In the afternoon, everyone was given half a day of free time.
Aiden didn't waste a single moment.
He walked straight out of the elite training camp area and headed toward the Marineford residential district.
The luggage he brought from Loguetown was just a bundle of rags he had tossed together to fool Garp.
Inside, there was nothing but a few old clothes.
Since he was going to live here for a year, he had to prepare some necessities to improve his quality of life.
The residential area of Marineford was much busier than he had imagined.
The streets were clean and tidy. Shops lined both sides, filled with a peaceful and stable atmosphere.
He walked into a department store.
With practiced ease, he bought new towels, dental tools, soap, and a set of soft cotton pajamas.
After he finished shopping, he decided to satisfy his stomach.
Aiden followed the scent of food floating in the air.
On a busy commercial street, he found a Western-style restaurant that looked clean and elegant.
"This is the place."
He pushed the door open.
A waiter guided him to a seat by the window.
"Sir, what can I get for you?"
Aiden didn't even look at the menu.
He spoke directly to the waiter: "What is your most popular signature dish?"
"That would definitely be our 'Pan-seared Sea King Tenderloin with Black Pepper Sauce.'"
"It uses the most tender parts of a small Sea King caught fresh this morning from the Calm Belt."
"I'll take that," Aiden said without hesitation.
"Also, bring me a bowl of cream of mushroom soup and a portion of rum raisin ice cream."
"I'll treat myself to a luxury," he thought to himself.
"Consider it a celebration for... successfully getting into the Elite Class."
Soon, accompanied by a sizzling sound, a steaming hot iron-plate steak was served.
It was a piece of meat about the size of an adult's palm, seared to a perfect golden brown.
The surface was covered in a rich, black pepper sauce.
The scent of butter and garlic mixed with the aroma of the meat, forcefully filling Aiden's nose.
He cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth.
The meat was so tender that he barely needed to chew.
The rich juices mixed with the slightly spicy black pepper sauce, instantly exploding on his taste buds!
"Ah..."
Aiden let out a satisfied sigh of comfort.
"Now this is food for humans!"
Inside, he was crying tears of joy.
"Compared to this, the stuff I ate at noon was just sludge from a sewer!"
After devouring the meal, Aiden leaned back in his chair, enjoying this long-lost feeling of happiness.
"Sir, your total is fifty-two thousand Berries," the waiter said with a smile as he handed over the bill.
The smile on Aiden's face froze slightly.
"Fifty... fifty-two thousand?"
He looked at the number on the bill. He felt like his heart was bleeding.
"Just one meal costs almost as much as a normal family's monthly expenses in Loguetown?!"
He calmly reached into his coat.
In reality, he was pulling several bills out of his storage ring to pay the tab, but his mind was racing.
"The money I scavenged from those pirates I took care of outside the execution platform... added up, I have a few million Berries."
"By East Blue standards, I am definitely a rich man."
"But at fifty thousand Berries a meal... my funds won't last long if I eat like this every day!"
Aiden carried his shopping bags full of daily supplies back toward the dormitory.
He was filled with dreams of future "financial freedom" and "food freedom."
He pushed open the door.
The choking smell of smoke from yesterday had disappeared.
The room was still a mess, but at least the air was much fresher.
Smoker was training in the room.
He was shirtless and covered in sweat.
He was supporting his entire body on the floor with just one index finger, doing push-ups one after another!
The wooden floor beneath him was actually creaking because it couldn't handle the terrifying force.
Every time he pushed himself up, he let out a suppressed low growl from between his teeth.
It was as if he were venting all his frustration and confusion through the workout.
Aiden completely ignored this exaggerated display.
He took out his clean towels and toiletries from his luggage.
He began to organize his bed and locker with extreme care.
His small corner of the room became clearly separated from Smoker's side, which looked like a trash pile.
This lack of attention was the biggest provocation to Smoker.
He suddenly leaped up from the floor.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the railing of his messy bed, staring intensely at Aiden.
After a long silence, Smoker finally couldn't hold back and spoke first.
"101 Doriki. Do you take me for a fool?"
Aiden didn't look back. He continued smoothing his bedsheets.
"The test was hard. I just had good luck and barely passed."
This answer made Smoker's eye twitch violently.
He suppressed his rising anger and tried a different way to test him.
"Luck? Then tell me... why would a guy who can hit a Logia user come to a recruit training camp?"
"Don't you think you're wasting your talent?"
Aiden quickly glanced at Smoker's expression.
He only saw confusion and a refusal to accept defeat.
There was no sign that Smoker recognized his true identity.
"It looks like he hasn't realized I was the executioner who put Roger to death."
This discovery allowed Aiden to relax completely.
"Good. Since he's just curious about my strength, it will be much easier to fool him."
He slowly turned around.
He put on a face that matched his age—one filled with a bit of worry and helplessness.
He sighed and sat down on his bed.
"Did you feel it too?"
Aiden's voice carried a hint of perfect confusion.
"I don't know why, but my strength... sometimes it's very unstable."
"Most of the time, I'm just an ordinary person. But occasionally... power I can't even control myself just explodes."
He looked at Smoker's face, which clearly said, "Are you kidding me?"
Aiden continued to talk nonsense with a straight face.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru sent me here. Maybe... she hopes Chief Instructor Zephyr can help me fix this instability problem."
"As for that punch last night..."
Aiden showed an incredibly "sincere" and apologetic smile.
"Maybe my unstable condition just flared up again."
"Sorry, I hit you a bit too hard last night."
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