This world is incredible.
A few months had passed since I started training my body. The results were visible, tangible, and I was genuinely amazed.
As expected of a world where physical abilities are completely broken. Getting results this clear, this fast? Unreal.
Maybe I just had some natural talent to begin with. Either way, didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was one simple fact: I was getting stronger.
That said, I was still only five years old. There were physical limits.
The best I could manage still came with the qualifier "for a kid," but even so, I could feel how much more capable my body had become compared to before.
Fighting was probably out of the question, but if someone attacked me, I could maybe manage to run away. Maybe.
Besides, there were plenty of characters in this world who were stronger than adults at age ten or younger. Long way to go. Just keep at it, day by day, and build up my power.
"Mister! I finished carrying all the stuff!"
"Oh, fast as always, Sue-chan! You're a real lifesaver! Well then, you're done for the day."
"Huh? But it's not even noon yet..."
"Looks like the Merchant Ship bringing in our Merchandise got attacked by pirates and can't make it. So the restocking and sorting work is postponed. Here, your pocket money for today."
I was fairly tall for a five-year-old, and with all the training I'd been doing, I had decent strength too. My usual routine was helping with various odd jobs around the village in exchange for a small allowance, or pocket money.
The village still didn't have enough hands, so everyone who could help needed to pitch in. The whole village was supporting each other. Even a little kid like me.
I volunteered for jobs that involved carrying heavy things like books and liquor bottles, so it wasn't just helping people out; it doubled as training. Three birds with one stone, really, since I was getting paid too.
But today my work ended early, so I took my pay and left the shop.
On the way out, I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in the shop's display window.
Like I said, tall for five, and my build seemed fairly well-developed. I could almost pass for an upper elementary schooler. In terms of physical labor, I'd say I was blessed with a good frame.
My hair was a platinum blonde, nearly pure white. Beautiful hair inherited from my mother, and something I was proud of.
...Of course, in the One Piece World, height is basically just flavor text.
In this world, there are plenty of regular humans walking around at three or four meters tall, so whether my size or growth rate even qualified as "big" was debatable.
I thought my looks were on the nicer side, at least.
Still a kid, so who knew how things would turn out from here, but I had long legs and fair skin.
I wondered if my body would change from here too. In a more feminine way.
I'd recovered my past life memories, but what I'd remembered was mainly "knowledge" and "common sense." Personal memories? Nothing at all. Who I was, how old I'd been, what kind of work I'd done.
Naturally, I had no idea whether I'd been male or female in my Past life either. Well, not that it caused me any problems.
In fact, if I'd been a man before and was now a girl, that might have been mentally rough in a lot of ways. So maybe it was actually better that I couldn't remember.
Anyway, work was done and I had free time. What to do?
Train? Or head home and study, maybe read a book?
My house was a bookshop, so we had books galore. Dad (the shop owner) had given me permission to read any of the store's stock as I pleased, so I was never short on ways to kill time.
I'd liked reading even in my Past life (I think), so yeah, let's spend the time reading.
It was almost lunchtime anyway, so I'd stick to the plan and train after eating.
For a while after that, my days revolved around four things: training (self-taught), studying, helping with work, and reading for pleasure.
I also spent time with my family and played with friends in between, of course.
My build was on the large side compared to other kids my age. I had the height and raw strength to keep up with boys my own age, and I liked physical play, so I'd join in with them.
I'd get into fights with the neighborhood bully, kids three or four years older than me with stocky builds, and beat them without mercy. Before I knew it, I'd ended up in the bully's position myself. My parents were exasperated.
That was how it went. Fun, noisy, yet peaceful. Fulfilling days.
...But those days came to a sudden end.
It happened about one year after the previous pirate attack.
The village had finished rebuilding. Life wasn't quite back to what it had been, but the energy and vitality had returned. That was when the pirates attacked again.
This time, there was no chance of a call for help reaching the Marines in time.
The village was overrun in the blink of an eye, subjected to looting and destruction. Villagers I'd known well were cut down or gunned down, one after another. Others were dragged away to the Pirate Ship.
The Liquor Store Owner, whose shop I'd often helped out at, was killed.
An Auntie from the general store, who'd tried to shield the children, was killed.
The former neighborhood bully and the kids I'd played with were all killed because their crying was "too loud."
And then Father and Mom, too.
Father grabbed a sword and tried to protect our family, but he was no match at all. They cut him down. Mom was shot while holding me in her arms, shielding me, and died just like that.
Because Mom protected me, the bullets never hit me.
The Pirates laughed their vulgar laughs, tossed Father's body from outside into the shop, set the place on fire, and walked away. They probably assumed I was already dead too.
Right then, I was drowning in grief and frustration, plus anger and despair and everything else. My head was a mess.
But having no room for extraneous thoughts actually worked in my favor. Immediately afterward, I was able to act with a calm that surprised even myself.
I knew Father and Mom couldn't be saved. Carrying their bodies out was beyond me alone.
So I took the wedding rings from their fingers and the earrings Mom had been wearing. I wanted to take at least this much with me. As keepsakes.
Then I opened the hidden Vault inside the shop, pulled out every bit of money and precious metal I could find, stuffed it all into a bag, and escaped through the back door as the flames closed in.
Fortunately, there were no pirates out back. I just ran.
I left the village and walked along the road, endlessly.
Fortunately again, The Pirates didn't seem to search or patrol beyond the village, so once I was out, I could move in relative safety.
It was already nighttime, and the darkness helped too. The moon was out, so there was just enough light to see the road.
But even with stamina on my side, it was a brutal distance for a child's legs to cover.
And on top of that:
'I messed up. I grabbed money and valuables, but I didn't bring any food...'
Honestly, even I had to admit it. Careless. Stupid.
Well, food was bulky, and there was only so much I could have grabbed from the storage while the house was burning around me. But still, I could have managed one or two meals' worth at least.
Anything to fill my stomach would have been fine. Just some bread and ham, even.
I'd been walking for about half a day now without eating anything.
Half a day might not sound like much, but I was still five years old. Not just "still growing" but a child whose body wasn't even properly developed yet. Kindergarten age.
Nowhere to go back to. No destination ahead. Starving, parched, with no parents left to rely on.
Physically and mentally pushed to the edge, half a day without food or water was an eternity. I could feel my stamina being whittled away.
If it came down to it, I could try eating berries or mushrooms from the roadside, but whether a five-year-old's digestive system could handle that without getting sick was another question. River water scared me too.
If starvation became a real threat, I'd have no choice but to take the gamble and eat whatever I could find, but...
...Actually, that "limit" was probably already close.
My vision had been blurring for a while now.
My hands were starting to lose feeling, too.
...Wait, what was that sound just now? A heavy thud?
Oh. That was the bag slipping out of my hand. No grip strength left either, it seemed.
...Ah. This is bad. I don't even have the energy left to try that gamble. I can't move.
'Hydrate before you get thirsty.' Grandma's old wisdom flashed through my mind. Damn it, of all times... Too late for that now.
I must have blown past hunger and exhaustion a long time ago, pushed so far beyond my limits that I couldn't even feel them anymore.
The ground was getting closer. I was falling. I fell.
There was impact... but no pain. Seriously?
My mind was still working. My body wouldn't move anymore. Strange feeling.
Everything was going dark. My hearing was fading.
This was bad.
Was this really,
truly,
dea...
"Hey, come look at this!"
"What's going... oh my, a child's body out here?"
"So small, too. Poor thing."
"There was a village back there that looked like it'd been hit by pirates, right? Maybe she ran from there?"
"Walked quite a distance... impressive for a kid. And still so young."
"...Wait. This child's still alive."
"What? ...You're right. Just barely, but she's breathing."
"What do we do? Help her?"
"...Let's check with the Captain, just in case. We might be able to hear her story."
To be continued...