Night fell, and the sea calmed down again.
The supply ship Smoker brought was not as large as a Headquarters battleship, but right now, its deck was full of noise and laughter.
Bonfires burned inside iron barrels, driving away the cold sea air. Crates of rum were opened. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the smell of roasted meat and spread across the deck.
For the recruits who had just survived a deadly crisis, this was not just a meal. It was a feast to celebrate that they were still alive.
Aiden stood on a high spot, holding a large wooden mug.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat. The noisy deck quickly went quiet. Everyone looked at the young Rear Admiral.
"I won't waste words."
Aiden raised his mug. He looked over every tired but relieved face and smiled.
"To those of us still alive!"
"Cheers!!!"
Cheers broke out across the deck.
Everyone tilted their heads back and drank the strong rum. The burn went down their throats and into their stomachs, helping them relax after the fear and cold of the storm.
As the mugs were lowered, the party officially began.
"Eat! Eat the meat!"
Only then did Aiden, who had been keeping up his image, let out a long breath.
He threw his empty mug aside and stopped holding back.
"Finally... I can eat."
At first, Aiden ate with proper manners.
He slowly picked up his knife and fork. His posture was perfect, almost like a noble at a formal dinner. This was thanks to the [Top] noble etiquette he had gained from the "Diamond Duke" Victor.
However, after he swallowed his first bite, Aiden's speed began to increase.
He was not actually that hungry. The previous battle had not drained him much at his current level. But he knew the real problem would come later.
To handle the heavy drain of absorbing the [Peak] physique, he had to use Life Return to store energy in advance.
Later, to store as much energy as possible, his movements grew faster and faster.
The sound of his knife and fork hitting the plate went from a clean ring to a rapid clatter, until it became almost one continuous noise.
"Too slow..."
Aiden frowned and simply threw away his knife and fork.
To hell with noble etiquette!
He reached out, grabbed a whole steak left on the plate, and swallowed it in two bites. Then came the second, the third...
Clatter!
That was the thirtieth empty plate thrown aside.
Aiden had completely lost his gentlemanly manners. He was holding a bone-in roast half the size of a person, eating at a speed that made everyone stare.
His mouth was stuffed with meat. Whole slabs of black pork, barrels of thick soup, and baskets of bread vanished one after another.
"Hey... Aiden..."
Sitting across from him, Smoker stared at him and forgot to smoke his cigar.
"What's wrong with you? Did that fight take that much out of you?"
Hina, who was cutting a small piece of steak nearby, watched Aiden wolfing down his food. She frowned in disgust and shifted her chair away.
"You have no manners at all. Sitting next to you makes Hina lose her appetite."
"Mmph... shut up..."
Aiden swallowed a huge chunk of meat, grabbed a nearby barrel of beer, and chugged half of it. He let out a long breath and wiped the grease from his mouth.
"You guys don't get it... this is... a strategic reserve."
"More! Where's the meat? Are we out of meat?!"
Aiden shouted, slamming his hand on the table.
"Coming, coming, Base Commander! Here is some freshly roasted black pork tenderloin!"
Several sweating cooks ran over carrying a large tray. They stared at Aiden. They had never seen anyone eat like that.
Just then, Zephyr walked over slowly, holding a glass of alcohol.
The old man looked much better than before. He seemed less tired now.
"Instructor Zephyr."
Smoker and Hina quickly stood up.
"Sit down. Don't be formal."
Zephyr waved his hand. His gaze fell on Aiden, who was still stuffing meat into his mouth, and he sighed.
"It's good to be young. You have a great appetite."
He turned around and looked at his students sitting together around the deck. His gaze grew heavier.
"Aiden."
Zephyr suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?" Aiden looked up with a bone in his mouth. Seeing it was Zephyr, he politely put the bone down.
"I still don't agree with some of your methods. That kind of results-driven killing... sometimes makes me think you're colder than a pirate."
Zephyr took a sip of his drink. He sounded relieved, but still tired.
"But I have to admit... on this sea, sometimes your way really does work better."
"If I had been like you back then, maybe..."
Zephyr shook his head and didn't finish his sentence. He just raised his glass to Aiden.
"Thank you for this time."
"Ahem... you're too polite, Instructor."
Aiden mumbled a reply. He didn't feel much emotion about it. He had saved Zephyr simply because he liked the old man. Although he thought Zephyr's no-kill rule was stupid, he truly admired how stubborn the old man was, even after everything he had lost.
Half an hour later.
Only when Life Return told him his body could not store any more energy did Aiden finally put down the completely clean leg bone in his hand.
"Phew... that's about enough."
He wiped his mouth and stood up.
Despite swallowing enough food for dozens of people, his stomach remained completely flat under the control of Life Return. The food did not pile up in his stomach. It was quickly broken down and turned into life energy, resting in every part of his body.
"I can't do anymore. I ate too fast. I'm stuffed."
Aiden rubbed his belly, pretending to be tired. He yawned, showing just enough sleepiness from overeating.
"You guys keep drinking. Don't stop until you're drunk tonight. I need to go lie down for a bit. Eating too much makes me sleepy."
"Hah? You're done already?" Smoker said with a cigar in his mouth, looking at him with disdain. "It feels like you barely drank tonight."
"Shut up. I'm leaving this to you."
Aiden replied casually. He waved his hand to refuse any more drinks. Amid the friendly laughter around him, he left the noisy deck with quick steps, heading deep into the cabin toward his private quarters.
...
Click.
He locked the door and closed the curtains.
The small cabin went quiet. The only sound was the faint noise of waves hitting the ship.
Aiden sat cross-legged on the bed, took a deep breath, and adjusted his breathing.
"System."
He called out in his mind.
A bright blue system panel appeared across his vision.
Aiden skipped over the messy numbers and went straight to the physique improvement he had decided on long ago.
[Physique Improvement]
Description: Gain Edward Weevil's [Peak] physique. Though Weevil is not smart, his body inherited the strength and toughness of the "Strongest Man in the World" in his youth.
"Phew..."
Even though he was mentally prepared, seeing this description still made his heart beat a little faster.
For a long time, his swordsmanship and Armament Haki had been among the strongest on the sea. His Observation Haki had reached the [Transcendent] level, and even his Rumble-Rumble Fruit had awakened.
However, his physique had always been the only weakness on his panel.
Now, that final weakness was about to be fixed.
Aiden clenched his fists and smiled.
From now on, he would have a body that matched the rest of his power.
Even if Rocks came back to life, he would not be afraid to face him head-on.
Aiden didn't hesitate anymore. With a thought, he acted.
Boom!
The energy this time was far beyond all his previous physique upgrades.
The moment he confirmed it, dark-red energy rushed through his body.
"Ugh!!"
Aiden groaned. His muscles tensed at once, and the veins on his arms rose.
Pain.
A deep pain ran through his bones.
It felt as if his bones were being broken down and rebuilt from the inside. His muscles tore, repaired, and then grew tougher than before.
Sizzle...
His whole body burned as it absorbed the new power.
The life energy Aiden had stored up by overeating at the party immediately came into use.
That energy rushed through his body, repairing the damage, strengthening him, and then repairing him again.
Time passed.
Aiden's skin started to turn red. White steam rose from his body, and even the surrounding air wavered from the heat.
He didn't know how long had passed.
When the last bit of red energy was absorbed, the pain slowly faded.
It was replaced by a new sense of strength.
Aiden slowly opened his eyes.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist.
Crack.
The air popped around his fist.
He did not look like a heavily muscled monster on the outside, but Aiden could clearly feel the power inside his body.
His skin had become much tougher. His bones felt stronger and heavier.
Right now, even without using Armament Haki, taking a normal sword slash with his bare body would probably only leave a white mark.
"Is this... the Peak physique?"
With a thought, Aiden called up his status panel to check his current strength.
Name: Aiden
Age: 19
Rank: Rear Admiral
[Physique Level]: SSS
[Devil Fruit]: Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Awakened)
[Talents]: Voice of All Things, Life Return, Vortex Perception
[Skills]: Swordsmanship (SSS), Marksmanship (S), Combat Techniques (S)... Ancient Text Proficiency
[Haki]: Observation Haki (Transcendent), Armament Haki (SSS)
[Sin Points]: 657,210
[Equipment]: Great Grade Sword x2, Fine Firearm x1, Storage Ring, Small Glass Vial, Arise's Glasses
"My physique has finally reached Peak too."
Aiden couldn't help feeling hopeful.
"I wonder if this physique breakthrough will unlock the exchange options beyond [Peak] like I guessed?"
Full of curiosity, he opened the [Exchange Shop] tab.
Sure enough.
With his physique breaking through to the [SSS] level, the three gray question mark icons had changed.
Beyond the previously maxed out [SSS] level, a completely new option appeared.
It was no longer "???", but clearly showed the next level.
[Peak Armament Haki → Transcendent Armament Haki]: Price 10,000,000 Sin Points, and absorb insights from users at the same level or higher × 3 times
Likewise, a [Transcendent Swordsmanship] option appeared next to [SSS Swordsmanship], with the exact same unlock conditions.
"Just as I thought..."
"So the end point for Armament Haki and swordsmanship is this level too."
Aiden looked down at the shocking exchange condition.
"Ten million points..."
Aiden's mouth twitched.
This was an enormous number. He had worked so hard to save up for so long, killing so many pirates and even taking down Golden Lion and Edward Weevil, yet his current balance was only a little over six hundred thousand.
And the worst part was the word "and."
"Ten million points, plus three same-level insight absorptions..."
Aiden couldn't help complaining.
"Isn't this system way too greedy? It wants my money and my life!"
Trying to save that many points just by catching pirates on the sea would take far too long.
Aiden stroked his chin, and a dangerous thought appeared in his mind.
"Maybe... the only ones on the sea who could satisfy this appetite in one go are those Celestial Dragons living on top of the Red Line."
The moment this crazy thought appeared, Aiden himself laughed.
In the past, this would have just been a thought. But now...
Feeling the power in his body and looking at his almost perfect panel, with nearly no weak points left...
With Aiden's current strength, even if he went up to the Holy Land Mary Geoise right now and caused trouble, there probably wouldn't be many people who could stop him.
"Still... I'm not in that much of a rush."
Aiden quickly calmed down. After all, the "and" in the upgrade condition was the key. Ten million points alone wasn't enough. He also needed three same-level insight absorptions. That was the hardest part to deal with.
"Thinking about it, the reward for that Tree of Knowledge mission back then was ridiculously generous."
Aiden looked at the glowing gold [Transcendent] Observation Haki on his panel and felt relieved.
If that side mission hadn't let him reach it in one step, the upgrade requirement for Observation Haki alone would have probably left him stuck halfway for a long time.
"So, the system is forcing me to fight the real monsters at the top of the sea."
Aiden closed the panel and stood up from the bed. He walked to the porthole and looked out at the horizon, which was slowly turning pale with dawn.
"If I want to break past that limit, I have to defeat people at that level."
Aiden clenched his fist, his knuckles popping. He smiled.
"Interesting."
Outside the window, the sky had completely brightened.
Sunlight passed through the thin mist and fell on the sea.
Aiden casually pushed the porthole open.
The salty sea breeze rushed in, blowing away the heat in the cabin caused by his power surge.
He looked at the deck in the distance, which was already getting busy. The faint red spark in his eyes slowly vanished.
Now that the price was set, the rest was very simple.
To Be Continued
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