CH-2: Gaining Knowledge

The next day, I woke up with a yawn and, to my surprise, I didn't feel much pain anymore. 'I guess that's due to the insane recovery speed possessed by the people of this world. Or maybe I am just special, who knows?' I thought, a smile creeping onto my face.

After getting out of bed, I noticed that Kosuke was still sleeping soundly. I swiftly passed by him and went outside the hut to freshen up. Unlike the modern homes back on Earth, the houses in the village didn't have bathrooms. People, mainly males, bathed at the lake in the forest while the females carried buckets of water back to their homes for the same purpose.

Similarly, we had a bucket of water outside the hut for drinking purposes. I took out a little to wash my face and then drank a cup of water to moisten my parched throat. After freshening up, I scooped some more water from the barrel, cleaned my mouth, and then proceeded to bathe. I washed my clothes and hung them to dry on the windowsill, putting on the only other set of clothes I had.

We didn't have a mirror at home, but I could see my reflection vaguely in the water. I had slightly tan skin, red eyes, and black hair. My eyes were pretty unusual, as that color wasn't natural at all, but nobody seemed to care, so I figured it wasn't uncommon in this world. I had to admit, I looked good, even to myself.

When I went back inside, Kosuke was awake and folding his blanket.

"Hey, Dante! How do you feel now? Are you feeling better?" he asked, seeing me up and about.

"I feel a lot better than yesterday. But I am hungry… I want to eat something, Kosuke," I replied, my stomach growling in agreement. My body was still recovering from the fever, and it was obvious I would feel hungry. Our only way to get food was to go to Agatha's house.

"Alright, just give me a minute to fold my bed and we will go to Aunt Agatha's house to eat," he said.

We quickly made our way to Agatha's house, where she greeted us with a warm smile and a hearty breakfast. The food was simple but satisfying, and it felt good to eat a proper meal after being ill. After thanking her, we headed back to our hut.

As children, we didn't have many responsibilities. We could spend the whole day playing or sleeping, and nobody would mind. But that was too boring for me. I needed a plan for the future, and for that, I needed something to write on, like a journal. Unfortunately, neither Kosuke nor I had learned how to read and write yet, and we didn't have the necessary tools.

'So, the first order of business is learning how to read and write. It would be best if I dragged Kosuke along too,' I thought.

"Umm, Kosuke, I want to learn to read," I said suddenly.

Kosuke raised an eyebrow at my request. "Why?"

"Well, I want to know things. Like the name of the fever I had. Or how to write my name and yours. And I saw so many books at the doctor's house; I want to read them too," I explained, trying to sound as childish as possible while also being reasonable.

Kosuke smiled, perhaps at the thought of me being able to write his name, and nodded. "Alright, let's go and attend the class Uncle Peterson holds. He teaches multiple children at his house; we could go there in the evening. What do you say, Dante?"

I smiled and nodded in agreement, though inwardly I cringed at having to act like a child. 'I can't keep this up forever. I need to start acting more mature as I gradually get more education. Then I can chalk it up to knowledge.'

That evening, as scheduled, we attended Peterson's class. It was my first face-to-face encounter with this world's language. It was a strange mixture of Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, and some Latin alphabets. Like Japanese, it was pretty hard to learn. For months, I had to write on an erasable slate to remember thousands of words.

But whether it was due to being an adult or having better intelligence in this life, I learned faster than any of the other kids. While they were barely scratching lines to form alphabets, I was able to correctly form simple sentences. I was soon praised as a genius by Peterson and Agatha.

Some kids were jealous of me, but they didn't bother me much. Kosuke, on the other hand, was supportive all the way. Whenever I got praised, he felt proud, almost smug. He was beginning to grow on me. Not that I hated him to begin with, but I was always the oldest in my past life, always having to lead by example, which I always hated.

It felt good to have someone ahead of me for a change. So, I did my best to help him with his studies too.

When we weren't studying, we were training our bodies.

Now, you might ask, weren't you just saying that you were a kid and couldn't suddenly become mature? Where did this idea about training come from?

Well, I thought about that too and came up with a simple idea: playful competition.

You know how easy it is to trick a kid into doing something? Well, lucky for me, it was pretty easy.

To train our stamina, I challenged Kosuke to see who could run the longest.

To train our explosiveness, I challenged him to see who could run the fastest.

To train our strength, I challenged him to see who could pick up the heavier rock and do sit-ups or overhead presses.

Of course, I kept in mind to progress slowly and safely so that neither of us would get hurt unnecessarily.

Back on Earth, I was an avid gym-goer for a few years before I woke up here. I loved seeing the plates increase on my bar every few months.

So, watching the weight go up on my rock lifts, seeing the increase in my running distance, and lowering the time of my 100-meter dash every single week gave me unprecedented joy.

Our little training program quickly showed results. In just six months, we were able to pick up rocks that were twice as big as us, something no kid, or even an adult, back on Earth could do.

In the stamina department, we could lap the island once, which was around three and a half kilometers.

In speed, well, we didn't have a clock at hand, but we made do with a gifted hourglass. We ran 100 meters in 10 seconds, and the world record back on Earth was around 9.5 seconds.

So, to say I was happy would be an understatement.

As the months passed, I continued to focus on my education and training. I had become quite proficient in the local language and had even started reading some of the simpler books in Peterson's collection. My comprehension skills improved, and I could understand more complex texts over time.

One evening, we sat by the fire, the crackling flames casting dancing shadows around us. I took a deep breath, deciding it was time to share my dreams with Kosuke. "Kosuke," I began, "I want to explore the world beyond our island."

Kosuke looked at me, his gaze steady and serious. "What do you mean, Dante? The world outside... it's dangerous."

"I know," I replied, trying to sound brave. "But there's so much out there. Adventure, new places, new people. We can't stay here forever, confined to this small island."

He was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I've always had a feeling you'd say something like that. And I get it. The thought of seeing new places... it excites me too. But how do you know what's out there?"

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell him part of the truth. "One day, while browsing through Peterson's collection, I stumbled upon a book. It was an old, worn-out volume about the history and geography of the world. As I flipped through its pages, I realized this world is much bigger than we can imagine."

Kosuke's eyes widened slightly. "Really? What's in it?"

"Names, locations, stories of places beyond our wildest dreams. Did you know our island's name is Nerina? One of the few islands not under any kingdom." I said, my excitement growing.

Kosuke was surprised, "I never knew that our island had a name. I guess all those books you read are really helpful.

I laughed, feeling even more excited, "They are, by the way, I even started keeping a journal to note down everything I remember and plan our future journey."

Kosuke smiled, but his expression remained thoughtful. "Then it's settled. We'll explore the world together. But let's be smart about it. We'll train hard and prepare for anything that comes our way."

"Absolutely," I agreed, feeling a rush of gratitude for having such a loyal friend. "We'll make our mark on this world, Kosuke."

From that night on, we were more determined than ever. Our bond grew stronger, our resolve unwavering. We knew that together, there was nothing we couldn't achieve.

Secretly, I decided to keep the true nature of this world to myself. Telling Kosuke it was the world of One Piece might complicate things or make him worry unnecessarily. Instead, I focused on making plans. I noted down events and timelines I remembered from my past life, marking important years like when Ace and Luffy started their journeys and major arcs that would shape the future.

To ensure my secrets stayed safe, I wrote everything in Hindi, a language no one on this world could decipher. It was our roadmap, our guide to the adventures that awaited us.

And so, with each passing day, we trained, planned, and dreamed of the day we would set sail and carve our names into the annals of history.

Over the next few months, Kosuke and I dedicated ourselves to our training and education with renewed vigor.

We also started fishing to learn the skill and to earn some money for the future.

I carefully saved up my earnings, knowing that we'd need supplies and equipment for our journey. Kosuke was always by my side, equally committed to our goal.

As time went on, our efforts began to pay off. Our physical strength and endurance improved, and our understanding of the world deepened. I continued to read and study, absorbing as much knowledge as possible about the places we would eventually visit.