Kai relied on his extraordinary recovery to train frantically until late in the evening.
The faint moonlight illuminated their surroundings in the dark night. It was a bit hard to see but still better than what Jett had anticipated.
Originally, he thought it would be pitch-black at night, but the moonlight in this world was bright enough to walk without stumbling.
Jett gazed at the moon and recalled his old home. Saying he had no memories would definitely be a lie.
He wasn't like Kai, not someone who carried free will but was merely an ordinary person.
A well-behaved, exemplary student, though the knowledge he learned in school didn't help him become a pirate.
But if what he learned in school could have turned him into a pirate, Kai wouldn't have given him this system.
Lost in thought for a moment, he sighed, and Kai noticed. Not that Kai saw him, but he wasn't deaf.
Kai approached Jett and said:
"Missing home?"
"Saying I don't would be a lie. Though this world is quite extraordinary, I did live on Earth for a long time."
"You're not going to cry and beg to go home, are you? If you do, I'll throw you into the sea right away."
"Think you can throw me in? With that frail body of yours, what makes you better than me? Besides, I'm not crying over this. But…will you help me get back home one day?"
Truthfully, Jett held a glimmer of hope for this. After all, Kai wasn't some kind of slave, he was definitely a powerful entity of some sort.
But Kai immediately shook his head and replied:
"Time here is different from your home, maybe by now, hundreds of thousands of years have already passed on Earth. Even if you go back, what then? Live as a caveman? Actually, it might be interesting – I might even buy a ticket to see you eat someday."
A vein bulged on Jett's forehead, and he cursed:
"Damn it, I'm not a gorilla. Not going back is fine, I only feel a little nostalgic – I'm not a child. Life here or life on Earth, it's all the same. Since I've already ended up here, I might as well make waves. If I can't even manage that, this system would be a complete waste."
He wasn't exactly a loser, his academic performance was good, and he was decent at sports. If he hadn't been pulled here, his life would likely have been smooth and uneventful unless war broke out.
It's not like he lacked interest in adventure either. Deep down, he wanted to explore this world, to become a powerful figure, and to make a name for himself.
Hearing this, Kai laughed:
"Haha, not a bad idea. Even if you're not someone with free will, you're still a pretty decent crew member. Plus, with the system supporting you, your achievements won't be insignificant."
"Of course. Don't underestimate me! I'm not so weak as to have a system and still be worthless." Jett replied confidently.
With the system in his hands, it was almost as if he held the world in his grasp. Though it might be a bit of an exaggeration, reaching the peak of this world wasn't out of the question.
Of course, he couldn't truly compare to Kai. Kai's true form couldn't be rivaled, even with ten or a hundred systems.
However, this time Kai didn't want to take shortcuts—he wanted to follow this world's rules and enjoy an exciting journey.
"Hey, are you under a bit of a misconception?" Kai asked, eyeing Jett.
"You seem like someone who thinks they've traveled into a story and knows the plot."
Jett wasn't startled. He knew Kai was no ordinary person, so discovering his secrets wouldn't be difficult. He asked:
"Isn't that the case?"
"Of course not. I haven't paid much attention to what this world is like, but it's definitely not what you think."
Jett pondered for a moment and then said:
"In that case, we don't need to go to Windmill Village, right? If this isn't that world, what's the point of going there?"
But Kai didn't agree:
"No, we're not giving up just because we decided to. Besides, what if we find someone interesting there to join us? A pirate crew can't just be the two of us—it's too few."
Jett agreed with this idea, nodding as he said:
"Right, I can't take on everything myself. I'll need a few reliable crew members to share the work."
He felt an urgent need for more crew members. With this unreliable captain around, every task on the ship was thrown his way.
"Haha, you're talking as if I'm doing nothing! I've been diligently training since morning." Kai said with a laugh.
Seeing Kai's grin, Jett felt his anger flare up. He grabbed Kai by the collar and snapped:
"Damn it, you call that work? Then you should just find a spot on land and stay there—don't go to sea anymore."
"Haha, can't do that. I'm the captain, after all, so don't I get to do whatever I want?" Kai replied, as though he was in the right.
A vein bulged on Jett's forehead—he was truly furious now. He shouted:
"You damn captain, wait until you can beat me before talking like that! You've got super recovery, right? Today, I'm going to make sure you can't get up!"
With that, he punched Kai straight in the stomach, sending him flying back. But, contrary to what Jett expected, Kai seemed perfectly fine.
"Haha, surprised? I've gotten a lot stronger—beating me up won't be so easy anymore." Kai said confidently.
He wasn't sure exactly how much stronger he'd become, but he could tell he was much tougher than he'd been that morning.
Jett frowned at this. Training from morning until night and somehow doubling one's strength seemed absurd, as there was no time for muscles to recover and grow.
But Kai's case wasn't normal—his super recovery granted him an extreme healing ability.
"System, check Kai's strength stats."
[2]
"Damn it, doubling his strength after one day of training? This is cheating!" Jett cursed in his mind.
In other words, it sounded less extreme if he put it like this: intense training in one day increased his strength by a single point.
Still, it wasn't beyond Jett's reach. He scoffed,
"Hmph, don't think a little strength increase means you can beat me."
"Water Control – Gatling Gun!"
From the sea, several dozen drops of water, just a bit larger than a fingertip, rose up. With a wave of Jett's hand, they shot toward Kai in unison.
With the night making it hard to see, Kai struggled to dodge, and the result was brutal. He was pummeled by the barrage of water bullets, coughing up blood and breaking bones.