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"Yeah… no. I'll pass. Not interested."
"Eeeh…? He refused Mama?"
"How is that even possible?"
Zeus and Prometheus were stunned by Zechs' bold rejection. This was the first time they had seen anyone turn Linlin down. They couldn't remember a single instance where she had failed to get what she wanted or had been refused outright.
It had been a very long time since anything like this had happened.
Linlin also blinked in surprise. Zechs hadn't even taken a moment to consider her offer; he had refused immediately.
"Huh? You're not even going to think about it?" she asked, unhappy with his response.
Zechs shrugged. "There's nothing to think about. I have no intention of putting myself in a position where I have to follow someone else's orders. I only follow my own will."
No joke, he had been reborn into a world of pirates, a place where he could live however he wanted without answering to anyone. Why would he ever choose to become someone else's subordinate?
In fact, not only did he have no intention of serving Linlin, but he was already thinking about how to make Linlin follow him instead.
After all, Linlin is the natural-born destroyer, a walking and talking natural disaster donning the skin of a human… he'd be an idiot if he didn't want her as a subordinate.
Linlin, unaware of what was going through Zechs' mind, fell silent after hearing his response.
Honestly, it wasn't that surprising. A man capable of using Conqueror's Haki was bound to possess the spirit of a ruler. Someone with that kind of will would never easily submit to another.
And this was something Linlin not only expected, but also appreciated. If Zechs had agreed immediately, it would have been far more surprising and also highly disappointing. It would have made her question whether he truly possessed the spirit of a Conqueror, or whether he was worthy of standing as her right hand at all.
Even so, Linlin herself was also a Conqueror, and her nature was one of overwhelming greed. Once she set her eyes on something she wanted, she had no intention of letting it go.
Despite their brief interaction, Asmodeus Zechs had already become someone she desired as part of her crew.
His rare, near-mythical race fit perfectly with her dream of building a nation where all races could coexist. She wants him to be part of her nation.
His strength and indomitable spirit appealed to her as well, thus she wants him to be her right hand…
And most of all…
For some strange reason that she didn't understand, standing in his presence made her heart race.
Although she didn't understand why her heart was racing so intensely, the feeling was completely new to her. Still, she had to admit that she liked it, and she knew it had something to do with Zechs' presence.
Because of that, whether he agreed willingly or not, she had already decided that he would become part of her crew, part of the nation she intended to build.
'If not as my right hand… then…'
Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing within them as she looked at him.
"I'm not used to being denied something I want," she said. "And I want you as my subordinate. Are you really not going to reconsider? You already know…"
Her Conqueror's Haki surged outward once more, the pressure thickening in the air.
"I'm stronger than you. And the consequences of refusing me… might not be something you'll like."
"So… if I refuse… are you going to kill me?" Zechs asked, his voice steady but strained. Sweat gathered along his back as his body trembled under the pressure of her Haki.
"I don't intend to kill you," Linlin said. "I could just chop down your arms and legs and keep you locked up in a cage."
Then her tone turned cold and ruthless.
"Or maybe I will kill you. If I can't have something I want, then there's no reason for it to exist. So you'd better think carefully before you answer my next question. Because if you don't… You might lose your life."
Her overwhelming Haki continued to surge outward, keeping Zechs on edge. At the same time, she activated one of her Devil Fruit abilities.
Zeus and Prometheus, who had already expected things to unfold this way, exchanged a glance before looking at Zechs with faint smiles that appeared evil.
'Refusing Mama? Humph!'
As Linlin's closest homies, ones made out of her very soul, they knew better than anyone what happened when she was denied something she wanted. The number of cities destroyed and islands brought to ruin because of her bad temper was far from small.
Things were not looking good for Zechs, of course.
The two shared another knowing look as Linlin spoke again, "So, what will it be, Asmodeus Zechs? Will you submit to me and become my right-hand man… or will you remain free and die as the captain of your pirate crew?"
"Life… or submission."
At that moment, the world around Zechs seemed to darken.
It wasn't that the surroundings had actually changed; this was the visible effect of Linlin's power, the sensation experienced by those caught within its influence.
A cold chill crept deep into his soul as the pressure bearing down on him intensified.
If her Conqueror's Haki alone had been overwhelming before, now the addition of her Devil Fruit power made the weight of her presence feel even more suffocating.
Zechs immediately recognized the ability Linlin was using.
'Soul Pocus…' he thought, his body tightening.
Linlin possessed the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, one of the most formidable and versatile Paramecia abilities. With it, she could manipulate souls in various ways, and Soul Pocus was one of its most terrifying applications.
This technique allowed her to directly confront a soul's attachment to life. The target was forced to make a choice: submit to her demands, in this case, to become her subordinate, or surrender a portion of their lifespan.
If the target showed even a moment of fear, Linlin could extract their lifespan at will, even taking all of it and killing them instantly. However, if the person felt no fear at all, or if her voice failed to reach them, the ability would not work.
Now that he was being subjected to Soul Pocus, Zechs faced a clear choice: submit to her… or risk losing his lifespan.
At least, that was how it should have been.
Yet despite the pressure, Zechs did not feel true fear.
Yes, his body was tense. A chill ran down his spine, and the weight of her presence on his soul was unmistakable.
But does that mean he felt fear?
Not quite.
It was just the body's instinct and his own knowledge that he was weaker than Linlin. Still, Zechs was not afraid of her.
There was a simple reason for that: his nature as an Incubus.
Incubi were near-immortal and ageless beings. Their lifespan extended for thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands, or even longer. While he was not truly unkillable and could still die through physical means, losing lifespan was not a threat to him.
No matter how much lifespan someone tried to extract, it would never truly run out.
As an ageless being of demonic nature who can continue to exist through lustful activities, death through the extraction of lifespan was simply not something he had to go through.
Thus, he could remain fearless in her presence.
And despite the tension running through his body, Zechs remained standing where he was while Linlin waited for his answer.
But he gave none and just tried to stabilize his breathing and continued to release pheromones that were constantly being inhaled by Linlin without even being aware of it.
"…."
Seeing his silence, Linlin laughed. "You think that staying quiet will stop my ability from working? In fact, if you don't answer, I'll simply take that as your choice, and extract your lifespan directly."
"Go ahead, Linlin," Zechs replied with a faint smile. "Try your best, extract as much lifespan as you want. Let me see how much you want to extract."
Linlin clicked her tongue. "Tch… Arrogant man, you'd much rather die than give in to me?"
A trace of regret crossed her mind. It seemed like a waste for someone like Asmodeus Zechs to die when he could have lived by submitting to her. But she had already given him a choice, and he had refused. There was no reason for her to hold back.
'Maybe I should leave him with only a few days of life,' she thought. 'If he realizes he's about to die soon, he might change his mind.'
Even now, she was reluctant to let him die and was still considering ways to make him submit.
With that thought, she activated her power and began extracting his lifespan.
Normally, when she extracted someone's lifespan, it would flow out of their body as a pink mist.
But from Zechs' body—
Nothing came out.
This made Zeus and Prometheus confused, "Mama… why is nothing happening?"
They have seen Linlin use Soul Pocus countless times, so they know how the technique works… yet nothing was happening here, which made them wonder if the technique wasn't working at all.
Linlin froze as well. "W-what's going on? Why isn't your lifespan coming out?" Then her eyes widened as realization struck her, and she asked in disbelief, "…You. Are you not afraid of me at all?"
"That's right, Linlin. I'm not afraid of you," Zechs said calmly, a faint smile on his face.
"Eh? He's not afraid of Mama?" Zeus and Prometheus were stunned. Even they, homies created from her own soul, feared Linlin. Yet this man standing before her showed no fear at all. It was something they had never seen before.
Linlin stared at him. "How is that possible? How can you not be afraid of me?"
Zechs gave a casual shrug. "Is there really any reason for me to be afraid of you?"
"The difference in our strength," Linlin said bluntly. "I could easily defeat you. I could kill you. And yet… you're not afraid of me at all?"
"It's true, you're stronger than me," Zechs admitted. "But so what? I've been sailing these seas for five years. Do you think I've come this far and gained infamy just to be afraid of someone like you?"
Linlin's expression changed at his wording. "What do you mean by 'someone like me'?" She felt offended, thinking that Zechs was looking down on her.
"What do I mean?" Zechs said with a small shrug. "It's simple. Just look at yourself. You're such a beautiful woman. How could a man like me, who desires to admire beautiful women, possibly be afraid of you?"
"Huh? Beautiful?" Linlin blinked, completely caught off guard. It took her a moment to process what he had said. When she did, her face flushed red. "B-b-beautiful? W-what are you talking about?!"
The overwhelming pressure of her Conqueror's Haki vanished instantly, and the oppressive effect of her Devil Fruit faded as well. She even took a few steps back, clearly shaken.
"W-what did you just say? Who are you calling beautiful? I'm terrifying, you know! I'm the most frightening woman there is! You're supposed to be afraid of me! Everyone is supposed to be afraid of me."
With the pressure gone, the tension in Zechs' body eased. He relaxed slightly and replied calmly, "Even if you say that… you don't seem frightening to me at all. If anything, I'd say you're cute, especially now that you're flustered by what I said."
Was Linlin frightening?
Without a doubt. She was terrifying, though not to the level of a truly overwhelming existence like Imu.
Even so, she was still someone most people on the seas would fear instinctively.
She was someone who, at just five years old, had destroyed an entire village in Elbaf. She had even killed Jorul, the "Waterfall Beard," who had been the partner of Jarul. Considering that Jarul had once been one of the strongest warriors in the world in his prime, his partner certainly wouldn't have been weak.
Giant partners were usually comparable in strength. Yet even such a powerful figure, though past his peak, had been killed by a mere five-year-old rampaging Linlin.
On top of that, the Linlin of the original timeline had little restraint. At times, she didn't hesitate to take life even from her own children. There was no denying it; she was terrifying.
Even now, before reaching her true peak, she was already a walking natural disaster, someone accustomed to getting whatever she wanted, even at the cost of absolute destruction in her wake.
And yet, there was no denying that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
The grotesque, witch-like appearance she would one day develop belonged to a distant future. Right now, in the prime of her youth at just eighteen years old, she was undeniably striking.
Even Zechs, who has slept with hundreds of women over the course of the past several years, couldn't help but be enamored by her beauty and wants to fuck her.
"C-cute?"
Puff!
A faint burst of steam seemed to rise from Linlin as her face turned even redder.
Suddenly, she felt lightheaded, as waves of embarrassment washed over her.
Zeus and Prometheus, who didn't know what Linlin was feeling, were confused by her reddened face, "Mama? Are you alright?"
Their words woke her up, "It's okay…" and shaking her head, she glared at Zechs, "You… you're lying, right? I'm not beautiful. I'm a scary woman… I'm a terrifying woman!"
"Linlin… I don't know why you'd consider yourself a terrifying woman, but all I see is a beautiful woman standing before me. From head to toe, you're stunning. How could I possibly be afraid of someone as beautiful as you?" replied Zechs, staying adamant in his words.
"B-beautiful again?" Trying to suppress her embarrassment, she raised her sword and swung it toward him, "If you think I'm not frightening, then I'll let you experience it yourself!"
The blade came down.
Yet even as the attack approached, Zechs showed no sign of fear. Instead, he looked straight into her eyes and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "Linlin… are you really going to hurt me?"
"Of course I am…" she said as a matter of fact.
But despite her words, her arm stopped midway.
The blade froze just inches from his head.
Her hand trembled violently.
As she met his gaze, her strength seemed to drain away. The sword slipped from her fingers and fell to the deck with a sharp clang.
"Mama? What happened? Why did you drop the sword?" Zeus and Prometheus asked, confused.
"…."
Linlin didn't respond to them. Instead, she stared at Zechs, her thoughts in turmoil. 'I… I can't. I don't want to hurt him… Why don't I want to hurt him?'
The realization left her stunned, and the thought of harming Zechs made her tremble at what the hell she was doing.
Meanwhile, Zechs let out a quiet sigh, 'That was close… I really thought she might go through with it.'
Seeing her body shaking, he softened his expression. "Linlin, I knew you wouldn't attack me," he said gently. Then, noticing her condition, he added with concern, "But are you alright? You're trembling…"
He stepped toward her, reaching out as if wanting to check on her.
"S-stay away from me…!" Linlin said, taking another step back until her back pressed against the ship's mast. She glanced around, her expression unsettled. 'W-what's happening to me? Why am I getting so flustered?'
Her body felt unusually warm, trembling as her heartbeat quickened once again, causing blood to rush everywhere. The heat spread across her face, which grew redder by the second, and it also spread towards her belly.
"Mama!?" Zeus and Prometheus cried out, their voices filled with concern. Both were deeply shocked by what was happening.
They immediately turned toward Zechs, suspicion flashing in their eyes. "You… what did you do to Mama?" they demanded, glaring at him.
At the same time, both of them hovered tensely with lightning cracking in one's body and fire raging in the other's. Both seemed ready to attack at any moment.
"What are you talking about?" Zechs replied calmly. "All I did was call her beautiful and cute."
Ba-dump!
"Haaah…" Linlin let out a soft sigh, her body trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Zeus and Prometheus immediately assumed it was because Zechs had called her beautiful and cute. Their expressions hardened as they turned toward him.
"You… don't call Mama beautiful," Zeus protested. "She's not beautiful, she's terrifying! You're supposed to be afraid of her!"
They had barely finished speaking when a heavy, menacing aura suddenly pressed down on them.
Linlin slowly turned her glare toward the two.
"You two… don't think I'm beautiful? You think I'm terrifying?"
"That's right, Mama… you… you're very terrifying," Zeus said without thinking, nodding earnestly.
Prometheus, on the other hand, immediately broke into a cold sweat. "M-Mama…?"
"Get lost!" Linlin snapped, swatting them away with a swing of her hand.
The two homies were sent flying back, looking utterly aggrieved. "What did we even do?"
Watching Linlin swat away her own homies, Zechs thought, 'The effects of my charm and pheromones are finally taking hold.'
Keeping his expression cautious and concerned, he spoke gently. "Linlin… are you really alright?"
'That voice of his… why does it sound so pleasant?' she thought, her body trembling even more as she felt herself drawn toward it.
When she lifted her head to look at him, Zechs seemed different, far more handsome and captivating than he had moments before… and he was looking at her with genuine concern, without any trace of fear in his eyes.
Watching him look at herself in concern, a realization dawned on her. 'I… I understand. It's because he called me beautiful… and he did so with his heart.'
And she… she wanted to hear those words from him again.
Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she asked hesitantly, "Hey… can you… Can you say that again?"
"What? That you're beautiful?" Zechs asked, tilting his head slightly.
Ba-dump!
'So it really is like this…' she thought, her heart pounding even harder the moment he said it again.
As a woman… how could she not want to be called beautiful at all? How could she not want to win the true admiration of others?
All her life, she had been met with fear.
From a very young age, people had been afraid of her or called her a monster in human form.
She might appear oblivious to such things, as if she doesn't notice them at all, but does that really mean she is completely indifferent or unaware?
Anyone who saw her looked at her with fear and caution; it certainly made her heart ache.
Even when others praised or admired her, their words were never sincere; they could not stop themselves from trembling in her presence.
Watching people cower before her had always given Linlin a sense of power. Streusen had once told her that their fear was a good thing, that it meant they respected her. As the stronger one, she had the right to do whatever she wished with them. If she wanted them to call her beautiful, they would do so.
And they did, just as she wanted to hear.
But deep down, she had always known in her heart that there was never truly any genuine admiration in those words, only fear and desire to stay alive.
And yet, the man standing before her, someone she had just met and intended to force into submission as her right hand, not only showed no fear towards her, but had called her beautiful and cute.
To Linlin, his words felt sincere.
Just by looking at him, her heart began to race like never before. Her massive body trembled, and heat spread through her in a way she had never experienced. It was a strange and unfamiliar sensation, but she found that she liked it.
She didn't understand why she suddenly felt this way, but she knew he was the cause.
With that realization, she looked at him with eyes filled with fascination.
"Linlin?" Zechs asked, feeling as though she was staring at him like prey. The intensity of her gaze made him tense again, though he wasn't afraid. He knew she was already affected by his charm and pheromones and wouldn't harm him.
"Hey…" she said hesitantly with a flushed expression. "Since you think I'm beautiful… then… You wouldn't be opposed to becoming my husband, right?"
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Hurry up and drop your Power Stones!