The next morning…
The two ships sailed side by side over calm waters as soft sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Still fast asleep, Zechs felt something gently poking his cheek.
Jiii~
He stirred slightly and muttered, "Mm… let me sleep a little longer…" before turning his head and trying to go back to sleep.
But the person poking him clearly had no intention of stopping.
Linlin had already woken up. Propping her head on one arm, she watched the sleeping Zechs with an amused smile. Then she reached out again and poked his cheek once more with her finger.
Jiii~
Jiii~
He tried to ignore it for a while, but Linlin's relentless poking eventually made it impossible for him to keep sleeping. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked at her, his expression slightly annoyed. "Linlin… aren't you a bit too energetic this early in the morning?"
"Well… I guess I am," she replied casually, completely unconcerned by his irritation. Normally, she wouldn't tolerate that tone from anyone, but today she was in an unusually good mood.
"And since I'm already awake," she added, "I'm not going to let you sleep either. Come on… get up... get up… get up…"
Zechs sighed. He wanted to complain, 'Women… that's not fair, you know,' but he kept the thought to himself.
Shaking his head, he took a closer look at her.
She was lying on her side, her pink hair slightly disheveled, her head propped up on one arm. The bedsheet covered only the lower half of her body, while the rest remained exposed for his eyes to roam over as much as he wanted.
The sunlight streamed in through the window and fell across her skin, giving her a warm, radiant glow.
In that quiet moment, she looked strikingly beautiful, so much so that Zechs found himself briefly captivated by the sight. Unable to hold back, he spoke with quiet admiration. "I was right, Linlin… you really are breathtaking."
As a man who had been with many women, didn't he understand what stirred their emotions? If he praised a woman's beauty first thing in the morning, it would naturally lift her mood and make her heart flutter, right?
Besides, he wasn't lying; Linlin really looked very beautiful.
And, sure enough, the effect was immediate.
"You…!!! Saying something like that right after waking up…" Linlin was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected such sudden praise.
A faint blush spread across her face, and she became slightly self-conscious.
Zechs simply shrugged. "What's wrong with that? I'm just appreciating how beautiful my future wife is," he said, then added, "Do you not like being praised by me?"
"N-no… I don't dislike it," she replied, a smile forming on her lips.
Although it was embarrassing to hear it… she did indeed like it.
After all, what woman wouldn't like to be praised for her beauty by the man she intended to marry? Especially Linlin, who had rarely received sincere compliments in her life. Zechs' words affected her more than she expected, and the simple praise filled her with a sense of happiness and desire.
Without even realizing it, she had added several more points to the growing feelings she held for Zechs. Little by little, she was falling deeper for him.
"Thought so," Zechs nodded in satisfaction upon noticing her blush. Then he added, "By the way… what did you think about last night? How were my skills?"
"How were your skills?" Linlin repeated his question, her thoughts drifting back to what she had experienced the night before.
Even though her body had been completely drained.
Even though her chest had risen and fallen heavily as her orange-brown eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
Even though sweat covered her skin, her long pink hair spread messily around her, with a few damp strands clinging to her flushed cheeks.
She had to admit that, despite all that exhaustion, breathlessness, sweaty and sticky feeling, in her eighteen years of life, she had never imagined something could feel so intense, so overwhelmingly good.
In that moment, she had felt herself being filled with a deep, lingering warmth.
Satisfaction and exhaustion blended together with her, leaving her so relaxed that she hadn't wanted to move at all. She had chosen to remain still, unwilling to disturb the fading sensations that continued to drift through her body.
'It really did feel good…' she admitted silently.
Thinking so, her gaze returned to Zechs, who was watching her with an expectant expression, clearly waiting for her answer.
Linlin's lips curved into a playful smile as she waved her hand dismissively. "It was only so-so."
"So-so? Woman, did you forget how much you were moaning last night?" Zechs said, appearing annoyed.
"Was there something like that?" she replied, her grin widening slightly. "I don't remember at all."
"Humph… it seems I went easy on you," Zechs snorted. "Next time, I'll make sure you remember it clearly."
It was obvious that Linlin was pretending, but he chose not to press the issue. Instead, he simply replied that next time, he would make sure the experience would be so memorable that she wouldn't be able to 'forget' for a lifetime.
"Oh?" Linlin raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that. Next time, it would be you who ends up beneath me—" she said, tracing her fingertip lightly across his cheek and down his chest, and said playfully, "—my dear Zechs~."
Zechs wasn't to be outdone, "As if that would ever happen, my dear, Linlin~."
Linlin's eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems tonight I'll have to teach you a lesson… so you learn not to be so arrogant in front of me."
"We'll see," Zechs answered calmly. "Let's find out who ends up teaching whom."
In front of a woman who had been inexperienced until the previous night, Zechs felt no pressure at all. After all, in comparison to an inexperienced human woman, he was an Incubus, a being whose nature revolved around sex, and someone who had already slept with hundreds of beautiful women.
In his eyes, there was no way Linlin could match his experience.
Linlin, however, knew nothing about what Zechs was thinking, but she was just as confident in her own way. There was nothing in this world she believed she couldn't master. So what if she had only experienced it for the first time last night? Now that she had crossed that threshold, she was certain she would quickly learn, and tonight, she intended to prove it by putting Zechs in his place.
With that thought, she looked at him with a playful, possessive glint, as if already claiming him. "Mama… mama… Zechs," she giggled. "Be ready for tonight."
Zechs felt a slight chill run down his spine when he saw the intensity in her gaze. Still, he refused to back down. "We'll see," he replied calmly.
"But anyway… putting that aside, there's something I'm curious about," Linlin said, studying him carefully.
"Curious? About what?" Zechs asked, now interested in what had caught her attention.
"How come you're so small right now?" she asked, looking him up and down.
She clearly remembered how his body had changed the night before, how he had grown until he was even taller than she was. Compared to that, however, he was now only as big as the cock that he was using to impale her.
This change caused Linlin to feel puzzled and also very strange.
"Hmm? Didn't I explain it last night? I can adjust my body to better suit my partner," he said.
Linlin thought for a moment, then nodded. "Right… you did mention something like that." After a brief pause, she added, "But you said it depends on your partner. What exactly does that mean?"
"Cough…" Zechs cleared his throat, looking slightly awkward for a moment. Still, he knew there was no point in being shy about it.
"It means I can only change my body during intimate situations," he explained. "Any adjustments I make will return to normal once that situation ends."
Linlin stared at him in surprise. "Only during intimate situations? The rest of the time, you stay like this?" she asked.
Zechs nodded. "Yes."
"Isn't that strange? Can an ability like that really exist? You're not lying to me, are you?" she asked skeptically, clearly unsure whether to believe him.
"I have no reason to lie to you," Zechs replied with a shrug.
Linlin thought it over. He didn't seem to have any obvious reason to deceive her, at least none that she could think of. Even so, she muttered, "It's still a very strange ability…"
"It's just one of the traits of my Incubus race," Zechs explained. Then he continued, offering comparisons to make his point. "Think about it. Lunarians can generate flames around their bodies. Minks can produce electricity and even transform during a full moon. Fishmen and Merfolk can manipulate water, Buccaneers have their own unique physical traits, the Kuja tribe have a unique disposition towards Haki, and they only give birth to women. Every race has abilities that wouldn't make sense from a normal perspective."
He looked at her calmly.
"Creating fire without a Devil Fruit, generating electricity from the body naturally, undergoing Sulong Transformation, manipulating water, none of that is exactly ordinary. The same goes for special traits found in other races, like the Three-Eyed Tribe or the Buccaneer. Every race has something unusual about it. Mine is no different."
After listening to Zechs' explanation, Linlin opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue, but no words came out.
When she thought about it, he wasn't wrong. Lunarians, Minks, Buccaneers, Fishmen, the Three-Eyed Tribe, the Kuja, and many other rare races all possessed racial traits that didn't make sense from a normal perspective.
Each of them had unique traits that defied common logic.
In comparison, the ability of Zechs' race to alter his physique to suit his partner didn't seem that unreasonable. In a way, it was similar to the Sulong transformation, except that instead of the full moon acting as the trigger, the condition was an intimate encounter with a woman.
Still, she couldn't help adding, "But even so… it's a bit strange that you can only transform in that situation."
"Cough… that's because my race is naturally aligned with pleasure," Zechs replied. It wasn't a lie. Then he added, "And isn't it also strange that the Kuja tribe only gives birth to women?"
Linlin paused for a moment, then nodded. "I see…" she said, accepting his reasoning.
Although she accepted his explanation and even his comparison, she still felt a trace of reluctance. Her expression dimmed slightly, a hint of disappointment showing on her face.
Zechs immediately noticed the change. Not understanding the reason for it, he looked at her and asked, "Why do you look disappointed? Even if this is my normal state, I can still adjust myself when it matters, you know?"
"It's nothing…" Linlin shook her head, clearly reluctant to talk about it.
But Zechs didn't let it go. "Something is bothering you. I can see that you're disappointed. If there's an issue, it's better to talk about it now; otherwise, it might turn into unnecessary conflict later."
One of the most common causes of problems between partners was the habit of keeping concerns and worries to themselves instead of speaking openly.
Under normal circumstances, he might not have cared. But now that he had agreed to marry Linlin, Zechs didn't want their relationship to be filled with misunderstandings or regrets.
Still, Linlin shook her head again. "It's hard to explain…"
"Then try," Zechs said calmly. "If we're going to be husband and wife, isn't it natural to talk about things that are difficult to say? If you don't tell me, who else will you talk to?"
Seeing his persistence and his genuine concern, Linlin felt a warmth stir in her chest. She had proposed on impulse, and everything that followed had been driven by emotion and passion. She hadn't expected him to take their future this seriously.
If he was willing to put in the effort, then she should too. After all, she was the one who had proposed.
After a brief hesitation, she finally admitted, a little awkwardly, "I'm just… a bit disappointed that you can't stay as big as you were last night all the time."
"Eh? You want me to stay that big all the time? Don't tell me… you're looking for a giant husband or something?" he asked, slightly curious.
It wasn't an unreasonable thought. After all, Linlin had spent time in Elbaf. It wouldn't be strange if she felt some nostalgia for the place, and perhaps for people of that size.
Still, it was only a passing guess, and he didn't really think that was the real reason.
Linlin shook her head and explained more carefully.
"That's not what I mean. It's just that… sometimes I feel disappointed that I'm the only one this big here. Everyone around me is so small. Sometimes… it makes me feel different. Like I don't belong."
Her expression softened, her gaze drifting as emotion crept into her voice. "I've always wanted to live in Elbaf. You know Elbaf, right? The land of the giants. Everyone there is big—much bigger than me. Twice my size… even more."
She paused, her tone growing heavier. "But the people of Elbaf hate me. I don't even know why. They just do. Every time I tried to approach them… to reconnect with the few friends I had there… I was either pushed away or attacked."
Her voice lowered. "Even the ones I knew before—Gerd, Ripley, Ange, Hajrudin, Mato, Stansen… none of them speak to me anymore."
She took a slow breath. "I've almost given up… given up on ever finding people around whom I can feel normal."
Then she looked at him again.
"But last night… when I saw you change… when you became even bigger than me… I suddenly felt hopeful. I thought… maybe my husband could be someone bigger than me. Maybe then… I wouldn't feel so abnormal anymore."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "It's a shame there are conditions… that you can't stay like that all the time."
"Linlin… I…" Zechs fell silent, taken aback by her honesty. At the same time, her feelings didn't surprise him entirely. Much of what she was expressing was something he already understood.
He knew that Linlin had always been different from everyone around her and that she had also been abandoned by her parents. Elbaf had been the only place where she had ever felt a sense of belonging. Among the giants, her size no longer made her stand out, and for a time, she had even managed to make a few friends there.
Until that, too, had been taken from her.
As for why the people of Elbaf hated her… he knew the reason. But it wasn't something he wanted to dwell on right now. What mattered at this moment was Linlin and the emotions she was quietly revealing.
Noticing the concern in his eyes, Linlin gave a small smile. It carried both sadness and acceptance. "But still… this is better than nothing, right? Even if it's not all the time… at least when it's just the two of us… You can still be bigger than me. So… I guess it's not so bad after all."
'Right… before she became the terrifying pirate… she was just a lonely child,' Zechs thought with a quiet sigh.
If she had met the right people, if even one person had guided her properly, perhaps she would never have become the fearsome figure the world would one day know. Perhaps she could have become someone kind and protective instead, a source of strength rather than fear.
Because at her core, Linlin had once been innocent and gentle.
That innocence, however, had gradually been shaped and eventually twisted by people who either didn't understand her or chose to exploit her for their own benefit.
As for how he felt about all of this, Zechs wasn't sure what conclusion to reach.
Should he blame the giants for the way they treated Linlin?
After all, they had suffered greatly because of one of her uncontrollable hunger episodes. Their anger and fear were understandable. Frankly speaking, they hadn't deserved what happened to them. And the deeper reasons behind why the giants eventually came to see her as a monster… That was a separate matter altogether.
But putting that aside, should Zechs blame Linlin's parents for abandoning her in the first place? But it wasn't their fault that their daughter was born as a freak of nature…
Then there were people like Carmel and Streusen, both deeply manipulative individuals who had exploited her and shaped her into what she would become. The two of them certainly deserve condemnation, right?
He could choose to judge any of them if he wanted.
But honestly… wouldn't that make him a hypocrite?
After all, in his own way, he had also taken advantage of her. And she wasn't the only one. There were many women who had been drawn in by his charm, his presence, and his influence, unable to resist the pull he exerted over them, and he had done many things to them only to leave them behind and continue sailing.
But despite all that, Zechs felt no regret.
Why would he feel regret?
He was a pirate, and pirates lived as they pleased. The morals and values from his previous life had been left behind the moment he raised the black flag above his ship. On top of that, his demonic nature that comes with his race as an Incubus set him apart. Human standards of right and wrong no longer held much weight for him, and he carried no guilt for the path he had chosen.
But all that aside…
'Since I've already taken advantage of you… and there's also the fact that we are going to get married… I'll make sure to give you something back,' he thought quietly.
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The previous goal was 200 PS, and we reached it. Hurray for that!
Ahem… now for the next goal: 300 PS within 24 hours.
Now, I know that's asking a bit much all of a sudden—but this time it comes with a promise. If we reach 300 PS within 24 hours, I'll drop achapter tomorrow, even though it goes against my usual posting schedule.
My normal schedule is five chapters a week, and with this one, I've already posted six chapters this week. But if we hit 300 PS, I'll definitely release an extra chapter tomorrow.
So hurry up and drop your Power Stones!
Of course, if the readers wish, they can certainly read up to 20 advanced Chapters on p-a-t-r-e-o-n: Knockturn_Alley