Boom!!! A thunderous roar.
A blinding white light.
Impossible to look at directly.
In the disbelieving eyes of the twisted, bloodthirsty Linlin, a terrifying cylindrical wave of sword energy was mercilessly crushed by El's wild Hero's Spear.
It struck her directly.
"Boom..." Her entire body exploded, turning into countless vampire bats.
However, El's eyes sharpened.
"Heavenly Net!!"
"Swoosh… swoosh…"
In the next moment, countless vines shot into the sky, intertwining tightly, forming an impenetrable net with holes too small to see.
Moreover, the net was covered in powerful high-level Armament Haki, making it incomparably tough.
It closed in from all directions, binding them tightly.
"Crackle…"
In an instant, El's entire body was wrapped in flashing electricity. A massive current surged from the vines beneath his feet, continuously flowing out. The densely interwoven vine net instantly transformed into an unimaginably high-voltage electric grid.
The tough and firm vine net not only tightened further, but the already narrow space was continuously compressed.
"Flap... flap..."
"Crack… crack..."
Fierce vampire bats with sharp fangs, impervious to blades and bullets, flapped their wings violently, trying to tear apart the vines. Sparks flew from the electric net, creating a horrifying sight, and sharp screeches filled the air.
Yet, the vines, wrapped in Haki, were unbelievably resilient. No matter how hard the bats, capable of biting through steel, struggled, they couldn't break free.
"Where is it? Caramel puff tower~~~"
The bats gathered by the hundreds and thousands, and Linlin returned to human form. This level of electricity was naturally not enough to threaten her—a being born a monster. But no matter how much her incredible strength raged, she still couldn't tear apart the vine net wrapped in Haki.
Especially since hidden within the vines were several pairs of Seastone Cuffs, tightly intertwined. These specialized restraints, emitting an ocean-like energy, rendered Devil Fruit users unable to use their abilities. Though they weren't fully bound on her, they pressed heavily against her, sapping her strength and preventing her from using her Devil Fruit powers.
"Damn it, is it Seastone?" she screamed hysterically, struggling violently. "Bastard, let me go!!"
Immediately afterward, the massive vines dragged her along.
Pulled directly into the sea.
"Splaaash..."
Without her Devil Fruit powers and in direct contact with high-purity Seastone, even at a fraction of her peak strength, Linlin, now immersed in seawater, was unable to tear apart the net. As a Devil Fruit user, she became completely powerless.
"Blurble..."
Seawater poured into her nose and mouth.
As time passed, her eyes rolled back as she began to drown.
No one knew how long it took, but when El pulled her out of the water, she had lost consciousness, completely fainting.
She could struggle no more.
"Boss El-sama—"
Seeing El subdue the frenzied Linlin, the members of the Fallen Angel Pirate Crew rushed over, their gazes filled with indescribable awe and reverence.
If Linlin was a monster, then the person before them was a true monster among monsters. His strength was unfathomable, and no one knew how far his limits reached.
Looking at the unconscious Linlin, the vines began to retract, and the Armament Haki wrapped around them dissipated. El stepped forward and crouched down, gently pressing his right hand against her slightly swollen abdomen.
"Ugh... ugh..." Even in her unconscious state, she instinctively coughed, spitting out a large amount of seawater.
Seeing that she showed no signs of waking, El raised his eyebrows but did not force her to awaken. Instead, he asked in displeasure, "What happened? Why didn't you put the Seastone handcuffs on her beforehand?"
Logically, even if her eating disorder was inevitable, Linlin should have been able to maintain her composure for a short time and control herself. With her personality, she would have immediately asked for the handcuffs to be placed on her, which would have prevented her from using the powers of her Mythical Zoan-type Vampire form to cause havoc.
Even if she lost control, her immense strength would have allowed her to gauge that the chains weren't made of Seastone. But at least it would have minimized damage and casualties.
"No, we did plan to put them on her at first, and it was Linlin herself who requested it…"
Rok, a member of the Longleg Tribe, explained helplessly, "But the kids in the Dream House were too young, and they were scared by Linlin's biting, so they didn't dare get close and couldn't put the handcuffs on in time…"
"By the time I and the other Fallen Angel Pirates, who were training on the other side of the island, realized something was wrong and rushed over with the handcuffs, it was already too late…"
"At that point, Linlin was barely holding onto her sanity but was starting to lose control of her destructive urges."
They weren't making excuses. Just as the Fish-man Jien, who wasn't a Devil Fruit user and could touch Seastone, arrived with a large pair of handcuffs for Linlin, she suddenly snapped.
Had Jien not reacted quickly and used his honed Observation Haki to sense the danger and retreat instantly, he would have been seriously injured by one of Linlin's immensely powerful punches.
"I'm terribly sorry, Boss El. I couldn't even handle this small matter!"
To them, El was like a father or older brother—someone they respected and were grateful to from the bottom of their hearts. He had saved them from the poisonous nun and the World Government when they were helpless, abandoned children, left to be slaughtered or sold like lambs.
When the Giants refused to let them stay in Elbaf any longer, he took them in, teaching them how to read and write, training them in combat and Haki. Although he put them through rigorous training, he never mistreated them in their daily lives—they were well-fed, well-housed, and had plenty of fun.
Every child in the former Sheep's House cherished fond memories of their childhood and saw each other as siblings, not just bearers of scars and tears. Their current strength and ability to change their own fate were all thanks to El.
How could they not be grateful?
"Never mind. At least there were no irreversible losses or casualties... Learn from this and be more careful next time!"
El frowned but didn't pursue the matter further. The new kids in the Dream House were not like Rock, Moss, and Jien, who had grown up with Linlin. They were understandably frightened by her frenzy, unable to approach her.
Even Moss and the others feared the out-of-control Linlin, but as they matured, they suppressed that fear as much as they could.
Before the children from the original Sheep's House had grown up, he had always made sure Linlin wore Seastone handcuffs when her eating disorder flared up. At times, for safety's sake, she would wear them for one or two months straight. Over time, Linlin had developed a strong resistance to Seastone, so even without her Devil Fruit powers, her raw strength was terrifying.
This time, however, her eating disorder had flared up too suddenly, in an unusually erratic manner.
"El/Boss—"
"El Onii-chan!!"
At that moment, far in the sky, Moss, in the form of a Pelagornis bird, flapped his wings and approached. Behind him were Lily, Witt, and Gerd.
Witt and Gerd rode atop Zeus, the thundercloud, a bit behind, while Lily sat astride a massive black leopard with black wings and sharp fangs, which flew toward them. This was El's gift to her—an enormous black hawk empowered with the Black Leopard Zoan-type Fruit. Whether on land or in the sky, it possessed incredible speed and strength. Moreover, it could combine with Lily, the Pile-Pile Fruit user.
"Gerd, you've arrived..."
As the group gathered, El nodded slightly.
"Is Linlin okay?"
Looking at the soaking wet and unconscious Linlin, even though she knew Linlin was a natural-born monster, difficult to hurt, Gerd couldn't help but ask out of concern.
"Don't worry, she's fine..." El shook his head and said to Gerd, "Please take her back to her room, help her clean up, and change her clothes."
"Got it, leave it to me!"
Gerd nodded gently. As a giantess, she easily picked up the now unconscious Linlin, whose height exceeded seven meters.
"Although the cycle of her eating disorder's flare-ups isn't short, it seems unpredictable and irregular, making it impossible to foresee…"
El sighed, "To prevent any accidents, until she can completely suppress and overcome her eating disorder with her willpower, she may need to carry Seastone with her at all times."
Of course, that meant carrying it, not constantly wearing it. That way, if her eating disorder flared up unexpectedly, Linlin, who could now maintain rationality for a short period, could put the handcuffs on herself.
Better safe than sorry.
~~~
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"Everyone—"
"Linlin, Big Sis..."
"Linlin, you're awake!"
"Are you okay, Linlin..."
"Sorry for causing everyone trouble!"
"Not at all, Linlin. No one wanted this to happen, and we know you didn't do it on purpose!"
"Boss El is over there. Do you want to see him?"
That afternoon, Linlin woke up from her coma.
The first thing she did was run outside the cabin, gazing blankly at the chaotic scene before her.
The children from Dream House, though still showing her respect as their "Big Sis," now carried a sense of fear in their actions. They were no longer as enthusiastic as before. Linlin could see the fear lurking deep in their eyes, even though they tried to hide it.
However, what brought her some comfort was that her old companions from the original Sheep's House still greeted her cheerfully, just like before.
No one blamed her, and no one deliberately distanced themselves from her.
Unfortunately, everyone had grown up. Besides their training, they were now busy with their own responsibilities and no longer had time to play together as they once did.
Especially when Linlin looked at Dreamland, still in ruins despite being partially restored by El's fruit powers.
Normally cheerful, straightforward, and kind, Linlin—who could easily set aside her high rank in the Fallen Angel Pirates to play happily with everyone—now felt a wave of sadness.
She truly didn't want things to be like this.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't control herself.
"I'm sorry, Oni-chan…"
Like a child who had done something wrong, she approached El, full of guilt.
Standing at over seven meters tall, the slender and beautiful girl hung her head in deep self-blame. There wasn't a trace of the bloodthirsty, ferocious, and violent figure she had been in the morning.
"It's okay, Linlin. You don't need to blame yourself…"
El, of course, did not reprimand her.
He gently patted her head and smiled, saying, "You've done well. At least, before I got back, you were able to suppress your destructive urges and retain some rationality without causing too much damage!"
"And compared to before, you've made a lot of progress!"
This wasn't just a comforting remark; El had truly noticed great improvement in Linlin.
With a gentle smile, he looked her in the eyes and said earnestly, "I believe that as long as you keep trying, you'll eventually be able to suppress that ravenous hunger with your willpower and overcome your strange eating disorder!"
"But so many years have passed, and I still can't do it. I can't suppress this strange illness!"
This recent outburst had clearly left Linlin feeling down, and she slumped in discouragement.
"Don't be in such a rush, thinking everything has to happen all at once. As long as there's progress, that's a good thing…"
El placed his hand on her shoulder, continuing to encourage her: "You need to have confidence and patience in everything you do, and believe in yourself unshakably!"
"In the end, it's just an eating disorder. If you work hard to sharpen your willpower and determination, you'll overcome it one day!"
"Mm-hmm—" Linlin nodded earnestly.
Looking at El, her Oni-chan who had always cared for her like a big brother, her confidence returned once again.
Her previous sadness and discouragement faded, replaced by a bright smile.
"But, everyone…"
She seemed to remember something and instinctively glanced at the children in the distance, clearing rubble and preparing to rebuild Dreamland.
"Don't worry about how those kids are acting…"
El wasn't surprised and smiled as he said, "It's impossible for anyone to be universally liked. Just like how gold gleams, drawing countless admirers, there will still be those who don't care for it…"
"They're just inevitably filled with fear and awe of your overwhelming power!"
At the core, the children were simply scared of the terrifying force Linlin had unleashed in her frenzy, seeing her as a monster.
But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Sometimes, a bit of respectful fear was needed.
El wasn't naive enough to believe that everyone in the world was born equal, nor did he have any intention of changing that completely.
In the dream nation he sought to create, where all races could live in peace, harmony was the goal.
But he wasn't a saint; there was no way he could be selfless or without personal ambitions.
In the future, the Lunarian race was destined to stand at the top of the world.
And Linlin, as the one he had long since chosen as his "primary queen"—
Or rather, the future "empress" of the Lunarian god race—
Naturally needed to be respected.
"Linlin, you're awake…"
In the distance, Gerd, who was helping clean up, immediately dropped her tasks and ran over joyfully upon hearing that Linlin had awakened.
Over the years, the two girls had developed a deep bond.
They had become inseparable, sharing everything like sisters.
"Gerd—" Linlin squinted her eyes happily, showing a bright smile as she dashed over and hugged her friend.
After all, only Gerd and the others wouldn't fear or distance themselves from her.
Scratching her head, Linlin said awkwardly, "Sorry for making everyone worry!"
"Hehe, it's okay, don't be too hard on yourself. Linlin, you're an honest and kind girl—you didn't mean to do it…" Gerd laughed, comforting her.
Such a level of damage might have been catastrophic in Elbaf, but for the Fallen Angel Pirates, it wasn't a big deal.
With El's fruit powers, everything could be easily restored in time.
And given the current wealth of the Hell Trading Company, this kind of loss was insignificant.
"Linlin, it's not like you don't have friends, right?"
El smiled, lightly pinching Linlin's cheek. He said with a laugh, "Me, Gerd, Hajrudin, and the others, along with the kids from the original Sheep's House—no one dislikes you or fears your presence, right?"
"You're a natural-born monster, just like me. We were destined to stand at the top of this ocean, to be admired and feared by countless people…"
"No matter how others fear, envy, or resent us... That's an unchangeable fact!"
"Right, all we have to do is be true to ourselves. Don't worry too much about what others think…"
As El spoke, Gerd, who had just arrived, seemed to grasp what had been troubling Linlin.
With gentle understanding, she stroked Linlin's head and said with a smile, "Mountain Beard once said that pirates should live freely, unbound by anything…"
"And Old Waterfall Beard also said that overthinking and worrying too much about every little thing will only make life exhausting and leave you with nothing but wasted time!"
"Eh? Did the two of them really say that?"
Linlin seemed to understand but was also full of surprise, her eyes wide in amazement.
She had deep respect and admiration for those two former leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates, the world's oldest warriors. She had followed El many times to visit them in Elbaf and loved hearing their thrilling, adventurous stories from the past.
"So, Linlin, don't think too much…"
El chuckled softly, patting her head, and said with a smile, "In short, all you and Gerd need to do is follow my lead…"
"I'll guide you to the very top of the world!"
Equality? In the end, that was only relative.
How could true equality ever exist?
At best, beneath the Lunarian race…
All beings would be equal.
Democracy? Freedom?
None of that mattered to him!
"El/Oni-chan—"
At that moment, Linlin and Gerd, filled with excitement, gazed in admiration at the tall, handsome, and imposing figure before them.
It was clear that only a man of such strength and ambition could capture the hearts of those who, as they grew, saw the world with sharper vision and set their sights ever higher.
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