"y-yes?"
Hmmmm. The figure of Garp got closer and closer before he could feel Garp's breath down his throat.
"Brat, who do you think is cooler, Me or this free-loading icicle over there." Garp smiled before pointing to Aokiji who stared at Lin suspiciously.
Instatly all the tension in Lin's body dissapared as relief washed over his body.
'Thank god he's the same as the anime.'
Lin crossed his arms before putting a finger on his chin pretending to deeply think.
"It depends honestly, a kind sweet old man like you gives off the aura of a retired veteran but honestly the tall sleepy looking guy behind you, with that half buttoned shirt of his and the, I just woke up from a 500 year old nap vibe, the ladies would love him."
Garp's face was full of victory at the first half of Lin's sentence but his head blackened at the second half.
Aokiji smiled before moving forward and patting Garp on the back.
"Tch tch tch, would you look at that? Even he's taking my side. The future generation truly is promising." Aokiji went through his pockets before offering Lin a 10000 berry note.
"OH so NOW you're even BRIBING him? How shameless are you? A student rebelling against his own teacher. Hmpf if I knew you'd turn out like this i would've never taught you!." Garp yelled out loud at Aokiji.
'He fell for the ragebailt.' Aokiji laughed inside.
Suddenly Garp stopped stopped shaking Aokiji by the shoulder before sneakily whispering to Lin.
"Psst, brat how much do I need to bribe you with to take my side?"
"20000 berries." Lin whispered back.
"Do I look like a bank to you?" Garp roared out, veins bulging from his forehead.
Lin Hai crossed his arms and huffed, "A geezer like you? C'mon, look at you—do you really think a marine wouldn't have money on him? Beat me to death and I still wouldn't believe it…"
"Mmm mhm!" Aokiji stood next to Lin as he vigorously nodded to Lin's words.
Garp didn't even wait for him to finish before smacking him straight across the head.
Boom x2
Infront of Garp Aokiji and Lin both sat on the ground bowing down to him with a giant bump on their heads.
"Ow ow owwww! Hey, old man, did I lie though? You got any cash on you?"
With a totally straight face, Garp replied, "Nope."
"…Then why the hell did you hit me?!"
"Ah la la," Aokiji said with a sigh, "haaah you know the old generation right, they're so shameless they wouldn't even give money to a poor kid in need.... Don't worry as a REASONABLE adult here's some more berries." Aokiji ruffled through his pockets before giving Lin another 90,000 berries.
Looking at the ten notes in his hands he felt his eyes moisten.
'sniff, sniff big bro Aokiji I'll never forget you.' Lin's eyes turnt watery before he looked at the smiling Aokiji.
Truly the best admiral!
Seeing the cute innocent boy infront of him reaching out to hug him aokiji accepted and hugged him back.
Garp could feel another layer of veins bulging out on his forehead as he saw the two kids bonding with each other while smiling happily.
"You bastards!!! You're supposed to apologise not hug each other!"
Hearing Garp's words they stopped before apologising.
Just as they got up, Lin scratched his head awkwardly before looking down onto the ground, with his fists clenched hard enough to draw out blood. both Garp and Aokiji stared at him, the sudden turn of mood making them raise an eyebrow them.
"Uhm, old man I-i don't really have a place to stay... I've been living off scraps and leftovers while trying to evade bad guys s-so could I become a marine.... M-maybe stay here?" Lin used every last ounce of cuteness he had even going as far as making himself cry.
'mom, if you're up there, hope you're proud of me.'
There was absolutely no way he could leave this idiotic childish old man alone.
Garp's punches? He'd seen them firsthand. Those fists could flatten a mountain and crack the sea. Staying here was the best option for now.
'It seems they don't suspect me yet. Has the news of the celestial dragon's death not reached them yet? Matters not, i wouldn't be the first suspect anyways. Why would the perpetrator behind such an attack board a marine warship of all things? Not only that try to join the Marines? Even then they had no solid proof of him using his devil fruit to kill anyone.'
Seeing the pitiful boy crying infront of them they felt a pang of guilt in their hearts. Wasn't the justice they were fighting for, for people like this? If they didn't help him out they wouldn't be marines.
Garp stayed silent before finally sighing.
"Fine, you can stay as a janitor. But there better not be a single spot on this ship that's dirty, young man!" Garp scoffed before folding his hands.
'Hmmm, to think that those traffickers are going after someone this young, even if he's handsome.... Maybe teaching them a lesson wouldn't hurt.'
Lin Hai lit up the moment he accepted the money. "Arigato gozaimasu, Marine-San! You're a true saint!"
Garp shivered and immediately backed off. His whole body broke into goosebumps.
'For some reason seeing his smile my whole body is saying I've made a bad decision.'
At that exact moment, the system's voice echoed in Lin Hai's head:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've performed a Charm Operation: Successfully borrowed money from a Marine Admiral! Reward: +250 Charm Coins, +50 Free Attribute Points (automatically allocated to Stamina). Check your updated panel for details.]
So this is how the system works?
Excited, Lin Hai quickly found an excuse to duck into a corner and open his personal stats, as aokiji and garp went back to arguing.
---
[Status Panel]
Host: Lin Hai
Strength: 100
Agility: 10
Stamina: 300 (250 + 50)
Conqueror's Haki: Lv1 (Too weak to use in combat.)
Charm Coins: 250.1
Inventory: Sword
---
Lin Hai's heart pounded. "Damn… That's a massive boost!"
[ This is your first Charm Reward. Hence the 'massive' boost.]
He glanced around. Garp and Aokiji were busy again. His fingers itched—he had to try another charm move.
He muttered theatrically, "Back in my day, I was a dual-wielding genius. I could AFK and flame teammates in League of Legends and feed on purpose with grace. Alas, none of that talent matters in this world…"
Aokiji and Garp both stopped for a second before going back to debating who stole the final rice cracker packet.
["No reward. Charm failed spectacularly. No target reaction".]
Lin Hai facepalmed. "No reward?! That was gold! I was spitting poetry!"
From across the deck, Garp raised an eyebrow.
"You say I'm crazy, and now you're over there talking to yourself and then slapping yourself? have you finally lost it?"
Lin Hai glared. "Can't a guy swat a mosquito in peace?"
"Enough. Get to the kitchen. You want to eat on my ship? You better work for it."
[ "Ding! Charm Operation successful: forced into labor by Vice Admiral Garp. Reward: +40 Free Attribute Points, +400 Charm Coins."]
"Huh?" Lin Hai blinked. "System, that doesn't even make sense, what's the logic behind this?"
["The higher the status of your target, the better the reward. Garp and Aokiji are major figures. Each provided +20 attributes and +200 coins. Charm Coins are used in the System Shop (currently locked). Free Attributes are yours to assign."]
>(Note: Free Attributes = points earned. You choose where to spend them. +50 means 50 total points to distribute.)
Ugh whatever. I just wanna sleep now... Lin sighed before finding his way to the first bed he saw.
---
The next morning, Lin Hai was rudely awakened by some ruckus outside.
He stepped onto the deck, hair a mess, yawning.
"Ugh, another day of being so hot it hurts. Life is pain when you're this handsome."
["Ding! Charm Operation successful. Reward: +40 Free Attributes, +400 Charm Coins."]
That woke him up fast.
"Whew. Guess I gotta keep being shameless if I want to keep leveling up."
Everyone around him was staring in silence, expressions dark.
"What?" Lin Hai shrugged. "I didn't choose to be this good-looking. Why am I being punished for being born this way?"
[Ding! Charm Operation successful. Reward: +40 Free Attributes, +400 Charm Coins.]
Garp clenched his fists. Aokiji exhaled mist.
This little bastard really needed a beating.
Still drunk on his own voice, Lin Hai doubled down: "Garp-san, Aokiji-san, don't you think it's dangerous for me to be this handsome? Someone could get jealous and attack me. Back home, I heard a guy was so attractive, he got chased with machetes for three days."
"Another guy made a bunch of girls swoon and crash into a street pole. They arrested him for causing a public hazard."
"Being hot… it truly is a crime."
At the end of his speech he exhaled dramatically before posing.
[Ding! Charm Operation successful. Triple Hit Bonus: +120 Free Attributes, +1200 Charm Coins!]
BOOM! BOOM!
Both fists came crashing down from Garp and Aokiji.
Garp's nostrils flared. "How does this guy run his mouth like that first thing in the morning?!"
Aokiji sighed. "I'm out. The ship's cursed."
He summoned his ice bike and casually cycling away over the sea, going out towards sabaody archipelago.
Garp sipped his tea, ignoring the groaning Lin Hai.
Heh. Serves him right.
---
Lin Hai crawled to the side, ignoring the pain on his head and eagerly opened his status panel again.
---
[Updated Stats]
Strength: 150 (100 + 50)
Agility: 100 (10 + 90)
Stamina: 400 (300 + 100)
Charm Coins: 2650.1
Haki: 0
Inventory:
---
Feeling energized, Lin Hai sprinted up and down the ship like a man possessed.
"Damn, I'm a machine!"
Later, Garp noticed him still lying around. "You dead or just pretending?"
Lin Hai shot up. "All good, boss. Where's the popsicle admiral?"
"Went off to do stuff," Garp grunted.
'Dammit, why does a celestial dragon have to go into a coma right when it's my turn to escort him, useless piece of shit.'
"Where we heading anyway? Your hometown?"
"Yup. East Blue. Windmill Village."
Lin Hai tried using the system to scan Garp's stats — all question marks. Yep, the difference in power was real.
He wanted to keep farming Charm Coins, but… inspiration was hard to force. You couldn't fake the vibe.
---
Soon, the ship pulled into Windmill Village.
As they walked through the streets, villagers pointed and whispered. Lin Hai muttered, "Seriously, Garp? You're a Marine Vice Admiral, and this is your hometown? What a dump. No wonder you kept it hidden. You afraid of revenge or something?"
Garp gave him a side-eye. "You got a problem?"
"Damn right I do." Lin Hai rubbed his fingers together dramatically. "You robbed me of 20,000 Berries. That's theft, old man."
"Ahahahaha!" Garp cackled. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Lin Hai. Come on, I'll introduce you to my grandson—Monkey D. Luffy. You two'll get along."
Lin Hai followed, grumbling. He couldn't even use his Charm Coins until he unlocked the system shop. Damnit!
Every pop-up of the amount of coins he made by annoying Garp was worth it.
---
They arrived at a small cottage. Garp knocked on the door. No answer. He banged louder.
A furious voice yelled from inside, "Who the hell is banging on my door during my nap?!"
Garp barked back, "It's me. Got a problem?"
Dadan opened the door and immediately froze in panic. "C-Captain Garp?! What are you doing here?"
Luffy, who poked his head from outside, shouted, "Grandpa! What are you doing here?"
Before Garp could answer, Lin Hai jumped in, pointing at Dadan. "Aha! I get it now she's the Luffy fella you've been talking about's mother, right?"
"WHAT?!" Dadan roared.
"Oh wait…hehehe i know what this is."
Garp's eyebrow twitched. "What do you think you know?"
Lin Hai pushed his chest forward in victory. "She's your side chick, isn't she? You stashed her out here so no one would find out. Don't worry, I won't tell—if you give me my 20,000 Berries back."
[Ding! Host has successfully stunned the entire room. Charm Operation complete.]
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then—
BOOM! Garp's nostrils flared. "What the hell is wrong with your brain?!"
Luffy was rolling on the floor laughing. "Shishishi, who is he grandpa, unlike you he's actually funny!"
SHOOM—BOOM! Garp decked him too.
"Why're you laughing?! That's your grandpa you're laughing at, moron!"
"OWWW! Grandpa What the hell?!"
"I'm hungry," Garp muttered. "Dadan, got food?"
"It's the middle of the day! Get it yourself!"
"Ugh." Garp turned to Lin Hai. "Come here, I'm introducing you."
Dadan's face twisted. "You're not dumping another kid here, are you?! What is this, a daycare center?!"
Lin Hai struck a dramatic pose and flipped his hair. "Do I look like that shameless old man's grandson? Look at this face! I spit on your assumptions. Ptui!"
BOOM! Garp grabbed him and threw him at Luffy.
"You two handle introductions. I'm out. At least out of rice crackers....."
Luffy, still laughing, said, "You're leaving? Thank god."
BOOM!
"You ungrateful brat! At least pretend you'll miss me!"
"Okay okay! Bye, Grandpa!"
Satisfied, Garp waved and left.
Dadan stayed silent. That fist… was too damn scary.
She slammed the door. "You two morons go entertain yourselves. Don't bother me."
SLAM.
"…Wow," Lin Hai blinked. "Hospitality sure is dead. Am i right?"
He and Luffy stared at each other for a moment.
"I'm Lin Hai. What's your name?"
---