Hearing that Asmodeus Zechs had left quite a while back, but there was no sign of Linlin on the deck, Streusen frowned and asked his subordinate, "Where is Linlin? Has she still not come out of her cabin?"
The subordinate shook his head. "No… Ane-san still seems to be resting."
"Resting?" Streusen repeated, disbelief evident on his face.
Who was Linlin? How powerful was she? If anyone understood her strength, it was him. He had watched her grow up from a six-year-old girl to the woman she is today.
'Would someone like her really need rest?'
He had never seen Linlin grow tired from anything. She could fight continuously for days without slowing down. How was he supposed to believe that a single night would be enough to exhaust her?
To him, the idea was completely unbelievable.
'And more importantly… did Asmodeus Zechs truly have the ability to push her to that extent?'
Streusen refused to believe it.
Because admitting it would mean acknowledging something else, that, as a man, he was far inferior to Zechs. He knew in his heart that if their positions were swapped and it had been him—oh, how much he wishes that it had been him—who had the opportunity to sleep with her, Linlin would never have been pushed that far by him.
Of course, this is something he only knows in his heart, but he refused to admit that he was inferior and pathetic… even though the reality was already clear.
The pie he had been carefully cooking for more than a decade had been creamed by a man who had only just entered the picture.
Still, he refused to accept it. Instead, he chose to believe in another possibility.
'Something is suspicious here… Maybe Asmodeus Zechs had other intentions. Maybe he did something to Linlin, something that may put her life in danger.'
Rather than admit that Zechs might be superior to him as a man, Streusen found it far easier to suspect foul play.
'Is it possible that Asmodeus Zechs carries some kind of STD… and that he passed it on to Linlin?' he thought, his lips tightening.
Given what he knew about Zechs and his reputation as a womanizer who had raped countless women, the possibility didn't seem far-fetched. It was entirely plausible that he might have contracted something and unknowingly transmitted it to Linlin.
Although Linlin's absurd physique made illness highly unlikely under normal circumstances, diseases did not always follow logic. Their nature could be unpredictable and difficult to understand. There were illnesses like the "can't-go-to-that-island" disease, "love sickness," or even the so-called "feminization disease," which might even be dangerous for someone as powerful as Linlin, who might not be completely immune to infection from them.
They could weaken a person drastically, or in severe cases, even become life-threatening within a short time.
The more he thought about it, the more this possibility began to trouble Streusen.
In his mind, that was the only explanation for why Linlin had not come out of her room yet.
'Don't worry, Linlin… I'm coming to check on you. What you did may have angered me, but I'll still make sure you're alright,' he thought.
With that thought, he decided to go check on her himself to be certain whether she may or may not be affected by such a disease.
As he struggled to rise, the subordinate hurried forward to stop him.
"Head Chef, you shouldn't get up! You've already lost a lot of blood, and your face is still green. I don't know what's happening to you, but you need to rest as the doctor said so earlier."
Those words only irritated Streusen further.
"Move aside," he snapped, forcing himself to stand. Then he added coldly, "And don't you dare tell anyone how you found me."
The subordinate swallowed nervously and nodded. "U-Understood, Head Chef."
Streusen gave a short snort and walked out of the room, staggering slightly as a sharp pain throbbed through his head.
However, when he arrived outside the captain's cabin, he found the door locked from the inside.
Just as he was about to knock, Zeus and Prometheus moved to block his way. They hovered in front of the door as if standing guard and warned him in unison, "Mama doesn't want to be disturbed."
Streusen froze when Linlin's two homies blocked his path. Trying to remain calm, he said, "I just want to make sure Linlin is alright."
"Mama is safe." "Mama is also very happy," Zeus and Prometheus replied one after the other.
"Linlin is… happy?" Streusen asked, his chest tightening. The thought that she was happy, after spending the night with a man who wasn't him, and after choosing to marry someone else, left a bitter heat burning inside him.
It made him unhappy that she was happy with another man.
Even so, he forced himself to keep his expression under control.
"Then… why hasn't she come out yet?" he asked.
"Mama is doing something."
"It's something amazing, and it seems to be related to her dream."
"She doesn't want to be disturbed until she finishes."
"Yeah. So instead of bothering her, you should go do your job and prepare sweets for Mama."
Streusen's face darkened.
Not only was he being denied access to Linlin, but he was also now being ordered around by her homies.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared; this wasn't anything new.
But today, it felt different. It was as if they were looking down on him… mocking him… silently calling him pathetic.
Just as Streusen turned to leave, Linlin's voice suddenly came from inside the room. "Zeus… Prometheus…"
"Mama?" The two homies turned toward the door at once. Streusen also stopped mid-step.
Before either of them could ask what she meant, her voice came again. "Call him."
Streusen paused, and a smile slowly appeared on his face. 'Just as I thought… I didn't raise you to forget who matters,' he thought.
Despite everything, it seemed Linlin still valued him enough to see him. That thought eased some of the bitterness in his chest.
But before the relief could settle, her next words followed—
"Call Zechs. I'm ready. I want him to be the first person to see me like this."
The smile on Streusen's face froze, and a bitter taste rose in his throat. He felt a tightness in his chest, as if something might force its way up at any moment and paint the surroundings red.
He forced himself to calm down before speaking. "Linlin… open the door."
Recognizing the familiar voice, Linlin fell silent for a moment. Then her curious reply came from inside. "Streusen? What is it?"
However, she made no move to open the door.
"I came to check on you," Streusen said.
"Oh? I'm fine. No, more than fine," Linlin answered lightly. "So you don't need to worry. By the way, we're going to have a celebration later, so go and make the preparations."
"You…!" A bitter feeling rose in Streusen's chest.
But there doesn't seem to be anything he could do except click his tongue, "Tch," and nod, "Got it…" then turn away and leave.
Zeus and Prometheus watched him leave with puzzled expressions, but did not stop him. Instead, one of them immediately left to call Zechs, following Linlin's instructions.
…
On Zechs' ship, the atmosphere had become somewhat emotional.
"Zechs-sama… how could you do this to us? How could you get married?"
"Yes, Zechs-sama… I… I thought we would always stay by your side…"
"Waa… Zechs-sama, you won't forget about us after marrying Charlotte Linlin, right?"
"Even if it's only once in a while… you'll still allow us to serve you with our bodies, won't you?"
"Mhm… we're truly grateful that you saved us from that slave ship. If not for you, we don't know what would have happened to us."
"We don't have anything to offer except ourselves… so please… let us continue serving you using our bodies…"
As Zechs stood surrounded by the women speaking one after another, pressing themselves to him, the other crew members watched from the side and let out teasing whistles.
"Captain's as popular as ever…"
"Still… I really didn't expect our captain to get engaged to Charlotte Linlin…"
After all, compared to Asmodeus Zechs, Charlotte Linlin was a far more infamous pirate. She had been active for over a decade and carried a bounty of 1.2 billion Berries, more than double that of their captain.
And unlike Zechs' bounty, which was inflated in part by the grudges of men he had greened and wanted him dead, Linlin's bounty reflected the fear and destruction she had caused. The difference between them was undeniable.
However, not everyone saw it that way.
"Really? I don't think it's that surprising," another crew member said. "The captain is strong and ridiculously handsome. Is there any woman who wouldn't want to be with him?"
The crew had to admit that their captain's looks were almost inhuman. Then again, on second thought… he technically wasn't human to begin with.
But setting that aside—
"No matter how notorious Charlotte Linlin is," someone added, "she's still a woman. It's only natural that she'd fall for our captain."
"Yeah… there probably isn't a woman out there who could resist the captain's charm."
With that thought, the men let out a collective sigh. They couldn't help wondering why they hadn't been born with the same looks.
If they had, they might also be surrounded by beauties from all over, just like Zechs.
Not far away, Zechs leaned casually against the wall, and women gathered on both sides of him, and he hugged them left and right. Two more fed him pieces of fruit, grapes and pineapples, in turns, while others stayed close, caressing their bodies with him as he caressed theirs in turn, making them giggle because of feeling ticklish.
"Damn, Raijuu…" many of them thought, some even muttering under their breath, wishing he'd just blow up already.
Of course, it was nothing serious, just the kind of harmless resentment that came from simple envy. Deep down, none of them really meant it.
As for why they didn't take it too seriously, despite being healthy men who have been out at sea for very long and should have cared thanks to testosterone if nothing else, especially since encounters with beautiful women were rare, and their bodies ought to react accordingly—
'Ahem… let's not dwell on that,' Zechs thought, deciding to change the subject.
[Why, Host? Do you not wish for others to know about your questionable actions?] Miss System asked at that moment.
'Questionable actions? I have no idea what you're talking about,' Zechs replied inwardly, his expression remaining calm. 'I'm just a pirate. There's nothing I've done that isn't… pirate-like.'
As for Miss System's remark, he chose not to respond further.
And of course, it definitely had nothing to do with one of his traits, Persuasion, subtly influencing the men on his ship and making them less concerned about such matters.
Yes… that was definitely not the reason. Right? Right, indeed!
Miss System rolled her eyes and chose to remain silent. She didn't even display the usual dot-dot-dot, otherwise, he would have claimed that she was once again looking towards the east.
Meanwhile, as Zechs was enjoying the attention of the women around him, Zeus drifted over with a somewhat listless expression.
The cloud homie glanced around briefly before spotting him. Ignoring the women gathered close at his sides, he spoke directly. "Zechs… Mama is calling you."
"I see… so Linlin is ready," Zechs murmured.
Since that was the case, he gently disengaged from the women around him. "Alright, girls…"
Before he could finish, several of them pouted. "Zechs-sama… you're leaving us again?"
It was clear they didn't want him to go.
Zechs smiled, pulling them into a brief embrace before giving each of them a quick kiss. "I'll spend time with all of you later, and be sure to fill your bellies with my seeds," he promised.
"O-okay… since that's the case, we'll reluctantly agree…" the girls replied with tinged cheeks.
After reassuring them, he followed Zeus, bringing the women with him, along with most of his crew, as they headed toward Linlin's ship.
On the way, Zechs spoke casually to the cloud homie. "By the way, Zeus…"
"Hm?" Zeus turned to look at him.
"Shouldn't you be speaking to me a bit more respectfully?" Zechs said lightly.
"Respectfully? Why? How?" Zeus asked, clearly confused.
"Well, I'm going to marry Linlin," Zechs explained. "And since you're her homie, it only makes sense that you should respect me too… and listen to what I say, right?"
"Eh? Really?" Zeus blinked, unsure whether that was actually true.
"Of course," Zechs continued. "If you don't, Linlin might get angry with you."
"Mama will get angry?" Zeus's expression immediately turned pale. Linlin's anger was the last thing it wanted to face.
"Wouldn't she?" Zechs replied calmly.
Zeus thought about it for a moment and began to look uneasy. "S-she really might…"
"Exactly," Zechs said smoothly. "So, to make sure that doesn't happen, you should treat me with proper respect. Technically, since I'm going to marry Linlin, you should call me Papa… but that might be a bit much. So I'll allow you to call me Zechs-sama instead. And you should listen to what I say as well."
Miss System spoke up. [Host, technically, "Papa" would be more appropriate. Since the homies call Charlotte Linlin "Mama," her future husband should be addressed as "Papa," not "Zechs-sama."]
'Miss System, "Papa" sounds crude and doesn't suit me,' Zechs replied inwardly. 'It makes me sound old, even though I'm so young and handsome. It's not appealing at all. And as for the other option, "Daddy" that title is reserved for my women. So the only acceptable choice is Zechs-sama.' And added after a pause, 'Of course, if Miss System wants to call me like that… I'll reluctantly accept "Papa" too… but my preference is "Daddy."'
[Humph. I'm never calling you "Daddy."] Miss System snorted.
'Miss System… at this rate, you're going to break my heart,' Zechs replied.
[Where? I don't see any heart to break,] she answered flatly.
'Miss System is as tsundere as ever,' Zechs thought.
[W-who are you calling tsundere?!] Miss System shot back immediately, reacting as if her tail had been stepped on.
'Fufu…' Zechs let out a quiet laugh before shifting his attention back to Linlin's cloud homie.
Just then, Zeus also gave a nod. "A-alright! I'll call you Zechs-sama from now on… and I'll listen to you too."
"Fufu… good," Zechs replied with a satisfied nod. Then he added, "But to make sure Linlin doesn't find out about your earlier disrespect, let's keep this conversation between us. Otherwise, she might get angry at you for how you spoke to me before."
"O-okay…" Zeus agreed hurriedly.
'Fufu… this Zeus really is an idiot,' Zechs thought with a faint smirk. 'No wonder it ended up being fooled into betraying Linlin and becoming a pet for Nami.'
…
On Linlin's ship, most of the crew had gathered on the main deck, waiting for their captain to appear.
Earlier, one of her senior homies, Prometheus, had informed them that Linlin had something to show everyone. Because of that, she had called the crew together, and now they stood assembled, waiting.
"Why is Ane-san making us wait so much?" someone asked, clearly unsure what was going on.
"Captain wants her fiancé to see it first," another crew member replied, "So, she is waiting for him to be present…"
"Oh…" The man nodded in understanding.
And so they continued to wait for a while longer, until Asmodeus Zechs arrived with his crew.
As soon as Zechs and his crew boarded the ship, Zeus hurried off to inform Linlin.
At the same time, Zechs sensed a cold stare directed at him. Turning his head, he found Streusen watching him with clear dissatisfaction.
Tilting his head slightly, Zechs asked calmly, "Do you have something you want to say to me?"
In truth, Streusen had plenty he wanted to say, but this wasn't the moment. He simply shook his head. "No."
"Oh? That's unfortunate," Zechs replied lightly. "Because I have a few things I'd like to say to you."
Streusen frowned, confusion written across his face as a series of question marks practically appeared over his head.
With a smirk, Zechs leaned closer and whispered into the man's ear, "Linlin was very wet and tight last night… and she even allowed me to—"
[Host, you are behaving like a villain,] Miss System commented.
'It's fine, Miss System. I'm a pirate. Pirates are villains,' Zechs replied inwardly.
Miss System didn't disagree since her host is really a pirate and likes to act like a villain. So she didn't comment further and just watched him as he continued speaking, each word making Streusen's face flush red, his head grow heavy, and his chest burn with rising anger.
"By the way… I also wanted to thank you for taking care of Linlin all this time. If not for you, I don't know what might have happened to her. And if anything had gone wrong… I wouldn't have had the chance to make her mine. So… I'm very grateful, father-in-law."
"You… you… you—!" Streusen nearly choked, especially after hearing himself addressed as father-in-law.
Was he really his father-in-law? Technically, the title did make sense. He had raised Linlin and, in many ways, could be considered a father figure to her.
But that wasn't what he had ever wanted.
He had wanted to be her "Daddy." Unfortunately, Linlin can only have one "Daddy," and she has already found one. Worst thing for Streusen is that Linlin's "Daddy" wasn't him. It was Zechs. Asmodeus Zechs.
The thought filled him with bitterness. Anger rose in his chest, and he wanted nothing more than to lash out at the man.
But before he could say anything—
"Oh… Linlin is coming out," Zechs said casually as he looked away from Streusen and stepped forward, "Linlin…"
Streusen swallowed his words and forced himself to stay quiet as he turned to look.
The moment he saw her, he froze. "Lin… Linlin?"
For a second, he couldn't believe his eyes and even rubbed them to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
It wasn't just him. The entire deck erupted in shock.
"Ehhh?! A-Ane-sama?"
"W-what happened to you?"
"How did you become so small?!"
They had every reason to be stunned.
As Linlin stepped out of the captain's cabin, she was no longer the towering figure who stood nearly 880 centimeters tall. Instead, she appeared much shorter, smaller than most people on deck.
She now stands at only about 180 centimeters.
The sight left everyone too stunned.
Linlin ignored the shocked reactions around her and looked straight at Zechs. "W-what do you think, Zechs?" she asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "I didn't become too short, did I?"
"Hm… maybe a little," Zechs replied casually. He reached out, brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and studied her face. She looked slightly nervous. "But it's fine," he added after a moment. "I like it."
At her current height, she was now 31 cm shorter than him, reaching only up to the base of his neck, and had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. Strangely, she, who had always been used to looking down on others, liked this feeling of having to raise her head to look at people; it made her quietly happy.
"Well, more importantly," Zechs continued, "I'm glad you were able to do it. Are you happy now? It looks like you've finally achieved one of your dreams."
"Yes… I am," Linlin nodded, her expression brightening. "I'm very happy."
After hearing the exchange between Zechs and Linlin, the onlookers, still stunned, finally spoke up again.
"Um… Ane-sama… what happened to you? How did you become so small?"
"It would be better if you explained it to your crew yourself," Zechs said, stepping aside.
Linlin nodded. Then, carrying a commanding presence that felt completely at odds with her now-smaller frame, she turned to face her crew.
"Everyone," she began, her voice firm, "one of my childhood dreams was to create a world where everyone around me would be of the same size, and we could all sit together at the same table and enjoy sweets and food."
She paused. A few among the crew, those familiar with her dream, nodded in understanding.
"To make that dream come true," she continued, "I had always been searching for a way to make everyone around me bigger. I wanted everyone to become bigger since I was bigger… But clearly that approach was wrong."
She paused again before adding, "With Zechs' help, I realized something important. To achieve my dream, I don't have to make everyone else bigger. I only needed to make myself the same size as everyone else. I just needed to make myself smaller."
Her gaze swept across the deck. "He also gave me the idea for how to do it. The means had always been within my power; I simply hadn't realized how to use them that way. But with his suggestion, I was able to make it happen."
She spread her arms slightly. "And as you can see… now I'm about the same size as most of you."
In fact, she had deliberately made herself slightly shorter. Now, she stood at an average height among those on the deck.
And she liked it that way.
Linlin continued, "I know this change may not mean much to all of you, and many of you may not even understand it… But to me, it means a great deal."
Her crewmates immediately protested.
"Ane-san, if it means so much to you, how could it not matter to us?" one of them said with a pout. "This was your dream, and now you've achieved it. Of course, we're happy for you. Isn't that right, brothers?"
"Yeah!"
"Congratulations, Ane-san!"
"Congrats, Captain!"
Voices of celebration rose across the deck.
Linlin smiled warmly. "Everyone… thank you." Then she added, "And for helping me fulfill this dream… I am very, very grateful to Zechs."
Turning toward him, she thanked him again. "Zechs… thank you. Thank you so much for helping me become like this."
As she spoke, her eyes grew slightly moist. She was genuinely grateful. Her size had always been a burden to her, something that set her apart from everyone else. Now, that problem was gone.
The realization stirred her emotions as she looked up at him. "Zechs…"
Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Naturally, he returned the kiss, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
Chu!
"Whooo!"
"Captain!"
The crew burst into whistles and cheers at the sight of their captain kissing her fiancé. Their opinion of Zechs rose even further after learning that he had helped her fulfill one of her dreams.
When they finally pulled apart, Zechs smiled and gently patted her head. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy," he said.
That simple gesture made her blush.
Almost immediately, the deck erupted into loud chants.
"Banquet!"
"Banquet!"
"Banquet!"
"Banquet!"
Linlin nodded. "Yeah… It's time to celebrate."
It didn't matter that it was still morning. They were pirates, and pirates did whatever they wanted. Time meant nothing to them. If they felt like celebrating, then they would celebrate.
With that decided, she turned to Streusen and ordered, "I told you to prepare for a celebration, didn't I? Then bring everything out. We're celebrating again today."
"Yoooshhhh!"
The crew erupted in loud cheers.
Streusen looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent. He turned away and went with the other chefs to prepare and bring out the food for the feast.
Meanwhile, Zechs wrapped an arm around Linlin's waist and led her over to sit down, waiting comfortably for the banquet to begin.
.
.
.
.
Author's Note:
[1] First things first—about the Summons, and by extension, the topic of "children." I'll be honest: the MC will not have any children. I know some readers may be unhappy with this, and I apologize in advance, but I won't be writing the MC having kids.
Putting aside the in-universe explanations, the main reason is simply practical. Handling children properly in the story would be difficult, and I don't consider myself skilled enough as a writer to manage that aspect well. On top of that, the MC is going to have a large harem, which would logically lead to an enormous number of children.
If the story's timeline were short, it might have been manageable. I could have simply mentioned pregnancies and moved on with the plot without ever really showing the children. However, the current timeline is set 48 years earlier, and no pregnancy lasts that long. Ahem… certain kinks and fetishes could be played around with, and I might include some of those, but as far as children are concerned, the MC will not have any.
[2] As for Shanks' hotsister thing, it's a joke from one of Tekking's videos when Shamrock was introduced. It's perfectly fine if readers haven't watched that video.
By the way, shout-out to the GOAT.
Now, putting that aside, let's talk about the PS goals.
The PS goal was 130, but we didn't reach it. Not even close. In fact, we missed it by quite a large margin. What's going on, people? The PS goals need to be met. I'm not being stingy with chapter releases and locking the chapters behind PS milestones, so please don't be stingy with the Power Stones to support the story and keep me motivated.
Throw them all at me, I can take it.
Anyway, the refreshed PS goal is… let's see… how about we aim for 190 within the next 24 hours. Please help me reach it.
And don't forget to leave comments and reviews to keep me motivated.
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