"Because he needs me."
Kuma wore a gentle smile on his face.
"Caesar cured Bonney's Jade Scale disease—an extremely rare terminal illness. There are only a handful of people in the entire world who can treat this condition..."
"So you're repaying a debt of gratitude?" Ace asked.
"No, he never used it as leverage. After curing Bonney's illness, he formally extended an invitation to me."
Kuma explained: "So my joining the crew wasn't out of mere gratitude, but because I genuinely wish to follow him and help him complete his journey to unite the four seas."
Ace pondered thoughtfully: "Uniting the four seas... is that his ambition?"
"No, I can sense he's not doing this out of ambition."
Kuma shook his head slightly: "It's more like he simply believes it should be done, so he does it. You saw it earlier, didn't you? He even extended an invitation to a Marine Admiral. Bloodlines, status—he never concerns himself with such things."
"Is that so..."
Ace pressed down on his hat brim, lips pursed slightly.
"By the way, let me warn you..."
Kuma smiled faintly: "Caesar's abilities are extremely powerful. If you don't eat this Devil Fruit, you'll have absolutely no chance of defeating him."
"Devil Fruit... Speaking of which, what are his abilities?"
Ace hurriedly asked—understanding an opponent's capabilities was essential for victory.
"There's no harm telling you, but this mustn't spread."
Kuma raised two fingers: "Due to his unique nature, Caesar possesses two Devil Fruit abilities. One is the rarest Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit, the other is the Logia Type Dark-Dark Fruit."
"Unique nature? Two abilities?"
Ace pressed further: "So normally a person can only eat one Devil Fruit?"
Kuma nodded: "Correct. Each person can only consume one Devil Fruit in their lifetime. Legend says anyone who eats a second fruit will explode."
"That's completely unfair!"
Ace's face twitched: "Just one ability is troublesome enough! Like yours—I can't even imagine how to counter it. Damn it, I used to think all Devil Fruit users were as ridiculous as Luffy!"
"Ridiculous?"
Kuma tilted his head, clearly intrigued by Luffy.
Remembering his younger brother, Ace grinned: "Ah, he's a Gum-Gum Fruit user. He often accidentally launches himself flying."
"That does sound amusing."
Kuma chuckled: "But even disregarding Devil Fruit abilities, Caesar's Haki and swordsmanship are among the very best. He has absolutely no weaknesses. In my opinion, he should be considered the world's strongest man now."
"Haki..."
Ace seemed unfamiliar with the term.
"That's what I mentioned earlier—where Sabo surpasses you."
Kuma explained: "Without mastering Haki, you can't establish yourself in the New World, let alone challenge Caesar."
Ace scratched his head sheepishly: "Then... could you teach me?"
"Of course."
Kuma nodded: "I'm actually responsible for teaching you all Haki. But for more advanced applications, you'll need Caesar's instruction. His mastery of Haki is extraordinary."
"Is that so?"
Ace nodded and looked into the distance where Caesar, having just pulled his head out of Yamato's mouth, was seething with rage.
Seeing the danger, Yamato turned to flee, but Caesar flashed forward in an instant, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and carried her into the cabin.
Ace: "What are those two up to?"
Kuma: "I can't teach you about that kind of biology. I suggest you find a girlfriend to study it in private."
"..."
A flush of youthful embarrassment crossed Ace's face as he awkwardly scratched his cheek.
Then he looked down at the fruit in his hand, as if steeling himself, and took several big bites, devouring it completely.
"Bleh—disgusting!"
"You ate it too fast. Just one bite would've been enough."
"You should've said that earlier! Why didn't you say so?!"
Ace's expression darkened—then whoosh—a brilliant blaze erupted from the top of his head.
"Whoa! Ace's head is on fire!"
Noticing the commotion, Bonney shouted, "Do all idiots' heads catch fire?"
"It's a Devil Fruit ability, you brat!" Ace roared with a shark-like grimace.
"Logia Type, huh..."
Nami was intrigued—Caesar had chosen a Logia Type for her as well. "Quick, quick! Show us what you can do!"
"Abilities..."
Ace raised his hand, concentrating, and a surge of scorching flames burst to life. Then he pointed toward the sea, making a gun gesture with his fingers.
Pew pew pew—
A rapid volley of Flame Bullets shot out, exploding across the distant waves in dazzling bursts of fire.
"Haha! That looks fun!"
Bonney clapped her hands. "Can you make fireworks?"
"Let me try..."
Ace thought for a moment, then aimed a finger skyward.
Another streak of fire rocketed upward before pop—bursting into a shower of sparkling embers.
Robin chuckled. "How lovely. Now we won't need to buy fireworks for the ship."
"Not just that!"
Hearing the noise, Deuce rushed out from the cabin, eyes alight with excitement. "Fire is an excellent power source! With the right materials, I could build a small assault boat driven by flames!"
Barto slapped Ace on the back. "Alright! Starting today, you're part of the Support Squad!"
Ace blinked. "Support Squad?"
"It's the team responsible for combat support. Currently, Kuma's the captain."
Barto explained, "By the way, I'm in the Combat Squad—Captain Yamato leads us!"
Deuce rubbed his chin. "Then I guess I'm in the Medical Squad?"
Nami pointed at herself. "What about me? Weather Squad?"
"Probably the Logistics Squad?"
Robin mused. "For now, I'd be included too. Kuma oversees Logistics as well—his abilities offer great mobility. Besides, Baby 5 and Bonney are both in the Combat Squad."
"How about this—the Support Squad remains under Kuma, with him and Ace as members. Meanwhile, the Logistics Squad will consist of non-combat and medical personnel like me, Nami, and Deuce. I'll take charge as captain to coordinate with the Support Squad."
"The Combat Squad stays under Yamato, with Barto, Baby 5, and Bonney as members."
"Hey, hey, hold on!"
Ace jabbed a finger at Bonney, indignant. "With my strength, I should definitely be in the Combat Squad! If Bonney gets to be a fighter, why am I stuck in Support?"
"The Support Squad fights too, you know."
Robin explained, "Compared to combatants on a single battlefield, support teams may face continuous operations due to their high mobility. That's why we can only select the strongest members."
"I see..."
Ace grinned, flashing his teeth. "Then I have no objections."
Deuce hesitated slightly. "Speaking of which... Shouldn't this kind of decision be made by the captain?"
"It's fine. I was originally Caesar's secretary anyway."
Robin smiled gently, appreciating Deuce's attitude. "Once things develop further, these matters will inevitably fall under my responsibilities sooner or later."
"Secretary..."
Deuce fell silent for a moment. "I really don't get it. With the captain's charm among women, why does he insist on conquering the world? He could easily live a carefree life as a regional overlord in the East Blue."
"Honestly, that's what I originally thought too. But I still want to give it a try—might as well make the most of my time in this world..."
Caesar had somehow appeared behind the group and chuckled faintly at the remark. Yamato followed closely behind him, clutching her stinging backside with a pained grimace.
"Robin's arrangement is fine. From now on, aside from everyone's primary duties, the crew will be divided into three teams: combat, support, and logistics. Also, considering the difference in strength, Barto will be assigned to the logistics team."
"Got it! I'll stake my life on it! I'll definitely protect Robin and Miss Nami!" Barto thumped his chest in assurance.
Deuce pointed at himself. "Wait! What about me? Me?"
"Who cares about you? If you're a man, protect yourself! My mission is to safeguard Caesar and his ladies!"
"Hah?! You better not get sick, you bastard!"
"Hehaha, this guy's never been sick a day in his life!"
"Hey hey, who are these 'ladies' you're talking about?"
The group erupted into noisy bickering. Caesar scratched his head. Right now, the ship was full of young people, most at that restless age. It seemed they needed some more composed members to balance things out.
Kuma was certainly steady, but his temperament was far too gentle. They'd have to find Issho as soon as possible.
Soon, another two days passed.
Reverse Mountain.
Ace, Deuce, and Nami stared up at the towering Red Line in awe. "It's so high!"
Barto gripped the railing excitedly. "Hehahaha! I've finally followed Caesar onto this grand journey!"
BOOM—
The ship surged into the Rising River Path, swiftly sailing toward the mountaintop.
Ace leaped onto the mast, one hand steadying himself while the other pressed down on his hat as he gazed toward the peak, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Originally, he had imagined gathering his own crew in the East Blue and leading his Pirate Crew into the Grand Line from here.
Yet, through twists of fate, he had ended up boarding Caesar's ship.
Over the past few days, stubbornly refusing to accept defeat, he had challenged Caesar several more times—each time, he was effortlessly taken down in a single move. Their win-loss record now stood at 12:0.
Fortunately, he had started Haki training under Kuma. Once he mastered both types of Haki, he was sure to turn the tables!
Unlike Ace's calm demeanor, Deuce looked far more exhilarated.
"I read about this in a book before!"
Deuce swept his bangs aside, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"The book says the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain, and you have to ride the rising currents to get in! But those guys all laughed at me for being delusional! Yet the book turned out to be right! I'm no liar! Hahaha, you bastards!"Just how backward was the place you lived in before…"
Nami couldn't help but complain: "Speaking of which, is the medical knowledge from such a place even reliable?""
"Ah, about the medical skills…"
Deuce scratched his head awkwardly: "I graduated as a medical student, but I don't have any practical experience yet."
"Hey hey, are you sure this doctor you found is reliable?"
Nami pointed at Deuce and called out to Caesar at the ship's bow.
"It's fine. Weren't you also heading to the Grand Line for the first time?"
Caesar turned around: "Memorize these currents well—we'll need to ride a vertical current to the sky later!"
"Na—ni?!"
Nami's face paled.
Boom—
Soon, accompanied by the roaring sound of the mountain's surging currents, Caesar soared high into the air as a crimson river carried the ship into the Rising River Path of the North Blue.
After a rapid descent, the ship plunged into the North Blue, and under Nami's command, quickly escaped the turbulent currents near the Red Line.
"Whew—"
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Nami let out a long sigh and pulled out a map: "So, where's our next destination?"
"Kingdom of Halar."
Caesar replied calmly. This was the last known location of Issho, which he had obtained from Doflamingo.
"That place isn't a World Government-affiliated country, so it's pretty chaotic. Stick together and don't wander off alone. Though… aside from Nami, none of you would face much threat in the Four Blues anyway."
Nami gave him a deadpan look: "So that was entirely directed at me, huh? Fine, I'll stick with everyone!"
"Actually, your strength has improved noticeably recently."
Kuma reminded her: "Your physical ability is already at the level of a Navy officer."
"Eh? Really?"
Nami smiled in relief, only to immediately switch to a shark-faced roar: "Wait! That's barely stronger than a regular soldier!"
As they spoke, a Newspaper Gull flew overhead. Robin waved, and the gull obediently perched on the railing.
Taking a newspaper, Robin slipped 50 Berries into the small pouch on the bird's chest. (At this time, newspapers still cost 50 Berries—it would rise to 100 after Luffy set sail.)
The Newspaper Gull saluted before taking off into the sky.
Robin unfolded the paper, and several bounty posters fluttered onto the deck.
"Oh? This is…"
Noticing a familiar face on one of the posters, Robin picked it up: "Ogress Daughter… Yamato."
On the bounty poster, the white-haired Ogre Girl grinned as she licked her lips, holding a five-layered ice cream cone, looking cheerful and adorable.
"Dead or Alive… 1.3 Billion Berries?!"
Even Robin, who had seen her fair share of storms, was stunned by the staggering number below!
She counted it twice just to be sure.
"1.3 Billion?!"
Nami gasped, and the others quickly crowded around Robin.
Ace's eyes sparkled with envy: "Whoa! Seriously?! 1.3 billion?"
Baby5 hurriedly picked up the other bounty posters, flipping through them until she found the one she was looking for.
"Darling! Look at this!"
Baby5 raised the poster excitedly: "It's your bounty!"
Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. On the wanted poster, Caesar tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, appearing calm and at ease.
"Vampire Jin Caesar, dead or alive..."
Barto stared at the long string of numbers below, his eyes gleaming with dazzling brilliance, tears of excitement streaming down his face.
"Bounty: 2.8 billion Berries!"
"2.8 billion?!"
Ace and Deuce exclaimed in unison.
"This number..."
Nami gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Caesar, clearly tempted—though where that temptation might lead was anyone's guess.
"A bit lower than I expected."
Caesar, however, seemed slightly surprised. While it was normal for a first bounty to be on the lower side, his strength definitely couldn't be judged by the standards of rookie Pirates.
Was it because his name didn't carry the initial "D"?
Or was it because he hadn't yet posed a clear threat to the World Government?
"And this 'Vampire' title... No, I'll have to tell them to change it later."
"Is that really the point here?!" ×N
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