Three days.
Kaizer had survived exactly seventy-two hours in Charlotte Linlin's hands.
The moment the system notification rang in his mind, he was being held upside down by his ankle, head dangling over the ship's railing. Below him churned the dark sea. Fragments of Seastone handcuffs had just fallen from his wrist and disappeared into the waves.
[72-hour survival mission completed]
[Rewards delivered: Language Mastery (One Piece world common tongue), Basic Physical Technique Enhancement]
A warm current flooded his brain. Suddenly, every accent and dialect became crystal clear — he could even distinguish subtle differences between the seas. At the same time, faint cracking sounds echoed deep in his muscles as the system rewrote his body's muscle memory, turning the original Marine lieutenant's mediocre combat skills into something far more efficient and deadly.
"Mamama! Useless after all!"
Linlin laughed loudly as she yanked him back and casually tossed him onto the deck. Kaizer rolled to his feet — his movements already smoother and sharper than they had been three days ago.
"Seastone has no effect on you. Seawater has no effect on you." Linlin squatted down, bringing her enormous face close. "Devil Fruit users lose their strength from Seastone and weaken in seawater, but you've experienced both and didn't react at all."
She poked his chest with her massive index finger.
"So your power isn't from a Devil Fruit," her eyes gleamed dangerously. "It's something more fundamental… Life? Soul? Or something else entirely?"
Kaizer wiped seawater from his face. "I already told you — I don't know myself."
"Liar." Linlin's smile vanished. "Every time you lie, the index finger on your right hand twitches slightly. Mamama! I've been watching you for three days. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Kaizer's heart skipped. He instinctively glanced at his right hand.
"See? Just like that!" Linlin clapped and laughed. "So what exactly is your ability? Tell me the truth, or…"
She raised her hand. A purple glow bloomed in her palm — the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Kaizer felt a terrifying suction pulling at him — not at his body, but at something deeper. His vision blurred at the edges as a cold sensation began peeling away his consciousness.
"Let me see what your soul looks like," Linlin whispered, her voice filled with childish curiosity and cruelty.
Kaizer gritted his teeth and pushed his demi-human bloodline to the limit. System alerts flashed wildly:
[Soul-Soul Fruit erosion detected]
[Soul Binding trait resisting…]
[Resistance successful]
[Warning: Continued erosion may cause soul damage]
The purple aura swirled over his skin but could not penetrate deeper. Linlin's expression shifted from curiosity to surprise, then to pure excitement.
"I can't pull it out… Your soul and body are completely fused?" She increased the power until her entire arm glowed purple. "How is that possible? Every living thing has a separate soul and body—"
Before she could finish, cannon fire echoed across the sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three shells exploded around the ship, sending towering columns of water into the air.
A Marine warship was approaching fast from the rear, its tattered "Justice" cloak banner still visible on the mast.
"Marines again!" Kaido burst out of the cabin, gripping his massive kanabo. "They just won't quit!"
"Mamama! Perfect timing!" Linlin withdrew her hand and stood up. "I needed to vent anyway!"
She turned toward the warship, took a deep breath —
"Promised Land—!!!"
A massive shockwave erupted from her mouth — not mere sound, but concentrated Conqueror's Haki mixed with the soul-shaking power of her Soul-Soul Fruit. The sea split open in a trench dozens of meters wide, rushing straight at the warship.
The Marine officer's face paled. "Hard to starboard—!"
It was too late.
The shockwave struck the ship's midsection. Wood shattered instantly. The entire warship split in two, screams drowned out by the explosion.
Linlin clapped her hands and turned back to Kaizer. "Where were we? Oh right — your soul."
"Linlin," Kaido frowned at the sinking wreckage. "That's the seventh wave in three days. The Marines will start paying real attention to us soon."
"So what?" Linlin shrugged. "Rocks is dead. Who in the Marines can stop us now?"
"Garp. Roger. Sengoku. And that Fleet Admiral Kong," Kaido replied.
"Mamama! If they come, I'll turn them all into Homies!" Linlin grinned, but a flicker of caution crossed her eyes.
No more pursuers appeared in the following hours.
By evening, a News Coo landed on the railing with a flutter of wings.
Kaido tossed it a coin and received a newspaper.
The front-page headline screamed:
[Rocks Pirates Annihilated! Marine Hero Garp and Pirate King Roger Team Up to Defeat the Overlord of the Seas!]
The photo showed the ruins of God Valley and a silhouette of Garp and Roger standing side by side — though the Marine version heavily emphasized Garp's role.
"Hmph." Kaido tossed the paper onto the deck. "Marine hero? They only won because they fought together."
"That guy Rocks…" Linlin picked up the newspaper, staring at the blurry battlefield photo. "That final form… What exactly did Imu do to him?"
"Turned him into a monster," Kaido said coldly. "I warned him — cooperating with the World Government never ends well."
The two fell silent for a moment.
"Kaido," Linlin suddenly asked. "What are you planning to do next?"
Kaido gazed at the distant horizon. "I'm heading back to Wano. It's in chaos right now. The old man from the Kozuki clan won't last much longer. I'll build my own crew there."
"Wano, huh…" Linlin licked her lips. "I heard their mochi is delicious."
"Don't even think about Wano," Kaido shot her a glance. "At least not yet."
"Mamama! Stingy!" Linlin laughed, then turned serious. "I'm going to build my own nation. A country where every race can live in peace and no one goes hungry. I'll build it on the richest land in the New World."
Kaido watched her for a few seconds, then nodded. "Sounds like something you'd do."
"What about you?" Linlin asked. "You just want to be a pirate?"
"Pirates are the freest," Kaido replied. "I fight when I want, leave when I want. When my power is strong enough, I'll start the biggest war this world has ever seen — and test how fragile their so-called 'Justice' really is."
Linlin stared at him, then grinned widely.
"Kaido, remember this," she said. "You owe me. That Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon model — I stole it myself from the World Government's vault."
Kaido's expression stiffened.
"…I know," he muttered. "That's why I agreed to take you along during the retreat."
"Mamama! That's right!" Linlin nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the silent Kaizer. "By the way, what are you planning to do with this kid?"
Kaido also looked at Kaizer.
For three days, the mysterious Marine lieutenant had barely spoken, only quietly observing and learning. Kaido had seen his bizarre revival ability and the black monster he could summon.
"Kill him," Kaido said bluntly. "Or throw him into the sea. He'll be too much trouble."
"No!" Linlin pulled Kaizer against her side — the motion nearly crushed his ribs again. "This kid is way too interesting! I'm keeping him!"
"Linlin—"
"Mamama! It's decided!" Linlin cut him off and patted Kaizer's head. "From today on, you're my family! By the way, what was your name again?"
"Kaizer."
"Kaizer… Strange name," Linlin muttered, then smiled. "Doesn't matter! From now on, you'll be called Charlotte Kaizer!"
Kaizer opened his mouth but said nothing.
Charlotte Kaizer. He knew exactly what that surname meant in the One Piece world.
"Whatever," Kaido turned toward the railing. "There's a trade island up ahead. I'll steal a ship. We part ways here."
"Not staying a few more days?" Linlin asked.
"No need." Kaido didn't look back. "If I stay with you any longer, I might end up crazy too."
"Mamama! What did you say?!"
One hour later, the ship docked at a modest island. Several merchant vessels were anchored in the harbor.
Kaido picked the largest one, jumped aboard, and sent the merchants and sailors fleeing in terror.
Linlin shouldered her massive sack of treasure, grabbed Kaizer, and leaped onto the island as well.
"Kaido!" she shouted at him while he was hoisting the sails. "Next time we meet in the New World, we'll be rivals!"
"I look forward to it," Kaido grinned. "We'll fight then — see who's stronger."
"Mamama! It'll be me!"
Kaido didn't reply. He unfurled the sails, caught the current, and the stolen ship slowly pulled away from the harbor.
Linlin stood on the dock, watching it disappear. Suddenly she grew quiet.
Kaizer stood at her feet and could feel the shift in her mood — from excitement to something heavier and more complicated.
"Let's go," Linlin said, turning toward the island's interior. "First, find a place to stay. Then…"
She looked down at him, her enormous eyes shining with dangerous excitement.
"Then I'm going to study you properly. Mamama! The secret of your revival, the ability to summon that monster… Once I figure it all out, you'll truly be my family!"
Kaizer followed her. The system interface silently expanded in his mind.
[Current Mission Updated: Survive 30 days under Charlotte Linlin's "research"]
[Reward: Demi-human Bloodline Fusion +10%, IBM Ability Enhancement]
[Long-term Mission: Father the first child with Charlotte Linlin (Countdown: 1 year, 11 months, 27 days)]
He stared at Linlin's towering back and the hands carrying the enormous treasure sack.
This woman was only thirty years old.
She had already eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit, possessed a body as tough as a steel balloon, and was ambitiously planning to build her own nation.
And he — a transmigrator with a system — had now become her "family."
The future was uncertain.
But at least he was alive.
At the bottom of the system interface, a small line of text was flashing:
[Compatible Mother Body Detected: Charlotte Linlin] [Binding will unlock Bloodline Optimization Function] [Bind?]
Kaizer paused for a few seconds, then chose in his mind:
[Yes]
Linlin suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"What is it?" she tilted her head. "You… seemed to change just now."
"Nothing," Kaizer said calmly. "I just think… following you might not be so bad."
"Mamama! Of course it's not bad!" Linlin laughed and continued walking. "I'll show you the highest peaks of this world! I'll make you my most capable family member!"
Kaizer followed, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
The highest peaks?
Maybe.
But first, he had to survive the next 30 days of "research."
And in the longer term —
He looked at Linlin's back as the system displayed [Binding Successful].
One year and eleven months.
He would make this insane woman give birth to his child.