Regardless of what Imu was planning, Cassian had already been “protected” by a group of God’s Knights and escorted into one of the most luxurious rooms in Mary Geoise.
The room was breathtaking, filled with extravagant decorations and priceless treasures.
Every detail reflected absurd wealth, far beyond even the grandest royal palace.
Boa Hancock stood quietly to the side, her gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Cassian.
Her emotions were tangled.
Confusion, suspicion, and something else she could not quite name lingered in her eyes.
She could not understand what kind of influence this seemingly ordinary man held to make the highest authorities in Mary Geoise treat him with such caution.
Meanwhile, Cassian enjoyed himself without restraint.
He took a long, comfortable bath, then changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Standing before the mirror, he examined his reflection carefully.
To his surprise, he looked exactly the same as in his previous life.
A twenty year old man with average features, not particularly handsome, yet far from unattractive.
He stood around 1.9 meters tall, with a slightly lean build.
Cassian frowned.
This raised a question he could not ignore.
Had he come here in his physical body, or was this just his soul in a reconstructed form?
Following his usual logic, when confused, ask the system.
“System, why do I look exactly the same as before?
Did I transmigrate physically or just as a soul?”
The system responded immediately.
The host is neither a soul transmigration nor a physical transmigration.
The host’s soul entered this world, and a new physical body was reconstructed accordingly.
Cassian narrowed his eyes.
“Then why did I appear inside a prison cell the moment I arrived?”
The system replied calmly.
According to system detection, this location contains the highest concentration of powerful individuals in this world, making it optimal for early development.
As for appearing in a cell, this falls under reasonable identity implantation.
Cassian thought it through and nodded slightly.
That explanation made sense.
There was no place in the One Piece world with more powerful figures than Mary Geoise.
And if one wanted to insert a new identity there without raising suspicion, nothing was more suitable than that of a slave.
“Alright then,” Cassian continued, leaning casually against the wall.
“Besides binding a substitute, what else can you do?
Any kind of system shop, missions, power ups?”
The system responded without hesitation.
This system focuses solely on the substitute mechanism.
No additional functions are currently available.
Cassian clicked his tongue.
No shop.
No missions.
No shortcuts.
Still, it was better than nothing.
“Fine.
Then what else do you have?”
The system answered.
When compatibility between the host and a substitute reaches 30 percent, the Card Slot function will unlock.
This function allows the host to generate ability cards based on the substitute, enabling temporary use of their power in combat.
Cassian’s eyes lit up.
“Then what’s my compatibility with Imu?”
The system replied.
Current compatibility with the first substitute, Imu, is 0 percent.
Cassian’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Zero?
Then how does compatibility even increase?”
The answer came quickly.
Compatibility is determined by the emotional link strength from the substitute toward the host.
Both positive emotions such as trust, dependence, or admiration, and negative emotions such as fear or obsession can increase compatibility.
Stronger emotions lead to faster growth.
Cassian understood immediately.
Positive emotions meant building favor.
Negative emotions meant domination, forcing fear and submission.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
But in Imu’s case, neither option sounded easy.
Winning her favor felt unrealistic.
Making her fear him was even more difficult.
Sure, he could exploit their shared damage through self harm, but pushing her too far would backfire.
She might not be able to kill him, but she could easily imprison him and leave both of them stuck in a miserable stalemate.
In other words, his greatest advantage was also his biggest limitation.
Imu completely blocked his progress.
After thinking for a while, Cassian gave up on the idea for now.
He would deal with it later when he had more leverage.
Pushing open the bathroom door, he walked into the main room and dropped onto a luxurious leather sofa.
The softness made him exhale in satisfaction.
“Now this is how people are supposed to live.”
He turned his head toward Hancock.
“Hey, little maid, pour me a glass of wine.”
Hancock’s expression darkened slightly, but she complied.
She poured a glass of red wine and handed it to him without a word.
Cassian took it casually, sipping as he gazed out at the night view of Mary Geoise.
A faint, dangerous smile curled on his lips.
Imu.
The Gorosei.
The God’s Knights.
The Celestial Dragons.
With the strongest figure in the world as his substitute, what did he have to fear?
In this place, he could do whatever he wanted.
If anyone objected, they could ask Imu for permission first.
And as for the future…
Naturally, he would live however he pleased.
After all, not everyone gets the chance to stand behind the hidden ruler of the world.
Cassian raised his glass slightly toward the window.
“To Imu… and to this ridiculous, entertaining world.”
In another palace not far away, Imu stood before a mirror.
Her hand rested lightly on her stomach.
Because of Cassian’s earlier overeating, her body still felt uncomfortably bloated.
Her eyes burned with restrained fury.
She already had a feeling.
This man named Cassian would become her greatest nightmare.
Back in the room, Cassian sprawled lazily across the sofa, completely at ease.
Hancock sat upright across from him, now dressed in a luxurious gown that had been prepared in haste.
Her gaze remained sharp, filled with lingering caution and confusion.
Cassian swirled the wine in his glass before glancing at her.
“Let me ask you something.
How old are you?”
Hancock frowned slightly.
A woman’s age was not something she gave away easily, especially not to someone like him.
But considering her current situation, and the fact that he had saved her and her sisters, she hesitated before answering quietly.
“Fifteen.”
Cassian paused, then nodded slowly.
“Fifteen, huh…”
His mind immediately began calculating timelines.
The incident where Fisher Tiger stormed Mary Geoise and freed the slaves would happen in the year 1507 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
At that time, Hancock would be sixteen.
Which meant it was currently the year 1506.
One year remained.
Several names surfaced in his mind.
Koala.
Gild Tesoro.
Stella.
All of them had once been slaves here.
Back then, Tesoro would have been around twenty six, while Koala was just a child.
As for Stella, she had already died years ago at the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
Cassian clicked his tongue softly.
“A shame.”
Stella’s death had been the turning point that drove Tesoro into madness.
If she had lived, his entire future might have been different.
But now, that chance was long gone.