Chapter 19: Linlin Goes Berserk! I Can't Abandon My Companions!
Everyone worked together to build a grand tower of Samla.
The shining pyramid of sweet treats stood tall in the center of the field, glittering like a monument to temptation.
It had cost an absurd amount of money to prepare so many Samla, but the nun had more than enough funds now—and she seemed very pleased with herself.
Roy, sitting at the table, looked at her resentfully. So that's where all the money went.
"Let's sit here," he said with a smile, taking the nun's hand and guiding her toward Linlin.
He made sure she sat right beside the girl—Linlin on her left, Roy on her right.
The cunning Roy had planned it this way deliberately.
In the original version of events, the nun had sat across from Linlin… and still couldn't escape death.
Now, with Roy's little adjustment, she was seated right next to her.
Perfect, he thought darkly. The closer you are, the sooner you die.
"The sooner you die, the sooner you're reborn, Sister Carmel," he whispered in his mind, hiding his smirk behind a sip of tea.
"Let's have a tea party!" shouted the impoverished prince excitedly, breaking the mood.
"What's a tea party?" Linlin asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Everyone sits around the table, drinks tea, eats desserts, and enjoys the afternoon elegantly," the prince explained proudly, puffing out his chest.
"I like that! I want to hold a tea party!" Linlin exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.
Roy chuckled softly. Tea party, huh? Personally, he preferred banquets—but he played along.
A blue-haired girl, cheerful and bright, poured black tea into each cup. The small mink-child beside her clenched his little paws, eyes sparkling with anticipation as he waited for his turn.
"Hehe, sitting here, drinking tea and eating Samla—it's such a pleasant day~" said the girl with a warm smile.
Roy nodded politely. "Thank you."
He accepted the cup and sat quietly, his expression calm but his mind focused.
"Let's begin!" the merman child raised his hand eagerly.
"Eat up!" laughed the cockscomb-haired boy, slapping the table.
"Come on, Linlin!" the blue-haired girl encouraged, smiling up at her.
Roy remained still. On the outside, he appeared composed; inside, his nerves were on edge. His gaze moved subtly from one child to the next.
He'd done everything he could to alter fate—to save these children.
"Alright! I'm starting!" Linlin cried, tears of joy forming in her eyes as she reached for the first handful of Samla.
"Hey? Why's Roy so quiet today?" the blue-haired girl asked curiously.
Roy lifted his cup and took a slow sip. "Elegant," he replied simply, repeating the prince's earlier word.
In truth, he wasn't thinking about elegance. He was watching Linlin's every move, waiting for the moment everything would spiral out of control.
The long-hand boy and the cockscomb-haired kid exchanged glances.
"Isn't the boss just pretending to act cool again?" one whispered.
"So handsome!" the blue-haired girl sighed dreamily, her eyes sparkling.
Roy nearly choked on his tea.
It was always the same. Life at the Sheep's House had fallen into a strange rhythm: the boys played and trained, the girls followed him around like an audience, and Roy—between studying, sword practice, and trying to keep Pandora from burning the curtains—had to juggle it all.
It's too hard being the protagonist, he thought wearily.
Roy calmly ate his fifth Samla while Linlin, sitting beside him, had already become a blur of motion—both hands grabbing sweets faster than anyone could see, stuffing them into her mouth with terrifying speed.
Roy looked up. The mountain of Samla was shrinking rapidly before his eyes.
At this rate, she'd devour everything in minutes.
Wait… that's not how it went in the story. She shouldn't be eating this fast…
A cold realization crept up his spine.
After just a few minutes, the plate was empty.
Linlin reached for the last pieces, eyes glazed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she swallowed greedily.
"Samla… it's so delicious! Linlin wants more—more!"
Her voice trembled with desperation.
Roy froze as he saw her pupils dilate, her breathing quicken.
"Linlin…" he murmured quietly.
The next instant, her eyes flashed with a wild, pinkish glow—heart-shaped pupils gleaming madly.
She reached across the table, snatching the Samla straight out of Roy's hand.
Without hesitation, Roy tossed it to her, and she swallowed it in one bite.
"Not enough—!"
Her scream shook the air.
A pulse of energy exploded outward, tearing through the field like a storm.
The ground trembled. The children gasped, frozen in place as an overwhelming wave of pressure rippled through the air.
Conqueror's Haki.
Linlin's aura surged uncontrollably, raw and furious.
Roy shielded his eyes against the swirling wind, gritting his teeth.
She was no longer eating.
She was devouring.
Unconsciously, Linlin had lost control—her joy, her hunger, and her power all fusing into one terrible storm.
The children froze where they sat.
Before they could even scream, the overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki swept across the field. One by one, their eyes rolled back as they fainted—some slumping backward onto the grass, others collapsing face-first onto the table.
Even the nun, who tried to stand firm, was staggering. Her body trembled as the color drained from her face.
"Linlin… no… stop…" she gasped weakly.
Her limbs wouldn't move. Her vision blurred. Yet her mind remained terrifyingly awake—conscious enough to feel herself being lifted by Linlin's massive hands.
The nun's thoughts were a mess of terror and disbelief.
Death itself wasn't what frightened her the most.
It was the sheer horror of being paralyzed—aware but helpless—watching her own end approach while trapped inside her unresponsive body.
She could see Linlin's smile. She could see those trembling, tearful eyes full of hunger. And in the next moment—
She was gone.
From Linlin's point of view, there was no malice, no cruelty.
There was only joy.
To her, the world was filled with food—Samla of every color and shape, mountains of sweets, and even bigger, more delicious "Samla" that looked strangely familiar.
She reached out eagerly, cheered on by the smiling faces of her "friends," by the nun, by Brother Roy—
And then she ate.
---
From Roy's perspective, it was over in an instant.
The nun gave him one last, hollow look—full of realization, horror, and regret—before she disappeared from sight.
Roy blinked, frozen.
What the hell…
You're telling me this is a shonen manga?
Linlin… she actually swallowed her.
All his guesses—every single one—had come true.
He stood there, stunned, unable to move, while beside him Pandora trembled violently in his arms.
Under Pandora's horrified gaze, Roy forced himself to continue acting—his small body shaking, his expression pale, eyes wide in terror.
He had to play the part of a terrified child.
The nun's final thought echoed faintly in the air—"Why don't you save me? Don't just stand there! Save me!"—and then it was gone, swallowed by the silence.
Roy hugged Pandora tightly, trembling. "I-I'm scared! I don't know what to do! Wuwuwu~" he cried, forcing tears to the corners of his eyes.
It wasn't just acting anymore. The scene was horrifying even for him.
"Sister! Sister!!!" Pandora screamed, his voice cracking with rage. His fiery eyes burned with hatred as he glared at Linlin, who continued devouring anything within reach.
Pandora struggled violently in Roy's arms, desperate to break free and attack.
"Don't go!" Roy shouted, clutching him tighter. "I'm scared! Please, don't—!"
But inside, he was thinking fast.
Pandora, if you go there, she'll tear you apart just like before!
Roy had already pieced it together. In the original story, the nun had fainted after being hit by Linlin's Haki, leaving Pandora defenseless. Linlin had ripped him apart moments later.
And yet Pandora still existed after the nun's death.
That meant something.
Maybe when Linlin ate the nun, she unknowingly gained her Soul-Soul Fruit ability—and because of some strange Devil Fruit quirk, Pandora survived as a fragment of her creator's soul.
Or maybe Pandora was already too unique, too deeply infused with life to vanish even after his master's death.
Either way, Roy knew now—Pandora would live.
"Samla!!!" Linlin roared suddenly, her massive hand reaching for Roy. Her pupils gleamed, her breath coming in desperate, hungry gasps.
"Let's go!" Pandora shouted, snapping out of his grief. His small form flared with heat as he prepared to fight.
But then he stopped.
The nun had given him to Roy. That meant something. He clenched his fiery fists.
He would protect the boy.
No matter what.
Feeling Pandora's heat pulsing in his arms, Roy steadied his breathing, forcing his voice to tremble with fear—part act, part truth.
"I… I can't abandon my companions!" he shouted, putting all his strength into his voice.
He swung his arm, smacking Linlin across the face—not enough to harm her, but enough to draw her attention—and then darted backward, grabbing the small mink-child who was still faintly conscious.
"Roy…" the child whispered weakly.
"Stay with me!" Roy hissed, tightening his grip as the world around them burned with Linlin's unleashed aura.
From behind a massive boulder in the distance, a giant peeked out. His eyes widened at the sight before him—Linlin's monstrous form, the fainted children, the empty chair where the nun once sat.
He looked at Roy—the small, red-haired boy clutching Pandora and another child in his arms—and his chest tightened.
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