During the three days on the way to the Navy Headquarters, Li Wenjin spent his time wandering the deck with the navy soldiers, helping out with small tasks he could manage.
Actually, it wasn't that Li Wenjin particularly wanted to work—it was more that he wanted to find a chance to talk with Tina more.
Unfortunately, Tina didn't seem interested in a weak man like Li Wenjin. Even though his jokes sometimes lifted her mood, she only found him somewhat amusing at best.
Li Wenjin felt very disappointed. His modern jokes attracted the attention of the soldiers, but Tina never sought him out, leaving him unsure how to catch her attention.
At noon three days later, while Li Wenjin was daydreaming at the ship's bow, he suddenly spotted a warship approaching. He immediately wanted to notify the soldiers.
Before he could turn around, a navy soldier tapped his shoulder and said, "Wenjin, looks like we're parting ways."
"Brother Landu, what do you mean? Haven't we reached the Navy Headquarters yet?" Li Wenjin asked.
Landu walked beside him, pointing at the approaching warship, "That's Lieutenant Colonel Smoker's ship. Looks like you won't need to go to the Navy Headquarters."
Watching the warship draw closer, Li Wenjin fell into deep silence, worried about his future.
Landu patted his shoulder, "You're an interesting guy. We wanted you to come with us, but you're not cut out for fighting. I hope you live well once you get to the East Blue."
Then Landu pulled out a stack of Beli and handed it to him. "Here, fifty thousand Beli. We all chipped in to give you some travel money. Find your relatives and live strong."
(Li Wenjin had explained to the soldiers that he had relatives in West Simeoji Village, East Blue, which was why he wanted to go there.)
Moved, Li Wenjin hugged Landu and said sadly, "Brother Landu, I really don't want to leave you guys..."
Landu patted his back with a little exasperation, "Wenjin, you're overdoing it!"
Li Wenjin didn't care; he was genuinely upset—partly because he was saying goodbye to Tina and the others, and mostly because he was leaving a safe world and entering the dangerous world of the Pirate King.
Li Wenjin was an ordinary office worker who had lived a peaceful life in modern society. Suddenly parting from his parents to enter a world where death was constant, it was only natural he was sad.
He ignored Landu's words and held on tight, wanting to vent all the bad luck and frustration from the past twenty days.
But after releasing his emotions, the adult side of him began to think about how to survive.
The fifty thousand Beli Landu gave him was his seed money to keep living, so wiping his tears, Li Wenjin accepted it.
"Brother Landu, I thought you navy soldiers were all poor? How do you have so much money?" he asked curiously.
Landu slapped his head jokingly, "Who said we're all poor? We're rich!"
Li Wenjin found this hard to believe—he had learned the soldiers usually sent their money home or spent everything; they rarely saved.
Seeing his disbelief, Landu leaned in and whispered, "Actually, most of this money was given by Major Tina. We only managed to chip in ten thousand. Looks like Tina really likes you, we're all jealous."
Hearing this, Li Wenjin was stunned—not by Landu's words, but because suddenly a voice echoed in his head: "500,000 Beli credited. System activated."
A system? He was shocked. He did have a hidden advantage—he just hadn't activated it yet.
The path to unlocking his power started with money. But he hadn't realized before—he woke up on a deserted island without any treasure, and the soldiers on Tina's ship were poor. This fifty thousand Beli was the first real money he had seen.
Li Wenjin wanted to quickly understand the system's functions so he could grow stronger and survive comfortably in the Pirate King world.
If he could become a super-strong person with this system, coming to this world wouldn't be tragic—it would be a rebirth.
Before, Li Wenjin had lived a disciplined life, and though he had ambitions, reality crushed them. If he could become powerful here, he could regain those ambitions. But first, he had to see what the system could do.
He wanted to study the system, but Landu suddenly slapped his head twice, waking him up. "What are you doing? Are you even listening?"
Li Wenjin, still excited inside, controlled himself and said, "Brother Landu, I was just excited because you said Tina gave me the money."
Landu was annoyed, "That was two minutes ago. I was telling you Smoker's ship is almost here."
Turning around, Li Wenjin saw the warship less than 500 meters away; they would meet soon.
Landu patted his back again. "Come on, let's go see Major Tina. She'll arrange for you to board Lieutenant Colonel Smoker's ship."
"I understand, Brother Landu."
Though curious about the system, Li Wenjin knew now wasn't the time. He had to say goodbye to Tina first—she saved his life and gave him the money that helped activate his system. She was his lifesaver and destined benefactor.