[This chapter is proudly sponsored by "Arthur Moreira." Please join me in expressing your thanks in the comments! If you're interested in sponsoring a chapter, consider joining the Patreon.]
"Finally!"
"We're done with training!"
"Hehe, it's breakfast time…"
"Big Brother El, please hurry, I'm starving!"
"Alright, alright. We're not professional chefs, so everyone just be patient. It'll be ready soon!"
As the sun rose higher, the morning training session ended. Everyone was exhausted, sitting around with sweaty faces, drinking the refreshing water that had been prepared. However, the water couldn't satisfy their hunger, and soon, the kids were clutching their growling stomachs, looking at El with pleading eyes.
"Hajrudin, you've gotten the hang of your powers over the last few days. You handle the food prep!" El, wiping the sweat from his forehead, sat down and pointed at the enormous Sea King carcass nearby.
"Got it, leave it to me!" Hajrudin, suddenly full of energy, eagerly stepped forward. Over the past few days, El had given him the ability of the Paramecia-type Dice-Dice Fruit, which made him invulnerable to blades and allowed him to turn his body into sharp, indestructible blades that could easily cut through anything.
"Shing! Shing!" With a flash of light, Hajrudin's hands turned into blades, which he swiftly swung through the air. In no time, he had cut the massive Sea King into evenly sized pieces.
"All done, Big Brother El!" Hajrudin's hands returned to normal, and he stood there with a proud smile. He was now far stronger than his former self and deeply grateful to El for this new power. He was more determined than ever to follow El.
"Not bad, but your cutting technique still needs work. Keep training!" El nodded, then raised his hand, curling his fingers.
"Whoosh... whoosh..." Thick vines sprouted from the ground, grabbing the neatly cut pieces of Sea King meat and stringing them together. The internal organs were quickly removed, and the pieces of meat were thrown into large wooden tubs filled with water for a quick wash, followed by a dip in tubs filled with spices.
The Sea King meat now gleamed in the sunlight, hung along the shore, ready to be cooked.
"That's such a convenient power!" Gerd said, impressed. Of course, her own Soul-Soul Fruit ability was no less impressive. Over the past few days, under El's guidance, she had become more familiar with her power and marveled at its potential.
"Hurry up! I'm starving!" Linlin, sitting on a nearby swing, groaned as she clutched her round belly.
Gerd shook her head with a sigh. "Linlin, you haven't slimmed down at all!"
Among the group, El and Linlin were the ones who ate the most, their appetites seemingly bottomless.
"Sizzle… sizzle…" Flames flared from behind El's head, and a massive fire dragon shot out, enveloping the meat.
"Zzzz…" Within moments, the meat sizzled as it roasted, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.
"The meat's ready..." said El, who had been carefully controlling the heat. As soon as it was done, he withdrew the flames, then smiled at the group, who had been impatiently waiting, drooling at the smell. "Go ahead and eat, but be careful, it's hot!"
"Awesome!"
"I want this piece!"
"That one's mine, no stealing!"
In no time, the kids from Dream Home were happily devouring the roasted Sea King meat, laughing and teasing each other. The enormous Sea King was quickly consumed, with most of it going into the stomachs of El and Linlin, both natural-born powerhouses. Gerd and Hajrudin, as growing giants, also ate a considerable amount, each consuming as much as all the other kids combined.
"Ahh, so full..." Gerd, her belly slightly round, sighed contentedly and ran up to El, her eyes twinkling. "El, when are we going to create a Homie?"
Now that she had a good grasp of her Soul-Soul Fruit ability, she was eager to create the powerful Homie that El had mentioned.
"Since you've mastered your ability, we can start anytime..." El raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Let's do it now."
Under the curious eyes of Hajrudin, Linlin, and the other children, El and Gerd walked over to the shore.
"Whoosh..." El's eyes sharpened as the flames behind him flared up, releasing an enormous fire dragon that shot forward, engulfing part of the sea in blazing light.
"Sizzle…" The sea reflected the intense heat, and steam rose as water evaporated from the surface.
"Now, use your ability to inject a soul into the flames," El said with a smile, pointing at the raging fire. "Turn it into the sun!"
The Soul-Soul Fruit's power was unique, and given Gerd's giant bloodline, her Homies would undoubtedly be incredibly powerful. And when she became stronger in the future, she could even reabsorb the souls she had placed into her creations, enhancing them further.
"With my soul, I give you life…" Gerd's face grew serious as a strange light enveloped her. She raised her hands toward the flames and called out, "Come forth as the sun… Prometheus!"
"Sizzle… crackle..."
"What's that?"
"The fire came to life?"
"It looks like a demon…"
In the stunned eyes of everyone, the blazing fire on the sea transformed, taking the shape of a demonic face.
"Whoosh..." Then, before their astonished eyes, the flames condensed into a glowing golden "mini-sun," complete with a smiling, childlike face, just like a character from a children's drawing.
"Master, greetings. I am Prometheus!" The sun-like Homie floated toward Gerd, filled with affection for its creator.
"Hello, Prometheus! We'll be partners from now on!" Gerd smiled, stroking Prometheus without feeling any heat, her heart full of joy.
"Wow! This is the strongest Homie you talked about, Big Brother El?" Linlin's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Whoosh..." Under everyone's amazed gazes, Linlin transformed into a swarm of bats, flying toward Gerd.
"Oh? Already capable of this?" El raised an eyebrow, impressed by Linlin's rapid mastery of her Mythical Zoan-type Vampire Bat form. She could now effortlessly turn into a flock of bats, even in human form, to dodge attacks or launch surprise strikes.
Over the past few days, after multiple tests and trials, El discovered that Linlin's abilities were far more terrifying than he had imagined. Not only could she drain the youth and life of others, but she could also control any blood she had touched. She could absorb blood to replenish her strength or heal injuries, boasting an incredible regeneration ability. Even if she suffered grievous injuries, as long as she could absorb blood, she was practically immortal.
"Whoosh..." In an instant, the swarm of bats reformed into Linlin, who rushed over to grab Prometheus, curiously stretching and squeezing it. "So strange, it's really alive!"
"By the way, your name is Prometheus, right? Do you poop?"
[This chapter is proudly sponsored by "Arthur Moreira." Please join me in expressing your thanks in the comments! If you're interested in sponsoring a chapter, consider joining the Patreon.]
By the shore, El and Gerd stood in awkward silence, both covered in sweat, after hearing Linlin's strange question.
"You idiot! What kind of ridiculous question is that?"
Prometheus, unable to endure Linlin's relentless squishing, broke free and transformed into a blazing flame with a demonic face. Floating in the air, he bared his teeth angrily at Linlin: "I'm the sun, I'm fire!"
"Hmph! I was just asking. Why are you so mad?" Linlin huffed, sticking her tongue out at Prometheus.
"This guy... sure has a lot of personality!" El chuckled. At this stage, Linlin was still a relatively mild-tempered child. If she had grown up as the tyrannical Big Mom of the original timeline, Prometheus would likely have been too terrified to even argue.
What surprised El, however, was that despite Gerd being so kind and gentle, the Homie created from her soul turned out to be so hot-tempered. Maybe it had something to do with being born from fire.
"Prometheus, Linlin is my friend. You shouldn't be rude to her!" Gerd scolded, crossing her arms. She gave Prometheus a stern knock on the head and ordered, "Apologize to Linlin right now, or I'll get mad!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, Master! Please don't be angry, don't take my soul back!" Prometheus immediately backed down, shrinking from a fiery form into a cute sun-like shape, looking pitiful as he apologized. He knew well that, despite having his own consciousness, he was utterly bound to the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit and had no ability to resist.
"Linlin-sama, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" The previously prideful Prometheus now groveled, his demeanor completely reversed.
"Sorry about that, Linlin. Don't be mad," Gerd said as she hugged Linlin, smiling sweetly. "I've already scolded Prometheus."
"Hehe, since it's your pet, I won't hold a grudge," Linlin replied with a bright smile. She was genuinely happy, as she was much closer to Gerd than the other kids from Dream Home. Not only were their sizes more similar, but Gerd was the first giant to play with her, besides El, and had even shared food with her. Linlin didn't mind letting this small issue go.
"Hehe..."
Relieved that Linlin wasn't upset, Gerd turned to El, her eyes full of excitement. "El, let's continue!"
When El had first taught her how to use the Soul-Soul Fruit, he had explained its full potential, especially how creating multiple high-level Homies would give her greater combat strength.
"Alright, I'll take you up into the sky so you can inject a soul into a cloud and create a thundercloud Homie!" El agreed, smiling as he grabbed hold of Gerd.
Before long, under the envious gazes of the others, El spread his wings and flew into the sky with Gerd.
"Wait for me, I want to come too!" Linlin called out excitedly. In the next moment, she transformed into a giant bat and took off after them, her massive wings flapping powerfully.
"Whoosh..."
Before long, El and Gerd reached a cloud thousands of meters in the sky.
"With my soul, I give you life..."
Gerd, just like before, used her Soul-Soul Fruit ability and infused a part of her soul into the cloud. "Come forth in the form of a thundercloud... Zeus!"
"Rumble, rumble…" The cloud roared with thunder, turning dark and stormy, and a demonic face appeared on it. Soon after, the cloud transformed into a fluffy white shape with a cute, smiling face, much like a piece of cotton candy.
"Master, I am Zeus! Nice to meet you!" Zeus, the thundercloud Homie, floated toward Gerd and El, greeting them happily.
"Wow!" Gerd exclaimed as El lowered them onto Zeus. The soft cloud felt bouncy beneath her feet, and she jumped around on it with delight. "This is amazing! It's so soft, and I won't fall off!"
"With this, you're all set," El said as he patted Gerd's head, reminding her, "High-level Homies like Zeus and Prometheus are powerful, so there's no need to create too many. If you need more, just use the souls of pirates or marines to make lower-level ones. And if you use your own soul to create special Homies, make sure to take the soul back after they're no longer needed. Don't waste your soul energy recklessly, or you'll be shortening your lifespan."
While giants had long lifespans, it was still important for Gerd to be careful with her powers. Too much indulgence in this kind of strength could lead to overuse, which would be dangerous.
"Got it, El! I won't do anything reckless!" Gerd beamed as she hugged El, her eyes squinting with joy. "But I want to make one more thundercloud as a gift for Linlin. She's the reason I got the Soul-Soul Fruit, so I want to thank her!"
El chuckled and nodded. "Alright, that sounds like a great idea."
Soon after, thunder rumbled in the sky once more. Another dark cloud took shape, but this time it transformed into a yellowish, female-looking cloud with fluffy hair. Gerd named her "Hera."
"Rumble, rumble! Master, I am Hera!" The thundercloud Homie floated over, clinging to Gerd affectionately.
"Hello, Hera! I'm Zeus. Looks like we'll be working together from now on!" Zeus, usually goofy-looking, suddenly sparkled with interest, floating alongside Gerd.
"Hera, I think we'd make a great team!" Prometheus, not wanting to be outdone, also flew up, trying to charm the new Homie. "Master, you should give Zeus to Linlin and let me team up with Hera!"
"Prometheus, you little…" Zeus glared at Prometheus, transforming into a stormy, dark cloud crackling with lightning.
"Hmph, want to fight?" Prometheus, always quick-tempered, morphed into a raging flame, glaring right back at Zeus.
The two high-level Homies began squaring off in mid-air.
"Idiots! I'm only loyal to my master!" Hera, the thundercloud Homie, scoffed, showing no interest in either of them.
"..." El couldn't help but twitch slightly at the scene. He hadn't expected that these freshly born Homies would start bickering so soon. Two hopeless flirts, and a prideful tsundere…
"You guys need to get along!" Gerd scolded them sternly.
"Whoosh..."
At that moment, a huge bat flew up, transforming back into Linlin, who landed on the fluffy cloud. She bounced on Zeus, marveling at the cloud's softness. "This is a thundercloud? So cool!"
"Linlin, you're just in time!" Gerd smiled and pointed at Hera. "This is a gift for you, hehe!"
"For me? Really?" Linlin's eyes lit up in surprise. "Thank you so much, Gerd!"
"Hehe, I'm glad you like it!" Gerd giggled, then ordered Hera, "Hera, from now on, Linlin is your master."
"Understood!" Hera obediently floated over to Linlin. "Linlin-sama, pleased to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, Hera!" Linlin excitedly jumped onto Hera, enjoying the soft ride.
"Wow! This is amazing…"
"So this is the true power of the Soul-Soul Fruit?"
"Unbelievable…"
Below, Hajrudin and the other kids from Dream Home watched in awe as the three Homies were created, completely mesmerized.
"Whooo—whooo—"
Suddenly, a horn echoed from the distant sea.
They turned to see several massive warships, filled with giant warriors, sailing away toward the horizon. There weren't just one or two ships—there were at least ten or more.
"What's that?" Linlin asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she stared at the fading silhouettes of the ships.
"That's the war horn of Elbaf," Gerd explained, equally surprised. "It looks like the giants are assembling. Are they preparing to attack a country?"
"It seems the giants, enraged by the deception, are getting ready to strike back at the World Government," El said, raising an eyebrow as he spotted the flagship of the Giant Warrior Pirates leading the fleet. He smiled and added, "Well, we might as well join in on the fun, don't you think?"
"Huh!?"
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