Chapter 539: The Energy of Life!
Before long, the Big Mom Pirates came into view.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," Katakuri said as he stepped forward. "Mom is still in a coma."
Then he calmly laid out everything that had happened, from start to finish.
When he finished, Ryuunosuke fell silent.
So the giants' recognition he had felt back on Laugh Tale really was tied to Charlotte Linlin.
And now that burden had been tossed straight onto his shoulders, leaving him feeling both amused and annoyed.
More importantly, Linlin was unconscious.
Even if he wanted answers, there was nobody to interrogate.
"Merlin," Ryuunosuke said at once, turning his head. "Come here and take a look."
Machi, the other doctor, had gone with the combat group to intercept the Aragami. She usually traveled with the Phantom Troupe anyway, and her treatment was instant. Her Nen ability could also carry people into the sky, so she was better suited to the front line.
Merlin was different.
She preferred staying close to the ship, buried in her research, and had never been particularly enthusiastic about fighting. Since so many fighters had already rushed out, it did not matter whether she joined or not.
So she stayed.
At the same time, Perospero used his ability to bring Charlotte Linlin onto Ryuunosuke's ship.
The moment Ryuunosuke saw the woman laid out before him, he froze.
"Wait. Didn't you say your mother was unconscious?" he asked sharply.
"Then who is this?"
The woman lying there was beautiful.
Her figure was well proportioned, her face striking, her presence refined in a way that felt almost unreal.
There was no way to connect her to the pot bellied old woman the world called Big Mom.
It was not that they looked slightly different.
They looked like two completely unrelated people.
"My mother changed like this after using the life essence Captain Ryuunosuke gave her," Perospero said immediately.
"This is what she looked like when she was young."
He spoke with certainty.
As her eldest son, he had seen Linlin's beauty long ago, and he had also watched her slowly return to that former self.
Ryuunosuke stared at Katakuri, still struggling to process it.
Katakuri nodded once.
"Yes. That's Mom."
Ryuunosuke swallowed his surprise, forcing it down before it turned into something rude.
"Merlin," he said, voice steadier now. "Take a look."
"Why is Charlotte Linlin unconscious?"
"I already checked," Merlin replied.
At first, her tone was calm, clinical.
"Her body couldn't withstand that power, so it shut down to protect itself."
She paused, then corrected herself like the thought annoyed her.
"No. It's not that she can't wake up."
"It's that she's afraid to wake up."
"Because the moment she does, there's a high chance she'll be devoured by the energy inside her."
Merlin's eyes sharpened as she spoke, fascination rising in her voice.
"What an interesting power."
"It's alive."
The more she examined it, the more surprised she became, until her expression turned almost delighted, as if she had found a rare specimen.
She even activated her own magic, pushing her perception outward without limit.
"So how do we wake her?" Ryuunosuke asked immediately.
Linlin was a breakthrough.
Why did she attack Adam?
Why did she bite off a piece of him?
That was not something she did because she thought Adam looked tasty.
There had to be a reason.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," a familiar voice cut in. "Would you hand her over to me?"
Ryuunosuke's lips curled.
"Atostana?"
"I didn't expect you to show up again."
A strange smile spread across his face.
Linlin's actions were clearly tied to the Guardians or the Evictors. The best way to get answers before she woke up was to question someone like Jeff or Atostana.
And now Atostana had walked right into his hands.
It was exactly like the saying.
You get sleepy, and someone brings you a pillow.
"Captain Ryuunosuke," Atostana said stiffly, "please don't look at me like that."
"I'm a man."
"I know you're a man," Ryuunosuke replied without hesitation.
"Mr. Atostana, I want to know why Charlotte Linlin went back to devour Adam."
"And what happens to Adam after he loses that piece."
"If you tell me the truth, I'll decide whether I hand her over based on what you say."
He lifted his chin slightly, smile widening.
"Of course, you can refuse."
"Then defeat me and take her yourself."
The Big Mom Pirates went tense instantly.
Neither Ryuunosuke nor the newly arrived Atostana was someone they could stand against. If things turned ugly, the best they could do was die with dignity.
So all they could do now was trust Ryuunosuke.
Atostana's gaze narrowed.
"Captain Ryuunosuke… are you preparing to fight me?"
"In that case…"
"Bang!"
Before he could even finish, Ryuunosuke's attack was already there.
"Then let's fight," Ryuunosuke said, grinning.
"The last fight wasn't satisfying at all."
In the same breath, two long swords appeared in his hands.
He swung.
Twin slashes tore forward like two dragons ripping through the air.
Atostana drew his Heavenly Cloud Flow Fire Blade in response.
A wall of blazing aura met the slashes head on.
The first collision detonated.
A terrifying burst of power erupted so violently that the surrounding space itself wavered, cracking under the pressure.
And in that moment of instability, Ryuunosuke noticed something else.
A strange energy surfaced, spreading through the damaged space like living threads.
It repaired the distortion instantly.
That energy came from this world itself.
…
"Captain… it really is…" Merlin murmured, eyes bright.
Then she turned her attention away from the clash and spoke briskly to the Big Mom Pirates.
"Take her into the cabin."
"The captain needs her. He won't hand her over easily."
"Huh?" Perospero blinked, then his face lit up.
"Okay!"
He responded fast, almost too fast, then immediately lifted Linlin and followed Marlene into the cabin.
Atostana saw it too.
If he could not defeat Ryuunosuke here, it would be impossible to take Charlotte Linlin away.
His expression darkened.
And the strikes in his hands came faster, sharper, more relentless as the battle escalated.
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