"Catch!"
Shakky hurled the Supreme Grade black blade, Yoru, straight at Klein.
"Next time, just stand beside me so I can draw it myself!" Klein shouted as he reached out and firmly grabbed the hilt of Yoru.
A gleaming gemstone, an ornate hilt, and a blade of unmatched sharpness and style.
Of course.
If he managed to draw another Supreme Grade blade someday, pulling it directly from the scroll didn't sound like a bad option either.
Streusen's pupils dilated, his expression trembling. "That's... that's the Supreme Grade Blade—Yoru!"
The next second, greed flashed across his eyes as he grinned wickedly. "Kukukuku... That sword is the legendary strongest black blade. It's priceless—every swordsman's dream weapon. Even selling it would fetch a sky-high price!"
Shiiiing—
As Klein unsheathed the sword, a crisp and clear sword cry echoed out.
On the warship.
Os looked visibly excited. "It's coming... Klein's swordsmanship... again."
"That terrifying slash... I doubt anyone can withstand it," Gloriosa's beautiful eyes remained fixed, her mind involuntarily recalling the last time…
When Klein sliced through that island-sized-ship with a single swing.
Shakky took a drag of her cigarette. "That kind of power… across the entire sea, few could match it. They say the New World is full of monsters—let's see if anyone can stop Klein's slash."
Klein raised Yoru high, his eyes cold like a judge delivering a sentence, and swung the blade down at the empty air before him.
"You dare destroy our marital bond—you're begging for death!"
At those words, Streusen snapped. "Shameless! I've sailed these seas for decades and never seen such a brazen Marine bastard—"
Too shameless!!
Shlick!
A plain, vertical slash rippled through the air.
A dazzling green-blue sword wave bloomed in the sky like jade-glass, illuminating everything in its path.
It looked almost like... a vast grassy plain.
A terrifying slash over a hundred meters long surged toward Streusen. His face contorted in horror, his eyes bulging. "No, no way! He's that young—how can his swordsmanship be this terrifying!?"
He quickly drew his own sword and assumed a defensive stance, but even his sword hand trembled, his body frozen as if submerged in an ice bath.
His pores tightened all over his body.
The threat of death loomed heavy.
"Don't hurt Streusen!" Linlin charged forward like a rhinoceros galloping across a green plain, her adorable chubby fist swinging straight at the slash.
BOOM—
Even born with monstrous strength—surpassing even the Elders of Elbaf by age five—she couldn't shake the slash.
Blown backward, she landed flat on her butt with a ground-shaking crash.
"What the—!?"
Streusen's soul nearly left his body. Not even Linlin could block Klein's attack—how terrifying was this man's strength!?
His heart roared with alarm. He summoned all the power he had, swinging his blade to meet the blow.
A flash of silver—his rapier met the sky-splitting slash.
Clang—
The moment his Western sword clashed with the slash, a sickening crack echoed from his arm. Streusen was blasted away by the overwhelming force.
Rip—
A gash tore through his body, blood spraying. He flew like a kicked dog, crashing to the roadside.
His hat split in two midair and landed slowly on the ground, now stained with a streak of red.
Dead on the spot.
"St... Streusen!?" Linlin's pupils trembled violently, forming a tangled ball of yarn in her gaze.
Her eyes turned crimson. Black-red lightning arced from her body.
Her mind flashed with warm memories—Streusen using his Eat-Eat Fruit to cook for her.
In those moments, he smiled happily too, always with heaps of treasure by his side.
But as a child, Linlin had no concept of treasure's value—her only desires were food and joy.
"We were supposed to build a big happy family together—!"
Her voice became hoarse and screechy. Teardrops the size of fists rolled down her cheeks.
Conqueror's Haki burst uncontrollably from her body, erupting in all directions with indiscriminate force!
Bzzzzt—
On the warship—
Marine after Marine collapsed unconscious under the Haki's pressure.
Right before they passed out, they all had the same thought: "I need to get stronger... I'm done being a lowly Marine knocked out by Conqueror's Haki!"
This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened while sailing with Klein.
Os was visibly shaking. "Conqueror's Haki?? She's only 8 years old!!"
"Why... why are all the people I meet monsters?!"
He was numb.
One in a million should have this level of talent, yet in just six months, he'd met so many!?
Even crazier—this burst of Conqueror's Haki came from that innocent-looking chubby girl from earlier!
"The New World... really is packed with freaks," Gloriosa's eyes trembled.
The pet snake wrapped around her arm looked just as speechless—it had been knocked out by Klein last time and now by Linlin again.
Shock painted every inch of Shakky's beautiful face. "No wonder Klein's so optimistic about this little girl—even trying to abduct her. Turns out, she has the qualities of a king too..."
"Incredible!"
Now she understood why Klein acted like such a weird uncle—it was Linlin's talent.
Even smoking heavily couldn't calm her down. "With her talent... once she's grown up, just how strong will she become?"
"If Klein really tames Linlin... and they become husband and wife..."
"Who could stand against them on the sea?"
Shakky couldn't be sure. But at only 8 years old, she could already defeat a Marine Vice Admiral and unleash Conqueror's Haki...
Not even the long history of Amazon Lily had ever seen such a monster.
"Linlin..."
"She's going berserk—" Klein narrowed his eyes. If it were a few years ago, before Linlin left her island, he could've easily bought her off that nun.
But now? He wasn't the least bit panicked. In fact, he looked excited. "Well then—guess I'll stretch my muscles with Linlin."
Now that she'd sailed with Streusen for a few years, she saw him as family.
Seeing her family die, remembering the nun's disappearance—Linlin snapped.
Her crimson eyes radiated an eerie red light.
"ZEUS!!"
BOOOM—
Zeus darkened, thunder flashing across his body. Linlin snatched him up in her hand—lightning crackling violently, arcs of electricity wrapping her fists.
Like a raging bull in a coliseum, Linlin charged, her thunder-empowered fists roaring toward Klein.
"Thunder!!"
"No technique, just absurd raw stats—"
Klein shook his head. The punch had overwhelming momentum but—
This was as far as it would go!
In an instant, Klein's eyes flared open, glowing with crimson lightning as he roared with rebellious pride:
"You still need years of practice before challenging me!"
Fistbone: Impact!
From his fist, a dazzling red cross-shaped light burst forth!