In the battle between the top powerhouses, just the collision of their Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku) was enough to make it difficult for anyone to resist.
"Damn it, Caesar, why are you everywhere!" Kaido yelled.
"Hurry up and give me that fruit!" he demanded.
Kaido knew that he couldn't defeat Caesar, but he didn't want to give up the super-rare Devil Fruit either.
It was said that Caesar wasn't interested in Kaido's taunts. His main goal was to make sure that the Devil Fruit ended up in his hands, reasonably.
So the battle became less about fighting and more about making the fruit appear to come into his possession naturally.
As Kaido was thinking about how to covertly take the fruit, his words gave Caesar an instant idea.
He began to fight with the others, waiting for the perfect moment. He pretended to expose his weakness and was driven into the sea, sinking to the ocean floor.
Seeing this, many forces present were shocked. "A Devil Fruit user thrown into the sea? Isn't that certain death?!"
Even CP0 and Kaido were surprised, but they quickly remembered Caesar's remarkable ability: he could displace the sea water with ease.
Soon, several people searched using their Observation Haki, and sure enough, Caesar was holding the box containing the Devil Fruit, shooting out of the sea at high speed. The water around him was pushed away by an invisible force, not touching his body at all.
If he couldn't even manage something like this, his title as the world's strongest would have been lost long ago.
"This damn bastard!" Kaido muttered after realizing Caesar was unharmed.
Kaido believed that without Caesar's interference, he would have easily obtained the fruit.
CP0 also thought the same at that moment.
What they didn't know was that the moment Caesar hit the sea, he quickly swapped the fake Avalokitesvara fruit with the real one he had prepared.
Now that he had the real fruit, he no longer had to worry about being caught.
As Caesar emerged from the water, several people immediately surrounded him, turning the situation into a battle against Caesar alone.
It was called a melee, but among these few, only Caesar was truly powerful, and now, the Devil Fruit was in his hands.
Between CP0 and Kaido, there were several exchanges of blows, but generally, Caesar was on the receiving end of more attacks.
For a moment, the small island in the West Sea was shrouded in a terrifying aura, as the Conqueror's Haki clashed violently, devouring everything around them.
Most of the lesser pirates began to flee in panic, with only a few remaining frozen in place. They were overwhelmed by the force of the Conqueror's Haki and couldn't even move their ships.
In this kind of battle, without a consistent opponent, it came down to raw power. Clearly, Caesar, having endured attacks from both CP0 and Kaido, was their primary target.
At the same time, the Kingdom of Prodence's fall to the World Government spread across the world.
With the rise of information technology, it didn't take long for this news to reach every corner of the globe.
People everywhere were talking about it.
"Caesar actually attacked the countries that joined the World Government!"
"No, I thought he'd spare the World Government's affiliated nations, but it seems that's not the case!"
The news spread far beyond the New World, even to the seas and Grand Line.
The seas were already unstable, and Caesar's expanding influence only added fuel to the fire.
What terrified the most were the nations near Caesar's territory.
If even World Government members could act recklessly, there was nothing Caesar wouldn't do.
Moreover, the Navy had practically withdrawn from the New World, leaving the nations feeling completely helpless, like meat waiting to be devoured by a beast.
After all, even the powerful generals sent by the World Government had been killed by Caesar.
This left royal families, nobles, and wealthy merchants in countries near Caesar's domain living in constant fear. Some had already started to liquidate their assets, converting their wealth into a form that could be easily moved.
In fact, some kings were already making such preparations, planning to flee should Caesar decide to invade their countries.
And they weren't entirely wrong. If a country fell, there was always the possibility of conquering others.
Countries outside the World Government's control were considered "illegal" and could be overtaken by anyone with enough power or resources to recruit an army.
Returning to the battlefield, the struggle between Caesar, Kaido, and CP0 was nearing its end.
This small island in the West Sea was completely devastated after the intense battle. The ground was riddled with massive craters, evidence of the ferocity of the combat.
CP0 didn't possess the same resilience and vitality as Kaido, nor the overwhelming power that Caesar wielded. So, they were in bad shape.
On the other hand, Kaido, the "Strongest Creature," grew even more formidable as the battle wore on. Although he'd taken some heavy hits, his toughness allowed him to continue fighting.
Caesar, however, appeared unchanged. His state was just as it had been when the fight began, showing no signs of fatigue.
A few days later, the melee over the Devil Fruit had concluded, and the outcome was clear.
As Caesar made his way back, a Devil Fruit floated behind him, and the box that had once contained it was shattered by his deliberate actions.
CP0, unable to seize the fruit, reluctantly gave up.
The remaining forces targeting Caesar also accepted the inevitable and began to depart.
No one would question the authenticity of the fruit now.
Kaido, though frustrated, realized there were more important matters to attend to in Wano Country.
That pesky Kozuki Oden, who was just as strong as him, needed to be kept under constant surveillance. If he wasn't careful, all his preparations could be ruined.
Kaido, after a brief moment of calculation, roared in frustration and flew into the clouds.
---
The Journey to Dressrosa, The Strange Little People
After acquiring the Avalokitesvara Devil Fruit in a completely legitimate manner, Caesar returned to the Middle Kingdom.
Now, he possessed five top-tier Devil Fruits: the Hurricane Fruit (Logia), the Gravity Fruit (Paramecia), the Momo Fruit (Paramecia), the Human-Human Fruit (Asura Form, Mythical Zoan), and the Avalokitesvara Fruit (Mythical Zoan).
Having these fruits should have been enough. Several of his children already had powers of their own, and their abilities were quite strong.
However, the Asura Fruit was still slightly inferior to the Avalokitesvara or Angel Fruits.
After all, becoming a Devil Fruit user was a significant event. Even with their great talent, his children were still far from ordinary humans, unlike Blackbeard, who could possess two Devil Fruit powers.
Thus, Caesar planned to find another top-tier Mythical Zoan fruit to complement his collection.
Upon returning to the Middle Kingdom, Caesar first stored the Devil Fruits and began handling affairs concerning the newly annexed Kingdom of Prodence.
Merging kingdoms was one thing, but executing the integration was another matter entirely.
There were many issues to address: the former royal family of Prodence, national registration, and various commercial and planning concerns.
Caesar had been tirelessly expanding his territory for years. Two islands that were once hundreds of kilometers apart were now only about 180 kilometers away from each other.
Although this distance was relatively short, crossing it by sea wasn't easy, so Caesar considered it a strategic enclave.
Now that he had secured Prodence, he didn't want to delay its development.
His plan was to connect the two islands, a vision he had held for some time. Now that everything was in place, it was time to put it into action.
For ordinary people or those lacking strategic Devil Fruit abilities, this task might have been difficult. But for Caesar, it was simple.
To unify the two islands, facilitate mutual exchange, and streamline management, he enlisted Effiete's help.
In the bedroom, Caesar's arrival brought joy to his family. After spending some time with his children, he turned to Effiete and said, "Effiete, set aside your current tasks. Let's move the island!"
He didn't know how long it would take for the Navy to suppress the pirates, but his plan could not be delayed.
After completing the expansion, it would be much easier to develop further.
Effiete nodded in agreement.
"Alright, so we're expanding the country's territory?"
"Exactly. But now, we're focusing on connecting to the Kingdom of Prodence. It's only about a hundred kilometers away from the Central Island."
"I plan to find a few islands to fill the gap between them and create a small continent. This will make managing the area easier and help expand our influence."
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