Chapter 275: The Slap

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: The Slap

Some of the Crew members on the ship began to disembark in an orderly fashion to participate in rescue efforts within their capabilities, while the ship entered a brief period of rest.

On the deck of the Saint Freya.

Kuzan slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he felt was an unprecedented sense of weakness, as if all his strength had been drained away, making it difficult even to move his fingers.

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids; his vision was blurry, and it took a while before it gradually cleared.

An unfamiliar environment... This was not the leaky tin-roofed shack he lived in.

The air was filled with a faint, pleasant scent, as if it were a mixture of sunshine and flowers, completely different from the stench of Rust Nail Nest.

He tried to sit up, but discovered a cold metal ring locked around his wrist. The other end of the chain was cuffed to the railing; the chain wasn’t thick, but the moment he exerted any force, he felt a weakness and exhaustion emanating from his very bones.

"What... is this?" He looked curiously at the metal ring on his wrist. He could feel that his weakness was caused by this thing...

That’s right, he seemed to have eaten a weird fruit that tasted awful, and then a cold power appeared in his body, and then... and then... why couldn’t he remember clearly?

Kuzan frowned, unable to recall what had happened before. A passing figure caught his attention.

"Fe... female pirates?" After observing carefully, Kuzan’s lips moved. He couldn’t understand at all when he had boarded a pirate ship full of female pirates.

Could that ship be a female Pirate Crew? But was there such a powerful female Pirate Crew in the South Blue? They were actually able to easily deal with those scoundrels from the "Blood Claw"?

"Awake?" A lazy, magnetic female voice sounded above Kuzan’s head.

Kuzan was startled and jerked his head around to look. He saw a stunningly beautiful woman with an extremely tall figure and long pinkish-purple hair, lying on a giant lounge chair.

She held a steaming cup of black tea in her hand, her purple eyes gazing over calmly, as if she could see through a person’s heart.

It was Charlotte Linlin.

She put down the teacup, stood up, and looked with great interest at this little boy who had dared to attack her.

As for the Sea Stone on the kid’s wrist, that was something she had ordered to be put on him.

Although the opponent was just a child, he was, after all, a Logia-type ability user, so basic vigilance and respect were necessary. Even if the other party might not really want this kind of respect.

"Taking a palm strike from This lady and waking up so quickly... kid, your willpower is not weak. What is your name? And..."

She paused, a hint of playfulness flashing in her eyes, "Do you want to be This lady’s’son’?"

She admired the ruthlessness in this child’s bones. A true powerhouse does not always bare their fangs, but at critical moments, even when facing a desperate situation, they can unleash the courage to risk everything.

The weak can be cowardly and can run away, but at certain moments, those who dare to bare their fangs at existences far stronger than themselves possess the potential in their bones to become true powerhouses. This kind of "spirit" is even rarer than talent.

Upon hearing this, Kuzan was stunned for a moment, and then a surge of anger mixed with humiliation welled up in his heart.

Son? What a joke!

He forced himself to sit up, straightening his thin, weak back. Although his face was pale, his eyes were extremely stubborn:

"What... what did you do to those pirates from before?"

Ripley, who was nearby, chimed in with a relaxed tone: "Oh, you mean that trash? Naturally, they were cleaned up by us; people and ship alike were sunk into the sea to feed the fish. What, you still want to take revenge on them?"

Upon hearing this, Kuzan’s tense shoulders relaxed, and the hostility in his eyes faded slightly, though his vigilance remained.

He fell silent for a moment, seemingly digesting this information, then raised his head and said in a clearer, firmer voice:

"Is that so... Then, thank you for avenging me... and the people of Gray Bream Town."

He paused, took a deep breath, as if to inject all his strength and conviction into his next words, and said every word with resounding force:

"My name is Kuzan. Thank you for dealing with those scoundrels.

But, I will never join you, and I certainly won’t be any’son’! I am going to become a Marine! In the future, I will wipe out all pirates! I will become a man who protects justice!!"

A young person’s ambition is like a piece of jade that has not been polished but already shows its sharpness—pure, fiery, and something that cannot be destroyed.

He did not change the path he had long since determined in his heart in the slightest, despite being on a pirate ship and facing a female pirate of unfathomable strength.

Charlotte Linlin raised an eyebrow slightly; not only was she not angry, but she actually found it even more interesting.

"Oh? On a pirate ship, telling a pirate that you want to be a Marine... Your courage is commendable, or should I say, you are naively cute."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, her purple eyes narrowing slightly as she examined the boy named "Kuzan" in front of her more carefully.

Black curly hair, small eyes, plus the freezing ability from before—a glimmer of realization flashed in the depths of Charlotte Linlin’s purple eyes.

He certainly had the look of Aokiji; in that case, there was even less reason to let him go. Adopting a future Marine Admiral as a son—just thinking about it felt interesting.

"You say your name is Kuzan?"

"That’s right! I don’t change my name and I don’t hide it! My name is Kuzan!" The boy held his head high, his voice trembling slightly, yet exceptionally firm,

"I am the man who will become a Marine Admiral in the future!"

The corners of Charlotte Linlin’s mouth curled up.

A future Marine Admiral... "Aokiji" Kuzan? This is truly... an unexpected "harvest".

Compared to a Devil Fruit, a living, breathing "future Marine Admiral" seedling with top-tier Talents was obviously more interesting.

"If it were any other kid shouting about wanting to be a Marine, This lady might really be too lazy to pay attention and just let him be. But you, I must teach a good lesson. You need to learn how to choose when facing someone stronger than you."

A smile bloomed on Charlotte Linlin’s face, one that could make a hundred flowers lose their color. But at this moment, as this smile landed in Kuzan’s eyes, it made him feel an inexplicable chill.

Because, along with her smile, she raised that massive right hand.

That hand, with its slender fingers and skin as white as jade, shimmered in the sunlight, as beautiful as a work of art.

However, the moment Kuzan saw this hand, his pupils contracted sharply!

A fragment of memory that he had subconsciously forgotten, like a flood breaking through a dam, slammed into his mind—

Cold mist surged, he furiously lunged at that tall figure... and then, a giant palm, seemingly blocking out the sky, swung towards him with irresistible power...

The world spun, cold seawater rushed into his mouth and nose... the terrifying pressure and despair brought by that seemingly casual palm strike...

"Smack!"

"Gulp..." Kuzan swallowed uncontrollably. The wound on his forehead, which had just healed, seemed to start throbbing with pain again. His body remembered the fear under that absolute gap in power far more honestly than his consciousness.

A young person’s ambition is indeed something that cannot be destroyed. It is as firm as a rock, deeply planted in the heart.

But...

When a "big slap" sufficient to shatter "reality" is right before one’s eyes, this ambition can also... temporarily yield.

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