"Phew… sweet… finally…"
It took Jin half an hour of stumbling under the scorching sun, but at last he found what he'd been praying for—a tall coconut palm.
His lips were cracked from thirst; limbs shaking. Without a second thought, he scrambled up as far as he could reach, stones in hand, and knocked down two heavy coconuts.
Crack… crack…
He pried one open, juice spilling over his face and chest. The cold sweetness flooded his parched throat, dripping onto the sand below.
"Damn… that hits the spot… thought I'd die of thirst…"
Panting, Jin leaned against the trunk, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Sunlight dappled through the fronds above, warm and almost gentle.
"No sign of people yet… Looks like I'd better pick a safe spot to rest, recover my strength, and then decide what to do next."
Jin wasn't naive. Even with the spirit of a hardened mercenary, his new six-year-old body had limits.
He knocked down four more coconuts before exhaustion forced him to stop, sweat matting his hair to his forehead.
"Hah… it's crazy. Even this tiny body can do so much… must be this pirate world's physique. Six years old, but already stronger than an Earth kid twice my age…"
Jin lugged his prize back to the beach—past the corpse of the black-scaled fish he'd pulled in yesterday. Its head was gone, picked clean by scavenging seabirds.
"Tch… filthy things robbed me blind. Lucky I dried some fish meat earlier."
Resting in the shade, Jin caught his breath and set to work. He gathered driftwood, palm leaves, and thin branches, binding them with vine.
"Not pretty, but it'll keep the sun and wind off me tonight."
After nearly an hour, Jin stepped back to admire his rough shelter. A crooked little lean-to, but it was home for now.
"Good enough! At least I won't be sleeping out in the open."
Next, he turned his attention to food.
Using a flat stone as a crude blade, he hacked chunks of the fish's flesh, laying them out on sun-heated rocks to dry.
Fat sizzled; oil dripped onto the hot stone, releasing a sharp, salty aroma. Jin's stomach rumbled in answer.
"Even half-spoiled, it smells amazing. Being alive really is a gift… even in a place like this."
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Jin roasted a piece of fish, savoring the oil dripping down his chin.
Full at last, he knew it was time to do more than just survive.
Jin found a flat patch of sand and planted his feet shoulder-width apart. His breath slowed. Shoulders loosened. Arms lifted as if hugging an invisible barrel.
Stand like a pine, root like a mountain…
This was his old master's method—ancient standing meditation, said to be traced back to the Yellow Emperor's classic texts.
In the polluted, hurried world of Earth, the effect had been limited. But here, in a world of clean air and powerful creatures, the potential felt different.
His breath deepened. Muscles tensed and released in rhythm. Sweat streamed down his face and chest.
"...Inhale heaven's essence, exhale earthly foulness…"
Minutes passed. The breeze cooled the sweat on his skin.
Then minutes stretched to nearly an hour and a half. Jin's arms burned. His legs shook under the strain.
Finally, sheer physical exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He dropped to his knees, gasping.
"So damn satisfying… never felt energy flow this clearly before…"
The method's secret was simple: help the body absorb nutrients faster, reinforce muscles, tendons, and bones, and fix hidden injuries.
Even in this tiny body, Jin felt the difference already: clearer senses, steadier breath, more force behind every clench of his fists.
"Only downside—hunger comes quick. But what's a bit of hunger? Feels like being reborn."
He gnawed another piece of roasted fish, warmth spreading through his body.
Later that night, under a sky crowded with unfamiliar stars, Jin practiced the only complete martial art his master had passed down: the Five Dragon Fist.
Step. Twist. Strike.
Punches were deliberate, not fast, but heavy—each blow wringing every drop of force from muscle and bone.
Sweat flew; heart pounded.
Jin could feel the strength creeping back into him—slow, but real.
After half an hour, he stopped. His small fists clenched, veins standing out faintly beneath pale skin.
"A bit more power in every punch… feels damn good."
Bathing by moonlight, he rolled into the shallows to wash off salt and sweat. Sea spray cooled the flush on his skin.
"In this world, power is everything… techniques are just tools."
Eyes turned to the distant horizon, Jin's gaze was sharp, filled with a mercenary's familiar hunger—for strength, for freedom.
"And in this world, with real spirit herbs, fierce beast meat… my master's method could go beyond anything I reached before."
His thoughts drifted, too:
"If I'm lucky, maybe even cross paths with the monsters of this age… pirates, admirals… who knows? And of course... the women of this world..."
A smirk curved his lips.
"Let's hope Roger's still alive somewhere out there… makes it more fun."
Wrapped in half-dried seaweed to keep warm, Jin settled into the lean-to. The fire cracked softly nearby.
"Tomorrow, new day. More food. More strength. One step closer."
Sleep crept over him.
Before long, Jin's breathing slowed, even as the waves kept singing their endless song.
"Just wait… soon, I'll carve my own name into this sea."
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 30 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: patreon.com/GodFic