Since there were only three attributes to allocate points to, Ethan Chen didn't hesitate. He immediately placed the point into Physical Mastery.
After all, whether it's Devil Fruit abilities or Haki, they were all tools in combat. Physical skill, however, was the one thing no fighter in this world could do without.
That said, the moment he confirmed the selection, he couldn't help feeling a tiny twinge of regret.
Would Enhanced Recovery have improved... things like kidney function?
Well, whatever. It should still be enough.
Ethan had confidence in his kidneys.
As the physical mastery point was absorbed, he suddenly felt his joints and muscles grow agile and alive as if the flow of his inner energy had unblocked. Like a circuit being completed, strength surged through him.
He couldn't resist the urge to clench his fists and throw a few punches. Surprisingly, despite not feeling noticeably stronger, his technique had changed. Each strike now followed a natural path of force. One of his jabs even whistled faintly as it cut through the air.
There wasn't much change in raw power, but his body had learned how to move how to use what it had.
Mastering the use of one's body was the foundation of physical skill.
And this was just the beginning. His current stats Weapon Mastery, Physical Mastery, and Enhanced Recovery were all at Level 1. Now that he'd placed one point in Physical Mastery, it was at 1 out of 5. Maxing it out would raise it to Level 2.
Would something change then? Could it lead to unlocking techniques like the Navy's Six Powers?
The thought stirred a sense of anticipation.
He practiced a few more punches, testing how his muscles responded to new patterns of movement, until 2B opened the door to the balcony and silently took a seat beside him.
Ethan turned and saw a faint blush on her usually porcelain-pale cheeks.
"You got the answers you wanted from the assistant drone?" he asked.
2B gave a small nod, her lips pressing into a thoughtful line. "Humans are strange. You expend large amounts of energy on actions that seem... pointless. All for a few fleeting moments of pleasure."
"That's humanity for you," Ethan replied with a smile. "We're far from perfect, but it's precisely those 'pointless' things that make our world rich and alive."
"Like this can of cola. It's just sugar, carbonated water, and a bit of flavoring. But because that first sip brings satisfaction, it becomes something people can't live without."
2B shook her head slowly. "I don't understand. But if you need me to do those pointless things with you, I will."
"Because I'm human?"
"Yes."
"Alright," Ethan leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Then tonight, it is."
He had no overused excuse like "cultivation forbids intimacy." He was a normal adult man, with normal needs.
Whether or not 2B had developed real emotions toward him didn't matter much yet. As long as they were compatible enough, feelings could grow later. Twenty minutes, give or take.
He had confidence in that, too.
2B didn't answer. Which, in her case, meant agreement.
"Oh, by the way," Ethan sat up again, now facing her. "Why do you always wear that blindfold? Can you take it off?"
He recalled that, in the game, her visor was symbolic it suppressed emotion, and concealed knowledge.
Androids weren't meant to have feelings. And knowing the truth that humanity was long extinct would destabilize them.
So asking her to remove the blindfold was key to allowing her to begin feeling.
2B hesitated. But then, at his request, she reached up and slid off her visor.
Her eyes were stunning deep blue, clear like the ocean, now laid bare.
For the first time, she was seeing the world not through a tactical interface, but with her own eyes. And it overwhelmed her with sensation.
The buildings here were intact whole, alive not ruins draped in vines. The people on the streets, though mourning and struggling after the pirate attack, still moved with life. This was nothing like the sterile, melancholic silence of the Bunker in Earth orbit.
And in front of her sat a human so expressive, so full of warmth. His face was sharply defined, radiating an odd gravitational pull.
So fragile, though. He couldn't even match the lowest-tier mechanical lifeform in durability.
But that frailty was why she existed. He was what she must protect at all costs.
"You have beautiful eyes," Ethan said, gazing directly at her. His hand rose, fingers brushing gently across her face, thumb stroking beneath her eye.
"With eyes like these, why hide them?"
"To avoid... unnecessary emotions," 2B tilted her head slightly, leaning into his hand. "Androids are not supposed to feel."
"But what if I ask you not to wear it anymore?"
"Then I won't. Your commands take priority."
"It's not a command... well, never mind. You'll understand later," Ethan said, withdrawing his hand. "But when we're alone, you can keep it off. During battle, it's probably best to wear it."
"Talking to you like this, being with you without seeing your eyes it felt... disconnected. But now, I can see you. I can see your emotion. Like right now what is this feeling? Affection?"
"Affection?"
"Toward me. Or maybe toward humanity."
Ethan laughed quietly. It really was easier to navigate all of this when standing in the shoes of a human.
2B nodded solemnly. She had always been a machine of war. She didn't understand much. But if this fluttering in her chest this desire to protect, this yearning to be near him was what humans called affection, then she was filled to the brim with it.
Watching her blink in astonishment, her long lashes trembling, her expression unguarded and uncertain, Ethan didn't hesitate any longer.
He leaned in and kissed her.
Her lips were soft and cool, a long-dreamed-of sensation once confined to the screen. And now, it was real.
The kiss was brief a simple press of lips but it hit 2B like a system overload. Her sensors spiked, her internal temperature rose dangerously, and she nearly shut down on the spot.
"You okay?"
Her frozen reaction startled Ethan. Was her mouth some kind of critical switch?
He rushed into the room and grabbed the assistant drone she had left on the bed.
"Hey, quick, check on 2B! I think something's wrong!"
The drone zipped to the balcony and performed a full-body scan. Then it sprayed a burst of coolant across 2B's flushed face to lower her temperature.
"She's fine," the drone explained. "Her information processing module just got overwhelmed from absorbing too many new experiences. Now that she's adapted, she won't have issues with this kind of input in the future."
"Oh. So it's like getting so flustered after a kiss that your brain shuts down," Ethan chuckled.
This 2B… she was way too pure.