บท 5: Chapter 5 - Busted

Raiden stood over the crocodile's massive, lifeless body, scratching his head. His arm, while almost completely healed thanks to the system, still bore the faint marks of the battle. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered, poking the beast with his makeshift weapon.

Crocodile leather was valuable, and surely, someone in the village would pay a good price for such a massive creature. It's hide wasn't damaged, not like he was strong enough to damage it either. Raiden had seen a butcher shop near the outskirts of the village.

With a wave of his hand, he stashed away the corpse in his inventory. There was no point in unnecessary labour.

"Is there any limit to inventory space?" Raiden said to himself, as he started making his way back home. The corpse was pretty big, and so far, it didn't seem like there was any such limit.

Raiden was a bit salty that he had to use the APs he received after killing the crocodile to heal himself. Well, there was nothing he could do either.

He reached the butcher's shop in less than five minutes, quickly hid behind a massive rock. He quickly opened his inventory and pulled the corpse out. He couldn't realistically show that he had a skill like this in front of anyone.

"Fuck! This is heavy." Raiden grunted as he pulled the corpse towards the shop, "Let's get this over with quickly."

The butcher, a burly man named Goran, was just opening his shop when Raiden arrived. He was a massive 10 feet tall man with an extreme amount of body fat. Nearly a quarter of his height consisted of his bald head. The man was wearing overalls with no shirt, that seemed to add to the absurdity of it all.

Goran's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the young boy dragging the enormous crocodile.

"What in the world?" Goran exclaimed, stepping out of his shop to get a better look. He immediately recognised the small kid in front of him. 'Isn't he the boy whom Rock saved the other day? What was his name, Raiden? Right?' he thought to himself.

"Raiden. Boy, where in the world did you find this thing." He said in a squeaky voice, not matching his size.

Raiden was caught off-guard by the man's voice, but decided to ignore it, "I ran into some trouble while exploring," Raiden replied casually, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thought you might be interested in buying this."

Goran scratched his head, still in shock. "This is... impressive. But, you didn't tell me, where in the world did you find it?" He said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Near the river," Raiden said, carefully omitting the details of his battle. He didn't want Mary to know about his escapades. Given everything that she went through, no way she would let her continue. "So, what do you think? Worth anything?"

Goran nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on the crocodile. "This is a rare find, especially on this island. The body is in pretty good shape too. It looks like something pierced its brain through its eye. I'll give you a good price for it. The meat, the skin—it's all in good condition. The size is pretty good too. You found something pretty valuable, boy." He said with a smile.

They haggled for a bit, but in the end, Raiden walked away with a small pouch of berries, a satisfied grin on his face. It was enough for his immediate needs. He decided to use part of it to buy a new full sleeved shirt to cover the scar on his forearm and upper arm.

Raiden made his way to the local tailor, a friendly woman named Eliza. She was a beautiful red head, with a part of bangs covering the left side of her face. She had piercing green eyes and those absurdly hot one piece proportions.

'Why is everyone so tall in this world?' The woman was easily six and half feet tall. Raiden was glad he had the body of a kid, cause he almost folded after what she did next.

"Oh my! Would you look at that?" Eliza said in a sweet voice, crouching down to his level. "Are you alone?"

"Um. Yeah, I am." Raiden nodded.

"Oh! Is that so? Then, are you looking for something?" Eliza looked at him with an amused smile. She knew who the kid was. After all, he was Rock's adopted grandson. News spreads fast when you are on an island this small.

"I need a full-sleeve shirt," Raiden said, trying to sound casual.

Eliza nodded and got up, "Of course. I have just the thing." She gestured for him to follow her. She rummaged through her stock and pulled out a few options for Raiden to select from.

Raiden quickly picked an ash grey shirt. It was a loose fitting, full sleeved shirt. He quickly tried it on and grinned, pleased with how it fit. "Perfect. I'll take it."

He quickly pulled out a few hundred berries and extended them to the woman. Eliza raised an eyebrow, not expecting him to actually have the money.

"Oh, sweetie. You don't have to pay for this. It's on me." She said with a wink.

"But..." Raiden started, but was cut off by Eliza. "I said it's on me. Think of it as my way of repaying your grandfather." She smiled, ruffling Raiden's hair.

He hesitated for a bit but nodded nonetheless. He quickly changed into it, making sure the sleeves covered his scar. He felt a bit more confident now, ready to face Mary and whatever questions she might have.

As he made his way back home, Raiden realized he was running late for lunch. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He quickened his pace, hoping Mary wouldn't be too upset.

When he finally arrived, Mary was waiting for him, her arms crossed and a concerned look on her face.

"Raiden, you're late," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "I was starting to worry."

"Sorry, Grandma," Raiden replied, trying to sound apologetic. "I lost track of time exploring the forest."

Mary's eyes softened slightly, but she still looked stern. "You need to be more careful. And why did you go to the forest alone? You know it's dangerous right?"

"I'm sorry," Raiden said with his head bowed down.

Mary sighed and patted his head. "It's alright. Just make sure to keep that in mind. And what's with the new shirt?" She said raising an eyebrow.

Raiden hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh, this? I just bought it. It looks pretty good right?" He laughed awkwardly.

"And where did you get the money for it?" Mary asked suspiciously.

"Uh, s..she, I mean, the owner. She didn't take didn't let me pay. She said it was her way of thanking grandpa." Raiden hurriedly explained.

Mary eyed him suspiciously but didn't press further. "Alright, just make sure you don't stay out so late next time. Now, go get cleaned up and sit down to eat. Your lunch is getting cold." She said pushing him into the bathroom.

Raiden sighed in relief. He quickly washed up and sat down to eat. Overall, the day went well. He learned a lot about his system and even had a bit of money to spare.

'Man, I'm tired. Let's get some sleep first. I'll think about what to do later.' Raiden sank into his chair with a satisfied expression.

'So cute.' Mary thought with an amused smile.

_____

Raiden continued sneaking into the forest for the next few days. He had converted the place into a makeshift gym. And although a bit crude, it worked amazingly well for him.

He settled into a comfortable routine of runs, transitioning them to weight training followed by hunting wild animals.

These things gave Raiden a decent source of achievement points. He bought a medium-sized dagger, with its blade nearly 10 inches long and a 5 inch handle. That made hunting these animals much easier.

*Screech!*

"Oh, shut up." Raiden said, side stepping to evade the attack.

He was fighting a massive hawk, that seemed to have decided Raiden was its prey. Well, that was before Raiden severed its wings. The bird was barely mobile now. Raiden quickly closed the distance between them and stabbed his dagger through its heart, ending its misery.

[Ding! Forest Hawk killed. 5 AP received.]

Raiden stood up and flicked his dagger, cleaning it of the hawk's blood. Raiden stared at the corpse of the fallen beast and sighed in exhaustion.

"I hate these birds. Can't believe how hard it was to kill this thing. It was so much weaker too." Raiden said in annoyance.

"Status." He whispered.

[Ding]

[Physical stats:

Strength - F (55/100)

Constitution - F (55/100)

Agility - F (40/100)

Will - E (0/1000)

Charisma - E (0/1000)

Achievement Points - 45]

His stat progression was pretty decent. It had been less than a week since he started training. The problem was, if Raiden was right, for every next breakthrough, the number of APs required were multiplied by 10.

"I don't have anything to compare myself to. But I need to get strong fast. Given how Luffy could beat yonko level people in just 2 years, I should try and match that level of growth." Raiden muttered, as he plopped down next to a tree, exhausted.

"Wake me up in half an hour."

[Ding! Alarm set for 30 minutes from now.]

Raiden woke up once the alarm went off and quickly shoved the corpse of the hawk in his inventory.

"I don't know if this thing would even sell for anything..." Raiden said, making his way through the familiar path.

It didn't take long for him to reach Goran's shop. The big man, who was used to Raiden's daily appearance, wasn't surprised that the young boy was here today as well.

"So, what do you have today?" He said in his signature squeaky voice.

"...a hawk." Raiden said presenting him the corpse.

"...how in the world did you even kill this thing?" Goran said in a deadpanned tone.

Forest Hawks were very rare animals. They had a decent amount of meat on them, that was considered a delicacy.

"Give that to me." The man quickly grabbed the hawk's corpse and placed it in the refrigerator. He then pulled out a bunch of berries and gave it to Raiden.

"Raiden, I know you're sneaking into the forest. Don't do anything reckless, that would hurt you. Rock would come for my throat." He reprimanded the young boy.

"Don't worry, uncle. I'm not doing anything dangerous. And I won't fight anything I can't beat." Raiden shrugged off his concern.

Goran frowned and was about to go off again, but was interrupted by a gruff voice, "Is that so, brat?"

Raiden and Goran froze in their tracks, their eyes going wide.

'Shit! Grandpa!'

'Shit! Rock!'

"Well?" Rock picked up the boy by the scruff of his neck and brought him to the eye level, staring at him with a glare.

"G...grandpa! Haha. W...what are you do..doing here?" Raiden stammered. He looked away when he saw Rock's glare intensified.

"Hah! You...what am I going to do with you? Do you realise how dangerous what you're doing is?" He said sternly.

"And you, Goran. It looks like you already knew what this boy was doing. And you didn't think it was necessary to tell me about it?" Rock's voice became louder.

He was not wrong either. Heck, Raiden almost died the very first day he entered the forest. If those achievement points didn't heal him, he would've bled out.

"I..I.." Goran began sweating buckets. He kept his mouth shut because Raiden was getting him some good products. He didn't plan on what he would do if Rock found them out.

"Grandpa, it's not his fault. I told him not to say anything." Raiden interjected.

Rock shifted his glare from the butcher to Raiden, "Oh? And why is that?" He said, raising the boy to bring him at eye level.

"I...I want to get stronger. I don't want to be in a situation where I can't protect myself or people I love. What if those pirates attack again? What will I do then? I hate it...I hate being weak, grandpa." Raiden said with convection.

Rock was silently staring at the boy. He knew what the boy said was right. This world was dangerous and only the strongest can ensure the safety of their family. That was the reason he trained his son to be a marine.

He still remembered the day they told him that his son had died. That was the day his life was turned upside down. He lost not just his son but even the woman he loved with all his heart.

Rock's stern expression softened slightly as he considered Raiden's words. He gently set the boy down, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Raiden," he began, his voice steady but less harsh, "I understand your desire to become stronger. But tell me honestly, why do you want to get strong? If it's just your personal safety, you can stay on the island quietly. You will be safe here."

Raiden hesitated, looking down at his feet. He knew he had to be careful with his words. "I want to be a Marine, Grandpa," he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "I want to protect people, like you did."

Raiden had planned the entire path he would take. Becoming a marine was just a part of it. He had more or less a decade to build up his strength, before Luffy turns the entire world upside down. Becoming a marine was the safest and the fastest way to get that strength. And he was going to leverage his age to the fullest.

Rock's eyebrows narrowed, his mood souring a bit. "Becoming a Marine is...a noble goal, but there's more to it, isn't there? What really drives you, Raiden? What makes you want to face danger head-on?"

He won't ever stop the boy from following his dream, even if he was not pleased with that decision. What he wanted to know, was his motive. He had seen both the sides of the marines. The side that kept the general public safe from ferocious pirates and the side that serves people who are far worse than the said pirates.

Raiden thought for a moment, and honestly, he don't have a answer for that. His entire plan was to use the marines and then defect. He didn't have any higher goals other than just surviving in this world. Well, maybe explore it later. But that would have to wait.

After collecting his thoughts, Raiden began speaking, "I...don't know. I just don't want to die. And marines are good people right? I want to be a good guy too. And that way, I can help others too." He started bullshitting.

Rock sighed and nodded, 'What else did I expect. He is still a child after all. And after everything he went through, he would obviously cling to whatever he thinks would keep him safe. Hah! At least he is not blinded by hate, unlike that boy.'

Rock sighed, a mixture of pride and concern in his gaze. "Alright, Raiden. I will train you. But under one condition: you follow my instructions to the letter. No more sneaking into the forest on your own. Understood?"

Raiden's face lit up with a mixture of relief and excitement. "Yes, Grandpa! I promise."

Rock nodded, his expression softening into a smile. "Good. We'll start tomorrow. For now, go home and rest. You've had a long day. And remember, don't tell your grandma about any of this, understand?"

Raiden nodded enthusiastically and quickly made his way out of the shop.

Goran sighed in relief, grateful that the situation had defused without too much trouble. He looked at the old man in front of him and decided to add his two cents.

"You know, Rock. That boy is smart. And very talented. He killed a fresh water crocodile and with little to no injuries." The man said, sitting down next to Rock.

The old man remained quiet. Seeing that, Goran sighed and continued, "He's a natural fighter. It's good that you aren't restricting him. Otherwise he would've lashed out sooner or later. And it's good that you're training him from a young age. At least he would be on the right track."

Rock grunted in response, his eyes following Raiden's retreating form. "Let's hope so, Goran. Let's hope so."

_____