The same thing had happened back in Shimotsuki Village: Dragon and Koshiro had both sensed him growing stronger.
But this time was different.
The increase in his Conqueror's Haki had spread his aura outward all at once, just as it had when his Swordsmanship improved. It had even reached farther than when his Swordsmanship rose to Lv6.
Even in the restaurant downstairs,
the laughter and chatter stopped dead.
Marco's men and Baratie's cooks all collapsed unconscious where they stood.
Only Zeff and Marco, who had just finished a call with Whitebeard, remained standing.
"What was that...?" Marco exclaimed. "Conqueror's Haki? Who did it?"
Zeff's expression darkened. He could tell the Haki had come from upstairs!
And right now, only Sanji and Lin Mo should have been up there.
Without another thought, Zeff hurried upstairs.
Marco followed close behind.
When they reached the Staff Room,
they found Sanji unconscious and Lin Mo perfectly fine.
Zeff asked gravely, "It was you, wasn't it, Lin Mo?"
Lin Mo glanced back at the two of them in the doorway. "Yeah."
Zeff pressed a hand to his forehead. "I never thought you'd have Conqueror's Haki... Even if you do, you can't just let it loose like that. It's too dangerous."
"I don't think he meant to," Marco said, his expression serious. "His Conqueror's Haki must have grown stronger, and he released that aura without realizing it."
"Is that so?" Zeff said in surprise. "If it's that powerful when it leaks out by accident, what would happen if he unleashed it at full strength?"
Marco chuckled. "I'm afraid we'd both get caught in it."
Zeff shuddered and drew a sharp breath. "That's terrifying."
"Lin Mo, kid," Marco said, "are you sure you won't join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"No," Lin Mo said flatly.
"I just called Pops. He really wants to meet you."
Lin Mo: "..."
So that was why I suddenly got Mission Progress from Whitebeard.
When Lin Mo said nothing, Marco smiled. "You're heading to the Grand Line next, right?"
Lin Mo nodded. "Yeah."
"Good. If you spot the Moby Dick, come meet Pops. You both like drinking. You might make great drinking buddies," Marco said lightly.
Lin Mo gave a perfunctory nod.
Marco saw right through him but didn't call him on it.
"All right, I'll leave you alone. My men have pretty much finished eating, so it's time to get back to the ship. Honestly, who knows when those guys will wake up? Looks like I'll have to carry them all back myself."
Marco kept talking as he walked and soon left the room.
Zeff stared at Lin Mo in silence for a long while before letting out a breath. "Forget it. We'll close early and rest today."
With that,
he left the room too.
After considerable effort, Marco carried all his men back to the ship.
He immediately called Whitebeard again. "Pops, I think I know why Garp thinks so highly of that Lin Mo kid. Not only is he an incredible swordsman, he's awakened powerful Conqueror's Haki. He might even know Armament Haki and Observation Haki..."
The next day,
Sanji woke in a daze.
All he remembered of the previous night was talking to Lin Mo when a terrifying sensation suddenly made his heart seize. After that, his memory went blank.
He sprang out of bed.
Through the doorway, Sanji spotted Lin Mo by the corridor railing, drinking as the sea breeze blew past.
Sanji froze for a moment, then hurried out to him. "Lin Mo, what happened last night? I think I passed out for no reason."
Lin Mo said nothing.
Sanji went on, "What about you? Are you okay?"
Lin Mo glanced at him and shook his head. "I'm fine."
Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. As long as you're okay."
Lin Mo smiled and hooked the Wine Gourd back onto his belt.
Just then,
a familiar voice sounded from downstairs.
"Huh? What happened to the deck by the entrance? Did Pirates come by yesterday?"
At that,
Lin Mo's face went stiff.
You've got to be kidding me.
Why did Garp come back again...?
At the Floating Restaurant: Vice Admiral Garp Did It ### Lin Mo had thought Garp had gone back to Foosha Village to find Luffy.
But no.
The sly old fox had returned to Baratie early that morning with a net bag full of seafood.
Zeff and his cooks were repairing the deck outside.
When Zeff saw Garp, he said sourly, "Good timing. That guy's head is worth a few million Beli. I don't need that much. Give me ten thousand Beli and take him away."
Garp glanced at the stiff corpse nearby, scratched his head, and said, "Who's that?"
Zeff's face darkened. "Krieg. He was the captain of the gang that caused trouble at the restaurant yesterday morning."
"Oh, right, right. I remember now." Garp grinned. "Not bad, Zeff! You killed that notorious Pirate even with one leg gone. Hahaha! The old dog's still got it."
Zeff: "..."
"I didn't kill him," Zeff said.
"Hm?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "If it wasn't you, then who? Don't tell me it was Lin Mo! Hahaha..."
"That's right. It was him." Zeff grinned, happy to stir things up. "Marco came by last night. He saw Lin Mo kill Krieg in two strikes with his own eyes. He even invited Lin Mo aboard his ship."
"What?" Garp's grin froze, and his eyes widened. "You mean Whitebeard's division commander, Marco the Phoenix?"
"That's the one."
Garp asked tensely, "Did Lin Mo accept?"
Zeff shrugged and gave him a crooked smile. "Who knows? He's upstairs right now. Ask him yourself."
"Damn it! I invited that kid first!" Garp tossed the net bag of seafood onto the deck and stormed toward the Spiral Staircase inside the restaurant.
Watching him go, Zeff called after him, "Oh, right. Lin Mo has Conqueror's Haki. You already knew that, didn't you?"
Garp stopped in his tracks.
Shock flashed across his face.
Conqueror's Haki?
That kid has Conqueror's Haki?!
Seeing Garp stop,
Zeff continued, "You wouldn't believe how strong that kid's Conqueror's Haki is. Just a little of it slipping out knocked out all my people and Marco's."
Garp: "!"
Garp wasted no more time and headed upstairs.
The moment he found Lin Mo, he threw a punch without a word.
Lin Mo dodged easily with Flash Step.
Garp swung again. "Kid, don't tell me you agreed to join the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Lin Mo: "..."
"Why aren't you answering? Did you really say yes to that dumb bird Marco?" Garp threw another punch.
"No!"
Lin Mo was getting annoyed.
He coated his fist in Lv3 Armament Haki.
This time, he didn't dodge.
He punched, meeting Garp's iron fist head-on.
The next instant,
a powerful shockwave burst outward from where their fists collided.
Surprise flickered in Garp's eyes.
When he used his Fist of Love on Luffy and Ace, he normally put only ten percent of his strength into it.
But because he knew Lin Mo was strong,
he had used thirty percent to punch him.
Yet
he hadn't managed to land the blow.
Lin Mo had actually held him off!
So the kid knows Armament Haki too!
He had kicking skills that could match Zeff's, all Three Types of Haki, and apparently he was a Swordsman as well.
How many more secrets is this kid hiding?
Garp grew more and more interested in Lin Mo.
Both of them drew back their fists.
A System Notification Sound suddenly rang in Lin Mo's mind.
'Beep, beep! Fought Garp the Hero. Sign-in progress +10%.'
'Beep, beep! Baratie sign-in mission complete. Congratulations, host! Geppo and Tempest Kick unlocked. Flash Step level +1, Night Guy level +1. Current Flash Step level: Lv3. Current Night Guy level: Lv2.'
Geppo was one of the Six Powers. By kicking the air with tremendous force, its user could stay aloft and walk through the sky as though climbing stairs.
Tempest Kick was another of the Six Powers. Its user rapidly contracted and extended their leg muscles to build kinetic energy, then kicked at high speed, compressing the air into a vacuum blade sharp enough to cut down an opponent.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
As the new skills unlocked and Flash Step and Night Guy leveled up,
a surge of power burst out from beneath his feet.
He just stood there, doing nothing.
The deck beneath him cracked outward from his feet, countless fine fissures spreading like a spiderweb.
With a sharp crack,
the section beneath Lin Mo and Garp gave way, collapsing into a gaping hole.
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