The next morning, Victor got up bright and early and started working out.
In the world of One Piece, people had naturally strong physiques, so Victor wanted to figure out this body's limits first—that way, he could better plan his training.
The results were promising:
— 10 kilometers running
— 1 kilometer of frog jumps
— 200 push-ups
— 500 sit-ups
All of that was still within the body's limits. Honestly, this ten-year-old body was already stronger than most adults back on Earth.
After finishing his workout, Victor went home to shower, then headed over to Rebecca's place for breakfast.
While they were eating, Victor told Maria that he wanted to find a job. He didn't feel right eating for free and wanted to help out with living expenses.
Maria thought about it for a moment and nodded. She was getting old—she couldn't support Victor forever. Sooner or later, he'd have to stand on his own. She asked what he had in mind.
Victor's plan was to work as a milk delivery boy. That way, he could jog around while making deliveries—killing two birds with one stone. He'd be earning money and training at the same time. Plus, it only took up his mornings, leaving the rest of the day for studying or other skills.
"Alright, I'll ask around for you," Maria said.
She agreed. After all, Victor was only ten, and there weren't many jobs a kid his age could do. Morning milk deliveries wouldn't be too taxing and would leave time for school or learning.
"Victor, take a few days to rest and get your strength back. There's no rush with the job—I'll help you find something," she added, still worried about the boy. He'd just lost both parents, after all.
Victor nodded. He wasn't in a hurry anyway—he still had money saved up.
As he left Maria's house, Rebecca followed behind, hopping along cheerfully.
"Victor, what are you doing today?"
He was heading back home when he heard Rebecca's soft, sweet voice from behind.
"I want to buy a weapon," he said. "Then find somewhere to train. I want to get stronger."
"I wanna come too! I wanna see how you train! Heehee!" Rebecca giggled, clearly curious about this new, determined side of Victor.
"Sure, come along. Actually… there's something I've been meaning to tell you anyway."
After grabbing some money from home, Victor and Rebecca headed into town.
Though the streets had been getting cleaned up over the last few days, they were still pretty torn up—burn marks and debris were everywhere.
The town was small, and not many people needed weapons, so there was only one weapons shop.
Victor entered the shop with Rebecca. Behind the counter, a middle-aged man was dozing off.
They walked straight up to the counter. Victor glanced around at the weapons on display—there weren't many.
Some bows and arrows, spears, flintlock pistols, and machete-style blades. Most of what was available were katanas—no broad, double-edged longswords in sight.
Victor turned back around and gave the counter a knock, startling the sleeping shopkeeper awake.
Seeing that his customers were just two kids, the shopkeeper frowned in confusion. What were children doing in a weapon shop, interrupting his nap?
Grumbling, he said, "Hey, brats—this isn't a place for you. Go play outside or something. These are real weapons—you'll hurt yourselves."
Victor answered calmly, "We're here to buy weapons. For ourselves. Show us what you've got."
The shopkeeper was a bit surprised, chuckling as he joked, "Oh? Don't tell me you're planning to go pirate-hunting or something! Hahaha!"
"That's exactly right," Victor replied softly. "A few days ago, pirates came and killed my parents. I want revenge."
The man froze, the smile vanishing from his face. After a moment of silence, he said, "...Alright. How much money do you have? Most of my old stock was stolen by those damn pirates. What I've got now is all new."
"I've got 300,000 Berries," Victor said, placing a wad of cash on the counter. "We want two weapons, one for each of us. What are our options?"
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Wait—one for me too?"
"Yeah. I'm getting you one as well. I'll explain why in a bit."
The shopkeeper's demeanor changed immediately at the mention of 300,000 Berries. "With that much, you've got decent options," he said with a grin. "You could get two standard flintlocks, or a couple of mid-grade swords… or even three basic ones…"
As he spoke, he walked over to the weapons rack and started showing them what he had.
Victor already knew what he wanted—he just needed to confirm the price.
He chose a katana with a bit more quality than the average ones. The blade was 1.3 meters in total length, with a cutting edge of 1.1 meters. It had a distinct hamon pattern—dark at the spine, white at the edge—and the guard was a wide cross-shape, similar in style to Zoro's sword, Shusui.
Rebecca picked out a double-edged, slender longsword. The design was reminiscent of an ancient Chinese jian, though this one had a narrower blade and longer profile. The blade gleamed silver-white, 1.5 meters in full length with a 1.3-meter cutting edge—elegant, refined, and just right for a girl.
To be honest, Victor wasn't particularly fond of katanas. They were, after all, just an evolution of the Chinese Tang dynasty's hengdao. As a soul from China, he naturally felt a deeper connection to his own country's blade culture.
"This world was created by the Japanese—they don't understand the depth of Chinese sword lore. For now, I've got no choice but to make do. Once I'm rich enough, I'll commission a master smith to forge me a proper blade based on my own vision. For basic training, this'll have to suffice."
Rebecca, on the other hand, adored her new sword. She turned it over in her hands, beaming. Girls really couldn't resist beautiful things.
Once they'd made their selections, Victor paid, and the two kids headed for the door—only to be stopped by the shopkeeper.
"Wait a moment."
He disappeared into a back room, returning shortly with a dusty little manual. Clearly, it hadn't been touched in years.
"This is a foundational swordsmanship manual passed down by a master I once trained under. Everyone at my old dojo learned from this. But I… well, I had no talent. Couldn't even grasp the basics. Ended up slinking back to this island in shame and opened this shop."
He sighed. "When I heard you wanted to fight pirates… Kid, it's not that simple. Take this manual. Maybe it'll help you survive."
Victor accepted it and flipped through the thin, dozen-or-so-page booklet. True to its name, it covered only the most fundamental principles—no flashy techniques or secret moves.
"Thank you, sir. This is exactly what we need."
With a slight bow, Victor led Rebecca out, heading south without another word.
"Where are we going?" Rebecca finally asked, confused by his silence.
Victor paused but didn't answer immediately. "Did I make the right choice, dragging her into this? I'll have to ask her properly later."
Rebecca, though puzzled, followed quietly, clutching her sword.
At the southern edge of the forest, Victor stopped in a grassy clearing and sat down.
"Rebecca, sit."
Once she did, he looked her in the eye. "What do you want to be when you grow up? What kind of person do you want to become?"
She thought for a moment. "I want to be like my parents—a Marine who protects Grandma and everyone else."
"Do you understand how dangerous that is?" Victor said bluntly. "Marines die. Just like your parents did."
"But that's what I want," Rebecca insisted. Kids in this world grew up fast.
"Listen. Before the King of the Pirates was executed, he revealed the existence of his treasure, the One piece. From now on, this world will only get worse—more blood, more tears, more killing. And Marines stand on the front lines against pirates. Death could come at any moment. Think carefully before you answer me."
Rebecca glanced at the manual in Victor's lap, then lifted her sword with determination.
"Victor… help me. Help me get stronger!"
Victor fell silent. If this was her choice, his plans would have to include her from now on.
"Fine. I'll train you. But if you want to be a Marine, you have to be strong. Weaklings just become cannon fodder. Can you follow my instructions? Can you handle it?"
"I can!"
"Good. I'll talk to your grandmother later. Starting today, you'll train under my plan."
With that, he guided Rebecca under the shade of a tree, correcting her stance as she squatted into a horse stance, arms extended, gripping her sword horizontally.
Back on the grass, Victor finally opened the manual—and was stunned.
After a single read, the entire contents were seared into his memory.
"Photographic recall? My past life's memory was decent, but nothing like this. Is this a perk of reincarnation?"
He pondered. Maybe it was the fusion of two souls.
No way to know for sure. But for Victor, it was a gift. Learning would come much faster now.