Wait … what is this?
I have no idea where I am … it feels warm ... and weird ...
I can't open my eyes and ... my body ... it is so strange. I feel like there is some kind of liquid all over me but … how am I still breathing??? I feel that I have a nose, but the air is not passing through my nostrils, and I cannot sense any smells, it feels like it is just there, but it isn't doing anything.
Ok. Let's stay calm. The last thing I remember is going to sleep. Am I in an oddly realistic dream or maybe even a nightmare? No, I don't think so. I have never been this conscious in a dream before … specially to the point that I questioned whether it really was a dream or not. It was always like I was in some kind of trance and had no control over my own decisions. I had no impact on the dream itself. I have never been thoughtful or doubtful in a dream before… at least not until now.
Then, is this what death feels like? I don't even remember dying, but perhaps those memories were just deleted, suppressed or something, due to the pain that comes with it. I always wondered if there was a heaven, hell or simple nothing but this seems something completely different… like I am stuck in a void with only my thoughts to keep me company. Perhaps this might really be death. That should be the most likely possibility…
So, this is the afterlife, huh? I can barely move in this weird place and it is extremely boring but still, it has a certain calmness and peacefulness to it. Except for the times I hear some kind of speech and weird noises from outside ... like people talking but I can't exactly comprehend what they are trying to say. It is not even a question of whether or not I understand the language. It's more like something is blocking most of the sounds. I really thought I was dead until I started hearing those noises so, what the hell is this?
I usually don't like to dwell on the things I can't solve by simply thinking about them, but I don't exactly have a lot of alternatives to pass the time. What other choice do I have? There is nothing else to do.
Time kept passing and I kept trying to exercise my brain, thinking about the most random stuff just to avoid pure boredom. I can't tell how much time has already passed ... maybe days, weeks, months or even years... there is no way to tell in here. The only thing I can say is that I am getting bigger and should be able to move a little bit more, but this space also seems to be getting tighter, so my movement is just as limited as before. Isn't that just great???
Also, everything always looks the same. I mean, I can't see anything at all so I should probably say it always feels the same. The same warm, soft and malleable wall around me, the same gooey liquid embracing me, the same boredom… And just as I finished this thought, something seems to be happening. I suddenly start feeling some changes. Because I can't see properly, it's hard to know what is happening. It took me some time, but I finally realized what was different … the liquid around me seems to have fallen somewhere, but where? ... Wait I feel something ... it's touching my head ... what is this??? WHAT IS HAPPENING??? I start screaming and trying to move but this body doesn't even listen to me.
Only when I got pulled and felt light flashing on my face, did I understand what was happening. I realized that I wasn't only screaming but crying as well and it took me a while to be able to stop. I don't even know why, but I just couldn't stop. I wasn't even scared anymore but it took me what looked like an eternity to stop.
I was finally able to calm down. Although I couldn't see anything because the light was too strong for my weak eyes, I understood what was happening. I was just born and today is my birthday. I am so tired, but I still have so much to figure out ... I can't fall asleep now ... I can't
... I ...
.... I CAN'T FALL ASLEEP ... wait… where is this? … hmm
I don't know where I was before, when my birth occurred, but I have a feeling I have been brought home and put down in my crib while I was still asleep. So, have I been reincarnated? weird. In my previous life, I always thought that if reincarnation was indeed real, I wouldn't be able to keep my past memories. If I could, then shouldn't I have the memories of the life previous to my last one, or of the one before that? And I kept thinking about all the possibilities until I heard a couple of words that changed everything. I couldn't hear much in the first days or weeks, I assume, as I had no way to realize how much time was passing without functioning eyesight. After my eyes and ears finally settled down, I tried to pay more attention to my surroundings. I could only open my eyes for short moments and, although I could hear now, I couldn't understand all that was being said. Even the language was kind of strange, but what I heard was more than enough to put a big smile on my little baby face. I was able to hear two names that I immediately recognized: Gold Roger and Garp. I was reborn in the One Piece world. Of all the possibilities that crossed my mind, this one was easily the best. In my previous life I used to love both isEkai and reincarnation stories and, of all the animes I have ever watched, One Piece was easily my favorite… so if you put both of them together ... my mind could almost explode with excitement. I couldn't wait to see my talent system. So, I closed my eyes and thought really hard and .... nothing!
Nothing happened. No matter how hard I wished or called, no system appeared. Is it possible that it isn't working because I am still too young? Or perhaps because, right now, I can only call for it in my mind instead of out loud, on account of still not being able to speak? But I shouldn't count on it. Well … it seems there is no system to guide me.
But maybe, just maybe, I got some sort of special or mythical bloodline or divine powers … like my parents are actual gods or something of the sort. And then I look towards my mother… I mean, saying she is the woman who gave birth to me is more accurate, because besides that she didn't give me much else. Not even food. The maids and nannies were the ones who fed me all this time. I am pretty sure that if it was just the two of us, most likely, I would have already starved to death. Anyway, aside from that, I am usually alone in my room. This new mother of mine doesn't even bother coming to check up on me, never mind showing motherly love. Ever since I was born, I never received any kind of affection from her. Not even a proper hug or a goodnight kiss or something. I am literally a newborn, with only a couple of days, I assume, and she doesn't even bother to waste her time checking up on me. In fact, I think every time I look at her, she just gives me this mean look, like she hates me for some reason. Even though I have an adult mind, just that look makes me want to cry... imagine if I was a normal baby.
Well, moving on, just by looking at her, it doesn't seem like I got any special bloodline. She is really beautiful, I will give her that, with her vivid and wild red hair, beautiful bronze like skin and her golden eyes. I don't know how old she is but with her curves and her smooth skin I would guess she is still in her twenties. I am not sure if I got these genes as well, as I have never seen a reflection of myself, as nobody showed me a mirror and they are too high for me to look at them. But if I did receive that from her, I should be a cute baby.
Oops, once again, I got lost rambling…
Anyway, although she has some pretty weird vibes and mean looks, I don't think she is that strong. At least she doesn't look like it. She is definitely scary, but her muscles and her hands don't seem like those of a warrior. She doesn't have underdeveloped muscles nor anything like that, but they definitely don't seem like the ones a fighter should have… I have never seen her exercise nor practice martial arts … her hands don't have any bruises or marks on them … she shouldn't be a fighter…
Universe, are you mocking me? You put me in my dream world in the middle of nowhere with no special power up, cheat skill or a super teacher to make me stronger? How do you expect me to survive in this world of pure chaos, where a new powerful force surges in every corner? Did you send me to my dream world to turn me into a normal villager that has no power to decide on how he dies? Simply wishing that no pirates appear or hoping that the marines nearby are strong enough to defeat them?
I try really hard and eventually I am able to close my little baby fist.
I will not give up. I might have been lazy in my past life but not in this one. I will make my body as strong as it can be, and if I can't train it anymore, I shall find a strong devil fruit to make up for it. And if I can't find a decent one, I shall find a way to strengthen my haki. I will give it my very best and if that is not enough and I am still too weak I shall get allies to make up for those same weaknesses. If I am not able to be as strong as others, I shall look for those with the power to help me. I will try to become the strongest and, if that is not possible, then I will create a crew that will be the strongest.
But, before all of that, I need to figure out what year this is.
After my eyes finally stabilized and I could, very slowly, turn my body around, I started studying a newspaper that I found near me. I was able to confirm that this is indeed the One Piece universe. I also concluded that the language of this world is very similar to mine and it wouldn't take a lot of effort to learn it. Nevertheless, it turns out that I couldn't pinpoint the exact date, but I could still figure out that GolDy Roger had yet to die, so the age of pirates is still in the future. This means I still have a lot of time to train and to make a crew with great potential. A crew capable of changing the world. If I am too weak, I just need to get strong companions. Or better, people I know will become strong, because it is easier to convince them while they are weaker. Even while recruiting the straw hats, with all of Luffy's charisma, they only joined him because he showed enough strength and potential to accomplish his dreams. If they were already much stronger than him then it would probably be much harder to convince them. In this world, the captain is usually the strongest member of the crew
Ok, now that I already know the timeline, it is time to come up with a plan. First question is should I be a marine or a pirate? Honestly, being a marine sounds a little boring compared to being a pirate. All those rules and guidelines I need to follow. Not to mention needing to put my life on the line to protect people I don't even like. All those nobles and tenryūbito thinking they can rule the world even when they themselves have no actual power. I refuse to become a shield for such people. And even if I didn't have to protect them, if I turn into a marine there is no way I could make my dream crew. Marines do have crews, but the only strong one is always the one in charge. The fighting force of the remaining teammates is incredibly weaker. Imagine if you are somehow able to join a really strong crew. The moment you reach a certain level, most of you will be divided among different branches and you only come together when you are fighting a really strong opponent, but then you might be in trouble if your units are too far away. I am not 100% sure that's how it works, as there might be a few exceptions, such as the sword unit, but even so, I believe they still work separately, hence why Coby was captured by Blackbeard. And I am not even sure that unit already exists. It might only come to fruit in the 2-year time skip. Nevertheless, marines still have a lot of restrictions, so I would rather avoid becoming one.
So, option A is to train and join the straw hats which I am sure would be pretty fun, but I am not sure is the correct way. If I join them, besides the crazy risks I would need to take, I would also have to follow Louffy. Don't get me wrong, I love Luuffy, but I just don't like the idea of taking orders from a guy who just does what he wants... with no thought on how his actions might impact all of them. Although it always worked out, I am not sure how it would go if I joined in and changed their path... either way, let's call it plan A.
Plan B would be to create our own crew and get strong people to join such as Trafalgar Law, Hancock, Ace before he challenges white beard, or maybe even Issho before he becomes an admiral or other powerful characters. The major problem here is that I don't have the same charisma as Luuffy so, I probably have two ways of making them join me. First option, I benefit from some special circumstances that will help them see me in a proper light or that only valuable option is to join me. Second option, I would need to convince them to make some sort of bet or something to make them join me, like a simple test of strength or battle or something, similar to a Davy Back fight.
And then Plan C would be to improvise and see where the sea takes us ... I don't really like this plan, but it is a plan, nonetheless. In fact, it is pretty much what Luuffy did.
An alternative idea that could complement any of these plans would be to find a strong individual willing to teach me. Ideally, someone with great teachings skills such as Rayleigh or Zed. I would love to be taught by either of those two but that seems impossible right now. For one, I would have to join the marines and become strong enough to be taught by Zed. For the other one, Roger is still alive, so Rayleigh should still be with him, and I have no idea how long it will take for him to settle down in SabaOdy … I don't even know how I would be able to get there.
Either way, I will only need to choose which plan I follow when I set out to sea and I still have to wait a long time for that to happen. And in all three plans I need to be strong. Even if I plan to get them before they achieve their current strength, I don't know what potential I have and if I would be good enough to have them follow me. In fact, I can't even move right now so I have no idea on how strong I can become. Besides, if I affect their path too much it's possible that I may change their fate, stopping their growth. For example, if I get Zoro before he meets with Kuina, then he probably won't have as much motivation to become the strongest swordsman.
At any rate, if I am not able to reach a decent level I am in big trouble. If I stay hidden in a normal village, I might live a normal life, but I refuse to accept such a thing as my fate.
Why would I choose a normal boring life after travelling all the way to this awesome exciting world where everything can happen???
I need to immediately start training. I practiced some martial arts in my previous life so it should be enough for now. I will, eventually, have to find some other way to get proper fighting experience, learn haki or how to wield weapons but, for now, my training should be enough to make me stronger than most kids.
I always dreamed of being some type of swordsman or spearman but for now that is pretty hard. Even if I still hope to achieve it, I will absolutely need strong muscles, so performing my previous training seems to be the best option.
Only problem is I still can't move, and I am pretty sure that it will take some time till I finally can. It's going to be hard to keep this motivation for all that time. It will probably take about two to three years to properly develop these baby muscles and only after that can I start training. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that I should try to develop my kenbunshoku haki. I know it should be impossible to achieve it at this age, but I am not like other humans and there doesn't seem to be any restrictions on it. Aisa and OtohimE seem to have it, despite both of them being so physically weak. If it's a matter of mental strength I have an adult mind and I have lived a full life so I should be pretty decent in that department as well.
Actually, humans have a much better learning and understanding while they are still young, so it might be easier for me to learn than most. Besides I don't have a lot of options, it takes forever to turn my body, so most of the time I can only see the ceiling and my eyes get tired really quickly so even if I found joy in looking at something, I couldn't do it for long. I just have to remember all the things I know about Haki and try to use them in this world. I remember that, in the beginning, you should close your eyes and try to detect the presences around you… that's what I do most of the time to avoid getting bored either way, so I might as well keep doing it with a goal in mind.
One year went by without anything major happening. I can already move but if I perform big movements, like lifting my leg too high or turning around too quickly, I lose my balance and end up falling, so it is still too early to start proper physical training. On positive news, this body seems much better than I thought. I am not sure how old I was when I started walking but all the maids seemed rather perplexed that I was already able to do it. Right now, I can already run short distances, so I guess that is going to be the extent of my training.
However, the really good news is that I was already able to develop my haki. I needed to think about all the memories I had related to observation haki for several months before I could even grasp just a piece of it. I decided to focus mainly on presence sensing, as I believe it's easier to learn by myself, compared with the rest. The most common haki in the One Piece world were Presence and Emotion sensing, so I decided to start with the one I assumed would be easier.
Right now, I am able to observe everything in the rooms around me. It still is a really short range compared to Rayleigh, Eneru or even Luffy, but I am also only 1 year, so I should probably still be the youngest haki user of all time. Currently, I started developing my emotion perception as well. I suppose it should be useful when I live with that spoiled woman. It is best to know when she is in a bad mood so that I can avoid any contact with her. It is already hard to deal with her when she is in a good mood, so I must avoid her when she is feeling down or … who knows what she might do…
Another year passed by and I was able to further increase my kenbunshoku range, allowing my senses to reach the whole floor. I eventually decided to start my physical training, even though my movement is heavily constricted. I can already perform some simple moves, but it is hard to keep my balance, so I decided to start doing some simple workouts, such as pushups, squats, abdominal, flexibility and balance exercises. I started really slowly in order not to injure any bones or muscles. I decided to exercise in the morning, right after I ate breakfast until lunch break, after which I read all the books I could get. It's never bad to be informed and it's good to rest my body frequently, especially since I am still so young. This made the nurses panic even more as they realized I could already read. Most people in this world know how to read, even Luffy, but it is still strange that a baby was reading a mountain of books higher than himself almost every day. Well, it is a good way to get used to the language and was what allowed me to learn to speak so quickly.
In the afternoon I usually perform the second part of my training and, afterwards, it's free time and I can do whatever I want. Well, this world doesn't have television, only some den den mushis that transmit important announcements or events. So, I usually use this time to sleep, relax on the grass or read even more. I would like to take this time to go take a swim, but I still don't have enough strength to go all the way to the lake and come back in time. Besides, I heard there were some dangerous creatures in the lake and in the forest around it, so I can only go there once I have confidence in my strength.
On the first day of my training, in the morning, I did as I had planned, completing 5 sets of 1 pushup, 5 squats, 5 abs and 30 seconds of keeping my balance in one leg. By the 4th set my whole body was uncontrollably shaking, but I pushed through and was able to finish it. After all of this, I train my flexibility in order to make my muscles stronger and more agile, as well as avoiding future problems such as oversized muscles that may constrict my movement. In that same afternoon, I increased each set by 1 more pushup, 5 more squats, 5 more abs and 15 more seconds of balance exercises. On the next day, in the morning, I performed the exact same exercises as the previous afternoon (5 times 2 pushups ;10 squats;10 abs;45 seconds) and later, on the afternoon of that same day, I increased the exercises by the same amount as the day before (5 times 3 p.u.;15 sq.;15 abs;60 sec). I did that same regiment for the rest of the year and, by the time I was 3 years old, I decided to include more exercises. I believed my legs were already strong enough to start sprinting and shadow boxing, so I included them on my regime. Because I didn't have any friends in this little village, I trained martial arts by myself, alternatively practicing boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai or Taekwondo against the air … actually, it would be more correct to say I fight against invisible enemies, as I create an opponent, consider what its strong and weak points are, before fighting against it, to the best of my capabilities. Besides all of this, I included a lot more exercises and I even started swimming in a nearby lake.
One day while I was going for a swim, I looked at the water. On the other side, I saw a small young child. The very first thing I noticed was his wild and messy, vivid but silky red hair. He also had gorgeous golden eyes, bronze like skin and oddly defined muscles. It was really weird to see someone so small with such big muscles, but, even weirder was that the boy's body didn't seem disproportional. That was the first time I saw my reflection, as I wasn't tall enough to look at the mirrors around. Truth be told, I never really cared all that much about how I looked. If I did, I could have easily figured out a way to see my currently look. I always supposed that I should get my mother good looks, even if that was one of the few things she ever gave. I guess I was right.
Oops.. there I go again, rambling…
Anyway, the important part is that only today did I realize something… I am actually already quite buffed. That may even be an understatement. Now that I think about it, I did notice that, almost every time I run through the town, most of the people that I saw had weird looks on their faces, like they were surprised with my existence. I simply assumed it was because of my mother, as she is one of the preferred subjects of the village. Countless times I have heard the village folk gossiping about my mother, wondering where she came from and what is someone as rich as her doing in a small town like theirs. Our house is definitely the best in the village, as no other even comes close. If our house is considered a mansion than, the mayors house, which is the next best one, can only be considered a simple and cozy hut. So, it was safe to assume those faces were all because if that woman, but maybe that wasn't all of it.
Apparently a 3-year-old buffed kid is something that you don't see every day, even in this world. I guess that is also why I don't really have any friends… but which adult would be interested in creating a serious friendship with other 2 or 3 years old babies? But in their eyes, I am the same as them, so no adult should want to be my companion either… The kids think I am weird because, instead of crying, screaming or playing with some dumb and simple toys, I read, run and work out… yeah, that should be really strange.
Now it all makes sense. Even the maids at the house tried to avoid their gazes but they were still too obvious, especially when I am training my haki. They thought I was some kind of freak. Once, I even heard them gossip about me. The only person who looked at me the same way was the woman who gave birth to me. I have to give credit where it's due, she still looks at me like I was the one to blame for her current life. That killer look that I've experiences so many times since I was born… it is something I am too familiar with. To be honest, I don't even understand the problem, we live in a comfortable mansion with a lot of servants, so what is she so mad about?
If I had to guess, without any knowledge of her backstory and simply analyzing the messed up looks she gives me, I would assume that she was from a noble family, fell in love with a nobody and got pregnant. I never saw anyone who might be my father, so, perhaps, her family even killed him, and she blames me for it. This is all nothing but pure speculation, being that she never talked to me about it and I never had the guts to ask. I am already pretty confident in my current skills against a normal person, but the way she looks at me makes me feel like I am nothing but an ant. I don't know why, but she gives me some terrifying vibes. She didn't look like a fighter before but, ever since I learned Haki, she seems even scarier. Perhaps I did get a decent bloodline from her …
Nevertheless, I didn't bother her, and she didn't bother me. I avoid asking her anything related to her past, even though it kind of is related to me too, and, in return, she pretty much lets me do what I want, almost as a prize for not annoying her. Most of our conversations were small talk and other baseless topics. Sometimes I would ask her about something in a book and, if she felt like it, she would answer. Other times she simply threw around threats that if I made any noise or annoyed her, I would get into trouble. I never even dared to challenge her. She gave me my own space and that is all I need. Once, I asked her if I could go camp in the forest, for three days, and keep in mind, from her point of view, I am only a young toddler. I asked prepared to receive a laugh or a giant no but, instead, she told me sure, that she didn't care, as long as she didn't have to come get me. To be a little more exact, her sweet and lovely goodbye words to me were: If you get lost or attacked by anything, it's your own problem and, if you want to come out alive, you better get out of there by yourself or pray, because I will not help you nor send anyone to rescue you.
I didn't let her taunts terrify me and still went to the forest, alone. I decided to stay the first night near the border of the forest and move towards the center as I got more confident. From what I heard from the town's hunters, the forest is a good way for them to test their strength, capabilities and courage, as they share stories of how far they were able to go and what beast did they find, ran away from or lost a member to. As I decided to start a bit more carefully, the first night went without a hitch, as I only had to fight against a couple of birds, not because they attacked me but because my body needs a lot of food and the preparations I made were almost gone. It was more of a matter of sustenance than one of danger..
The second night, however, didn't go so great. Throughout the day, everything went as planned as I only had to defeat a wild boar and a warthog. The wild boar was pretty easy to defeat, as I could even hold back and avoid injuring him, as I simply restrained him with my arms before I set him free once again, into the wild. The warthog was a little more difficult as I had to look out for its horns. It almost pierced me several times, but the final result was identical to the previous pig. By the end of the afternoon a flock of birds decided to attack me. They were way too many to fight, so I had to back down and run. I even had to hide inside a tree, only coming out once I knew they were gone. That was really embarrassing, having to run away from a couple of birds … but the real problems came during the night…
I was sitting down, preparing my camp as darkness was coming near. The sun was setting and the dangers of the forest got more evident. I started hearing several noises, such as owls and bats flying through the trees. It wasn't even fully dark yet, but these creatures had already come out to look for food. On the distance, I could hear a couple of animals bickering and growling. It seemed like they were having a fight. It was becoming more and more intense until … a high pitched screech, followed by uncomfortable silence. Simply by the sounds, I could tell that those two creatures had died and just as I was wondering what creature had done it, a big terrifying howl travelled through every nook and cranny of the forest. I was trembling and panicking so much, but I was still able to activate my observation haki and scan my surroundings. I could feel that the creature that scared me was a great wolf, a creature that is terrifyingly bigger and scarier than a normal wolf. He kept shaking the body of the owl, dangling in the air from one side to the other, still stuck to its mouth, as he pressed its teeth against its neck to make sure it was dead, almost ignoring the bat and the small bird, dead on the floor. While it was still enjoying the results of that night's successful hunt, a smaller, much frailer wolf appeared from between the bushes and tried to steal the small bird away. It was incredibly quick, taking it less than a second to travel all the way from the bush to the bird's position, but, unfortunately for it, the bigger wolf sent it to the ground with a quick move of its paw, clawing both its face and its front leg in the process. The big wolf howled again and asserted its dominance. It kept growling, showing its superiority, while the smaller wolf backed away, limping because of its injured leg. The big wolf kept savoring the owl and, only once it was done, did it take the rest of its food back to its shelter.
I was so terrified of this creature that I kept activating my haki to avoid it in case he came my way. I didn't want to end up like the smaller wolf… or worse, the owl. I kept using my Haki until he finally went out of my range but, by the time he did so, I already had exhausted most of my spirit.
I thought that, as long as I paid attention to my surroundings, I should be OK… that was a big mistake, as I understood not much further into the future. I should have tried to be ready for any situations that may come up…
I was laying down on my camping bag, trying to see anything but it was already so dark that I couldn't even see my own hands. I tried to focus more on my hearing but there were so many animals moving around that I couldn't tell which ones were dangerous and which ones weren't. I stayed in this state for quite some time, and I probably would have remained the same until I could finally return home, in the morning. But fate had other plans so, when I was near pure exhaustion, a creature jumped at me. I was trying to detect any movement, so he didn't catch me off guard, but I wasn't exactly ready for it either. The creature was too quick and due to the low visibility, my exhaustion and the fact that I wasn't ready for it, I was too slow to react … I couldn't dodge nor push him away, so I had to face him head on.
I realized several sharp teeth were gunning for my neck, so I used my left arm as a shield. I flexed my arm as much as I could and was able to prevent significant damage. I could feel the teeth piercing my skin and reaching my muscles but, due to my diligent training, I could feel that the creature didn't have enough strength to permanently injure my arm … just a flesh wound.
Now that the creatures face was right next to me, I could finally recognize what was trying to kill me. The poor, little wolf that I even felt sorry for a couple of moments ago … he actually tried to make me into his prey ... how dare he??? Before he could answer, I pulled my arm back and punched him right in the nose. I always heard that those were the weak points of most animals. And I think they were right because after I punched him, he immediately let go of my arm and looked a bit dizzy. I looked at my arm and saw a lot of blood and half a dozen teeth were still stuck to it. I could tell the wounds weren't very deep and, even if it still was a bit painful, I could still move my arm although a little unresponsive. With a little treatment and some time, it should go back to 100%.
While the wolf was still dizzy, I dashed towards him and kicked his frontal leg, the one that was still in good condition, with all of my strength. The wolf yelped in pain as he saw his leg bending in a way that shouldn't be possible. It looked at me with eyes of pure anger and hate. It stood on his back legs, almost like a dog doing a trick but, instead of waiting for its treat, he started dashing in several directions, even using the trees around us as support to be even more unpredictable. It seems like the front legs were completely useless when he is dashing so he was probably counting on that to defeat me. With both his legs destroyed, the wolf probably wouldn't survive much longer unless a doctor or a veterinarian took care of him. He probably blamed me for its demise, so he wanted to take me down with him.
The wolf kept dashing all over the place until he reached its maxed speed, after which he decided to try and take a bite of me. My eyes weren't used to dealing with this kind of speed, as I had spent most of my training on my body, so I couldn't see where the wolf was or where it was planning to go. Fortunately, I had recovered a lot of my energy, so could use my haki once again. As soon as the wolf was within a certain distance, I took a step to the side and threw a powerful hook to the side of its body. I tried to hit its face, but it was faster than I calculated, so I ended up punching it around the ribs. The wolf seemed a little phased by it but not as much as I though. Now that I think about it, even when I threw my first punch, it seemed more phased by the punch hitting its nose than the actual strength of the punch … and I had put all my strength into both of those strikes.
The wolf kept dashing and I kept punching him. After a couple more strikes, I got used to its speed and could hit him wherever I wanted. After a couple more I started getting used to its speed and, by the end of the night, I could already follow the wolf's movements without having to use haki. However, the wolf's condition seemed similar to how it was in the beginning of our fight … my strikes weren't doing as much damage as I had hoped. In fact, I was the one the one that seemed to get in worse shape the longer the fight continued. We were both already exhausted, but my fists kept bleeding a lot for the last couple of hours, as the wolf only lost a couple more teeth. My knuckles were in a pretty bad state due to the number of times I punched the wolf, but he still didn't seem phased by them.
I was looking at this fight as an extreme training opportunity, so I wanted to finish it with only my fists, but it would seem that wasn't enough. As the wolf kept trying to take me down with him, I took a deep breath, placed my legs and arms in the correct positions, and performed a strong high kick, all off this in less than a second. This kick used to be my favorite one, in my past life, as it is relatively easy, quick and effective, as long as it's executed on the right circumstances. The wolf finally seemed stunned! After all this time, I finally was able to injure him. But, to really finish him off, I jumped as high as I could and performed a descending kick as I came down, using my heel and all my momentum to completely destroy him. And just like that, he died. Its head didn't blow up nor anything like that, but the impact was so great that blood was coming out of its mouth, ears, nose and eyes… it was not a good sight.
I won … my first real fight … my first kill … I would probably feel a lot worse if I had just killed a random wolf but this motherf*cker tried its best to kill me. We have been fighting for the last 4 to 5 hours and not once did this excuse of a wolf think about running away or leaving me alone. I always liked both dogs and cats. In this world, that also includes wolfs, lions, tigers etc. I would never want to attack one of my own volition and, even if they did attack me, I would try to defeat them without any serious injuries, restrain them and try to tame them. I don't know how, perhaps it's because of my haki, I could tell that this wolf had a crappy personality. Wolfs are usually in a group, as they travel and hunt in packs, but this one actually tried to take food from another one. And I know the other wolf wasn't to blame, as I used my haki previously, shile trying to run away, and realized he got together with other wolfs that had gone out to hunt and, together, they took whatever they could back to the remaining wolfs and cubs of the pack. So, this wolf was the one to blame, not me. And that's why I used some of the stuff I learned in a survival book, and turned whatever was left of it into my breakfast. I really didn't want to eat wolf, but I really hated it, was really hungry and needed food to recover a bit of my strength. I did not have the strength to look for other food and, according to this world's logic, it is not uncommon to eat this type of creatures… at least now I have some experience.
I didn't have any band-aids on me, so I ripped whatever was left of my ravaged sweater, to tie it around my injured arm and knuckles. I didn't want to travel all this distance without a shirt as my body was full of scars, injuries, dirt and blood. It was also very cold during the night, so I used my pocketknife to skin the wolf and tries to make it into some sort of cloak to cover me. I didn't read anything on how to make clothing but the survival books I read thought me how to make something like this. I was able to make something decent of it, but the cloak was still really filthy and soiled with blood, so I went to the lagoon inside the forest, dipped in and washed myself, my wounds and the newly acquired cloak. Before I finished, I saw several small fins rising to the surface, all of them speeding towards me. I immediately jumped back, reaching find land but, even though I wasn't even inside the lake anymore, I was still terrified because I knew what those creatures were. They were sharks, small ones but still sharks. As I ran through the village, I heard the fishermen laughing and making fun of these so called sharks and how they were pretty easy to catch, having little to no similarities to the actual sharks that are apex predators even in this world, as long as you don't count sea monsters. They may have a small size and little strength, proving to be a much smaller danger than the wolf I just fought against, but they are sharks … the animal that I was most afraid of in my previous life. It's true that there are still quite a few of them and the average fisherman or hunter might have trouble dealing with them … but it should be easy for me … if it weren't sharks …
I can even remember it now, after all this time. When I was a small child in my previous life, my dad and I were going on a fishing trip with a couple of his friends. Everything was going smoothly for the first couple of hours. After we got to open sea, I started getting seasick. At the beginning it was some simple nausea but, as more time passed, the worse it got. All of a sudden, something hits the boat from below… we started swinging from one side to the other. I couldn't control my stomach, so I had to run to the sides of the boat and give everything I had eaten to the fishes. Just as I had finished, a giant creature comes up and jumps straight at me. Its teeth missed me by a couple of centimeters, as I fell backwards screaming as much as my lungs allowed me. The shark kept jumping trying to make me into his meal until my dad and all the other fishermen pierced him with harpoons. Nothing bad really happened, and as I later found out, my childish mind was exaggerating as the shark wasn't as big as I though, he wasn't that close to me at all and he only appeared once before they all pierced him… most of it was on my mind … even so, the trauma still stays here …
I know that, if I plan to travel the seas, there is a great chance that I will have to confront these weaknesses of mine, be it the sharks or the seasickness, but I guess that is a problem for the future me … Right now, I can simply ignore these sharks and just go home … who cares if I wasn't able to wash all the blood on me? The villagers already think that I am a freak either way, so nothing is going to change …
I put on my new, still bloodied, cloak and traveled all the way home. Usually, if I ran through the full journey, it would take about 4 hours to get here from home, as it did, just 2 days before. Nonetheless, because I was injured, it took me most of the day and, as such, I could only reach home in the middle of the night. I was still hopeful that, due to the dangers I could have gone through these last couple of days, my mother had ignited a small, tiny flame inside her, forcing her to become even just the tiniest bit worried or even intrigued with her son's predicaments, as she had no way of knowing how I was doing. To be honest, I just wanted to hear her say glad you're okay or something to prove to me that she is still family and she has the bare minimum of motherly love… instead, after I arrived, the first thing I heard was colder and more indifferent, like what I was already used to.
Mother: Oh, you are home. You should have arrived sooner if you wanted to eat dinner, now you … wait, what is that smell??? Is that you???
Me: … Yes, ma'am. It's the smell of my blood mixed together with the blood of a wolf, mud and other things I had to deal with in the forest.
Mother: Forest? … oh right, a couple of days ago you asked me something like that… no wonder the house felt so nice and peaceful. You should go there more times, it's good for both of us.
As far as she knows I could have died! How is going back good for me??? Does she hate me that much that she literally wants to throw me to the wolfs?
Me: Yes ma'am … as you say …
Mother: Oh, but next time, before you came back, take a proper shower because if I ever have to deal with this smell again … you'll suffer.
I nodded and went to take a shower before she impatiently showed me what she meant. I had to deal with wolfs and she is bothered by my smell??? What was I expecting? At least now I can say for sure that she isn't anything to me and I am not anything to her.
You might think this would be similar to how Garp treated Luffy, just a bit of tough love, but from my point of view, it's completely different. Garp did it out of love and desire to make his grandson strong, as this woman simply didn't care for what happened to me. Once, we were in the dinner table and, keep in mind, this was one of the few times the two of us actually ate together. To my disgrace, I annoyed her with a simple question, one that she probably didn't know the answer to and, instead of simply saying she didn't know she screamed «enough» and threw a knife towards the middle of my head. If I had not trained for all this time and had I not used my observation haki, I would probably be dead … and she didn't laugh like it was a joke, nor did she apologize like it was an accident or she simply lost control... She seriously asked me to return the said knife to her, after which she continued eating, completely ignoring me as I was still trying to catch my breath and understand what had just happened.
She was not my mother. In a previous life, I had a proper mother, who gave all the motherly love I needed, and a great family, who was always there for me. In contrast, this woman was just the one who brought me to this place. She never fed, dressed nor bathed me. That was all done by the maids, but not even them showed me much affection. They were just there to do their job. They never looked at me like I was their son or anything. Maybe that was because I never showed the reactions a normal baby would, and they deducted that I was just like that woman. I remember this one time, they were gossiping about me, saying that an apple doesn't fall too far from the tree …. How dare they compare me to … wait, I just realized I don't know her name … Oh wait … even worse, I DON'T KNOW MY OWN NAME!!!
Me: Mother! Mother! Mother! - I screamed.
Mother: What is all that rush for, little brat? – she asked indifferently – And I told you not to call me that. You should call me Milady or, at the very least madam.
Me: I am sorry, it is just that I realized … I don't really know my name
Mother: Your name?? ahahaha you just realized that?? And here, after all this time, I thought you were a smart fellow. Guess I was wrong.
Honestly, with all the memories from my previous life I didn't even remember that I don't know my current name.
Me: Well moth… ma'am, I never really thought about it because all the maids call me young lord and I don't have any friends, so I never had to give my name away.
Mother: Hmmm … well … I guess that is true. I never really gave you a name, so you choose it. It doesn't really matter all that much to me, either way.
Me: Wait … what??? You didn't name your own son???
Mother: Well, why would I? It's not like I ever wanted you in the first place. Just choose a name and tell me later what you want me to call you. If it's too complicated I won't remember it, so keep that in mind.
An awkward silence arose. I can't believe this woman didn't even bother to name her own son. I mean, I know she hates me but still …
Me: Very well, I shall be named Zeus, Z for short
Mother: If that means you won't annoy me anymore, then very well. You may go now.
Me: Oh ok … oh by the way, what is your name ma'am?
Mother: Ahahah, it is still too early for you to know. Now, off you go.
Wait, why can't she just tell me her name? Does this mean she is a big deal or something? Nah, she is probably only messing with me, to make herself look greater than she actually is. Either that or she doesn't want me to figure out what actually happened to her. I do read a lot of books after all… it wouldn't take much to recognize a noble name.
Almost another year passed by and I kept, steadily, increasing my training. I am not even 4 years old yet and I can already perform about 10 sets of 730 pushups, 3650 squats, 3650 abdominal exercises, and 21 km runs, all of these in each set, besides all the other new exercises that I like to try. My routine takes most of my day now, as I do 4 sets in the morning, 5 in the afternoon and 1 in the night, but I can definitely tell that it is working. I will keep this up until I reach 1000 pushups, 5000 squats and abdominal and 30km runs per set, after which I will stop increasing the number in order to be more efficient with my time. I remember in an anime I saw, a martial artist became stronger after he did the same move about 10.000 times every day, as he slowly started doing them faster and faster until he did them almost instantaneously. After the morning sets, I go into the forest and start training my fists. I stopped performing shadow boxing, where I punch and kick made up opponents, as now I am using a tree as a boxing bag to perform all of my techniques. I started with softer surfaces such as a pile of old clothes or abandoned mattresses, then I passed to bamboo sticks and now I am using trees. After my first fight with the wolf, I realized my problem wasn't with my current strength but more with the way I use it. I wasn't able to make full use of my strength because my fists weren't hard enough. By now, my fists have become really tougher, but I still need to train more to turn them into proper weapons. In one or two years, at this rate, I should probably be ready to start punching rocks.
After all the morning training is done, I usually feel like taking a refreshing dive in the lake. Sometimes I just keep swimming until I feel tired. Other times I keep training underwater to reinforce my muscles. Usually by this time, the morning is almost over, and it is time for lunch break. In the afternoon, I do a pretty similar training, being that I might focus more on one thing in the morning and another on the afternoon. The best part is that, even though I do all of that every single day, I don't even feel that much tired anymore. At the beginning I got super exhausted with less than 20 pushups a whole in a day, but now I do almost 15 000 and my muscles barely ache and, if I sweat even just a little bit, then it was a good day. I have become a training fanatic.
My muscles aren't even oversized because I kept a steady pace and didn't do much weightlifting, so I was able to develop flexible and condensed muscles that will allow me to fight even better and won't restrict my movement. If I keep this up, I might actually become quite strong. I don't really know the level of my current strength, because I only fought with a couple of wild animals that appeared in the forest, but if I had to guess I would say that I am probably stronger than seven years old Luffy. I am not sure how I would compare to a 10 year old Ace or Sabo as, even though I might have a pretty strong body, I have almost no experience in actual free for all fights. Nevertheless, I guess I should be the strongest 4-year-old in this world.