With the arrival of autumn, a torrential downpour lashed Cocoyasi Village.
"Wow! Why is it raining so hard all of a sudden?"
"Shano, run!"
As night fell, a black-haired boy burst from the orange grove gate, carrying two baskets of oranges on his shoulders, running desperately toward the village.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the baskets, and two small children emerged from the pile of oranges with a thud, one on each side, their heads peeking over the boy's shoulders.
"Go, Shano! The finish line is 300 meters away, turn left!"
The orange-haired girl on the left raised her right hand, brimming with energy.
"Nami, calm down, Shano is already very tired."
The blue-haired girl on the right opened an umbrella, her brow slightly furrowed, her voice gentle.
"Huh? You think you're so sensible? If you were, you wouldn't still be sitting in the basket!"
"Nonsense! What nonsense! I'm carrying an umbrella to protect Shano from the rain. He's a head taller than me; how's it going to keep me dry if I'm not sitting on it?"
"Tch, I could say I was giving Shano directions because I was worried he wouldn't be able to see the path if he looked down. That would be more helpful than you!"
...
Having heard his two younger sisters' usual bickering, Shano had grown accustomed to it. He glanced at the umbrella, which wasn't even above his head, and picked up his pace slightly.
Even though he was carrying 130 kilos of oranges on his shoulders, the boy continued walking briskly, his breathing calm.
A moment later, the family home came into view.
The lights were already on.
Through the windowpane, he could see a slender figure busy in the kitchen. Smoke rose from the chimney, mingled with the rain, and quickly disappeared. He gently pushed open the wooden door with his right hand, and the warm orange glow of the fireplace lamp enveloped him instantly.
It pushed away the cold rain and the chill, forcing them to retreat outside.
Shano slammed the basket against the floor, closed the door, and lay down on the old sofa, stretching comfortably.
The light from the fireplace turned the twilight into a thick caramel that ran down his outstretched limbs.
In that instant,
the aches and fatigue seemed to vanish along with the desolate sound of the rain.
"Hey, are you back, Nojiko and Nami?"
Footsteps came from the kitchen. "And Shano, you've been working so hard these last few days."
Oh, no! The two little girls ran off in a panic, but they knocked the bamboo basket over with a clatter. It crashed to the ground, scattering the golden oranges like tiny suns.
"Ah, I knew it!"
The young woman, wearing an apron and with her hair tied back in a red ponytail, stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at her two daughters.
"You said you were going to help your brother, but you were really just there to cause trouble, weren't you? Sitting on Shano's load, trying to tire him out even more?"
"Bellmere, we know we were wrong..." Nami and Nojiko pleaded pitifully, heads bowed, toes twitching.
"It's alright, Bellemere."
Shano, sitting on the sofa, turned his head; his tired voice held a hint of gentleness. "Don't blame them. It was pouring rain. I told them to hide in the basket; not only did they protect me from the rain, but I also got some exercise."
"That's right, that's right."
The two little devils immediately chimed in.
"Ugh, what a nuisance! When will you be as sensible as Shano?!"
Bellemere gave the two little ones a light punch on the head, but didn't hit them hard. "Don't do that next time! Dry your hair with a towel and come eat!"
"Saved!" Nojiko and Nami looked at their older brother with tears of gratitude, then cheered and ran to the kitchen table.
"Bellemer, what's for dinner tonight? Duck breast with orange marmalade? Yes!"
"And honey-glazed ribs! Wow, let me try some!"
"Hey! Did you wash your hands before grabbing it with your bare hands? You naughty little brats, at least wait for your brother!"
…
Listening to the commotion in the kitchen, Shano leaned back comfortably.
A steaming mug of ginger cola was shoved into his hand.
"Here, drink it while it's hot."
Bellemere's annoyed voice boomed: "You only ever protect your two sisters, you can't even take care of yourself."
Then she pulled clean clothes from the closet and, to Shano's astonishment, quickly removed his shirt and began cleaning his upper body with a hot towel.
"Uh, well, Bellemere."
Shano tried to dodge it, but was forced back into his original position, looking embarrassed. "I'm thirteen years old now, you really don't need to do this, let me do it myself."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Bellemere, with the authority of an adoptive mother, brooked no argument. "You're only two years older than Nojiko, what are you pretending to be, a grown man? Stay still!"
There was no other option.
Shano could only let her torment him like a puppet, his face listless.
But deep down, a warmth washed over him.
Living in Cocoyasi, growing up in a family like this…
It's so good.
When in his past life had he had this experience? At eight, he cut his hand changing a lightbulb for the first time at the orphanage; at twenty-five, he collapsed after working all night and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance; on his twenty-sixth birthday, his heart rate monitor in the ICU stalled…
Until he suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself transformed into a five-year-old boy, covered in blood and dirt, amidst ruins. A naval officer in a white cloak of justice struggled to bend down and offer him a hand.
…
"How many times have I told you!"
Bellemere suddenly twisted his ear sharply.
"Don't push yourself! Don't push yourself! You've already picked twelve baskets of oranges today, and yet you insisted on making a seventh trip. Don't you know that little ones are the most likely to catch a cold?"
Shano grimaced and hurriedly grabbed the towel, only to find himself wrapped in a blanket of dry, citrus-scented clothes.
The rough knit sweater tickled his neck, causing a slight itch and discomfort, but it was infused with a sun-like scent he had never experienced in his previous life.
Shano pursed his lips and looked at himself in the mirror.
Black hair, black eyes: the features of a handsome thirteen-year-old boy were bathed in a warm light, his eyelashes still damp from the towel.
The solitary figure that had once stood before the windows of a skyscraper had long since been reduced to dust by the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the living room.
"Thank you," he whispered suddenly.
Bellemere stopped bending down to pick up the laundry and then quickly resumed her normal movements.
"What? I should be thanking you."
"You worked hard in the orange grove. Don't you make me look useless, your mother? You really are so small, but incredibly strong."
"I wonder who your biological parents are. They seem to have a rather peculiar past, since, as you grew up, your lineage suddenly awakened and you inherited incredible power..."
Lineage power?
What lineage? And it suddenly awakened? I'm not the god Nika.
Shano paused briefly, speechless for a moment.
For the first few years after his reincarnation, he lived in a daze, playing and fighting with his sisters every day, picking mushrooms in the mountains one day and fishing in the river the next, just like any other child.
It wasn't until a couple of years ago, when he was about ten, that his brain fully developed and he slowly began to piece together the memories of his past and present life.
His biological parents in this life were ordinary people from the Kingdom of Oycot, who died in that brutal war; nothing out of the ordinary.
And when he transmigrated, if he hadn't been rescued and raised by Bellemere, he probably would have been a corpse among the ruins long ago.
However,
Bellemere's ramblings are understandable.
Because her performance is truly exceptional, especially in Cocoyasi, a small village on the Eastern Sea.
At only thirteen years old, her strength is already incredible.
In the wrestling tournament held during the recent harvest festival, none of the hundreds of grown men from across the village could match him; he didn't even last a few rounds.
Common background, common lineage.
Raised in a rural family of fruit growers, he never received guidance from any master.
His strength stemmed naturally from his innate skill in cheating. "A System."
Shano silently pondered the system.
The system activated instantly, ripples spreading through the air like silken threads, and a screen of ghostly blue light, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.
This was the "Sacrificing Trade System" that had awakened three years ago.
[Name: Shano]
[Age: 13]
[Height: 159 cm]
[Strength: 1.9]
[Agility: 1.8]
[Stamina: 1.7]
[Mental Strength: 1.3]
[Remaining Points: 25]
[Skills and Talents: Breathing Fist Technique (Minor Mastery), Swordsmanship (Beginner), Cooking (Beginner), Fruit Tree Planting (Minor Mastery), Fishing (Advanced Mastery)]
The average base attribute score of a typical adult in the world of One Piece is one point.
Although Shano's base attribute score was just over one, he was confident he could easily repel an attack from seven or eight adults, assuming both sides were unarmed.
After all, he was only playing in the wrestling tournament, not using his true strength at all.
Clearly, calculating attribute points isn't as simple as adding and subtracting.
It likely follows some kind of exponential relationship; even a small increase of a fraction of a percentage point in value results in a significant difference in strength.
The so-called Sacrifice Trading System.
As the name suggests, it includes a trading market that offers various items that can be purchased with points and is updated monthly.
Points are awarded based on whether the host can provide a suitable sacrifice.
After the sacrifice, points are awarded based on the difference in value.
When the system first woke up, Shano wasn't sure what constituted a sacrifice, so he experimented everywhere, even grabbing a passing dog to try it out. But neither a freshly caught large fish, nor a rabbit hunted in the woods, nor a thousand-berry note could be used as a sacrifice.
Until one day, by chance, he tried using Bellemere's old gun, the one she used when she was in the navy.
By sheer luck, it worked.
The system even had the courtesy to provide an evaluation panel:
[Sacrifice: Bellemere's Old Flintlock Pistol]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Value: 50 points]
[Evaluation Comments: The gun that accompanied Bellemere throughout her youth. The worn barrel saw her grow from a novice recruit to a competent soldier on the battlefield. Even after retiring, she continued to clean this gun frequently; It wasn't just a keepsake, but also her way of supporting her family, something very important to her.]
How thoughtful!
After reading the evaluation report, Shano tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep a wink all night, consumed by guilt.
Especially the next day, when Bellemere discovered her gun was missing and stood at the door, furious and cursing the thief all morning, she wanted to slap herself.
"I deserve to die!"
So, as her guilt subsided, when choosing targets again, she tried to select inconspicuous objects.
For example, Nami's orange blossom hairpin and Nojiko's forehead bandage.
These were things Shano had personally bought for her two younger sisters years ago, when her family was still poor; they were worn and not worth much.
Now that things were slowly improving, it was time to replace them.
The result...
The sacrifice was a success.
But the damned system still loved to rub salt in the wound.
[Offering: Nami's Orange Blossom Hairpin]
[Quality: Common]
[Value: 180 Points]
[Evaluation Comment: A cheap accessory that cost 100 Bells at a grocery store, but young Nami adored it, treasuring it and using it daily, even sleeping with it under her pillow, further strengthening the growing bond between siblings.]
...
[Offering: Nojiko's Old Headband]
[Quality: Common]
[Value: 30 Points]
[Evaluation Comment: A faded strip of fabric, stained with citrus juice, difficult to clean.] Nojiko, being the eldest daughter, always used it to tie her forehead and help her adoptive mother and older brother when they were busy in the citrus grove, afraid that the sweat would get in her eyes and hurt her beloved brother.]
That day, Shano remained silent for a long time and then slapped herself twice.
I deserve to die!
(End of chapter)