Dawn broke, and a new day began.
A lone supply ship drifted quietly across the sea. At its bow stood Lucien, studying a weathered nautical chart marked with several islands and towns—Goth Island, Shells Town, Fish Town, Cocoyasi Village, Syrup Village, and Shimotsuki Village.
As his eyes scanned the map, fragments of memory surfaced.
If he recalled correctly, Nami was in Cocoyasi Village, while Zoro was in Shimotsuki Village.
Currently, his course was set toward Cocoyasi Village. Compared to Zoro, Nami would be easier to approach. The only problem was whether Arlong had already taken control of the village. If so, things might get complicated. But if that were the case, he'd simply adapt.
After setting the course, Lucien began his daily training.
He had already managed eight uses of Soru, and today he planned to break through to nine.
Time flew quickly when one was fully absorbed in something. Before he knew it, the day had turned to dusk. After finishing his exercises, he showered and changed into simple shorts, then prepared something to eat.
Lately, his appetite had grown immense—far beyond what a normal person could manage. That was a good sign. In this world, the strongest always had monstrous appetites. It meant his body was evolving.
After a short rest, he resumed training.
At sea, there was little else to do.
Even the one movie he had stored in his system—something about horses—had long since lost its appeal after a hundred replays.
By midnight, Lucien collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted. But even in rest, he didn't let his guard down. He dragged a small cabinet against the cabin door as a makeshift alarm. The open sea was never safe—pirates could appear at any time.
According to his estimation, he should reach Cocoyasi Village early the next morning.
However, fate had other plans.
The once-clear night sky turned dark as rolling clouds gathered overhead. Thunder cracked, and a torrential downpour hit the ship like an angry beast. Waves crashed against the hull, rocking the vessel violently.
Lucien jolted awake. Though the East Blue was nothing like the Grand Line, the seas here could still turn deadly without warning.
He rushed to the deck to stabilize himself, rain pounding against his body like bullets.
"Damn it," he muttered, gripping the rail as lightning flashed across the sky. "Am I really going to sink here?"
He couldn't help but think of Luffy, who had once drifted across the ocean in nothing but a barrel.
Was that the power of the so-called Child of Destiny?
Hours passed in chaos until the storm finally began to die down. Exhausted and drenched, Lucien slumped against the railing, breathing hard. He had considered using his system's [Random Teleportation], but it wasn't something he wanted to rely on unless absolutely necessary.
When dawn broke, the sea was eerily calm again—but his ship was battered beyond repair, cracks forming along its base. Water was leaking in faster than he could patch it. Worse, he had completely lost his bearings. Even with his map, he couldn't tell where he was.
"Do I really have to use it…?" he muttered, glancing at the faintly glowing [Random Teleportation] option on his interface.
He estimated the ship would last maybe another hour.
If he didn't plug the holes earlier, he'd already be swimming.
The sea stretched endlessly around him—nothing but blue in every direction. His heart sank.
Unless luck favored him, he'd have no choice but to teleport.
Minutes crawled by, every second heavier than the last. He was about to activate the teleportation when—
"Heaven doesn't abandon me after all…"
In the distance, through the mist, he saw land.
An island.
Lucien grabbed a floating barrel, leapt into the water, and began swimming toward it.
Half an hour later, he collapsed onto a sandy shore, gasping for air. After resting for a while, he forced himself to his feet and began exploring.
"Not bad," he murmured, spotting a narrow dirt path leading inland. "Looks like it's inhabited."
He followed the trail through the forest for several minutes before emerging near a traditional-style building. From within, he heard the rhythmic sounds of wooden swords clashing.
A sword dojo.
And just beyond it—a small village.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly when he spotted a green-haired boy training relentlessly, three wooden swords in hand—one in his mouth, two in his grasp.
He couldn't help but laugh softly.
He had washed up in Shimotsuki Village.
And that boy was unmistakably Roronoa Zoro.
A storm had literally carried him straight to one of his future targets.
"Who are you?"
A sharp voice called out.
Lucien turned to see a young girl—around eleven years old—wearing a light kimono and holding a wooden sword. She looked both wary and curious.
He recognized her immediately.
Kuina.
Zoro's childhood rival, the girl he swore to surpass.
She was still alive—though, judging by the timeline, that wouldn't last much longer.
Lucien smiled faintly. "Ah, hello there. I was sailing toward the Goa Kingdom on business, but a storm hit last night. My crew got separated, and I woke up here. I followed the forest trail and ended up at this place."
Kuina studied him for a moment. His soaked and disheveled state made his story believable.
"Would you like some water?" she asked.
"That would be great," Lucien replied, his throat dry from salt air.
"Please, follow me."
She led him through the dojo's gate toward the veranda.
"Wait here, I'll bring some."
Lucien sat down, watching Kuina disappear into the building. His gaze shifted back to the training ground, where young Zoro continued his relentless swings.
He had originally planned to go to Cocoyasi Village—but plans never survived reality.
Since he was already here, there was no reason to leave empty-handed.
A spark of an idea lit up in his mind.
He opened his [System Interface] and pulled out an ancient, yellowed book—the Sunflower Manual. Then he tore out the section that read: "To master this divine technique, one must abandon one's manhood."
"Well, this might finally be useful," he murmured.
He remembered the manual's description: 'Can be understood without hindrance in any world.'
That meant even people from this world could read it.
"Here you go," Kuina said, returning with a wooden bowl of water.
"Thank you." Lucien drank deeply, feeling refreshed.
He placed the Sunflower Manual on the ground, tucking the torn page into his system's storage.
Kuina blinked in surprise. She hadn't seen him carrying a book earlier.
"Excuse me," Lucien asked casually, "is the master of this dojo around?"
"My father's inside. Do you need something?"
"Yes," Lucien replied, meeting her curious gaze. "I'd like to ask him for a ship—in exchange for this sword technique, Sunflower manual."
He lifted the book slightly.
"'Sunflower Manual?'" Kuina repeated, frowning. The words were foreign, yet somehow she could read them.
"Yes," Lucien said smoothly. "I heard it was written by a great swordsman, but I can't make sense of it myself. Since this is a dojo, I figured your father might appreciate its value."
He smiled faintly—lying without hesitation.
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