—The cabin, nestled in the hillside forest of Shimotsuki Village, was rather unassuming, comprising only a kitchen and a sleeping area. The yard and the few pottery pieces placed around also seemed somewhat overgrown.
Inside the kitchen, fire blazes within a large wood stove as three large fish are being grilled on it.
Close to it, Sear and Jacob are simply sitting cross-legged on the floor.
During this leisurely moment, Sear finds the time to complain to his father:
"Dad, how long will you stay home? I am sick of staying at the dojo. it's so boring there, they don't even teach me any swordsmanship."
Jacob is a marine, albeit just an unremarkable lieutenant from East Blue; the weakest of the seas. He is a dedicated man, ready at any moment to save lives and uphold justice.
"I will be staying for a week, then I need to return to my duty. The dojo is a nice place! They will train you to wield a sword when you turn six, so don't be in such a hurry."
"Hmmm!!" Sear isn't quite satisfied with the reply, his eyes hide inexplicable worries.
Really, to him swordsmanship training isn't such a big deal. Deep down, it is his father's well-being that he is actually concerned about. He wants nothing more than Jacob to stay home as long as possible.
Although the Great Pirate Era has not yet started, a marine's job, even in East Blue — the calmest of the seas — is still a life teetering along thin ropes.
Inwardly, the boy is baffled.. He thinks, 'why should you risk it for those people who won't appreciate you?.. why try to be an unsung hero?..'
He doesn't want to lose Jacob, too.
His mother had died in childbirth, but rather than resent Sear for this, the man had instead cherished the so-called jinx that took his beloved's life. Knowing this fact fills Sear's heart with respect. Though he keeps this admiration to himself and doesn't normally express it...
Yet, a myriad of emotions can be conveyed without needing to utter a single word.
Jacob, aware of his son's shy nature, looks at his face and smiles. He understands the gist of what is going on inside that tiny head.
"Listen, son!! I chose this line of work fully knowing the possible risks I would be taking. Therefore someday, even if I am not with you anymore, don't be sad."
Sear is taken aback, not having expected his father to see through him.
Jacob observes the boy's fluster and continues: "Don't be angry if I die and don't seek revenge... this is my destiny, I chose this path. A man needs to be confident in his decisions. Now I can't possibly regret it..." He states his mind rather unassumingly, yet the words strike a chord in the boy.
Speechless, Sear keeps his gaze fixed on his father. His beating heart picks up pace. In his head, he processes the path he had chosen in his past life: 'aren't you denying my struggle by saying those words?' he questions inwardly...
Still, although stunned and at a loss for a few seconds, Sear nonetheless responds with annoyance: "Humph! You make it sound as if you are some great marine hero, when in reality you are just a small fry."
"Y-You!" Jacob's brows furrow at the remark.
Bang! A punch lands on the poor boy's head. "Oouch!!" he cries out in pain.
"Is that how you talk to your dad? Learn some manners!"
Safe to say, thereafter inside the cabin, Sear is squealing in pain while Jacob, as if nothing had happened, continues grilling the fish.
After breakfast, Sear requests his father to do some sparring. Even if Jacob is only a lieutenant in the marines, he has the strength of an average East Blue captain, notably at the same level as Captain Morgan.
A minute or two later—
"Come, give me your best punch," Jacob challenges with a grin while standing a few steps down a small slope.
Sear nods before jumping, closing the distance between the two.
Being on the higher ground, Sear, despite his small stature, is able to land a proper punch on the much bigger man's abdomen.
Alas, the punch has no effect on the robust opponent.
The sloppy terrain of the hill is rather difficult to land on after the jump, so Sear lands on all fours.
"Just this much won't do," Jacob taunts.
Not immediately responding to the taunt, Sear backs off a few steps and prepares to throw a kick. "How about this!" After a step, he throws a kick at Jacob's thigh.
Again, as his legs land, he knows he hasn't done any damage. Just then, smirking, Jacob sweeps his leg, tripping the poor boy, who falls on his butt.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Angered by the laughter, Sear promptly gets up, and in revenge, throws an uppercut at his father's family jewels.
Punch!
Block! "Nearly had me there. That's not fair, ya brat!"
"Heh! Everything is fair. You think those pirates will stop if it's unfair?"
Sear's teasing doesn't bode well with Jacob.
"Cheeky, are we? But I am the adult here. You are twenty years too young to teach me." After saying that, he punches his son on the head with little strength — though a little for him may not have been the same for a kid.
Taking Sear's age into consideration, this is just a light spar. The boy throws his limbs while his father takes those attacks, occasionally countering here and there.
. . .
After the spar, Jacob alone goes to greet Dojo Master Koushirou, while Sear continues training nearby, running up and down a bigger slope, trying hard to increase his stamina and endurance. He hops on his toes like a chicken and does a few flips too.
"I have been doing the same exercise for the last two years while only increasing the repetitions. Maybe it is about time I add new things..." he wonders while running up the slope.
After repeating the slope climbing twenty times, thud! his knees collapse onto the grass, where for a time he rests to regain his strength.
"There are no schools in this world... well, at least there's none in this village. Hopefully that remains the case. From what I can recall, I don't have any good impressions of it."
"Now let's begin the run!" he declares, deciding to run around the village in a circular path.
Half an hour later, Sear can be seen running around the outskirts of the village, huffing and puffing...
"It will take me another half an hour to finish running with these baby legs of mine. Well, I guess this is about what you would expect from a child my age... How old am I again? Was it roughly five years old!!?..?"
Finally, after around half an hour of running, he reaches the opposite side of the village.
Deciding to catch his breath, he sits on the lush green grass for a while and afterward takes a nap while basking under the sun. A large leaf, swaying with the occasional cool breeze, covers his delicate eyes from the brightness...
Eventually...
Yawning, Sear wakes up, rubbing his eyes while looking at the ever-scorching sun right above him. "This!.. Is it noon already!?... Well, I better get going!"
Following a dirt path along the newly planted rice fields, he arrives at the village and goes straight to the sole general shop in the village.
"A newspaper, please!" his childish voice calls out to the shopkeeper.
The old shopkeeper briefly casts a glance, but upon seeing no one in front of the counter, resumes reading the magazine in his hands, believing his ears to have been mistaken.
"I am here."
"Huh?" A little confused, the old man looks down. "Oh! So it was you, Sear boy.. What brings you here?" In such a relatively small village, everybody knows each other.
"I said I want a newspaper." Sear calmly reiterates.
"Here you go..." The shopkeeper gives him the last newspaper available in the shop.
"Thanks!" He takes it.
"So I heard your father came back?" the shopkeeper asks.
"Yes! He came back last night."
News spread fast in tight-knit community.
"Finally he returned! That man is really an irresponsible father, leaving his child alone. Tsk! Tsk!"
the old man strokes his beard like an old sage.
While the shopkeeper is deciding on how he should reprimand Jacob, Sear has already left the shop.
Unfolding the newspaper while slowly walking toward the dojo, he greets the villagers along the way. Everyone here, including the shopkeeper, wears Japanese-style clothing.
And thereafter, without further ado, Sear lays his eyes on the newspaper: "Last time when I checked the news, it talked about Kozuki Oden and his exploits with the Roger Pirates. lets see..."
[The legendary Treasure One Piece is found]
Already, his pupils gleam at the headline. Interested, He quickly shifts his gaze to the article below.
[The Pirate King Gold Roger and his crew, the Roger Pirates, have found the elusive treasure that has been shough by men for centuries.
This deed has earned him the accolade of the greatest pirate to ever live. His crew has become a living legend, Alongside him, The man who has achieved wealth fame and power, the Pirate King; Gold Roger.... .... .... ..... ..... ... .... .... ..... .... ...
But worry not, his misdeeds have not gone unnoticed by the government. The marines and the entire World Government have been restless, searching for their whereabouts. Even the hero Garp has personally joined the search.
Anyone who can bring Gold Roger's head will get the reward of more than five billion berries.]