With that, Kizaru left, as suddenly as he had arrived.
Open the windows for ventilation?
Why did that sound like he was hinting at something?
A night raid?
Following that line of thought, and imagining certain strange scenarios, Xiang En's face grew increasingly pale, and his body began to tremble with fear.
"Close the windows! Make sure the windows are tightly shut!"
Under Kagura's gaze, which looked like she was watching an idiot, Xiang En suddenly shouted excitedly.
The house had two floors, totaling seven bedrooms, one kitchen, two bathrooms (upstairs and downstairs), and one basement storage room. Every bedroom was equipped with a balcony, meaning there were many windows to close.
After the whole operation, even Xiang En's enhanced body was a bit worn out. He sat in the living room, slightly panting.
At this moment, Kagura, who was cleaning the dishes she felt responsible for, emerged triumphantly from the kitchen.
She naturally flopped down on the sofa, letting out a satisfied groan. Then, she pulled a remote control from the coffee table drawer and turned on the world's projection Den Den Mushi television.
The snail, which had been in a state of slumber, instantly woke up, making a "bobo" sound like a dialing phone. Its eyes then widened, projecting two beams of light onto the wall.
The light flickered twice, and an incredibly clear television image slowly appeared on the wall.
Hearing the sound, Xiang En also curiously sat down to watch with Kagura.
Television in this world seemed to be a recent development. There weren't the diverse entertainment programs found on Earth, only current affairs reporting, much like reading a newspaper, where a reporter simply read a block of text.
The biggest news recently was, of course, the pirate attack on the Celestial Dragon at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Three large headshots of pirate leaders appeared prominently in the center of the projection: "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy, "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, and Eustass "Captain" Kid.
Under the reporter's tone of indignation, these three were branded as the masterminds behind the Sabaody Archipelago incident, and all losses caused by the attack on the Celestial Dragon and the subsequent clash with the Marines were placed squarely on their heads.
Seeing this, Kagura angrily turned off the television.
"Why did you turn it off? We just started watching!" Xiang En asked in surprise.
"It's boring! The TV in this world is so boring, only showing these fake news reports!" Kagura said indignantly.
She didn't know the other two main characters in the report, but she had spent time with Luffy. She knew he was just a simpleton who could eat a lot, just like her. How could he possibly be as heinous as the report described?
"There definitely is a lot of fake content," Xiang En nodded, then said with a hint of sympathy:
"Actually, the only real culprit was Luffy. The other two were just unlucky guys who got dragged into it."
...
Time passed slowly. The sun began to set, and the sky was shrouded in approaching darkness.
Xiang En and Kagura didn't just lie around all afternoon. First, they gave the new house a thorough cleaning. Then, they went out to purchase clothing and other daily necessities, returning home before dark.
Xiang En bought multiple copies of items like toothbrushes, towels, shampoo, and body wash, preparing in advance for the new partners who would soon arrive.
Nighttime.
Xiang En prepared another feast, a dazzling spread of food, and an extra bottle of liquor appeared on the table.
That was a gift Old Niel had specially brought over during his visit in the afternoon, saying it was a housewarming gift from the shipyard manager.
Looking at the eager Kagura, whose mouth was watering, Xiang En poured himself a glass of wine and said:
"Let's eat!"
Kagura cheered excitedly and was just raising her chopsticks.
Suddenly.
CRASH!
The sound of shattering glass erupted nearby. The two people at the dinner table instinctively looked in the direction of the noise.
They saw a horizontal figure shoot in through the window, landing on the floor and sliding smoothly across it, finally coming to rest right in front of them at the edge of the dining table.
Xiang En and Kagura stared dumbfounded, both rubbing their eyes, wondering if they were dreaming.
It took a while for the two to collect themselves and focus their attention on the "guest."
This was a person lying on a stretcher, unconscious. It appeared he had been thrown into their new home along with the stretcher.
What a miserable person.
This was the thought that simultaneously popped into both their minds after clearly seeing the state of the person on the stretcher.
The man was tall, over two meters in height. A large "X" was printed on the exposed chest beneath his coat. He wore a crescent-shaped hat on his head and a mysterious eye patch.
The reason Xiang En and Kagura thought he was miserable was that his upper body, including half his face, was heavily wrapped in bandages, clearly indicating serious injuries sustained recently.
"Fallen" X Drake!
Xiang En recognized the identity of this "guest" after just a few glances. They had met briefly yesterday. He also finally understood the meaning of Kizaru's parting words from the afternoon: "Remember to open the windows tonight."
Good grief, so if I don't open the window, you'll just smash it, is that it?
Even if you don't care about my window, you shouldn't smash it with a patient's head!
Is this how you Marines treat your undercover agents!
Xiang En curled his lip, silently cursing Kizaru for being unethical.
But inwardly, he was secretly happy, looking at Drake on the stretcher with delighted surprise.
Drake, one of the Eleven Supernovas, user of the Animal-type Devil Fruit, Ryu Ryu no Mi, Ancient Zoan, Allosaurus Model.
Xiang En's eyes gleamed as he mentally chanted the activation of his Golden Finger.
[Time until next summon: 2 days (Summoning Cost: 30,000,000 Beli)]
[Summoning Medium: A bomb sufficient to kill a normal Sea King, a scale from a Dragon species]
Xiang En was ecstatic. The first time he saw the summoning medium requirements, he had immediately thought of this early-stage Devil Fruit user who was the only one related to dragons.
He hadn't attempted to actively search for him due to his own lack of strength, but he never expected Kizaru to deliver him right to his doorstep.
This truly came without any effort!
He planned to ask Drake for a scale once he recovered. Given Drake's character, which was generally portrayed as being high in righteousness, he would likely be happy to agree to such a small request from his benefactor.
Coupled with the information about a bomb capable of killing a Sea King that he had asked Old Niel to inquire about earlier today, it looked like he might gather both summoning mediums by tomorrow.
If so, wouldn't he be able to selectively summon a new partner?
"Hey! How long are you going to stare at that muscular man!"
"You never give me that greedy, lustful look! Is it because I'm wearing too many clothes?"
Seeing Xiang En giggling foolishly, Kagura couldn't sit still. She put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and spoke.
As she spoke, she put her hand on the button of her qipao over her chest, seemingly preparing to show Xiang En something "good."
But you don't have anything there...
"Stop!"
Xiang En's body trembled, startled by her action.
"Hmph." Seeing his anxious expression, Kagura let out a proud sniff, a look of triumph on her face, and even puffed out her chest at him.
You awful little brat.
If only I weren't afraid of that mysterious censorship force, you'd know what it's like to be...
Xiang En's face darkened. He could no longer restrain his sinful hand. He raised his right hand high, held two fingers together, and brought it down heavily onto her smooth forehead!
A crisp forehead flick.
"Ouch!" Kagura clutched her small head, stamping her feet in pain.
Seeing her reaction, Xiang En nodded in satisfaction:
"Stop yelling here. Come and help me. We need to move our new roommate onto the bed, and then we can get back to eating!"