One Piece :
After the doctor left, Akira flipped off the hospital bed and sat up.
Looking at the white bandages on both arms, he smiled wryly.
He wasn't sure what the doctor had applied beneath the bandages, but it itched.
Reflecting on the battle, Akira grew more cautious. He realized he needed to improve his stamina—he could barely sustain Moonwalk for long periods. His close-combat abilities also needed urgent attention.
Against powerful pirates, he was still far too weak.
Hearing the deafening snoring of the others in the infirmary, he became increasingly annoyed and decided to take a walk.
Under cover of night, he made his way to the deck—and there, he saw someone unexpected.
Zephyr no longer carried the fierce aura he'd worn during battle. He looked older now, almost fragile, leaning on the railing and staring silently at the moon.
At that moment… he looked like a man worn down by time.
Akira intentionally made a bit of noise. Zephyr turned, hiding the sorrow in his eyes. "Oh, Akira."
"Teacher Zephyr, why are you still up at this hour?"
"Old people sleep less. I just came out to look at the night sky."
After that, silence stretched between them.
A while later, Zephyr reached into his pocket and handed Akira a keycard. "Can't sleep in the infirmary, right? I was the same when I was your age. Go rest properly in this room."
Akira took the card, opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and simply nodded before leaving.
Following the number on the card, he found the room. Just as he inserted the key, the door next to him creaked open.
Tina poked her head out, saw it was Akira, gave a small nod, and pulled back inside.
"She's still up this late…"
Akira pushed open the door—it was a simple room: one bed, one table, one chair.
He lay on the soft mattress, exhaled deeply, and closed his eyes to mentally replay the battle—dissecting every detail.
Making mistakes wasn't terrible—but making the same mistake twice was just stupidity.
Knock, knock-knock.
Just as Akira was drifting off, a knock came at the door, followed by Tina's gentle voice: "Are you asleep? If not, can you open the door?"
"Tina? What's she doing here in the middle of the night?"
Half-asleep, Akira opened the door to find Tina holding a tray of food.
She lifted it slightly and smiled. "Your arms hurt, right? I noticed you didn't eat tonight—you must be starving."
Grrr~
Akira's stomach growled in response.
It had been nine hours since his last meal, and in between, he'd fought for his life.
No need to be polite now. "Now that you mention it—I am starving. Thanks."
He stepped aside so she could set the tray on the table.
Seeing Tina still standing there afterward, Akira blinked. "Why aren't you leaving?"
"I… I'll wait until you're done eating." Tina said softly, standing beside the table with her curvy figure.
"Alright, whatever."
She'd brought the food—it wasn't much to let her stay while he ate.
They say beauty enhances appetite—and sure enough, his hunger returned stronger than ever.
The meal was basic but abundant: seven large white buns and a steaming bowl of mixed vegetable soup.
In this world, people ate a lot. Strong individuals often consumed hundreds of times their body weight in food.
Akira picked up a bun. It was large, soft, and delicious.
Though the center was a bit cold—it hadn't heated all the way through.
But to a starving man, everything tasted like a royal feast.
Tina watched with a smile tugging at her lips.
"Ugh…" Akira suddenly widened his eyes, coughing violently and pounding his chest.
"Drink the soup!"
He was choking badly and didn't notice the subtle anticipation in Tina's tone. He grabbed the bowl and gulped down several mouthfuls.
"Ahhh—finally alive again."
He exhaled deeply, then frowned and smacked his lips. Suspicious, he took another sip.
"I bet the chef who made this soup is related to Rear Admiral Mole."
"Why? Because it's too good?" Tina asked with a grin.
"No—because it tastes awful, and the cook still hasn't been fired. Gotta be a family connection."
Tina's smile froze.
"Uh-oh… killing intent."
Akira jumped up and scanned the room, finally locking eyes on Tina.
"You… made the soup?" he asked. Tina nodded.
"First time cooking?" he asked again. Another nod.
Akira understood immediately. He sat back down and, without hesitation, gulped the soup down in one go.
Tina giggled, crouched down to gather the dishes, and said softly, "You didn't have to force it down just because it tasted bad."
But her lifted lips betrayed her mood—she was clearly happy.
Tina's figure was already exceptional. Now, bent over tidying up, her chest looked even more… impressive.
Akira, who'd been full moments ago, suddenly felt hungry again.
"Women… truly wonderful creatures," he mused, staring at the ungraspable beauty before him.
"Alright, get some rest. I'm heading back." Tina said, carrying the tray out with a light step.
Up on the warship's lookout, the guards stayed vigilant through the night. Meanwhile, Akira drifted into sleep.
The return trip was far more relaxed than their rushed deployment. By sunrise the next day, they were back at Navy HQ.
When Akira awoke, he was pleasantly surprised—his arms no longer hurt. After removing the bandages, he found his wounds fully healed, not even a scar left behind.
"Perfect. Looks like my body's fully adjusted to this world."
In the world of pirates, superhuman appetites were matched by superhuman healing.
As long as you weren't missing limbs, most injuries healed quickly with enough food.
Some even joked that certain people could regrow teeth in five seconds just by drinking milk.
After stretching his arms a bit, Akira disembarked with the others.
The moment his feet touched land, the system chimed in.
[Congratulations, Host. Mission completed. System Store now unlocked—please explore freely.]
[As a welcome gift, the system grants you 1,000 points.]
Akira paused slightly, eyes narrowing. "System, how do I earn more points?"
[Points are earned by killing evildoers. The greater their sin value, the more points earned.]
[Example: killing someone who has taken one life will grant 1 point. Enemies with sin values below 1 will not yield any points.]
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