Hina didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.
"Pfft—Cough, cough, cough!"
Rosinante, who was nearby, sprayed the meat right out of his mouth.
Even Aiden, who always acted calm and indifferent, could no longer maintain his expression.
"What... what are you talking about?!"
Aiden's voice, which normally remained calm, broke for the first time.
"Who wants to trade roasted meat for your... that?! What kind of messy things are going on in your head!"
At the exact moment his calm act failed, a wave of killing intent rose behind him.
It felt like it wanted to cut him into a thousand pieces.
Aiden didn't need to look back to know it was Smoker's gaze.
"Damn, I acted a bit too cool," Aiden thought, his heart skipping a beat.
He didn't doubt for a second that if he even nodded or said "yes," Smoker would charge over and cover him in blood instantly.
He didn't dare act cool anymore.
He quickly gave a dry cough to force the topic back on track, putting on a serious face.
"What I mean is, this meal is not free."
He looked at Hina, then glanced at his two teammates, and said in a heavy voice:
"Do you really think this survival training is just a vacation? Don't be naive."
"Knowing Chief Instructor Zephyr's style, the instructors will definitely drive the pirates from the nearby waters onto this island."
"They'll treat them like livestock and use them as sparring partners for us."
"My condition is simple." Aiden's gaze finally landed back on Hina.
"What you need to do is catch pirates—alive. Then, bring them to me to trade for food."
"Catch pirates?"
When Hina heard this, her confusion deepened.
She took a step forward, her sharp eyes locking onto Aiden like searchlights.
"Hina can't see through you, but you should be stronger than all of us, right? Why not do it yourself?"
Aiden didn't rush to answer. Instead, he asked a calm question:
"Strong? Hina, do you remember what my Doriki score was in the entrance test?"
Hina's brow twitched slightly. "101."
"Smoker is 602." Aiden spread his hands with a helpless expression.
"So, are you saying that a guy like me, with 101 Doriki, is stronger than Smoker?"
This question left Hina instantly speechless.
She couldn't argue with that iron-clad fact.
However, she trusted her instincts more—this man in front of her was definitely not as simple as he appeared.
"But you..." She chose her words carefully and pointed to the backpack.
"...those unbelievable tricks of yours..."
"Those?" Aiden let out a pained smile and sighed.
"Those are just some unimpressive little skills I learned to survive. They aren't for fighting."
"In a direct battle, I'm just a recruit who barely passed."
He saw that Hina's eyes were still full of doubt, so he changed his approach.
"Besides, this is training for all of us. If I do everything myself, then why did you come here? To be an audience?"
This reason was perfect.
Hina was silent for a moment before she finally asked her last question:
"Then why do you want to catch pirates? What exactly are you trying to do?"
Aiden slowly lowered his head. His voice became deep, filled with a sense of age that didn't match his youth.
"I am an orphan who lost his family because of pirates."
"As for catching pirates... naturally, I want to kill them all with my own hands, one by one."
This wasn't a lie. After all, the original owner of this body had indeed become an orphan because of pirates.
The next morning, inside the cave behind the waterfall.
A small pot was sitting over the campfire.
Fragrant meat porridge was boiling with a glug-glug sound.
Aiden had made it using the leftover boar meat from last night and some rice.
Rosinante was woken up by the smell.
He crawled out of his warm sleeping bag, rubbing his eyes.
A happy, silly smile appeared on his face as he breathed in the aroma.
Smoker sat cross-legged on his moisture-proof mat. His face was dark, and his gaze was complicated.
He had slept very well last night, but he also felt frustrated.
He was well-rested because the sleeping bag was soft, the cave was dry, and no wild beasts bothered them.
He was frustrated because all these blessings came from the monster whose single punch made him doubt his own life.
Aiden was leisurely eating his breakfast. He saw the hungry looks from Smoker and Rosinante.
Since he was busy eating and didn't have time to talk, Aiden just nodded his chin toward the pot.
Rosinante immediately ran over with joy and served himself a bowl.
Smoker hesitated for a moment, but in the end, his stomach protested too much.
He picked up a bowl with great reluctance.
After finishing breakfast, Aiden began to assign tasks to the two men.
"Hunting, gathering, or pirates—you two need to get busy. No work, no food."
Smoker looked at the relaxed Aiden and frowned. "We have to go to work too?"
"Otherwise?"
Aiden finally looked away from his book and glanced at him.
"Did you think this breakfast was free?"
Smoker was instantly silenced.
It was true—after eating someone else's food, he couldn't say a single word of protest.
He paused and added a sentence.
"Only I get to enjoy a vacation here."
"You...!"
In the end, Smoker turned his frustration into hunger and buried his head in his bowl to finish eating.
"Of course I have to make you go to work," Aiden analyzed calmly in his heart.
"If I killed all the pirates by myself, it would cause too much of a stir. How would I explain my 101 Doriki strength?"
"Once my strength is exposed, I'll definitely be given heavy responsibilities in the future."
"I'd be working overtime and going on missions every day. That would be the exact opposite of my plan for a safe retirement."
Aiden knew his position very well.
Until his physique, Haki, and all his skills reached the "Peak" level, he didn't plan on being a hero.
"Besides, the pirates on this island are mostly 'safe mobs' carefully picked and released by the instructors."
"Even if there are a few B-rank targets, there isn't much profit. Exposing myself for that little bit of experience is a total loss."
He looked at the two men eating heartily, and a curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Using delicious food to hire this free labor is the best way to maximize my profits."
Thinking of this, Aiden slowly pulled a book out of his thin uniform pocket.
The book was a large, hardcover deluxe edition—actually larger than the pocket itself.
When Smoker saw this, he nearly spat out his porridge.
He looked at the impossible book, then at Aiden's ordinary pocket.
He felt like his brain was failing him again.
----------------
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/LIZBETH1242
50 early chapters are available here.