The New World, Torrance Town.
Lucas opened his heavy eyelids, his vision taking half a minute to focus.
His body had been soaked in the freezing seawater for several whole days, and his skin was bloated like a soggy bun.
Every movement brought a piercing pain from deep within his bones.
“You’re awake!”
A young girl with her hair tied up in a high bun and wearing round, black-rimmed glasses leaned over, her fair face filled with concern.
Her chest filled out her clothes snugly, rising and falling slightly with her breath, making it particularly noticeable in the dimly lit room.
“I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
Lucas forced a smile, which looked somewhat gruesome on his bloated, distorted face.
“Did you save me?
Thank you.
What is this place?
What’s your name?”
“This is Torrance Town, and my name is Yadoya.”
The girl took half a step back, seemingly frightened by his appearance, yet her eyes remained clear.
“You must be starving.
I’ll go get you some food.”
With that, she turned and jogged away, her skirt brushing against the floor, leaving behind a faint scent of soap.
Lucas was left alone in the room.
The smile instantly vanished from his face, and a tempest raged in his heart.
Torrance Town.
Also known as Sleepy Old Town.
The legendary Batto Batto no Mi, Model: Vampire, was hidden in the ancient ruins of this island.
He never would have imagined that after being attacked by the Golden Lion and drifting at sea with only a slim chance of survival, he would end up drifting to this place by a stroke of luck.
It was truly a blessing in disguise.
A wave of severe pain washed over him, interrupting his thoughts.
Gritting his teeth, Lucas wiggled his fingers bit by bit, checking his injuries.
Several ribs were broken, his left lung was punctured, multiple internal organs were ruptured and bleeding, and there were countless soft tissue contusions all over his body.
Any ordinary person would have been long dead from such injuries.
Even a powerhouse at the Marine Vice Admiral level would have to stay bedridden for several months without the best medical care.
Only his near-immortal, unique Physique could have allowed him to survive after being ravaged by the tsunami triggered by the island crashing into the sea, followed by the onslaught of seawater lion heads.
That old bastard Golden Lion really played rough.
Lucas cursed silently in his heart.
His body, comparable to Iron Body, was as fragile as paper in the face of power on that scale.
Soon, Yadoya returned carrying a tray.
On it sat a large piece of black bread, a bowl of thick soup, and a piece of bacon.
Lucas didn’t stand on ceremony, grabbing the food and devouring it ravenously.
As the hot soup slid down his throat, the nutrients were frantically absorbed by his body.
Under Yadoya’s dumbfounded gaze, the bloating on Lucas’s body receded at a visible rate.
His pale, bluish skin gradually returned to a healthy wheat color, and his distorted features regained their original contours.
Before long, the wretched, half-drowned man transformed into a handsome young man.
The tray in Yadoya’s hands fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
She stared blankly at Lucas’s face, her cheeks instantly flushing bright red, and her breathing grew rapid.
*Cough, cough.*
Lucas cleared his throat to break the awkwardness.
“Sorry, is there any more food?
This isn’t quite enough.
I will pay you.”
Yadoya suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly picked up the tray.
With her head lowered, she whispered:
“Y-yes!
I’ll get some right away!”
She ran out with a blushing face, looking like a startled little rabbit.
A moment later, a whole tray of food was brought up.
Roast chicken, steak, cheese, and fruit—there was everything.
She had brought almost all the best things the tavern had to offer.
Lucas swept through the food like a whirlwind once more.
A massive amount of energy surged into his body.
His broken bones began to make slight cracking sounds, and the internal bleeding gradually stopped.
This was his innate talent—ingested nutrients would be converted into physical strength and self-healing.
As long as there was enough food, he could quickly recover even from near-fatal injuries.
Having eaten until he was about seventy percent full, Lucas felt he could move normally again.
He felt his soaked clothes and searched through all his pockets, only to discover to his embarrassment that not only were there no Berries bills, but not even a single coin was left.
Just as he was wondering how to explain to this kind-hearted girl that he was penniless, a sudden commotion came from downstairs.
“Boss!
Hand over the money!
Or we’ll trash this crappy shop of yours today!”
Yadoya apologized to Lucas and hurriedly ran downstairs.
Lucas raised an eyebrow and followed her down.
In the tavern lobby, three fierce-looking pirates stood in front of the counter, brandishing gleaming steel blades.
The leader, who had a scar on his face, stepped one foot onto the counter, threatening Yadoya with spit flying everywhere.
“Don’t refuse a polite offer!”
Yadoya turned pale with fear, yet she still stubbornly held her head high.
“You can’t do this!”
“Oh?
Quite stubborn, aren’t you?”
The scarred man sneered, reaching out to touch Yadoya’s face.
“If you don’t have money, that’s fine too.
Just let us brothers have some fun, and we’ll waive the debt.”
Just as his hand was about to touch Yadoya’s cheek…
*Bang, bang!*
Lucas used Shave to appear behind two of the pirates, placing his hands on their heads and slamming them down hard.
Their heads crashed heavily against the hard wooden floor, knocking them unconscious on the spot.
The remaining scarred pirate was shocked and slashed his blade toward Lucas.
Lucas sidestepped to dodge the blade, then kicked the scarred pirate in the stomach.
*Pfft!*
The scarred pirate flew backward like a sack of rags, smashing a nearby table.
He curled up on the ground, spitting up bile, unable to get up for a long time.
The entire lobby instantly fell silent.
Lucas dusted off his hands, searched the two unconscious pirates on the floor, found a heavy coin pouch, and casually tossed it to the still-dazed Yadoya.
“Thanks for saving me and feeding me.”
“The money inside should be enough to cover the medical bills, food, and the room charge for the next few days.”
Yadoya instinctively caught the pouch.
It was heavy, containing at least tens of thousands of Berries.
She hurriedly waved her hands in refusal:
“It’s too much!
It doesn’t cost this much!
I only dragged you back from the beach…”
“The extra is for mental distress.”
Having said that, Lucas turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back to ask:
“By the way, are there any ancient ruins on this island?”
Yadoya froze for a moment, then raised her hand to point toward the west of the town.
“Yes.
Five kilometers east of the town, there is an abandoned ancient temple.”