After the skirmish, Eust and Sunny returned to their room to organize their spoils and gather their thoughts. Eust then spent some time reading basic navigation books while Sunny rested and healed. The day passed by uneventfully.
The next day, Eust woke up to find Sunny already awake, looking as energetic as usual. Eust’s last bit of worry finally eased.
Today, Eust planned to focus on his swordsmanship training. Yesterday’s skirmish had taught him many lessons.
He had visited the Fox Weapon Store but left in anger without buying any weapons, deciding instead to go fishing. That turned out to be a mistake.
This decision left him armed only with a kitchen knife during the skirmish, making launching any effective sneak attacks hard. It was embarrassing not to have a proper sword for Eust, an aspiring swordsman.
The physical training he had been doing was foundational for both martial artists and swordsmen. It wasn’t a waste of time, and he planned to continue with it regularly. Swordsman Zoro was one of his goals, after all.
However, he also needed to focus on specialized swordsmanship training to improve his skills. Currently, his swordsmanship was barely passable, more embarrassing than his hand-to-hand combat skills, which was frustrating for someone who wanted to call himself a swordsman.
Eust believed that the basics of swordsmanship were consistent regardless of the style or category. His early training focused on these basics.
Eust planned to train in the following basic sword techniques in order: chop, slash, swing, carry, and thrust.
It’s not about right or wrong; everyone has methods that suit them. Since Eust had a plan, he naturally had his reasons.
As Eust went out to train, Sunny followed but refrained from doing her own training due to her injuries. She lazily basked in the sun nearby, occasionally watching Eust practice.
Eust dedicated his morning to training these basic sword techniques, giving it his all, much like he did with his Mission Fruit training tasks.
At noon, Eust caught fish and other seafood and paired them with ingredients and seasonings from Sunny’s Mission Space. The resulting meal was so delicious that it even attracted a familiar face.
It was none other than Coby, the navy cabin boy Eust had seen at Foodfoo, who was also Luffy’s first friend in the series.
Eust had thought that Coby, after joining the navy, would have little free time and that it would be a long while before they met again. But here he was, by the shore.
Coby emerged from the nearby woods, looking awkward. Eust could hear his stomach growling, indicating that the smell of Eust’s cooking had drawn him in.
Coby stood not far from Eust, hesitating to approach but clearly hungry. It was quite amusing.
Eust laughed, and Sunny joined in with a few meows.
“Coby, come on over. I’ll share my food with you,” Eust called out.
“How do you know my name?” Coby asked as he approached.
“I’m a customer at foodfoo. My name is Eust, and this is my cat Sunny. We saw you a few days ago talking to Rika. Do you remember?”
“Oh, that’s why you look familiar. Even though I’m really hungry, I can’t eat your food. I’m just here to borrow your fire,” Coby said, holding up a rabbit he had caught.
“Why not? Why refuse ready-made food?” Eust asked.
“Because today’s training is about surviving alone in the wild. The main rule is not to eat food provided by others. Everything has to be obtained by oneself. I caught this rabbit after a lot of effort. If I hadn’t lost my backpack, this wouldn’t have been so difficult,” Coby explained.
Eust teased Coby, “Isn’t borrowing my fire against the rules of your survival training?”
“Uh, but how can I cook without fire? I can’t eat it raw! Ah! My backpack!” Coby looked distressed and regretful.
“Haha, just kidding. You can use the fire. I don’t think borrowing it counts as cheating,” Eust reassured him.
But Coby took it seriously and refused to use Eust’s fire, making Eust feel bad. He didn’t want Coby to go hungry because of a joke.
Finally, Eust suggested a compromise, “How about this, Coby? Help me test my training results. In exchange, you can use my fire. This way, it’s fair, and you won’t be breaking any rules.”
After thinking it over, Coby agreed to Eust’s suggestion.
Coby’s lost backpack had left him with only a small knife. After working hard all morning, he had caught a rabbit but couldn’t start a fire to cook it. He had to remain hungry.
During the meal, Eust found Coby to be a good kid. He remembered how Coby had transformed dramatically in the original anime in just a few months, mastering techniques like Soru from the Navy’s Six Powers. Eust wondered if the real Coby would have a similar transformation.
Eust wanted to test his training against Coby, curious about his strength. Could this seemingly unremarkable boy truly undergo a dramatic transformation?
After the meal, Coby insisted on keeping his promise to be Eust’s sparring partner, not worried that Eust might use him as a punching bag.
Of course, Eust didn’t intend to hurt him. He was simply curious about Coby’s current strength.
The fight began and ended quickly. Coby couldn’t withstand any of Eust’s attacks, indicating his strength was far below Eust’s.
With his training and Mission Fruit rewards, Eust’s power level was around 12, while Coby’s was around 6-7. How could Coby grow stronger so quickly in such a short time? Were there special rules in this world for gaining strength?
Eust decided not to dwell on it and checked on Coby.
“Are you okay, Coby?”
“I’m fine, Eust. I didn’t realize you were so strong. My dream is to become a powerful Marine, to catch pirates and uphold justice. I need to work harder,” Coby said, showing more courage than before.
“You will, Coby. As long as you train hard, you’ll get stronger,” Eust encouraged him.
“Thanks, Eust. You’re amazing,” Coby said, a bit embarrassed.
After a brief chat, Coby left, and Eust learned more about Coby’s survival training. It wasn’t as tough as Eust had imagined, and meant more to train cabin boys than to test survival skills rigorously.
After Coby left, Eust resumed his training, focusing on building a solid foundation to reach greater heights in the future.
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