In the East Blue, on a small, unknown island.
A skinny black-haired boy sat on a rock at the island's shore, resting his chin on his hand as he stared at the vast ocean in front of him.
His young face was full of worries far beyond his age.
Growl.
The boy looked down and touched his stomach, sighing deeply.
"Sigh~~"
"It's been two months since I came to this pirate world. I thought I would dominate the seas, but I can't even fill my stomach. What a pathetic life for a transmigrator like me."
"Sigh~~"
The boy sighed again, unable to help himself.
"If only I could get a system or something..."
"Ron!"
A voice sounded from behind him. He turned to look.
A freckled, blonde-haired boy was waving at him.
"Dad's back with food."
Ron's eyes lit up, and he immediately jumped off the rock.
"Coming!"
He ran over to the blonde boy's side.
"Ron, what were you doing over there?"
"Nothing much. By the way, Mars, did Dad bring back meat this time?"
Ron asked expectantly.
"Maybe," Mars replied uncertainly.
"Great! Let's hurry!"
The two of them ran into the woods, arriving at a small cabin. By the time they got there, a group of children had already gathered.
They gazed at the food placed on the ground with glowing eyes, some even unable to resist reaching for it.
But midway, a middle-aged woman swatted their hands away.
"No, you have to wait for everyone to arrive before we eat."
"Eh... but I'm so hungry," one of the children complained.
"Rules are rules," the woman responded firmly.
A burly man with a beard sat nearby, holding a jug of wine. He laughed heartily as he watched the scene unfold.
"Mary, you're as strict as ever."
The woman shot him a sharp look, and the man immediately stopped laughing, clearing his throat.
Then he sat cross-legged and looked at the eager children.
"Alright, is everyone here?"
"Yes!" all the children except Ron shouted in unison.
"Good. Then come up in order and get your food. Everyone gets the same, no fighting!"
"Yes, Dad!"
Ron received two loaves of bread and a small piece of meat from Mary, thanking her before retreating to sit under a tree.
The bread was hard and tasteless, the meat tough with a faint, unpleasant smell, and barely salted.
Despite this, Ron devoured it eagerly.
The man watched the children as they ate hungrily, taking swigs from his jug and laughing.
"Don't rush, there's more tomorrow."
That night.
When Ron got up to relieve himself, he overheard a conversation between the man and woman inside the cabin.
"Harris, did you go help those bandits again?"
There was a brief silence.
"Didn't you swear you'd never be a bandit again? Why did you..." the woman's voice trembled with emotion.
"Don't cry. I'm not a bandit, I just... helped out a bit. I swear I didn't kill anyone," Harris said, scratching his head. "I had no choice. Pirates showed up recently. The tavern I worked for got robbed, and they couldn't pay me this month. I can't let these kids starve... So I... I promise this is the last time."
"Damn pirates. Didn't the Navy say they'd help us? When are they coming?"
"Hmph, the Navy won't come. They're in bed with the pirates. They don't care about us."
"When will this nightmare end..."
Ron silently returned to his bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling.
Harris used to be a bandit, but he stopped. All the kids here were orphans that he took in.
Mary, despite being strict, never complained about taking care of so many children. She looked after them all diligently.
They were good people.
Ron raised his hand and looked at his open palm, his gaze becoming resolute.
"I have to help them!"
"Even without a system..."
"Even if I'm just an eight-year-old kid..."
"I can't keep thinking I'm superior just because I'm a transmigrator, as if I don't belong in this world."
"Since I'm here, I have to fully integrate into this world!"
Ron's eyes filled with determination.
Ding! "Detecting the host's strong will. Activating the strongest sign-in system."
Ron froze.
"...Huh?"
Then he reacted, jumping up from his bed in shock.
"Huh? Huh? HUH?!"
Mars, who was sleeping nearby, woke up, rubbing his eyes and groggily sitting up.
"Ron, what's wrong? A nightmare?"
"N-no, nothing."
Ron's voice trembled.
"Oh, okay... Good night."
Mars fell back asleep.
Ron pinched his cheek, confirming the pain.
He wasn't dreaming.
"System?"
Yes.
It was real!
Ron was overwhelmed with excitement.
Suppressing his emotions, he asked in his mind:
"S-System, what can you do?"
The host can sign in at different eligible locations to receive rewards.
"Can I sign in here?"
Detecting... Host is located on Moses Island, East Blue. You can sign in.
Overjoyed, Ron immediately said:
"Sign in!"
Sign-in complete. Reward received: Physical enhancement, Vitality +10. Reward received: Sun Breathing Technique.
The moment the system spoke, a warm current surged through Ron's body. His previously frail and weak form was instantly filled with strength.
At the same time, the full knowledge of the Sun Breathing Technique appeared in his mind, and his breathing began to adjust automatically.
Ron's vitality boiled within him, like fiery dragons coursing through his body, strengthening his bones and muscles.
But suddenly, the process was interrupted.
Ron opened his eyes, exhaled heavily, and breathed rapidly, his face pale.
"Did I fail? What went wrong?"
Host's body is still too weak. Your vitality isn't strong enough to fully support the Sun Breathing Technique.
Ron understood immediately.
"I see."
"So I need to focus on training and strengthening my body first."
Yes.
Ron clenched his fists, his resolve stronger than ever.
He wanted to become stronger.
Only by becoming stronger could he avoid hunger and eat better food.
Only by becoming stronger could he help Harris and Mary.
And only by becoming stronger could he survive in this brutal pirate world!
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T/N:
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