When the tavern opened at noon and again in the evening, Shark Chili drew two small crowds, about the same scale as when Tom first played the piano.
For now though, he couldn't show off his "Super Transformation" again—the cooldown on that ability was a bit long.
That day, Zhang Da Ye tried the lottery twice more and pulled out two rather interesting items.
The first looked like a fuel pump nozzle with the hose removed, except there was a gaping hole in the middle:
[Friendship Command Device (Damaged): Once used to help Kabuto initiate Super Transformation, now broken. Still serves as a memento of Kabuto and Shou's friendship.]
The second item was even better: a round plastic disk inlaid with a metallic six-pointed star.
[Star of Peace (Fake): It can't grant wishes, but when affixed to ordinary objects, it gives them miraculous abilities. Once the power is spent, it turns to dust.]
Though a fake, it was still incredible. Stick it to a pair of sneakers and scoring the winning goal for the national football team would be no problem. Stick it to a shampoo bottle and it suddenly comes with beauty-boosting effects. Stick it to a pot and even instant noodles would taste like a gourmet feast…
The Command Device was basically useless, but the fake Star of Peace was powerful. If they ever encountered a huge storm at sea, slapping it onto the ship might even let it turn into a flying vessel. Too bad it was only single-use.
After stowing both items, Zhang Da Ye began examining himself with the help of his companions.
"After Tom arrived, I gained this bizarre regeneration ability. When Artoria came, I suddenly found myself able to use mana one day…"
Rui Meng Meng asked curiously, "What about me, boss? Did anything change after I came?"
Zhang Da Ye said gravely, "Well… I became able to eat more."
"What? No way… My superpower is super appetite?" Rui Meng Meng's confidence took a heavy blow.
Normally she was the one being teased, so it felt great to turn the tables just once. Zhang Da Ye grinned.
"Eating is just a side effect. The real change is in your body—strength, speed, toughness. All of that improved a lot."
Rui Meng Meng frowned. "Isn't that just from working out every day?"
Artoria spoke up to explain: "Training might be the trigger that awakens these powers. Da Ye's mana didn't appear overnight either."
Shark Chili finally grasped the nature of Zhang Da Ye's strange ability. "I see. Then what will you gain from me, Boss?"
"I've been wondering that too. Am I supposed to learn Super Transformation?" Zhang Da Ye said. When thinking of Shark Chili, that was the first thing to come to mind.
"Will the boss turn into a robot?" Rui Meng Meng piped up.
"Let's hope not," Zhang Da Ye quickly shook his head. "It'd be too weird to just change species all of a sudden. Honestly, I'd be happy enough with a boost to strength or speed."
Tom bounced nearby, gesturing enthusiastically.
"No, I don't want a fishtail." Zhang Da Ye instantly shot him down.
Tom thought harder, then gestured again.
"I don't want a fish head either!" Zhang Da Ye bent down and rubbed Tom's head furiously. "What are you plotting, huh? Grow me a fish head just so you can chew on it?"
Tom wobbled dizzily from the rough handling, his whiskers bent out of shape, staggering a few steps before collapsing onto a chair—his dreams shattered.
After half a day's discussion, they came to no clear conclusion except that training was a must. They'd just have to pay attention during their workouts.
Out of everyone, Shark Chili was probably the busiest. Besides physical training, he also had to cram the knowledge of this world from books and newspapers.
Seeing how studious he was, Zhang Da Ye hauled out a stack of books taller than Tom—geography, biology, encyclopedias, and every newspaper from the past two years.
Yes, two full years of papers. After finishing last year's collection, Zhang Da Ye had gone back to buy the year before's as well. The bookstore owner had a hard time gathering them all.
The owner said if Zhang Da Ye wanted any earlier issues, he'd have to contact the newspaper directly.
Zhang Da Ye thought, why not—it wasn't expensive, and older news might even jog his memory of important events. He told the owner to go ahead and order them. If possible, he wanted every issue since the paper's founding. He'd pay.
Shark Chili looked at the mountain of material in silence. "Do I really need all of this just to understand basic common sense? …Fine, I'll just activate my sleep-learning mode. I'll select the most essential information and hibernate for a day."
"Perfect," Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Tomorrow's the first, so the tavern's closed. We won't be heading out either. We'll guard your room and make sure no one disturbs you."
"Excellent. Then I'll start now." Shark Chili pulled out a pair of glasses, put them on, and carried the books and newspapers into his room.
The way he retrieved them was amusing—he pressed a bulge on his belly, and his shark jaws shifted, spitting out the glasses.
Besides turning into the Shark God Axe when transformed, his shark head could also store items. So far they knew he kept money, glasses, and his weapon inside.
"In a hurry?" Zhang Da Ye stepped in to help him, noticing how inconvenient Shark Chili's small hands were before transforming.
"Yes. The sooner I master this knowledge, the sooner I can be of use to everyone."
…
That night, Zhang Da Ye didn't sleep. Sword in hand, he sat on the roof, standing guard. Shark Chili had warned that disturbing his sleep-learning process could have side effects, so Zhang Da Ye wanted to keep watch.
"Da Ye, go rest. I'll take over from here," Artoria said at dawn, climbing onto the roof. She had noticed his movements during the night.
She hadn't slept either, staying up to monitor both the surroundings and Zhang Da Ye, letting him keep watch only because she understood it was his way of showing concern for Shark Chili.
"I'm fine, really. Haa~" Zhang Da Ye yawned, a tear welling at the corner of his eye—not from emotion, but simply from exhaustion. Four or five in the morning was the hardest time to stay awake.
Still, he knew that with his current constitution, pulling the occasional all-nighter wasn't an issue.
Artoria pressed her case: "Lack of rest will slow your progress. That means it will take you longer to grow stronger. Is that really okay? Or… do you not trust my skill and vigilance?"
"…Alright, alright. I get it. It's all yours." Zhang Da Ye yawned again and left the rooftop.
But minutes later, he ran back and forth a few times, setting up a small table with plates of snacks, fruit, a teapot, and cups. Only after fussing with everything did he finally grin and head to bed.
Artoria tilted her head at his antics, then smiled softly and sat down, watching the quiet beauty of Sabaody at four in the morning.
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