Time flew by, and before he knew it, three years had passed. Vic was now fourteen and stood 1.9 meters tall. Handsome and dashing, he had inherited the best features of both his parents. By now, he was unquestionably the heartthrob of the entire island. That was not just because he was powerful, but mainly because he looked pretty good.
Rebecca had also grown into a fiery beauty over the past few years. She stood 1.7 meters tall, with wine-red hair, wheat-colored skin, and a sword at her waist. Who could resist the beauty of such a fiery swordswoman? Only the slight childishness of her face showed that she was still young.
Over the past three years, an unknown number of pirates had come to the island, an average of at least one group every month, some large and some small. The most brazen had been a lone pirate who had yet to find any companions. Naturally, he had also been the strongest of them all. It had taken Vic three moves to subdue him, while every other pirate had gone down in one.
The two of them had earned a considerable sum in bounties over the past few years.
Vic and Rebecca were now heroes known to everyone on the island. They were so powerful that only afterimages could be seen when they fought. Their swordsmanship was superb, their flashing blades a pleasure to behold. By the time their swords returned to their sheaths, their enemies had already fallen.
The highest-ranking officer at the Marine Base, the branch colonel, had repeatedly tried to invite them both to join the Marines, promising to recommend them to headquarters. Vic had turned him down every time, saying they were too young. The main reason was that he still had unfinished business in the East Blue.
That day, at the seaside docks of Yarlin Town, Vic was saying goodbye to Rebecca, the old lady, and Mayor Andre. He was preparing to set sail and carry out his plan.
The old lady looked sad. "Vic, be careful out at sea. Stay warm and don't catch a cold."
"Grandma, I won't. I'll be careful," Vic replied with a smile. "Grandma, you're not as strong as you used to be. You should do less from now on and leave everything to Rebecca. She's strong and full of energy."
The old lady's health had deteriorated considerably over the past two years, and she often fell ill.
Vic turned to Rebecca and said solemnly, "Take good care of Grandma while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I've finished learning."
Vic had originally planned for the two of them to go to sea together, but the old lady's health had failed, so Rebecca had to stay on the island to look after her. Besides, the island would be safer with Rebecca there.
Rebecca nodded earnestly. "Yes, I will. I'll wait for you to come back and teach me."
A hint of regret flashed through Rebecca's eyes, followed by a determined gleam.
Vic then said to Andre, "Mayor Andre, I'm counting on you to look after Grandma. After I leave, I hope you can find a kind, attentive girl to take care of her. Rebecca can't neglect her training either, and I'm afraid she won't be able to manage both."
"Don't worry, Vic. Leave it to me," Andre promised, thumping his chest.
Andre was reluctant to see Vic leave too. Over the past few years, thanks to Vic and Rebecca, the town had suffered almost no losses and had even seized some spoils on occasion. Life had been quite good.
He was sorry to see Vic leave today, but the sight of Rebecca beside him put his mind at ease. Rebecca's strength was not to be underestimated either. At any rate, she had never looked like she was struggling in a fight against pirates.
Captain Buck, standing behind Vic, chimed in. "You can all rest easy. I've been sailing for over ten years, and I'll take good care of Vic. With me around, I guarantee he'll eat and sleep well."
That was right. Vic was preparing to sail aboard Captain Buck's merchant ship.
When Buck had heard yesterday that Vic would be sailing on his ship, he had been delighted. Although Vic would not be aboard for long, they would be absolutely safe during that time. They could practically go wherever they pleased in the East Blue.
Besides, getting on good terms with Vic was an excellent choice. Vic had attained such strength at such a young age; his future was bound to be limitless. Getting on good terms with him now was a sure win, Buck thought.
Vic turned around and boarded the ship with Buck, carrying his sword and a bundle. The cargo to be transported had already been loaded.
Under the watchful eyes of Rebecca and the other two, the ship raised anchor and slowly left the dock.
The three waved goodbye from the dock, and Vic stood at the rail and waved back. His departure was uneventful, with no grand farewell and no bustling crowd of thousands to see him off. One of Laipe Island's guardian deities had left his home.
The three stayed until the ship disappeared from sight, then left in silence. Vic leaned his sword against the rail and sat down cross-legged. No one came to disturb him. Only Captain Buck spoke to him: "If you need anything, just tell the people on board. I've already given them instructions."
Vic said nothing and simply nodded. Buck knew he was in low spirits, so he left him alone and quietly went to arrange the work.
Vic sat on the deck and closed his eyes, recalling scene after scene from the four years since he had come to this world.
Grandma Maria's warmth and kindness, Rebecca's persistence and resilience, Andre's wholehearted devotion to the townspeople, and the simple, honest folk of the town were all hard to forget. This was a real world, and they were living, breathing people.
Vic remained lost in his memories until someone called him to lunch.
The meal was plentiful, at least Vic's portion was. Buck knew he ate a lot, so he had told the kitchen to prepare extra. There was no shortage of vegetables, fruit, or meat. "Pretty well balanced, too," Vic said with a chuckle.
After eating, Vic sat cross-legged on the deck again and took stock of the results of his training over the past few years. His prolonged deep-sea training and the immense pressure had greatly increased the density of his muscles and bones, made his blood vessels tougher, and strengthened all his internal organs.
His body's recovery was extremely strong. Vic felt he could already compare to King Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. The Straw Hat Pirates were two-dimensional, but Vic was truly strong. Every cell in his body seemed to have come alive and was unusually active, almost making him think he was about to master Life Return.
And that was just his body. His martial arts were even more remarkable. The real-life martial arts world, the martial arts world of novels, and the martial arts world of film and television from his previous life were all treasure troves for Vic. With his physical condition in his previous life, mastering real martial arts would have taken a long time, and there was no point even thinking about the kind from novels, films, and television. It was utterly impossible. But this world was different. With great strength, an extraordinary physique, and incredible speed, many ultimate moves could be brought to life. So Vic felt that, with comparable Haki and physical abilities, he could beat Garp until he questioned his life. That would only be at first, though. If they really fought, Garp's talent would let him learn those moves quickly.
But now he had no way forward in swordsmanship. He had made no progress for a long time and still could not enter the Realm of Cutting Steel.
Vic believed that, given time, his talent would surely allow him to break through. He just did not know how long it would take, so he planned to go straight for the key that would open the door. He believed that once he understood the essential principles, his physical talent and more training would allow him to master it quickly. That was why he was going to sea this time to become Koshiro's disciple.
His physical training was progressing steadily, and he kept at it every day. For now, he had no way to learn Haki, and it was not something he could master in a short time. He could leave that until he joined the Marines and just pay attention to gaining insight into it in the meantime. Awakening it would naturally be best, but if he did not, there was no need to worry too much. Even someone as talented and powerful as King Luffy had needed instruction from others, hadn't he? Yes! He had quite a few teachers, taking his enemies as teachers.
As for a Devil Fruit, he would leave that to chance. As a transmigrator, he had no aversion to Devil Fruits and was also curious about their myriad bizarre abilities. If he got one, he would naturally eat it and try his luck.
Having roughly assessed his situation, he decided that his current main quest was to learn swordsmanship, since the basics had long ceased to be enough. His side quests were to find a good sword and a Devil Fruit. His goals were clear; all he had to do was follow the plan.
For the next few days, Vic spent his days sitting cross-legged on the deck, holding his sword in both hands as he meditated and trained. Come wind or rain, he never slacked off or let external things disturb his mind.
At night, after the ship dropped anchor, Vic would dive into the sea during the first half of the night to continue his deep-sea training. Before returning, he would catch some large fish or sea beasts and bring them aboard for food. During the second half of the night, he would tie the anchor to himself and swim, pulling the ship across the sea until the people aboard got up in the morning.
The people on the ship were astonished for the first few days, but eventually grew accustomed to it. The crew were also happy to have fresh fish or sea beast meat to eat every day.
The cargo ship would also occasionally stop for supplies at islands along the way.