Chapter 2

Name: Ian

Level: 1

Spirit Power: 7

Strength: 5

Speed: 5

Health: 10

Concentration: 0

Skill: [Basic Swordsmanship] Proficiency (23014/100000)

Card: None

This is what Ian saw in his mind, his own attributes. It took him a while to understand the function of these attributes. It seems that the game system has undergone some changes. Originally, the standard for measuring strength in the game was combat power, but now it has become Spirit Power, which is exactly the same as the measurement standard in the One Piece world. According to Ian's memory, a Spirit Power of 10 is the standard for a regular Marine soldier, and he currently has only 7, which is slightly better than a weakling, probably due to his long-term practice of swordsmanship.

Health, on the other hand, represents how much damage he can withstand. This is self-explanatory; once it reaches zero, he will die. The last attribute, Concentration, is quite interesting.

When he used to read One Piece manga, he always wondered how characters like God Enel displayed their abilities. Or, what was the fundamental basis for their abilities? Enel's moves like "100 Million Volts" and "Thunder Dragon" are not something that can be simply explained by a Devil Fruit. When Ian saw the Concentration value, he finally had some understanding.

It should be a manifestation of Concentration ability. The Devil Fruit only grants a certain aspect of Concentration ability, and this ability can become stronger with training. Even Haki, which comes later, is also a form of Concentration ability. Therefore, there is a saying that Devil Fruits are not inherently strong or weak; the difference lies in the training. Characters like Mihawk and Red-Haired Shanks, who haven't eaten Devil Fruits, can still be incredibly powerful due to their Haki, which is essentially their strong Concentration ability.

Ian now has a Concentration value, but it is zero, meaning his Concentration ability is still unactivated. He has no idea how to obtain Concentration value.

His only skill at the moment is Basic Swordsmanship. He doesn't know what it can do yet, so he can only practice it step by step. Even after three months, his proficiency is only over 20,000 points, and it seems he needs to reach 100,000 points to see any changes.

As for the cards, it's even more frustrating. He can find the card shop in the system, but he tragically discovers that he can't draw any cards! It costs money, a lot of money! Drawing a card requires 500 diamonds, and it costs 100,000 Beli to get 500 diamonds, with a conversion rate of 200:1! This is the first time Ian has seen such an outrageous conversion rate.

Heaven help him, his monthly allowance from Master Koshiro is only 500 Beli. There's not much to spend in this small village, and he saves as much as he can, but 100,000 Beli is still a long way off.

This money-grabbing method is consistent with the game's nature. In other words, you can play without money, but to play well, you need to be a rich person. It's a typical money-grabbing game!

If it were just this, it would be hard to say when Ian could save enough money to draw a card. However, those who have played such card games know that you can draw cards by saving time!

In the shop, there is a countdown for drawing cards, but the usual 48-hour countdown has become 100 days!

When Ian saw this countdown, he almost broke down. What the hell, is this forcing me to pay?

Having the system is good, but it's frustrating if it can't be used for now. So, for the past few months, Ian has been living in a daze. Fortunately, time passes quickly, and three months have already gone by. The time for his first card draw is getting closer, and Ian is starting to feel a bit excited.

Since he has come to this world, he wants to explore this strange world, no matter what. To leave this small village of Frost Moon, he must become stronger. In this world, only the strong have a stage.

He practiced swinging his sword 500 times. After following Master Koshiro's commands, Ian was already panting. He always practices very seriously, putting all his strength into each swing, so his stamina naturally depletes quickly. After all, his body is still that of a ten-year-old boy.

The 500 sword swings brought 500 points of Basic Swordsmanship proficiency. While Ian was checking his progress in his mind, he suddenly heard Master Koshiro say, "Next is the sparring practice, Ian and Kuina! You two go first!"

Ian's scalp tingled. Why again?

He naturally doesn't know Master Koshiro's thoughts. Over the past three months, Master Koshiro has noticed that Ian's practice has become more serious, so he wants to test how much Ian has improved.

The method of testing, of course, is sparring. The problem is that Kuina is much stronger than Ian. Every time they spar, Ian ends up with a head full of bumps. Being beaten by his younger sister, Ian feels very embarrassed.

Like Kuina, Ian is usually very clean and tidy, unlike the snot-nosed, dirty kids in the dojo. So Kuina is happy to play with Ian, but once they become opponents, she doesn't hold back. Although she is a girl, her personality is stronger than some boys. Every time they spar, she goes all out.

Ian stepped forward with a heavy heart, holding the bamboo sword with both hands, the tip tilted upward, and crossed with Kuina's bamboo sword, ready for battle.

When Master Koshiro shouted "Start," Kuina immediately shouted and pulled back her sword, raising it high and chopping down at Ian with incredible speed!

Ian blocked with his sword, but the immense force from the bamboo sword made his hands tremble. Before he could push back, Kuina's next attack came!

Kuina's swordsmanship talent is recognized as the best in the dojo. Her sword control is fluid, and her speed is fast. She always finds Ian's weak spots and attacks him. In just half a minute, they had already exchanged dozens of blows, and Ian was always on the defensive, unable to counterattack.

"Ha!" Kuina became even more aggressive, suddenly thrusting her sword and hitting Ian's wrist. Then she quickly lifted her bamboo sword, knocking Ian's sword out of his hand.

Damn, lost again! Ian felt deflated.

However, Kuina happily said to Ian, "Big Brother Ian, you've improved a lot recently! You're much stronger than before!"

"You're just comforting me..." Ian rolled his eyes, rubbing his wrist, which still hurt from Kuina's hit.

"Kuina is right!" Master Koshiro still had a harmless smile on his face. "Ian, you have indeed become much stronger."

When Master Koshiro said this, the other children in the dojo looked at Ian with admiration. To them, being able to spar with Kuina for so long is already impressive. If it were them, they would probably be defeated in a few moves.

Ian saw the admiring looks from the kids and felt a bit choked. He would rather not have this admiration.

At that moment, a cocky voice came from outside the dojo.

"Is anyone there? I'm here to challenge the dojo! Come out, you strong guys, and let's see who's better!"

Ian's heart stirred, and he looked toward the door. He saw a child standing at the dojo entrance, a leaf in his mouth and his arms crossed. The sunlight behind him made his messy green hair and his arrogant, upturned eyebrows clearly visible.

He stood there, looking incredibly cocky and arrogant.

Green hair, Roronoa Zoro!

The moment Ian saw this cocky kid, he recognized him immediately. He felt a bit dazed. Although he was mentally prepared when he learned that the village was called Frost Moon, his master was Koshiro, and his junior was Kuina, seeing Zoro in front of him still felt surreal...

Strangely, when Ian saw Zoro, he didn't think of the future Zoro, the cool and powerful swordsman, but... his heart raced as he looked at Kuina!

Zoro's appearance means that Kuina will die soon...

Is his junior sister going to die? Ian's mind was in chaos. Although he had just been defeated by Kuina and almost relived the humiliation of being beaten, he couldn't help but ask himself if he could really watch Kuina die right in front of him?

This isn't just a manga character, but a real person right in front of him!

To the children in the Koshiro dojo, Kuina is their goddess, including Ian. Her masculinity is part of her unique charm. Although she is ruthless in every battle, she cares for and comforts every injured person afterward, like a gentle older sister.

After three months of living together, Ian has grown to love his junior sister. So, for a moment, his gaze toward Zoro became complicated.

Although Kuina's death has nothing to do with Zoro, as she dies in an accident, Zoro's appearance means that her death is approaching.

This makes Ian unsure how to face Zoro.

No one knows about Ian's complex feelings. After hearing Zoro's cocky challenge, Master Koshiro laughed heartily, stood up, and walked to the door, smiling at Zoro. "A challenger? That's rare these days!"

"Hmph!" Zoro crossed his arms and said proudly, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm a kid. I'm unbeatable in the neighboring village!"

"Alright, I'll accept your challenge!" Master Koshiro said with a smile.

"If I win, I'll take your dojo's sign!" Zoro said.

Koshiro smiled and asked, "And if you lose?"

"Lose? If I lose, then... I'll join your dojo!"

Hearing Zoro's answer, Koshiro laughed again. "It's a deal, then... Ian!"

Hearing Master Koshiro call his name, Ian snapped back to reality but was immediately surprised.

"No, that's not right! Shouldn't it be Kuina who fights him? Why me?"

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