Kaizer closed his eyes, feeling the new power surging through his body, sensing the world through his newly awakened Soul Affinity, and perceiving the tiny new life growing inside Linlin.
He had to become stronger.
To protect this family. To protect this nation. To protect… the future taking shape within her.
The training ground lay on the north side of the castle — a natural rocky area that Linlin had flattened with her bare fists over the past month. The ground was riddled with craters and cracks, each one a souvenir from her "warm-up" sessions.
Kaizer stood at the center, wearing simple training clothes sewn by Longbread from sailcloth. Resources were still scarce in early Totto Land; even decent clothing was hard to come by.
Linlin stood twenty meters away, barefoot and bare-fisted, her pink hair tied back in a ponytail.
For once, she wasn't laughing. Her massive face wore a serious, focused expression.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Yes." Kaizer nodded and assumed the basic stance of Marine Rokushiki — muscle memory from the original owner of this body. It was rudimentary, but it was a start.
The next second, LinKaizerved.
No flashy techniques. No Devil Fruit powers. Just a simple, straightforward straight punch. Yet the speed and power made the air explode with a sonic boom.
Kaizer couldn't dodge at all.
The fist struck his chest.
Time seemed to freeze for a split second.
Then Kaizer heard his own sternum shatter — no, not shatter. It was pulverized. The force tore through skin and muscle like a hammer smashing tofu, caving in his entire ribcage.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood that flew three meters.
His eyes widened as his body was launched backward, slamming into a rock wall thirty meters away. The wall cracked. He slid down like a broken rag doll and collapsed.
His vision rapidly darkened.
In the final instant before losing consciousness, only one thought remained:
He couldn't even take one punch…
[Death Confirmed]
[Demi-human Bloodline Activated: Revival Protocol Initiated]
[Persistent Damage Source Detected: Complete chest collapse, heart rupture, spinal fracture…]
[Regeneration Time: 4 minutes 12 seconds]
Darkness.
Then excruciating pain.
Kaizer gasped sharply — fresh air rushed into newly formed lungs. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying at the edge of the training ground, covered by a huge cloak.
Linlin crouched beside him, gently poking his cheek with a finger the size of a small boulder.
"You're awake! Mamama!" She grinned, but there was a trace of guilt in her smile. "Are… are you okay? Did I use too much force?"
Kaizer pushed himself up. Newly grown bones made soft cracking sounds. A faint metallic sheen covered his skin. He looked down at his chest — completely intact, not even a bruise.
But the memory of death was terrifyingly clear.
"Your punch just now…" Kaizer gave a bitter smile, "killed me instantly."
"Eh…" Linlin scratched her head. "I was holding back! Really! I only used ten percent of my strength!"
"Ten percent?" Kaizer froze.
"Yeah!" Linlin nodded vigorously. "I was planning to start with five percent, but I was afraid it would be too weak, so I went up to ten! Mamama!"
Kaizer fell silent.
He had thought that with his demi-human regeneration and the new "Pseudo Steel Balloon" trait, he could at least withstand a few of Linlin's punches.
Instead?
One punch. Ten percent power. Instant death.
Was this the power of an Emperor?
No — this wasn't even Linlin at her peak. At thirty years old, she hadn't reached her future height, and her Soul-Soul Fruit development was still in its early stages. Yet even so, he didn't even qualify to make her fight seriously.
Kaizer remembered God Valley — the helplessness of watching Rocks, Roger, and Garp battle in the sky while he could only hide among corpses, praying not to be killed by the shockwaves.
He now had Linlin, Totto Land, and soon… a child.
If a stronger enemy appeared one day — the World Government, the Holy Knights, Imu… or even Linlin herself if her hunger pangs ever made her lose control — how could he protect them?
How could he protect his family if he could only watch while she fought alone?
He stood up and brushed off the dust.
"Again," Kaizer said.
"Huh?" Linlin blinked. "But you just—"
"I know exactly how weak I am now," Kaizer interrupted, his eyes calm but resolute. "So let's continue. This time… try fifteen percent."
Linlin stared at him for a few seconds, then grinned widely.
"Mamama! Good! That's my husband!"
The second round, Kaizer lasted three seconds.
Linlin's punch smashed into his blocking arm — bones shattered instantly. The remaining force slammed into his chest, rupturing his organs. He flew backward, snapped three training wooden posts, and crashed to the ground.
Death time: 3 minutes 58 seconds.
After reviving, Kaizer coughed up clotted blood. System notification: [Demi-human Bloodline Fusion +0.01%].
"Continue," he said.
The third time, he tried using Soru from Rokushiki to dodge.
But Linlin's speed was monstrous. Despite her massive size, she appeared like a ghost in his evasion path and delivered a sweeping side kick to his waist.
His spine snapped in three places.
Death time: 4 minutes 7 seconds.
Upon reviving, Kaizer felt his new spine was slightly tougher. System notification: [Pseudo Steel Balloon Fusion 0.5%].
"Again," he stood straight.
Linlin tilted her head. "Kaizer… doesn't it hurt, dying over and over like this?"
"It hurts," Kaizer answered honestly. "But pain is better than being useless."
Linlin paused, then burst into laughter. "Mamama! Well said! Then let's keep going!"
The training lasted seven full days.
From dawn until dusk, Kaizer repeated the same cycle in the training ground: getting his body destroyed by Linlin in various ways — death — revival — continue.
Day one: 37 deaths. Day two: He learned to relax his muscles on impact to disperse force. Death time shortened to 3.5 minutes. Day three: He began using IBMs for defense. Shadow and Phantom created buffering layers of bandages and particles before her fists landed. The effect was minimal — Linlin's punches tore through them easily — but it bought him an extra 0.1 seconds. Day four: For the first time, he didn't die instantly from fifteen percent power. His chest caved in, six ribs broke, and internal bleeding was severe, but he remained conscious. "Mamama!" Linlin clapped excitedly. "Progress! Real progress!"
Kaizer lay on the ground coughing blood, but the corners of his mouth lifted.
He was still heavily injured… but he hadn't died.
It was the first real step.
On the evening of the seventh day, Kaizer sat on the ground drinking water. His body was covered in bruises and scabs — the system deliberately left "adaptive scars" to accelerate his body's adaptation to impacts.
Linlin sat beside him, gnawing on a massive honey-glazed ham.
"Kaizer," she suddenly asked. "Why are you training so desperately to get stronger?"
Kaizer turned to look at her.
In the sunset, Linlin's eyes looked unusually clear — the eyes of a thirty-year-old woman, not yet completely consumed by future madness.
"Because I don't want to be powerless anymore," Kaizer said. "At God Valley, I watched Rocks, Roger, and Garp fighting in the sky. I didn't even have the right to get close. I could only hide among corpses, praying the shockwaves wouldn't kill me."
He paused.
"Now I have you. I have Totto Land. And soon… a child." Kaizer's voice was calm, but every word burned with intensity. "If a stronger enemy appears one day — the World Government, Imu, or even you if your hunger pangs ever make you lose control — I want to be able to protect all of you.
Not just stand by and watch while you fight alone, hoping you win."
Linlin stopped chewing.
She stared at him for a long time, then grinned.
"Mamama! Good! Then I'll teach you Haki!"
Kaizer blinked. "Haki?"
"Yes!" Linlin stood up and wiped honey from her hands. "Your body is starting to shape up. Next, it's time to learn how to use real 'power'!"
She extended her hand. Black luster began to flow across her palm — not full Armament Haki coating, but a more basic, steam-like black airflow.
"Haki is a latent power everyone possesses," Linlin explained. "But most people never awaken it in their lifetime. You… after dying so many times, your body should already be 'activated.'"
She bent down and placed her massive hand on Kaizer's shoulder.
"Close your eyes. Feel the 'flow' inside you. Not blood — something deeper."
Kaizer obeyed.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. At first, there was nothing — only post-training fatigue and pain.
But gradually, deep within that pain, he felt something… different.
Like a river hidden in the depths of his blood, flowing slowly but steadily.
"Feel it?" Linlin's voice was close. "That's the foundation of Haki — 'spirit.' Now, try guiding it to your fist."
Kaizer tried.
It was difficult. The "river" seemed to have its own will and resisted control.
After five minutes of sweating effort, he barely managed to coat his right fist with a thin layer of faint black airflow.
"Mamama! You did it!" Linlin cheered and patted his back — she controlled her strength, but it still sent him stumbling forward.
"Great! Great!" Linlin put her hands on her hips. "Starting tomorrow, we change the training schedule!"
She held up three fingers.
"Morning: Impact resistance training! I hit you — you're not allowed to die!" "Afternoon: Haki practice! You'll learn to use Haki for defense and attack!" "Evening: Sparring! I'll suppress my power to roughly your level. You have to find a way to beat me!"
Kaizer looked at the paper-thin black coating on his fist, then up at Linlin's excited face.
"Alright," he said.
On the eighth day, training escalated.
Linlin kept her word. In the morning impact training, she no longer aimed for instant kills. Instead, she used continuous strikes, forcing Kaizer to struggle on the edge of death.
"Don't die! Hold on!" Her fists rained down like a storm. "Use Haki! Cover your whole body!"
Kaizer gritted his teeth and desperately channeled the "river" inside him. Black Haki flickered across his skin. Each time it appeared, it weakened Linlin's punches slightly.
But it wasn't enough.
His Haki was too weak, too thin. Even with only twenty percent power, Linlin could easily shatter his defense.
Seven broken ribs. Three snapped spines. Countless ruptured organs.
Yet he truly… didn't die.
Every severe injury triggered rapid regeneration from his demi-human bloodline. And with every regeneration, his Haki grew a little stronger.
The system interface kept updating:
[Demi-human Bloodline Fusion: 25.3%]
[Pseudo Steel Balloon Fusion: 18.7%]
[Haki Awakening Progress: 12%]
Afternoon Haki training was even more grueling.
Linlin taught him "Armament Hardening" — condensing Haki into an unbreakable armor.
"Imagine Haki as molten iron! Pour it over your body and let it solidify!"
Kaizer tried.
First attempt: Haki went out of control and exploded, blasting him ten meters away. Second attempt: Haki dispersed halfway and nearly backlashed into his organs. Third attempt… he succeeded.
It was only a small black shell the size of a fist, but it was real Armament Haki.
"Mamama! Genius!" Linlin cheered. "It took me half a month to do that when I first started!"
Kaizer stared at the black coating on his fist and clenched it tightly.
The hardened shell made a faint metallic scraping sound.
Still not enough.
One month later.
On the training ground, Kaizer and Linlin faced each other.
This time, Linlin used thirty percent power.
Her fist, coated in Armament Haki, tore through the air and slammed straight toward Kaizer's chest.
Kaizer didn't dodge.
He took a deep breath. The "river" inside him boiled over. Black Haki surged like a tide, covering his entire body — not perfect hardening, but flowing armor-like coverage.
BOOM——!!!
The fist struck his chest.
Kaizer's feet sank half a meter into the ground. He slid backward ten meters, carving two deep furrows in the rocky surface.
But he stayed standing.
Sharp pain radiated from his chest — probably two cracked ribs. His organs shook, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
But he didn't die.
He wasn't even heavily injured.
"Mamama—!!!"
Linlin burst into thunderous laughter, the sound shaking the entire training ground.
"You did it! Kaizer! You took the hit!"
Kaizer wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at his hands.
The black Haki slowly receded, but the feeling of that power flowing through him was now etched deep into his body.
[System Notification: Armament Haki Awakening Complete (Beginner)]
[Current Strength: Can cover 40% of body surface. Hardening level: Low]
[Combined with "Pseudo Steel Balloon" trait, overall physical resistance increased to 50%]
[Demi-human Bloodline Fusion: 27.1%]
Kaizer looked up at Linlin.
"Continue," he said.
Linlin grinned and raised her fist again.
Under the setting sun, the sounds of impact echoed across the training ground until late into the night.
High up in the castle's tallest tower, Longbread watched through the window, sighed, then smiled faintly.
"Two lunatics."
He muttered softly and turned to prepare supper.
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