Chapter 2: The System Arrives… Fashionably Late
After Robin left, Luo Lin finally decided to cook himself a proper meal. One piece of black bread wasn't nearly enough, especially after trekking all the way to the market and back with her.
Luckily, the little pirate ship was surprisingly well-stocked with cooking gear.
To be honest, his cooking skills had been terrible at first. Back in his old life as a spoiled rich kid, someone else had always handled meals—either the family chef or the school cafeteria. The most "cooking" he'd ever done was reheat takeout or follow a wilderness survival YouTube video for fun.
But when you're starving on the open sea, you learn fast or you die. After half a month of trial and error, he could now make food that was at least edible. To celebrate surviving the ocean and meeting Robin, he went all out and made two extra dishes.
…
After stuffing himself, Luo Lin lay in the cabin and started seriously planning his future.
He racked his brain trying to figure out why he'd transmigrated. No answers. The only thing he was sure of was that his original body had probably died from sudden overwork—classic "death by all-nighter."
"Sorry, Mom and Dad… you must be heartbroken. If I'd known, I wouldn't have stayed up so late. But you're still young—you can always have another kid!"
"Whatever. I'm here now, so I'll live my new life to the fullest!"
Even though the two dead pirates had left behind enough money and treasure to let him live comfortably for decades (or support both him and Robin for twenty-odd years), this was the One Piece world. Peaceful living wasn't an option.
And of all places—Ohara!
In the original story, only four Buster Calls had ever been issued. The very first one wiped Ohara off the map. Only Robin survived, and she spent the next twenty years on the run.
Two years from now, Roger would be executed and the Great Pirate Era would begin. After that, the seas would be crawling with absolute monsters.
People who could crash through buildings and walk it off like nothing—what else do you call that but a freak?!
Thankfully, Ohara itself seemed relatively safe from pirates until the Buster Call. Scholars didn't exactly have loot worth stealing—just mountains of books.
So, for now, he could ignore the chaos that was coming.
His short-term goal: leave Ohara with Robin before the Buster Call, head out to sea, and be strong enough to survive.
Problem was, he was currently six years old. Sailing alone was suicide. He needed years to prepare, and he absolutely had to bring Robin with him.
Plus, you needed real strength to survive out there. Luo Lin lived by the ancient Chinese proverb: "If they don't mess with me, I won't mess with them." But self-defense was non-negotiable in this world. Pirates didn't do polite debates.
After thinking it through, he set his immediate goal:
Find a teacher. Learn physical training, and if possible, swordsmanship too. What red-blooded man didn't dream of swinging a blade?
But… where the heck was he supposed to find a teacher on Ohara?
The best place to learn combat arts was obviously the Marines, but a random six-year-old had no way to just waltz into a Marine base.
"Wonder if Robin knows anyone…"
He muttered to himself, then immediately shot the idea down. In the manga, little Robin's life was just reading and getting bullied. No way she knew a swordmaster.
Still… he could ask next time she came by.
After drifting at sea for over ten days, he was physically and mentally exhausted. Now that he was on solid ground and had a full belly, sleep hit him like a truck. He passed out without even realizing it.
…
He woke up groggy near dusk. The sky wasn't fully dark yet—no clock, so he had no idea what time it was, but it couldn't be too late.
He wondered if Robin had stopped by in the afternoon. Didn't matter; she knew where his ship was.
He grabbed a quick bite, then pulled out the two dumbbells stashed on the ship and started working out. No time like the present—if he was going to train, he might as well start now.
He couldn't do swordsmanship yet, but basic strength training was easy enough.
To his delight, this body's potential was pretty insane. He lifted for over an hour before finally hitting his limit.
No wonder—the original owner's name had a "D." in it! Anyone with the Will of D. was bound to be a freak.
He kept going until the moon hung high overhead, then collapsed, panting.
"Whew… training really is brutal!"
Too tired to bathe, he face-planted onto the bed and passed out.
…
The next morning, he woke to seagulls screaming overhead. The sun was already high—he'd slept in.
Quick wash, breakfast, then straight back to training.
Consistency was everything!
"Luo Lin!"
He turned to see a little girl waving at him from below the ship, a book clutched in one hand—Robin.
He waved back, grabbed two soft bread rolls (she probably hadn't eaten breakfast), and jogged down.
"Here!"
"Thank you!"
"Did you come by yesterday afternoon?"
"Yep! You were sleeping, so I went home."
"Next time just wake me up, okay? Friends get treated when they visit!"
"Okay!"
Robin's eyes curved into happy crescents. She finally had a real friend.
"What were you doing just now?"
"Oh, just working out. I want to get strong and learn swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat!"
"Oh!"
Robin nodded like she half-understood.
"Do you know any places that teach swordsmanship or martial arts? Like a dojo or a teacher?"
Robin shook her head.
As expected. Luo Lin sighed inwardly, but he'd already prepared himself for that answer. Looked like he'd have to figure it out on his own.
…
After finishing one roll, Robin headed to her usual spot in the woods to read and even invited him along.
Luo Lin didn't read, but he didn't mind the company. He grabbed a wooden sword and followed.
A gentle sea breeze blew through the trees. A tiny girl sat quietly on a stump, completely absorbed in her book—serene and elegant in a way no four-year-old should be. A bit farther away, a slightly older boy swung a wooden sword at the air.
It was a peaceful, beautiful scene.
Without a teacher, Luo Lin trained the only way he knew how—following clichés from anime and novels. A thousand practice swings, push-ups until he dropped, maybe he'd suddenly awaken to the way of the sword one day.
Both of them were focused on their own thing… and neither noticed the sneaky figures creeping closer.
Thunk!
A rock struck Robin in the arm.
"There's the monster!"
"Why don't you just leave the island already, you freak?!"
"Die, devil child!"
Four or five boys around Luo Lin's age started hurling rocks and insults. In seconds, bruises bloomed across Robin's skin.
Robin closed her book and glared defiantly. She was about to use her Hana Hana no Mi to teach them a lesson—she'd done it before and they always ran away screaming.
But then she remembered Luo Lin was right there. She didn't want to scare off her only friend.
So she hugged her head and crouched beside the stump.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Stop it!"
A furious shout rang out, startling seagulls into flight.
The bullies looked around in panic.
A black-haired boy gripping a wooden sword charged over and planted himself protectively in front of Robin.
The leader—probably a year or two older than Luo Lin—stepped forward.
"Who are you? Why are you protecting her?!"
"Her mom's a wanted criminal, and she's a monster!"
"She's my friend!"
Luo Lin didn't care about excuses. He knew Robin's story better than anyone—he just hadn't realized her childhood was this bad. He'd thought it was just isolation, not physical attacks.
He was pissed.
He rushed the group with his wooden sword raised.
Robin was too stunned to stop him. When she heard "She's my friend," her heart nearly burst with happiness. She wanted to call out, but in the end she stayed quiet and just watched.
Having someone stand up for her felt too good.
At first the boys dodged, but once they realized Luo Lin wasn't actually that scary, they started swinging back wildly.
Luo Lin's body was decent, but he had zero real training. Against multiple opponents, he quickly got tackled and pummeled.
Robin couldn't take it anymore. Hands sprouted from the boys' bodies using her Devil Fruit, locking them in place.
"The monster's mad—RUN!"
They scrambled off Luo Lin and vanished into the trees.
Robin ran over and helped him up.
"Luo Lin, are you okay?!"
She looked worried—partly for his injuries, partly afraid he'd seen her power.
"I'm fine! Don't worry."
"You… you saw that, right? They all say I'm a monster…"
"I know."
"You know?!"
"Yep. I'm from outside the island, remember? Relax—that's just a Devil Fruit ability. You're not a monster."
"What's a Devil Fruit?"
"It's a fruit that gives you weird powers when you eat it. They come in all shapes, have swirly patterns, and apparently taste awful. You're a Devil Fruit user!"
He'd never eaten one himself, but he'd seen plenty in the manga, so he explained everything he knew.
Robin's eyes went wide. So that pretty flower-looking fruit she'd found and eaten one day when she was starving… that was a Devil Fruit!
"That means… I'm not actually a monster?"
"Of course not!"
"So… we're still friends?"
"If you want, we can be friends for life."
Luo Lin reached out and ruffled her hair.
"(σ≧∀≦) Yay!"
Robin jumped for joy, cheeks pink—she'd never had a boy pat her head before!
Seeing her so happy made Luo Lin's heart warm. What a sweet, strong, adorable kid! And with the Hana Hana no Mi? Future goddess material, 100%.
But today's events lit a fire under him. He couldn't even beat a bunch of snot-nosed brats. How was he supposed to protect himself, let alone Robin?
"No way. I have to train harder. I'll get strong and protect both of us. She's not going through that hell again if I can help it!"
He swore to himself.
DING~
A crisp sound rang in his mind.
Luo Lin froze, then started shaking with excitement.
He waited… and waited… nothing else.
Robin waved a hand in front of his blank stare.
"Luo Lin? Are you hurt?"
He snapped out of it, eyes burning with determination.
"Nah, I was just thinking how I'm gonna get stronger. Can't let those punks push us around anymore!"
Robin giggled behind her hand. Aren't we all kids?
Relieved he was okay, she went back to reading.
Luo Lin sat nearby, barely containing himself, waiting for the next prompt.
"System?"
System: "Busy! Don't @ me."
"…"
Is this system okay in the head?
But a system was a system! He jumped up overjoyed.
As expected of a transmigrator golden finger—it might be late, but it always shows up!
(*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ) I finally have a system!!
"WOOHOO!"
Robin glanced over, confused. Did Luo Lin break? He's crying and cheering…
After celebrating, he calmed down and tried again.
"System?"
System: "Still binding! I'll ping you when it's done!"
So "busy" meant binding? Fine, you're the boss right now.
He obediently waited.
Three whole hours later—Robin had already gone home.
DING~ Host Luo Lin's intense desire to train detected! Ultimate Training System successfully bound!
This system will occasionally issue training tasks to assist the host. Completing tasks grants rewards!
Goal: Help the host become the strongest man in the world! This is your official transmigrator benefit package~
Luo Lin: "…"
So I still have to train myself?
Are you kidding me? Other systems have daily check-ins, sign-in rewards, instant invincibility—lie down and get OP! And mine makes me work for it?!
Cough cough "Host, don't sweat the small details!"
…Fair. Something is better than nothing.
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