In the deep pit, Kaido placed Ain on his broad shoulders.
The little girl held onto one of Kaido's long horns with one hand, her small feet swinging excitedly.
"Uncle Kaido, is that bad guy dead? Was he the one trying to trick me into betraying Mom and Dad?" Ain pointed at the charred body of Aokiji on the ground, pouting.
Kaido chuckled and nodded. "That's right, Ain. Luckily, you told your sister Pudding in time. Otherwise, us old folks might have been in real danger."
A proud smile appeared on Ain's little face as she declared, "Of course! I'm very smart, you know! By the way, Uncle Kaido, is Sister Pudding going to turn this bad guy into one of us later?"
A strange glint flashed in Caesar's eyes.
He didn't expect that Pudding would let Ain—whose memories had been altered—know about such matters.
Couldn't this lead to complications?
If the erased memories were to resurface, this situation could become an endless feud.
No—it already was.
"Sorry, Ain, but this bad guy is quite strong. Your dad and uncle aren't getting any younger, and we need to think about you kids. Come on, let's go somewhere else."
With a hearty laugh, Kaido carried Ain away from the pit.
(tf happen with kaido)
"Pudding, how's it going? Can you modify Aokiji's memories?" Caesar approached and crouched down, watching as Pudding, drenched in sweat, extracted a series of memory images from Aokiji mind.
Pudding face was pale as she forced a smile.
"Dad, my ability has limited effect on people with strong willpower. I can't make large-scale changes to their memories, or they'll quickly notice something's wrong. But for someone like Ain, whose will isn't as strong, it's much easier. She'll accept the altered memories as her real memories. In other words, Ain is now your little daughter—her entire life's memories are just slightly modified versions of mine."
Caesar nodded.
Deep down, he had already expected this.
A power as unnatural as memory alteration would surely have its limits.
If someone with ambitions mastered it without restrictions, they could easily dominate the entire world.
Imagine someone who could walk into any place and rewrite people's memories, turning them into subordinates, family members, or even slaves.
What kind of nightmare would that create?
Of course, there was another possibility—Pudding simply wasn't strong enough to unleash the fruit's full potential.
If Caesar were the one using it, the results might be entirely different.
"So there's no way around it? Aokiji is, after all, a former Admiral—his willpower is absolutely top-tier." Caesar couldn't hide his disappointment.
Aokiji's combat prowess was among the best, possibly even surpassing that arrogant Ryokugyu.
The only reason Caesar had defeated him so easily was due to their abilities countering each other and his own overwhelming physical strength.
Since Caesar himself could manipulate freezing air, Aokiji's techniques held no advantages over him.
"I can only implant a subconscious thought in his mind—one that doesn't contradict his judgment and isn't something he'd inherently oppose," Pudding panted, pointing to one of the images in the reel.
"This is a Marine man with a strong sense of justice. He originally joined the Blackbeard Pirates to infiltrate them, waiting for the right moment to strike Blackbeard in a critical situation. Though I can't alter his memories on a large scale, I can strengthen his loyalty to the Beast God Pirates.
Moreover, his future duties won't require him to harm civilians or fellow Marines, so it won't go against his conscience. And when it comes to pirates, he won't hold back."
Caesar's eyes lit up, and he nodded approvingly at Pudding.
"Good, let's do it. That's more than enough."
Pudding immediately exerted her full power, beginning to tweak some of Aokiji's minor memories.
She altered his original plan—instead of infiltrating Blackbeard's crew, he would now infiltrate the Beast God Pirates, intending to strike at Caesar and the others at a crucial moment.
But this was changed into a vow of loyalty, willingly becoming one of the Beast God Pirates' enforcers.
At the same time, she erased the impression and name of Ain from Aokiji's mind.
Even if he were to interact with her now, he would only feel a slight familiarity with the girl and unable to recognize her.
"Whew... done." Pudding wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled at Caesar.
Caesar patted her head. "Good work. Go rest for a while. I'll wake him up. King, take Pudding up into the air—just in case."
"Yes, sir!" King stepped beside Pudding, his black wings spreading as he carried her into the sky.
Caesar flicked his fingers, sending a series of concentrated blood droplets towards Aokiji.
The droplets landed precisely on Aokiji's slightly parted lips.
Soon, a wave of heat spread throughout his body, turning him as red as a boiled shrimp.
An astonishing warmth surged through his limbs, frantically healing his injuries.
In mere moments, the charred skin on Aokiji's body completely peeled away, revealing new, even smoother skin beneath.
The shattered muscles and bones, crushed by Caesar's earlier blows, regenerated, restoring him to his original state.
Aokiji slowly opened his eyes and saw Caesar standing before him.
His expression was dazed, taking a long moment to regain focus.
His gaze towards Caesar was complex, still carrying a trace of resentment, but he forced himself to say.
"Caesar... since I've agreed to your terms, I'll follow through. I won't forget that you spared Zephyr-sensei. From now on, I'll officially join the Beast God Pirates as one of your crew."
"Borororo! Good! Aokiji, the Beast God Pirates welcome you! From this day forward, you'll be our fifth god—the Ice God!" Caesar laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
"Whatever." Aokiji replied indifferently and stepped aside.
At that moment, Linlin suddenly gasped in surprise, looking toward the direction of the harbor.
"What is it, Linlin?" Caesar also glanced that way but saw nothing.
Linlin pointed at the shattered ice.
"Caesar, that old man Rayleigh... seems to have escaped. His presence is gone."
Caesar merely grunted, his enthusiasm waning.
Then, remembering Oven's fate, his brow furrowed deeply, unsure how to break the news to Linlin.
Yet there was no avoiding it—such matters couldn't be kept hidden.
Shaking his head, Caesar pulled Linlin aside, wrapping an arm around her waist as he recounted the day's events in detail, holding nothing back about what had happened with Oven.
BOOM!
Just as expected, upon hearing that Oven had been slain by Weevil, Linlin's emotions erupted uncontrollably.
Her terrifying Conqueror's Haki burst forth involuntarily, scattering the clouds above and sending shards of rock and ice flying across the ground.
"That clown Buggy—I swear I'll kill him!" Linlin's eyes burned crimson, brimming with frenzied bloodlust.
Caesar gripped her hand firmly.
"Don't worry, he's as good as dead. After a few days of regrouping, we'll wipe out Karai Bari Island!"
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