"Rocks, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine…"
Having nearly been sent flying into the afterlife by a single punch, Rocks lay sprawled on the ground, deeply questioning his life choices.
Wasn't he supposed to be the gifted one?
In just half a year, he'd gone from a rookie fresh off the boat to someone who had mastered Rokushiki (Six Styles) and begun training in both Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).
Even by the standards of the first half of the Grand Line,
Rocks was now strong enough to hold his own.
But the one he encountered was Charlotte Linlin.
A monster blessed by the heavens, the undisputed number one in raw pirate talent—
Someone who basically became a Yonko just by eating and napping.
Who else could compare?
"Rocks, take a break. Leave Linlin to me!"
It was Lipli who had rushed over. The entire village alarm had already been raised. Before fleeing, the three CP0 agents had set a fire—
Half the village now risked being consumed by flames.
After discovering the children had been abducted, three of the strongest giants had gone after CP.
The rest were either fighting the fire or chasing off wild animals disturbed by the clash between Magnus and Rona.
There just weren't enough hands.
Lipli's face turned grim as she faced the completely berserk Charlotte Linlin.
She knew a bit more than Rocks.
She knew that Charlotte Linlin suffered from semla psychosis—a condition where extreme hunger could drive her mad.
Though still a child, she possessed monstrous strength, rivaling that of adult giants, and had iron-like skin that shrugged off most attacks.
Luckily, as a child, she couldn't yet fully harness those terrifying abilities.
"Rocks, can you still move? Head to the food storehouse—bring out all the supplies. Bring some here, and hand out the rest to everyone."
Right now, the Winter Solstice Festival didn't matter anymore.
Linlin had gone berserk from hunger.
The giants were too hungry themselves to fight at full power.
Only by filling their stomachs could they hope to defeat the enemy!
"Got it!"
Despite having his whole body nearly torn apart by Linlin's punch, the benefits of mastering Rokushiki now showed themselves.
In the moment of danger, he had used Kami-e (Paper Art) to avoid the direct hit.
He was injured—but not critically.
"And the children at the Lamb's House…"
"Leave them to me."
Sister Carmel, startled from sleep, led the children to safety.
She cast a worried glance toward Charlotte Linlin—
But ultimately chose to prioritize the children's evacuation.
Once Carmel left, Lipli turned to Linlin again.
"Linlin, I'm sorry."
Magnus had warned her when he asked her to look after Linlin:
If something goes wrong—
Knock her out first and ask questions later.
"Busoshoku!"
Lipli took a stance. Invisible power coiled around her fists.
Though Magnus had focused her training on Kenbunshoku, the first one she awakened was Busoshoku Haki.
Perhaps giants just naturally weren't suited for Kenbunshoku.
"Eiyuu no Yari (Hero's Spear)!"
She went all out from the start.
If it were any other giant child, she would've worried her punch might pulverize them.
But this was Charlotte Linlin.
"Semla ice cream…"
A wicked smile spread across Linlin's face—like that of an evil god.
Boom!
Lipli's fist collided with Linlin's.
A terrifying shockwave exploded from the impact point.
Even with Busoshoku-enhanced strength, Lipli couldn't gain the upper hand.
"What!?"
Only now did Lipli truly understand—
Why Magnus wanted Charlotte Linlin to join his crew.
Five years old.
No combat techniques.
Fighting purely on instinct, and yet able to match a giant like her blow for blow.
"This is bad…"
Lipli couldn't use lethal force against Linlin—
But Linlin, in her berserk state, had no such restraint.
Lipli suddenly found herself at a loss.
Just then—
A piercing, icy wind exploded through the forest.
Even though she was far from the source, the sheer force made it hard to breathe.
"This… this is the captain's Haoshoku Haki!"
As the newest member of the White Wolf Pirates, Lipli had never doubted Magnus' Haki.
But his Haoshoku had mostly been used to spook Linlin—
She had never felt it fully unleashed before.
Until now.
She saw it—
A storm of red and black lightning surged skyward.
Centered in the forest, the shockwaves rippled outward, violently shaking the branches of the massive Adam Tree above.
And Linlin—moments ago a raging beast—
Now had a touch of clarity in her eyes.
"Huh? What was I doing?"
Linlin bit her finger and looked blankly at Lipli.
"Lipli-nee, I think I saw some people sneak into our house.
They were bullying Gerth and Hajrudin.
Are they bad people?"
As expected of the captain…
Seeing Linlin calm down, Lipli finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She nodded, "That's right. They were bad people. They took Gerth and Hajrudin."
Upon hearing this, Charlotte Linlin fully snapped out of it, her aura as menacing as before.
"Bad people? I'm gonna punch the bad people! I'll bring Gerth and Hajrudin back!"
"It's okay, Linlin. Others have already gone after them. Gerth and Hajrudin will be alright."
Seeing the terrifying aura Linlin emitted again, Lipli quickly soothed her.
She wasn't Magnus—she couldn't control Linlin.
At this point, all she hoped was that Linlin wouldn't cause more trouble.
"Lipli! I brought the food!"
Rocks ran over from the distance, carrying a huge basket filled with sweets.
The moment Linlin saw the food, all other thoughts vanished from her mind.
But Lipli and Rocks still couldn't relax.
Because—
The real fight wasn't over.
A clash of Haoshoku that intense couldn't come from one person.
Aside from Magnus, there was someone else in the forest who could release equally terrifying Haoshoku.
In the jungle, the massive roots of the great trees had collapsed in large patches.
Many were frozen over, others cleaved clean through.
In some places, one could clearly see the Underworld lying thousands of meters below.
Magnus, in his giant white wolf form, stood facing Rona.
Compared to Magnus' calm, Rona looked stunned.
"You old bastard…
You had Haoshoku Haki all along!?"
(End of Chapter)
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