Chapter 3: Training & Swordsmanship (Beginner Level)
With a system finally in his possession, Luo Lin obviously had to figure out what it could actually do.
"What kind of rewards are we talking about?"
"This system is dedicated to forging the strongest man in the world! Tasks will be issued randomly. Rewards include swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat techniques, Devil Fruits, Haki—literally anything that exists in this world can be earned!"
"And the tasks?"
"Random. Most are training-related, with the occasional emergency quest. Currently: no active tasks!"
"Where's my newbie gift pack? Every other system gives one!"
DING! "There is no newbie gift pack!"
"…System panel?"
DING! "That, I've got!"
Host: Portgas D. Luo Lin
Age: 6
Swordsmanship: None
Haki: None
Hand-to-Hand: None
(Triple-zero product. Certified cannon fodder. Evaluation complete!)
Luo Lin: "…"
Fair. He was six. Bread will come, milk will come—everything in due time!
"Hurry up and give me a quest! I need to get stronger!"
DING~ "No quests available at this time!"
"Then what the hell do I need you for?! You've got a panel but no quests, no newbie pack, not even a system shop!"
"Are you the reject system nobody else wanted, so they dumped you on me?"
"Unbind! Unbind right now!"
"Don't be like that, Host! Your little System has it rough too! I might be weak at the start, but I swear I'll make a comeback!"
"How am I supposed to believe a trash system like you?!"
"Damn it! You think I'll just take that lying down?! Just you wait!"
Silence.
Luo Lin: "…???"
Wait for what? You're not actually unbinding, are you?
Sure, he'd been roasting the system nonstop, but that was only because it had nothing right now! He was 100% sure it would get better later. Even mediocre rewards were better than nothing!
"System? Hellooo?"
No answer.
He sat on the ground questioning his life choices for ten minutes.
DING~ "Did the Host miss me~?"
"System?!"
"You didn't really think I went to unbind myself, did you? Dream on! This System is clingy!"
Luo Lin swallowed ten thousand curse words.
DING~ "Training quest triggered! Swing a sword 10,000 times per day for 10 consecutive days! Reward: Swordsmanship (Beginner)!"
Daily progress: 0/10,000 Total progress: 0/10
(▼皿▼#) Are you kidding me?!
"Ten thousand swings a day for ten days just for beginner level?! Other systems hand out master-level swordsmanship or even named blades!"
As expected—trash system! Rage-quit incoming!
The system sensed murderous intent.
Cough~ "Host, calm down! This is the best reward I fought tooth and nail for!"
"Named blades will come later! The rewards are fixed—I can't change them! But sometimes there are bonus prizes!"
"Please keep working hard!"
Luo Lin mentally flipped it off, but… whatever. Complaining aside, something was still better than nothing. If the system sucked, he'd just work harder himself.
It was getting late anyway. Time to start.
He grabbed his wooden sword and began swinging. Ten minutes in, he was starving—he hadn't even eaten lunch.
Back on the ship, he pulled out food and casually checked the panel.
Daily progress: 0/10,000
He froze. Still zero?! He lost it.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"Get out here, you scam!"
DING~ "It's called 'sword swinging,' so obviously you need a real sword. Wooden swords don't count!"
"Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
"You didn't ask~ Unless the Host specifically asks, this System won't disturb you!"
"Fine. You win this round."
He viciously bit into his food as if it were the system itself.
Lunch done, he pulled out an actual katana—way heavier than the wooden one—and started chopping at the air.
Nearly two hours later, his arms felt like lead. He had to stop.
Panel check:
Daily progress: 3,168/10,000 Total progress: 0/10
"Oof… training is no joke."
Rough math told him he'd need at least six hours a day to hit 10,000.
"Luo Lin!"
"Robin?"
She'd finished her chores and come running with a book. Now that she finally had a friend, she wanted to see him every chance she got. If she didn't have to live with her aunt and uncle, she'd never go home.
Luo Lin slung the katana over his shoulder and jogged down.
"Hey! Hungry? Plenty of food on the ship!"
Robin shook her head—she just wanted his company.
"Alright, tell me when you are. Let's head to the woods!"
"Okay!"
Same peaceful scene: girl reading, boy swinging a sword. No brats to ruin it.
The idyllic picture lasted until the sun began to set.
Robin closed her book and looked over. Luo Lin was drenched in sweat, hair plastered to his forehead, clothes clinging to his body. He looked exhausted.
But in the sunset light, with golden rays outlining him, he seemed to glow—like a hero from one of her books.
To Robin, he really was a beam of light in her dark world.
She couldn't help but smile.
Luo Lin noticed her gaze, sheathed his blade, and rubbed his aching arms.
"It's getting late. Let's head back."
"Okay!"
Back at the ship, his arms were jelly. Quick panel check—over 7,000 swings today. Just 2,000+ left!
Seeing how wiped he was, Robin didn't want to leave right away. She started making dinner instead.
"Hey, won't you get in trouble if you're late?"
"It's fine! As long as the chores are done, they don't care. There are no beasts on Ohara—they won't worry about me."
Her voice dipped with loneliness when she said that.
Luo Lin's heart clenched.
"It's okay. We're friends. Anytime you're sad, come find me. I'll walk you home later."
"Okay!"
Dinner was ready fast. Just as Robin was about to leave, he grabbed her hand.
"We're eating together! Friends share meals. And you cooked—this is yours too."
He was dead serious. Robin looked at him, then nodded firmly.
"Okay!"
To his shock, four-year-old Robin was already a pretty decent cook!
They ate happily. Robin especially—she'd never had food this good. Her aunt and uncle only gave her two pieces of black bread a day.
Seeing her blissed-out face, Luo Lin spoke up.
"Robin."
"Hm?"
"Come eat here every day from now on."
They were both growing kids. Two pieces of hard bread weren't enough. Sure, One Piece humans were built different, but nutrition still mattered!
"I can't—your food will run out!"
"Don't worry. There's enough money on this ship to feed us both for years. Plus, you saved my life. I could feed you forever and still owe you!"
Little Robin didn't understand romance, but her heart felt warm all the same.
"Okay!"
By the time they finished, night had fallen. Luo Lin's arms had recovered—One Piece physique was insane.
"I'll walk you home."
"Okay!"
Ohara nights were safe, but humans fear the dark regardless.
The town was well-lit. He walked her to the crowded area, then headed back.
He still had over 2,000 swings left today.
The path got darker and darker. Luo Lin had been a staunch atheist… until he transmigrated. Now anything felt possible.
He sped up, a little spooked.
He always slept with the ship's lamps on anyway.
Finally back aboard, he exhaled in relief and immediately resumed swinging—he was finishing those 2,000+ tonight!
DING~ "Daily quest complete! Keep it up tomorrow, Host!"
"Yeah, yeah. This emperor is tired. You're dismissed, little System."
He collapsed into bed without even washing up.
System: "@#%×…"
The next few days were calm and repetitive: swing swords all day, bodyweight training at night. At least Luo Lin had grit in spades.
Robin came every day. Luo Lin always kept her for meals—kids need proper food!
As training intensified, his appetite exploded. Future big-eater in the making.
…
On the afternoon of the tenth day, the final swing landed.
DING~ "Congratulations! Quest complete: 10,000 sword swings daily for 10 days! Reward distributing…"
A flood of information poured into his mind. Angles, grip, timing, footwork—swordsmanship basics clicked into place like he'd always known them.
Hands itching, he drew the katana and slashed at a nearby tree.
Shwick shwick shwick!
He sheathed the blade with a flourish.
CRASH!
A wrist-thick tree toppled, trunk sliced clean into several pieces.
Robin, reading nearby, dropped her book in shock.
Luo Lin… was that strong?!
She'd watched him swing every day but had no idea pure repetition could produce this!
Luo Lin himself leaped in excitement, then turned to her grinning.
"Pretty cool, right? All that practice paid off! Ever since those kids beat me up, I swore I'd get strong enough to protect us both!"
"Can I… do that too?"
"Uh… probably not the same way."
He had a system. She didn't.
"Oh. Okay!"
She wasn't too disappointed—watching him swing a heavy blade all day looked exhausting. Not exactly girly.
"Woo-hoo! We're taking off! Little System, I take it back—you're kinda useful!"
"Of course! Just leave everything to me, Host. I'll make you the strongest man alive!"
"Cool, cool. So when's the next quest?"
"Haha… about that… please be patient! The timing has to be right!"
"Tch. That's all you got?"
System: "…"
Luo Lin was just teasing. After ten days of hellish training, he wasn't jumping into another quest today anyway.
Panel check:
Swordsmanship: Beginner
Haki: None
Hand-to-Hand: None
(Slightly stronger cannon fodder!)
Delete that last line, you jerk!
He was mad for exactly 0.5 seconds before joy took over.
He grabbed Robin's hand.
"I'm in a great mood! Let's go eat out!"
Robin went home after dinner. Luo Lin walked back alone, idly chopping grass with his katana.
"Sigh… Ohara's too peaceful. No one to spar with."
Beginner swordsmanship had gone to his head. The system called him stronger cannon fodder, but what teenage boy didn't get cocky?
Too bad no one was around to test him.
For the next stretch of time, he split focus between sword practice and raw physical conditioning.
The system, unable to handle any more insults, finally issued another quest—this time weighted push-ups and squats. No daily quota, just 100,000 total of each. Reward: "Physical Attributes Improved" (details TBD).
Luo Lin hyped himself up, then immediately roasted it again for being trash.
Classic love-hate relationship with his garbage (yet beloved) system.
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