Chapter 3: Wood's Growth and the Island's Girl

Over the course of a year, life on Red Leaf Island has yet to return to its former peace. With the onset of the Great Pirate Era, more and more people have set their sights on the Grand Line.

Now, the original residents of Red Leaf Island have dwindled by more than half. The frequent raids by pirates have driven most of the inhabitants to leave the island and relocate to nearby islands.

During this time, Wood's system has been almost completely dormant, only activating when issuing tasks. Otherwise, it remains silent.

If it hadn't issued a second task, Wood would have started to doubt whether his "cheat" had gone offline for good.

After his previous life simulation, Wood gained near-"Swordmaster" level swordsmanship and insight.

However, despite acquiring the skills and mentality, and possessing the ability to "cut steel," Wood found himself unable to actually perform such feats.

The root cause is simple: while he may have the swordsmanship, his physical condition is still far too weak.

After three months of relentless axe-swinging and tree-chopping, Wood's physical fitness improved significantly, but he was still only slightly above average compared to a normal person.

So, over the past year, aside from absorbing the swordsmanship insights in his mind, Wood has spent most of his time honing his body through rigorous physical training.

A year ago, Wood appeared as a somewhat frail young man. But now, a year later, his skin has taken on a healthy tan, and his shirtless upper body reveals a lean, muscular physique brimming with power. His height has also shot up from 180 cm to around 190 cm.

During this time, Wood has also tried to train his body to the superhuman levels required to master the "Navy Six Styles," just like the CP organizations of the World Government.

However, the reality proved that while his long-term training has considerably improved his physique, even with knowledge of the "Six Styles" principles, he couldn't quite grasp them.

Wood believes there are two reasons for this. First, his current physical condition is still far from the level required to master the "Six Styles."

Second, the "Navy Six Styles" might require specific training methods.

After all, the "Six Styles" are combat techniques used by most Marine officers. It seems unlikely that someone like him, training alone and haphazardly on an island, could easily master them.

If the "Navy Six Styles" were that simple to learn, then wouldn't the numerous pirates who have witnessed them be able to pick them up quickly?

"Wood, it's time for lunch! Come back and eat!"

After swimming several miles in the sea as part of his morning training, Wood noticed a little girl with a ponytail carrying a basket of food on the shore. A smile spread across his face as he swam swiftly to the shore, spraying water as he went.

"Ain, I told you before, you don't need to bring lunch all the way out here. It's dangerous, and what if you run into pirates? The seas around the island aren't safe anymore."

Wood, now at the shore, tried to keep his movements small to avoid splashing water on the girl's pretty dress.

"Wood, you're lying! You said that before, but every time you start training, you lose track of time and even skip meals.

And I'm not afraid of pirates! With you around, no pirate could ever beat us.

You'll protect me from the bad pirates like you did a year ago, right?"

The girl who called out to Wood is Ain, a cute seven- or eight-year-old with a blue ponytail.

Ain is also a resident of Red Leaf Island. A year ago, Wood saved her from a pirate, which led to the activation of his system.

"Knowing how much you train every day, my mom made a lot of meat dishes.

And this fruit—I picked it myself in the forest today. It's really sweet."

Ain's father died protecting her during a pirate raid, so now she lives with her mother.

As for Wood, he fits the typical transmigrator's backstory—no parents, no family. In gratitude for saving Ain, her mother, Stia, took him in.

Living together, and with Wood saving Ain's life, they quickly became as close as family.

With her father killed by pirates, Ain has every reason to hate them, but she's also thankful that after her father's death, she gained a strong, protective older brother in Wood.

After gaining "steel-cutting" level swordsmanship from the life simulation, Wood didn't rush to show off his strength. Instead, he kept training in secret.

After all, this sea is full of powerful individuals, and at his current level, he's still not strong enough.

In his previous life simulation, Wood died young because he wasn't cautious enough.

This time, he resolved to keep a low profile until his strength was sufficient to handle anything the Grand Line's first half could throw at him.

However, sometimes things don't go as planned.

About six months ago, a group of pirates came ashore. Not only did they plunder the island, but they also targeted Stia and Ain, planning to sell them at a slave market.

Seeing his newfound "family" about to be taken, Wood couldn't stay hidden any longer. He quickly dealt with the pirates in front of him.

But, unfortunately, among the pirates he killed, one was a high-ranking member of their crew. This pirate, though strong, managed to escape a considerable distance before Wood could finish him off.

Killing a crew member, especially one of high rank, would surely provoke a response from their captain. No captain worth his salt would let that slide.

So, the pirate captain came after Wood. After a fierce battle, the captain ended up dead too.

A pirate captain with a bounty of 8 million Berries was killed by a young boy who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.

The remaining crew, terrified of the fierce but youthful face of Wood, fled in panic, abandoning their captain's body.

After this incident, the people of Red Leaf Island realized that Wood was no longer the same boy they once knew.

If they hadn't watched him grow up, they wouldn't believe that the young man who killed a notorious pirate captain was the same Wood they used to know.