"Rejuvenate my youth?"
The crew turned their curious gazes toward the commotion.
Though intrigued, they weren't overly shocked. After all, aboard this ship, they had witnessed things far more extraordinary.
Moreover, apart from Charlotte Linlin, no one else on the crew currently had a need for such a procedure—even Shakky. Thanks to her Mythical Zoan Vampire form, she had already rejuvenated herself from the inside out.
"Really?" Charlotte Linlin looked at Ain with a hopeful, almost pitiful gaze.
In the past, she had been content with her physique, even proud of it. Her large body gave her superior defense and allowed her to shrug off pain in battle.
But after joining the crew, she had grown self-conscious. The stark contrast in how the captain treated her compared to others filled her with regret over her past indulgence in gluttony.
"I..." Ain, like a startled rabbit, took a step back.
Charlotte Linlin was a former Emperor of the Sea—a fearsome legend who had once crushed nations with ease. And now this towering figure stood so close, her gaze pleading. It was unnerving.
"My ability can indeed rewind a person's age," Ain explained softly, beginning to understand why Kuke had taken her aboard. Clearly, her purpose was to restore Linlin's youth.
A worrisome thought crossed her mind: would she be cast off the ship if her ability proved insufficient?
"But I have nowhere else to go," Ain thought. She had no desire—or chance—to return to the Navy.
Nervously, she added, "But my ability isn't permanent. If I lose consciousness, am defeated, or die, the effects will be undone."
"Small matter," Charlotte Linlin declared confidently. "With the captain and me here, no one will have the chance to lay a hand on you."
If Ain could truly restore her youth, she would become Linlin's most valued ally—more important than even her own children.
"Come on, hurry up and use your ability on me!" Linlin urged impatiently.
Ain glanced at Kuke, seeking his confirmation and asking silently how far back to rewind Linlin's age.
"Can you precisely control the extent of the rewind?" Kuke inquired, recalling that Ain's ability usually worked in increments of 12 years.
"Yes, I can control it. For one person, I can rewind up to five years at a time. I can choose to rewind anywhere between one and five years with each use," Ain explained in detail.
"Good. Rewind Charlotte Linlin's age to... 16 years old," Kuke decided after some thought.
"Sixteen? That's too young! I want to be 18!" Linlin protested, pouting. Her ideal age was 18—just coming of age, when she was at her most beautiful.
"Captain, just wait and see. At 18, I'll outshine every other woman here," Linlin declared arrogantly, casting a glance at the other women on board.
"Sixteen," Kuke insisted firmly.
Rewinding Linlin to 16 would make her weaker than at 18, but Kuke believed it would offer more potential for growth.
By the time Linlin was 18, she had already started building her family, a decision Kuke viewed as a waste of her unparalleled talent.
Linlin, in his eyes, was the most squandered talent the sea had ever known. With a natural physique capable of overwhelming even elder giants by the age of five or six and a bounty exceeding 500 million as a child, her potential was nearly limitless.
Yet she had chosen to focus on expanding her family instead of training, which had stunted her growth as a fighter.
By resetting her to 16, Kuke believed Linlin could start fresh, train properly, and reach heights far beyond her current strength within a decade.
"Sixteen it is, then. I was quite a beauty at that age too," Linlin grumbled but ultimately obeyed. Excited, she stepped forward.
Ain raised her hands, and a pink flame materialized, gently touching Linlin.
The first application rewound Linlin's age from 56 to 51. Though the changes were subtle, Ain continued her work.
"How beautiful was Charlotte Linlin in her youth?" Lily and the others speculated curiously.
"She was stunning," Smoothie answered, though with mixed feelings. Seeing their mother become younger than them would be strange.
"Linlin was undeniably gorgeous in her younger days," Shakky added. "Back then, many monsters fought over her in the pirate world."
The years continued to rewind. Linlin's previously overweight body began to slim down rapidly, revealing a striking hourglass figure with a slender waist and long legs.
Her complexion brightened, her wrinkles disappeared, and her once-lustrous crimson hair cascaded down her back. By the time she reached 16, the transformation was complete.
Linlin's youthful appearance was breathtaking. Her curves surpassed even those of women in their twenties, her porcelain skin glowed, and her captivating beauty was matched only by her regal height.
"How do I look? Not bad, right?" Linlin excitedly examined her new appearance, thrilled to see her best years restored.
"Not bad at all," admitted even Boa Hancock, who prided herself on her beauty. Linlin's rejuvenated form was unexpectedly mesmerizing.
"You no longer hurt the eyes," Kuke remarked, scanning her with satisfaction.
"Captain, now that I'm like this, don't I have the right to be close to you?" Linlin teased, approaching him with a playful smile.
"Scram!"
Linlin's smile froze. Her spirits crumbled.
"Why? Why does he still treat me this way?" Linlin muttered, her frustration evident.
"Charlotte Linlin, you've regained your youth. Now focus on training and don't squander your talent again. Don't repeat the mistakes of your past," Kuke said as he turned to leave.
Linlin pouted, mumbling to his retreating figure, "Mistakes? My past wasn't entirely my fault. That nun had a hand in it too. Besides, how could I make mistakes now? There's only one man on this ship, and he doesn't even look at me properly. Hmph."
Kuke, ready to enjoy a rare moment of leisure, casually glanced at Linlin's updated stats:
Charlotte Linlin: [Paramecia—Soul-Soul Fruit, Bounty: 4.4 billion, Combat Power: 321,568].
Ain: [Paramecia—Regression Fruit, Bounty: 0, Combat Power: 2,946].
Linlin was just shy of being fully loyal, and Ain had about 40% loyalty. For now, Kuke could only harness half their combat power boosts.
Though Linlin's current combat power had dropped significantly due to her age, it was a temporary issue. If Ain canceled her ability, Linlin's full strength would immediately return—but Kuke saw no need for that.
This temporary dip in power came with the potential for far greater growth. In this state, Linlin could retrain and develop to surpass even her former peak.
"Once Belo Betty develops the Immortality Surgery, Linlin's current state can be made permanent," Kuke thought, envisioning the future of his crew.
Both Linlin and Gion possessed the potential to become the strongest among emperor-level fighters.
As the Radiant Eclipse disappeared into the vast ocean, the shockwaves of their actions began to ripple across the seas.
The world's astonishment was just beginning.
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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