"Big Mom's back?"
Ethan Sugawa instantly recognized Big Mom's voice. His gaze turned toward the wooden door.
After days of intense clashes with the Navy, Big Mom now bore a few injuries, her expression exhausted.
Fortunately, thanks to Whitebeard and the remaining crew's fierce resistance, they had finally shaken off the Navy and the World Government's pursuit.
The Battle of God Valley had come to an end. Though Rocks was dead, the bounties on the remaining crew skyrocketed including Ethan's.
Just as Ethan was about to get up and greet her, Big Mom suddenly shoved him down, pinning him to the wooden bed.
"Linlin, what are you"
Ethan could feel her softness pressing against him. He smirked inwardly, but on the surface, he played the part of a helpless, wide-eyed rabbit.
"Haha!" Big Mom burst out laughing at Ethan's expression.
"Ethan, you're not getting away from me today."
After witnessing Ethan's terrifying potential at God Valley, she had made up her mind. Given time, this boy might even surpass Rocks D. Xebec.
Someone like that had to be tightly controlled and bound to her future plans for Totto Land.
With Rocks dead, many on the ship were already thinking of jumping ship and Big Mom was no exception.
She had harbored the ambition to leave the Rocks Pirates and build her own empire for years. Back then, the timing wasn't right, so she buried that thought.
But now it was time to act.
If she wanted to create Totto Land, she couldn't rely on herself alone. She needed to recruit strong allies.
Besides the alliance she had already formed with Kaido, the key person she hadn't fully secured yet was Ethan.
The next few days would be critical. She needed Ethan's total loyalty.
"If Ethan dares to have any other thoughts… I won't hesitate to crush him."
Looking at Ethan's face, blissfully enjoying the moment, Big Mom sneered coldly inside.
She had already laid out a plan for his future.
"Linlin, what's wrong?"
Ethan wasn't thinking that far ahead. All he cared about now was growing stronger, milking Big Mom for every ounce of experience.
Without wasting another word, he continued "sparring" with her.
…
[+100 Observation Haki]
[+100 Armament Haki]
[+100 Conqueror's Haki]
[Congratulations! Host has acquired Giant Bloodline.]
"Giant Bloodline?"
Ethan blinked at the system message, a little puzzled.
Big Mom wasn't a giant. How could he have acquired a giant's bloodline from her?
[Giant Bloodline: Due to Big Mom consuming giant's blood in the past, a trace of giant lineage remains in her body.]
"Right, she did live among giants for a time… and she even defeated one of their elders. With her insatiable hunger, she probably did consume a giant."
"It's actually not surprising she still carries traces of giant blood."
Ethan quietly processed this revelation.
What surprised him was how much he had underestimated the Legacy of Cao Cao trait.
He had thought he could only acquire bloodlines through direct dual cultivation with someone who currently possessed that bloodline.
But it turned out that as long as the partner had once come into contact with that bloodline even just a trace it was enough for him to extract it.
As he sorted through his thoughts, Ethan stepped down from the wooden bed, only for a sudden sharp pain to tear through his body.
His bones cracked like beans in a frying pan. His heart thundered in his chest as new blood surged through his limbs, rapidly transforming him from the inside out.
Under the influence of the giant's bloodline, Ethan's body began to visibly grow.
In just a few seconds, his size had doubled.
"Is the fusion complete?"
He stepped in front of a full-length mirror and grinned at his new physique.
The giant bloodline had instantly boosted his height to three meters. And the fusion wasn't over it would continue until he matched the stature of a true giant.
His strength had also soared. With one punch now, he could easily kill a Sea King.
Even better, his mastery over Ikoku Sovereignty had leveled up, thanks to the giant bloodline's natural synergy.
With this boost, he could now shatter small mountains with a single sword strike.
On top of that, his Three-Eyed Tribe bloodline had undergone another evolution.
Not only could he now pierce through illusions, but he had also awakened the ability to see the very essence of things.
"Byakugan?"
The power felt extremely familiar to him it was practically the Byakugan from Naruto.
With this x-ray vision, he could now see his enemies' weaknesses clearly, massively improving his combat ability.
Once he had finished digesting all these new powers, Ethan's eyes shifted back to Big Mom.
He still remembered that the Legacy of Cao Cao trait could also extract Devil Fruit abilities from his partners.
Aside from the three types of Haki, what he wanted most from Big Mom was her Soul-Soul Fruit.
But so far, it hadn't dropped.
"Time is running out. I need to push harder."
Ethan was keenly aware of the storyline's progression the Rocks Pirates would soon disband, and the surviving members would begin forming their own crews.
He needed to seize this window to completely break free from Big Mom's control.
Before that, he had to grow as strong as possible.
Determined, he headed back to the wooden bed to resume his… training.
…
Over the next few days.
More and more crew members quietly left the Rocks Pirates, setting sail for their own futures.
But Ethan didn't care.
The decline of the Rocks Pirates was driven by the tides of history he had no power to stop it.
All he could do was focus entirely on extracting value from Big Mom.
Her relentless efforts didn't escape Ethan's notice. He smirked to himself.
"She's working this hard… just to obtain my bloodline?"
After learning that Big Mom intended to build Totto Land, Ethan had been constantly on guard, wary that she might try to use him as a pawn in her plans.
That's why he had long since destroyed the One Shot, One Soul trait.
As long as he didn't want to, no matter how hard Big Mom tried, she wouldn't be able to pass on his bloodline.
"Heh. The harder she works, the faster my power grows."
In just a few days, his overall strength had multiplied.
Ordinary pirates with bounties in the tens of millions were now no match for him.
His three types of Haki thanks to Big Mom's "dedication" had all risen to Level 3.
He now had a basic grasp of Conqueror's Haki intimidation, Armament Haki hardening, and Observation Haki sensing.
His other abilities had grown as well.
The only thing still missing was the Soul-Soul Fruit's power.
"I'll give it three more days. If I still haven't acquired the Soul-Soul Fruit by then, I'll have to give up for now."
By now, most of the Rocks Pirates had already jumped ship even Shiki was gone.
Before long, Big Mom would set off with him to establish Totto Land.
If he waited until then, escaping her clutches would become almost impossible.
He had to break free before that happened.
With his escape plan now fully formed, Ethan threw himself into the final stretch draining every last drop of Big Mom's potential.
And the heavens did not disappoint.
The day before their departure, Ethan finally gained the power he had been waiting for.