"Huff... huff..."
"!!!"
Kaya was completely wiped out.
The entire "battle" lasted two hours. The first ten minutes of warm-up shattered all her defenses, and when Lynn whispered, "You're bleeding," she fully lost the upper hand.
She had been... thoroughly subdued.
"Kaya."
"The Straw Hat crew is bothering me again. Once I chase them off, we'll head to sea."
As he spoke, Lynn marveled at the power of his word tag abilities. With [Accelerated Growth] and [Sit-ups], he was absolutely unstoppable.
"..."
Kaya looked at him groggily, nodding weakly.
She was honestly a little afraid of him now. He was terrifyingly strong.
She'd seen his speed just now—it practically left afterimages. She still felt like a gun that had been firing non-stop.
She didn't argue. Under the outrageous effects of [Sit-ups], she didn't even have the courage to look at Lynn.
After resting a while, she prepared to follow him out to meet the Straw Hats.
However—
"L-Lynn-nii, what are you doing—kyaa!!"
Shortcut: through the window!
...
ROAR——!!!
Under the blazing midday sun,
a deafening beastly roar echoed across the island.
Lynn carried Kaya on his back, his body rapidly expanding before their very eyes.
Wings burst forth, scales shimmered, and spines bristled.
In the blink of an eye, Lynn had transformed into a divine beast that blotted out the sun—the Yinglong!
Since he was here to drive people away, might as well do it with force.
He completely ignored the dumbfounded Straw Hat crew below.
His scales bristled with destructive lightning; the sea churned, tidal waves rose to the sky; flames engulfed the horizon as mystical fire threatened to incinerate the world.
Lightning Wrath! Flood Reversal! Solar Breath!
He had already mastered Yinglong's triple-elemental attack style.
"A-Ahh! What the heck is that!?"
"It's Lynn! That's Lynn's aura!"
"NANI!? That guy's a monster!?"
The entire Straw Hat crew was stunned. Even the villagers of Syrup Village screamed and fled in panic.
Above them all,
the massive Yinglong stood atop swirling clouds, looking down at the crew.
"No way! You're telling me that thing is Lynn!? Don't joke around!" Usopp screamed, face red with fear.
"Sugoi... That's definitely Lynn!" Luffy said excitedly, eyes wide.
"OIOIOI, this is way too dangerous," Zoro muttered, instinctively gripping his sword.
Nami, too, stood in stunned silence, mouth agape, cold sweat on her back.
She couldn't believe the gentle young man she'd met recently was such a terrifying monster.
But the next second, her eyes sparkled.
"If it's him... maybe he could save Cocoyasi Village..."
But then she remembered a certain brutal figure from her past, and her eyes dimmed again.
"No... it's not something strength or flashy powers alone can solve."
Luffy waved and shouted up to Lynn. Zoro looked grim. Usopp had already bolted to a safe distance.
Up above,
Kaya clung tightly to Lynn's neck, panicked.
"Nii-san, stop! You'll destroy the whole village! Please, stop!"
Hearing that, Lynn paused.
He immediately retracted all his destructive aura and transformed back into human form.
Golden light faded from the sky as Lynn spread his wings, his half-long silver hair fluttering in the wind.
Gently flapping his wings, Kaya clung to him, hovering in midair.
Despite being a divine beast born to slay gods, under the sunlight he looked calm and gentle.
"You silly girl."
Lynn chuckled, cradling Kaya in front of him. He nibbled her lips playfully and said:
"I was just trying to scare them. Who said anything about destroying the village?"
Kaya blushed as he kissed her, then shyly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I-I was scared you'd lose control. You looked terrifying just now."
"All right."
Lynn looked down at the ground below.
"If we're going to set sail, we still need a navigator. Luckily, there's one right here."
"Once I bring her on board, make sure you two get along."
With that, he descended.
Holding Kaya in his arms, he landed steadily in front of the Straw Hat crew.
Before they could speak, an overwhelming aura burst from Lynn.
Crimson-black lightning crackled in the air!
He unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in full force, shaking the island.
Thud! Thud!
Villagers collapsed unconscious. Usopp's eyes rolled back as he face-planted.
The sudden shift left everyone dumbstruck.
"USOPP!!"
Luffy cried out.
"Just this aura alone... is he even human!?" Zoro said, tightening his grip on his blade.
Nami covered her mouth in disbelief as Lynn walked closer.
Still the same dangerously handsome face—but now, it felt so unfamiliar.
Now that she thought about it... his true strength had always been a mystery.
"Still awake? Not bad. You two really do have strong wills."
Nami hadn't fainted because Lynn deliberately avoided targeting her—but Zoro and Luffy had earned their resistance.
Tch. Male lead and rival male lead. Figures.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Where Lynn walked, the ground cracked beneath his feet.
His invisible pressure crushed their thoughts. Zoro and Luffy fell to their knees.
"Luffy... sorry to be blunt, but you might want to start looking for a new navigator."
Lynn brushed past Luffy with a smirk, walking toward the orange-haired girl.
"HEY! I haven't agreed to you quitting yet!"
Luffy shouted, gripping Lynn's wrist tightly.
"Lynn! You're my crewmate..."
"Without you, I can't become Pirate King!!!"
Lynn: "..."