Kuma's voice remained gentle, yet there was a subtle difference—it seemed more resolute than before.
"It is my honor."
Caesar smiled faintly. "Also, there's no need for formalities among comrades. All that 'sir' and 'mister' stuff sounds awkward. Just call me by my name, or you can even call me His Supreme Majesty the Emperor or something like that. I wouldn't mind."
Kuma chuckled silently, his smile warm and sincere. "Well, if you, Caesar, were to become an emperor, I'd gladly expand your territory for you."
"Actually, I think you'd be better suited as a peacekeeper or a judge. In peaceful times, your temperament could save many lives."
Caesar stepped forward, grabbed Kuma's sleeve, and took a bite, instantly drawing 2000cc of blood. Immediately afterward, a surge of vitality rushed through Kuma's entire body.
Kuma felt a warm current sweep through him, making his body feel lighter and more comfortable.
"You've got a lot of hidden injuries. Although your physique is strong enough to handle them for now, they'll all come back to haunt you when you're older."
Caesar shook his head slightly. "Stop taking on the burden of relieving others' pain. Even if it's unavoidable, don't bear the damage yourself. Just find some scumbag to take the hit. There's no need to be so rigid."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
Kuma nodded. This method wasn't unfamiliar to him—he had used it before during his time in the Revolutionary Army. He wouldn't be stubborn about such things.
"Kuma! Kuma! Look at this!"
With a loud crash, the door was suddenly flung open.
A slender, pink-haired girl stood at the doorway, her face brimming with excitement. (Bonney discovered her abilities after Kuma's solo revolutionary incident.)
"Huh?! Ginny!!"
Seeing the familiar face, Kuma was startled, but then he seemed to realize something. "Bonney?"
"It's me, Kuma!"
Bonney pointed at herself with a grin. "I just suddenly grew bigger!"
Hearing this, Kuma glanced awkwardly and guiltily at Caesar. "Is this the power of a Devil Fruit? Bonney, did you eat some strange fruit?"
"It's the ability of the Age-Age Fruit. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with me."
Caesar spoke indifferently. "Let me be blunt. Bonney's Jade Scale comes from human experimentation, and this ability was injected into her through Devil Fruit extraction methods."
"The Age-Age Fruit?"
Kuma asked, puzzled. "Is it the ability to change one's own age?"
"Not just that. This fruit can also alter the age of others, and even the state of objects."
Caesar shook his head slightly. "Moreover, the true strength of this fruit lies in its ability to transform the user into any possible future. As long as the user has enough imagination and maintains a firm belief in that future, they can become whatever they envision!"
"Whether it's Nika, a paw, or a Vampire, theoretically, she can manifest any kind of future."
"It's an incredible ability, but I assume there are limitations, right?"
Kuma nodded. Although he was happy that Bonney had such a powerful ability, the thought of its origins made it hard for him to feel truly joyful.
"Didn't I say it? This ability requires the user to maintain a firm belief, treating that future as a genuine possibility."
Caesar explained, "But as people gain more experience, they gradually become more aware of reality, and the possibilities for changing the future become fewer and fewer. Unless she can forever hold onto her hopes and aspirations for the future, of course, that depends on whether you, as a father, are competent or not."
"Is that so... Then I'll do my best!"
Kuma's lips curled into a gentle smile, confident that he could be a good and competent father.
"Changing the future..."
Bonney stared blankly at Caesar, "Can I also become Nika's future?"
"What's so good about Nika?"
Behind Caesar, large black wings suddenly spread open, "Isn't being a Vampire better?"
Bonney tilted her little head, examining Caesar's appearance, "Emmm... Sissy?"
Caesar silently pulled out a huge syringe, "I forgot to mention earlier, we also need to draw some blood for a check-up."
"Yikes!"
Bonney screamed and turned to run, "Cheapskate! Bleh bleh~"
"You came at just the right time."
Caesar chuckled, putting away the syringe, and turned to Kuma, "I'll be fighting Kaidou in a while, but at this stage, apart from Kaidou, no one is my match anymore. How about you spar with me?"
Kuma looked at Caesar in surprise, "You're not even twenty this year, are you?"
"Eighteen."
So young!
Kuma was filled with astonishment, "What an incredible talent. I can train with you, but I'm afraid I won't be your match either."
"That's alright, you can team up with Yamato."
Caesar stretched his shoulders and then cupped his hands to shout, "Baby 5!"
"Darling!"
A rapid sound of footsteps came from the hallway, and Baby 5 skidded to a stop at the door, holding a spatula in one hand, her maid dress fluttering.
"Do you need something?"
Baby 5 stood up straight, eagerly looking at Caesar.
"Don't worry about cooking for now. There's a pink-haired girl named Bonney in the mansion. Could you take care of her for a while?"
"Sure! Leave it to me~"
Hearing Caesar's request and feeling needed, the girl happily left.
"Let's go!"
The two arrived outside the mansion, and Caesar glanced at Kuma's gloved hands.
"Perfect timing to let me experience the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit. How about the place where I was just training?"
"Then excuse me!"
Kuma silently removed his gloves and gently patted Caesar's shoulder.
With a soft pop, Caesar's figure instantly disappeared, leaving only a faint trace of dust in his place.
Then, Kuma casually slapped the air and also vanished.
Whoosh—
A massive Air Paw wrapped around Caesar as he flew swiftly through the sky, appearing outside the city in the blink of an eye.
Next, the Air Paw made a sharp descent, slamming into the ground and leaving a paw-shaped crater as a cushion. Caesar landed gracefully on the ground.
"Your speed is on par with mine, but mine is just a short burst..."
Caesar looked at Kuma, who had landed beside him, and asked curiously, "Does this ability require calculating coordinates?"
"No need."
Kuma explained, "You just need to think of the destination in your mind, but it must be a place I've been to before."
"That's just unreasonable..."
Caesar was somewhat envious, "Your ability can also extract memories, did you know that?"
"Huh? Is that really possible? I haven't researched that aspect."
"Yes, but what's captured is just a backup. In other words, if we ever want to know any information in the future, we just need to extract the target's memories."
Kuma was left speechless. How do you understand my abilities better than I do?
He didn't press Caesar on where he got the information. From the intelligence he had gathered so far, it seemed the other party had even glimpsed into the distant future!
What a mysterious person...
Caesar slowly drew his blade: "Come on, let me witness the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit!"
"Then... pardon me."
Kuma removed his other glove and prepared for battle.
Suddenly, his figure appeared in front of Caesar at a speed akin to teleportation, and he struck down with a palm!
Seeing this familiar fighting style, Caesar's eyelids twitched slightly.
Well, well, well, the boomerang effect!
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