Long Bread understood too well the consequences if Linlin went hungry.
He immediately barked orders for food to be prepared at once, and as head chef, he himself hurried toward the kitchen to oversee the preparations.
After he left, the restless Big Mom suddenly fell silent again. She leaned forward to peer down at Roger, her voice laced with an odd, breathy laugh.
"Mamama… Roger, I heard that you and Newgate were utterly defeated by the Navy. Are you coming here this time to rely on me for help?"
Her words struck like striking open a festering wound for the Roger Pirates. Roger's expression shifted, but he swallowed the pain and chose to endure it in silence, his focus remaining on the crucial matter of the poneglyph.
That was when Shanks snapped.
His voice flared with indignation as he shouted at Linlin,
"Hey! What nonsense is that!? How could the Roger Pirates come to rely on you? Do you think you are stronger than Golden Lion?"
Rayleigh stood beside Shanks, but he made no effort to quiet him. This time Shanks spoke without hesitation, and Rayleigh offered quiet support.
Big Mom's eyes, tiny and lantern‑like, gleamed with a chilling spark.
She gazed down at the red‑haired youth who dared to stand defiantly before her, her stare icy and full of disdain.
But then her brow twitched, and a fleeting thought crossed her mind.
Why does this brat look familiar?
In Linlin's mind, a memory began to blur into place — the image of a young boy from God Valley long ago. Shanks's face reminded her eerily of that boy, especially the fearless expression he always bore.
She narrowed her eyes, overlooked Shanks, and turned her attention to Roger.
"Roger," she asked, voice heavy, "where did this brat come from?"
Roger paused briefly. Based on his understanding of Linlin, if someone insulted her, she would normally fly into a berserk rage and tear them apart immediately. He had even moved to shield Shanks just in case.
But Linlin's reaction was unexpected.
Rather than striking, she simply eyed Shanks with a curiosity that teetered between inspection and contempt.
Roger finally replied calmly,
"He is an orphan. I found him and took him in."
Within the Roger Pirates, this fact was hardly a secret, and Shanks had long accepted it.
Linlin then turned her gaze fully to Shanks and spoke in a low, probing voice,
"Brat, what is your name?"
Her tone made the others uneasy. Even Buggy shivered, unwilling to meet her gaze.
But Shanks stood tall, head held high, speaking neither arrogantly nor humbly,
"My name is Shanks!"
Linlin's eyes flickered sharply. Her question was not casual — she had been attempting to use her Soul‑Soul Fruit's ability, Soul Pocus. Had Shanks been afraid, his soul would have been instantly vulnerable.
The fact that he felt no fear made his soul impervious to her power, an outcome she had clearly not anticipated.
She paused, considering whether to continue her probing, but Roger intervened abruptly.
"Enough, Linlin," he said with steady firmness, "with your status, you have no reason to trouble a boy like him. Put away your ability."
Linlin's eyes shifted, and she snorted coldly.
"Roger, you keep that brat in check. If he dares speak back again, I will not be so gentle."
Roger merely smiled without concern and said,
"No problem. I will make sure he behaves."
He then signaled Shanks to step back, but Shanks glared defiantly for a moment, snorting twice before Buggy dragged him away, guiding him behind Rayleigh for safety.
Roger turned back to Linlin with composed grace.
"Linlin, I am your guest, am I not? Must you make your guests stand here like this and waste time?"
Linlin pouted, her tone casual and uninterested,
"I do not remember inviting you here."
Roger did not falter, shameless as ever.
"Do not say that. No matter what, we fought side by side once before. Surely that bonds us at least a bit?"
"Mamama… side by side, you say? Tell that to Rocks," Linlin shot back.
Roger smiled wryly, dodging a wave of disdain that could almost have knocked him back.
"I heard Newgate say you always wanted to leave Rocks's ship. If he had not died, it might not have been so easy for you to break free, right?"
Linlin spat with open contempt, and Roger barely dodged the spray that could have drenched him.
"That Newgate fellow talks too much," she muttered, "and he certainly had no place to comment on my affairs. Hmph… you want a child with me? Think you are better than he was? If we had been together… imagine how strong the child could be."
Roger wiped another cold sweat from his brow. He knew exactly who Linlin meant by "that slut" — Miss Bucking — and he had heard Newgate mention her in passing. But Newgate had never seriously proclaimed that she was his woman.
Whether Miss Bucking or Linlin herself, neither was easy to deal with, and it was unsurprising Newgate had never praised either.
Even so, the suggestion forced a moment of contemplation through Roger's mind.
His time was limited. Should he — could he — consider leaving behind a legacy?
Just as this thought settled, Linlin's voice cut through the tension again.
"Mamama… Roger, do you want to have a child with me?"
The words struck like a thunderclap. Rayleigh and the others all blinked, eyes widening in astonishment. Roger himself recoiled, stepping back instinctively, cold sweat trailing down his face.
Linlin's gaze remained locked on him, fierce and unblinking, as if she truly wanted to devour him.
Roger swallowed hard, forcing a strained smile.
"…Let us not, we are not suited for that."
Linlin bent forward, lowering her face close to his, her voice teasing and immodest,
"And why not? Your body is strong. You would satisfy me perfectly."
Inside, Roger screamed against the absurdity of it all,
But I am not satisfied!
He fought to restrain the urge to punch the massive face in front of him and instead flashed back toward Rayleigh's side, momentarily startling him with the sudden movement.
But Roger only steadied himself and then spoke seriously,
"Linlin, let us set this aside. I have come here to speak of matters far more important."
===
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