After washing up, Arion goes to pick up the clothes drying on the balcony.
These were washed for them by Assistant last night when Arion and 2B were discussing the meaning of life.
Like a nanny, Assistant cleaned their clothes and hung them on the balcony to dry.
After a night's sea breeze, they're completely dry now.
They'll need to buy some new clothes for the two of them; wearing the same set all the time isn't ideal.
It's just that today's bounty is uncertain—the ship has been sent, and they've been freeloading and mooching, so asking villagers for clothes again would be awkward.
Others need income, need to live too.
They tidy up and head to the tavern for breakfast.
Last night's battle went late into the night, and with two more rounds just now, Arion is ravenous from the exertion.
But it's not just for immediate pleasure; there's something to gain.
While possessing 2B, he also completed the system's hidden mission, "The humble door is now opened for you," earning a point of proficiency.
From last night's and the just-now proof, his stamina and recovery are fully sufficient, so he doesn't hesitate to allocate the new proficiency points again to martial arts.
As is well known, when leveling up, it's better to specialize than to spread evenly, to maximize effectiveness.
Unlike the first point allocation, this time Arion feels an inner, all-encompassing sense of power, as if his bones, muscles, and skin are being reinforced, and he feels a surge of strength throughout.
It gives him a urge to break something.
2B, wearing a blindfold, instinctively looks at Arion, feeling that something changed in him, though she can't quite put a finger on it.
A hallucination?
They arrive at the tavern, which also serves breakfast.
They greet the owner and order two breakfasts.
It's a European-style breakfast that fits the fishing village: milk, eggs, lettuce, roasted eel; breads on the counter are free to take.
The owner serves breakfast and says, "In the afternoon the village will hold a funeral at the church for those who died yesterday in the pirate attack. Will you attend?"
"Count us in," Arion answers, "we'll be there."
"Good to hear."
They only eat half their breakfast and leave the tavern, planning to jog off a bit and train, when they run into the village chief who's headed to the coast.
"Good morning," the village chief greets with a smile. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Pretty well, slept until dawn."
"Good. I'm heading to the village dock; the shipwright should be starting on your ship soon. Want to come take a look?"
"Sure," Arion happily shifts his focus; a ship is something important right now, far more than training.
Led by the village chief, they reach the fishing village dock.
Docked are many fishing boats, but the most notable is a huge warship with a Marines flagship flag.
A wooden warship, vastly larger than the tonnage destroyer Arion once visited at Marines Week.
But it exudes a presence thicker and more oppressive than a modern destroyer, not the friendly kind.
Perhaps this warship isn't there to protect them.
Arion ponders this.
In the morning, the dock is full of marines soldiers training, basic boxing and punches.
Seeing these soldiers sweat under the sun, Arion can't help but feel the urge to test his strength against them.
Proceeding with the village chief, they arrive at a nearby small dock used by the village to build and maintain fishing boats.
Inside, several tall, muscular shipwrights, over two meters tall, are gathered to discuss something.
As a village with a small dock and a few shipwrights, they're quite capable.
It seems eel is valuable in this world.
"Village chief," one shipwright notices their arrival, greeting them, and then eyes Arion. "Hey kid, come over. We're talking about building you a suitable ship, and we were about to invite you over."
Arion approaches, examining the stacks of blueprints on the table. To a layman like him, the diagrams are just lines that make his head spin.
So he shifts his gaze to Assistant for help. "Assistant, can you take a look and see which ship is best?"
"Sure, one moment," Assistant's scanner starts analyzing the blueprints. After a moment, it locks onto one stack.
"According to data, I recommend this ship. It isn't the fastest, but its structure is the most stable and best at riding out the weather."
"Huh? Kid, you're impressive," the shipwright marvels, "you can tell the ship's characteristics just like that. Where did you get it?"
Arion only smiles and points to the blueprints Assistant selected, "Build this one."
Having confirmed the ship, they don't linger to disturb the shipwrights and jog away with 2B.
They plan to circle the island first.
As they pass by the dock where marines soldiers are training, Arion slows down and watches again.
"Feeling curious? Want to join us and become a glorious marines soldier?"
Turning, they see Hina under a coconut tree, smoking a cigarette in a woman's style.
She's still wearing the marines cloak with "justice" written on it, a dark red suit, and a tight blouse.
They stop, and Arion smiles and declines politely: "I'm just curious about how you train… I want to get stronger."
"Get stronger?" Hina ponders him up and down, her sharp eye noticing his pale face and clean look, doubting him.
Yet she admires him—an ordinary person with the courage to take up arms against pirates and actually defeat them. Even being surrounded by pirates and refusing their invitation to join them shows commendable nerve and spirit.
He seems to be an exceptional naval soldier with superior mental makeup and readiness.
If trained, he could be her right-hand.
"If you want to get stronger, you should consider becoming Marines and undergoing system-based training."
Hina is beautiful, charismatic, and a solid superior.
If it were before, Arion would have immediately accepted and joined the marines soldiers for a safe home and a chance to advance with her.
But now it's not possible; he has a system and must complete the system's tasks, so he can't join the marines soldiers and bind himself.
Moreover, his impression of the marines in this world isn't positive.
Especially after Akainu rose to power, marines seemed to be nothing more than dogs guarding Celestial Dragons who use the flag of justice to fleece people.