Dissatisfied, Linlin rushed towards Rogge like a wild bull.
Rogge, who had seen Linlin's strange power, naturally did not dare to confront her head-on and kept moving his body to avoid Linlin's attacks.
For the next ten minutes, Linlin kept hitting and Rogge kept dodging.
Reno, who was watching the fight on the side, felt helpless. How long would the fight last?
"Rogge, you take the initiative to attack Linlin, don't hold back."
Perhaps Rogge thought that Linlin's most terrifying trait was her attack, and her defense was weak, so he kept passively defending and dared not strike, for fear of hurting Linlin.
But if he thought so, he was wrong. He had only seen half of Linlin's talent.
Rogge, who heard the order, kicked the ground with his right foot and teleported to Linlin's side.
While using Observation Haki to anticipate Linlin's attack in advance, he punched Linlin on the back.
However, Linlin, who was attacked, still stood firmly in place, without even stumbling, let alone getting hurt.
When he touched Linlin's back, Rogge felt that his fist had struck a material harder than steel.
"This... this defense!"
Rogge was secretly shocked. He tried to distance himself from Linlin after failing.
After finally closing the distance, how could Linlin let Rogge leave so easily?
"Hehe... you came to me yourself."
When Rogge had just come to his senses after being shocked, Linlin grabbed Rogge's arm.
"Not good!"
Rogge, who had seen Linlin's strength, thought to himself this was bad. If Linlin really used a ruthless move, his arm might be broken.
"Lion, human form!"
Rogge knew that he could no longer hide his strength. His already muscular body began to swell.
Golden hair continued to emerge from all over his body, his head turned into a lion's, and two sharp fangs appeared at the corners of his mouth.
His body size increased by more than twice, and a long lion tail extended behind him.
The human-beast form is the strongest among the forms of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
It possesses both the recovery and defense capabilities of the beast form and the agility of the human form.
Rogge, having activated his Devil Fruit power, became stronger and took the initiative to counterattack. He grabbed Linlin's arm with a backhand and threw her forcefully over his shoulder.
Bang—
Linlin was slammed hard onto the ground, stirring up a sky full of dust.
The guards watching the battle around gasped in shock when they saw this scene.
"This... Captain Rogge was a little too ruthless? He actually used his Devil Fruit ability—and the strongest form at that. If he beat Linlin to death, the young master wouldn't let him off easily."
"What do you know? Didn't you see it just now? If the captain didn't fight back, he would be the one lying on the ground now."
"That's right, she really is a little monster. She's only five years old and can already push the captain to this point. If we fought her, we'd have dropped long ago."
"Hehehe... No wonder the young master places so much importance on her. She's a natural-born powerhouse. With just a bit of training, she'll definitely become a huge asset for the young master in the future."
"Exactly. When that time comes, our Caster Kingdom will benefit as well."
"As expected of the young master—such sharp vision!"
While sighing, the guards did not forget to flatter Reno.
The smoke and dust gradually dissipated, and Linlin's figure appeared once again before everyone.
Aside from looking a bit disheveled, there were no injuries on her body.
Linlin, who got up from the ground, was furious at Rogge's attack. She glared at him angrily: "Linlin is angry! Linlin must defeat you today!"
"You're not injured?"
Looking at Linlin, whose aura was still rising, Rogge narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous glint flashed through them.
Top-level attack power, incredibly strong defense—Linlin was even more terrifying than he had imagined. He had to get serious.
Thinking this, a layer of black substance began to emerge from the surface of Rogge's body.
"Alright, let's stop here today!"
Reno timely stopped the fight between the two.
"Brother! I haven't beaten him yet—Linlin will definitely win!"
Still unwilling to back down, Linlin waved her little fist in protest.
"Linlin, remember—Rogge is our companion. From today onward, he'll be your training guide."
"You can't bully him, alright?"
"Ah? Fine..."
Linlin, still pouting, nodded obediently despite her frustration.
Seeing Linlin stop, Rogge was relieved.
He immediately reverted to human form, walked up to Reno, clasped his hands and said:
"Master, Linlin's talent is unlike anything I've seen in my life. With just a bit of practice, she'll definitely become your right hand and help you achieve great things!"
"Rogge, no matter who the opponent is in the future, you must never underestimate them."
"Even if you think you can defeat them easily!"
If he hadn't been reminded earlier, Rogge might not even have used Armament Haki.
The consequences could have been disastrous.
"I understand."
Rogge bowed his head slightly and acknowledged his mistake.
"Alright, there's no need to blame yourself. From now on, Linlin is your responsibility."
"In the next few months, you'll be guiding her training—help her build her physique, develop her physical combat skills, and swordsmanship. As for Observation Haki and Armament Haki, we'll get to those later."
Swordsmanship?
Rogge's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Linlin's physique was already ridiculously strong, so physical combat wouldn't be a problem.
And now swordsmanship too? Were they aiming to mold her into a full-spectrum warrior?
Rogge felt excited at the thought of shaping a future top-tier warrior.
"Don't worry, young master. I'll give it my all!"