Pirates: I Rely Only on Myself

May 22, 1501, Sea Calendar.

Starfish Island, deep within Joseph's family orchard.

It had been a week since Noah was rescued from the shipwreck.

His uncle's house was tucked at the edge of the town, close to the forested hills. The nearest neighbors were a hundred or so meters away, and the orchard in the back was cradled between hills, making the area quiet and hidden.

Thud, thud, thud! Fists pounded down like rain on a huge block of wood. With each strike, the massive log was driven deeper into the ground.

Noah had spent the past week getting back on his feet and putting together a rigorous training plan—one that would help him hone his body and unlock the full potential of his Devil Fruit powers.

His physical training was brutal, designed to push his limits.

Every day, he got up at 6 AM. After breakfast, he'd haul a large rock up and down the mountain for 10 kilometers, aiming to finish in under two hours. He wasn't foolish enough to push too hard too soon though, so he started with a 30-kilogram stone for now.

At 9 AM, he'd switch to boxing—pummeling a wooden post for two straight hours.

Lunch and a bit of rest came at 11 AM.

From noon until 2 PM, he'd retreat to a secret cabin in the orchard to practice calligraphy and work on localizing the Five Dragon-Slaying Volumes. At the same time, he'd sing No Savior—over and over, hammering a sense of resolve into his mind.

From 2 to 4 PM, he'd put on a blindfold and let Joshua hit him with bamboo rods to help awaken his Observation Haki. It wasn't the most pleasant training method, but Noah figured that if being beaten black and blue could sharpen his senses, it was worth it.

From 4 PM until sunset, he tinkered with various tools in his small cabin.

Evenings from 6 PM to 10 PM were for studying and developing his Devil Fruit powers.

He also planned to head out to sea once a week to fish—and maybe take down a sea beast or two if he felt like it.

As for his Devil Fruit powers, he had already updated the materials of his cards to include metal and was experimenting with expanding the capacity of his card storage.

Time flew by, the days blurring together as he trained relentlessly.

________________________________________

Six months later.

From inside the cabin, Noah's voice rang out, singing with passion:

"…There has never been a savior…"

"…Nor do we rely on gods or emperors…"

While singing, Noah scribbled away, translating and adapting the Five Dragon-Slaying Volumes into the local language.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside the cabin.

He set down his brush as the door creaked open, revealing his cousin Joshua. The kid had grown a lot in the past six months—now towering at around 1.8 meters with muscles that made him look like he could wrestle a bear.

Over the past half-year, Noah hadn't just locked himself away in training. He made sure to go fishing every week. Using his card powers, he'd managed to hunt down several sea beasts.

It's like they say: "A strong body needs a rich diet." You can't train hard without enough food to fuel the process. Overdoing it without proper nutrition would just wreck your body.

Noah sold the smaller sea beasts for extra income to cover household expenses and buy materials. As for the bigger ones, he stored them in his cards and kept the meat for the family's meals. Joshua had been reaping the benefits of those meals too.

Of course, all of that came with Noah's strict supervision and training.

"Hey, Noah, I got the newspaper you wanted," Joshua said, handing it over.

Noah took the papers and started flipping through them.

Whether it was the Rogue Town Daily, the East Blue Times, or the World Economy News, Noah read everything carefully, jotting down notes when something caught his eye.

For example:

"1501.09.14, Rogue Town Naval Recruitment. Rising star Smoker has been exceptionally recommended to Navy Headquarters…"

What kind of rookie gets fast-tracked to Navy HQ right after joining? Noah could already guess the answer, thanks to memories from his past life.

Another headline read:

"1501.10.22, the Flame Pirates were annihilated in the Canoba Sea by a naval hero. The flame-wielding Bass was no match for Iron Fist and was swallowed by a sea beast after falling into the water…"

Well, looks like the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit) is back on the market.

Even public news could offer valuable intel if you knew how to analyze it.

Noah had already filled over 700 pages of notes on the East Blue, and his understanding of the region had become incredibly detailed.

After finishing the newspapers, he stored the newly recorded information in his Secret Card—Library.

Joshua, meanwhile, had picked up the first volume of the Five Dragon-Slaying Volumes, flipping through it on a wooden chair. With curiosity in his voice, he asked, "Bro, how are you so smart? You actually wrote this?"

"I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants," Noah replied with a smirk.

"Oh, by the way, I finished that task you gave me."

Noah continued scanning the papers. "Let's hear it."

"There are 1,376 households in town, with a population of 6,855. There are 273 orphans, and 32 of them have no relatives to take care of them."

"Good job. Anything else?"

"Yes, I also looked into their ages. There are eight orphans under 12 years old—three girls and five boys. Their names are…"

Noah nodded in approval. "Nice work, Joshua. Now, here's your next task. Tomorrow, invite those eight orphans over for a barbecue. Make sure no one else finds out."

"Got it," Joshua said, giving a confident nod.

Noah returned to the papers.

In this world, he often felt alone. Sure, he had family, but what he really wanted were friends who shared his ideals. Unfortunately, in this world of pirates, ignorance was widespread. Finding people who understood him? That was going to be tough.

So if no one existed who shared his vision, he'd create them. Recruiting orphans was his first step toward building his own crew.

________________________________________

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Joshua snuck out. An hour later, he returned with eight kids in tow.

They made their way to the cabin behind the orchard, where Noah had set up a grill with slabs of meat sizzling over the fire. Seeing the kids looking a bit nervous, he smiled warmly and said, "Welcome to my place! Let's grill some meat and get to know each other."

He handed brushes to the three girls. "I'm Noah, Carnegie Noah. I'm 13. Could you help me brush some sauce on the meat?"

"Hi, big brother Noah! I'm Lilith, and I'm 11," said the first girl. She had light blonde hair and freckles, her cheeks flushed as she took the brush. Her hands were rough and pale—Noah guessed she probably did laundry for the town's fishermen to earn a living.

The second girl, hiding behind Lilith, also had light blonde hair and looked similar. She seemed shy, whispering, "I... I'm Lillian. I'm eight."

The last girl was more outgoing, grinning as she brushed the meat sauce. "Haha! Big brother Noah, I'm Mary! Green Mary, and I'm nine!"

As planned, Joshua took the five boys to gather charcoal, chairs, and other utensils.

Noah wasn't about to let these kids feel like they were getting handouts. He wanted them to contribute, to feel involved.

Sure enough, as Joshua gave out tasks, the kids began to relax, slowly warming up to the situation.