Chapter 69: An Unexpected Encounter

With a loud bang, a figure was thrown out of the bar, and all eyes turned to the person who did it—it was none other than Linton.

Here's how it all happened. Linton was traveling with the Spade Pirates, searching for Whitebeard in his territory. They arrived at a small island called Yasmado, which had a port where the crew could resupply.

While the crew handled the supplies, Linton, who wasn't the type to lift a finger, tagged along with Ace to a nearby bar for a drink.

Upon entering the bar, Ace began ordering food like crazy, likely planning to dine and dash as usual. Linton, with a smaller appetite, nibbled on some bread and prepared to enjoy a drink. But just as he was about to take a sip, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, stranger..."

Before the person could finish speaking, Linton's internal system kicked in: "Enemy detected. Initiating auto-combat mode."

Without thinking, Linton threw a punch, landing squarely on the man's face. The punch packed a serious wallop—Linton's strength had now surpassed 800 (thanks to some unknown attribute boost). Taken by surprise, the man was sent flying through the bar wall and out into the street.

The bar fell silent as everyone stared at Linton. Although bar brawls weren't unheard of, this time was different. Linton had just punched someone who clearly wasn't an ordinary person, and yet, he had the nerve to strike him in this place?

"Hey, what's going on?" Ace, still busy eating, was also caught off guard. He was only out of sight for a moment, and now his companion was in a fight?

Linton was just as confused. How had the auto-combat system activated? The guy hadn't even attacked him, only tapped his shoulder. Up until now, Linton assumed the system only triggered when someone harbored hostile intent, not just by making contact. But this time, it seemed to have gone off for no reason at all.

Faced with Ace's question, Linton couldn't exactly say his body was acting on its own. Just as he was figuring out how to explain it, his body moved again, darting outside.

The man Linton had hit was tougher than expected. Although he was shaken by the blow, he hadn't lost consciousness and was now staggering to his feet. Since Linton hadn't defeated him, the auto-combat system remained active, compelling him to pursue his opponent.

With another loud "bang," Linton's fist connected with the man's chest, this time with a dark glow around it. The system had activated Linton's Armament Haki. Surprisingly, the man also used Armament Haki, managing to harden his chest just in time to block the attack.

"Wait! What's going on?" Ace had followed them outside, still clueless about why Linton had suddenly picked a fight. After all, Linton wasn't the type to randomly start trouble.

Meanwhile, several people from the bar had come out, armed and ready to fight. They were clearly the man's subordinates, dressed like pirates.

"Who are you, daring to attack a member of the Lightning Pirates?" The man Linton had hit was clearly injured, especially from the first punch. He hadn't expected the sudden attack and was caught completely off guard.

"Wait, don't you recognize us?" Ace had assumed that Linton might have some personal vendetta with these people, but it turned out they didn't even know who Linton was.

"Uh…" Linton had no idea how to explain. This was turning into a real headache. Just as he was trying to come up with an excuse, the man in front of him spoke up again.

"Are you with a rival faction? Are you here for Whitebeard?" the man asked.

"Whitebeard?" At the mention of the name, Linton realized something. This guy was probably one of Whitebeard's "sons." Maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all—he'd stumbled upon one of Whitebeard's adopted children. This was the perfect explanation!

"They're Whitebeard's men," Linton said to Ace.

"Whitebeard's men?"

"That's right," the man, who had been hit, quickly confirmed. "I'm Marguerite, captain of the Lightning Pirates, under Whitebeard's command."

Ace and his crew had already entered Whitebeard's territory, and this island was under the protection of the Lightning Pirates. Marguerite had heard rumors about an unknown pirate crew entering his turf and had come to investigate, only to be immediately punched by Linton before he could even ask a question.

At this point, Marguerite was convinced these strangers were enemies here to cause trouble for Whitebeard. They didn't seem familiar, which made him suspect they might be new recruits of Big Mom or Kaido.

Now that Ace understood they were Whitebeard's men, it all started to make sense. Linton must have recognized who they were and decided to provoke them, perhaps hoping to draw Whitebeard out for a confrontation.

Realizing this, Ace stepped forward and declared, "I am Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates. I've come to challenge Whitebeard!"

"The Spade Pirates? Ace? Are you the one who's been boasting about challenging Whitebeard?" To Ace's surprise, some of the bystanders seemed to recognize his name and were clearly intrigued by the unfolding drama.

"You're Ace? The upstart who thinks he can take on Whitebeard?" Marguerite sneered. "You think you can challenge him?"

"Whitebeard's son?" Ace asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," Linton interjected. "Whitebeard has this bad habit of calling everyone his 'son.'" At that moment, Linton suddenly paused. Wait—wasn't he starting to develop a similar habit, having already taken on several nephews?

"You've got to be kidding me," Ace muttered in disbelief.

Linton glanced at Ace, silently reminding him that he, too, would become one of Whitebeard's "sons" in the future.

"Anyway, I'm here to challenge Whitebeard. Tell him to come out and fight me!" Ace shouted.

Marguerite scoffed. "You think Whitebeard will bother with you?"

"This won't be solved with words," Linton cut in. "Let's just settle this with our fists."

With that, Linton lunged forward again, aiming for Marguerite, as his auto-combat system locked onto the target.

Another loud clash rang out as Marguerite blocked Linton's punch with both hands, using his Armament Haki to defend himself.

"You must be this kid's crewmate," Marguerite said, glaring at Linton. "Your use of Armament Haki isn't bad, but you're no match for me. Now, I'll return the favor!"

He swung a punch at Linton's face, but Linton swiftly dodged, avoiding the strike with a quick backstep.

Though Linton couldn't use Observation Haki himself, the auto-combat system seemed to mimic its effects, helping him evade attacks with surprising accuracy.

"Observation Haki?" Marguerite was taken aback, assuming Linton had mastered it. It seemed like this upstart pirate crew had some skilled fighters after all.

But Marguerite wasn't worried. Both of them having Observation Haki meant the fight would come down to whose abilities were superior.

As Marguerite charged in again, Linton found his hands instinctively forming hand seals.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Stream."

Sparks of lightning erupted from Linton's body, but at the last moment, Marguerite sensed danger and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack—likely thanks to his Observation Haki.

"Let's finish this," Linton muttered, determined to put his skills to use. His eyes glowed purple, and he activated another technique: "Universal Pull."

Marguerite, who had just dodged the lightning, suddenly felt a massive force pulling him toward Linton. As he was yanked in, the surrounding lightning surged into him, shocking him violently.

Marguerite screamed in pain, but Linton wasn't done. With a flick of his hand, he unleashed another attack: "Almighty Push."

With a deafening boom, everything around Linton was blown away, including Marguerite, who was sent crashing through a nearby building and skidded across the ground for dozens of meters before coming to a stop.

"Combat complete," Linton said, regaining control of his body. He wasn't sure if Marguerite was dead or just unconscious.

The sheer force of the battle had left Marguerite's subordinates frozen in shock. They had been squaring off against Ace moments earlier, but now their captain had been defeated in under a minute. It was unbelievable.

Linton turned to them, exuding a powerful Conqueror's Haki. The pressure was overwhelming, and most of Marguerite's men collapsed on the spot, foaming at the mouth. Only two managed to remain standing, likely the elite members of the Lightning Pirates.

"You two, go notify Whitebeard. Tell him your captain has been captured, and he has three days to come get him. If not, I won't be responsible for what happens next," Linton declared.

(End of chapter)