On that same day, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy captured a crocodile! And Haruno? He captured one as well... But it was still an egg... On the way back, Sabo said that he wanted to see their old secret trove, where they stored their pirate 'fortune'. There, they saw the BlueJam pirates patrolling. Haruno suggested that it would be better to go back for now, but Sabo insisted on seeing the grey terminal. To abridge what happened... They were chased around by the BlueJam pirates.
Haruto asked: "Should I ask Qwuoro to be on guard? I can ask him to look around the grey terminal if you want." Sabo, Ace, and Luffy asked: "Qwuoro... Who is that?" Haruno almost facepalmed himself, He sent a message for the rat with the [Soul Connection] skill and called Qwuoro to where they were. After a few minutes, a rat with the size of a cat, Qwuoro, appeared. Ace and Sabo had an expression that said: 'Oh... So that's Qwuoro...' and Luffy had an expression that said: 'What the fuck is this?'
Haruno laughed at the scene before him and said: "Qwuoro, this is Luffy, Sabo, and Ace. Ace, Sabo, Luffy, this is Qwuoro! The rat king of the grey terminal!" Qwuoro made a *squeak* sound and Haruno said: "You don't need to be so polite... How many times do I have to ask to not call me Lord? You and Gaharudo only call me Lord!" Sabo and Ace had a confused expression stamped on their faces, but Luffy saw this as a normal thing to Haruno. After much hesitation, Sabo asked: "Haru... You talk to animals?" Haruno looked at him and said: "Yes... What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sabo and Ace were now looking at him like a predator looked at their prey.
Nonchalantly Ace said: "So you can attract animals, right? If so, we don't need to hunt anymore!!!" Haruno quickly shook his head and explained: "No, I won't attract more animals for you guys to kill! You have to hunt for them! I won't call them if you want to use them as food! I feel bad for the animals that I attract to kill! I tried it with a boar one time, and he was crying and begging me to let him go! I almost couldn't eat his meat!"
Luffy looked at him, confused, and said: "But you still ate him." Sabo and Ace nodded with a 'hum, hum.' sound and Haruno shouted: "I had cooked him! I never waste food!" They were now getting near Dadan's house. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were carrying the crocodile's body while Haruno was carrying the crocodile's egg. Haruno was burdening himself with the egg because he could feel that the crocodile inside it was alive and it was going to hatch soon. That night, they ate the crocodile's beef, it was very delicious.
Ace, Haruno, Luffy, and now Sabo. He currently was living with them because of the threat of the BlueJam pirates. Those four lived through their days hunting animals in the surrounding forest and mountain while fighting in the grey terminal. Every day they also trained in the forest. Luffy was rushing toward Ace shaking his arm and saying: "Here I go...! Gomu-Gomu no... Pistol!" he released his arm and it stretched toward Ace, but Luffy lost his balance making the arm hit the ground where it bounced and hit his face. Astonished, Ace says: "What are you saying..." Ace rushed and hit Luffy's face with a flying kick as he added: "What the heck are you doing?" Sabo, who was besides a board, counting points, says: "One point." after saying this, he writes on the board a giant one. It's his time to fight with Ace. Well, without surprise, Ace wins a second time. Now it was the last battle, a duo fight! Ace & Sabo Vs Luffy & Haruno! Ace smiled and proclaimed: "We will win easily!"
Haruno looks at Luffy and says: "You can attack freely, don't fear their attacks and don't worry about me." Luffy nods and says: "Got it." They then started to fight, Ace and Sabo fought side by side while Luffy was the vanguard and Haruno, the support. Ace was attacking Luffy and Sabo was attacking Haruto, Haruto was focusing on the fight by supporting Luffy. He tried to use his Gomu-Gomu no Pistol but the rubber man, once again, lost his balance and the punch was plummeting toward the ground. However this time, Haruno opened a portal where Luffy's punch was going. When the punch touched the entrance portal, an exit portal opened near Sabo's face, and yes, it hit Sabo's face. Ace, Luffy, and Sabo became stunned. They didn't think that Haruno's ability could be used like that! Haruno smiled and said: "You're next Ace!" Luffy smiles and shouts: "Yosh!!"
Ace smiles at the taunt and grabs his weapon, he says: "Now, let's be serious." Haruno uses his [Telekinesis] to shoot stones toward Ace, at a safe speed obviously, it's only a spar. Luffy, one more time, starts to prepare his Gomu-Gomu no Pistol. This time, Ace already knew that a portal could appear anywhere and Luffy's punch could hit him on a miss. Luffy shot his punch again, this time, he didn't lose his balance and his punch flew directly toward Ace's face! Tilting his head, he dodged, but Haruno opened an entrance portal on Luffy's punch and an exit portal behind Ace's head, where the punch finally connected.
Ace didn't fall yet, he felt a little dizzy but toughed through it! He looked at Haruno and Luffy before smiling. Behind Haruno, Sabo appeared with his weapon drawn, out of his stealth, a few centimeters away from hitting Haruno's head. Haruno smiled knowingly and opened an entrance portal where Sabo's weapon was going to hit and an exit portal on Ace's head, where Sabo's blow hit. Sabo looked at Haruno and Ace with a stunned expression, when Haruno declared: "Two Points!"
Ace said: "What strength, Sabo! My head is bleeding!" Sabo smiled embarrassedly while scratching the back of his head, saying: "Sorry, Sorry." Luffy looks at Haruno with starry eyes and said: "Haru! You are so strong! You defeated Ace and Sabo!" Haruno smiled and shook his head saying: "I didn't. We did." Luffy laughs with his now red cheeks. Ace and Sabo started to ask Haruno about the other ways he uses his Akuma no Mi. After their daily training, they hunted more crocodiles with a newfound determination to grow stronger.
[Edited by Aaronji-dono.]