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"Wow—"
"Amazing!!!"
"Big Brother El, you're incredible..."
"I want to ride the Ferris wheel!"
"I want to ride the carousel!"
Gazing at the dreamlike amusement park before them, Linlin, Gerd, Hajrudin, and the children from the Sheep's House had eyes sparkling with excitement as they rushed forward, eager to play.
"This is unbelievable..."
"It's like a miracle!"
"He can even do something like this?"
"His power is too extraordinary..."
"Is this guy a god? It feels like a dream!"
Even the giants were left dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped in disbelief as they stared at El, who had transformed into Quetzalcoatl. They marveled at how this young man, with both Lunarian and giant blood, combined with his Mythical Zoan abilities, seemed capable of anything. No wonder Mountain Beard and Waterfall Beard held him in such high regard.
"Phew—"
El's massive body shrank back to his normal form as he exhaled deeply. "Doing all this at once isn't easy," he admitted. However, as he looked at the masterpiece before him—the dreamland amusement park—he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Soon, once Gerd mastered her Soul-Soul Fruit powers, they could harvest the souls of pirates or marines and inject them into these plant-based structures, bringing the amusement park to life. El even envisioned collecting plant seeds from all over the world to grow here, like the Yarukiman Mangroves from the Sabaody Archipelago or the unique plants from Boin Archipelago. With all that, this place would truly become a dream kingdom.
"El, you're amazing!" Gerd rushed over to him, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I want to stay here too!"
She clung to El, captivated by the place and unwilling to return to Elbaf.
"If you like it, then you can stay for a few days," El said with a smile.
Since they were close to Elbaf, letting Gerd stay for a short time wasn't a problem. Besides, El had always intended to bring her over. The power of the Soul-Soul Fruit would be extremely useful in the future.
"That's great! We won't have to worry about Gerd's safety with El around!" Oimo said with a grin. "I'll explain everything to your parents."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Gerd was thrilled.
"Big Brother El..." Even Hajrudin, who was usually shy, looked longingly at El, clearly wanting to stay but hesitant to ask.
"If that's the case, you can stay too. I'll take you both back to Elbaf in a few days," El said, giving Hajrudin a light pat on the shoulder.
El valued Hajrudin as a future ally among the giants. With some training, Hajrudin had the potential to become a formidable fighter. More importantly, with both Hajrudin and Gerd as connections, combined with El's relationship with Elbaf, he would be able to recruit more giant warriors in the future.
"That's awesome! Thank you, Big Brother El!" Hajrudin grinned from ear to ear.
Despite being much older than El, Hajrudin greatly admired him. El wasn't just immensely strong with an indestructible body—his combat skills were far superior. Even when using only as much strength as Hajrudin, El could easily overpower him, earning Hajrudin's respect and loyalty.
"Big Brother El! Gerd! Hajrudin! Come join us!" Linlin, already sitting on a giant swing made of sturdy vines, called out excitedly.
"Okay—"
"Wait for me, Gerd!"
Gerd and Hajrudin eagerly ran towards Linlin to join in on the fun.
El, however, didn't immediately join them. Instead, he smiled and waved goodbye to Kashii, Raideen, and Oimo as the giants prepared to leave. He watched as they rowed away from the island.
"Safe travels!"
"Goodbye!" they called back with smiles.
Just as El turned back around, he heard the children from the Sheep's House shouting in alarm.
"Ah—"
"What's that?"
"Is Linlin a monster?"
"She turned into a giant bat!"
Looking up, El saw a massive bat with purple-black fur carrying Gerd and Hajrudin as it flew swiftly through the sky. It moved like a shadow, disappearing into the clouds with incredible speed.
"Put me down! I want to go back to the ground!"
"Linlin, I don't want to fly this high! Waaah!"
As the ground grew farther and farther away, Hajrudin and Gerd screamed in terror, their faces pale with tears streaming down.
"Hehe, let's go higher!" Linlin, in her vampire bat form, was ecstatic and paid no attention to their cries, flapping her wings and flying toward the top of the tallest tree on the island.
She quickly soared past the giant windmill and landed on the huge lookout tower at the tree's summit.
"Huff... huff..."
"I'm alive..."
Gerd and Hajrudin collapsed onto the floor of the lookout tower, their faces as white as sheets. They sat there, panting heavily, as if they had narrowly escaped death.
"Gerd, Hajrudin, look! The view is amazing from up here!" Linlin, now back in her human form, stood at the edge of the tower, excitedly gazing at the vast landscape.
Gerd, regaining her breath, lightly smacked Linlin's head. "Linlin, that was reckless!"
But soon, she too was captivated by the breathtaking view. Her eyes sparkled as she shouted, "Wow! This is incredible!"
"Hehe, isn't it amazing?" Linlin beamed, stretching her arms out wide.
"What a troublesome kid..." El smiled wryly and, with a strong flap of his black wings, swiftly flew up to join them at the top of the tower.
He had to admit, Linlin's talent was remarkable. In such a short time, she had already mastered much of her Vampire Zoan abilities.
Aside from being able to steal "youth" and "lifespan," she could transform into a giant bat, and if needed, split into countless small bats to evade attacks or launch assaults on multiple targets at once. These bats shared the same strength and resilience as her main form, making them nearly impervious to regular attacks and even immune to normal fire.
Their teeth were razor-sharp, capable of biting through thick steel plates, making their attacks extremely powerful. Moreover, they could directly drain blood or steal the "youth" of their victims. All this, and she had only just begun exploring the full potential of her powers.
"El!" Gerd called excitedly as she pointed out to sea, where the giants' ship was sailing away. "Look! The view from here is so beautiful! You can still see Kashii and Oimo's ship!"
Like a fallen angel, El's towering figure landed gracefully on the lookout tower.
"Linlin, you haven't had any formal training yet. It's dangerous to carry people while flying like that. Don't do it again, okay?" he gently scolded, knocking on Linlin's head.
He then pinched her chubby cheeks, resolving to help her lose weight soon. After all, the future most beautiful woman of the seas couldn't stay this plump!
"Ouch!" Linlin rubbed her forehead, nodding sheepishly. "I understand, Big Brother El!"
"Good. Look at poor Hajrudin—you scared him half to death," El said, glancing at Hajrudin, who was trembling as he tried to stand.
"Do you want to go back down, Hajrudin?" El asked.
"Yes, yes, Big Brother El, please take me down!" Hajrudin nodded quickly, his voice trembling with fear.
Seeing him sweating and shaking, afraid even to look over the edge, El chuckled. "Hey, don't tell me you're afraid of heights?"
"Who's afraid of heights..." Hajrudin, feeling challenged, tried to prove himself by looking down.
Then—
Thud!
He immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching El's leg as he cried out, "Waaah! Big Brother El, please take me down! It's too high up here!"
"Huh?"
Linlin, feeling the cool breeze and looking around, scratched her head in confusion. "Is it really that high up?"
If it weren't for the height of the tower, she felt like she could fly even higher!
"Hajrudin is such a scaredy-cat... shame on you!" Gerd teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Haha..." El couldn't help but laugh at Hajrudin's reaction. "Alright, stop crying. I'll take you down now!"