While Wano Country fell under Sabo's control and Dragon led the fish-men there in search of Pluton.
...
On Sweet Island, dusk approached.
The sunset painted the horizon where sea met sky in fiery hues.
A sea breeze drifted across the plaza as pirates dispersed to the island's many bars.
At the harbor, under Caesar's rough pushing and shoving, Kaido reluctantly boarded the pirate ship.
"Look at you, pathetic!"
Caesar glared at him irritably, barely resisting the urge to kick Kaido in the rear.
"Mamamama, Caesar, it's rare to see this fool Kaido acting so bashful. If Queen were here, I'd make him record it with a camera."
Linlin's bell-like laughter drew a sullen grunt from Kaido aboard the ship.
Caesar wrapped an arm around Linlin's waist as they boarded the mid-sized pirate vessel.
Immediately, pirates set the ship in motion, with a navigator at the helm steering toward Sweetheart Island.
"That bastard Ganzui—where'd he disappear to after the meeting?" Caesar asked curiously as the three sat on the deck.
"When I left the meeting, I saw him heading out to sea with his sword, probably wanting to test his rejuvenated strength," Kaido rumbled, having somehow produced a large jug of wine.
Caesar snorted disdainfully.
"That old bastard, does he think he's Redfield? Does he really believe he can instantly return to his prime?"
Kaido took a swig of liquor and curled his lips.
"At his peak? That old man's peak was only at the level of an Admiral. He just bullied me when I was young. By the way, what did you do with Redfield and Kuzan? Killed them? And did your plan succeed?"
Kaido wasn't clear about Caesar's actions.
Last night, he had been drinking all evening and was drunk the whole time.
This afternoon, he had been lying around in his quarters again.
This bastard... If not for his formidable physique, Caesar really thought he might drink himself to death one day.
Caesar shot him a glare and snorted.
"I thought you'd drunk yourself to death. Since when do you care about these things?"
"What else am I supposed to do if not drink? There's no fights to pick. Unless you want us to go seize some territory?" Kaido retorted without backing down.
"Hmph! I've established a covert guard corps..."
The three of them began discussing right there on the ship.
Caesar explained everything he'd done to Kaido.
Kaido frowned, sizing up Caesar.
"You actually pulled it off. According to you, you only have one soul—how did you accommodate two Devil Fruit abilities? Is it really just a matter of physical strength? Does that mean I could also handle a second Devil Fruit? What about Linlin? Her body is strong enough too."
Caesar shook his head and pursed his lips.
"Don't try it lightly. I suspect it's something unique to me—maybe related to the Oni blood and the Kunpeng Fruit. If you attempt it, I think problems will arise."
"Fine, no attempts then. My strength has already peaked anyway. Maintaining this level is good enough," Kaido nodded, not pressing the matter.
"What about Ain? Her ability is quite useful—the Modo-modo Fruit. We should find time to have her use it on you two, make you a bit younger," Caesar added.
Kaido shook his head.
"Her ability is good, but her strength is too low. The duration of the effect is too short. On people like us, reversing time by a year or two would be the best we could hope for. Totto Land has been a bit chaotic these past couple days, so I had Linlin's daughters take her to another island for a trip."
Linlin had been quietly listening to the two brothers talk.
When they paused, she suddenly laughed.
"By the way, Caesar, didn't you say you thought Stussy seemed suspicious?"
Caesar was taken aback.
If Linlin hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten entirely.
At noon, after the pirate meeting disbanded, he had glanced at Morgans and incidentally caught sight of Stussy.
But under the combined effects of his powerful Observation Haki and the Memory-Memory Fruit, he had keenly sensed her nervousness and her attempts to conceal her thoughts.
So Caesar had mentioned it offhandedly, not giving it much thought.
After all, there was a good chance Stussy had just been intimidated by him.
Kaido raised an eyebrow curiously.
"The Queen of Pleasure? Isn't she one of the underworld's big shots? For a woman to reach that status isn't easy. But she doesn't seem particularly strong herself. A woman without personal power who wants to command a powerful force... Either she has a strong man backing her, or she's a pawn of some major faction."
"Mamamama, Kaido, your brain's actually working today," Linlin giggled.
Seeing Kaido roll his eyes, she didn't beat around the bush and immediately revealed what had happened with Stussy.
It turned out that when Caesar mentioned there was something odd about Stussy, Linlin didn't hesitate—she outright demanded that Stussy come to her residence for a chat.
In the past, Stussy had been considered one of Linlin's close confidantes.
The two women, both renowned across the seas, had shared some common ground.
Moreover, Stussy's Pleasure District was widespread across the world, including the various islands of Totto Land.
But that afternoon, Stussy had acted strangely.
Her conversation with Linlin was disjointed, lacking the usual ease and humor.
Linlin immediately unleashed her soul-based intimidation and pressure, shattering Stussy's already frayed nerves.
Under the overwhelming terror of the Soul-Soul Fruit, Stussy experienced a fear worse than death—Linlin's soul enslavement!
Those whose souls were enslaved by Linlin would become vegetative, worse than dead, forever bedridden without waking.
This effect was somewhat similar to Caesar's Memory-Memory Fruit, though not as domineering—it couldn't control the target's actions.
Under this terror, Stussy finally revealed her true identity!
"That cunning woman was actually a covert agent planted by the World Government in the New World—a member of CP0. Fresh out of training, she was deployed to the New World. With backing from the World Government and the Marines, she rose swiftly to become the Queen of the Pleasure District."
After finishing, Linlin looked at Caesar and the others.
She noticed the brothers shared the same indifferent reaction, as if Stussy's identity didn't interest them at all.
Kaido remained carefree, guzzling alcohol, unfazed by the news.
Meanwhile, Caesar's expression suggested everything Linlin said was within his expectations.
Linlin exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you shocked, Caesar?"
Caesar scoffed. "Why would I be? Think about it—those with shady origins but inexplicably massive influence? They're all backed by either the World Government or the Revolutionary Army. Take Morgans, for example—that birdbrain."
"Morgans? He's backed by the World Government too?"
Now, both Linlin and Kaido were stunned, turning to Caesar.
Caesar shrugged.
"He's not CP0. He's a Celestial Dragon."
"A Celestial Dragon?!"
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