""Phew—that hits the spot—"
Yun Lie leaned back in his chair, drawing out the last syllable, his Adam's apple bobbing with a satisfied sigh.
The dining table, once piled high with roasted meat, bread, and seafood, now held only scattered crumbs; even the large soup bowls had been scraped clean.
He rubbed his flat stomach; if not for a few grains of rice still clinging to the corner of his mouth, no one would have guessed he had just consumed ten times the normal amount of food.
In his previous life, such a massive intake of food would have been unimaginable; even ten acclaimed competitive eaters combined probably couldn't match him at this moment.
"Freak! You're a total freak!"
Nami, having finished her own meal, watched Yun Lie's physique remain unchanged before and after eating, and couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts.
Yun Lie chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment!" His face showed not the slightest bit of offense, but rather a touch of pride.
Nami didn't reply, silently stood up, and began to clear the dishes from the table.
As the saying goes, 'he who eats another's food is beholden to him, he who takes another's hand is indebted to him.' Since Nojiko's body hadn't 'fully recovered,' the task of clearing the table naturally fell to her.
......
Two and a half months flew by in a flash.
"Swish!"
A silver-white, crescent-shaped attack sliced through the air; a small hill in the distance was instantly cut cleanly in half.
Immediately following, several more sharp attacks were unleashed consecutively, neatly dissecting the original hill into countless small pieces, with cuts as smooth as if carved by a knife.
"With Devil Fruit abilities fused with swordsmanship, I wonder if I can be considered a Great Swordsman now?"
He murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement and confusion, but before he finished speaking, the iron sword in his hand suddenly emitted a creaking sound, unable to bear the strain.
Fine cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb; in the next second, the entire sword disintegrated into rustling iron filings, dissipating into the sea breeze.
Yun Lie shook his head helplessly—this was already who knew how many iron swords had been scrapped this month.
In truth, he didn't understand orthodox swordsmanship at all. His ability to unleash the flying slashes characteristic of a Great Swordsman relied entirely on imbuing his Devil Fruit ability onto the blade.
This move borrowed the cutting properties of space; not to mention hard rock, even steel could be easily cut by this power.
However, the drawback of this technique was also very obvious: ordinary swords simply couldn't withstand the power of space, and after just a few spatial slashes, the sword would be completely destroyed.
It seemed he needed to find a way to acquire some good swords.
"Yun Lie! Dinner's ready!"
Just then, Nojiko's voice drifted over from a distance. Nojiko and Nami, the two sisters, were slowly approaching, pushing a small cart laden with various delicacies.
As Yun Lie's training intensity continuously increased, his demand for energy also grew immensely; only by consuming enough food could he use his spatial ability more smoothly.
Yun Lie's figure flickered, instantly appearing before the two of them.
He reached out and grabbed a large piece of sizzling roasted meat, devouring it with gusto: "Delicious! Nojiko, your cooking has improved again! This roasted meat is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, the taste is absolutely divine!"
During this time, his three daily meals during training were prepared by the two sisters, Nojiko and Nami. It had to be said, Nojiko's cooking skills were in no way inferior to a professional chef.
"Hey! Did you forget about me?" Nami pouted in dissatisfaction beside him, saying loudly, "I helped make these dishes too!"
Yun Lie showed a comfortable smile, intimately put his arm around Nami's slender waist, and kissed her cheek: "Alright, alright, Nami is super amazing too! Here, a reward!"
"Bastard! Your sweat got all over me!" Nami's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, complaining with her mouth, but her body didn't pull away.
One month ago, on that night, Yun Lie, drunk, mistakenly entered Nami's room, mistaking her for Nojiko.
Perhaps because Yun Lie had saved Coco Village, Nami already had a good impression of him, so she didn't resist.
It wasn't until the next morning, when Yun Lie groggily woke up, recalled the absurd events of the previous night, and saw that splash of crimson on the bedsheet, that all sleepiness vanished.
As he walked out of the room, he happened to run into Nojiko and Nami talking. Nojiko saw him come out of Nami's room and merely looked at him with a knowing smile.
Yun Lie, flustered, wanted to explain, but since the deed was done, any further explanation would be futile. He could only lower his head, awaiting Nojiko's "punishment."
To his surprise, Nojiko wasn't angry at all. It turned out that from the moment Yun Lie entered the wrong room, she had already known.
Not only did she not stop it, but she even took Yun Lie and Nami's hands and spoke of the sisters' past.
Simply put, the two sisters had once promised to always be together, and Nami also yearned to go on adventures at sea with Yun Lie. Coupled with her existing good feelings for Yun Lie, Nojiko decided to let nature take its course.
More importantly, Nojiko knew deep down that her body was weak, and in the future, during their adventures, Nami would need to help her share some of the burden in certain aspects.
Therefore, even though she had the chance to stop it, she chose to tacitly approve.
"Your sweat got on me last night too, and I didn't say anything…" Yun Lie mumbled softly.
"Ah! Go to hell!"
Nami's hearing was excellent; upon hearing this, her pretty face instantly turned red, and she furiously punched Yun Lie, almost knocking over the food on the dining cart.
"Yun Lie, A Jian said the ship is almost built, it'll be finished in half a month at most. When are we setting sail?"
Nojiko's gentle voice sounded, pulling him back to reality. The girl leaned against his shoulder, her hair gently brushing his cheek with the sea breeze, carrying a faint floral scent.
Yun Lie's gaze was firm: "The day the ship is built is the day we set sail!"
Waves crashed against the beach, and the faint sound of hammering drifted from the distant shipyard, as if the sea was calling to them. Their chapter of adventure was about to officially begin.