Day 15 broke with the golden glow of early morning sunlight filtering through the thin curtains of Kenji's rented room. He slowly opened his eyes, hoping against hope the now-familiar ache would keep him pinned to the bed. But today was not like that.
He sat up, massaged his eyes, and lifted his arms above—and stopped. He looked down.
His chest had widened. His biceps, previously stringy and flat, now showed definition beneath his skin. He pressed his hand against his torso and could feel ridges where there'd once been softness. Abs. Full ones.
Kenji straightened and walked over to the dusty mirror propped against the wall. The face staring back at him was still his, only not. Sharper. Tallers. Had been 5'10". Now, he ducked slightly to see himself. Six-foot-one, no issue.
"Is this what progress tastes like in the One Piece world?" he complained. It didn't feel normal according to Earth standards. There, years of harsh labor would be needed for a change such as this. Here, in barely more than two weeks, he felt like a new man.
There was still pain, naturally—especially after thirteen consecutive days of merciless pounding—but underlying it was something else. Something intense. His body did not just ache. It buzzed. Like it was hungry for more.
After completing his push-ups, sit-ups, and a hard 5km down the windy cliffs just outside of town, Kenji walked further than he had ever walked before. Past the weathered fences. Past the last row of stand-alone houses. Into a quiet grove where the trees grew close and the air smelled of salt and moss.
He stood there, taking it all in.
Then, without thinking, he moved forward, planting his feet, reared back his fist, and punched a tree.
The blow shook up his arm and sent a tingling shock through his bones. He hissed and shook it out. It stung. But he saw.
The tree was indented. Bark was cracked slightly in a spider-webbed fracture. Some leaves drifted down like snow.
Kenji smiled.
"Okay," he breathed. "That's new."
His breathing reduced. He clenched and unfisted his fists, letting the ache recede. All of that training, all the pains and exhaustion—its payoff could be felt in how punches landed, in the responsiveness of his muscles.
That afternoon, sitting back in his quarters after washing in a cold stream nearby, Kenji reviewed his system window.
[Strength: 0.5 plus 0.1][Constitution:1.2 plus 0.1][Agility: 0.7 plus 0.1]]
Those figures didn't amount to much then. But now? They were starting to count.
he realized his stats had gone up by 0.1 which is most likely from his training .
By mid-afternoon, the sky was streaked with floating clouds. Kenji had completed errands at the market—bread, water, dried meat—and was walking back towards the inn. He took a shortcut, dodging through a narrow back-alley close to the harbor.
That's when he heard it.
Raised voices. A struggle. A dull thud.
He crept closer and saw them:
Three men—dirty, coarse, the type that smelled of decay and cheap rum—had a younger man pinned against a shattered brick wall.
Author.
The one who'd shoplifted before. Seventeen, hard. The same kid who'd tried to steal an apple from Kenji a week ago.
He was holding something against his chest—bread? money? jewelry? Kenji didn't know. The bullies didn't care. They shoved him back and forth, laughing, snarling.
"Think you can pilfer on our turf and escape with it?" one snarled.
Author didn't hesitate. Hands relaxed at his sides, eyes shining.
Kenji hesitated, eyes flicking between Author and the men. He could leave. It wasn't his fight.
But his hand was already on the hilt of his katana.
He strode into the alley. "Three to one? That's coward's tactics."
Every head spun. One thug snarled, "Who in the hell are you?"
Kenji did not answer. He just drew out his sword.
The fight was a blur.
The first man charged him with a snarl. Kenji swung high and wide and missed. The guy responded with a wild blow that caught the side of his jaw. Pain blazed white before his eyes.
Kenji reeled back, blinking. He gritted his teeth. Concentrate.
He stepped back and slashed again—this time into the thug's side, where he made a small cut. The guy shrieked and stumbled.
Another attacker charged.
Author jumped into action.
He attacked low, a blurring whirl of motion, and smashed his elbow into the thug's belly. When the guy doubled up, Author drove a knee into the guy's chin. The dude fell.
Kenji hadn't time to enjoy it.
The third, clubbing wildly with a fat club. Kenji deflected it with the flat of the blade—arms trembling—then kicked his foot into the thug's shin. He yelped and collapsed on the ground.
Author dropped on him like a cat, elbowing him out.
Silence fell.
The other thug, bleeding and cursing, crawled away and fled, leaving his fallen mates in the alley.
Kenji stood there, heaving, sweat pouring down, heart pounding. He looked down at his sword—blood on the blade, his hands slightly trembling.
It hadn't been beautiful. It hadn't even been clever.
But he'd survived.
He'd fought.
"You're not so bad," Author said, brushing off his pants.
Kenji raised an eyebrow. "I got hit like three times."
Author grinned. "Still stood, though?"
They sat on a crate against the wall, recovering.
"What's your name?" Kenji asked.
"Author."
"Why steal?"
Author shrugged. "Because I'm good at it. Because there's not much else. But I limit myself to small targets. Big money draws big heat. I like being alive."
Kenji nodded slowly. "Ever thought of being a pirate?"
The teen snorted. "If the captain's tough enough—and crazy enough—maybe so."
Kenji leaned forward. "I plan to sail before the month's out. Not sure where I'm going yet, but I won't be staying here. You in?"
Author didn't answer immediately. He stood, stretched, and gave a crooked grin.
"I'll think about it. And thanks… for stepping in."
With that, he melted into the crowd beyond the alley.
Kenji sat there for a long moment, sword resting across his lap.
He looked at his hands. At the faint smudge of blood along his knuckles.
He felt the buzz in his bones, the echo of violence still humming inside.
His first fight. His very first foray into the perils that surrounded this world.
And the biggest surprise?
He wasn't frightened.
Not any longer.