Grandpa Must Be a Really Good Person!

[Affection Mission: Gain Charlotte Linlin's favor.]

[Reward: For every 10 points of favor, slightly increase Cellular Activity. At 80 points of favor, receive Armament Haki. At 100 points of favor, receive advanced Armament Haki application: Internal Destruction.]

[Base Favor: 0]

[Current Favor: 10 (Friendly)

Charlotte Linlin: This is a grandpa who's really close to Mother.]

Mongge had already wanted Charlotte Linlin to join his crew. Even without a mission from the system, he would have gone out of his way to earn her favor.

But who would turn down a chance to get stronger?

Haki was secondary. He hadn't spent these past fifty-odd years for nothing. Armament Haki, even its advanced application, Internal Destruction—he had mastered it all.

Compared to the Haki reward,

he cared more about the reward that increased his Cellular Activity.

The several rewards he'd received in a row had gradually made him realize just how powerful this one was.

The most obvious signs

were that his metabolism had sped up, his once-sagging skin had grown smooth and elastic, his appetite had increased, and he looked several years younger than he had two months ago.

At seventy, he had gone back out to sea. What was the thing that worried Mongge most about his age?

Wasn't it his lifespan?

Who knew how many years an old man of seventy like him had left?

Even if his old injuries were healed,

his age was still a serious problem.

If he hadn't already eaten a Devil Fruit, he would have gone looking for the Bat-Bat Fruit, the one the future Red Count would pursue, to regain his youth.

Now, he didn't need the Bat-Bat Fruit. As long as his Cellular Activity kept increasing, he had a chance to regain his youth all the same.

"You're Linlin, right? My name's Mongge. I'm the captain of the White Wolf Pirates. It's nice to meet you."

"And everyone from Home of Lambs, too."

Even at his age, Mongge still retained some of the charm he'd had in his youth. Even as an old man, he was a handsome one.

When he smiled, there wasn't a trace of a pirate's menace about him. Instead, he looked like the kind, friendly grandpa next door.

"Ah, are you the captain of the White Wolf Pirates?"

Charlotte Linlin hadn't even reacted yet when the little Giant girl beside her, her head wrapped in a scarf, covered her mouth in astonishment.

"Everyone says you're one of the most powerful pirates on these seas."

"Haha, I didn't expect people would still be talking about me after all this time. But I can't claim the title of 'strongest' anymore. If I want to become the king who rules these seas, I'll have to keep getting stronger!"

For one thing, Harald, the current king of the Giant Tribe, was no weaker than he was.

And Harald was in his prime. Ten years was barely the blink of an eye to the Giant Tribe. Mongge had fought Harald to a draw ten years ago, but that might not be the case now.

But Mongge wasn't discouraged. He was only just getting started.

He would grow stronger, little by little.

First, he would regain the strength he'd had at his peak, and then surpass it.

In every era, pirates spoke of the "Pirate King." Any pirate who reached Laugh Tale was the Pirate King!

But to reach Laugh Tale, one had to stand out among countless pirates and obtain the Poneglyphs, as well as have the strength to break through the Navy's blockade.

Being able to defeat a Marine Admiral was the bare minimum.

Even at his peak, Mongge had still been some distance from that level. He could protect himself, but defeating one was out of the question.

"My name's Geruz. I like little people like you the most!"

Though she was a little girl, she was three times Mongge's height. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, as if she'd spotted a fun toy.

"Geruz, don't be so rude!"

Mongge had been in the village for a while before Lipri arrived, carrying the Black Pearl.

"Grandpa's my captain now. You have to show him the same respect you show Grandpa Aruru and Grandpa Yoruru!"

Thud!

She set down the Black Pearl. Even with the Giant Tribe's strength, carrying a sailboat larger than herself for dozens of kilometers had left her a little out of breath.

"Your captain?"

Geruz tilted her head, then suddenly widened her eyes.

"Does that mean you joined the captain's pirate crew, Big Sister Lipri? Didn't Grandpa Aruru and Grandpa Yoruru say you should join the Giant Soldier Pirates?"

"Yeah, well, who knows when those two captains of the Giant Soldier Pirates will come back?" Lipri shrugged. "If they never come back, am I supposed to wait my whole life?"

Besides, she'd only ever heard the two old men from the Giant Soldier Pirates boast about the crew's glorious history. She'd never seen it with her own eyes. The White Wolf Pirates were a living example, after all.

Geruz looked worried. "Big Sister Lipri, you're going to get scolded for that."

"Hehe, I don't care! I'm a member of the White Wolf Pirates now. If anyone wants to scold me, they can ask my captain first!"

Lipri shoved Mongge forward, leaving him looking helpless.

"Lipri, you're making everyone hold a grudge against me."

"What's the big deal? Nobody in Elbaf can beat you anyway, Captain."

Lipri looked like she couldn't care less what happened.

Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Lipri!!!"

An elderly Giant came running toward her, brandishing his sword and fuming.

"You brat! Get back here this instant!"

"No way!"

As the old Giant lunged at her, Lipri simply used Mongge as the center of a game of cat and mouse, darting around him like a pillar. The old man was so angry his whiskers bristled.

Several times, he was tempted to just swing his sword and cut down the little person under him.

How dare she kidnap his adorable great-great-granddaughter!

"Bo-kakaka! Yoruru, don't make a scene in front of our guests. Lipri's grown up. Whatever she chooses to do is up to her."

Compared to Yoruru, whose beard flowed like a waterfall, Aruru, with his even fluffier beard, seemed far more open-minded. He was also much easier to get along with.

"Hehe, Grandpa Aruru's the best!"

"But we should call Dorry and Brogy back. It's been almost thirty years, hasn't it?"

"It's been forty!"

"Bo-kakaka! Would you look at that? Forty years have gone by before we knew it!"

The old Giants laughed heartily. To them, who lived several times longer than ordinary humans, thirty or forty years was nothing.

"Hey, Yoruru, Aruru, are you two planning to just stand around here all day?"

Noticing that Linlin was staring off into space, Mongge had to force the two of them to change the subject.

The little girl's eyes were practically glowing green.

She was obviously hungry.

As everyone knew, there was only one way to gain Charlotte Linlin's favor.

"Let's hurry up and eat."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mongge saw the text on the system panel flicker.

[Charlotte Linlin's Favor +30.]

[Current Favor: 40 (Close)

Charlotte Linlin: Grandpa must be a really good person!]