Originally, Marco had only tried to recruit Lin Mo out of admiration for his strength and calm demeanor.
Even if the boy refused, it didn't matter.
But now—
That brat Lin Mo actually caught the Navy's attention!
And not just anyone's, but Garp, the Navy hero whose strength surpassed even that of an admiral, despite holding only the title of vice admiral!
That alone was enough to prove that this brat was far from ordinary.
So, Marco had called Whitebeard to report the situation.
Whitebeard was quite shocked by what he heard about Lin Mo.
He, too, began to feel a desire to recruit the boy.
But when he thought more about it—
Even Garp had spent two days trying and still failed to sway Lin Mo, showing just how firm and unshakable this boy's resolve was.
"Marco, did you invite him?" Whitebeard's voice had calmed over the Den Den Mushi, and he asked in a neutral tone.
Marco replied helplessly, "Yeah, I did. But he turned me down. Said he's a traveler who doesn't need a home or family. It's really a headache."
"Hahaha!" Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter. "A traveler, huh? What an interesting little brat. I'm starting to want to meet him myself."
Inside the second-floor staff room of Baratie.
Just as Lin Mo entered the room—
Sanji rushed over excitedly.
"Lin Mo, Lin Mo, did you really take down Don Krieg?"
Sanji's eyes sparkled as he asked.
Lin Mo casually replied, "Yeah."
"You're amazing! Everyone's scared of Krieg. You're about my age, but you weren't afraid at all and even beat him easily. Ah, I'm so jealous! If only I were as strong as you. How did you beat him? Did you use a sword? But yours is wooden, right? It shouldn't be able to kill. Did you kick him instead? Ahhh, I'm so excited, Lin Mo, tell me what happened!"
Lin Mo: "..."
Was this guy Sanji always such a chatterbox?
He remembered Sanji in the anime didn't talk this much.
Sure, he talked a lot—to women.
What the hell.
So annoying!
Just as Lin Mo was growing irritated with Sanji—
A system notification sounded in his mind.
"Ding ding! You've earned the recognition of Edward Newgate (Whitebeard). Sign-in progress +10%. Current progress: 90%. Reward: Conqueror's Haki level +1. Current Conqueror's Haki level: Lv4."
Lin Mo hadn't even had time to be surprised at how he somehow received Whitebeard's recognition without him being present—
When a powerful force suddenly burst forth from him, spreading outward as the center.
It lasted only an instant—
But Sanji was knocked out cold on the spot.
Unlike Armament or Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki, when upgraded, could be sensed by powerful individuals nearby.
Back in Shimotsuki Village, both Dragon and Koshiro had felt his growth.
But this time—
The pressure from his upgraded Conqueror's Haki burst forth like a swordsmanship level-up, only this time the effect spread even farther—farther than when he had leveled up his sword skill to Lv6.
Even downstairs in the restaurant—
The joyful chatter halted abruptly.
Marco's subordinates and the Baratie chefs all collapsed unconscious where they stood.
Only Zeff and Marco—who had just finished his call with Whitebeard—remained conscious.
"That just now... was that Conqueror's Haki?" Marco was shocked. "Who did that?"
Zeff's face didn't look good, but he could feel it—that Haki had come from upstairs!
At this moment, only Sanji and Lin Mo should've been up there.
Without thinking, Zeff rushed up the stairs.
Marco followed closely behind.
When they reached the staff room—
They saw Sanji passed out, and Lin Mo still standing there calmly.
Zeff's expression turned grave. "So it was you, Lin Mo?"
Lin Mo turned back and looked at them at the door, responding casually, "Yeah."
Zeff pressed a hand to his forehead, a headache brewing. "Never thought... you'd have Conqueror's Haki. Even if you do, you shouldn't just unleash it like that. It's way too dangerous."
"It's probably not something he did intentionally," Marco said seriously. "It's more likely his Conqueror's Haki upgraded, and the pressure spilled out unconsciously."
"Is that so?" Zeff was stunned. "If even an unintentional burst has that kind of power, what happens if he fully unleashes it?"
Marco chuckled lightly. "You and I would probably be affected too."
Zeff shuddered and drew in a sharp breath. "That's terrifying."
"Hey, Lin Mo," Marco said. "You really don't want to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Lin Mo replied flatly, "No."
"I just got off the line with Pops. He's very eager to meet you."
Lin Mo: "..."
So that's why the system registered recognition from Whitebeard out of nowhere.
Seeing Lin Mo stay silent, Marco grinned. "You're heading for the Grand Line next, right?"
Lin Mo nodded. "Yeah."
"Good. If you see the Moby Dick, make sure to go meet Pops. You both like to drink—who knows, maybe you'll hit it off as drinking buddies." Marco said in a relaxed tone.
Lin Mo nodded half-heartedly.
Marco could tell, but he didn't call him out.
"Alright, I won't bother you any further. My men are pretty much done eating too—it's about time to head back to the ship. Damn, don't know when those guys will wake up... Looks like I'll have to carry them back one by one."
Marco walked out as he spoke and soon left the room.
Zeff silently stared at Lin Mo for a long while before letting out a sigh. "Forget it, we'll close up early tonight and get some rest."
With that—
He, too, left the room.
Marco had to put in quite a bit of effort to haul all his unconscious men back to the ship.
Once he was done, he immediately called Whitebeard again. "Pops, I think I get why Garp's so fond of that Lin Mo kid. He's not just a swordsmanship prodigy—he's awakened a powerful Conqueror's Haki. Honestly... he might already have Armament and Observation Haki too…"
The next morning.
Sanji woke up groggily.
He vaguely remembered talking to Lin Mo last night when suddenly a terrifying aura had hit him—and then everything went black.
He immediately jumped up from bed.
And spotted Lin Mo outside on the corridor, sipping from a wine gourd, letting the sea breeze blow past.
Sanji blinked and rushed out to him. "Lin Mo, what happened last night? I blacked out for no reason!"
Lin Mo didn't respond.
Sanji continued, "Are you okay? Nothing happened to you, right?"
Lin Mo looked at him and shook his head. "I'm fine."
Sanji let out a breath of relief. "Good, good. As long as you're okay."
Lin Mo gave a small smile and hung the wine gourd back on his belt.
Just then—
A familiar voice rang out from downstairs.
"Eh? What happened to the deck out front? Were there pirates here yesterday?"
Hearing that—
Lin Mo's face froze.
Internally, he sighed in exasperation.
Why the hell is that Garp guy back again…?