Two more years slipped by, and I'd fought every predator in the forest bare-handed until they all learned to steer clear of me.
Deep in the woods, I roasted meat over a fire—mm, a cut from a dinosaur's tail. The dinosaur itself huddled nearby, bruised and sniffling, watching me with watery eyes. Its tail had a long chunk missing; the picture of wounded pride. Hahaha…
"All right, I won't eat you tomorrow. I'm changing training grounds anyway," I told it. "We've known each other two years—I'm almost reluctant to part. Want to come with me?"
The dinosaur shook its head so hard its whole body wobbled. Every scale screamed no.
"Hahaha, fine, fine—I'm joking. Go on home. With that tail, I wonder if your wife and kids will even recognize you." The moment I finished, it bolted without a backward glance.
I dug into the roast. Tail meat, crisped on the outside, tender within—good bite.
After eating, I slung a sheep over my shoulder and headed home—the day's take for the family. Dad (Berg) and Mom (Emma) had just gotten back.
"Mom, let's stew mutton tonight! I brought down a sheep—over two hundred jin."
"Wonderful—Karl is getting more and more capable. I'll make a whole-sheep feast for you and your father!"
"Nice! I'll help."
We dressed the animal together. When we were almost done, I grabbed a leg and a rack of ribs and walked them over to Uncle Darren's place.
"Uncle Darren, you home?" No answer. Probably still at the tavern. I let myself in, tucked the meat into his icebox, and headed back.
Dinner was abundant. Even though I'd eaten in the forest, my digestion's a furnace; half a sheep still mostly vanished into my stomach. As my physique climbed these two years, so did my appetite. Good thing the forest teems with game—or I'd have eaten us poor.
After washing up, I crashed. Trading blows with beasts had toughened my body and finally awakened my Armament Haki—partial coverage for now. But the gains from beast fights were dwindling. Next, I had to train resistance to seawater. The sea is a Devil Fruit user's natural enemy; out on the waves, that weakness is fatal.
The next morning, I went to the shore and stripped to the waist, muscles knotted like rope. I stepped into the surf. The moment saltwater lapped my shins, weakness slithered up my limbs. I hate that feeling.
I kept going. When it rose past my thighs, I nearly buckled. I gritted my teeth and practiced cuts—swinging through the drag, learning to move under the weight of helplessness. When I couldn't stand it, I waded out to rest, then went back in.
By sunset I felt more wrung out than at the start of my training journey. Still… day one was a success. I endured. Tomorrow: again.
Another year passed. I'd adapted to training in the sea. The weakness was still there, but it no longer crippled me. Day after day in salt and spray, my body hardened to steel. My Armament Haki reached full-body coverage; next up was emission and internal destruction. I'd already picked Uncle Darren's brain for the method—I just had to grind.
Worth noting: I awakened Conqueror's Haki this year too. I could release it freely now, though precision strikes were still out of reach. More work.
That's enough for today. I came ashore and headed into the forest. Soon I dragged out a wild boar, slit it, and let the blood run into the sea. After a short wait, a small Sea King surfaced, homing in on the scent. Just as it lunged for the carcass, my blade flashed—a flying slash—and the Sea King sank without a sound.
Heh. A trick I'd learned over this past year. In the Calm Belt, it's incredibly effective—Sea Kings are everywhere.
I cut off the choicest parts, then hauled the rest to town to sell.
Over the year, this routine earned me over ten million beli. Prices here are modest—outside, the haul would fetch ten times more—but I sold cheap for the townsfolk.
"Karl, another Sea King today?"
"Karl-gege, my mom wants 1,000 beli's worth of Sea King meat!"
"Karl! Same as usual—our tavern needs 500 jin (about 250 kilos)!"
"Okay, okay—one at a time, don't crowd." The moment I showed up, people swarmed me.
In no time, the Sea King was sold. With the cash—and meat set aside for home—I headed back.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"
"Good. We heard the commotion. Another Sea King?" Dad asked.
"Yup—and sold out already. This is what I saved. Mom, let's do Sea King dishes tonight!"
"Mm. Come help me prep," Emma said with a gentle smile.
We cleaned and chopped in high spirits. Sea King meat is delicious—this past year, eating it often had noticeably strengthened my parents, too.
The day ended in laughter. At dawn, I went to see Jason, the fleet's navigator. Once we leave the Calm Belt, we can't rely on that dog-headed Sea King anymore; if word got out, it would bring trouble to the fleet. Navigators are indispensable.
Lately, I'd been learning navigation from Jason—prepping for a voyage a year from now. Out there, not knowing wind and weather gets you killed. On the Grand Line, the biggest threats aren't pirates—but the sea itself.
One storm can wipe out a grand armada. Remember Golden Lion Shiki's fleet? They had the Roger Pirates on the ropes—and then a sudden storm sent most of Shiki's ships to the bottom, elite and all. If not for that, whether Roger would have become Pirate King is… debatable.
"Karl, there you are. Today we'll keep working on reading weather at sea…"
"Thanks as always, Uncle Jason."
Mornings with navigation charts; afternoons in the surf. All for the voyage in a year.
Life on the island was peaceful. The outside world? Not so much. If I remembered right, this was the year Gol D. Roger and his crew completed their voyage—Roger would become Pirate King.
I had to hurry. Honestly, I didn't want Sis Rouge to end up with Roger, even if he is the Pirate King.
Sigh… tricky. How am I going to convince Mom? I sprawled on the grass by the shore, turning it over. A mother's love is a mountain—even if everyone admits I'm strong now.
Maybe I just slip away. I'll find Sis and come straight back. It shouldn't take long. And with my current strength, as long as I don't run into an Admiral-class monster, I can handle myself. Yes… decided.
I'd been putting it off because this world is full of monsters. I swore I wouldn't set sail until I had at least enough power to tangle with an Admiral. I like living, thanks. I came here to enjoy life.
Enough brooding. Back to the mountains—time to hunt. The Sea Kings around here had gotten wary; I'd have to "borrow" from the forest again.
After dinner, I counted the money I'd made from Sea Kings. "About fifteen million beli. I'll leave ten million for the family and take five million with me. Plus the treasure in the Holy Mountain's hall—sell a portion when I leave, and that should be enough for a ship."
I fell asleep doing voyage math.
Another year passed. I was seventeen.
I stood at the water's edge, eyes closed, blade raised.
"Now—Wave-Cleaving Slash!"
Steel sang. A gigantic flying slash sheared out. The sea split open, a trench stretching hundreds of meters into darkness.
"Huuh…" I let out a long breath.
"Great Swordsman. I finally made it. And my Conqueror's Haki is precise now."
I was satisfied with the year's grind. It was time to set sail.
I hauled my hunt home and started dinner, mind lost in voyage plans, so lost I didn't hear my parents come in.
"Karl? We called you a few times. Something on your mind? You can tell Mom," Emma said softly.
"I'm okay, Mom. Training's just tiring today. I'll be fine in a bit."
"If you're tired, rest. I'll cook. I'll wake you when it's ready."
"I'm good—let's cook together. It'll be faster. Dad should be home soon."
She reached to ruffle my hair, then paused—her hand came up short. "Karl's grown so tall… taller than Mom now. From now on, we'll rely on you to protect us."
I'm over two meters sixty now—mid-sized by One Piece standards, but still towering here.
"Mm. I'll protect you—always."
Tomorrow, the fleet sets out. I had to be ready tonight.
When my parents slept, I slipped out and ran to the Holy Mountain to fetch a portion of the treasure. An hour later, I was back home, sorting gear and supplies.
When everything was packed, I sat at the table and wrote a letter—for Mom and Dad.
After sealing it, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come. First voyage. After all these years in this world, I was finally going to see the wider sea.
Excitement tangled with worry. Tomorrow, when they realize I've left, Mom and Dad will be frantic.
But to change Sister Rouge's fate, I have to go.
With those thoughts swirling, I drifted into a thin, uneasy sleep.
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