"Finally took this step!"
Looking at the two newly added system panels, Kyle was overwhelmed with excitement.
After all, the strength of his companions was his strength.
As long as he spent another 250 million Berries in the system, he could even gain 20% of his partner's total combat power!
Thinking of this, Kyle couldn't help but open his own captain panel.
[Captain: Kyle]
[Level: 1]
[Experience: 25/50]
[Total Combat Power: 3.5]
[Skill: Ultra Instinct (A)]
The total combat power, which had originally been 0, now read 3.5 after Tashigi successfully loaded her character panel.
Seeing this value, Kyle's eyes shimmered as he analyzed in his mind:
"It seems that the combat power shown by the system only reflects the power brought by the character panel, not the full strength of the crew member themselves."
Given his current strength, if he had truly gained 10% of Tashigi's total power, his body would have shown a much more intense reaction.
But after assigning the character template to Tashigi, although Kyle did feel a warm current appear in his body...
That power was extremely faint—if he hadn't been fully focused, he might not have noticed it at all.
This undoubtedly slowed down Kyle's path to getting stronger, just a little bit.
Luckily, although it was a minor disappointment that he couldn't gain direct power from his crewmates, it was still within Kyle's acceptable range.
After all, as long as he could continuously draw character cards, he could keep growing without limits!
This feeling of getting stronger while lying down was exactly what made this system amazing!
"Then the next step is to figure out how to increase my companions' combat power."
Kyle's gaze returned to the Partner interface.
In the corner of the screen, a flashing blue word — [Training] — appeared in his view.
With a single thought, a new interface popped up.
The first thing that appeared was still Tashigi and Rukia's overlapping figure.
But this time, the attribute panel on the right had disappeared.
In its place were three tabs:
[Level Up], [Weapon], [Awakening]
Kyle clicked on them one by one in order.
The first was the [Level Up] tab.
Here, it seemed he could use experience items drawn from the gacha machine on his companions, granting them large amounts of EXP.
Kyle was no stranger to this function—nearly every mobile game had something like it.
Unfortunately, during his 11 pulls, aside from Rukia and the Zanpakutō, all he got were a bunch of useless things like uniforms and stockings...
Letting Tashigi wear those wouldn't boost her combat power—if anything, it might boost the enemy's.
So, best to forget about it.
Though…
If it were just for Kyle's eyes, he wouldn't mind at all!
Thinking about Tashigi with short hair in a sailor uniform… there was a sweet sense of first love.
And if you added a pair of silky black stockings...
"Ahem... maybe one day I can have her try it on."
"Mainly to test the strength of E-rank items, of course—since they're system-produced, there might be hidden effects."
"That whole 'silk-clad feet' thing? I have no interest in that. Really."
After indulging in a moment of fantasy, Kyle exited the [Level Up] tab and opened the [Weapon] tab.
Compared to the earlier system interfaces, this one was very simple.
In the center was just one square, with a green plus sign inside.
Realizing what it meant, Kyle clicked on the plus with his mind.
Instantly, a screen titled [Equipable Weapons] popped up.
And within that screen, there was only one item marked as "Equipable": an A-rank Zanpakutō.
Kyle didn't hesitate—he immediately equipped the Zanpakutō to Tashigi.
At the same time, in the real world—
A seemingly ordinary long sword suddenly appeared in Tashigi's hands.
She blinked in confusion, puzzled about what just happened…
But then, a strange sense of connection surged from the sword in her hand.
"This is… a Zanpakutō?"
Tashigi froze.
Thanks to her foundational knowledge as a Shinigami, she instantly recognized the weapon.
And she could clearly feel that this Zanpakutō was now linked to her soul.
As if it had been born from her spirit itself—she felt completely natural wielding it.
Even her longtime partner, Shigure, never gave her this kind of seamless connection.
But...
Wasn't all this just way too bizarre!?
Just a minute ago, everything was normal—and now, she felt like a different person.
She'd suddenly gained a mysterious power called "spiritual energy," learned a spell named "Hadō #1: Shō," and even received a Zanpakutō out of thin air.
Could all this really be explained by a Devil Fruit ability?
For the first time, Tashigi felt she hadn't read nearly enough books—she couldn't even tell if Kyle was lying to her or not.
Just then, Kyle slowly opened his eyes after being silent for a long time.
Seeing the stunned Tashigi, he smiled gently.
He had just glanced at the final [Awakening] tab.
And just as he suspected, it was a feature he wouldn't be able to touch for a while.
The [Awakening] tab allowed characters to undergo multiple awakenings based on their aptitude...
Someone like A-rank Rukia could awaken twice: Shikai and Bankai.
Tashigi, as she was now, had inherited Rukia's base form.
As she leveled up, she'd naturally learn various kidō techniques.
Once awakened, not only would her power skyrocket, she would also automatically learn Rukia's Shikai and Bankai abilities.
But awakening required a large number of Awakening Stones.
And those were B-rank items, only obtainable through the gacha machine.
And speaking of that machine…
Forget it.
Better not mention that cursed thing.
For now, it was basically impossible for Kyle to get Awakening Stones.
Rather than fantasizing about the future, he preferred to plan realistically.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Having browsed through the Awakening tab, Kyle exited the system.
"So, how do you like the gift I gave you?"
Seeing Tashigi holding the Zanpakutō close, while hanging her old Shigure at her waist, Kyle couldn't help but smile.
Shigure (internally): So love really can fade, huh?
"...I like it."
Tashigi nodded shyly, not quite knowing how to respond.
"Glad you do."
Kyle chuckled, then said:
"The power you now possess comes from another world that I imagined—so it might feel very different from the energy systems you're used to."
"You'll need to take time to understand it on your own."
"I've already given you the key to unlock the door to strength. How far you go from here depends entirely on you."
Kyle patted her on the shoulder, his tone solemn.
"Only with strong enough power can we complete our mission successfully."
"Work hard—and become someone useful to me as soon as possible."
"Yes, Captain Kyle!"
Tashigi, now armed with her new power, stood tall and replied firmly.
"Good. Very good."
Kyle nodded and glanced at the Zanpakutō.
He had to admit—the [Weapon] tab, with its own system interface, had really impressed him.
This screen had the ability to raise a companion's aptitude!
After equipping the A-rank Zanpakutō, Tashigi's Strength, Endurance, and Agility stats each increased by 10, and her Spirit stat increased by 20.
Her total aptitude rose from 350 to 400.
Her combat power in the system also increased from 35 to 40.
Of course—
This small change wasn't immediately obvious.
At least, a nervous Tashigi hadn't noticed anything yet.
But as her level grew, the importance of her aptitude would surely become clear.
Speaking of levels…
Kyle's eyes lit up. He suddenly waved his hand at Tashigi.
"Oi, follow me inside!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he strode toward the cabin.
"Huh?"
Tashigi blinked in confusion.
But seeing that Kyle had already opened the door, she quickly jogged forward and followed her captain into the ship.
She didn't know why—but just moments ago, she had been afraid of everything that had suddenly happened…