and Luffy setting out to the sea at seventeen.
Another twenty minutes has passed, and they have already caught an alligator and are cooking it.
"Hey, food's ready," Sabo called out.
As they ate, curiosity returned.
"How are you so strong? How did you train?" Ace asked, chewing a meat skewer.
"How old are you?" Sabo chimed in.
"I'm ten. I train every day."
"Really? We're the same age except Luffy's only seven," Sabo said.
"Yeah, that's why he's still a crybaby," Ace smirked.
"What did you say?!" Luffy growled.
Ling scratched his head, amused by the two.
"I wrote it all down," he said, pulling out a folded paper.
"This is my training schedule."
"Whoa, this is insane. You do all of this every day?" Sabo was impressed.
Ace stopped teasing Luffy and sat beside Sabo to look.
"You wake up at 5:00 AM to... medi... medi-what?" Ace squinted.
"It's 'meditation,'" Sabo corrected him.
"It's a practice that requires complete focus and silence. But I didn't know it sharpens your senses, Sabo said.
Luffy, predictably, wasn't paying attention. He was chasing a bug nearby.
"Sabo's right," Ling said.
"Wanna spar, Ace?"
"Sure."
The two got into position. Luffy dropped down next to Sabo, eyes wide with excitement.
"Come," Ling said.
Ace charged. Ace threw a punch, but Ling ducked with ease.
Another punch. Dodged.
Another.
Again and again, Ace's fists met only air.
Sabo and Luffy watched with their mouths open.
"Let's stop here," Ling said calmly as Ace's movements grew more frantic.
"Damn... I couldn't even hit you once," Ace admitted, collapsing on the ground.
"Teach me!" Luffy shouted, grabbing Ling's hand, eyes sparkling.
"Teach me too!" Sabo added, stepping forward.
Ling smiled.
"Sure."
For the next hours, Ling taught them how to meditate, guiding them through breathing, posture, and focus.
Luffy couldn't sit still. His body twitched, his eyes wandered around, and after ten minutes, he leapt up.
"I'm hungry! Let's get lunch!" he announced.
Ling chuckled. "Alright, I'll go with you."
Sabo and Ace continued meditating while Ling and Luffy headed out.
Thirty minutes later, they returned carrying two huge fish.
"We're back!"
Sabo and Ace had just finished their session.
"I don't feel any different," Ace grumbled.
"Me neither," Sabo added.
Ling laughed.
"You won't feel a change right away. It's a long-term thing. It took me weeks before I noticed anything."
"Really?" They both sighed.
"Anyway, let's eat," Ling said.
As they ate, Sabo turned to him.
"Why do you train so hard?"
"I want to explore the world. That's why I have to get stronger, so no one can stop me from achieving it," Ling replied, but they can feel his determination from his voice.
"That's my dream."
"Really? How will you do it?" Sabo asked.
"He said he'll be a pirate!" Luffy jumped in.
"He's joining my crew!"
Just then, Dexter and his gang of baboons arrived, hopping through the trees.
"We're surrounded!" Ace said, springing to his feet.
"Don't worry. They're my sparring partners," Ling explained.
"They help me train every day."
He walked over and patted Dexter on the shoulder.
"This is Dexter. These are his buddies, Bee1, Bee2, Bee3, Bee4, Bee5, and Bee6."
"Seriously? I've heard one baboon is strong enough on its own," Sabo said.
"Can we watch you spar against them?" Ace asked, curious.
"I've seen it! Ling is awesome!" Luffy added.
"Sure," Ling nodded.
He led them to an open area in the forest, where he and Dexter usually spar.
Luffy brought the remaining big roasted fish.
'I said I'd relax today…' Ling sighed inwardly as he cracked his neck.
The trio climbed up a nearby tree to get a better view. Luffy was practically shaking with excitement.
"Wooooah! This is gonna be so cool!"
The tree sat on a large branch.
Ace crossed his arms.
Below, Dexter let out a short growl.
The first two baboons rushed forward. Their hand came swinging hard and fast.
Ling didn't move until the last moment. He stepped aside, avoiding both strikes.
One baboon stumbled past him, the other halted before Ling jabbed him in the gut. Enough to knock him out to the side.
The second received a tap to the back of the neck. He slumped to the ground.
The remaining five spread out, circling Ling again. Dexter growled again, and they moved in sync.
Since Dexter and the six baboons have been sparring with Ling for weeks, they naturally have their chemistry build up.
Punch. Dodge.
Kick. Dodge.
Grab. Dodge..
Everything was dodged easily.
Luffy leaned so far out of the tree he nearly fell.
"Ace! Did you see that?! He didn't even look at that last one!" Sabo muttered.
"I saw it," Ace muttered, his eyes wide open.
Sabo gaped.
"Is this what meditation does…?"
Down below, Bee3 and Bee4 attempted a joint attack, one from the front, the other from behind.
Ling turn around smoothly, deflecting both arms with his forearms, and kicked Bee4's legs out from under him.
Then he backhanded Bee3 lightly, sending him tumbling into the grass.
Dexter snarled and lunged.
Ling smiled faintly. "Let's finish this, then."
Dexter moved faster and stronger than the rest. He came in with a combo jab, swipe, and overhead slam.
Ling parried each move with open palms and wrist flicks. The final slam, he caught mid-air with one hand.
Then, he spun Dexter over his shoulder and set him down gently but firmly onto his back.
Silence.
All six baboons lay on the ground.
Ling dusted off his palms and looked up.
"I'm done."
From the tree, Luffy exploded. "THAT WAS AMAZING!!!"
"Ten minutes," Sabo muttered, glancing at his pocket watch.
"He took them all out in ten minutes without breaking a sweat."
Ace's jaw clenched slightly.
The three came down to check on Ling.
Dexter and the six baboons got up and started eating the fish that was left from Luffy, which infuriated Luffy.
"Hey that's my food!" The baboon ignored Luffy.