At The Peak of One Piece

Victor thought it over and understood: any creature lacking strength or speed wouldn't last long on this island. "Lucky you," he muttered at the retreating dinosaur. "I'm starving today, no energy left. We'll settle this later."

Victor lay on the ground, glaring in the direction the dinosaur vanished while cursing under his breath.

He wasn't injured, just frustrated. Years of training had forged his body into something incredibly tough – he could smash rocks bare-handed! This time, he'd simply been careless. Who'd expect a grass-eater to have such strong defense? He thought he'd slice it clean in two; instead, his sword nearly broke.

After lying there awhile to cool off, Victor stood up and headed in a different direction. Following the dinosaur's escape path was pointless now; it had probably scared off every animal nearby.

Unfamiliar with the area, Victor didn't dare push his speed. After half an hour, he finally spotted signs of life. The noise from his earlier fight must have carried far, as animals only began appearing here.

Victor hadn't walked much further when he found his target. Not large, barely over a meter tall, but sleek and long-limbed. It resembled a horse, covered in dappled patterns. This horse was incredibly alert, sensing danger instantly and bolting away faster than the triceratops. But Victor wasn't letting it escape.

Victor's speed broke the sound barrier. He closed the distance instantly. One swift, diagonal slash opened a deep gash across the wild horse's neck. Blood poured out freely. Despite the clearly mortal wound, the horse didn't stop. It kept running, its pace steadily slowing until it finally collapsed, lifeless.

'This wild horse was faster than that dinosaur, but its defense was weaker. Still, its vitality was incredible – losing that much blood and running so far? Nothing on this island is ordinary,' Victor thought.

Victor quickly hoisted the wild horse onto his shoulders and sped off at full tilt. Though not tall, the horse was long, and its muscles were extremely dense. It weighed nearly a ton, yet Victor carried it effortlessly as he sprinted back the way he came. He feared lingering would let the blood attract stronger predators.

Victor moved fast. At full speed, he reached the cabin in under ten minutes. Without pause, he leaped off the cliff using Geppo, landing deftly on the rocks below. There, he efficiently butchered the horse. Task done, he kicked off the air again with Geppo, soaring back up the cliff.

Dinner plans formed: part braised, part grilled, and a meat stew. He built a fire outside the cabin, hung the remaining horse meat near it, then went inside to braise the meat and simmer the stew.

Moonlight shone by the time everything was ready. He brought out a large wooden platter heaped with braised meat and the entire pot of stew. It looked like a feast. Victor took a sip of the broth – delicious – then dug in ravenously.

After eating, he felt his stamina recover rapidly, his strength noticeably increased. He guessed the 'life essence' within this island's animals was extremely potent. 'This place is a treasure trove. I should hunt here more often. When I leave, I'll bring some dried meat back for Rebecca and Kuina.'

Full and satisfied, Victor saved some for breakfast and finished the rest. The horse meat left his body feeling hot and buzzing with power.

'If I could stay here longer, my body would grow much stronger...' Victor mused, lying on the ground to rest. 'But I can't neglect my swordsmanship training. I'll come back when I can.' Staring at the moon, Victor's thoughts drifted far away. 'I wonder if Rebecca's swordsmanship has improved? Is Grandma Maria feeling better? I need to master the next stages of the sword path quickly, then go back and see them.' He felt a pang of homesickness.