"Wuwuwu—so touching." Os wiped his eyes, misting up from the scene before him.
Even Newgate had a trace of envy in his gaze. How wonderful it must be… to have a gentle, loving mother...
Even Klein found himself moved by the emotions in the air. Sure, "men don't cry easily," but—
In a man's world, breakdowns often happen in an instant. Most of the time, you just have to heal on your own.
There's nothing wrong with crying—
What's wrong is not learning your lesson after you're done!
"Hajrudin!"
"Hm?" Hajrudin looked at Klein, confused why this unfamiliar man was suddenly calling his name.
But when his eyes met Klein's deep gaze, it was as if something about that gaze had been sharpened by the world—it silenced everything around them.
"Crying in your mother's arms… when are you going to chase your dreams like that?" Klein's gaze turned razor-sharp.
Hajrudin and Loki were half-brothers—never mind the gap in talent, even in hardship and suffering...
The difference was massive.
'Dead wife tribute fist, mother-binding technique, friends sacrificing themselves to trigger power-up, father abandoning wife and son, supreme bone dug out...'
Hajrudin had none of that. He spent decades living peacefully in Elbaf.
That's it!?
No wonder he's not strong!
"Eh—?" Hajrudin froze. He thought this guy was going to comfort him.
The next second—
His face turned red and flushed with heat. He hurriedly pulled away from his mother's embrace.
He wiped the tear stains from his face with a stubborn look. "I-I'll win next time for sure!"
"Now that's slightly more like a man." Klein smiled, raised his glass, and took a sip. "My advice? Put in 200 times the effort. Embrace hellish training. I promise it'll pay off."
"EHHH!?!?" Hajrudin looked shocked. "Two hundred times the effort? Who could survive that?!"
He was already working really hard on his training. Every day felt fulfilling.
And yet, this human in front of him just said—
He needed 200 times more effort??
Everyone in the tavern was stunned.
"If you never push yourself to the limit, how will you know where your limit lies? Human potential... is always forced out of you."
"Staying in your comfort zone is a terrible habit."
Klein's tone grew serious. In the pirate world, broken bones heal after a glass of milk.
Willpower and the strength of the heart mattered most.
And besides—Hajrudin was the son of Harald! He already started off ahead of 99% of the people on the sea.
Just like those web novel authors—
If they pushed themselves to the limit and spent an entire day just writing:
10,000 words?
15,000?
20,000?
Totally doable. But most of the time? A few thousand words feels like squeezing paste from dry intestines, sitting there bloated with nothing coming out.
No wonder most of them flop!
They deserve to be scolded!
"Push yourself?" Hajrudin murmured, lost in thought.
Ida glanced toward Klein. She could tell he was being sincere in encouraging Hajrudin, but...
Two hundred times the effort? That shook her even as a mother.
"Mister Marine... may I ask your name?"
"Time will tell you the answer. My name is destined to echo across every island in the world," Klein declared with wild confidence.
Strength and wealth—of course they inflated your ego.
But was that a bad thing?
Klein didn't think so. As long as he was happy and satisfied, that was enough. He wasn't living for others.
He had a cheat—he might as well dream bigger!!
Think bigger!
His unique confidence and natural presence instantly won over everyone in the tavern.
"He's definitely going to be a big shot in the future..." Ida thought, seeing in Klein a brilliance that rivaled her husband, Harald.
"Klein-sama~~"
A soft, sweet, and sultry voice whispered into Klein's ear. Gloriosa had nearly pressed her whole body against him.
Like a soft, cold snake, she coiled herself up close—and Klein naturally wrapped one hand around her slender waist.
That A4 waist, supple like a water serpent—no enhancements, pure feel.
Shakky glanced at Gloriosa and muttered inwardly, "Snake Princess-sama is done for. She's completely fallen. Let's just hope she doesn't end up like the last queen..."
Queens of Amazon Lily across generations rarely escaped the curse of "lovesickness."
Many had their reigns cut short by heartbreak—not even halfway through the business before crashing out.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin glared, eyes like tiger's, furious and intense. She clenched her teeth, fuming.
"I'm his fiancée, dammit!!"
"When will my body finally develop!?"
Os, meanwhile, wore a long face, practically donning a "pain mask."
"Hajrudin... 200 times the effort—it's seriously inhuman. But..."
"It does work."
Painful but rewarding—and with everyone on the warship grinding hard, their talents freakishly absurd—
He, just average, would be left in the dust if he didn't work 10 times as hard.
"Two hundred times...?" Hajrudin hesitated, remembering his back-to-back defeats earlier.
And then—
A certain figure appeared in his mind: his younger brother, Loki.
Much younger, but...
The thought made his resolve harden. He turned a determined gaze to Newgate and Linlin.
"When I set sail... I won't lose to either of you again!"
"You think you're the only one who would be working hard?" Newgate crossed his arms. "You're still just a kid."
"????"
Hajrudin's face instantly darkened, eyes blazing. "Idiot! Height and build—you're the one who looks like a kid!"
"!!!!"
Newgate shot up, tiger-eyes glaring. "Are you saying you lost an arm wrestling match to a kid?!"
"You're a kid among kids! King of the brats?!"
That line made Hajrudin snap. He flared like a bull, slamming his forehead forward.
"Bastard! You're not even human! I bet you've got giant blood in your veins!"
"..."
The two broke into a fierce argument.
Hajrudin's mother, Ida, didn't stop them. On the contrary, a smile crept across her face.
As the son of King Harald, Hajrudin hadn't been recognized by the elders of the giants due to his mixed blood.
Otherwise...
She wouldn't be here on the shore of the Underworld, running a tavern—instead of living in the royal palace.
But Ida had no complaints. She only wished Hajrudin could grow up happy and healthy.
"Hey, Hajrudin." Klein set his glass down and called out, interrupting the fight. He gestured Hajrudin over.
Hajrudin walked up to Klein's table. Though Klein was clearly smaller than him, standing before Klein felt like standing before his father Harald.
Crushing pressure.
"Do you know Loki?" Klein asked calmly—but dropped a bombshell.
Hajrudin's face changed dramatically. He couldn't help blurting out, "Loki?! How do you know about him?!"
In an instant—
Everyone in the tavern locked their eyes on Klein.