The Golden Ark swiftly ascended above the pirate ship, and Brook, riding atop the Qilin Lion, guided Charlotte Linlin—who stood upon the thundercloud Zeus—onto the ship.
As soon as Linlin set foot on the Golden Ark, her gaze landed on Edward Newgate, another small giant like herself. Her face lit up with excitent—finally, soone who matched her in size!
"Hopefully, I won't end up breaking their backs with a hug, or crushing their hands with a handshake," she thought.
"Wow~! She's even taller than Newgate!"
Shakky, observing the towering giant girl with a cowboy hat, a pink-and-white polka-dot shirt, and long denim pants, noted that Linlin's body proportions were even better than her own.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Charlotte Linlin! My dream is to make lots and lots of friends and build a nation where all races can live together in peace!"
Excited, Linlin leaped off Zeus onto the Golden Ark, eagerly introducing herself to every new crewmate she t.
"Linlin is incredibly strong, so be careful not to get hurt. You can use Haki, or just nod as a greeting," Brook warned, casting a aningful glance at Antonio, the weakest of the bunch—one wrong hug from Linlin, and he'd be dead.
However, Brook's words only fueled the curiosity of the young fish-man, Tiger. Fish-n were naturally ten tis stronger than humans, and he refused to believe a re handshake could actually injure him.
Linlin extended her hand first to Newgate. Naturally, he also dismissed Brook's warning. He was a man known for his monstrous strength—soone capable of stopping an entire ship with one hand!
As their hands clasped, a surge of raw power exploded between them. Newgate imdiately sensed that this new recruit's strength was no less than his own, while Linlin grinned widely, delighted to have t a true peer.
A powerful shockwave erupted from their handshake, sending waves of force throughout the deck. To the untrained eye, it looked like they had already started a battle!
The gusts of wind sent Redfield's noble attire fluttering. A hint of concern flickered in his eyes—yet another terrifyingly strong newcor. He wondered just how much longer he could hold onto his position as the strongest officer aboard.
Having already witnessed Newgate's monstrous talent and the devastating power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Redfield knew it was only a matter of ti before he was overtaken.
anwhile, Shakky and the other crewmates were completely stunned by the sheer force of the handshake.
"What the hell?! That shockwave alone was stronger than my Rankyaku at full power!"
Tiger swallowed hard. He had been ready to shake hands with Linlin a mont ago, but now? He wisely clasped his hands behind his back.
"No need for handshakes—eye contact and a polite greeting will do just fine."
"Linlin, don't use so much strength when shaking hands," Brook reminded her. "Good thing it was Newgate. If it were Antonio or Shakky, their hands would've been crushed."
"Ah~! Sorry, sorry! I forgot! Are you okay?" Linlin asked, looking genuinely concerned. She had caused so much unintentional destruction as a child—toppling bears and even giant warriors—that most people were afraid of her.
"I'm fine," Newgate assured her. "But your strength is no joke. If you can't control it properly, be extra careful when shaking hands with the others."
"Understood!" Linlin responded with a serious nod.
Redfield stepped forward. "No need to hold back with . Show your true power!"
Linlin hesitated. "But you're so small... I don't want to hurt you."
She turned to Brook for confirmation.
"Don't worry, Redfield is very strong. You might not be able to defeat him so easily."
Brook wasn't sure if Linlin had awakened Haki yet. Judging from her clueless expression, it seed she hadn't been trained in it at all. Her dominance in the New World ca solely from her steel-balloon physique and Soul-Soul Fruit powers.
"Really? Is Redfield that strong?" Linlin asked, skeptical. To her, all the pirates she had encountered were weaklings.
This was mostly due to Streusen's careful planning—he specifically targeted weak islands for plundering, avoiding territories ruled by pirate overlords. Being the cautious type, he would never put himself at risk. After all, with just the two of them, attacking powerful crews was out of the question. This was why Linlin had never encountered a worthy opponent before.
When she took Redfield's hand, she imdiately noticed how unnaturally hard his grip was. His palm was not only powerful but also reinforced with an absurd level of Haki—it actually felt tougher than her own natural defense!
"Where the hell did Captain find this monster?!" Redfield thought, shocked at Linlin's raw strength.
As their grip intensified, Redfield coated his arms in an even deeper shade of Haki, causing them to turn pitch black. Linlin, thinking she had crushed his hands, loosened her grip slightly—only for Redfield to increase his strength. Not one to back down, Linlin grinned and did the sa.
The battle of grips escalated. Redfield even unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, but Linlin stood unfazed. In fact, an undefeated will seed to awaken within her.
Suddenly, crackling lightning burst forth from Redfield's body, lighting up the deck. Seeing the dazzling electricity, Zeus began salivating.
"I wanna eat it!" Zeus whined, breaking the tension.
The other crew mbers—who had been overwheld by Redfield's Haki—suddenly found themselves distracted by the sight of a talking cloud.
"That's enough," Brook intervened before things could get out of hand. "We don't want a serious fight breaking out over a handshake."
After that, the rest of the introductions proceeded smoothly. None of the remaining crew had any intention of challenging Linlin to a handshake. Only Tom, the fish-man, dared to try. As for the others? They settled for shaking just one of Linlin's fingers.
"Linlin, is this your pet?" Shakky asked curiously, poking Zeus as it transford back into a fluffy white cloud.
"Zeus is my battle companion! It can shoot lightning! And this here is Protheus—he breathes fire! Pretty aweso, huh?" Linlin bead with pride. She had learned this ability from Mother Carl, after all.
"That's amazing! I want one too!" Shakky said enviously. The crew had already heard from Brook that Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit could bring objects to life, and they were all eager to see it in action.
"Sure! What do you want to give a soul?" Linlin asked eagerly.
"How about my Jet Boots?" Shakky suggested. "It's such a pain having to control them manually all the ti. If they could fly on their own, that'd be perfect!"
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122 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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