Reno did not refuse her invitation.
No man could accept being questioned about his capability and then retreat.
Earlier, he had tested Linlin's upper tolerance limit: a length of 2.1 meters and a diameter of 80 centimeters.
This time, he deliberately increased the diameter to one meter, drawing repeated pleas from her lips.
Soon, dawn broke.
"All right, my Linlin. Next time, I'll make myself smaller."
"I just discovered a new racial talent. Aren't you curious?"
Naturally, Charlotte Linlin was intrigued. She did not resent his earlier deliberate escalation.
Rolling onto her side, she propped her head on one hand and studied him with keen interest.
"Oh?"
"What talent? Getting bigger again?"
As he spoke, Reno traced idle patterns along her soft skin.
"Something far more interesting."
"The ability to turn others into demons like me."
"What did you say?"
Her reaction exceeded his expectations.
She shot upright, all laziness gone. The bed groaned beneath the sudden force.
In the next instant, she grabbed Reno and pulled him close.
Her amber-brown eyes locked onto his, burning brighter than before with shock and unrestrained desire.
"Turn people into demons? Into your race?"
Her voice trembled with excitement. Her grip tightened unconsciously, nearly crushing his bones.
Reno endured the pain, maintaining a calm smile.
"That's right, my Linlin."
"My newly awakened racial gift: Demonization."
He allowed the suspense to linger, thoroughly enjoying the impatience flickering across Charlotte Linlin's face.
"As long as we use a Devil Fruit as the medium, I can transform a chosen individual into an exclusive demon aligned with that fruit's power."
"You won't just gain the power of the fruit. You'll become a true demon. You will no longer fear seawater or Seastone."
"Even if you've already eaten a Devil Fruit."
"What?"
Linlin's expression became vividly animated. She released Reno's hand, while he continued idly tracing patterns along the softness before him.
She ignored his wandering touch, still trapped in shock.
Freedom from seawater and Seastone was every ability user's dream.
Through relentless training, a powerhouse like her could already minimize the ocean's restraint.
But Reno's newly awakened talent did more than erase the fruit's weakness. It meant she could consume another Devil Fruit.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Charlotte Linlin suddenly burst into thunderous laughter, her voice ringing with exhilaration.
"My Reno! Marrying you is the best decision this old lady has ever made!"
She pulled him into a crushing embrace, nearly suffocating him in her softness.
"And I happen to have a Devil Fruit!"
She released him, the wild excitement on her face only intensifying.
"A Zoan type. Mythical Beast. The Dog-Dog Fruit, Model Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Reno! Use it on me! Hurry and turn this old lady into a demon!"
The Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit?
An image flashed through Reno's mind. A woman in a prison uniform.
Was that not the fruit that Catarina Devon of the Blackbeard Pirates would one day possess?
He had not expected it to be in Linlin's hands now.
Still, that hardly mattered. At this moment, the fruit belonged to her.
Watching the urgency in Charlotte Linlin's eyes, Reno felt a deep, intoxicating satisfaction.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
To make the strongest figures on the seas crave his power.
Even if they never became his subordinates, friendship alone would suffice. And he would still absorb the growth of their strength.
"Of course, my Linlin."
He stroked her smooth pink hair gently.
"To serve you in any way is my honor."
"However, the transformation requires time."
"How long?"
"System, how long to demonize Charlotte Linlin?" he asked inwardly.
Ding.
[Target detected: Charlotte Linlin.]
[Target strength: Emperor's First Mate level.]
[Estimated transformation time: 6 hours.]
[Note: During transformation, the target will enter deep sleep. Host must ensure safety throughout the process.]
Six hours.
Reno already had a solution in mind.
"It will take approximately six hours. During that time, you will fall into a deep sleep."
"Six hours?"
Charlotte Linlin waved dismissively.
"No problem! What's six hours? I could wait half a year!"
With that, she rolled out of bed and strode to a massive chest in the corner of the room. From within, she retrieved a deep blue Devil Fruit shaped like a mango, its surface covered in distinctive swirling patterns.
"Come on, my Reno! What do I do?"
Reno took the fruit and gestured for her to lie back down.
"Close your eyes, Linlin."
Charlotte Linlin obeyed, lying back with anticipation shining across her face.
Reno placed the Devil Fruit against her forehead and focused.
"System. Begin the transformation."
A low hum filled the room.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit dissolved instantly into a cluster of blue light, slowly merging into Charlotte Linlin's body.
Her breathing grew steady and deep as she drifted into slumber.
Reno watched her sleeping form and nodded with satisfaction.
The process appeared no different from ordinary sleep.
Dawn was just breaking. He dressed and stepped out of the captain's cabin.
The door creaked open.
The sky outside had brightened, and pirates on deck were gathered in animated discussion.
The moment they saw Reno emerge, every voice fell silent. Hundreds of eyes turned toward him at once.
Curiosity filled their gazes. So did awe. And something else that only men could truly understand.
"Big brother!" one pirate stammered.
"Where's Sister Linlin? Why hasn't she come out yet?"
Reno scanned the deck lazily, a faint smile on his face.
"She's a bit tired. She needs some rest."
A collective sharp inhale swept across the deck.
The pirates stared at Reno as if he were some colossal Sea King.
He had worn Linlin out to the point she needed rest?
What kind of monster was this man?
He did not look entirely human. Then again, their captain was not human.
He was a legend in the making.
At the edge of the crowd, Streusen stood frozen, holding a tray of freshly baked breakfast.
Hearing Reno's words and seeing the admiration in the crew's eyes, his face drained of color.
The tray slipped from his hands and crashed to the deck. Delicate food scattered everywhere.
Reno noticed the commotion and walked over slowly, stopping before the short chef.
"From now on, I do not want to see you near Linlin."
"And control your food production."
"Her eating disorder. I suspect half the responsibility lies with you."
His voice was calm, almost gentle. Yet the threat beneath it was unmistakable.
"Understood?"
Streusen trembled from head to toe. He kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Reno's gaze.
"Yes."
Reno paid him no further attention. He walked straight to the ship's railing.
In the distance, his own smaller pirate ship trailed behind, bound by ropes to Linlin's vessel.
His crew had already awakened and gathered on deck.
When they saw him appear, they waved excitedly.
Reno unfurled the black wings behind his back. In a flash of crimson, he soared through the air and landed upon his ship.