"Hahahahaha!"
Reno could no longer suppress his exhilaration. His laughter rang across the deck.
"Hey!" Charlotte Linlin called, eyeing him thoughtfully. "Does your racial gift truly have no limits?"
Logically, such overwhelming power should carry severe consequences.
If there were no upper bound to his transformation ability, how terrifying would his growth become?
Reno flew closer, hovering near her towering frame. Tilting his head slightly, he brushed his lips lightly against her ear.
"My Linlin, I may well become ruler of the world before long."
"Do not worry. When the time comes, I will crown you Queen of the Seas."
Linlin was still astonished that his power carried no side effects.
Yet hearing his grand declaration, she burst into laughter, her nine tails dancing wildly in the air.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Stop boasting, my Reno!"
"You are still far from that goal!"
She waved toward her crew.
"Boys!"
"Bring out all the food and drink! Today's feast continues!"
"To celebrate my transformation into a demon!"
"Yeah!"
"Long live Sister Linlin!"
The pirates roared with excitement and rushed to obey.
Reno shook his head helplessly at the jubilant scene.
Did these pirates think of nothing beyond battle, plunder, and feasting?
Then again…
He rather enjoyed it.
Soon, the two ships drew alongside one another. A grander, livelier celebration began.
The pirates gathered around the transformed Nine-Tailed Fox in amazement and admiration.
And Reno, the man who had turned their captain into a demon, found his status soaring even higher.
He was surrounded, glass after glass pressed into his hand, as the pirates toasted him without end.
Streusen stood far from the center of the crowd, watching Reno and Linlin surrounded by cheering pirates. His long, gaunt face darkened as if rainclouds were gathering over it.
On deck, the crew was already drunk. Arms draped over shoulders, they sang wildly off-key, laughing so loudly that even the sea breeze seemed to sway with them.
"Buru buru buru…"
The ringing of a Den Den Mushi echoed from the captain's cabin.
"Alvida, bring the snail out!"
At the edge of the deck, a scar-faced female pirate immediately ran toward the cabin.
Moments later, she returned holding a rather ugly-looking Den Den Mushi with two enormous horns protruding from its head.
"Sister Linlin, it's for you!"
Charlotte Linlin took the snail lazily.
"Hey, Rocks! Don't you know I'm hosting a feast?"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then a low, hoarse voice filled with authority emerged from the Den Den Mushi.
"Charlotte Linlin. You agreed to join my crew. Why have you not yet arrived at Hachinosu?"
"The first hunt is about to begin. Surely you are not planning to be late."
At those words, the drunken haze vanished from Linlin's eyes. Her vertical pupils flashed with excitement.
"A hunt? That sounds interesting!"
She grinned, her nine golden tails swaying behind her.
"Relax, Rocks! I'll be there in two days. Just wait for me!"
A faint note of impatience colored the reply.
"It had better be so."
"This time, the target is the tribute carried through the heavens."
"Charlotte Linlin, come quickly. Let me see what strength you possess in this new era."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi went silent.
For a moment, the deck fell quiet.
Then Linlin tossed the snail back to Alvida and turned toward her crew.
"You heard that, boys!"
Her voice boomed with excitement.
"In two days, we join the Rocks Pirates for something big!"
"To seize the Heavenly Tribute!"
The pirates erupted instantly.
"The tribute of the Celestial Dragons!"
"That's tens of billions of Berries at least!"
"Our first action with the Rocks Pirates is going to shake the seas!"
The Heavenly Tribute. The vast wealth offered by the World Government's allied nations to the Celestial Dragons. A treasure of unimaginable scale.
"Hahahahaha! Then drink!"
Linlin lifted an entire barrel and poured wine straight into her mouth.
The celebration exploded once more, louder and wilder than before.
Over the next two nights, Reno and Linlin scarcely left the captain's quarters.
Now fully satisfied with her Nine-Tailed Fox form, Linlin agreed to Reno's request for deeper "exchanges."
Her transformation was not merely physical. In her fox form, a faint, enchanting aura surrounded her, subtle yet intoxicating. Even Reno found it difficult to resist.
"Don't worry. Just do as I say. Kneel. Hands on the bed."
"Yes, that's it. Lower your waist a little more, Linlin."
Reno soon discovered that with nine fox tails, positioning became surprisingly convenient. Though at times the tails blocked his view, and when she returned to her human form he rather missed having them to hold.
Of course, the Nine-Tailed Fox form offered far more than novelty.
At one point, Reno expanded his own body beyond twenty meters, engaging in a fierce clash between nine golden tails and overwhelming force.
Yet what he appreciated most were her fox ears. With them, he could steady her more easily during their most intense moments.
"Linlin, can you retract your fangs? I would rather not coat myself in Armament Haki at a time like this."
"I promise you, Reno, it's the first and last time!"
Hearing that, Reno tightened his grip and deepened the moment.
Over these days, Linlin's power had surged to Admiral, perhaps even Emperor level. As a result, Reno's own attribute gains skyrocketed.
In just two nights, he accumulated more than four hundred attribute points.
These two days alone equaled nearly six months of his previous effort.
And during the daylight hours, Linlin personally trained him.
Boom!
Reno's body was sent flying across the deck, tumbling more than a dozen times before finally stopping.
"Your physical foundation is lacking," Linlin said, smiling down at him as he struggled to his feet. "Your combat instincts are even worse."
"Again! This time I'll only use thirty percent of my strength!"
Reno gritted his teeth and charged once more.
He was struck down again almost instantly.
Despite the brutal beatings, he could clearly feel his control over power sharpening. Linlin also taught him advanced techniques in the use of Haki.
The method was simple and direct. Fight. Fall. Rise again.
For Reno, these were the most fulfilling two days of his life.
Day and night alike.
On the morning of the third day:
"Captain! Island ahead!"
The navigator's voice rang out from the lookout tower.
"It's Hachinosu! We've arrived!"
Reno and Linlin stepped out of the captain's cabin together.
On the distant horizon, a massive island slowly emerged from the sea mist.
Its silhouette was unmistakable.
From afar, it resembled a gigantic skull.
Dozens of pirate ships filled the harbor, each bearing its own Jolly Roger.
"We're here," Linlin murmured, excitement flashing in her eyes.
Without hesitation, she released her Conqueror's Haki.
The pressure swept across Hachinosu like a storm. Pirates along the shore collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Then, from within the skull-shaped island, a far more terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted in response.
It dwarfed Linlin's, overwhelming it several times over.
A deep voice echoed across the island, carried by sheer willpower.
"Welcome to Hachinosu, Charlotte Linlin."
Reno looked up toward the summit of the giant skull.
There, at the very top, stood a tall man, bare-chested, a dark high-collared coat draped across his shoulders. His face lay hidden in shadow.
Yet merely standing there, he radiated a suffocating dominance, as if the world itself bent beneath him.
Rocks D. Xebec.