Klein had no choice but to have Linlin open her mouth and stick out her tongue.
"Male hormones!"
A surge of male hormones shot from his fingertip into Linlin's body.
Beads of sweat gathered on Klein's forehead.
By the time he withdrew his hand, Linlin's body was visibly transforming—her chubby, round form becoming more muscular, her belly shrinking in size, though she still retained her large frame.
Her facial features sharpened, her cheekbones became more prominent, her face developing masculine traits.
"Whoa—" Linlin blinked in curiosity at her new body. "Linlin feels so strong!"
Transforming from female to male wasn't just a matter of anatomy—her strength skyrocketed too!
Fat turned into power?
Were all chubby people secretly loaded with potential?
Klein chuckled and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Alright, Linlin. We need to get moving."
"When we get back, I'll play games with you, and once you turn 18... 15, we'll get married!"
Eighteen was too far away—nine or ten years. So Klein revised himself. It was questionable, sure, but this was the pirate world, and with Linlin's current build, "early bloomer" didn't even begin to cover it.
No need for the powers of the Maturity-Maturity Fruit—just a few years, and Linlin would grow into a radiant woman with a body that'd put modern-day pear-shaped trends to shame.
Klein added, "For now, you're technically a boy, so you'll use the name Charlotte. When you turn back into a girl, you can go back to using Linlin."
"Mmhm..." Linlin nodded, leading Klein out of the mist.
—
On the Warship
When Os, Gloriosa, and Shakky saw Klein and Linlin emerge, they were utterly dumbfounded.
Clack—
A cigarette fell to the deck as Shakky's pupils dilated. "No way... Linlin... Linlin turned into a guy?"
Her personality, build, and even looks had changed—but the person now known as "Charlotte" was still wearing a frilly pink dress.
That hulking figure... how could she not recognize her?
Unless you were blind...
"Eh—Is that Linlin's older brother or younger brother?" Os stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Shakky went silent. Okay then... Apparently, she had been overestimating some people's intelligence.
"Linlin... how did Klein-sama even do this?" Shakky was stunned. No wonder he'd used mist to hide them.
The ability to change someone's gender—it was terrifying.
And now she understood: that was Klein's solution. Even in the same clothes, no one would recognize the boy as Linlin.
Gloriosa shook her head. "Klein-sama has far too many secrets. I fear..."
Once aboard this ship, there's no getting off.
Leading Linlin onto the ship, Klein spoke solemnly: "His name is Charlotte. Got it?"
"Take good care of him. Also, he's incredibly strong right now—too strong to control his own strength. Be careful around him."
Everyone on board had seen Linlin's power before. Sure, she'd lost to Klein—but her strength far exceeded theirs.
And with a build rivaling a giant's, no one was going to mistake 'Charlotte' for just a kid.
"Wow—!" Linlin's eyes sparkled. "Such beautiful ladies!"
"Lin... I mean, Charlotte is very cute too~"
While they chatted, Klein turned to Os and said, "Os, forget going back to G-14 Base. Head straight to Sphinx Island."
"Eh—" Os blinked. "But I don't think we have a Log Pose for Sphinx."
"Check the town. If not, look around the nearby islands."
"And make sure to notify Vice Admiral Crotto that we won't be returning to base for now."
Klein had checked Whitebeard's profile in the game—like Zephyr, he was 14 last year, so it was unclear if he had turned 15 yet.
Chances were, he hadn't gone to sea yet. The sooner they reached Sphinx, the better their odds.
If he could recruit Whitebeard, that'd make three future Rocks Pirates members on his side—Linlin, Gloriosa, and Whitebeard.
***
Klein couldn't help admiring his own wall-breaking skills.
As a transmigrator...
How could he not cut in line?
Letting fate play out would just mean adding difficulty to his own game.
Even so, Klein knew—the future Rocks Pirates would still become rulers of the sea.
Golden Lion, Captain John, Bakkin Gom Stussy, "Pirate Founder" Wang Zhi, "Underworld Fiend" Silver Axe, mafia boss Marlon, smuggler Gan Sui, Fishman Babel, Kyl Bastar, and more.
"A lineup like no other in history..." Klein had been floored the first time he learned about it.
Still, as a die-hard fan, he knew Rocks brought them together using the pirate game founded by "Davy Jones"—Davy Back Fight—each with their own ambition.
Klein grinned.
"If the Rocks Pirates were the ultimate pirate roster, then I'm building the Navy's deluxe edition—"
Linlin, Gloriosa, Shakky... and in the future, Zephyr, Garp, Sengoku, Whitebeard, Kaido...
If the God Valley Incident ever happened again, he wouldn't need to team up with Roger's crew—he'd be able to crush the Rocks Pirates himself!
"But that's still far off. First, we head to Sphinx and find Whitebeard."
—
Then, Klein walked up to Linlin.
"Charlotte. Starting today, I'm going to teach you how to fight—and how to control your strength."
Linlin's talent was second to none among pirate women.
Of course...
That's assuming Imu wasn't a woman.
She was still not even nine years old. If she trained hard, she'd never become the 'disgrace of the Four Emperors'...
She'd become every woman's idol, inspiration...
"Linlin... Charlotte will do whatever you say." Linlin stood tall on the deck, like a towering statue.
Klein smiled. "Then let's begin with eating a senbei."
He set up a table and poured senbei crackers onto it.
"Charlotte, pick up a senbei gently with your hand. If you crush it, you can't eat it. Begin."
Klein decided to teach through play. After all, she was still a big kid under nine.
"Senbei..."
Linlin's eyes lit up. Drool dripped from her lips. Following Klein's instructions, she extended a hand bigger than a fan. Her finger—whiter than bone, thicker than a steel rod.
Crack—
As she pinched the cracker, the senbei, already brittle, instantly shattered into crumbs that fell through her fingers and floated to the deck.
Partly her fault... partly the side effect of the Horm-Horm Fruit massively boosting her strength.
"Ah—" Linlin looked crushed. "I broke it..."
"Don't be discouraged. Gentle touch." Klein encouraged her. "Keep trying. If you want to eat tasty senbei, you have to learn to control your strength."
He also began planning her training: food intake, meal timing—everything had to be structured.
He couldn't let Linlin fall into binge eating habits—whether from hunger or overeating from pleasure.
Right now, she clearly had no control.
There were precedents—like nuns and the giant elders. Thankfully, he could still restrain Linlin, but others aboard? Not so lucky.
Few could stand in front of her now.
Linlin kept trying. Each time, Klein patiently explained what went wrong.
After dozens of tries, she finally managed to get a piece into her mouth.
She beamed with a sweet smile. "So crispy, sweet... it's delicious!"
Another one joins the ranks of the Senbei Squad.