"Ahem... so, little brother Xiang En, did you manage to rent a suitable house?"
Old Niel, whom the two young people had silenced with dangerous glares for laughing too heartily, cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Of course."
Xiang En pulled out a house rental contract from his pocket.
The rental system in this world was surprisingly complete. Not only were there intermediary agencies, but after selecting a house and confirming the lease, the contract also had to be stamped at the Marine Base, involving a series of complex procedures. This was why Xiang En and Kagura had spent the entire morning dealing with the rental.
"Residential House No. 137 on Island 53. I'm familiar with this area. It's close to the coast, a nice place with a good environment, and it's very close to the shipyard and my house," Old Niel said while looking over the contract.
"In the future, little brother Xiang En can occasionally come to the shipyard to check on your ship's progress, and you can also come over to my place for a drink."
"Hmm? Has my ship already been started?" Xiang En looked up in surprise.
"We're getting a ship!" Kagura also cheered happily.
"Yes. I took a trip to the shipyard this morning while you two were renting. The factory manager was delighted to receive such a large order after the recent turmoil on the Sabaody Archipelago and has already started preparations," Old Niel said with a smiling nod, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Xiang En caught the change in his expression. He patted Old Niel's shoulder and promised with a firm tone:
"Very soon. Once the ship is built, we will go with you to Dressrosa to retrieve your lost wife and daughter."
"This..." Old Niel froze for a moment, then his body trembled, and tears welled up in his old eyes. His voice was filled with gratitude and guilt, "Little brother Xiang En, I truly don't know how to thank you for dragging you into my personal trouble for no reason, I..."
Last night, after learning from Xiang En that his wife and daughter had been turned into toys and were suffering under miserable conditions in Dressrosa, he wanted to abandon everything and rush to the New World to save them himself.
However, having built ships for countless famous pirates, he had seen too many powerful figures. He was helpless against them, let alone against a Warlord of the Sea, who was near the apex of piracy.
In this desperate situation, he had to plead with this young man who had suddenly appeared and immediately discerned who was responsible for his wife and daughter's plight. He knew that anyone with such insight was certainly not ordinary.
What he hadn't expected was that Xiang En would agree instantly, barely taking any time to consider, only telling him they needed to wait a bit until his crew grew in numbers.
"It's not necessary, Old Niel."
Xiang En waved his hand and chuckled softly:
"We're just paying for last night's lodging."
"Right, Kagura?"
Kagura understood. According to the tacit understanding they had developed over the past two days, this was the time for a dramatic reply, either a passionate "That goes without saying!" or a cold, rhetorical sneer, "Hmph, need you even ask?"
Kagura decided on the latter. Just imagining how cool she would look saying it was enough to make her choose it.
Then, under Xiang En's expectant gaze, Kagura gave a cold smile, theatrically opened her small mouth, and as the lines were about to tumble out...
Grrrowl~~~
Her stomach beat her to the punch.
...
The scene froze.
Xiang En's expression was stiff, Kagura was a rare shade of red with shyness, and Old Niel was somewhat confused about what had just happened.
"You... how are you hungry again? We just had breakfast!"
"It's... it's because you dragged me all over the place to get stamps on contracts! The physical exertion was too much, and my stomach couldn't hold out on its own!"
"Sigh, never mind. Let's quickly go check out the new house, and then we'll fill that cursed stomach of yours. Old Niel, do you want to tour our new place?"
"Not for now. There will be plenty of chances later. I plan to take you two near there and then return to the shipyard to ensure your ship is built to the highest standard."
"Haha, thank you for that."
...
...
The new house was a two-story building located on the edge of the coast, right next to the main trunk of Mangrove Tree 53. The shipyard, where Old Niel worked, was about a hundred meters away on the other side.
Walking up to the house, Xiang En and Kagura exchanged a look, both seeing satisfaction in the other's eyes. It was finally a worthy result for their entire morning's effort.
Stepping inside, Xiang En saw that everything was fully equipped, including electric lights, a refrigerator, a sofa, and a Den Den Mushi projection television. For a moment, he thought he had traveled back to his original world.
"The technological development of this world is truly frighteningly deformed."
Xiang En was lost in thought until the familiar grumble from a hungry stomach reached his ears, jolting him back. He quickly headed to the kitchen to prepare food for Kagura.
Walking into the kitchen, he intended to show off his cooking skills but found that, apart from a dazzling array of cookware, there were no ingredients whatsoever. He then remembered that the house had no food.
Helpless, he had to go out again.
When he walked back to the living room to ask Kagura to join him to buy supplies, he saw the little girl already asleep on the sofa, constantly mumbling in her sleep, things like "Xia-chan, hungry" and "Meat."
Xiang En looked at her, exasperated. After covering her with a light blanket, he left the house alone.
...
...
A few dozen minutes later.
"Yo, little brother Xiang En, you bought so much stuff! What are you planning to eat tonight?"
After buying several tons of groceries at the nearest market, Xiang En used the unique bubble tool of the Sabaody Archipelago to tether them behind him like balloons, walking home with a satisfied stride.
However, just as he was about to reach his doorstep, he was intercepted by the person he currently least wanted to see on this island.
The man was nearly three meters tall, almost half a head taller than the barely 1.8-meter-tall Xiang En. He was wearing orange sunglasses and looking at Xiang En with a deep, knowing smile.
His distinctive features were so obvious that even the surrounding pedestrians recognized his identity, gasped in awe, and fearfully walked around them.
How could it be... him?
Xiang En's pupils constricted, his breath hitched, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
What do I do! Kagura isn't with me. With my current strength, I'm probably like an ant in front of this guy, completely defenseless.
"Why aren't you speaking, little brother Xiang En? You look very nervous, don't you?" The man scratched his ear, sounding curious about Xiang En's silence.
"No..." Xiang En subconsciously shook his head, then suddenly realized a key blind spot and asked, startled:
"Wait, how do you know my name, and how did you find me here, Kizaru... sir?"