Noyer frowned, "System, does martial arts count as a Talent too?"
「 The system has determined that both innate Talents and special skills acquired through training are recognized. As long as they are rare abilities in this world that only a particular group of people can possess, they will be replicated by the system. 」
「 Additionally, innate Talents determine a person's future potential — basically everyone has at least one. Acquired Talents can increase in quality since they are developed through training. 」
Noyer nodded. Genzō's Sheriff martial arts technique had been classified as a Talent due to its rarity.
Genzō hesitantly pointed at the three children, "Bell-mère, who are they?"
"They're children I've adopted."
"Children?" Genzō looked astonished, "But you're still so young…"
Bell-mère nonchalantly patted his shoulder and laughed, "It's fine, I'm quite good at raising children!"
"But isn't this child a bit too old?" Genzō pointed at the boy with curiosity.
Noyer irritably swatted his hand away, "My name is Noyer, and I'm only three years old!"
Taking advantage of the moment, he pulled out two Copy Cards and copied both of Genzō's White Rank Talents. After all, finding anyone with even a bit of combat ability in Cocoyasi Village wasn't easy.
So there was nothing to hesitate about. It just stung to suddenly be down two cards.
"Mmm… waaah."
At that moment, Nami, who had been dozing in Bell-mère's arms, yawned and glanced at Genzō leaning in cheerfully. She immediately burst into tears.
"This…" Genzō scratched his head awkwardly.
Bell-mère hurriedly comforted the child while complaining at him, "Genzō-san, how did you make Nami cry!"
"I didn't…"
After a chaotic commotion, Nami was finally coaxed into laughter, and Bell-mère led them back home.
Her house was in the outskirts. A modest-sized dwelling soon came into view.
After tidying up the rooms, Noyer finally had a home in this life.
Nojiko led Nami around, bouncing curiously here and there, while he found Bell-mère in the backyard.
"I still need to plant some tangerines! I wonder if there are any seeds left in the storage." She was looking at her spacious backyard, pondering the planting situation.
Hearing her words, Noyer suddenly remembered the system's reward and exchanged for the seeds.
He dragged the bag over, pretending he had just arrived, and called out to her, "Bell-mère! Are you looking for this?"
Bell-mère turned her head and looked at him with surprise. She examined the bag of seeds he had dragged over, pulled out a handful to observe, and exclaimed with delight, "That's exactly it! Noyer is so clever!"
By dinnertime, the family shared a lively meal together.
Thinking back to looting corpses and eating dead men's rations just to survive — it all seemed like a dream now.
Noyer scooped a mouthful of rice and looked up at the chatting, laughing mother and daughters. Infected by the atmosphere, he smiled.
◇◆◈◆◇
From then on, Noyer settled down.
His Constitution grew rapidly. With the help of his 〔Singular Focus〕 Talent, he also tried learning swordsmanship. To his surprise, his Talent for it wasn't bad — probably inferior to Zoro's, but it didn't disappoint him.
The system also unlocked swordsmanship learning measurement.
And so, practicing swordsmanship, honing his 〔Sheriff Martial Arts〕, with his Constitution rapidly growing as he aged, time flew by.
Year after year passed. In the blink of an eye, Noyer was ten years old.
At ten, he lived up to Bell-mère's expectations and became a genuinely handsome young man. His height growth began to slow, but he was already over 1.8 meters tall.
Even she couldn't help but sigh. What do you do when the child you raised is almost taller than you after just seven years?
Over these years, Noyer had been honing his abilities while sparring with the burly men in the village. Unsurprisingly, at only ten years old, he quickly became unbeatable throughout the village. The villagers found it incredible — they all said Bell-mère's household had produced a fighting prodigy.
Because of his outstanding combat prowess, she relaxed her restrictions on him, allowing him to roam around freely.
Nojiko and Nami had it rough — only able to hang around under Bell-mère's watchful eye. The incorrigible Nami had begged Noyer several times to take her out to play, but he still righteously refused.
Are you kidding? Take you out?
Bell-mère's fists hurt like hell, okay!
When the fishermen of Cocoyasi Village went out to sea, Noyer eagerly tagged along. Sitting on the deck, he reviewed his stats.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
Kilros D. Noyer
Charm: 87 [Max: 100]
Constitution: 213 [Max: 999]
Swordsmanship: 150 [Max: 999]
Items: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1 | Purple Talent Copy Card ×1 | Blue Talent Copy Card ×1 | White Talent Copy Card ×1
Talents: 〔 Climate Hyper-Perception [Red/2nd Rank] 〕|〔 Otherworlder [Purple/3rd Rank] 〕|〔 Energy Enhancement [White/5th Rank] 〕|〔 Sheriff Martial Arts [White/5th Rank] 〕|〔 Singular Focus [White/5th Rank] 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
Noyer was satisfied with his progress over the past seven years. Both Constitution and Swordsmanship had broken past 100, and his Charm had grown by seven points under the 〔Otherworlder〕 Talent.
He estimated that if he became a pirate now, his bounty would probably be in the tens of millions of bellies.
But it still wasn't enough. With two years left until Arlong's invasion, he needed to raise at least one stat above 300 to stand a chance.
Over the years, Noyer had discovered a flaw in the system: it required strong opponents. To replicate better and stronger Talents, he needed to find strong people.
But here in Cocoyasi Village — forget about strong people. He could sweep through everyone with a single blade.
"Noyer! There's a big one here! Give us a hand!"
The fishing crew had just spotted a large fish and excitedly called out to the sighing boy.
Noyer quickly responded, "Coming."
Before he could act, the large fish suddenly surged up from the sea. Several meters of massive body, a ferocious head, reddened eyes, fangs dripping with saliva.
This wasn't just a big fish — this was a small Sea King.
In the past, the fishermen would have run for their lives. But times had changed…
"Dinner's here, dinner's here!"
"Look at this meat — steaming it would be delicious!"
"Nonsense! Grilled fish is the ultimate pleasure!"
The Sea King glared at them with wide eyes.
What do you take me for? I treat you as prey, yet you want to grill me?
Seeking death!
The Sea King swung its steel-like tail, its overwhelming presence bearing down on the fishermen. But everyone remained unfazed.
Just as the massive tail was about to smash into the boat, a brilliant silver flash streaked through the air!
The Sea King's eyes widened. It stared at the human leaping through the air, then at its own body — now separated and drifting further apart…
Actually… steaming would be pretty good…
This was the Sea King's final thought.
Noyer leaped back onto the boat, slowly sheathing his gleaming swift blade. Behind him, the Sea King's severed body plunged into the sea, falling into the large net the fishermen had already prepared.
One strike. Done.
The fishermen busied themselves with their work, accustomed to such stunning kills. After all, this ten-year-old child was the strongest person in Cocoyasi Village.
Noyer lay at the bow, cheerfully watching everyone bustle about.
Whoosh —
A long whistle suddenly pierced across the sea, and his eyes turned cold.
Could it be?
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted beside the fishing boat, sending a column of water high into the air that splashed down on everyone aboard.
A cannon shot?!
Noyer steadied himself against the side of the boat and stood up. In the nearby waters, a huge black vessel slowly approached. A steel cannon on the ship's side still smoked.
The black flag was particularly eye-catching — a pale white skull against a black background. A jolly roger. A pirate flag.
"Pirates?" Noyer straightened up, hand on his blade, his face dark with anger.
Being fired upon without provocation — who wouldn't be in a foul mood?
But the good news was that this pirate crew clearly wasn't the Arlong Pirates. I've always been the one firing cannons at others — no one has ever dared shoot at me!
Noyer's anger flared as he shouted to the panicked fishermen, "Return to the village first! I'm gonna show them what pain feels like!"
◇◆◈◆◇
On the pirate ship, a shifty-eyed man with a scarred face smiled obsequiously at the man beside him.
"Captain, look how scared those guys are. They panicked the moment they saw the flag of our Wild Bear Pirates."
The captain had a face full of muscle, thick arms, and a beer belly protruding from his frame.
"I'm 'Wild Bear' Kembla — everyone must give way to me." Kembla laughed arrogantly, pointing his stubby finger at the fishing boat, "Board the ship! Then storm the village and take everything worth taking!"
"Oh!"
The crew cheered in unison and sprang into action. Several grappling hooks were hurled by the sailors, catching onto the fishing boat and forming rope bridges.
"Boys! Charge!" Kembla shouted through his stinking yellow teeth.
A swarm of pirates rushed across the ropes like locusts.
Noyer frowned and turned to the fishermen, "I'll cut the ropes. You return to the village and send word! Leave these people to me!"
With that, he leaped toward the ropes, bending low as he charged at the pirates.
"Noyer!"
The fishermen called out, but Noyer paid them no heed.
He had been wanting real combat experience for a long time.
The fishermen stared at each other until finally someone gritted his teeth, "We'll return to the village for reinforcements!"
Noyer rushed toward the pirate ship, left hand steadying his scabbard, right arm sweeping out in a wide arc. A flash of sword light passed, and the remaining ropes snapped instantly. Pirates screamed as they fell into the sea.
His steps didn't pause — he stepped along the only remaining rope and met his enemies head-on.
Seeing a brat charging up and taking out many of his men, Kembla flew into a rage, "What the hell are you all doing? Chop him into mincemeat and throw him in the sea!"
Watching the menacing pirates charge at him, steel blades swinging down, Noyer showed not the slightest panic.
The blade in his hand moved like a serpent, striking the pirates' blades and deflecting all attacks. In a single breath, before the pirates' panicked eyes, his sharp blade had already fallen upon them.
Crimson wounds opened one after another, scarlet blood carried into the air by the gleaming blade, and pirates tumbled unconscious into the sea one by one like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.
After all, Noyer had been born in a pile of corpses — this level of killing didn't faze him in the slightest.
"What?!"
Kembla stared in shock at the young man holding the line alone, while Scarface beside him was so frightened he couldn't even speak.
Seeing his subordinates shrinking back in terror, he raged, "You worthless scum, what are you afraid of? Attack!"
"Let me help you with that."
A childish voice rang out, yet all the pirates involuntarily shuddered.
With one leap, Noyer jumped directly onto the heads of the attacking pirates, then landed on the pirate ship.
Supporting himself with one hand and gripping his blood-stained blade with the other, he raised his head and looked at the Captain with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Hello there, pirate captain."
Eyes fixed on Kembla, he straightened up, then turned and cut the last rope.
Seeing this, the fishing boat in the distance changed course and headed toward the village.
Ignoring the screams of pirates falling into the sea behind him, Noyer pointed his blade at Scarface, "Was it you who fired that cannon at me?"
Scarface's face instantly turned deathly pale as he waved his hands frantically, "No, no… I didn't mean to! I just… Aaagh!"
Kembla, sitting beside him with a darkened face, punched his subordinate into the deck with a single blow, leaving him unconscious — or dead.
The surrounding pirates fell into deathly silence. Noyer raised an eyebrow and remarked mockingly, "What? Killing your own subordinates now?"
Kembla grinned, laughing strangely, "Useless trash doesn't deserve to be my crew member! Kid, how about joining my pirate crew?"
Noyer paused, then smiled, "Your pirate crew? Is it famous?"
Kembla laughed wildly without answering, and the surrounding pirate lackeys joined in with sycophantic laughter.
One lackey pulled a yellowed wanted poster straight from his pants and shouted proudly, "Our captain is a super pirate with a ฿15,000,000 bounty!"
"Captain of the Wild Bear Pirates — the man known as 'Wild Bear' Kembla!"
"Even Don Krieg, the overlord of the East Blue, is no match for our captain!"
Kembla waved his hand, and the lackeys' laughter stopped abruptly. Then he began his recruitment pitch, "That guy Krieg is no match for me. Sooner or later, I'll become the new overlord of the East Blue — but that's not the end! I'll defeat everyone easily. I'm going to find the great treasure and become the Pirate King! Come follow me, kid!"
Noyer watched the performance with a speechless expression. With such a grand display at first, he'd thought this guy's bounty would be terrifying.
Overlord of the East Blue? Pirate King? A super great pirate worth 15 million?
Be careful not to drown in all that wealth. Maybe if you sneeze, a ฿500 coin will come out.
Heh… In plain terms, he was nothing more than a slave in Plato's cave — with no understanding of how vast the world truly was.
Even someone as strong as Zoro only understood the narrowness of his own perspective after going to sea, encountering Dracule Mihawk, and being taught a lesson.
Even Luffy, with his protagonist's halo, only felt the powerlessness of his own incompetence after Bartholomew Kuma crushed his entire crew and he suffered the pain of losing his brother in the Summit War of Marineford.
Looking at it this way, the ignorance of the savage pirate before him was understandable.
Noyer raised his head, smiling as he looked at that ignorant fool.
Seeing his face full of smiles, Kembla thought he had agreed — but then a harsh statement rang out.
"You're not gonna become the overlord of the East Blue, and you're definitely not becoming the Pirate King. Your little adventurous life ends here. By me!"
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Thank you for reading!
If you want to enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)