Why Is It You Again?

"Goodbye, Nurse Monica!"

"Goodbye, Carl, I'll come to see you again tomorrow!"

Carl bid farewell with a beaming smile to the nurse who had just changed his dressing, feeling a slight stir in his heart. He had already found out just now that Nurse Monica was twenty-seven years old this year and currently single. No, to be precise, she was a naval widow.

Monica's husband had originally been a major in Marine Headquarters. He was ambushed by pirates while on patrol at sea and died in a hail of cannon fire, and it had been five years since then.

Five years! How many five-year periods does a person have in a lifetime? At that moment, a sense of responsibility inexplicably welled up in Carl's heart.

Caring for naval widows was a duty his generation could not shirk!

"Oh~ How terrifying! To be so full of energy and chitchat with the nurse even after getting injured—it seems your wounds aren't that heavy after all!"

A familiar leisurely tone echoed inside the hospital room, giving Carl such a start that he jumped and turned his head to look.

Kizaru's tall figure leaned lazily against the doorframe, his head tilted as he gazed at Carl. Although Kizaru's gaze couldn't be seen clearly, his mocking expression could still be felt through his complex and shifting lip movements.

"Admiral Kizaru? When did you get here?"

Kizaru walked leisurely into the hospital room, glanced at the gauze on Carl's chest, and said, "I was already here when you and that little girl were getting hot and heavy."

Carl couldn't help clicking his tongue. So this old fellow had been eavesdropping outside the whole time!

"Ahem, Admiral Kizaru, are you here specifically to see me?"

Kizaru puckered his little mouth and said nonchalantly, "How could that be? My mouth has been a bit dry lately, so I just wanted to come to the hospital to buy some lip balm. Seeing you was merely by the way."

Merely by the way, yet you still eavesdropped?

"Uh, then thanks for the concern, Admiral Kizaru..."

Afterwards, the hospital room fell into silence. Kizaru didn't speak, and Carl didn't either, leaving the two of them staring at each other with big eyes.

"Since you're fine, I won't disturb you any longer..." Kizaru made a motion to turn and leave, then suddenly looked back, fixing a burning gaze on Carl. "Were you doing it on purpose?"

Carl drew in a sharp breath. How do you know! Could this be the tacit understanding between slackers?

"Ahem! Admiral Kizaru, you mustn't tarnish an innocent person's reputation out of thin air!"

"Tsk~ Stop pretending. When I was your age, I used these little tricks much more skillfully than you do. Your injury is far too minor as well, but I can't really blame you either—who told my generation to have a monster like Akainu!"

The amount of information in this sentence was immense, and Carl quickly figured out why Kizaru had been able to see through his act at a glance. It was because this guy had pulled the exact same stunt, and the one who beat him up had been Akainu!

Hiss~ As expected of a kindred spirit! When it came to slacking off in the training camp, he still had a lot to learn from Admiral Kizaru.

Aokiji? Sorry, I don't know him! Meow meow meow.

"Sure enough~ You brat are simply identical to what I was like when I was young. Those boring trainings really don't have much meaning!"

Carl curled his lip. What did he mean by identical? That was practically insulting. Look at that wrinkled chrysanthemum face of his, and then look at his own peerless good looks—how could he even bring himself to say that!

"Uh, Admiral Kizaru, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand!"

Deny nothing, admit nothing, and just play stubbornly dumb.

Kizaru cracked a grin, revealing a lewd smile. "Today's young people are truly terrifying! I won't tell anyone else, but your ability is different from mine, so you still have to train your physique."

Then his tone shifted. "However, as long as you are willing to be my adjutant, I dare guarantee that no one will be able to harm you! How about it? Want to give it some thought?"

The dagger was revealed from the map!

Carl wore a thoughtful look. After considering it over and over again, he finally decided to agree to Kizaru first; otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble it would be if this guy came to harass him every time he had free time!

"Sigh! Since Admiral Kizaru puts it that way, it wouldn't be right for me to dodge you again and again. Alright then! Admiral Kizaru, when I graduate from training and decide on my path, I will definitely choose Admiral Kizaru. You should be able to rest easy now, right?"

Kizaru smiled right then and there until his face was covered in gullies. He patted Carl's shoulder with great satisfaction, turned around, and considerately closed the door behind him.

After confirming that Kizaru had left, Carl let out a long breath, looked at the dusky evening sky outside the window, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Three days later, which was also the seventh day since the opening of the Marine Training Camp.

"Carl, I'm off work. I'm going to get some food, and I'll be right back. You have to take good care of yourself, okay!"

Carl feigned dissatisfaction and said, "Are you just going to leave like this? Are you sure you aren't going to show some affection?"

With that, Carl pointed at his cheek. Monica's face flushed red, and she looked around like a thief. Making sure no one was around, she quickly planted a kiss on Carl's cheek.

The corner of Carl's mouth curled up. He hooked his arm around Monica's neck and kissed her red lips with a smack.

"Hateful! What if someone sees us? Honestly!" Monica pushed Carl away with a blushing face, wiped the crystal-clear thread at the corner of her mouth, and hurried out of the hospital room with quick, pattering steps.

Carl laughed out loud as he watched Monica's flustered figure retreat, wiping the lipstick mark from the corner of his mouth. Over these past three days, aside from lying in the hospital bed, Carl hadn't been idle either; his relationship with his exclusive nurse, Monica, had advanced by leaps and bounds.

This was all thanks to Carl's humorous banter and handsome face, which had effortlessly captivated the long-lonely Monica.

Now, taking advantage of the moments when no one was around, Carl was already able to hold hands, kiss, and occasionally make it to second base.

"Ding! Cumulative slacking time has reached 8 hours. Daily quest completed: reward Designated Attribute Enhancement Card*2, Finger Pistol skill card*1, Iron Body skill card*1."

"Career quest [Training Camp Turmoil] cumulative slacking time has reached 82 hours. Please keep up the good work, Host!"

Carl had already accumulated seven days' worth of daily quest rewards. Right now, he possessed a total of 14 Designated Attribute Enhancement Cards, along with one skill card each for Iron Body, Shave, Finger Pistol, and Tempest Kick. The rest were just snacks and days of lifespan, which could be ignored directly.

"System, use 9 attribute enhancement cards to strengthen my physique."

The remaining 5 enhancement cards would be kept in reserve.

The next moment, a faint, illusory shattering sound echoed in his ears. Waves of warmth surged through his body, and his sharply defined muscles began to tingle and itch. Especially the injured area he had intentionally left unhealed felt unbearably itchy, and Carl could feel the wound healing rapidly.

"System, check attributes!"

Host: Carl
Age: 24 years old
Physique: E
Perception: F+
Willpower: E
Special Ability: Still as a Virgin
Holy Light Fruit: 0.5% (Awakening progress)
Active Skill: Frailty (Available)

After the enhancement was complete, although Carl's physique hadn't changed and remained at E-rank, he had a faint feeling that if he used a few more cards, he could break through to E+-rank. Carl wasn't in a rush to enhance perception and willpower; after all, physique was the true foundation of strength.

Ever since acquiring the Slacking System, Carl had progressed at lightning speed, but compared to the big shots next door, he was still small fry. One had to know that other people at his age could already punch the Four Emperors and kick the admirals.

"Phew, the great cause of slacking is not yet complete, and this humble one still needs to work hard! System, use all skill cards!"

"Ding! Detected that the Host has already mastered Iron Body and Shave. The skill cards are automatically converted into proficiency for Iron Body and Shave."

The moment the system's voice faded, Carl felt memories regarding the use of Iron Body and Shave flood into his mind. Particularly with Iron Body, Carl felt as if he had become a hyper-confident CP9 member, ready to let a thousand techniques come, for he would block them all with his own Iron Body.

Once he finished digesting the memories, Carl sighed softly to himself, "That Iron Body thing! From now on, if I can avoid using it, I'd better not use it..."