Chapter 4: Life on Ring Island (Part 2)
Lying on his stone bed, Luo Han quietly pondered, what point in the timeline was this? The Pirate King hadn't been born yet, right?
Sigh! This island really was too remote. Based on the One Piece world's geography, Ring Tree Island should belong to the Summer Islands. It hadn't snowed even once in ten years.
But remoteness had its advantages—almost no pirates ever came here. In fact, over the past ten years, Luo Han hadn't seen a single outsider set foot on the island, let alone a pirate.
That gave Luo Han a stable environment to live in. After all, the One Piece world wasn't as wonderful as it might seem. Pirates ran wild, killing without restraint. Even within nations, the so-called nobility often treated commoners like dirt.
So Luo Han truly cherished his current life.
Still, he couldn't afford to let his guard down. One thing was certain: Ring Tree Island had to be located somewhere on the Grand Line. After all, only islands there had isolated, year-round climates.
He had to master his power as soon as possible. This world was full of wonders—he had to see it with his own eyes! He didn't care for power, but beautiful women? He'd never say no to that.
"Heh heh…" Luo Han's lips curled into a slight grin.
In his previous life, he stayed single not by choice, but because he refused to settle. In this life, with strength, he could have it all. He didn't want to be some evil villain, but he wasn't aiming to be a saint either. He just wanted to live as himself.
On the night he obtained the Mind Fruit, Luo Han voiced, for the first time, the ambition (or desire) deep in his heart.
That's right! I, Luo Han, a transmigrator from Earth and the Mind Fruit user—my greatest ambition is to "end my single life as soon as possible." Truly, a magnificent dream!!!
With that desire in his heart, Luo Han fell asleep. When he woke the next morning, he found his pants were… damp.
...
So… what the hell was that!!!
Luo Han felt a bit awkward. Come on, did reality have to hit so fast? He'd just declared his ambition last night, and this morning he had a wet dream. Were kids in the One Piece world all this precocious? Was this some competition with the Naruto world?
Sigh! After changing into clean pants, Luo Han stepped outside the main room.
He saw Granny Mo's back as she made fish soup for breakfast. He went over and sat on the nearby stone stool.
"Grandma, you're always up so early making breakfast," Luo Han said.
"It's nothing, Xiao Han. Grandma can still get up. Just wait a bit, it'll be ready soon," Granny Mo answered with a smile.
She was always like that—always smiling. Every time Luo Han tried to get up early to make breakfast, he'd find Granny Mo already up even earlier, cooking so he could have a warm meal to start the day. Eventually, he gave up trying—just letting her take care of it.
Soon, breakfast was ready. After eating together, Luo Han called Cole and headed for the ninth-level plaza to gather with the others.
When they arrived, many people were already there.
Oh… it was Brother Ryan!
Luo Han took a step forward and dodged Ryan's hand reaching to pat his shoulder. Hehe—Observation Haki for the win!
Smack… Cole didn't dodge in time!
"Hey! Xiao Han! Cole! You two… feel any different today?" Brother Ryan looked at Luo Han in surprise but didn't overthink it.
"Oh, it's you, Brother Ryan! Yeah! Yeah, I feel a lot stronger. Last night, even Brother Han couldn't keep up with me!" Cole said proudly.
Luo Han twitched at the corner of his mouth. Damn, could you show off any more? Kids really were different…
"What about you, Xiao Han?" Ryan asked.
"Uh… not bad. Just not as obvious a change as Cole's," Luo Han answered.
"No worries, it'll improve with training. I'll get going—you two get ready, practice is about to start," Ryan said encouragingly before turning to organize the group for military boxing drills.
Ryan was Uncle Kate's nephew. He was eighteen years old and already 2.9 meters tall—burly and strong.
The One Piece world really was unique. It had all kinds of races and wildly varying heights—some absurdly tall, others unbelievably short.
Probably had to do with unique training methods and food.
Ryan was in charge of organizing their daily morning training sessions and, being the eldest, also served as their overseer.
A good day begins with the morning.
As the sun rose, the youth of Ring Tree Island, aged ten to eighteen, began their daily training.
Two hours later, training ended and the group dispersed to tend to their own tasks.
Cole, still brimming with excitement, ran off to ask Brother Ryan more about military boxing—probably feeling another boost from this morning's training.
Luo Han, though smiling on the surface, couldn't help but feel a little jealous inside. But he was genuinely happy for Cole.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and comforted himself: it'll get better.
Back home, Luo Han helped prepare lunch. It was simple—fish cakes and fish soup.
The fish cakes were made from resin secreted by the divine tree, which, after drying and grinding, turned into a powder like flour or rice flour. Mixed with water and steamed, it produced a dense, fishy aroma—hence the name fish cake.
Granny Mo, now older, usually stayed home grinding the resin. Since Luo Han turned eight, he had taken over making lunch. Only breakfast was still something Granny Mo insisted on doing herself.
An hour later, lunch was ready. Luo Han called Granny Mo to eat.
After lunch and a short rest, Luo Han let Granny Mo know he was heading up to the summit of Ring Island.
By now, the island's hunting team was getting ready.
Today was their day to dive for sea salt—every bit of salt used on the island came from the hunting team's work.
"Brother Han! Over here! I'm right here!" Cole and Brother Ryan waved at him from a distance.
"Coming!" Luo Han called back.
He made his way over.
All the boys and girls aged ten to eighteen were there. In the past, when they were younger, Luo Han, Cole, and the others could only watch. Now, they could finally help out!
RyAnne and several of the older boys were organizing the salt-harvesting tools. Luo Han quickly joined in.
"Xiao Han, first tie the rattan baskets and ropes together, then place the ropes into the baskets, and stack them neatly on top of the others," Ryan instructed.
"Got it, Brother Ryan," Luo Han replied.
He, Cole, and the others continued preparing the equipment.
Half an hour later, everything was ready.
The hunting team arrived—each of them hulking and carrying a four-meter-long fishbone spear. With their average height of over three meters, it looked proportional.
They also wore a tool at the waist that resembled a military shovel, also made from Sea King bones.
At that moment, Cole suddenly pulled Luo Han aside mysteriously, glancing around nervously like he was guarding a big secret. Honestly, it was kind of cute.
"By the way… Brother Han… My dad said he wants to talk to us tonight at Green Cliff! He told us to wait for him there," Cole whispered.
"Uncle Witt, huh? Alright, I got it," Luo Han replied.
(END CHAPTER)
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