A Surprise: Obtaining the Eight Gates (Side-Effect-Free Version)!

The Navy had always kept a close eye on Kaido.

But they had never heard of Kaido having a son.

What was going on?!

And besides...

Other than possessing such absurd Conqueror's Haki, why could this kid fly?!

Could it be that Kaido had already fed him a Devil Fruit?

But none of that mattered right now.

He was already this formidable at such a young age.

If they let this kid grow up, who knew what he would become?!

A second Kaido?

Or even... someone who surpassed Kaido?!

Absolutely not!

They had to take him down now, while he was still just a baby!

"So, he's Kaido's bastard!" Onigumo's eyes instantly turned vicious. "What a stroke of luck—just when we'd given up looking, he fell right into our laps!"

"Take him down!" Dobberman wasted no words, immediately turning his blade toward Lynn in midair.

"All personnel, listen up!" Momonga reacted swiftly as well, roaring at the still-conscious Marine officers around him. "Priority target! That brat in the sky!"

Who cared whether he was a baby!

Who cared whether he was a monster!

As long as he belonged to Kaido, as long as he posed a massive threat in the future, they had to treat him the same!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Though the surviving Marine officers still feared that terrifying Conqueror's Haki, a vice admiral's orders were absolute!

They immediately raised their guns, swords, and blades, aiming them at the tiny figure.

"Damn it! How dare you!" Sasaki's eyes nearly split apart as he tried to charge forward despite his severe injuries to protect Lynn.

But the moment he moved, Dobberman's icy blade struck again, pinning him down completely!

"Your opponent is me," Dobberman said coldly.

"Young Master Lynn! Run!!" Suppressed by Dobberman, Sasaki could only shout anxiously at Lynn. "Don't worry about me! Run!"

Run?

Lynn floated in midair, his tiny brows furrowing.

Just then.

[ Ding! Detected that the host used Conqueror's Haki to instantly defeat a large number of Marine soldiers. The mission "Making a Name" has been completed beyond expectations! ]

[ Mission Rating: Stunning! ]

[ Mission Reward Issued: Naruto World—Eight Gates (Optimized Side-Effect-Free Version)! ]

[ Ding! New missions released! ]

[ Mission One: Thrive. Objective: Survive until the age of three. ]

[ Mission Two: Leapfrog Challenge. Objective: Before the age of three, defeat a Marine Vice Admiral or an opponent of equivalent strength head-on. ]

[ Mission Three: Break Through the Limit. Objective: Open and use the Eighth Gate: Gate of Death. ]

System notifications rang out in his mind one after another.

A torrent of knowledge containing the secrets of the human body's limits and explosive techniques flooded into Lynn's consciousness. Eight Gates?!

A side-effect-free version?!

Lynn's eyes instantly lit up!

Holy shit!

This was awesome!

It was practically a cheat tailor-made for a tiny body like mine!

But...

When he saw the new missions that followed, Lynn's little face fell again.

Surviving until age three was manageable.

Defeating a vice admiral before turning three... barely acceptable.

But he also had to open the Gate of Death?

Even without fatal side effects, his current tiny body couldn't possibly handle it!

Complaints aside, the situation before him was far from optimistic.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Countless bullets and small artillery shells from below were already raining down on him!

Momonga and Onigumo were not idle either. Though they called him the priority target, they did not immediately rush in themselves. Instead, they directed their men to suppress him with firepower while shifting about, seemingly searching for the best moment to launch a surprise attack.

"Brat! I don't know what kind of monster you are, but attacking a child is not what we wish to do!" Onigumo said coldly, a cigar somehow back in his mouth. "Unfortunately, you are Kaido's son!"

"I advise you to surrender," Momonga added, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"Gah!" Lynn replied in his baby voice. (Cut the crap!)

His tiny body weaved nimbly through the hail of bullets!

He pushed the Flight Technique to its limit!

Like a phantom, he left streaks of afterimages across the sky!

Neither bullets nor shells could even touch the corner of his clothes!

He was too fast! Too small!

"Damn it! Why is this brat so slippery?!" a Marine rear admiral roared in frustration, the barrel of his gun nearly smoking.

"Don't panic! He's only dodging! At such a young age, he can't possibly use Conqueror's Haki continuously!" Onigumo's sharp eyes saw through Lynn's predicament. "Keep attacking! Wear down his stamina!"

Just as Onigumo had said.

Lynn discovered that his earlier burst of Conqueror's Haki had nearly drained the pitiful amount of "energy"—or perhaps spiritual power—inside his small body.

For the time being, forget using Conqueror's Haki again to clear the field; even maintaining high-intensity flight with the Flight Technique was becoming difficult.

This couldn't go on!

If he kept dodging, he would eventually be worn to death!

And those two vice admirals clearly had not truly acted yet. They were merely watching from the side, waiting for an opportunity to kill him in one strike!

He had to fight back!

But... how?

Fight hand-to-hand with these tiny arms and legs? He would barely be able to scratch them!

And he couldn't use Conqueror's Haki...

Wait!

Eight Gates!

The side-effect-free Eight Gates!

A determined glint flashed through Lynn's dark eyes!

I'm going for it!

He stopped blindly dodging and abruptly shot higher into the sky, hovering above the range of most firearms.

He closed his eyes and focused. Following the mysterious method in his mind, he began mobilizing the faint but undeniably present energy within his body!

It was not Haki, nor was it mere physical strength, but a more primal power that belonged to life itself!

"What is he doing?" Momonga frowned, feeling a trace of unease.

"No matter what tricks he's trying! Get ready!" Onigumo also sensed that something was wrong, his eight spider-like blade arms slowly rising.

Just then!

Lynn suddenly opened his eyes!

Those clear infant eyes now glimmered with a faint green light, as if they were burning!

A violent, scorching aura completely different from Conqueror's Haki began to spread from his tiny body!

"First Gate: Gate of Opening... Open!"