In the New World, an inconspicuous small ship sailed the seas. Though setting sail, as usual, only a few knew the fact of Silas's voyage. For most people, Silas remained on Sphinx, preparing to oppose the World Government. Everyone believed the current peace was merely calm before the storm.
Just like today's seas.
"Wahaha, I caught a big fish! This fish must be delicious!!!" A girl's voice rang out. A fourteen or fifteen-year-old pink-haired girl suddenly burst from the sea, riding a monster fish dozens of times her size, the creature struggling violently beneath her.
"Hey, settle down!" The girl sat on the fish's fin. Displeased with its movements, she casually slapped it once. Then the monster fish's eyes rolled back, gurgling as it began sinking.
"Wow, seriously? You can't even handle one hit?" At fourteen, Linlin was no longer a clueless kid. She understood now that her strength was far beyond normal—even a friendly pat could be dangerous.
Once while playing with giant children, she accidentally broke a giant child's leg. Since then, she stopped being so reckless and began seriously learning to control her strength. So in just two years, Linlin's strength underwent earth-shattering changes.
Even though she hadn't fought any top opponents yet, just training with Silas showed she was already on par with regular Admiral-level fighters. If she could fully master Observation's future sight and Armament's internal destruction, she might even beat Harald. And if she learned Conqueror's wrapping, she could probably go toe-to-toe with Silas himself.
Of course, provided Silas didn't enter his life-burning state. Life-burning Silas's strength was a tier above her current self. Forget ordinary Admiral-level fighters—even her normal state couldn't last long against him.
All in all, Linlin might not have reached her full potential yet, but she had uncovered most of her talent on her own. Compared to how she was supposed to turn out, the difference was like night and day.
Soul-Soul Fruit? Absolutely worthless! Silas had once considered giving Linlin the Azure Dragon Fruit, but considering her situation, she hadn't even fully tapped into her own natural abilities yet. Eating it would only distract her. So he abandoned the idea of having Linlin eat a fruit.
Though the fish fainted, underwater Linlin hugged the big fish and stomped hard. Geppo! The entire sea area seemed to shake, making Silas in the cabin rush out.
"Hey, Linlin, don't make such big commotions—" Before Silas finished speaking, he saw Linlin holding a big fish descending from the sky. Given the fish's volume, sinking the entire Millennium Falcon would be effortless.
But neither Silas nor Stussy, who was sunbathing on deck, seemed worried. As Linlin and the fish were about to land, the fish started shrinking right before their eyes. When they finally touched down, there was only a soft thud. The massive fish was now just a few meters long.
Naturally, accomplishing this was Ripley's fruit ability.
"Cook! Cook!" Linlin cheered, raising her hands as she landed on deck. She liked being on the Sphinx, but she was happiest on the Millennium Falcon with Silas. He was strong enough that, no matter how much she messed around, nothing would go too wrong. All she had to worry about was having fun and eating well.
"Hmph, next time you make such a big commotion, I won't clean up your mess."
"Hehe, definitely next time." Both Silas and Linlin saw fish schools continuously approaching the Millennium Falcon. Just now, Linlin's stomp attracted considerable attention from the giant Sea King.
Sorry, my kid doesn't understand—please forgive her. Possessing the Voice of All Things ability, after learning to communicate with Haki, Silas could more easily converse with these massive ocean creatures. In a few words, Silas dispelled those giant Sea Kings' anger.
There was no point in not calming them down anyway. Using Haki to communicate was not only easier, but it also let the animals sense his strength, so they knew who not to mess with. The Sea Kings only got angry once, and that was it.
"Old man, I want to learn this move!"
"I refuse."
"Eh, why?"
"Because I discovered you increasingly don't take me seriously as captain. Previously, you'd call me Grandpa Silas; now you call me old man." Silas looked pained. Where did the formerly obedient Linlin go?
She appeared obedient enough, but that didn't mean she actually listened. Previously, Linlin seemed obedient but mostly didn't understand others properly. Many words she heard were easily misinterpreted. But now, though Linlin wasn't obedient, she was much smarter than before. She understood others' words and knew what should and shouldn't be done. Whether she was willing was another matter.
As a Conqueror's Haki possessor, Linlin naturally had her own ideas. Just like Rona. Though she had an intimate relationship with Silas and often sparred with him when they met, she wasn't Silas's subordinate or vassal. Linlin was the same.
However, their long-term close relationship meant she wouldn't easily disobey Silas. But having Silas make her do things against her will would ruin Linlin's fondness for him. So Silas sometimes scolded Linlin, but after she grew up, he gave her sufficient respect rather than thinking she must obey his orders because he'd raised her from childhood.
"Bleh, if you won't teach me, then don't! You couldn't teach me anyway." Linlin stuck out her tongue at Silas. She wasn't clueless—talking to animals required the Voice of All Things, just as her special body did. You were either born with it or not, and Silas couldn't teach it even if he tried.
"Hehe, though I can't teach you animal communication, I have a fruit that enables it." Silas smiled.
"Really, such a thing?" Hearing Silas's words, Linlin was shocked.
"Of course." As the White Wolf Pirates grew and had more money, Silas was confident about buying Devil Fruits. Many were hard to identify, so he didn't risk giving them to his crew. But some, like the Whisper-Whisper Fruit he just mentioned, were easy to recognize.
However, this fruit enabled only animal communication—a fruit publicly recognized as useless. So the White Wolf Pirates purchaser bought it for under five million Berry.
"How about it, want to eat?"
"No way!" Linlin turned it down right away. Giving up swimming just to talk to animals wasn't worth it to her. Plus, Devil Fruits tasted terrible. As someone who loved good food, Linlin swore she'd never eat one in her life.
Silas had long expected this. The Whisper-Whisper Fruit was bought for the lanternfish's caretaker. After all, Sphinx's inner island was in the lanternfish's belly—though simple communication was understood, what the lanternfish needed, others might not know.
As Silas consistently did, he preferred using gratitude and benefits to bind people to work for him rather than pure oppression. Though the lanternfish was a fish, it had a child's intelligence. Constant oppression would eventually cause problems.
After a brief interlude, Linlin carried the knocked-out fish toward the kitchen while others remained unmoved. Right—these two years, Linlin's greatest progress wasn't strength, but cooking skills!
One day, when Linlin wanted cake but it was too late and the cake shop closed, she kept bothering Silas. Finally unable to stand it, Silas simply said, "Since you want cake so much, just make it yourself."
So Linlin's life took a totally different turn from what was expected. Part of the reason her strength improved so much was because she was just too strong—even beating eggs would send them flying everywhere. By making cakes and kneading dough, she slowly learned to control her power.
When Linlin emerged wearing a chef's hat and apron, even Silas was momentarily dazed. This was literally a never-imagined development. He'd originally planned to find a chef for his ship, but now it was completely unnecessary.
"Come, try my grilled fish!" Linlin placed cut fish slices before Silas, watching him with expectant eyes. Silas bit down—crispy fish skin with tender fish meat entered his mouth. Under Linlin's exquisite skills, every fish bone was removed. Eating the fish meat, he felt that ultimate refreshing texture.
"This is amazing!" Silas couldn't help but say. In less than two years, Linlin's cooking had already left his in the dust. He only cooked to get by, never really trying to get better. But Linlin truly loved food, and it showed. With her passion and talent, her future was bound to be full of flavor.
However...
"Wait, Linlin, if I remember correctly, this fish's original size was dozens of times larger, right? So eating it..." Though Ripley's ability could shrink the fish, after eating it, the fish's meat retained its original energy content. So though Silas only ate a small bite, it was actually equivalent to eating an entire cow.
Silas didn't care. Other strong people on the ship, hearing Silas's words, couldn't wait to start enjoying the delicacy. By the time Silas reacted, it was too late.
Ripley was fine since, as a giant, she usually ate way more than most people. But Stussy and Kozuki Toki weren't so lucky. Their stomachs stuck out like they were a few months pregnant, which made Silas feel a bit flustered.
"Hiss~" Seeing Silas's aggressive gaze, Stussy stomped hard on his foot. Even Kozuki Toki couldn't help glancing at him.
Pregnancy and childbirth weren't easy matters. Kozuki Toki was fine—originally having a traditional personality, after accepting Silas, she'd long prepared to bear children for him. But what was Stussy's original dream? Outliving Silas, inheriting his legacy!
As time passed, Stussy gradually changed her mind, but that didn't mean she was willing to bear children at this age. After all, she was a doctor—she knew childbirth somewhat affected women's appearance. As a woman who valued appearance maintenance, she didn't want to become a haggard young woman and then lose Silas's favor.
But then she noticed that, except for Rona and herself, all the women connected to Silas were pregnant. If she didn't do anything, she'd be left behind. She wasn't like Rona—without Silas, she was still strong enough to stand on her own. Out here, as long as she avoided trouble at Mary Geoise, she could go anywhere. But on this ship, she was just the doctor.
So Stussy made up her mind. As a Devil Fruit user, she knew her body better than anyone. Having one or two kids wouldn't be a big deal. But she never expected that, even though she was the youngest, she'd end up pregnant with twins. Just thinking about the pain made her want to bite Silas. If he ever left her, she'd never forgive him.
Precisely, Stussy's stubborn little glare made Silas move his hands and feet.
"Ahem." Lily coughed lightly. "There are still children here." Glancing at Linlin, then at somewhat uneasy Crane beside her, Silas immediately resumed a serious, proper appearance.
Like others, Crane had also eaten a fish piece, causing her belly to swell uncomfortably. Seeing Silas's slightly aggressive gaze made her tense. Then she sighed internally. Why was she nervous? Hadn't she long prepared?
Two years ago, after receiving the Marine message, she'd prepared—though, feeling sad, she clearly understood that obtaining Silas's secrets required more than ordinary crew member status. Earning Silas's trust required equally important things.
But for Crane—a Marine soldier-origin girl—seducing men was her least skilled combat method. So two years passed without any progress with Silas. Silas seemed to treat her only as an ordinary crew member. This made Crane both relieved and somewhat lost.
She'd been with the White Wolf Pirates for five years—one-quarter of her life. Long enough, she almost forgot her Marine experiences. After all, from enlisting until training as a White Wolf Pirates undercover agent took under a year, and her White Wolf Pirates time far exceeded her Marine time.
Time changed people. Crane once thought herself sufficiently persistent about justice, but after traveling with the White Wolf Pirates, visiting the Steel Nation's eleven nations oppressed by the World Government extracting Heavenly Tribute, and witnessing a broader world, Crane had doubts.
Was Marine justice truly justice? Or just justice belonging to a few? So Crane was waiting. Waiting to truly recognize her own thoughts, then making decisions. At that time, she'd decide her identity! Marine, or pirate!
Because Silas's idea was finding the Roger Pirates, the ship's navigation—besides targeting near the New World's starting point—otherwise basically drifted aimlessly.
Until this day, they saw a merchant ship being plundered. And the merchant ship's flag belonged to the White Wolf Alliance jointly created by the White Wolf Pirates!