Grand Line, New World.
Thirty nautical miles east of Sleeping Town.
High in the sky, a black-winged vampire streaked across the clouds at high speed.
Behind him, a massive azure dragon slithered through the air, treading on Flame Clouds without losing a single pace.
Caesar glanced back at the relentless azure dragon.
Calculating the time, he abruptly spread his wings, stopping dead in midair.
Turning around, he waited calmly as the colossal beast drew near.
In a split second, the dragon arrived right before his eyes.
Caesar took in the creature in detail.
Azure scales gleamed with a frigid chill, and the winding dragon body resembled a rolling mountain ridge.
Whiskers danced in the wind, and a pair of massive, terrifying dragon eyes stared directly down at Caesar.
So this is one of the Four Emperors…
Kaidou of the Beasts!
Facing this beast-form in person carried a pressure and threat a thousand times greater than anything depicted in the manga!
As Caesar observed Kaidou, Kaidou was also appraising Caesar.
Though Caesar stood at 190 centimeters—not particularly tall by New World standards—he was exceptionally upright.
His muscles were well-proportioned and symmetrical; while lacking raw brute mass, it was clear his physique came from rigorous, genuine training.
Kaidou’s gaze swept over the large black wings, brushed past the elf-like pointed ears, and finally settled on a pair of crimson eyes that, while visibly shocked, held not a single trace of fear.
After two seconds of silence, Kaidou’s mouth pulled into a wide grin, and he burst into boisterous laughter.
The moment his jaws parted, a heavy stench of alcohol billowed out.
“Worororo!
Why’d you stop running, kid?” “I can’t outrun you anyway, so why bother?” Caesar was completely upfront about it.
Setting aside physical stamina, Kaidou could fly effortlessly on Flame Clouds while Caesar had to constantly flap his wings.
No matter how he calculated it, he was at a disadvantage.
Besides, who was Kaidou of the Beasts?
The New World’s premier master mentor, a world-renowned furry-enthusiast who adored Zoan ability users!
Caesar, being a Mythical Zoan user, was right up Kaidou’s alley…
Seeing Caesar’s unbothered composure, Kaidou gave him a strange look.
With a twist of his giant form, the colossal dragon collapsed in the blink of an eye into an imposing, burly hulk several meters tall.
The burly giant had a wild mane of thick black hair cascading down his back, a pair of sharp horns protruding from his head, and azure dragon-scale tattoos covering his left arm.
A thick shimenawa rope was bound around his waist, a furry cape draped over his bare chest, and in his hand he swung a heavy, pitch-black iron kanabo.
Standing majestically atop a floating Flame Cloud, he exuded an overwhelming aura of dread.
Caesar glanced at the kanabo.
If he recalled correctly, that weapon was called Hassaikai—a spiked club specially made for beating high-and-mighty royal ambitions out of people…
“Brat, what’s your name?” “Gold Caesar!” “Caesar?
Hmph…
The qualities of a king.
I suppose that name suits you well enough…” Kaidou repeated Caesar’s name under his breath, a faint smirk creeping up his face.
Slowly raising the iron club, he pointed it straight at Caesar.
“Hey kid, how about joining my crew?” Hearing this, Caesar raised his hands with a helpless look.
“Does it seem like I have the option to refuse?” “Worororo!
Says who?
You could always choose to die!” Kaidou burst into a roar of laughter, seemingly finding his own joke hilarious.
But then his brow furrowed.
“Still, I don’t like your attitude, kid.
Surrendering without a fight when threatened—where’s your spine?
Where’s your manhood?” “If I were a veteran who stormed into these seas to make a name for myself, I’d gladly try my hand against you, Mr.
Kaidou.” Caesar spread his hands helplessly.
“But I haven’t had the chance to grow!
In the past, my talent was limited—I hadn’t even mastered Haki.
The moment I ate a Devil Fruit, you dropped out of the sky out of nowhere.
If you find this boring, why not let me go and train for two years, then I’ll come back and give you a real duel like a man?” “Oh?
You think given two years, you could actually trade blows with me?” Kaidou seemed intrigued, letting out a sneer.
The black lightning of Conqueror’s Haki erupted from Hassaikai, tearing a rift through the heavy clouds above.
“Roger took thirty years to become King!
Whitebeard dominated the seas for forty!
Even that red-haired brat took fifteen years to sit where he is today!
Kid, do you even realize what you’re saying?” Faced with Kaidou’s disdain, Caesar wasn’t angry in the slightest.
“Fair point!
Then how about giving me a few more years instead?” BOOM— A crack of thunder exploded through the clouds, illuminating Caesar’s pale face along with Kaidou’s pitch-black, dark-as-a-skillet expression.
After an oppressive silence, Kaidou bared his teeth and slowly hoisted the spiked club into the air.
“Worororo…
You slick-tongued bat brat, you dare pull my leg?!” Caesar’s mouth twitched.
“Honestly, two years isn’t impossible either.
Everything’s negotiable…” “Negotiate with my club!” Armament Haki coated the kanabo in a dense obsidian sheen.
As lightning crackled across the weapon, Kaidou smiled viciously.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you time!
Not just two years—I’ll give you ten, twenty years!
Not only that, I’ll personally teach you!
Consider this swing your first lesson!” “Thunder…
Bagua!!” WHOOSH— A surging blast of air pressure instantly tore through the sky.
In that split second, it felt as though the surrounding atmosphere had been completely vacuumed away, leaving sound itself far behind the unseen, blazingly fast kanabo!
The distorted lightning of Haki along the club seemed to spell out a gruesome character for ‘Death’, expanding into a shadow of doom in Caesar’s vision.
Even the ocean beneath them caved into a bowl-shaped crater under the sudden, terrifying pressure!
In the second before Kaidou swung, Caesar had already processed his situation.
Kaidou appearing at Sleeping Town could only mean two things: a coincidence, or a deliberate plan.
If it was the former, Caesar was simply unlucky.
If the latter, Kaidou’s main target wasn’t him, but Robin.
Fortunately, judging by Kaidou’s demeanor, this encounter was merely a coincidence—unless, of course, the big guy was just immensely interested in Mythical Zoans…
*Still, why is it that when other transmigrators meet Kaidou in stories, he either offers his daughter or takes them as a disciple, but when I meet him, I get a face full of Thunder Bagua?* *Ah, wait, now is not the time for random thoughts…* *Setting aside all that nonsensical fluff…* *System!
Move my damn hands!* *Otherwise…* *I’m gonna die!!!* The dark spiked club enlarged rapidly in his pupils, its pitch-black metallic sheen reflecting what looked like the grim smile of the Goddess of Death.
Driven by the shadow of death and the primal shivering of biological instinct, Caesar thrust his right hand into the air.
“River of…
Blood!!” In an instant, a sea of blood surged as crimson mist billowed into the air!
Dense, viscous blood swept together into a massive vortex standing before Caesar.
A hundred meters in diameter and twenty meters thick, the blood-red whirlpool instantly drained more than half of his stamina!
In the next moment, hiding behind the vortex, a golden card appeared out of thin air.
As Caesar brought his arm down with full force, the card quietly merged into the swirling red torrent.
Upon absorbing the card, the blood vortex—which had been churning like water waves—suddenly thickened, solidifying into a colossal, blood-red shield!
[Collection Item: Non-Newtonian Fluid / Box × 99] BOOM!
The pitch-black kanabo, carrying the fury of wind and thunder, slammed violently against the thick, viscous blood shield!
A heavy, muffled thud echoed out as the horrific brute force struck the shield filled with non-Newtonian fluid, sending deep ripples across its surface.
Feeling the subtle feedback through Hassaikai, Kaidou’s pupils shrank.
The bizarre vibration traveling back into his arms felt as though his own strike had bounced back onto himself!
*It blocked it!* A flash of joy glinted in the depths of Caesar’s eyes.
However, before that joy could even fully register, the churning ripples abruptly shivered with violent turbulence.
“ORA!” With a roar from Kaidou, an overwhelmingly compressed sonic boom suddenly exploded.
The massive blood shield shattered into pieces, and a shockwave packed with immense, terrifying force blasted outward, flinging Caesar backward through the air!
Even Kaidou himself was pushed back several meters by the explosive counter-force!
The horrifying shockwave scattered in all directions, driving the ocean below into colossal waves dozens of meters high!
*Holy crap!
He smashed through it?!* *Nani?!
It actually blocked it?!* In that fraction of a second, amidst the raining shower of blood, both men caught the shock in each other’s eyes.
SWOOSH— Flapping his black wings hard, Caesar halted his backward momentum.
He raised a hand, and as if answering a summon, the falling blood gathered into a floating red river surrounding his body.
Not far away, Kaidou also steadied himself.
Shaking his numb right hand, he hoisted Hassaikai onto his shoulder and stared at Caesar in utter disbelief.
“What…
kind of move was that just now?” “A special fluid state that can effectively absorb external impacts.
Though logically speaking, it shouldn’t have been smashed to pieces…” Caesar said, casting an inquiring glance toward Kaidou.
“Hmph…
In Wano, Armament Haki is known as Ryou.
By making it flow, one can destroy a target from the inside out.” Kaidou’s lips curled up into a smirk.
Riding a Flame Cloud, he floated right up to Caesar, staring at him with an unmistakable look of satisfaction.
“Not bad at all, Caesar kid!
I’m liking you more and more!” “To be completely honest, I’ve admired you for a long time, Mr.
Kaidou!” Caesar openly spread his arms, assuming a completely shameless pose that basically said, *’If you hit me again, I’m really gonna die on you.’* “How about we call it a day here?
I’m actually very eager to join your ranks, Mr.
Kaidou.” “Worororo!
What a slick kid!” Kaidou chuckled, hoisting Caesar onto his Flame Cloud with one hand.
He clapped a giant palm onto Caesar’s shoulder.
“From today on, you belong to my Beasts Pirates!
Of course, if you ever dare betray me, I’ll personally rip your head off!” “Will you teach me Haki then?” “Of course!” “Conqueror’s Haki too?” “If you can learn it!
But I’m curious—with a slick personality like yours, what kind of king do you intend to be?” “Honestly, I just want to live freely and comfortably.” “Oh?
A man like Roger?
You little brat really are the type I hate!
But who knows…
maybe that’s an even grander ambition than becoming the Pirate King!
Worororo…” The Flame Cloud soared toward Wano, Kaidou’s laughter echoing across the sky.
Along the way, Caesar kept peeking at the Flame Cloud and then back at Kaidou.
Kaidou sat cross-legged on the cloud, chugging sake from his gourd.
Noticing Caesar’s glances, his eyes narrowed sideways.
“Brat…
you aren’t thinking about riding on my head, are you?” “How could I?” Caesar hastily waved his hands.
Though he certainly *did* want to, how could he ever admit that to his face?
“Your eyes gave you away!
You brat!” Kaidou grinned viciously and slammed a fist right onto Caesar’s head.
Caesar’s eyes instantly went black, and he tumbled face-first onto the Flame Cloud.
*** When Caesar woke up, he found himself lying inside a quiet, elegant traditional Japanese room.
Soft bedding was spread over the tatami mat.
Throwing off the quilt, Caesar realized he had been dressed in a kimono.
Without the slightest hesitation, he stripped off the kimono and tossed it aside.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a brand-new set of clothing.
On top, he wore a loose-sleeved linen shirt paired with a brown peak-lapel leather vest; on the bottom, casual black jeans paired with tall cuffed leather boots.
Daily necessities and clothing cards.
The Collector System could duplicate collection items infinitely, though the stored count for duplicates capped out at 99.
Each consumed duplicate required a certain cooldown period to regenerate.
The higher the item’s value and energy content, the longer the required cooldown.
It was precisely through this duplication trait that Caesar had accumulated his initial capital in the past.
It was worth noting, however, that living organisms could not be duplicated.
Special items containing a self-will—such as Devil Fruits or cursed blades—could not be duplicated either.
Furthermore, collecting living beings required the target to have no capacity to resist, and the collected organism’s personal time would be frozen in stasis.
The system’s abilities were impressive, but the sole issue was that it lacked the capacity to proactively break through existential limits.
For example, when Caesar had previously tried completing system achievement quests by collecting over ninety percent of the world’s cookware and seasonings, he received a skill-type achievement reward titled ‘God of Cooking’.
The ability was simply making dishes that literally glowed…
In other words, whatever type of achievement was unlocked determined what type of skill or item was rewarded.
Without the Vampire Fruit serving as the key to breaking into the realm of the extraordinary, relying on the system alone would have left him an ordinary human for the rest of his life.
The hardest part was always going from zero to one.
Once the boundary was broken, the path ahead became vastly easier.
For instance, the Masterpiece Upgrade rewarded after obtaining the Vampire Fruit this time, along with the achievement reward gained after awakening Conqueror’s Haki…
[Collection Item: Conqueror’s Haki] [Rarity: S] [Collection Value: S] [Evaluation: The qualities of a king—though merely potential.
Even a fart from Kaidou might carry more intimidation than you right now.] [Achievement Unlocked: Awaken One Type of Haki] [Achievement Reward: Talent: Overlord] [Overlord: You can now attempt to push past the limits of humanity in this world—in every aspect!] Without a doubt, this was a talent reward.
However, whether he could realize its full potential depended entirely on Caesar himself.
*The future looks bright, truly bright!* Caesar clenched his fist tight, a glint of joy flashing in his eyes.
*Grumble…* Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed from his stomach.
A wave of unbearable hunger hit him, making him feel as though he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
It felt deeply uncomfortable, yet oddly novel.
In this world of pirates, being able to eat didn’t necessarily mean one could fight, but those who could fight were guaranteed to be gigantic eaters!
Monster-tier combat power required sufficient nutrition to sustain it.
In the past, no matter how hungry Caesar got, he had never felt such a profound sense of physical weakness.
This proved that under the dual enhancement of the Devil Fruit and Overlord talent, his innate potential had truly undergone a metamorphosis!
Sliding the door open, he saw a pretty maid clad in a kimono kneeling in the corridor outside.
Seeing Caesar step out, the maid bowed slightly.
“Sir, Lord Kaidou has prepared a banquet for you…” “Lead the way…” Caesar’s stomach grumbled loudly, his glowing green eyes looking ready to devour someone alive.
The maid didn’t dare stare, keeping her head low as she led him forward.
After taking a few turns down the hallway, bright lighting spilled out from the far end.
Caesar clearly heard the raucous clamor of pirates inside the hall, the clinking of sake cups, the startled gasps of geisha, and Kaidou’s iconic, boisterous laughter.
Reaching the banquet hall entrance, the maid paused and bowed to the side.
Caesar walked calmly into the venue.
As the bright lights illuminated his handsome face, the uproarious hall instantly fell quiet.
Gaze after gaze landed on Caesar—some curious, some surprised, others jealous.
Kaidou sat at the head of the hall like a towering mountain.
Beside him were three giant figures whose heights were in no way inferior to his own.
King the Conflagration, bearing black wings and wearing a dark mask that hid every inch of his skin.
On the other side was Queen the Plague, covered in heavy blubber and sporting bizarre sunglasses.
And Jack the Drought—the “King of Boarding” with a billion-belly bounty, nine hundred million of which belonged to his mammoth tusks—standing even slightly taller than Kaidou himself…