Chapter 1: Gold Caesar
The Grand Line — New World — Slumbering Ancient Town.
A rusted, weather-worn anchor jutted out of a cracked pier. Crows cawed hoarsely from the bare branches of withered beech trees. On the desolate, crumbling streets, bits of sun-bleached bone lay scattered like forgotten memories.
Caesar, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, walked down the lonely road. Each step of his polished leather shoes crunched the gravel beneath with precise, deliberate rhythm. His luxurious attire clashed starkly with the decay surrounding him.
Trailing behind were a man and a woman. The woman, tall and bronze-skinned, wore a sleek black dress and scanned her surroundings with the curiosity of an explorer. The man sported a spiky blond punk hairstyle, a tattoo spread across his chest, and carried the air of a streetwise rogue.
The woman was Nico Robin, renowned historian, with a bounty of 79 million Berries.
The man was Marco, first division commander and doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates—second only to Whitebeard himself. His bounty soared into the billions.
According to the original story timeline, these two should've been far from here—Robin still on the run from the World Government, and Marco sailing proudly under Whitebeard's flag in the New World.
As for Caesar…
He wasn't supposed to exist in this world at all.
Like most stories of this kind—he was a transmigrator.
Eighteen years since arriving here, Caesar had risen from a penniless orphan to a commercial titan whose wealth could rival entire nations. And he had achieved it not through hard work—but thanks to a cheat system.
His cheat was called the Collector System. As the name suggests, it allowed him to collect things. And by achieving various collection milestones, Caesar could earn all sorts of rewards.
Thanks to this system, Caesar completed his capital accumulation in record time.
He could even say to anyone with a straight face:
"I'm so poor… I only have money."
It sounded arrogant—but it was also completely true.
Because in this world of pirates, power is the one thing more valuable than wealth.
And Caesar, unfortunately, was nothing more than an ordinary man—especially compared to the monsters who could cross the Calm Belt alone or dominate the Grand Line on a rowboat.
Even after pushing himself with two hundred times the effort—endless days of obsessive training—he barely reached the level of a Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander. That translated to a pirate bounty of maybe a few dozen million Berries. Against the true monsters of the sea, he wouldn't last a single encounter.
Even the system didn't grant him raw power.
If there was one thing he had going for him… it was his face.
As a transmigrator, Caesar had no desire for conquest or grand titles—no interest in becoming Pirate King, Fleet Admiral, or world ruler.
He had only one goal:
To live long, live well, and—just maybe—complete the system's main quest: Collect the World.
But on these treacherous seas, even survival was a luxury. Without power, wealth was just a castle built on sand.
So Caesar set his sights on the one thing that could change everything: Devil Fruits.
Among the known fruits, the Goro Goro no Mi (Lightning Fruit) was on Skypiea, which Caesar couldn't reach. Even if he could, he had no idea whether Enel had eaten it yet.
Wasting time was one thing—hand-delivering himself to death was another.
Besides, the Lightning Fruit didn't suit him. While it could drastically raise his lower combat limit, Caesar's body might not even withstand its power.
In comparison, Zoan-type fruits offered concrete boosts to physical strength.
But ordinary Zoans didn't interest him. Ancient Zoans felt a bit underwhelming. Mythical Zoans, now those were worthy—except most of them were either in the hands of the World Government or powerful forces like Kaido and Big Mom.
Still, there were exceptions…
One of them came from the official game One Piece: Unlimited World Red—a Mythical Zoan Bat Fruit: Model Vampire. A fruit so broken in concept, it only existed in spin-off media.
Its canon status was questionable…
But Caesar, adopting a "worth a try" attitude, investigated the game's setting—Slumbering Ancient Town. And to his surprise, such a place actually existed in the New World.
Even more, rumors of ancient ruins and hidden treasures surrounded the island.
Without hesitation, Caesar threw billions of Berries at the problem—directly contacting the Whitebeard Pirates and requesting an escort. For 3 billion Berries, Whitebeard generously dispatched Marco himself.
Marco turned out to be a decent guy. With that kind of cash being thrown around, he simply clapped Caesar on the shoulder and said:
"You've got me for the next few months, boss."
With Marco on board, Caesar took one more detour to the West Blue, where he used the black market to contact Nico Robin. Promising her access to Poneglyphs, he sweet-talked her onto the ship.
Now, after more than a month of sailing, they had arrived.
"This place really is a total ruin…"
Marco glanced around the empty town.
"You sure you didn't drag us all this way just to start a renovation project?"
"Of course not," Caesar smiled.
Despite getting along fairly well during the voyage, he hadn't told anyone about the Vampire Fruit. He'd simply claimed he was here to explore an ancient ruin.
"Marco, how far can your Observation Haki reach?" Caesar asked.
Marco closed his eyes for a moment. "Given the size of this island… I can cover the whole thing. There are only three people here—us."
They had sailed in on Marco's ship, flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag—a symbol that warded off most unwanted trouble in the New World. Caesar had specifically requested they come alone. Marco, unsurprisingly, didn't turn down the money.
"Follow me."
Without another word, Caesar turned and headed toward the island's interior.
From their vantage point, they could see a tall, decrepit cathedral in the island's center. According to the game lore, the Vampire Fruit should be somewhere in that vicinity.
They passed through a shadowy forest, where vague bat-like shapes flickered in the gloom. Red glimmers occasionally flashed through the darkness.
"So many vampire bats…" Marco muttered, using Observation Haki to sense movement. "Be careful. These things are crawling with viruses. If you get scratched, you're guaranteed to be infected."
Flutter—
Just as he spoke, a massive bat burst from the trees and circled overhead.
Marco reflexively raised his hand to swat it away—
But instead, the bat flapped down and landed right in front of Caesar.
It scratched the ground with the claws on its wings, circled him once, and tilted its head like a curious puppy. It sniffed him and let out a soft, almost affectionate chirp.
"It seems to like you," Robin commented dryly, arms crossed. "Or maybe it just likes your blood."
"Please don't say creepy things like that so calmly…"
Caesar grimaced, but his eyes lingered on the creature.
A strange thrill stirred in his chest.
In the original tale, it was mentioned that Devil Fruits seem to have a will of their own and can choose their host. So… could this bat before them be a manifestation of the Vampire Fruit's will?
After some thought, Caesar cautiously spoke up, his tone polite and gentle.
"Can you show us the way?"
Marco scoffed playfully, "Don't tell me you're expecting that bat to guide us to what you're looking for?"
But the moment he finished speaking, the bat suddenly flapped its wings and took off, circling once over their heads before soaring toward the direction of the old church.
"Huh?"
Marco blinked in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me…"
"Follow it!" Caesar urged, already chasing after the bat. Marco and Robin exchanged glances before quickly running after him.
Soon, they passed through a weathered cobblestone path and arrived before a dilapidated chapel.
Inside, it was completely empty — not even a statue remained. The black bat hung upside down from an ancient chandelier, its paint nearly peeled off, busily grooming its wings.
Caesar scanned the room before his gaze fell on the mural-covered wall, its surface worn and cracked. He turned to Robin.
"Miss Robin, could I trouble you with this?"
Robin gave a nod and began studying the mural.
Among the faded depictions, a figure with bat-like wings stood out. Though the artwork had deteriorated over time, the story it told was still faintly discernible.
"I see," Robin said after a moment. "The fruit you're searching for, Caesar… it must be the legendary Vampire Fruit, right?"
Caesar nodded. "That's right. What does the mural say?"
"Just a tale of what once happened here," Robin replied.
"In the past, this secluded town—Slumbering Ancient Town—suffered frequent pirate raids due to its remote location. But later, a user of the Vampire Fruit protected the people. With the fruit's power to stay eternally youthful by absorbing blood, the townsfolk came to revere and worship the person."
Robin's tone darkened slightly.
"However, eventually… the power to defy aging was seen as a violation of divine law. A group of white-robed 'angels' came and hunted the vampire."
"White-robed angels?" Marco snorted. "Sounds like CP0. Even the Celestial Dragons couldn't resist the lure of eternal youth, huh?"
Robin nodded. "That's my guess too. In the end, the fruit was reborn on this island and hidden by a priest who had once been saved by the previous user. He built this church to keep the World Government from finding it."
Marco frowned. "But if the mural's here, wouldn't that just give away the location?"
"No," Robin shook her head. "The true location isn't written outright. It's hidden in the flow of the mural's lines. The characters are ancient pictographs — very subtle. Even with my knowledge, I nearly missed it."
"They depict the sun, moon, rotation, house, and earth. In ancient symbolism, the passage of sun and moon implies the flow of time… meaning: beneath the clock tower."
With the clue in hand, the three headed to the clock tower and, after searching, found a hidden mechanism.
Rumble…
A dull grinding echoed as the mechanism activated. The floor shifted, revealing a dark tunnel beneath.
Caesar casually tossed a torch into the tunnel. Marco and Robin gave him a surprised look.
"What? I'm exploring ruins. Carrying a torch is perfectly reasonable."
Marco nodded. "Fair point."
"…"
But where the hell did he get the torch from?
Robin cast a long, meaningful glance at Caesar.
Name: Caesar Gold
Age: 18
Origin: Loguetown, East Blue
Status: CEO of the Caesar Group, a massive enterprise specializing in resource extraction. Two years ago, he burst into prominence like a comet. The World Economic Journal once dubbed him "The man who holds limitless resources."
And now, this man — who could be living in luxury — was risking everything in the New World to chase a mythical Devil Fruit.
Even though they hadn't talked much, Robin could tell: this was a man who understood the world deeply, and had ambitions to match.
Caesar entered the tunnel, torch in hand. The flickering light danced across cracked walls. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and the decay of time.
"This place is so spooky, I wouldn't be surprised if a skeleton popped out next," Marco joked, his fingertips glowing with blue flames as he boldly led the way.
Caesar didn't respond — his focus was entirely ahead. He was growing restless.
He had spent years trying to break his physical limits — using supplements, training, even hiring Navy officers to teach him Rokushiki and Haki…
But talent was a wall. Despite pouring in money and effort, training to the point of collapse, all he'd mastered was Soru — and not even a glimpse of Haki.
The only thing he earned was unlocking a hidden achievement: when all six techniques are mastered, one gains the secret art of Life Return.
He believed that, if he could master Life Return, he might surpass his limits.
But at his current pace, even in the best-case scenario, it would take at least ten more years.
Ten years…
How many tens of years does one get in a lifetime?
It was the year 1516 in the Sea Calendar. Four years until Luffy sets sail, one year before Ace departs.
The world was on the cusp of upheaval. Who knew what would become of it?
Was he really going to just drift along like the rest of the crowd?
Hell no.
He was a transmigrator, dammit. If he couldn't at least control his own fate, what was the point? Might as well hang himself with a silk stocking.
At the end of the tunnel stood a heavy stone door, carved with a massive bat relief. Blood-red gems glinted from its eyes under the torchlight.
Robin examined the door closely, running her fingers along its edge. She gave it a solid push, but it didn't budge.
"There's a locking stone behind it. We'll have to force it open. I doubt there are any traps — this is just a secret room built by normal people."
"Leave it to me. Stand back."
Marco stepped forward, blue flames swirling around him. His arms transformed into fiery wings, shielding the others, and his legs became powerful talons. With one kick, he slammed into the stone door.
BOOM—
The door shattered, crumbling with a thunderous crash. Dust filled the tunnel.
Fortunately, no traps lay beyond. Just an empty stone chamber. In the center, a lone pedestal stood.
Atop the pedestal sat a finely crafted wooden box, engraved with intricate patterns and adorned with glowing gemstones.
"That the Vampire Fruit?" Marco asked, retracting his wings.
Caesar didn't reply. He tossed a rock beside the pedestal — no traps. He rushed forward and gently opened the box.
Inside was a strange fruit. Its surface swirled with dark, vine-like patterns, the color a deep purplish-black, tinged with crimson at the base. It radiated a weighty, ominous power.
The moment he laid eyes on it, Caesar's heart pounded wildly. His blood surged; his ears roared with each beat.
"System! Store the Vampire Fruit!"
Grabbing it tightly, Caesar called out.
In an instant, the fruit vanished from his hand, replaced by a golden card the size of a playing card.
[Item Stored: Devil Fruit (Zoan-Type, Bat Fruit, Mythical Model: Vampire)]
Rarity: S
Collection Value: SS
Review: "Strong in both power and speed. More bat than vampire, though. Can you handle having wings where your arms used to be?"
Achievement Unlocked: First Devil Fruit Collected
Reward: Masterwork Upgrade
Note: Cannot be used on the system itself. Devil Fruit users are not immune to seawater. The drowning curse is external interference — immunity unlocks at 30% main story progress.
Main Quest: Collect the World
Progress: 9%
"Use Masterwork Upgrade on the Vampire Fruit."
Buzz—
The card glowed, a new golden trim forming along its edge.
[Item: Radiant Vampire Fruit (Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Model: Vampire)]
Review: "Powerful and elegant! Immune to sunlight, silver, and garlic. You're darker than Dracula, but no, you still can't stop time."
"Use the Vampire Fruit!"
At Caesar's command, the card shattered into light and shot into his body.
Because of the angle, the others didn't see it. They only saw Caesar freeze for a moment after opening the box — then suddenly, a brilliant flash erupted from him.
In the next instant, massive, jet-black wings burst from his tailored suit, shredding it.
In the dark, the man slowly turned around. His eyes glowed crimson, joy barely fading from his face — and an oppressive aura radiated from him.
Though still faint, it was unmistakably the presence of a king.
Marco immediately stepped in front of Robin, astonishment in his eyes.
"Is that… Conqueror's Haki?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
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