The Grand Line, New World, Sleepy Hollow Town.
A rusted and weathered anchor was embedded diagonally in the cracked dock, crows cawed hoarsely from the withered beech trees, and occasionally, weathered fragments of bones could be seen on the desolate and dilapidated streets.
Caesar, dressed in a tailored suit, walked down the town's streets, his high-end leather shoes crunching the gravel beneath his feet. His exquisite and expensive attire seemed out of place in the surrounding environment.
Behind him followed a man and a woman. The woman was tall with a healthy wheat-colored complexion, dressed in a black dress, and was surveying the surroundings with an exploratory gaze.
The man had a golden punk hairstyle, a tattoo on his chest, and looked somewhat thuggish.
The woman was named Nico Robin, a historian with a bounty of 79 million Berries.
The man was named Marco, the first division commander and ship doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the de facto second-in-command of the crew, with a bounty in the hundreds of millions.
According to the original storyline, at this time, one of them should have been roaming the New World with Whitebeard, while the other should have been struggling to survive under the pursuit of the World Government.
As for Caesar…
This world wasn't supposed to have a Caesar.
But like most stories—he was a transmigrator.
Having transmigrated eighteen years ago, from a lonely orphan to a business tycoon with wealth rivaling nations, he hadn't put in any effort—it was all thanks to his cheat-like golden finger.
Caesar's golden finger was called the Collection System. As the name suggested, it allowed him to collect things, and by achieving certain collection milestones, he could receive various rewards.
With the help of his golden finger, Caesar quickly completed his initial capital accumulation.
He could even say to anyone: "The only thing I'm poor in is money!"
This might sound boastful, but it was indeed the truth.
After all, this was the world of pirates, and for those living in this world, nothing was more precious than power.
And Caesar, unfortunately, compared to those monsters who could swim through the Calm Belt alone or roam the Grand Line in a small boat, he was just an ordinary mortal.
Even after putting in two hundred times the effort, even after training day and night like a madman, he had only barely reached the level of a Marine captain. Converted into a pirate bounty, that would be around tens of millions. If he were to face those monsters who roamed the seas, he probably wouldn't last a single encounter.
Even his accompanying golden finger couldn't directly grant him power.
If there was anything exceptional about him, it was only his looks that were somewhat presentable…
As a transmigrator, Caesar had no grand ambitions. Things like becoming the Pirate King, the Marine King, or conquering the world held no interest for him.
Having transmigrated once, Caesar only wanted to live a long, carefree, and comfortable life, while also completing the system's main task—collecting the entire world.
But in this turbulent and chaotic sea, sometimes just surviving was a luxury. Without the support of strength, no amount of wealth was just a castle in the air.
Therefore, the inherently disadvantaged Caesar turned his attention to Devil Fruits.
Among the known fruits, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was on Skypiea, which he couldn't reach. Even if he could, Caesar wasn't sure if Enel had already eaten the fruit by this time.
Making a wasted trip was one thing, but if he ended up delivering himself to his doom, that would be too tragic.
Moreover, considering his own physical condition, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit wasn't particularly suitable for him. While it could significantly boost his combat capabilities, it was uncertain how much of the fruit's power Caesar could unleash given his current physical state.
In contrast, the physical enhancements brought by a Zoan-type fruit were tangible and reliable.
However, Caesar wasn't interested in ordinary Zoan fruits, and even the Ancient Zoan types felt somewhat lacking. The Mythical Zoan types were more appealing, but most of the known Mythical Zoan fruits, aside from Monkey D. Luffy and his companion Marco, were either in the hands of the World Government or located in Wano Country.
That said, there were a couple of exceptions…
For instance, in the official game One Piece: Unlimited World Red, there was the Zoan-Type Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan Vampire Form, which lay dormant in Sleepy Hollow Town and was eventually consumed by the Red Count.
A fruit so overpowering that it only appeared in the game…
Whether this fruit, which existed in a side-story game, was real or not remained unknown. However, Caesar, adopting a "no harm in trying" attitude, decided to investigate and discovered that Sleepy Hollow Town indeed existed in the New World.
Moreover, there were rumors of mysterious ruins and treasures associated with Sleepy Hollow Town…
Upon receiving this information, Caesar didn't hesitate. He immediately spent a fortune to contact the Whitebeard Pirates, specifically requesting Marco as his escort. After shelling out three billion Berries, Whitebeard gladly sent his first son, Marco.
Marco was a straightforward man. Under Caesar's generous financial incentives, he readily pledged to stick with Caesar for the next few months.
With Marco's support secured, Caesar didn't rush into action. Instead, he made a trip to the West Sea, where he contacted Nico Robin through the black market. Using the Poneglyphs as a bargaining chip, he managed to persuade her to join his crew. Only then did they set sail for the New World.
After more than a month of sailing, Caesar finally set foot on the island.
"It's completely in ruins…" Marco scanned the deserted town. "I hope you didn't come all this way just to start a construction project, Caesar."
"Of course not," Caesar chuckled. The two had gotten along well during the journey, but for the sake of caution, he hadn't revealed anything about the Vampire Fruit to anyone, only mentioning that he was exploring some ruins.
"Marco, how far can your Observation Haki reach?"
Understanding Caesar's intent, Marco focused for a moment. "Given the size of this island, I can cover the entire area. I can confirm that there are only the three of us on this island."
The three had arrived on Marco's ship, flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag, which helped avoid unnecessary trouble in the New World.
Before disembarking, Caesar had specifically instructed Marco not to bring any additional crew members, and Marco, not one to turn down money, complied.
"Follow me…" Without further explanation, Caesar gestured for the two to follow and strode confidently toward the heart of the island.
From their vantage point, they could see a towering, dilapidated church at the center of the island. Based on the game's storyline, the Vampire Fruit was likely located somewhere in that area.
As they passed through a dark, dense forest, shadowy figures of bats flickered in the dim light, and occasional red glints flashed in the darkness.
"So many vampire bats…"
Marco used his Observation Haki to sense the surroundings: "You two, be careful. These vampire bats carry a lot of viruses. If you get scratched, infection is inevitable."
Flap, flap...
As soon as he finished speaking, a large bat suddenly burst out of the dense forest and began circling above the three of them.
Marco instinctively raised his hand to shoo it away, but the bat flapped its wings and landed right in front of Caesar.
Its small claws scratched the ground as it circled around Caesar, lifting its head, which looked almost like a puppy's, and sniffed around him. It let out a low hum, as if expressing some kind of affection.
"It seems to like you," Robin said abruptly, her arms crossed. "Or maybe it just likes your blood."
"Don't say something so dangerous with such a calm face…" Caesar's lips twitched as he examined the little creature, feeling an inexplicable excitement rising within him.
In the original story, it was mentioned that Devil Fruits seemed to choose their hosts intentionally. Could this vampire bat in front of him represent the will of the Vampire Fruit?
After a moment of thought, Caesar tentatively spoke, his tone polite and gentle: "Can you lead the way?"
Marco teased, "Hey, don't be ridiculous. You're not actually expecting this bat to lead you to what you're looking for, are you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the bat actually flapped its wings and flew up, circling above the three of them before heading in the direction of the church.
"Huh?" Marco's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is this even reasonable?"
"Let's go!" Caesar quickly followed, with Marco and Robin close behind, chasing after the bat.
Soon, after crossing a weathered stone path, a dilapidated church appeared before them.
The church was empty, not even a statue in sight. The black bat hung upside down from an old, peeling chandelier, licking its wings.
Caesar's gaze swept around the room, landing on the faded mural on the wall. He turned to Robin: "Miss Robin, this is where we'll need your expertise."
Robin nodded and began examining the mural.
In the mural, a figure with bat wings stood out prominently. Although the wall had weathered and cracked over time, the story it depicted could still be vaguely made out.
"So, Mr. Caesar, what you're looking for must be the legendary Vampire Fruit, right?"
"Exactly. What does the mural say?" Caesar asked curiously.
"Not much, just the story of what happened here," Robin explained. "Once, Sleepy Hollow Town, due to its remote location and small size, suffered greatly from pirate raids. That was until a Devil Fruit user with the power of a vampire protected the people. Because his ability allowed him to maintain eternal youth by drinking blood, he was revered and worshipped by the locals."
Robin's expression suddenly turned serious. "But later, because his immortality encroached on the domain of the gods, a group of white-clad angels came to vanquish the vampire…"
"White-clad angels? Probably CP0, right?" Marco sneered. "It seems even the Celestial Dragons couldn't resist the temptation of eternal youth."
Robin nodded, her conjecture aligning with Marco's: "At the end of the story, the fruit was reborn on this island. It was hidden by a priest who had been favored by the previous user, and he built this church to prevent the World Government from finding the fruit."
Marco was puzzled: "But if the World Government sees this mural, wouldn't it directly expose the location?"
"No, the information about the fruit's location isn't directly recorded on it. It's hidden within the mural..."
Robin shook her head: "These characters are constructed from the lines of the painting, using a very ancient form of hieroglyphics. The records are extremely obscure, and even though I have some understanding of this script, I almost overlooked it."
"The characters are: Sun, Moon, Rotation, House, Earth. In ancient times, people used the movement of the sun and moon to describe the passage of time. So, the translated meaning is—under the clock tower."
Having found the clue, the three of them went to the clock tower and searched for a while before finding the mechanism leading underground.
Rumble...
As the mechanism was triggered, the floor tiles rumbled, and a dark tunnel appeared before them.
Caesar casually threw a torch into the tunnel, and the other two immediately looked at him in surprise.
"It's normal to carry a torch when exploring ruins, right?"
Marco: "Makes sense!"
"..."
But where did you get the torch?
Robin gave Caesar a deep look.
Jin Caesar.
Male, 18 years old, from Loguetown in the East Blue. The big boss of the Caesar Group, with numerous industries under his belt, the pillar of which is resource extraction. He rose like a comet two years ago and was hailed by the World Economic Times as: the man who holds endless resources.
Such a man, instead of enjoying his wealth, risks coming to the New World in pursuit of a seemingly illusory Devil Fruit.
Although they hadn't interacted much along the way, it was still evident that this was a man with a clear understanding of the world and a certain level of ambition.
Caesar, holding the torch, stepped into the tunnel. The flickering light illuminated the mottled marks on the walls in the narrow passage.
The tunnel wasn't long, but the air was filled with a damp, musty smell, exuding the decay of time.
"In this environment, I wouldn't be surprised if a skeleton jumped out in the next second."
Marco, with blue flames burning at his fingertips, walked boldly at the front, his tone laced with a bit of teasing.
Caesar didn't respond. His attention was entirely focused ahead, his heart already impatient.
Over the years, he had tried many ways to break through his limits—dietary supplements, medicinal supplements, or even hiring high-ranking Navy officers at great expense to teach him the Six Powers and Haki...
But given his innate conditions, despite spending a fortune and putting in immense effort, training to the point of near collapse every day, he had only managed to learn Shave from the Six Powers, and Haki was still nowhere to be seen.
The only gain was unlocking the hidden achievement of the Six Powers—when all Six Powers are mastered, the reward is the Six Powers Ultimate Technique - Life Return.
Caesar felt that if he could master Life Return, he might be able to break through his upper limits.
But judging by his training progress, even at the most ideal speed, it would likely take at least another ten years.
Ten years...
How many decades does a person have in life?
It is currently the year 1516 of the Sea Calendar, four years before Monkey D. Luffy sets sail and one year before Ace embarks on his journey.
Judging from the unfolding events, the next decade is bound to be tumultuous, and what the world will look like then remains uncertain.
Should I just drift along with the tide like the masses?
Don't be ridiculous!
As a transmigrator, if I can't at least gain the power to control my own destiny, I might as well hang myself with a pair of stockings!
At the end of the tunnel stood a heavy stone door, engraved with a massive bat relief. The bat's eyes were inlaid with two blood-red gemstones, which glowed eerily under the flickering torchlight.
Robin stepped forward, carefully examined the door for a while, then ran her hands along its surface, feeling around. After giving the door a firm push and finding it immovable, she calmly took two steps back.
"There's a doorstop behind it. It can only be broken through by force. I'm not sure if there are any traps behind it, but I doubt it. After all, it's just a secret room built by ordinary people…"
"Leave it to me. Step back a bit."
Marco stepped forward, his body enveloped in blue flames. His arms transformed into wings of blue fire, shielding the two behind him, while his legs morphed into massive bird claws. With a powerful kick, he struck the stone door!
Boom—
With a deafening crash, the stone door shattered and collapsed, filling the tunnel with a cloud of dust.
Fortunately, there were no traps behind the door, only an empty stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stood a solitary stone pedestal.
On the pedestal rested an exquisite wooden box, its surface adorned with intricate carvings and embedded with several faintly glowing gemstones.
"Is that the Vampire Fruit?" Marco retracted his wings and gazed at the pedestal, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Caesar didn't respond. He casually tossed a stone near the pedestal, and when no traps were triggered, he quickly approached it and carefully opened the wooden box.
Inside the box lay a peculiar fruit. Its surface was covered in spiral patterns, its color a deep purplish-black with a hint of blood-red at the base. The heavy tones seemed to contain boundless power.
The moment Caesar laid eyes on the fruit, his heart began to race violently, his blood boiling to the point where his eardrums throbbed.
"System! Collect the Vampire Fruit!"
He grabbed the fruit in his hand and urgently called out in his mind.
In the next instant, the fruit in Caesar's hand vanished into thin air, replaced by a golden card the size of a playing card!
[Collected Item: Devil Fruit (Zoan Type, Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire Form)]
[Rarity: S]
[Collection Value: SS]
[Evaluation: Strength and speed both rank A. More like a vampire bat than a vampire. Can you accept wings growing on your arms?]
[Achievement Unlocked: Collected a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit]
[Achievement Reward: Masterpiece Upgrade]
[Masterpiece Upgrade: Can be used on an item to upgrade it comprehensively.]
[Note: Cannot be used on the system. Does not grant immunity to seawater for Devil Fruit users. The Devil Fruit drowning curse is an external interference and requires 30% main story progress to be immune.]
[Main Quest: Collect the World]
[Quest Progress: 9%]
"Use Masterpiece Upgrade on the Vampire Fruit!"
Hum—
The fruit card in Caesar's hand flashed with a brilliant light, and in the next moment, a luxurious golden border appeared around the card.
[Collected Item: Light Vampire Fruit (Zoan · Human-Human Fruit · Mythical Zoan · Vampire Form)]
[Evaluation: Powerful and beautiful! Fearless of sunlight, fearless of silver, you are darker than a vampire, but "The World" is truly beyond you!]
"Use the Vampire Fruit!"
As Caesar issued the command, the golden card suddenly shattered, transforming into a streak of light that merged into his body.
Due to their positions, the two people at the stone chamber's entrance did not witness this scene.
They only saw Caesar open the treasure chest containing the fruit and then stand still in place. Suddenly, a flash of light occurred, and a pair of large, pitch-black bat wings burst through his expensive custom-tailored suit.
In the darkness, the figure bef
ore them slowly turned around. The crimson glow in his eyes had not yet faded when a faint sense of oppression swept over them first!
Feeling the unmistakable aura of a king's potential—though still immature—Marco stepped forward, shielding Robin, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Is this… Conqueror's Haki?! Hey, hey! Are you kidding me?"