Lust is a blade that cuts to the bone.

But as the saying goes, there are only ruined fields, never a Zoan user who died of exhaustion.

Especially after Magnus regained his youth.

Even a whole crew taking turns couldn't wear him out!

Rocks and Newgate, though… that was another story. Young, talented—but even the brightest genius couldn't withstand constant indulgence.

"Roya, Ed, you bastards!"

Barely a month in, and both boys were looking haggard. Rocks's legs were shaky just walking, and Newgate, once a round little brat, was now lean enough to resemble his future self, the Whitebeard.

"Haha, it's for their own good," Roya laughed. "You're heading to Fishman Island—best get them used to what they'll see there."

"Mermaids are… very smooth!" Ed added with a wink.

Magnus kicked them both aside.

He'd told them to teach the boys how to unwind—not to wreck them like this.

This wasn't a shounen manga. No one was truly immune to temptation.

Even in the White Wolf Pirates, once ashore, everyone relaxed their own way: gambling, or visiting pleasure streets.

"I'm never going to a place like that again!"

Rocks knelt, teeth gritted. In those streets, with lights that blurred day and night, he'd lost all sense of time.

Women were terrifying creatures!

"Newgate! We have to keep each other in check. We can't let ourselves be distracted by places like that again. Strength is all that matters—hey, are you even listening?"

"Uh… yeah."

Newgate nodded quickly, but in his mind flashed those big sisters in their leopard-print shorts, those legs…

CLANG!

Magnus smacked him on the head with his sheathed blade.

"Listen up, boys. This ocean is full of temptation. If you can't even resist this much, you may as well get off the ship now."

"N-no! I don't want to leave!"

Newgate's heart tightened at the thought. Here, with this crew, he'd found something like a family—no deceit, no oppression, everyone equal, with Magnus watching over them like a parent.

This was home. And he loved it here!

Rocks, meanwhile, only felt Magnus was even more unfathomable.

On the streets, he'd barely managed to resist at first—then completely gave in. Without Roya and Ed dragging him back, who knows how long he'd have stayed lost.

But Magnus?

Surrounded by temptation even worse than those streets, and he never wavered.

So this was a true strongman.

Rocks grinned.

He'd already grown close to high pirate level in just three years. So what if he couldn't surpass Magnus yet? He'd heard even Magnus wasn't this strong at his age.

But the streets had taught him a lesson: true strength wasn't just physical.

The heart had to be strong too!

Magnus noticed the subtle change in Rocks's aura and couldn't help but smirk. What a prodigy—he even managed an epiphany after all that?

The crew began final preparations.

The last big task: Charlotte Linlin's shrinking experiment.

One of Magnus' main reasons for coming back to Sphinx was to see her through treatment.

Was her condition really linked to her Haki?

Was her craving disorder simply her body's survival mechanism, burning Haki nonstop to strengthen her defenses and driving her to eat to replenish?

With the best doctor alive, Kureha, and the greatest Haki master, Magnus, they finally had an answer.

They were right!

Most people's Haki was recessive, only appearing after years of training.

But Linlin's was dominant from the start.

Her body constantly produced Haki, strengthening her defenses as naturally as breathing. But that constant output meant constant energy drain—and when she couldn't keep up with food intake, her instincts triggered her condition.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a disease.

But frequent triggers would damage her body and mind over time.

She needed to learn to control herself: use Haki when needed, and save it otherwise.

That wasn't easy.

It was like holding your breath—painful, unnatural.

But if she learned to control it, she could unlock her full potential.

And so Magnus told her about the rewards of mastering her strength.

"Ready?"

"Mm!"

Linlin didn't really understand the talk about habits and Haki. But she did understand that Magnus promised he could make her the same size as everyone else.

All her life she'd struggled with her huge body, always looking down on everyone like they were tiny dolls.

In Elbaf it was fine. But leaving Elbaf, she felt the difference acutely.

Whether shrinking herself or making others bigger—she just wanted to sit at the same table as everyone else!

Because of her innate Haki, even Ripley's ability couldn't affect her before.

But with Magnus steadily burning through her excess Haki reserves…

"Shrink: Five Times!"

Finally, Ripley's ability pierced through her defenses, and Linlin's body shrank.

And suddenly the others looked tall, towering around her.

"Everyone's so big now!"

"Haha, no—we're the same. You just shrank!"

Magnus laughed and rubbed her head for the first time—something he couldn't even reach before.

"After burning all that Haki, I bet you're hungry, huh?"

"Let's all eat together!"

For the first time, Linlin sat at the same table as everyone else.

No differences in size.

Everyone smiling warmly around her.

It was like a dream.

Linlin thought, this is the happiest day of my life!

And somewhere, silently, a system message appeared.

[Charlotte Linlin favorability +20]

Current favorability: 100 (Intimate)

Charlotte Linlin: I love Uncle Magnus the most!

[Favorability maxed. Task complete. Reward: Advanced Armament Haki Application — Internal Destruction.]

[You already possess advanced Armament Haki. Reward upgraded: you gained Advanced Armament Haki Application — Infusion.]

["Haki is alive."]

(End of Chapter)

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