Toransu Town, Adoya the Girl

New World, Toransu Town.

Lucas opened his heavy eyelids, and it took half a minute for his vision to focus. His body had soaked in the cold seawater for several whole days, and his skin was bloated like a soaked steamed bun; every time he moved, a bone-deep, excruciating pain emanated from the gaps in his joints.

"You're awake!"

A young girl with a high bun and round black-rimmed glasses leaned over, her fair face full of concern.

The front of her clothes was stretched tight, rising and falling slightly with her breathing, and stood out particularly in the dim room.

"I thought you wouldn't make it."

The corners of Lucas's mouth barely forced out a smile, which, resting on his swollen and distorted face at that moment, looked somewhat ferocious.

"Did you save me? Thank you. What is this place? What's your name?"

"This is Toransu Town, and my name is Adoya."

The girl stepped back half a step, seemingly frightened by his appearance, yet her gaze remained clear.

"You must be starving. I'll go get you something to eat."

With that, she turned and trotted away, her skirt brushing against the floor and leaving behind a faint scent of soap.

Only Lucas was left in the room.

The smile on his face instantly vanished, and monstrous waves rose in his heart.

Toransu Town.

Also known as Sleepy Town.

The legendary Batto Batto no Mi, Model: Vampire was hidden within the ancient ruins on this island.

He never would have imagined that after being attacked by Golden Lion and drifting on the sea with a narrow escape from death, he would actually wind up in this place by a stroke of misfortune.

Indeed, a blessing in disguise.

Sharp pain surged like a tide, interrupting his train of thought.

Gritting his teeth, Lucas moved his fingers bit by bit to inspect his own injuries.

Several ribs were broken, his left lung was pierced, multiple internal organs were ruptured and bleeding, and the soft tissue contusions all over his body were countless.

If it were any ordinary person, such injuries would have long since grown cold.

Even a powerhouse at the level of a Marine Vice Admiral would have to lie in bed for several months without the best medical conditions.

Only someone with his near-immortal special constitution could still salvage his life after being smashed into the sea by an island, which triggered a tsunami, and being repeatedly ravaged by the sea and a lion-headed wheel.

That old bastard Golden Lion really played for keeps.

Lucas cursed inwardly.

His physique, comparable to Tekkai, was as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of that scale of power.

Soon, Adoya returned carrying a tray.

On it were a large piece of black bread, a bowl of rich soup, and a piece of cured meat.

Lucas did not stand on ceremony, snatching up the food and devouring it ravenously. The scalding rich soup slid down his throat, and the nutrients were frantically absorbed by his body.

Under Adoya's dumbfounded gaze, the swelling on Lucas's body receded at a speed visible to the naked eye, his pale and greenish skin gradually returned to a healthy wheat color, and his originally distorted facial features also recovered their original contours.

Before long, that battered shipwreck survivor had transformed into a handsome young man.

The tray in Adoya's hand dropped to the floor with a clatter.

She stared blankly at Lucas's face, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson, and even her breathing grew hurried.

"Ahem."

Lucas cleared his throat to break the awkwardness.

"Sorry, are there any other foods, please? These aren't quite enough. I'll pay for them."

Adoya snapped back to her senses abruptly, fluster-flusteredly picking up the tray, burying her head down low, and answering in a soft voice:

"Y-Yes, there are! I'll go get them right now!"

Like a frightened little rabbit, she ran out with a red face.

A moment later, an entire tray of food was brought up. Roast chicken, steak, cheese, and fruit—everything one could expect was there, and she had practically brought all the good things the inn could spare.

Lucas once again swept through the food like a storm.

A massive amount of energy poured into his body, his broken bones began to emit faint clicking sounds, and the bleeding in his internal organs gradually stopped.

This was his innate talent—the ingested nutrients would be transformed into physical strength and self-healing power.

As long as there was enough food, even near-death injuries could be rapidly recovered by him.

Eating to seven parts full, Lucas felt that he could already move normally.

He touched his soaked clothes, rummaged through all his pockets, and finally discovered with embarrassment that, let alone Beli banknotes, not even a single coin was left.

Just as he was wondering how to explain to this kind girl that he was penniless, a commotion suddenly came from downstairs.

"Boss! Hand over the money! Otherwise, we'll smash this dump of a shop today!"

Adoya apologized to Lucas and hurried downstairs.

Lucas raised an eyebrow and followed her down as well.

In the inn lobby, three menacing pirates stood before the counter, brandishing gleaming steel sabers.

The one leading them had a scar across his face, planted one foot on the counter, and threatened Adoya while spraying spit everywhere.

"Don't toast not to drink a forfeit!"

Adoya was so frightened her face turned pale, yet she still stubbornly raised her head:

"You can't do this!"

"Yo-ho, quite spirited, aren't you?"

The scarred man sneered maliciously and reached out to touch Adoya's face. "If you don't have money, that's fine too; let us brothers have some fun, and the money will be waived."

Just the instant his hand was about to touch Adoya's cheek.

Bang, bang!

Stepping with Soru, Lucas appeared behind two of the pirates, placed his hands on their heads, and pressed down fiercely. The two men's heads smashed solidly against the hard wooden floor and they passed out on the spot.

The remaining scarred man turned pale with fright, slashed with his saber toward Lucas.

Lucas sidestepped to dodge the blade and kicked the scarred man in the stomach.

"Pfft!"

The scarred man flew out like a broken sack, smashed the nearby table, curled up on the ground vomiting acid, and couldn't crawl back up for a long time.

The entire lobby instantly quieted down.

Lucas dusted off the grime on his hands, fished out a heavy money pouch from the two passed-out pirates on the floor, and casually tossed it to the still-dazed Adoya.

"Thanks for saving me and feeding me."

"The money in here should be enough to cover the medical expenses, meal money, and accommodation for the coming period."

Adoya subconsciously caught the money pouch, which felt heavy in her hand; there were at least tens of thousands of Beli inside.

She hurriedly waved her hands:

"It's too much! It doesn't cost this much! I only dragged you back from the seaside..."

"Consider the extra as mental distress compensation."

With that said, Lucas turned and prepared to leave. Just as he walked to the door, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned his head and asked:

"Right, on this island, are there any ancient ruins of a long history?"

Adoya paused for a moment, then raised her hand to point toward the west side of the town.

"Yes. Walking five kilometers east outside the town, there is an abandoned ancient temple."

TO BE CONTINUED

(PS: Bat fruit is a mistranslation, Batto Batto no Mi. Even without knowing Japanese, one can deduce that this reduplicated word is either Bat Bat Fruit, Bat-Bat Fruit, or Vampire Fruit—only Bat Fruit is wrong.)