East Sea, Frostmoon Village.
Beside a wooden house on the edge of the village, a four- or five-year-old boy was struggling to squat, clutching a stone the size of a washbasin.
"Ninety-seven, ninety-nine, one hundred."
"Bang!"
Unable to hold on any longer, the boy threw the stone away and sat back on the ground
. "Sigh! Still not good enough. I'm too young. No matter how much I exercise, my body hasn't developed enough, so it's not very effective." The boy muttered, rubbing his legs.
This boy was named Bruce Lynch, an orphan from Frostmoon Village.
Shortly after Lynch was born, his parents perished in a shipwreck.
The kind-hearted villagers of Frostmoon Village helped Lynch, allowing him to grow up healthy.
Now, at five years old, Lynch harbored a secret unknown to everyone—he was a transmigrator!
Bruce Lynch's original name was also Lynch, but with the surname Lin. In his previous life, he was an ordinary Chinese university student. After four years of university, he faced the prospect of unemployment upon graduation.
On his way to a job interview, Lin Qi was involved in a car accident.
When he woke up, he found himself in Shimotsuki Village.
The first news he heard was that his parents had just perished in a shipwreck.
From then on, Lin Qi lived the life of an orphan, surviving on the charity of others.
Fortunately, the villagers of Shimotsuki Village were kind and simple, not only helping Lin Qi but also showing him no discrimination, so his life was relatively easy.
After living in this world for a while, Lin Qi realized one thing:
this world was the world of One Piece, the anime he loved most in his previous life.
And Shimotsuki Village, needless to say, was the location of the Isshin Dojo where Zoro learned swordsmanship as a child.
Knowing this, Lin Qi was incredibly excited. He loved One Piece in his previous life, and now that he was in this world, he was determined to explore it all.
Devil Fruits, the Six Powers of the Navy, and beauties like Nami and Hancock—Lin Qi wanted to see them all.
However, Lin Qi quickly realized that while these things were good, possessing them required strength!
In his previous life, watching anime, the protagonists' fights were incredibly exciting and stylish.
But in the real world of One Piece, it was different. Luffy's punch didn't just send a bunch of small fry flying; it was taking lives.
Without strength, even personal safety couldn't be guaranteed in the world of One Piece.
So, since he needed to improve his strength and had just arrived in Shimotsuki Village, he definitely had to check out the Isshin Dojo.
The Isshin Dojo was Zoro's place of swordsmanship enlightenment, and the swordsmanship teacher there, Koushirou, was Zoro's first teacher. He was a mysterious swordsman in the One Piece world, whose strength was unknown.
Koushirou was never seen actually fight in the anime; he only taught swordsmanship at the dojo. However, he taught Zoro the art of cutting iron and even gave him the Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, as his sword.
This proves that Koushirou is definitely a master; possessing a renowned sword like the Wado Ichimonji is something no ordinary person could achieve.
Moreover, he gave away the Wado Ichimonji; who knows if he has an even better sword? Therefore, Koushirou's strength remains a mystery, but there's no doubt he's a highly skilled swordsman.
Filled with immense excitement, Lin Qi began searching for the Isshin Dojo in the village. However, strangely, there wasn't a dojo there, or even any dojo at all.
This left Lin Qi bewildered. What happened? He hadn't done anything wrong, yet a butterfly effect had occurred? And he'd even destroyed a perfectly good dojo?
After much thought, Lin Qi finally realized one possibility: Koushirou hadn't yet come to Shimotsuki Village to open the Isshin Dojo.
Because Lin Qi's timeline was slightly ahead of its timeline—he was born in the 1493rd year of the Sea Calendar—when Gol D. Roger hadn't yet conquered the Grand Line or been crowned Pirate King.
It was only this year, 1498 in the Sea Calendar, that Gol D. Roger disbanded the Sea Ruler Pirates, surrendered, and was publicly executed. Although there's still no news, Lin Qi knew it was bound to happen.
But without the Isshin Dojo, Lin Qi's plans were ruined. He couldn't learn swordsmanship from Koushirou, and without sufficient strength, he didn't even have the capital to set sail.
Therefore, Lin Qi could only continue training while waiting for Koushirou's arrival.
And to train on his own, Lin Qi needed a plan.
The power system in the world of One Piece is actually quite simple, consisting of only a few types: Devil Fruits, the three types of Haki, physical techniques, and swordsmanship.
Lin Qi had no hope of getting a Devil Fruit for the time being, unless he stumbled upon one by chance; otherwise, the astronomical price of 100 million Berries was beyond his current means.
As for Haki, it was uncertain. Conqueror's Haki depended on talent, and Lin Qi didn't know if he possessed that one in a million talent. As for Armament Haki and Observation Haki, Lin Qi had no training methods, so he couldn't even think about them.
Finally, only physical skills and swordsmanship remained. Lin Qi didn't know the specific training methods and techniques, but he did know one thing: the foundation of both was a strong physique. Since
Lin Qi couldn't do anything else, he could only constantly train his body.
Every morning, he would run ten laps around the village, then do a hundred squats while hugging a boulder, followed by frog jumps, and then practice swordplay.
Lin Qi carved a wooden sword himself and practiced swinging it every day. Although he didn't know the specifics of swordsmanship, the various martial arts stories he had read in his previous life all indicated that the most basic things were the most important.
Like Fu Hongxue, who diligently practiced his sword-drawing technique, drawing his sword twelve thousand times a day, his speed unmatched.
However, Lin Qi was still only a five-year-old child, and excessive training would affect his development, so the training wasn't very effective. But there was progress; at least now, Lin Qi's strength and stamina were comparable to an average adult.
The sword-wielding training was particularly effective. Although Lin Qi hadn't formally trained in swordsmanship, his sword-wielding speed and power already far surpassed that of ordinary people. He should be able to easily kill an average adult in a one-on-one fight, though he hadn't actually tried it.
"Alright, let's stop here for now and go eat! We'll practice sword-wielding after we eat."
After catching his breath and resting on the ground, Lin Qi felt hungry and decided to eat first before continuing his training.
Just as Lin Qi returned to the cabin to eat, a strange guest arrived at the home of the village chief of Frostmoon Village.
"So, Mr. Koushirou, you mean to open a swordsmanship dojo in our village?" The village chief asked, looking at the young swordsman before him with a puzzled expression.
Shimotsuki Village had always been an ordinary little village, its villagers just ordinary farmers.
The fact that a swordsman wanted to open a dojo here puzzled the village chief, and he was somewhat incredulous.
Sensing the village chief's doubts, the young swordsman kneeling opposite him, Koushirou, smiled and explained, "It's like this, Village Chief. My wife is newly pregnant, and I want her to have a peaceful living environment. Shimotsuki Village is my choice. And I don't have any other abilities, so I want to open a dojo here to teach swordsmanship. I think it would be good for the villagers to learn for self-defense."
"This…" The village chief hesitated. Although Roger hadn't yet started the Great Age of Pirates, there were still many bandits and pirates. While Shimotsuki Village had always been peaceful, no one could guarantee they wouldn't be targeted by pirates at any time. Having some self-defense capabilities was still a good thing.
Besides… Although the swordsman before him was always polite, the village chief knew what the consequences would be if he refused. He'd seen people turn their backs on him before.
So, after considering it for a while, the village chief finally agreed, saying, "Alright, Mr. Koushirou's suggestion is indeed good. There's an abandoned temple in the center of the village, quite large, which can be used as a dojo, saving us the trouble of building it from scratch." "
Really? Thank you so much, Village Chief." Koushirou bowed in thanks, then took out a bag from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him, saying,
"This is my token of gratitude. I hope you won't refuse it, Village Chief. I can't just occupy the village's land for nothing."
Hearing this, the village chief quickly refused, "How can I! That abandoned temple has been abandoned for a long time. I can't accept money."
But Koushirou insisted, saying that the money wasn't just for the village chief, but compensation for all the villagers.
Seeing this, the village chief had no choice but to accept it, and said that he would clean up the abandoned temple the next day, and the dojo could open soon.
After discussing some specific details, Koushirou left the village chief's house.
(End of Chapter)