Setting Sail

Rono excitedly stood up in a very old little fishing boat and waved his coins at a News Bird. The bird hesitated for a moment, then flew toward him. After all, nobody could stop a young man who'd been shipwrecked from keeping up with world affairs, right? Besides, he had money. Well, that really wasn't the main reason. The News Bird quickly flew up to Rono, who cheerfully stuffed the coins into its Money Bag and casually stroked its slender neck. Crack! The News Bird's neck twisted a hundred and eighty degrees. With practiced ease, Rono took its Money Bag, emptied it, and tossed the bag into the sea. He looked like he'd done this at least twenty times before. "Sigh, there are fewer and fewer News Birds these days. Am I really going to die out here? Those comics really are full of lies. Where's the fishing boat that's supposed to take you out to sea?" Rono muttered as he snapped the bird's neck and drank its bright red "beverage." After finishing his "drink," he took a piece of Dried Meat from the hold and began chewing.

Two days earlier, Rono had boarded this "borrowed" old fishing boat and begun his escape. Thinking of the more than twenty people who'd chased him down to cut him up made him click his tongue. "I only stole a sword. Was all this really necessary?" Actually, if Rono hadn't thought, I'm a good person. How can I stand by while someone's having sex in broad daylight? and pulled out an Amplifying Den Den Mushi to give the whole town an audio broadcast, that old master—the male lead of the broadcast—wouldn't have chased him so relentlessly. In the end, he'd brought this on himself.

Back in the present, Rono lay down again after eating and drinking his fill—in a manner of speaking—and pretended to be dead to conserve his energy. When the sun began to set, he suddenly sat up and looked into the distance. A cargo ship was slowly making its way toward him. Rono excitedly waved both hands, one of them holding a Money Bag. The clinking of the coins was music to his ears.

At last, with Rono watching hopefully, the cargo ship slowly drew near and lowered a rope ladder.

"I'm saved!" With the sailors' help, Rono climbed aboard. The sailors all stared at him warily. A bearded man in a captain's uniform and a tricorn hat spoke up. "What are you doing out here? And in a fishing boat, no less?"

"Mm-hmm." Rono cleared his throat. He'd only had a little News Bird blood to drink today, and his throat was getting dry. "Well, uh, mister, I ran off on a whim and got lost. Could you give me a ride? I'll pay." Rono didn't answer the captain's question directly. Instead, he replied while giving his Money Bag a shake.

The captain looked Rono up and down. Apart from the two Money Bags in his hands, he wore a Tachi at his waist and clothes of decent quality. The captain was half inclined to believe him. Another thrill-seeking brat.

"All right. How old are you? We're heading to Alabasta. If it's on your way, you can pay a hundred thousand Beli. Alabasta's a long way from here, after all. If it's not, we'll drop you at the next port, and you can pay a token amount."

"Yeah, yeah, it's on my way! Oh, I'm Rono, and I'm fifteen!" Rono replied with a grin, scratching his greasy red hair. "I'll be in your care! Here's the fare."

The captain took the Beli and waved his hand. The sailors gradually dispersed. "You're lucky you ran into us. If you'd found a Pirate Ship, they might've sold you as a slave. Take my advice and go home soon."

The captain knew perfectly well that it wasn't on the way. As if that busted boat of yours could've sailed here from Alabasta. I'd sooner swallow shit and kill myself. But he had no connection to Rono, so he gave the boy one piece of advice and decided not to get involved.

That night, after a hearty meal, Rono lay in his hammock wearing a sailor's uniform—one he'd bought, secondhand, of course. He silently thought, System, status panel.

"Ding." An electronic tone sounded in Rono's mind, and a panel appeared across his retinas:

Physical Strength: 21 (10)

Bone Strength: 25 (15)

Abilities: Self-Healing Factor, Bone Claws

Note: An average adult has a physical strength of 10 and bone strength of 15.

Evaluation: You have nothing to be proud of. All your advantages come from your racial talents. You're still trash.

Rono grumbled, "What's wrong with racial talents? Other people wish they had them. I was born better than everyone else!"

"Since Host is getting a little full of himself, the system has decided to issue a reward: Hell Training (I). Failure penalty: Electric Shock LV3."

"...Um, can I refuse?"

"..."

"I was wrong. I'm guilty. I shouldn't have gotten cocky. Please, System, show mercy..."

"Host has dropped an important item. Please pick it up promptly." The system's voice was completely flat.

"Hey! Where? Where?" Rono got up and looked around. Then he suddenly spotted a pile of glittering things at his feet. "Wahahaha! I really am the protagonist. I find treasure just lying around!" He bent down to pick it up.

"Ding. A pile of integrity has been found. Pick it up?"

∑°□°!! What the hell? Rono turned to stone, then silently kicked the "integrity" aside and climbed back into bed. "Sleep, sleep. It'll all be better when I wake up..."

Early the next morning, Rono looked at the Hell Training (I) requirements and swallowed. Five thousand punches, five thousand kicks, an hour in a horse stance, and five hundred 100-meter sprints, each within fifteen seconds. Deadline: seven days.

Note 1: Kid, I hear you've been getting cocky. Come here, let me teach you how to behave.

Note 2: Repetitions that fail to meet the standard will not count. The system will evaluate the standard, and the system has the final say.

Note 3: If the task is not completed that day, the day will be voided.

At exactly six in the morning, the system woke him up, and Rono began seven days of inhumane Hell Training.

"Kid, I never would've guessed you were so hardworking! Anyway, it's time to eat. If you're late, there won't be anything left!" Nick, the sailor who'd sold Rono his clothes, came over to call him.

That was when Rono realized it was already noon.

In the dining room...

After a clatter of dishes, Rono leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. Looking at the more than twenty plates on the table, he sighed, "I haven't eaten this well in ages. o≧v≦o"

The dining room was utterly silent. Everyone had been stunned by Rono's appetite. The captain quietly lit a cigarette. "I should've doubled that kid's fare! What a loss."

After letting his food settle for a while, Rono started another round of training. Without his Self-Healing Factor, he felt he'd have been finished by now. Five thousand punches and kicks weren't that few, but they weren't that many either. The real difficulty lay in the system's standards!

He threw a punch.

Ding. The punch deviated from its path by more than 1 cm. It did not meet the standard. Repetitions completed: (1566/5000)...

Rono had felt utterly devastated. One thought flashed through his mind: I've got a fucking thing to say, but I don't know if I should say it! He'd done the system's daily training before, and the margin of error had been 5 cm. The various exercises had required fewer repetitions, too. They'd been far easier than this Hell Training (I). Then Rono remembered the only punishment he'd ever received: once, he'd gotten carried away and forgotten all about his daily training. He'd been punished with an Electric Shock LV1, and the next day he'd gone out with his hair standing on end. If he failed again this time and got shocked at LV3, Rono thought he might be found unconscious in bed, foaming at the mouth, the next day. That was with the Self-Healing Factor, too. An ordinary person might have dropped dead on the spot. Remembering the terror of being at the mercy of those electric shocks, Rono felt a surge of strength course through him.

Mm, LV3 meant thirty electric shocks.

He got up at six every morning and spent the day holed up in the training room, except when he ate or went to the bathroom. It was around ten at night before Rono finally managed to finish his tasks.