One Piece: Copy Talents Starting from Elbaf

Opening the door, the wind and snow rushed in.

Roy stepped outside, closed the door behind him, and with a sword hanging at his waist, he walked into the wild.

Creeeak, creeeak~

In the thick snow, a trail of footprints continuously stretched in the opposite direction of both the Lamb's House and the village of Elbaf.

"Why is he running around again?"

Inside the house, a young fish-man child lay by the window, enviously watching Roy in the snowstorm.

"He's strong, that's why," sighed the little prince, who had been exiled by the country after the rebellion. He wore a crown on his head.

If he had the same strength as Roy, with a giant swordsman as his master, surely he could take back the country in the future, right?

Soon after, Roy returned.

The exiled prince rushed over and pulled him to the fireplace to discuss.

"Roy, be my partner. If you help me take back the country in the future, I'll give you half of the island and make you a duke!"

"I'm not interested in power," Roy waved his hand, brushing off the prince's proposition.

Tch, anyone can make empty promises~

"I'm serious! As long as you help me fight, in the future I'll give you lots of land, and you can have any beauty you want," the downcast prince continued.

"Let's talk about it after we get through the Winter Solstice," Roy laughed. "Kid, you're still in high spirits even though you've been hungry for days?"

Such empty promises reminded Roy of when, before crossing over, a brat in a group used to convince authors to write books for him based on his ideas, promising a 50/50 split.

Roy hugged his sword, leaned against the fireplace, and closed his eyes to rest.

Before the Winter Solstice fasting began, he had hidden some food to get through the fast.

Not only for Linlin, but he had also saved some for himself.

After all, it was possible to survive the Winter Solstice, but if he didn't eat, by the time Linlin went berserk, he wouldn't have the strength to stop her.

However, since he was living off the Lamb's House, the amount of food he could store wasn't much.

The flames in the fireplace flickered, bringing warmth to the children.

The Fifth Day of Fasting.

Roy recalled some of the plot.

Linlin would go into a food craving frenzy on the seventh day.

He had already given her food the past couple of days, so she should be able to last a few more days.

Over the past few days, Roy had been hunting in the wild while searching for the village's Samra storage warehouse.

He was formulating a plan, one that would make people aware of Linlin's terrifying power while minimizing some of the village's losses.

"Woo~"

Outside the window, the wind and snow howled, the sound like the mournful wails of lonely souls. The wind grew stronger, making the window shake.

Inside, the children were behaving well, all huddled by the fireplace, eyes closed, resting.

Roy watched them with a smile, slowly telling ghost stories.

If you looked closely, you'd notice each child's body trembling slightly.

Hmm, as long as I don't open my eyes, the ghosts won't catch me~

The nun had gone back to her bedroom to sleep.

Roy took a sip of water, looked at the now well-behaved children, smiled faintly, then stood up to leave the room, closing the door behind him.

In the Wilderness, in a Cave.

Roy gave the last of his snacks and biscuits to Linlin, who was sitting by a fire roasting a snake he had caught while it was in hibernation.

"Thank you, Roy Brother!" Linlin said excitedly, taking the food.

"In the next few days, Linlin needs to work hard. We have no more food, and hunting outside is also difficult," Roy spoke.

"Okay, I'll do my best!" Linlin nodded.

Roy smiled as he watched Linlin finish the food, then watched her leave the cave.

The Winter Solstice festival had twelve days to go. It was only the fifth day.

He could delay a few days, but with the amount of food he had, it wouldn't last until the end of the festival.

So, the best plan was to use Samra—when Linlin's food cravings hit, he would give her food at the right time.

After Linlin disappeared into the snowstorm, Roy got to work, pulling a few prey from the snow, processing them, and placing them on the fire to roast.

There wasn't much food left, just enough to preserve his strength for the upcoming battle.

Ah, pity those little hibernating cuties~

The Ninth Day of Fasting.

Linlin felt dizzy from hunger, her body swaying. The nun was patiently comforting the children.

The exiled prince no longer had the energy to bother Roy, and the fish-man children hated this weather, shrinking in their blankets, unwilling to come out.

Roy no longer told ghost stories, just sat by the fireplace, closing his eyes and resting.

Although his food barely kept him fueled for the battle ahead, playing along was necessary; otherwise, Linlin might get suspicious.

Linlin glanced at Roy in desperation but saw that he too had no energy and had stopped going outside these past few days (they only went out at night when the children were asleep). She could only sit by the window, looking pitifully out.

Gazing up at the sky, Linlin began to hallucinate.

"Samra LSamra!"

Linlin reached out for the hallucination of Samra, but it disappeared as soon as she tried to grab it.

"Samra tastes so good! I want to eat it again!"

Roy, who had been resting, opened his eyes just slightly to observe her.

Linlin's wrists and arms thickened slightly, and Roy tightened his grip on the sword in his arms. But to his relief, Linlin didn't go into a full food craving frenzy.

He sighed in relief.

Linlin had a flaw that made her prone to becoming uncontrollable.

That flaw was food cravings syndrome.

She could become destructive due to hunger, but also, if she craved a specific food and couldn't find it, she would explode into a frenzy right there.

On her 6th birthday, she had even wiped out the entire Lamb's House after overeating without realizing it.

Food cravings were too unpredictable, and Roy couldn't guarantee that he could stop Linlin every time.

Not to mention, he wouldn't always be there.

Roy's goal was the vast ocean! He couldn't possibly be by Linlin's side all the time~

The Tenth Day of Fasting.

The sky remained overcast, and the snowflakes continued to fall, turning the island into a white world.

Early in the morning, Linlin left the Lamb's House.

Roy followed behind her, sword in his arms, secretly monitoring her.

"Oh, it's Linlin."

A giant in the village saw Linlin and greeted her enthusiastically from the doorway.

"I want Samra! I want Samra!" Linlin cried, grabbing the giant and pulling him down.

The giant was momentarily stunned, but quickly began to comfort her.

"Linlin, hold on, just a few more days until the fasting ends!" Before the giant could finish, Linlin grabbed him, swung him around, and tossed him away.

"Boom!"

The giant crashed into a building, knocking it down.

In the village, Gaelz watched in shock as Linlin went berserk, fearfully backing away.

The giants saw Linlin's frenzy and rushed forward to stop her.

But those few giants who stepped forward were immediately sent flying by Linlin.

"Clang!"

A long sword blocked the path between Linlin and Gaelz. Roy arrived just in time to stop her punch.

"Swish!"

Roy was pushed back, quickly sliding across the ground, leaving a long streak.

"Samra! If you don't want to die, give me Samra——!" Linlin roared.

Her overwhelming presence exploded, sweeping through the area, knocking down some of the younger giants.

"Conqueror's Haki!"