Broccoli Island was only two days away from the island where the Sheep House was located. This was the second time Streusen and Charlotte Linlin had landed here.
In the future, the island where the Sheep House stood would be transformed by Charlotte Linlin into Cake Island, the heart of Totland.
After Luffy defeated Doflamingo, the loss of underground weapon supplies led to a rebellion that overthrew the government on Broccoli Island. Desperate, the king spent a fortune hiring Germa 66 mercenaries, who crushed the rebellion in just four hours. Even after that, the kingdom remained wealthy and resourceful.
---
"Linlin, I heard Brook's ship is a golden flying ship! That has to be incredible!"
Ever since Streusen adjusted his plans, he had been collecting detailed information on the Hell Pirates. Their strength was impressive, but what truly caught his eye was the golden ship. If Brook wasn't planning to steal Linlin away from him, then that ship would be the perfect treasure!
"A flying ship? Hah! My Zeus can fly too!"
Charlotte Linlin grinned, patting the fluffy Thundercloud Homie Zeus. However, as a Homie made from her own soul, Zeus was completely loyal to Linlin. Even Streusen wasn't allowed to ride it—if he tried, the white clouds would turn into dark storm clouds, crackling with lightning!
"The key thing isn't flying—it's gold. Do you know how filthy rich someone has to be to build a flying ship entirely out of gold?"
Streusen licked his lips. After ten years of looting, he and Linlin had accumulated mountains of gold and silver, but they'd never been wasteful enough to build a whole ship out of gold. That was far too extravagant. If they weren't strong enough to protect it, they'd be torn apart by every pirate in the New World!
"Hahaha! Then I won't have to worry about money for desserts anymore!"
Charlotte Linlin's eyes gleamed. It was no secret that money never lasted long in her hands—she spent it as fast as she stole it.
Hearing this, Streusen heart clenched, but he forced a smile.
"Exactly! From now on, you can just ask Brook for money!"
This is perfect. Once Linlin starts relying on Brook for money, she'll naturally stick to his side. But if I secretly tell Brook about that... incident—the one where Linlin ate... people—he'll definitely see her as a monster.
After witnessing her true nature, he might even kick us off his ship!
And even if he doesn't throw her out, Brook will at least start to distrust her. Nobody wants a crew member who eats humans and loses control when she's hungry! That alone should be enough to put distance between them!
"Alright, I get it! But I'll still steal things for Brook every now and then as a thank-you!"
Charlotte Linlin laughed. She had no idea what kind of plan Streusen was cooking up in his head.
---
Landing on Broccoli Island
Back on the island, the first priority was feeding Linlin.
Although Streusen Cook-Cook Fruit could create food, Linlin didn't enjoy eating things made from Devil Fruit powers. She only ate them when there was no other choice. Normally, she preferred real food—though most of the time, she didn't pay for it.
Sometimes they paid for meals, but more often, they robbed the restaurant outright. Anyone who tried to resist was crippled or worse.
This was how Streusen molded Linlin into a ruthless pirate, shaping her into the terrifying Big Mom of the future.
"Look, Streusen! There's a little giant over there, and he's taller than me!"
Linlin pointed excitedly at a scar-covered giant carrying a massive sword. The man stood about 12 meters tall, towering over most humans, and his presence alone made it clear he was dangerous.
"It's her! That damn woman who wrecked my restaurant!"
A restaurant owner clenched his fists in rage. When he shouted, more people turned to glare at Charlotte Linlin and Streusen—including the giant swordsman himself.
---
This was Giant Slayer "Gigant", a notorious bounty hunter in the New World.
He had taken down over a hundred pirates, including notorious rookie and big-name captains with bounties exceeding 300 million!
"Master Gigant, that's her! Kill her!!"
The restaurant owners shouted desperately. They weren't the only ones after revenge—several other bounty hunters began surrounding Linlin and Streusen as well.
CLANG!
Gigant rested his sword on his shoulder, eyes cold as he studied Linlin.
"You… are Charlotte Linlin? The one who destroyed a warrior village in Elbaf ten years ago?"
His voice carried the weight of history. Linlin had killed one of Elbaf's greatest heroes, Jorul, when she lost control of herself.
And now, standing before her was a man with giant blood—a man who despised her for it.
Linlin, however, lit up with excitement.
She loved being around people her size or bigger—that's why she would later fund Caesar's gigantification experiments and try so hard to befriend giants.
But before Linlin could respond—
BOOM!
Gigant charged, swinging his massive sword with a force that shattered the ground beneath him!
"DAMN IT—"
Streusen ran for his life without hesitation. This kind of fight was for Linlin—not him!
---
Charlotte Linlin vs. Giant Slayer Gigant
BAM!!
The giant blade came crashing down—only to stop against Linlin's raised arm.
She didn't even use Haki—just her raw steel-balloon physique to block the attack!
"I didn't mean to kill Grandpa Jorul!"
Her expression shifted. Her eyes reddened as painful memories surfaced.
Sensing his master's emotions, Prometheus blazed furiously, unleashing a wave of flames toward Gigant.
At the same time, Zeus darkened and let out a barrage of lightning, striking down nearby bounty hunters in a storm of thunder!
From a safe distance, Streusen grinned cruelly.
These fools have no idea what they're up against.
Against an enraged Linlin, they were nothing more than insects waiting to be crushed.
---
CRACK!!
Gigant was sent flying by Linlin's monstrous strength!
He coughed, quickly reinforcing his body with Armament Haki to withstand Prometheus' flames.
"How the hell is a runt-sized giant stronger than me!?"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
Strength was the greatest pride of the giant race—yet he was overpowered by someone shorter than him!
Linlin stared at him, hurt and confused.
"I just want to be friends with the giants… So why do you all hate me so much?"
Her voice was filled with genuine pain.
She couldn't understand why every giant she met wanted to fight her.
But for Gigant, the answer was simple:
She was a monster.
----
The Giant Slayer, Gigant, became furious when he saw Charlotte Linlin still acting pitiful. With her monstrous strength and Devil Fruit abilities, why was she pretending to be weak?
"You will always be the enemy of the giants! It was you who killed Elder Jorul! The giants will never forgive you!"
Giant Sword swung his massive iron blade again and again, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. His terrifying power and remarkable speed were what made him a renowned bounty hunter in the New World.
However, being a half-giant born outside of Elbaf, he never learned the giants' legendary techniques—Elbaf Spear and Hakoku Sovereignty.
Despite that, he had risen to fame purely through his natural giant strength and relentless training, capturing over a hundred high-bounty pirates in the New World. The criminals he hunted weren't weaklings worth just a few million or tens of millions of berries—they were major threats. If it weren't for the enormous food costs of being a half-giant, he could have saved billions in bounty money by now.
Among all half-giants, he was one of the most hardworking and wealthiest.
"No!! I want to create a country where all races can live together in peace! How could there be no giants in my dream?!"
Hearing how much the giants despised her, Charlotte Linlin's anger erupted. Her eyes turned blood-red, and her aura grew even more violent.
The sun Homie, Prometheus, had already reduced the weaker bounty hunters to ashes or sent them running for their lives. The thundercloud Zeus unleashed a barrage of lightning at Gigant, forcing him to keep dodging.
Linlin, enraged, decided she wouldn't let this little giant slander her any longer.
He's not even a real giant! What right does he have to speak for them?!
With a roar, she swung her massive iron fists, clashing against the Giant Slayer's blade. Each impact sent shockwaves through the air, producing loud metallic clangs and even sparks!
Streusen watched from the sidelines, his expression amused and cruel. He casually caught a flying piece of rubble, then used his Cook-Cook Fruit ability to transform it into a handful of cherries, munching on them as he enjoyed the spectacle.
Then, with a resounding CRACK!, Charlotte Linlin shattered Gigant's massive iron blade with her bare hands.
Realizing he was completely outmatched, Gigant's immediately turned to retreat.
But Charlotte Linlin wasn't about to let him go. Zeus and Prometheus intensified their attacks, striking him from three directions at once. Thunder and flames rained down upon him, leaving him no room to escape!
As the battle raged on, it spread through the streets of Broccoli Island. Everywhere Linlin passed, buildings collapsed in her wake, engulfed in fire and lightning.
Was this bounty hunter here to catch a pirate, or did he just lead one into their city to destroy it?!
Business owners and civilians wailed in despair. Their properties—years of hard work—had been obliterated. Some had no idea how they'd explain this disaster to the real bosses of the island—the underground forces backing them.
Streusen trailed behind Linlin as she pursued Gigant, witnessing the chaos firsthand. The battle had started on East Street and raged all the way through West Street, leaving the island in flames.
Never anger Charlotte Linlin.
Watching her devastation unfold, Streusen felt a cold sweat on his back. He recalled the few times she had given him that murderous look—it was like walking on the edge of death itself!
---
At the Coast of Broccoli Island
Desperate, Gigant dove into the sea in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
Zeus rumbled furiously, still electrocuting the water, while Charlotte Linlin prepared to mount the thundercloud and chase him across the sea.
"Linlin! Stop chasing him! Have you forgotten why we're here?! We need to find Brook!" Streusen shouted, rushing to stop her.
If she charged off into the sea alone, she might get lost and never return. More importantly, Streusen was beginning to feel uneasy. Linlin's power had grown beyond control—if the giants really did send an army after her, wouldn't he get caught in the crossfire?!
Linlin might survive such an attack, but he sure as hell wouldn't! He wasn't a fighter—his talents lay elsewhere.
Hearing Streusen words, Linlin's red, frenzied eyes gradually returned to normal. Prometheus shrank down into a cute little sun, resembling a yellow cake, while Zeus reverted to a harmless-looking white cloud.
"Streusen he said the giants would never forgive me. What should I do?! I really, really want to be friends with them!" Linlin asked, her voice laced with sadness.
"Don't worry! You still have me—and soon, you'll have Brook too!" Streusen reassured her.
That was another reason why he wanted to join a strong pirate crew. If the giants really did send warriors after Linlin, he needed a way to survive.
From the distant sea, plumes of thick black smoke rose from Broccoli Island, signaling to nearby ships that chaos had erupted.
The weaker pirate crews, seeing the destruction, immediately turned their ships around. No one wanted to get caught in a fight between a rampaging pirate and a bounty hunter—especially not when that pirate was Charlotte Linlin.
---
Above the Skies, Aboard the Golden flying ship "Erebus"
"Captain Brook! The Den Den Mushi signal is getting closer! That smoking island up ahead—looks like that's where our new crewmate is!" Antonio reported.
The Den Den Mushi they had been using to track Linlin had grown increasingly stable, making their communication more reliable than ever. Seeing this, Brook was preparing to distribute the rest of the Den Den Mushi to the crew.
But there was one problem: How could he plant the Den Den Mushi on pirate and navy ships "naturally"?
Sending them out via Seagull Newsbirds was one option, but if the recipients killed the Den Den Mushi on sight, it would be a massive waste of resources.
Antonio had spent a lot of time breeding these Den Den Mushi—it would be a shame if they were destroyed before serving their purpose. But at the same time, simply hoarding them forever wasn't an option either.
Brook pondered for a moment.
Perhaps… Moore Thomas could arrange a promotional newspaper campaign?
A lottery-style giveaway could be the perfect method.
Newspapers would come with random numbered tickets, and anyone—pirates, marines, revolutionaries—could cut out and keep their numbers.
The winning numbers would be published in the next issue, and lucky winners could redeem their prizes from the Seagull Newsbirds when purchasing their next paper.
On the third day, the winners would receive their own Den Den Mushi, delivered discreetly.
Brook grinned.
It was a brilliant plan. Even though it had a few risks, the success rate would be high. Plus, it might even increase newspaper sales, further expanding the influence of the Economic News Agency!
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