Chapter 12: Congratulations, the Surgery Was a Success!

"It seems we've shaken off the pursuers."

Under the night sky.

The pure moonlight scattered from above, covering the calm sea with a layer of silver gauze.

After a day of sailing, the Diga slowly docked at the coast of a small, uncharted, uninhabited island.

Inside the captain's cabin.

Through the exquisite porthole, Kyle gazed at the quiet night sky and sea, a faint smile on his face.

"Impressive."

"To send out five warships just to capture us... Smoker really went all out this time."

"Unfortunately..."

"With those old, decrepit warships from the East Blue, trying to catch up to the wind-riding Diga is nothing more than a pipe dream."

"Hahaha..."

Kyle let out a hearty laugh, then picked up a bottle of some sweet drink and raised it toward the other side of the desk.

"Great work, the world's best helmsman—little Diga."

"Hehe..."

On the other side of the desk, little Diga sat on a high stool, his short legs dangling and swinging back and forth.

Seeing Kyle raise his drink, he quickly grabbed his own drink with both hands and clinked it happily with the captain's.

Although he couldn't taste food or drinks, he loved this human-like behavior.

"Helping Captain Kyle isn't hard work at all!"

After a busy day, little Diga sipped through his straw and smiled happily.

Not far from the desk.

Tashigi, who had been kidnapped, was still unconscious, lying on Kyle's bed, fast asleep.

After all, she was a future crewmate, so Kyle was kind enough to give up his own bed.

The kind-hearted girl had no idea that she had already been taken hundreds of kilometers away from Loguetown to this small island.

Seeing that Tashigi had been hogging his bed all day without showing any signs of waking up, Kyle knew...

He would probably have to make do with the sofa for the night.

"This knockout drug is surprisingly effective."

"It seems the shop owner wasn't lying about its potency."

Although the sofa might not be as comfortable as the bed...

Fortunately, Kyle had the captain's cabin's recovery buff, so it wouldn't affect his actual physical needs.

After the Diga was upgraded to a Level 1 ship, the facility store in the shipyard system naturally opened up to Kyle.

This captain's cabin was no longer just an ordinary room.

It was now a magical place with a recovery buff!

In Kyle's words...

It was a pirate crew's fountain that couldn't revive you!

[Facility: Captain's Cabin]

[Level: 1]

[Experience: 0/5]

[Description: The pinnacle of authority on the ship, an essential facility.]

[Effect: While sleeping, restores 10% stamina and 10% energy per hour. Comes with a small storage space.]

The above was the attribute panel of the captain's cabin where Kyle and the others were currently staying.

At Level 1, the cabin's interior wasn't particularly luxurious.

It only had a set of office desks and chairs, a safe with a small storage space, a simple single bed, and a long sofa.

These few pieces of furniture made up this magical room.

In this room, no matter how exhausted one's body and mind were, a good night's sleep here would instantly restore them to full vitality.

And this was what Kyle had spent 5 million Berries on.

The facility store divided all facilities into two main categories.

The first category was functional facilities.

For example, a training room that allowed crewmates with character panels to gain experience...

A helm control platform that increased the ship's speed...

A cartography room that automatically mapped the ship's movements...

These functional facilities, like the captain's cabin, had special abilities.

However, such facilities were also more expensive.

Each functional facility cost 5 million Berries.

And upgrading these facilities required additional Berries.

These Berries would only go toward the facility's experience bar and wouldn't affect the ship's overall level.

To upgrade the ship itself, even more Berries were needed.

From this, it was clear that the so-called shipyard system was a money sink!

The second category of facilities, however, caught Kyle's eye.

These were called creative facilities.

There were plantations for growing crops, livestock farms for raising animals, aquariums for breeding aquatic life, automated factories for assembling parts...

These facilities didn't have fixed prices; they were priced based on the required space.

Each of these creative facilities made Kyle's heart race with excitement.

Unfortunately, with the current limited number of crew members and no good projects...

Even if he bought these facilities, he wouldn't be able to operate them.

Moreover, with the ship's level still low, the number of facilities it could carry was limited...

And one of those slots was already taken up by the mandatory captain's cabin.

He would have to carefully consider which two facilities to choose next.

...

The night passed without incident.

A new dawn rose from the horizon, casting golden waves across the sea.

Tashigi, who had slept all day, felt the warmth of the sunlight and her closed eyes fluttered slightly.

"Mmm~"

With a soft moan, she stretched lazily on Kyle's bed.

An unprecedented sense of comfort surged from her dantian.

This was the ultimate effect of the captain's cabin's recovery function, ensuring a perfect night's sleep every time.

"Is it already morning?"

Shielding her eyes from the sunlight, Tashigi finally opened her eyes.

But what greeted her was an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Huh? Where am I?"

The confused girl voiced her question.

The next second, realizing something was wrong, Tashigi quickly sat up.

At that moment, the room's door suddenly opened.

Creak—

"You're awake?"

Bathed in the morning light, Kyle appeared at the door and stepped into the room.

"Congratulations, the surgery was a success. You're now a girl."

He said with a smile.

"What!?"

"How is that possible!?"

Tashigi was shocked.

She instinctively reached down to feel her ribs, touching the softness unique to girls, and suddenly jolted awake.

Wait...

Wasn't I already a girl!?

Pfft~!

A blush instantly spread across Tashigi's face, making her look like a ripe apple.

She quickly put her hands down, awkwardly hiding them behind her back.

Then she looked up at Kyle, who was laughing heartily, and angrily said:

"You... you can't tease a girl like that!"

"Huh? Wait, you look familiar..."

Her memories slowly came back.

Tashigi's eyes widened in shock!

"Ah! I remember now!"

"You're the guy who was selling the sword!!!"

Recalling what had happened before she passed out, the naive girl's eyes burned with anger.

"How dare you trick me with a famous sword! What... what are you planning!?"

As she spoke, Tashigi pushed herself off the bed with one hand and nimbly jumped down.

But when she reached for her waist, she was horrified to find that her beloved sword, Shigure, wasn't there.

Without her sword, her combat ability would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

However, Kyle, who had entered the room, completely ignored Tashigi's actions.

He carried a tray and placed his breakfast on the desk.

Then he smiled at Tashigi.

"Relax, Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, the test is over."

"Unfortunately, you didn't pass."

"Test!? What test?"

Tashigi, who had thought she was kidnapped, was stunned by Kyle's words and immediately asked.

But Kyle didn't answer her question.

Instead, he started eating his breakfast and called out to the air:

"Diga, could you bring another breakfast?"

"Our Miss Tashigi has woken up."

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