Chapter 4: The Island's Young Guardian

After slaying the first group of pirates to land on the island, Wood's name quickly spread across Maple Leaf Island, and he became known as its protector.

Of course, calling him a "protector" was putting it nicely. In truth, he was just the island's... head of security—unpaid at that.

If he had a choice, Wood truly didn't want to become famous. This was the Great Pirate Era, after all. Pirates desperate for notoriety would do anything to make a name for themselves.

Slaughtering entire islands? That was practically standard procedure. After all, a pirate's bounty didn't necessarily reflect their strength.

As long as the crimes were heinous enough, they could still earn a high bounty. And in the pirate world, a bounty from the Marines basically equated to popularity.

There were many ways to become famous. Aside from committing atrocities, defeating locally known strongmen was also an incredibly fast way to rise in reputation.

So if he could help it, Wood really didn't want the spotlight. Fame only invited more trouble. What if someone truly dangerous came after him one day?

Now that his strength had been exposed, anytime pirates landed on the island, the townsfolk would definitely turn to him for help.

Even if they didn't, any pirate hearing about a local threat like Wood would no doubt make him a priority target.

Realizing the implications and potential danger, Wood didn't hesitate—he immediately began packing his things, intending to take Stia and Ain with him to seek refuge on another island.

Back when he first transmigrated, venturing out to sea was basically a death sentence. But now, with his "Iron-Cutting" swordsmanship and half a year of rigorous training, Wood was confident he could get them to safety—as long as he didn't do anything reckless.

『Ding! New mission detected.』

-Mission Title: Guardian of Maple Leaf Island-Objective: Over the course of one year, repel or eliminate the pirates landing on Maple Leaf Island.-Note: The host is forbidden from leaving the island by any means until the mission is complete. Failure to comply will result in permanent loss of system privileges.-Reward: One life simulation attempt

This mission wasn't technically mandatory—but it might as well have been.

The system was his golden finger as a transmigrator. Fleeing would mean losing that cheat. And without a cheat, what kind of protagonist was he? Just another salted fish.

Wood didn't see himself as exceptionally gifted. Readers wanted power fantasy, not realism. Without a broken power boost, how was he supposed to kick the Yonko and punch the Gorosei?

Other transmigrators at age 15 were either soloing Marine Admirals or using Yonko heads as chamber pots. Meanwhile, he was still chopping trees in a starter village. He was clearly losing the race before it even started.

So after some internal struggle, Wood chose to stay on Maple Leaf Island—and accept his role as its defender.

Now, with the one-year deadline nearly up, Wood had reaped his share of benefits.

First, due to his close relationship with Ain and her mother, the islanders began treating both of them with great respect.

Most of the time, Stia didn't even need to pay when shopping in town. Everyone knew she had taken Wood in.

It wasn't long ago that, following the death of Ain's father at the hands of pirates, she and her mother had struggled to survive on their own. Now, they were almost revered.

Second—and more importantly—Wood had accumulated a wealth of real combat experience from fighting off pirate raids throughout the year.

As they say, there's no substitute for live combat.

The improvement he gained from fighting was far greater than what he got from his first half-year of isolated training.

Facing blades and death daily was nothing like swinging a sword at thin air.

Unlike lifeless dummies, humans fought back. In desperate moments, they struck with everything they had.

At first, even against weaker enemies, Wood often ended up wounded. But over time, he began to grasp the flow of battle. His instincts sharpened, and his judgment improved.

Eventually, he could defeat pirates of equal strength without taking a scratch.

Through continuous fighting, Wood began using the sword techniques the system had carved into his mind. Through repetition, his body memorized the sensations, and the once "borrowed" skills became fully his.

"Stia-auntie's cooking has gotten even better. This beats anything the tavern serves."

As he devoured Stia's homemade food, Wood glanced at Ain, who rested her chin on her hands, beaming as she watched him eat. Her joyful gaze soothed the tension that his endless training had built up.

But just as he was enjoying a rare moment of peace, a pirate ship flying a skull flag appeared on the horizon, slowly sailing toward the port.

"Damn it, pirates again. These leeches just won't stop coming!"

The islanders had seen enough of pirate ships by now to know the drill. As soon as Ain and Wood spotted the incoming ship, warning bells rang out through the town.

"Ain, get back home, quick! Stia-auntie's probably worried sick."

Wood hurriedly finished off the rest of the food in the basket, threw on his shirt, grabbed the longsword stuck in the ground nearby, and after a few light steps, raced off toward the port.

At the island's harbor, a medium-sized sailboat had already docked, its crew lowering the anchor.

"Captain, this is Maple Leaf Island. They say the redwood trees here are some of the best shipbuilding materials around.

Ever since we entered the Grand Line, the weather's been crazy. We really need a sturdier ship—that should be our top priority now."

Beside the speaker stood a towering brute with a mohawk, armored arms, and a vicious glint in his eyes. Emerging from the cabin, he glanced toward the island's redwood forest and barked out orders to the crew.

"Grab all the ready-cut timber you can find. If that's not enough, force the locals into the forest to chop more.

And someone find the village chief. If he doesn't want a massacre, he better prepare food and booze for the boys.

Oh, and round up some young ladies. The lads have been sailing for a month. Right now, even a sow would look like a goddess to me."