The old woman, Sister Carmelo, who had been lurking inside Charlotte Linlin's body for ten years, had been recuperating for all those years.
Today, she finally woke up during a period of low spirits for the iron balloon's soul.
Carmelo never expected that her attempt to occupy and devour the soul of a six-year-old girl would lead to her own downfall.
Her soul was nearly assimilated in reverse by the mutated Charlotte Linlin.
If she hadn't proactively given up dominance at the last moment and chosen to parasitize Charlotte Linlin's soul instead...
She might have been completely assimilated in reverse by this mutated monster already.
God knows why a little girl's mutated soul would be so powerful that even she, a Soul-Soul Fruit Ability user, could do nothing against it.
It was precisely because her soul parasitized Charlotte Linlin's soul that Charlotte Linlin's soul was also able to use the Soul-Soul Fruit Ability.
Sun Prometheus, created by Sister Carmelo's soul, did not disappear either; he even recognized this little girl, who possessed her master's soul aura, as his new master.
But that thrilling soul gamble and the reverse assimilation caused Carmelo, who had abandoned her physical body, to become incredibly weak.
She was forced to survive by lurking within Charlotte Linlin's mutated soul, slowly recovering her soul power.
During that period, her consciousness was almost completely dormant.
'Ten years! I've wasted a full ten years! This damned monster soul!'
Carmelo took advantage of the low period in Charlotte Linlin's soul to wake up, peering at the outside situation through Charlotte Linlin's vision for the first time.
'Are those Ida and Hajrudin?'
'Has Linlin returned to Elbaf again?'
The newly awakened Sister Carmelo was desperate to understand the latest situation in the outside world.
Starting from her awakening today, she could finally begin her counterattack!
She wanted to gradually influence and devour Charlotte Linlin's mutated soul, eventually occupying it completely, taking over the iron balloon's powerful physical body, and becoming the new dominant soul.
Just as Sister Carmelo was planning ambitiously, she discovered a handsome human had appeared on her shoulder.
'Who is this?'
'He looks quite good! Is he Linlin's new companion?'
Carmelo's heart skipped a beat; if she had the chance to return to her youth, perhaps she could enjoy the pleasures of men properly.
However, in the next moment, this handsome man seemed to activate some Devil Fruit ability against her.
Her soul actually fluctuated and stiffened slightly, and was once again accelerated in its devouring and fusion by Charlotte Linlin's mutated soul.
'No! What's going on?!'
'Hadn't my soul already stabilized!'
'Could I be so unlucky as to be assimilated in reverse by Linlin's soul again? I don't want to lurk for another ten years!!'
'This damned mutated soul!'
Carmelo's soul was terrified; waking up now, she could just enjoy Linlin's youthful years. If she had to wait another ten years, Linlin would be twenty-six.
How many decades are there in a human life!!
'No!! I won't be easily devoured by you again!!'
Carmelo frantically fought for dominance over the soul; without dominance, she couldn't even speak through this body.
---'Linlin!! Pull yourself together, you still have me! Don't you want to keep living with me!'
Fang Huo shouted into Charlotte Linlin's ear; he had already noticed the massive change occurring within her.
He knew this was the treacherous Carmelo fighting for soul dominance against the simple-minded Linlin.
A battle had broken out between the master of the Soul-Soul Fruit Ability and the master of the physical body with the mutated soul.
However, the newly awakened Carmelo could only act up by taking advantage of Linlin's low period; she was fundamentally no match for Linlin's mutated soul.
Following Fang Huo's voice, Charlotte Linlin immediately became energized, and her soul became incredibly stirred.
Furthermore, Fang Huo had siphoned away Carmelo's luck.
Carmelo's soul was even less of a match for Linlin.
Her soul was once again unluckily being continuously assimilated and fused in reverse by the mutated soul.
'No!! Please help me!! I can let you enjoy this body, I will let this monster body bear your offspring for you!!'
'By then, your offspring might even inherit the bloodline of the iron balloon!'
Suddenly, an old woman's voice rang out directly within Fang Huo's soul.
This was the soul voice that Carmelo had desperately projected.
Currently completely outmatched on the soul level, Carmelo could only hope that someone from the outside could affect Charlotte Linlin's emotions.
Only then would she have a chance to linger on and strike back.
'Oh, and what should I do?'
Fang Huo spoke with interest while continuing to siphon Carmelo's luck.
'Tell her that she ate all her companions, that she ate Sister Carmelo...'
'That she is a monster, that she should die to atone for the other orphans...'
'I will definitely use this body to help you bear more powerful offspring...'
Carmelo's soul voice had become incredibly weak; she, the master of the Soul-Soul Fruit, was being beaten back step by step by Charlotte Linlin's mutated soul, and she no longer had the strength to drive the Soul-Soul Fruit Ability.
If this man didn't help her interfere with Charlotte Linlin's emotions, she might be completely fused by Charlotte Linlin, or have her soul power drained dry again, forced into another dormant sleep for over ten years.
Only if Linlin fell into the soul-frenzy state of Hunger Pang or a state of low spirits due to guilt would Carmelo have a chance to counterattack.
'Oh, so that's how you deluded Long Bread, isn't it?'
Fang Huo smiled coldly and said something that left Carmelo baffled.
No wonder in the original timeline, the eldest son of the Charlotte family, Perospero, looked so much like Long Bread; it turns out he really was Long Bread's son.
It seemed that Long Bread and Carmelo had reached some sort of deal, which was why the iron balloon, Charlotte Linlin, gave birth to her first offspring at the age of eighteen.
'You old hag, just obediently become Linlin's nourishment!'
Fang Huo activated the Gulp-Gulp Fruit Ability to promote the fusion of the two souls, while simultaneously drawing the seven star demon sword to influence Carmelo's will to resist and accelerate the collapse of her consciousness.
A hint of contemplation appeared in Fang Huo's eyes; if the two souls couldn't fuse completely, would Linlin have a chance to possess a dual-fruit constitution like Teach?
But at the thought that Teach seemed to have three distinct personalities...
Fang Huo decided that if he couldn't completely fuse Carmelo and Charlotte Linlin's souls, he would have to thoroughly obliterate Carmelo's consciousness.
He would not allow Carmelo's consciousness and personality to interfere with Linlin.
---Fang Huo suddenly drew the seven star demon sword, which, combined with the eerie aura erupting from Linlin, scared Ida and Hajrudin into retreating to the tavern entrance.
Rocks and the others also noticed the abnormal situation with Fang Huo and Linlin.
'Not good! It might be Linlin's Hunger Pang breaking out!'
Fang Huo's Blood Servant, Long Bread, seemed to have thought of something and quickly began to activate his Cook-Cook Fruit Ability, stabbing his sword into the ground, causing a mountain of cream cake to slowly rise.
Never mind that the food produced by the Cook-Cook Fruit Ability didn't taste good; he had to deal with Linlin's Hunger Pang first.
He nimbly chopped down a few large trees, turning them into various giant desserts.
---