Vik felt a sudden sadness well up in his heart and remained silent.
When Rebecca brought the food, he ate it quietly as well.
Rebecca was a little puzzled, sensing the atmosphere wasn't quite right. She looked at her Old Lady, then at Vik, a questioning expression on her small face.
"Little Vik, you rest for a bit and digest your food. I'll take you to see your parents later."
After finishing their meal, the Old Lady washed the dishes, then returned to the table and sat down, saying,
"Vik, since your parents are no longer with us, what are your plans for the future?"
Vik quickly blurted out, "I want to become a Marine, kill pirates, and avenge my parents!"
Vik was internally screaming, 'What the hell, that's not what I was thinking, how did it just slip out?' He wondered if the original owner's Soul was still present, or if it was some kind of lingering obsession. His expression changed slightly.
The Old Lady didn't notice the change in Vik's expression. She nodded and said, "Becoming a Marine is good, but you must be careful.
Rebecca's parents were Marines, especially her Mama, who served on a high-ranking Marine's ship..."
The Old Lady knew Vik had also heard about Rebecca's parents sacrificing their lives as Marines.
After talking for a while, Vik, the Old Lady, and Rebecca went to the town's cemetery.
There were many gravestones here, and many were newly added. Rebecca's parents were also buried here.
Leaving Vik alone in front of his parents' gravestone, the Old Lady took Rebecca to her daughter and son-in-law's gravestone and spoke in a low voice.
Vik sat silently in front of the gravestone, tears streaming down his face.
Vik was certain: besides his own Soul, the original owner's Soul also existed within his body.
It was just very weak, without independent consciousness. His body was absolutely dominated by himself, and only when encountering something the original owner cared deeply about could it passively influence his body.
Although Vik felt sympathy, he didn't have much emotion for the couple. The tears were a passive influence from the other Soul.
Though Vik didn't speak aloud, he silently thought, "Ann, I don't know if you summoned me, but I certainly heard your voice.
Now I've taken over your son's body. Although with his Soul's strength, even if I returned the body to him, he wouldn't be able to control it and would only live on as a dull-witted person.
But from now on, I will live in his name, grow stronger, and do my utmost to become so strong that no one can ever again dictate his life or death, to make this world... This is my promise to you."
Becoming a Marine was currently the fastest way to get stronger. The original owner's obsession and Vik's path to strength did not conflict.
The Marine's training methods were more systematic and easier to understand. They had operated on the sea for so long that no one could compare to their experience in training, except for their top organization.
Both children were orphans, a reflection of this era.
Ordinary people had no control over their fate. To escape the chopping block and live freely, one needed strong power as support!
After each family paid their respects to their loved ones, they walked back together.
There was no conversation along the way; all three were silent and in low spirits. It was already evening. The Old Lady took Rebecca home to cook.
Vik returned to his own home. Following his memories, he found some money. This money, for an ordinary person's life, would probably last several years.
Presumably, the pirates saw that the people in the house had already been killed and assumed the money was gone, so they didn't bother to search.
This money provided some security for a ten-year-old child. Vik didn't want to freeload at the Old Lady's house; after all, his current Soul was that of an adult.
After the Old Lady finished cooking, she sent Rebecca to call him for dinner. A lot of food had been prepared, likely because Vik ate a lot at noon.
The result was that Vik still ate everything. His body seemed to have an increased ability to absorb and digest. For Vik, this was a good sign; in the pirate world, eating a lot was a sign of strength.
After dinner, the Old Lady comforted Vik again, telling him not to worry about anything, to live peacefully, and grow up well.
But how could Vik not worry? He was a person from another world, living in a disaster-ridden world like the pirate world.
The people here were so powerful they could rival natural disasters. Life was truly fragile; for ordinary people to survive was pure luck.
Returning home, he washed up and lay on the bed, deep in thought.
Life in this world was truly difficult. Whether ordinary people could survive depended on luck, but luck was illusory; only strength was the capital for survival.
"Our island has no strong military protection. When we encounter pirates, we can only be at their mercy.
Relying on others for rescue is unrealistic. Only one's own strength is the greatest guarantee.
There are many ways to improve strength in this world:
physical techniques, swordsmanship, Devil Fruit, the Marine's Six Styles, Haki, and the rare Fish-Man Karate of Fish-Man Island, the Eight Impact Fist of Flower Country, and so on."
"However, Devil Fruit can only be obtained by luck. Although I know the whereabouts of a few Devil Fruit, I have no strength now, so trying to find them would be seeking death."
"The Marine's Six Styles are not easy to learn either; they require strong physical fitness as support. This can only be learned when I join the Marine later."
"Armament Haki, without guidance, cannot be mastered until a certain point. It requires even higher physical fitness than the Marine's Six Styles.
This can also only be learned when I join the Marine. I can't rely on it for now."
"Observation Haki is even more ethereal. There's no telling when it will Awaken.
Some people are born with it, some Awaken it through intense experiences,
and others master it through long-term training. People really are different! I can only try to perceive more in my daily life."
"Fish-Man Karate and the Eight Impact Fist are even more out of the question. They are too rare, and there's no need to learn them, as no top-tier powerhouses have emerged from them."
After much thought, Vik decided that for now, he could only focus on improving his physique to lay a good foundation for various future studies, and also practice some martial arts from his previous life.
After all, in his previous life, when he made videos, many explanations required this kind of knowledge, and he had learned quite a bit.
Although those martial arts were not powerful in his previous world, their intricacy and ingenious ideas would certainly shine in this world.
The physical techniques in this world mostly emphasize broad, sweeping movements, relying on strength and Haki to win, with less focus on technique. However, a small number of people still pursue a technique-based approach.
"I definitely need to learn swordsmanship. The level of swordsmanship in this world is very high. Some people can become top-tier powerhouses relying solely on swordsmanship, and I want to try that too.
Moreover, fighting without a weapon feels somewhat disadvantageous!"
This difference might not be apparent in the early stages, but in top-level combat, having a weapon and not having one makes a huge difference (excluding the miraculous Old Man Garp).
Look at Wang Lufei's great battle with the Four Emperors Kaido; Kaido hit him several times before he could barely land one punch. The attack range and scope were too disadvantageous.
And look at the former Four Emperors—which one didn't have a weapon?
Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, Kaido's Kanabo, Mama's Napoleon, and Red Hair Shanks's cutlass, griffon.
Even Pirate King Roger's cutlass Ace, and First Mate Dark King Rayleigh also had swords. This clearly illustrates the point.
"Swordsmanship must be learned, even if no one teaches it at this stage.
But basic swordsmanship and my knowledge from my previous life can help me gradually grow stronger.
As for how to proceed, now that I have a general plan, practicing and adjusting along the way is the right path."
Vik thought vaguely and then fell into a deep sleep.