Chapter 4
Inside the dungeon.
Vilin eyed the new arrival in the neighboring cell.
Putting on what he thought was a friendly smile, he called out.
"Hey, uncle! How'd you end up here?"
The ferocious-looking prisoner glanced at him once, then ignored him completely.
Vilin wasn't surprised or angry.
He'd only been testing the waters.
No answer, no loss.
Once he felt the food in his stomach had mostly digested, Vilin stood up and began a series of Blue Planet-style body-strengthening exercises.
Annie watched his strange movements with a puzzled look.
Though she didn't understand what he was doing, she still clenched her tiny fists and cheered.
"Vilin, you can do it!"
Hearing the little girl's encouragement, Vilin's lips curved into a gentle smile.
Suddenly the workout didn't feel so exhausting.
He knocked out a hundred push-ups and held a ten-minute plank.
As time dragged on, his body began to tremble, breathing growing labored.
Finally, he collapsed onto the floor, muscles burning with sweet soreness.
A satisfied grin spread across his face.
He was certain that with consistent effort, his physical strength would improve dramatically.
Three days passed quickly.
Every day in the dungeon, someone died on the central arena stage, and new prisoners arrived to take their place.
During this time, Vilin fought once on Annie's behalf.
Fortunately, his opponent wasn't particularly strong.
The victory earned them a hearty, satisfying meal.
Over those three days,
by eavesdropping on the prisoners' conversations,
Vilin finally learned about the vicious newcomer.
To his surprise, the man was a pirate.
The leader was named Kura—captain of the Iron Tower Pirates, bounty 5 million Berries.
Several of his crewmates were here too.
All of them were tough and had survived multiple fights.
When Kura drunkenly boasted about burning, killing, and pillaging across the seas—about how they'd mercilessly slaughtered civilians—
Vilin's blood boiled.
His foster parents—Annie's family—had been killed by pirates.
Then, one night while Kura was drunk, he let slip rumors about the "great treasure of the seas."
That was when Vilin finally confirmed it:
He was in the One Piece world.
Joy and bitterness warred inside him.
Joy—because there was a chance to become a Devil Fruit user and gain real power for self-defense.
Bitterness—because this was an extremely dangerous world where the strong could take everything from the weak.
Could my ability be the legendary Observation Haki?
In his previous life, Vilin had watched the One Piece anime.
He knew the world had more than just Devil Fruits—there was also the mysterious power called Haki.
Three types: Observation Haki and Armament Haki, which anyone could potentially awaken, and Conqueror's Haki, reserved for those with the qualities of a king.
Vilin strongly suspected he had already awakened Observation Haki.
Otherwise, he likely would have died to Hunter in his first arena fight.
Now knowing he was in the One Piece world,
Vilin trained his body even more rigorously every day.
He pushed until he was completely spent before allowing himself rest.
Prison food was abysmal: a few steamed buns and plain water daily.
Only arena victors earned decent meals.
Every prisoner had to fight at least once a week,
though they could substitute for someone else.
Almost no one ever did—each fight was a life-or-death gamble.
This week, Vilin fought twice:
once for himself, once for Annie.
Two consecutive wins meant richer meals,
barely enough to fuel his intense daily training.
But as his workouts intensified, so did his appetite.
That was a small headache.
Another week flew by in relentless training.
Soon it was time for Vilin's next match.
This time his opponent was a crewman from the Iron Tower Pirates.
Looking at the man's massive, muscular frame and twisted sneer, Vilin felt heavy pressure.
Two soldiers soon escorted them both to the center of the arena stage.
Vilin quickly selected his familiar longsword from the weapon rack.
"Kid, give up! You can't beat me!"
"I've crushed brats like you more times than I can count."
"Hahaha! I'll smash you into meat paste with one swing!"
Vilin ignored the taunts completely.
His eyes locked onto his opponent, waiting for the start signal.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Up next: the four-win streak sensation, Vilin—versus the pirate Beck, already victorious over two foes!"
The host's voice boomed.
"Let's get excited!"
"Vilin! Vilin!!"
The crowd chanted his name.
But Vilin felt no thrill.
To these nobles, he was nothing but entertainment—a toy.
"Kid, don't think beating a few weaklings makes you special. Die!"
Enraged that Vilin's popularity overshadowed his own, Beck swung his heavy iron club down toward Vilin's head.
After two weeks of training, Vilin was noticeably more agile.
Relying on Observation Haki, he dodged smoothly.
BOOM!
The club slammed into the ground where he'd stood, cratering the stone.
The nobles on the circular stands erupted in excitement at the raw power.
Vilin didn't keep running.
He countered immediately—longsword flashing like lightning,
leaving deep, bone-revealing gashes across Beck's body.
After several life-and-death battles, he was no longer just a dodger.
Seeing the ferocious assault,
Beck grinned savagely instead of retreating.
He swung his club in a wide horizontal arc.
Vilin frowned and dodged again.
Beck pursued, raining down blow after blow.
Vilin relied entirely on Observation Haki to read the trajectories and evade.
Only when escape was impossible did he block with his sword and use the force to retreat.
The two traded blows fiercely.
More than a dozen exchanges passed in a blur.
Beck began to tire, breathing ragged.
His attacks grew sloppy, full of openings.
Vilin's eyes lit up with excitement.
He exploited every flaw, sword dancing across Beck's body, carving fresh wounds.
Blood poured from the cuts.
Beck's strength drained rapidly.
Vilin noticed immediately and pressed harder.
Finally, amid the crowd's gasps,
Vilin drove his longsword straight through Beck's heart.
Beck's eyes widened in agony as he collapsed, dead.
Only then did Vilin exhale.
His own stamina had reached its absolute limit.
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