"Knock, knock, knock!"
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by Hancock's voice. "Sister Mikasa, can I come in? It's time for dinner! Come out and eat!"
"Squeak!"
The next moment, Uchiha Mikasa walked over, opened the cabin door, and smiled at Hancock. "Thank you!"
As she spoke, she turned and waved to Sora before following Hancock out of the room.
Sora put down his pen, stood up, and followed as well.
Soon, they arrived at a large dining hall.
"Master Mikasa, welcome!"
"Welcome!"
"Thank you, Master Mikasa, for saving us earlier!"
"....."
The female warriors of Amazon Lily, upon seeing Uchiha Mikasa, expressed their gratitude respectfully, their eyes filled with admiration and devotion.
For the warriors of Amazon Lily, strong women were figures of admiration and inspiration.
Of course, a few mischievous women also took the opportunity to tease Sora, leaving him visibly annoyed.
What on earth was happening here?
"Alright! Lord Mikasa and the others have arrived. Let's eat! Lord Mikasa, please sit here!"
The leader clapped her hands, guiding Uchiha Mikasa and Sora to the main seats. After Uchiha Mikasa and Sora began eating, she invited everyone else to join in.
"Huh? This meat..."
After swallowing a bite, Uchiha Mikasa felt warmth radiating in her stomach, followed by streams of energy flowing through her body. Her eyes lit up.
This meat, brimming with vitality and nutrition, rivaled some of the most precious medicinal ingredients in the ninja world.
And yet, here it was, just a piece of meat?
Unbelievable.
Recalling the sea beasts full of vitality she had sensed in the ocean and considering Sora's earlier remarks, she managed to keep her composure and asked the leader beside her, "This should be the meat of a Sea King, correct?"
"Yes!"
The leader nodded affirmatively, smiling as she added, "It's just the meat of an ordinary Sea King over 100 meters long. Is it to your liking?"
She had also observed something peculiar about Uchiha Mikasa and Sora.
Their vitality and physical strength didn't seem particularly robust.
Had she not witnessed Uchiha Mikasa's extraordinary strength earlier, she would never have believed that someone with such a seemingly weak physique and vitality could be so powerful.
In the pirate world, the vitality and strength of formidable individuals were often inseparable. Even those relying on Devil Fruits typically had vitality far beyond that of ordinary people.
Yet, Uchiha Mikasa's vitality seemed lower than her own, and Sora's vitality and physique were even weaker—barely comparable to an ordinary civilian child.
However, she didn't overanalyze it, assuming that they might have physical ailments, especially since they appeared to be seeking medical attention.
"That's good! You're very considerate!"
Uchiha Mikasa responded with a smile, though her thoughts were filled with amazement.
"The meat of a 100-meter-long Sea King has such an effect... What about the meat of Sea Kings hundreds or even thousands of meters long?"
She could scarcely imagine.
She felt that just relying on the meat of Sea Kings in her mouth, combined with health-preserving exercises for a month, her physique and vitality would increase several times over.
As the Sea King meat was digested, warm currents began to flow through her body. She could feel every cell greedily absorbing the energy, devouring it with fervor.
Her physical condition visibly improved, and even her complexion became rosier.
Years of chakra refinement, combined with the sudden influx of vitality and high-nutrient substances perfectly suited for cellular absorption, produced a startlingly pronounced effect.
But Sora wasn't having such an easy time.
The moment he swallowed a piece of Sea King meat, he felt immense pressure in his stomach. The meat was difficult to digest, and the process was frustratingly slow.
Even so, the small amount of meat he managed to digest emitted warmth throughout his body, easing his fatigue and soreness from earlier training. His chronic ailments even began to show slight improvement.
'I didn't realize my stomach and digestive system were this weak,' Uchiha Sora thought, his heart sinking.
He cautiously ate a few more small pieces of meat, then stopped. Turning to his mother and the leader, he said, "Mom, I don't feel like I have much appetite right now, so I'll stop here. I'll take some food back to the room first!"
His plan was to try digesting the meat alongside health-preserving exercises and see if it made a difference.
If even that didn't help, he'd have to prescribe himself medicine to enhance digestion.
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Mikasa was slightly surprised at his words. Observing Sora's expression, she quickly understood and nodded. "Alright, then. Go ahead."
She then turned to the team leader. "I'm sorry, the child is too weak."
"It's fine," the leader replied with a shake of her head. "I hope he gets better soon."
"Don't worry, we'll finish up quickly and send you to Drum Island for treatment!"
The leader then called out to Hancock, who was seated not far away. "Hancock, take Sora back to the room!"
"Okay!"
Hancock, albeit reluctantly, set down her food and stood. She waved at Sora, signaling him to follow her out of the dining hall.
Sora quickly picked up the large plate of meat in front of him and followed.
On the way:
"It seems your condition is really serious. I hope you recover soon," Hancock said sympathetically.
"I will!" Sora replied with a confident smile.
He still had faith in his recovery.
As they walked, he checked with his talent ability. Hancock's favorability towards him had reached 52 points—quite respectable.
'Unfortunately, my strength is so weak right now. If I'd personally saved Hancock and the others this time, I'm sure her favorability—and even that of some of the Kuja warriors—would have reached the binding threshold,' Sora thought with some regret.
This wasn't an exaggeration. The female warriors of Amazon Lily were pure-hearted and held a strong sense of gratitude. A savior could easily gain their deep admiration.
Soon, Hancock escorted Sora back to his room.
"Thank you," Sora said before letting her return to the dining hall.
After Hancock left, Sora placed the food aside and stretched. He could feel that he'd recovered significantly.
The soreness and fatigue had been reduced by more than half after resting for over an hour, and the nutrients from the Sea King meat had worked wonders on his body.
Without hesitation, he began practicing health-preserving exercises.
As he moved, he could feel the digestion of the Sea King meat accelerating. Warm currents radiated from his stomach, spreading throughout his body.
The sensation was comforting and invigorating.
[You eat Sea King meat to assist in practicing health-preserving exercises. Proficiency +3, lifespan +3, life source +0.01]
"Wow! Not only has the lifespan increase effect doubled, but it even restores the life source? This is amazing!"
"This life source must be connected to the root of my congenital deficiency," Sora thought.
"There's hope for recovery!"
"Perhaps, just by combining Sea King meat with health-preserving exercises, I can make up for my congenital deficiency and fully recover without any additional treatment or conditioning."
Excitement bubbled within him.
He realized he had underestimated the tremendous benefits of Sea King meat for a shinobi like himself.