"Wahwahwah... give me back my snacks!" After going so long without anything sweet, Linlin grew even more irritable. She advanced step by step, and the deck cracked beneath her feet, wood chips flying around her ankles.
"What a pain." Rocks stood in front of her, looked at those unfocused eyes clouded by hunger pangs, and let out a soft sigh. Then he acted without hesitation.
In the original story, when Linlin's illness flared up, she would neither dodge nor defend. She would only attack wildly on instinct.
Aside from letting her eat the food she was craving, there was almost no other way to make her regain her senses.
But that was under "normal circumstances."
And the methods in Rocks' hands had never been normal.
Boom!
Boom!
A series of dull impacts exploded across the deck.
A moment later, Linlin lay on the deck with a bruised and swollen face, fast asleep.
Rocks clapped his hands, looked down at the now quiet Linlin, then turned and gave an order. "Kaido, watch her. When she wakes up, if she's still not normal, hit her forehead with your kanabo."
Kaido immediately took a step back, spread both hands, and shook his head like a rattle drum. "No way! Find someone else!"
"Fine." Rocks did not waste words. He turned his head casually. "Then Ron can watch her. You keep training with me."
"Wait." Kaido's tone instantly became serious. "What did you say, Rocks?"
Rocks looked at him suspiciously. "I told you to keep training."
"The line before that."
"I told you to watch Linlin."
A brilliant smile bloomed on Kaido's face. "Gladly, Rocks! As a member of the Rocks Pirates, I naturally must contribute to the crew unconditionally!"
Rocks looked at how fast he changed his face and the corner of his mouth twitched. He could not be bothered with him anymore.
Seeing that there was no more fun to watch, the crew members all wore expressions of regret that said, 'Huh? It's over already?' Then they scattered in twos and threes and headed back toward the cabins.
"Gloriosa," Rocks called.
Gloriosa, who had just been about to go inside, turned around and looked at him in confusion. "What is it, Rocks?"
"You're asking me what it is? Linlin's fit was all because of that damn bet of yours!"
Gloriosa shrugged, perfectly calm. "Hey, hey, this has nothing to do with me. Who told me to be prettier than her? She got jealous and insisted on betting with me."
She paused, saw Rocks' serious expression, and sighed. "Fine. Out of respect for you, I'll admit defeat. The wager... put the debt on your tab. That works, right?"
The crew members who had just walked away seemed to trigger at some keyword. One head after another poked back out.
"Hey, Gloriosa, Linlin just needs to be taught a lesson. How can you admit defeat?"
"Exactly! Rocks is being way too biased toward Linlin. You can't let that influence you! Stay true to yourself. The bet must stand!"
"Put it this way. If I were you, I would never admit defeat! I'd dare to bet my fortune, even my life, against Linlin!"
"Same here!"
"Hey."
Rocks' gaze darkened for an instant as it swept across those excited faces. "If you lot have nothing to do, go to the storeroom and bring materials to repair the ship."
"Hiss... almost forgot. I still have something very important to do!"
"What a coincidence. With Linlin making such a scene, I also forgot I had something important!"
"What a coincidence. Me too!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Those heads withdrew like leaves blown away by the wind.
"Bunch of idiots."
It was not until evening that Linlin finally woke up. Her first sentence was to ask why Kaido had not given her the "snack." Then she took one blow from Kaido's kanabo, and the final result was that Kaido got punched twice by Linlin again.
Still... Linlin was in a good mood. She discovered that her waist had slimmed down and her figure had become even hotter.
As for the ship repairs, Streusen handled them alone.
The moon hung high in the dark-blue sky, silver light spilling across the deck.
The sea breeze carried a faint chill over the railings, bringing with it the light salty scent of the ocean.
Ron lay at the bow with his hands behind his head, staring idly at the starlit sky.
Annika and Kaido stood on the deck behind him, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words.
"So this is where you were, Ron." A laughing voice came from the side.
Ron did not turn around. He only paused slightly, his gaze still fixed on the stars.
"What are you here for?" Kaido crossed his arms, leaned against the railing, and answered irritably.
Linlin walked up beside Kaido, glanced at his puffed-up face, and teased him with a smile. "Still angry, Kaido?"
"You hit me twice for no reason. I'll remember that," Kaido snorted.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Rocks was the one who told him to do it. If you want to hit someone, hit Rocks. Why hit me?!
"Tsk, tsk." Linlin shook her head. "Didn't you hit me with your kanabo too? We're even."
"How is that even?!" Kaido raised his voice. "You punched me twice, and I only hit you once. Unless you let me hit you once more right now!"
"Oh, Kaido. You're still young. Don't hold grudges all the time."
"Are you letting me or not?!"
"Of course not."
"Fine." Kaido gritted his teeth, his eyes full of an obsession that said, 'Just you wait.' "Sooner or later, I'll find a chance to hit you back."
Linlin did not answer. She only laughed twice. "Then take your time looking. But I don't think you'll ever find that chance in this life."
After saying that, she ignored Kaido, who was sulking where he stood, and turned to Ron, who was still lying down.
Her joking tone faded a little, and her voice became more serious. "Say, Ron. You're surprisingly calm. Didn't Gloriosa tell you someone's impersonating you? What, you don't plan to deal with him?"
Ron kept looking at the stars. Only after a while did he speak. "If he likes impersonating me, let him. My reputation is already bad enough. A few more crimes or a few less won't make much difference."
Ron sounded calm, but it was impossible for him to feel absolutely nothing. It was just that if someone expected him to chase an imposter across the world, that person was not worthy.
Suddenly, he sat up, shifted his body, turned toward Linlin, and smiled with interest. "Linlin, you seem pretty concerned about this. Don't tell me... you're going to help me take care of that guy?"
"Mamamama." Linlin chuckled and folded her arms. "Nothing that convenient. But if you ask me, I might consider going with you."
"Oh." Ron listened, then lay back down cleanly and returned to his original posture. "Then forget it. He'd better pray he doesn't run into me."
"Ron."
Linlin lowered her voice slightly. "You can't think like that. If you never stop him, this kind of thing will only happen more and more."
Ron did not reply right away. He found it a little strange. Had Linlin been knocked stupid by Kaido?
Why had she suddenly become so concerned about his business? Or was she plotting something else?
"I'm curious, Linlin." Ron sat up again and calmly looked at her face. "What benefit do you get if I go? Or are you... scheming against me?"
The smile on Linlin's face froze for a moment, then turned into a helpless sigh. "Sigh. Sure enough, you're not as easy to fool as Kaido, Ron."
Kaido, who had been sulking at the side, immediately became unhappy when he heard that. "Linlin, what do you mean?! What do you mean, I'm easy to fool?"