After the mobilization meeting ended, Zephyr announced that everyone had half a day to prepare.
They would officially board the ships and depart tomorrow morning.
Once dismissal was announced, the entire recruit camp buzzed with excitement.
Aiden was, without a doubt, the center of everyone's conversation.
This guy, who had been specially trained by Gion for half a year, had become the public enemy of all the male recruits.
Now, he had actively chosen Sakazuki, the one with the highest risk.
"Is that guy crazy? Why didn't he choose John Giant?"
"Heh, I think he's been trained by Gion for so long that he's forgotten who he is!"
"Exactly. He thinks he's invincible. Just wait. He'll regret it."
Aiden ignored all of these comments.
He returned to the dormitory.
Smoker was sitting on his bed with a dark expression, wiping his weapons.
Just as Aiden pushed the door open, another voice came from the corner of the room.
"Took you long enough."
Hina had her arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
She had clearly been waiting for a long time.
Smoker also stood up from his bed and looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Are you serious? Sakazuki... why did you have to choose that guy's ship?!"
Aiden calmly began packing his luggage, though there wasn't much to pack, since everything was inside his [Storage Ring].
"Hina is very worried about you," Hina said coldly, but the concern in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Strawberry also sees real combat, but at least he doesn't use recruits as cannon fodder. You can still change your mind."
Smoker scratched his hair in frustration.
"I originally wanted to choose Sakazuki too, but you're different."
He stared intensely at Aiden.
"I know you're strong, stronger than you let on. But there's no need to force it like this!"
Smoker knew very well that Aiden's way of doing things had nothing to do with Sakazuki's brand of justice.
There had to be a reason he didn't know about.
Aiden looked at the two of them with some surprise.
He'd spent months bossing them around, but somehow their relationship had only gotten better.
"Don't worry."
Aiden patted Smoker's shoulder and gave a slight smile.
"You know my strength. No matter where I go, I'll be safe."
"Shut up! Who the hell is worried about you?!"
Smoker acted as if his tail had been stepped on.
"I'm just saying that if you die, there won't be anyone left to cook for us anymore!"
"Hina agrees," Hina added expressionlessly.
Aiden laughed.
"Fine. Midnight Diner tonight. I'll make a hot meal for you both first, then I'll go find Gion."
"At least you still have some conscience."
That night, at Gion's quarters.
Perhaps it was out of guilt for not being able to keep serving as her private chef for a while, but tonight's dishes were exceptionally grand.
Aiden didn't hold back at all and showed off his real cooking skills.
When the dishes were placed on the table, the rich aroma made even the usually calm Gion feel genuinely hungry.
"It seems you're in a very good mood tonight."
Gion poured an expensive glass of red wine for both of them.
"Gion, I'm not an adult yet. I can't drink," Aiden reminded her.
Gion glanced at him with a half-smile.
"Stop talking nonsense. Weren't you drinking with Smoker the first time you were caught eating in the back kitchen? Don't act innocent in front of me."
Aiden: (・_・;)
He had no choice but to pick up the wine glass and lightly clink it against Gion's.
The two of them enjoyed the grand dinner in silence.
Gion's movements were still elegant, but the speed at which she ate revealed how satisfied she was with the meal.
"Tell me," Gion said after she had finished most of her food.
She put down her wine glass, and her eyes looked especially sharp under the light.
"Why did you insist on choosing Sakazuki?"
Aiden gave his standard answer.
"A Marine's duty is to eliminate evil! I want to go to the front lines..."
Thud.
Gion kicked Aiden's shin, interrupting him.
"Don't give me that crap that Zephyr likes to hear," she said seriously, looking at Aiden.
"Tell me the truth."
Aiden was silent for a moment.
She's really difficult to deal with...
He knew he couldn't fool her tonight without saying something serious.
In that case...
He looked up, and his slightly playful expression instantly vanished.
It was replaced by a perfectly restrained calmness, the same story he had used to fool Hina on Gigantia Island.
He turned his head to look at the moon outside the window.
The red wine in his glass reflected the cold moonlight.
"Gion," he said softly.
"My hometown... was on a very small island in the East Blue."
Gion was startled.
It was the first time he'd ever brought up his past.
"When I was very young," Aiden said in a calm tone, as if he were telling someone else's story, "a group of pirates landed. They stole everything and burned down all the houses..."
He paused, and his voice grew heavier.
"I was hidden in a cellar at the time. I listened to the screams and cries for a whole day and night. When I finally came out, I was the only survivor."
Aiden turned back and met Gion's gaze.
His eyes reflected her silhouette, showing just the right amount of hatred.
"My goal for joining the Marines was very simple from the beginning."
"It wasn't for some lofty justice."
"I just want... to make the pirates pay the price."
He raised his wine glass and finished it in one gulp.
"Sakazuki's route will definitely be the one where we encounter the most pirates."
Gion was completely stunned.
Her playful and lazy expression froze instantly.
It was replaced by an indescribable shock and a trace of heartache.
She looked at the handsome young man in front of her.
Only then did it really hit her that this boy, who was not even seventeen years old, was carrying something this heavy.
At some point, he had already grown to nearly the same height as her.
She had grown used to his playful, easygoing attitude and the way he used food and small jokes to mess with her.
Almost by instinct, her hand moved toward the pocket where she kept her lady's cigarettes.
The cigarette was already between her fingers, but just as she was about to light it, she suddenly stopped.
She thought of the boy sitting across from her.
He had never said anything, but every time she smoked, there was always that faint look in his eyes.
Gion's brow tightened almost imperceptibly.
Then, with two fingers, she snapped the unlit cigarette cleanly in half.
She tossed the broken pieces aside as if they meant nothing.
But when her eyes settled on him again, they had already softened.
"Aiden..."
Her tone softened involuntarily.
"The justice Sakazuki believes in is like magma. It burns everything. I'm worried about you..."
"I'm worried that your hatred will burn you to ashes first."
"Thank you for the warning," Aiden said calmly.
"I will be careful."
If the system rewarded acting too, I'd probably have a top-level skill by now.
Seeing that Gion was no longer pressing him, Aiden quietly let out a breath of relief.
"..." Gion looked at him for a long moment.
"Forget it."
She stood up, took a wooden box from the weapon rack behind her, and tossed it over.
"What is this?"
Aiden caught it.
"Your blade's been neglected," Gion said with her arms crossed.
"That is a set of whetstones and maintenance oil I used to use. Consider it... payment for your hard work cooking for me these past six months."
Aiden opened it and felt a stir in his heart.
This set of tools was very expensive.
"It's late. You should go back and rest," Gion said with a wave of her hand.
"You'll owe me all the meals you skipped."
"Okay."
Aiden returned to Dorm 307.
Smoker was already asleep, snoring like a war drum.
Aiden frowned.
He picked up a small paper ball, coated it with a thin layer of Armament Haki, and flicked it with his finger.
Tap.
The paper ball hit Smoker squarely on the forehead.
The snoring stopped instantly and turned into a slight grinding of teeth.
Today was the monthly refresh day for the system shop.
Although it had been a long time since anything Aiden really wanted had appeared, he still had the habit of checking the moment it refreshed every month.
This time, as soon as he opened it, his eyes were immediately drawn to something.
[Cognitive Misperception Glasses]
Description: An ordinary-looking pair of black-framed glasses that interferes with how others perceive the wearer.
As long as they are worn, people can see the user clearly, but they will fail to connect that face to the wearer's real identity.
Price: 10,000 Sin Points
Aiden's eyes lit up instantly.
"Now that's useful."
This thing was practically tailor-made for him.
Ten thousand points was not expensive at all.
"Purchase."
As the points were deducted, a pair of ordinary black-framed glasses appeared in Aiden's hand.
He smiled with satisfaction and put them away.