Dressrosa's private beach.
This was an area Caelan had specially designated for the mermaids he brought with him, and no one else was allowed to approach.
Although mermaids could survive on land, they still missed life in the ocean from time to time.
At this moment, Caelan was sunbathing on the beach with his wives and a large group of mermaid ladies.
"What a sunny day."
Caelan lay in Shirahoshi's large arms, wearing sunglasses.
Beneath him was the soft, elastic body of the mermaid princess. Above his head was the warm, bright sun.
The comfort made Caelan squint with contentment.
He had been living this indulgent life ever since concluding his meeting with the Neo Navy.
He had no intention of personally overseeing the world conscription or the Four Admirals' expedition to the North Blue.
He only planned to sit back, observe the expedition, and evaluate their performance.
Then, at the end of conscription, he would give the new recruits some encouragement.
Other than that, he didn't plan to interfere.
Seriously, if they couldn't handle this kind of low-risk, high-reward task, then recruiting so many subordinates would have been pointless.
As for whether delegating power like this would lead to being sidelined?
He wasn't worried at all. He wasn't just the spiritual pillar of the Neo Navy, but also its absolute military force.
More importantly, he held control over all the Heroic Spirits. Anyone who dared to get ideas would be turned into a puppet under his control.
The body of a Heroic Spirit was both a reward and a shackle.
"Is this what retirement feels like? I don't want to work anymore."
Caelan shifted his position slightly atop Shirahoshi and watched the beauties play beach volleyball.
"Caelan, don't move, it tickles."
Shirahoshi blushed as she felt the tingling sensation on her chest.
Although she didn't understand why Caelan liked lying on her chest, she was happy to be close to him.
The only problem was that it always made her feel ticklish.
"Relax, relax, Shirahoshi. I've already picked the perfect spot. I'm not moving for the whole day."
Caelan spoke lazily.
This peaceful, pleasant life made him want to retire early.
But that time wasn't far off. In about a month, the world would welcome its new ruler.
"Caelan, how is Father and everyone else doing?"
Shirahoshi missed her family on Fish-Man Island.
"They should be doing fine. No one dares to touch the mermaid trade anymore."
Caelan thought for a moment and answered casually.
According to Jinbe's report a few days ago, the new Fish-Man Pirates had earned a net income of 500 million Berries for Caelan and had added several new public buildings to Fish-Man Island.
And since Fish-Man Island had raised the flag of the God Slayer Spear, no one dared make trouble there anymore.
"That's good."
Shirahoshi sighed in relief.
But she still wanted to return and see Neptune and her three brothers, to share the wonderful life she had with Caelan.
"Shirahoshi misses her family." Caelan smiled. "About a month from now, I'll mark off a plot of land here and move Fish-Man Island onto land."
"Yayyyy!"
Shirahoshi happily lifted him from her chest and rubbed her fair cheek against his body.
After spending so many days together, she had grown bolder in her interactions with him.
"Alright, alright. Let me lie down and enjoy the sunshine while I watch Robin and the others play beach volleyball."
Caelan felt Shirahoshi's enthusiasm and spoke helplessly.
"Okay, Caelan."
Shirahoshi calmed down and gently put him back into place.
Then she turned her gaze to Robin, Nami, and the other girls playing on the beach, her eyes full of envy.
Although Caelan was very close to her, he never stayed overnight. He only slept with his other wives.
"Caelan, when will you sleep with me?" Shirahoshi couldn't help but ask.
"No, I can't sleep with you. We'll only sleep together after we get married."
Caelan replied casually.
He didn't stay the night with Shirahoshi for two reasons. One, she wasn't old enough. Two, their size difference was too extreme.
He was only two meters and two centimeters tall, while Shirahoshi was sixteen meters tall. Their sizes didn't match.
But in a few years, it would be fine.
After the Battle of Marineford, a progress bar had suddenly appeared on his system and jumped to 50% instantly. Since then, it had been increasing rapidly along with the Neo Navy's rise.
He had a feeling that once the World Government was destroyed or the world unified, the system would restart.
That restart would definitely bring a big surprise.
"Marriage!" Shirahoshi blushed. "Then... Caelan, when will you marry me?"
Protected by her father and brothers since childhood, she was naive about relationships, but she understood the concept of marriage.
Her father, the king, and her mother, the queen, had her after getting married.
So... she and Caelan were going to have a baby?
The thought made her face flush and her heart pound.
"Haha, your heart's beating so fast. Looks like Shirahoshi understands what marriage means." Caelan joked, feeling the vibrations beneath him.
"I've grown up, of course I understand!" Shirahoshi said bashfully. "Caelan, you haven't said when!"
Caelan thought for a moment. "Four years. I'll marry you in four years."
She was kind and sweet. He couldn't let her down.
Four years from now, everything would be proper and legitimate.
Besides, raising a childhood sweetheart like this... felt unexpectedly nice.
"Four years? Okay, I understand."
Shirahoshi's eyes shone with anticipation.
Just then, Gion rushed into Caelan's resort in a panic.
"Caelan, we're in trouble! Come help me!"
Gion shouted toward him.
"What is it?" Caelan raised an eyebrow and reluctantly jumped down from Shirahoshi. "You're not going to tell me you need help fighting in the North Blue and recruiting soldiers, are you?"
"It's not that." Gion said urgently. "Sister Tsuru's granddaughter was killed at our port!"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)