"I'm just an unlucky Marine Lieutenant," Kaizer said calmly. "I got dragged into the battle and nearly died."
"Nearly died?" Linlin leaned in until her massive face was inches from his. "I saw everything clearly — you were completely dead! Your heart was gone! Mamama! And then you came back to life!"
Dangerous curiosity sparkled in her eyes.
"Are you a Devil Fruit user? No… that doesn't fit. People who eat Devil Fruits get weak in seawater, but you didn't react at all when I accidentally dropped you into the ocean earlier."
She was referring to the moment she had carelessly flung him into the sea while boarding the ship.
Kaizer stayed silent.
He was thinking. He knew Linlin's personality well — she would obsessively pursue anything that interested her, but she would casually destroy anything that bored her.
Right now, his ability to die and come back had caught her full attention. That was his best chance to survive.
It was also extremely dangerous.
"I don't know either," Kaizer decided to mix truth with lies. "I woke up like this."
"Liar." Linlin's smile vanished, her gaze turning ice-cold. "You're lying."
Her hand shot out like lightning, clamping around his throat and lifting him off the deck.
"Tell me the truth, or I'll take you apart piece by piece to see what's inside."
The choking pressure hit instantly. Kaizer could hear his neck bones creaking.
"Linlin, stop playing around," Kaido muttered from the railing, staring at God Valley growing distant behind them. "We need to find a place to split the loot and go our separate ways."
"Mamama! I know!" Linlin replied, but her grip didn't loosen. "Right now, I'm more interested in this toy!"
Kaizer's vision began to blur.
If this continued, he would really die again — and even though he could revive, he had zero desire to experience death a second time.
He had to do something.
System… IBM.
He focused, trying to channel the so-called "vitality" as described.
[Summon IBM?] [Yes]
A strange sensation surged from within. He felt his strength rapidly draining, but at the same time, black particles began to gather on the deck.
They swirled like living things, wrapping around an invisible frame. Gray-white bandages materialized from nowhere, coiling into shape. In just three seconds, a bizarre humanoid figure appeared behind Linlin.
It was wrapped head to toe in bandages, with flowing black particles visible through the gaps. It had no facial features, only two sunken hollows where eyes should be. It stood roughly the same height as Kaizer, completely still.
Normal people couldn't see it.
But Linlin froze.
She whipped her head around, staring exactly where the IBM stood.
"…What is that?" For the first time, wariness crept into her voice.
Kaido straightened up. "What's wrong?"
"There's… something there," Linlin said, releasing Kaizer and turning to face the IBM. "It's emitting killing intent toward me."
Kaizer collapsed onto the deck, gasping for air. He glanced at the IBM — according to the system, it only became visible when it harbored killing intent toward its target.
So now Linlin could see it.
The IBM's "head" turned toward her. It had no eyes, yet Linlin clearly felt the cold, inhuman gaze.
"Mamama!" Linlin suddenly burst into laughter. "Interesting! So interesting!"
She threw a powerful punch at the IBM.
Her fist passed straight through its body, scattering the bandages and black particles — but they immediately reformed.
The IBM remained completely unharmed, though the flow of particles around it sped up slightly.
"Physical attacks don't work?" Kaido grew interested and stepped closer. "Some kind of ability user?"
"No… not exactly," Linlin stared at the IBM, her eyes shining with excitement. "This is… a soul? No, not quite…"
She reached out, a purple glow forming in her palm — the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Kaizer's heart tightened. He could feel the IBM sending him an instinctive wave of fear toward that purple light.
"Don't!" he blurted out.
Linlin paused and turned to him. "You can control it?"
"…Yes." Kaizer pushed himself up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "It's… part of me."
"Mamama! Amazing!" Linlin withdrew her power and clapped her hands in delight. "You come back from the dead and can summon something like this? What kind of Devil Fruit are you? I've never heard of anything like it!"
Kaizer didn't answer. He focused and called the IBM to his side.
The black ghost stood quietly beside him, its bandages fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.
Kaido stared at it for a few seconds before speaking. "Linlin, this guy isn't simple. Taking him with us might cause trouble."
"Trouble?" Linlin grinned widely. "I'm not afraid of trouble!"
She turned back to Kaizer, her enormous eyes filled with greed and curiosity.
"From today onward, you belong to me."
She declared it like a royal decree. "I'm taking you back, I'm going to study your abilities thoroughly, and then —"
She paused, her smile turning even more twisted.
"Then I'll make you part of my family."
A chill ran down Kaizer's spine.
Family. In Charlotte Linlin's dictionary, that word carried a completely different meaning.
But he had no choice.
The ship sailed through the sea as the flames and smoke of God Valley faded into the distance. Rain began to fall, fine droplets pattering down.
The IBM suddenly became unstable — the black particles slowed, and the bandages started to loosen.
Kaizer received a message from it: rain was weakening the entity.
"Oh? Afraid of water?" Linlin noticed immediately. "Mamama! Having a weakness is good! I hate things without weaknesses the most!"
She waved her hand, dispersing the IBM. "Put it away. I know you can control it."
Kaizer obeyed. The IBM dissolved into black particles and returned to his body. The drained vitality slowly recovered, but exhaustion washed over him.
"Tired?" Linlin leaned closer. "Mamama! Coming back from the dead really does have a price, huh? Tell me — how many times can you revive?"
"I don't know," Kaizer answered honestly.
"Then we'll test it slowly." Linlin picked him up and carried him into the cabin. "Kaido! You handle the ship! I want to study my new toy properly!"
Kaido spat in annoyance but still moved to the helm.
The cabin was piled high with stolen treasure.
Linlin tossed Kaizer onto a heap of gold coins and sat across from him, resting her chin on her hand as she stared.
"Now, start from the beginning," she said, her smile gone and her gaze cold and focused. "Who are you, where did you come from, why can you revive, and what is that black monster?"
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll dismantle you and see how far I have to go before you stay dead." Linlin spoke calmly. "After all, you can come back, right? Mamama!"
Kaizer looked at her.
Thirty-year-old Charlotte Linlin. Younger than in the manga, not yet as massively overweight, but the overwhelming madness and childlike cruelty were already deeply rooted in her. She wasn't joking — she would really do it.
The system interface flashed in his mind.
[Current Mission: Survive 24 hours on God Valley battlefield — Completed]
[Reward: Life force limit +10%, IBM duration +1 minute]
[New Mission Triggered: Survive 72 hours in Charlotte Linlin's hands]
[Reward: Language Mastery (One Piece world common tongue), Basic Physical Technique Enhancement]
Kaizer took a deep breath.
"My name is Kaizer," he said. "As for my abilities… I'm not entirely sure myself. I only know that I can't die."
"Can't die?" Linlin's eyes lit up. "Really can't die?"
"At least not so far."
"Mamama! Perfect!" She clapped her hands. "Then from now on, you're my personal punching bag! When I'm angry, I can beat you. When I test new techniques, I can use you. When I'm hungry…"
She paused, grinning widely.
"Mamama! Just kidding! You're too interesting — I won't eat you! At least… not right now."
Kaizer remained silent.
The ship sailed through the rainy night. In the distance, a final earth-shaking explosion came from God Valley, then everything fell silent.
The era of Rocks had ended.
And Kaizer's era — a modern man in the One Piece world, carrying a demi-human bloodline and the "Many Children, Many Blessings" system, becoming Charlotte Linlin's "family" — had just begun.
Linlin rummaged through the treasure pile and tossed him half a piece of dried meat.
"Eat," she said. "You need strength to answer my questions properly."
Kaizer caught the meat and took a bite. It was tough and very salty.
"Questions?" he asked.
"Yes." Linlin stared at him, the flickering oil lamp reflecting in her huge eyes. "First question —"
"You say you can't die. If I cut your head off, can you grow a new one?"
The cabin fell quiet for a few seconds.
Only the sound of rain hitting the deck remained.
Kaizer set the meat down and met her gaze.
"You can try," he said. "But I don't think you'll like the answer."
Linlin paused, then exploded into laughter.
"Mamama! Interesting! You really are interesting!"
She laughed until tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Wiping them away, she suddenly leaned in close — so close that Kaizer could smell the sickly-sweet mix of cake and blood on her.
"Then it's settled," she whispered, like sharing a secret. "You'll follow me and help me build my kingdom. And in return…"
She bared her white teeth in a wide grin.
"I'll show you the highest peaks this world has to offer."
Kaizer looked at her.
Thunder rumbled outside the window.
He knew he had stepped onto a path with no return.
But at least he was alive.
And in the system interface, the title [Many Children, Many Blessings] was glowing faintly.
[Long-term Mission Updated: Father the first child with Charlotte Linlin]
[Reward: Depends on the child's potential]
[Time Limit: 2 years]
Kaizer closed his eyes.
First, survive these 72 hours.