Chapter 199: The Titan’s Gift

With the jealous eyes of his many siblings following him, Perospero stepped up to Linlin. He never imagined that Mom would choose him to receive this serum.

He couldn’t help but feel a rush of wild joy.

“You’re the eldest, so you’ll be the first to try it out,” Linlin said, handing him the vial. “No need to worry—everyone else will get the same thing soon enough.”

“It’s all thanks to your father, Karl,” she added.

“Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

“…”

Hearing this, the rest of the children burst into laughter too.

In truth, Charlotte Linlin had her worries. Even though Vegapunk claimed the serum had no side effects—

—and he’d even tested it on himself, with Linlin clearly sensing his life force soar to a whole new level—

Vegapunk was a grown man, while Perospero and the others were still kids. The effects, of course, couldn’t be exactly the same.

If anything went wrong, Perospero was strong enough to endure. But if she gave it to a younger sister or a still-weak little brother and something irreversible happened, there might not be time to save them.

Linlin these days was a far cry from the original. After being purified by the Sacred Chant,

the fragment of the nun’s soul inside her had fused completely, never troubling her again. Now, Linlin looked at every child with the same tender, loving gaze. Anything that could possibly hurt the kids—she’d be cautious, always.

With trembling hands, Perospero took the vial.

Under the watchful eyes of his siblings, he slowly uncapped the needle and pressed it into his arm.

He felt the chill of the syringe and the sharp sting in his flesh, his eyes widening.

At first nothing felt different. Steeling himself, he injected all the golden liquid into his bloodstream in one go.

Clink!

Once the golden fluid entered his body, Perospero froze. His right hand dropped limply, the syringe slipping from his grasp to the floor.

“Ugh!”

“Hiss!”

His face twisted in pain. The agony hit suddenly and fiercely, wiping away any hope of keeping a straight face.

He could feel his flesh being remade, his bones crushed and reforged. The pain was so intense he had to clamp his jaw shut just to keep from screaming.

His siblings stood back, spooked by the sight. Some pressed their palms together and prayed in silence, hoping his pain would ease.

Linlin, on the other hand, didn’t seem worried at all. She sensed a new energy surging within Perospero—a wave that felt identical to the Titan bloodline flowing through Karl.

Soon, in barely ten minutes, the pain subsided. Perospero’s color returned, and power began to well up inside.

“Mom, I feel like I could run forever,” Perospero gasped, almost overwhelmed by the boundless strength churning inside him. He couldn’t even tell how strong he’d become, only that his power was still growing, seemingly with no end.

Standing on solid ground made him feel he could go on forever, tireless and full of life.

“Mama mama mama!”

Seeing Perospero’s display, Linlin burst out laughing, then turned to explain to the now-curious children. “Your father Karl’s bloodline is called Titan Strength.”

All the kids fixed Linlin with eager eyes, listening close.

“Karl once told me—it’s also known as ‘Child of the Earth.’ As long as both feet touch the ground, you’ll have limitless stamina.”

“Looks like the experiment was a success.”

“Perospero, what’s it feel like? Tell us!”

As soon as Linlin finished, Katakuri darted over to Perospero, curiosity shining in his eyes.

Perospero closed his eyes, taking a moment to feel the power flowing in his veins.

“Watch, I can do this now,” he said.

Perospero opened his eyes—the next instant, his entire body was wrapped in shimmering black Armament Haki.

“Whoa, full-body Armament Haki!” Katakuri cheered, clapping his hands.

The rest of the kids erupted in cheers.

But Charlotte Linlin, sitting on the bed, stared in shock.

Full-body Armament Haki was rare—only those with formidable strength could pull it off. Even among the Rocks Pirates, there were precious few who could coat themselves head to toe in it.

And Perospero was only sixteen, not even an adult yet. She hadn’t expected Karl’s bloodline to be this powerful.

Linlin knew this was just the beginning. The serum had only just taken effect. With time and proper training, what heights could he reach? Even this starting point was hard for Linlin to believe.

“Mama mama mama!”

Linlin giggled to herself. Watching Perospero made her want to take the shot too.

Looking around at her playful kids, she suddenly remembered something important.

“Brrruup brrruup!”

“Hello? Lady Linlin?” At that moment, Krell was on Cake Island, overseeing the training of the Fishmen Corps.

Seeing Linlin’s call come in, he immediately handed command to Halil.

“Krell, set the security level at the research lab to maximum.”

“I don’t want even a single unfamiliar fly making its way near the lab. Got it?”

Hearing Linlin’s stern voice from the transponder snail, Krell shouted back, “Understood, Lady Linlin!”

He hung up and glanced at Halil, who was still giving commands.

“Halil, come here a sec!”

Halil responded to his call, then turned to the Fishmen below. “Keep training on your own!”

Jogging over, he asked, “Krell, did something happen?”

They were equals, so there wasn’t any strict pecking order.

“Halil, I’ll have to trouble you for this.”

“Take a squad of fishmen to the research lab, please.”

Right now, Davis, Notty, Fields, and the others weren’t even on the island. Ledfield had flown out of Sweets Sea too. Karl had sent them all on missions elsewhere.

That meant Halil was the only one Krell could actually count on.

“Hah, you can leave it to me!” Halil said with a grin. Turns out, it was just a guarding detail.

“Anything else?”

“That’s it, just stay safe.” Krell let out a sigh of relief—after all, who would dare stir up trouble on Cake Island?

With nothing else to discuss, Halil offered a handshake, then led a troop of Fishman Soldiers toward the lab. Together with the original squad on guard, they sealed up the research facility tight.

As Halil’s team surrounded the research lab, a phone rang out from a small room not far away.

“Brrruup brrruup!”

“Spread the word. Let the World Government know what’s happening.”

“Yes, sir.”