HST: Chapter 237/238

Chapter 237: Completely Locked

"The shortcoming of the Heroic Spirit body is that it needs to replenish magic power."

Caelan did not keep it a secret and said directly, "The Heroic Spirit body uses magic power as the source of its activity. The food we consume daily can only provide a small amount of magic, which is not enough to sustain the intense activity of a Heroic Spirit body."

"In other words, you need to come to me regularly to replenish your magic. Otherwise, when you become weak to a certain point, you will automatically return to Valhalla and fall asleep."

The Heroic Spirits transformed from Nami, Robin, and the others were not like the Servants in the Type-Moon world who were highly bound to their Masters and could draw magic from Caelan freely.

Of course, Caelan could have chosen to bind the women just like Masters bind Servants, but he did not.

This was intentional on his part, in order to give them greater freedom.

A Servant bound to a Master could not stray too far away and always had to remain close.

But the Heroic Spirits that Nami and the others had become did not have such restrictions. While they still needed to replenish magic, they had much greater freedom.

They had their own free personalities, and Caelan did not want to restrict them too much.

According to his design, one replenishment of magic could last for an entire year. It wasn't that he didn't want to extend it further, but the capacity of the Heroic Spirit body was only that much.

"Oh, that's not really a disadvantage."

Gion didn't see any issue with it.

It was simply replenishing energy, like eating every day. A completely normal thing.

Robin, however, sensed something strange and asked cleverly, "Then how do I replenish magic?"

If it were that simple, Caelan wouldn't have brought it up.

He smiled and answered Robin naturally, "There are many ways to replenish magic, but the most convenient is the exchange of body fluids. The more you exchange, the faster you replenish."

The girls were momentarily confused.

Of course, they understood what body fluid exchange meant, whether kissing or intercourse.

But replenishing magic this way seemed far too unorthodox!

"Is this really a way to replenish magic? I feel like you have bad intentions."

Nami complained bluntly.

It sounded like nothing more than an excuse Caelan had come up with for his own lewdness.

"We're already in this kind of relationship. It's enough to just continue as before. It doesn't matter if it's less frequent, Nami."

"As long as you don't fight intense battles often, a single replenishment can last for a year."

Caelan would never let Nami misunderstand his intentions.

If he wanted intimacy, he didn't need an excuse. He could simply flip the cards at night, and it would be a wonderful evening.

Given the current frequency of their nights together, the amount was already more than enough.

Even for those who indulged more often, reducing the frequency was no problem at all.

And one replenishment lasting a year was practically abstinence if he relied solely on that.

He had only mentioned magic replenishment as a friendly reminder.

"…"

Nami's face instantly turned red and she was speechless.

From his words, didn't it sound like she was the clingy one?

Really, she had clearly enjoyed it so much at the time!

She shot Caelan a resentful glance. When the clothes were off, she wasn't nearly as stubborn as she acted now.

"Anything else? I want to go back and rest first."

Nami said helplessly.

It felt awful to be socially killed in front of the others.

The girls looked at Nami's flustered expression and laughed happily.

The embarrassment hadn't disappeared, it had just shifted to someone else.

"From this point of view, replenishing magic isn't much of a disadvantage. After all, even if we don't use it for that, there are already plenty of body fluid exchanges."

Gion gave Caelan a meaningful look and added, "However, if we need to replenish magic regularly, it means we'll be completely tied to you."

At Gion's reminder, the girls suddenly realized.

If they had to replenish their magic regularly, they would have to stay with Caelan forever.

"You really are a cunning man!"

Robin rolled her eyes at him with a smile.

"Yes, such a cunning man!"

The other girls echoed, also smiling.

Their fates had long been tied to Caelan's. Being bound even tighter was not a problem.

"Haha, there's nothing wrong with being a little cunning if it means I can keep you all by my side."

Caelan admitted openly.

When the women were transformed into Heroic Spirits, they had already become deeply connected to him, unable to separate.

This was simply a small expression of his possessiveness.

Naturally, his words drew another round of playful complaints from the girls.

After some laughter, Caelan grew serious and asked Robin, "Robin, do you want to resurrect your mother?"

For a moment, Robin froze.

Resurrect... her mother?!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 238: Resurrection from the Dead, Heroic Spirit Summoned!

"Huh?" Robin looked at Caelan in confusion. "Why would you say that?"

"My mother, Olvia, died in the O'Hara Buster Call twenty years ago. Even her body was destroyed in the bombardment."

Robin narrated calmly, but an uncontrollable pain appeared in her eyes.

Although twenty years had passed, the hellish scene of O'Hara's destruction that day still caused her great sorrow.

That kind of despair and pain would never fade, no matter how much time passed.

"I'm sorry."

Gion said apologetically.

She had not participated in that Buster Call, but as a former Marine, she still felt guilty.

Only by being inside the World Government could one truly understand how ugly it was.

Many times, the Buster Call was not issued to eliminate pirates, but to serve the Celestial Dragons.

Compared to those cases, the reason for destroying O'Hara was almost justified. The others were far more unreasonable and brutal.

That was why she had joined Caelan so willingly. She had been ignorant before, but now she only wanted to live as a good person.

"It wasn't your fault what happened at O'Hara."

Robin held no resentment.

She was sensible. Her true enemies were the World Government and the Five Elders pulling the strings. Many Marines had only been following orders.

Of course, she would never forgive those who had attacked her personally. At the very least, that man who spit fire could never be forgiven.

"Let's get back to what you said earlier. Are you telling me there's a way to resurrect my mother?"

Robin looked at Caelan in confusion.

Her mother had died in O'Hara twenty years ago, without a trace left behind.

Even her only mark on the world was her daughter.

Could someone really be resurrected from nothing?

"Do you remember what I said about the nature of Heroic Spirits? Heroic Spirits are the remnants of heroes whose deeds became legends, their souls or beliefs taking form."

"Not only can I transform the living, like you, into Heroic Spirits, but I can also summon the souls of the dead and transform them into Heroic Spirits."

Caelan explained seriously.

This had been his first thought upon gaining the Third Magic: to summon the spirits of the dead to fight for him.

That could include enemies he had slain, such as Enel and Doflamingo, or even legends like Roger, Rocks, or the original Nika Joyboy.

Who knew what kind of shock it would cause if such figures were to reappear?

But his first attempt at this ability would be to bring Robin's mother, Olvia, back.

"In other words, my mother can return as a Heroic Spirit?"

Robin's expression brightened.

Although her time with her mother had been short, she still missed Olvia deeply.

Her lifelong dream of collecting the Poneglyphs was not just O'Hara's wish, but also her mother's legacy.

And twenty years ago, Olvia had stood in the path of the Buster Call's firepower to give her daughter a chance to escape. That determined figure was carved into Robin's heart.

She showed a nostalgic expression, then looked at Caelan pleadingly. "If possible, I want to meet her again. To tell her what I've achieved, to tell her I'm living a good life."

"To fulfill your wish, I'll need a little cooperation from you."

Caelan said with a smile.

"What do I need to do?"

Robin asked.

She couldn't imagine how she could be of help to him.

"Just stand there. I'll use the connection between you and your mother to summon her soul."

Caelan said seriously.

There was a great difference between summoning Heroic Spirits in the One Piece world and summoning them in the Type-Moon world.

In the Type-Moon world, Heroic Spirits were drawn from the Throne of Heroes through the Holy Grail's magic, then given form through spiritual shaping.

But here, in the world of pirates, there was no Throne of Heroes to draw from.

Rather than summoning, it was more accurate to call it creating Heroic Spirits.

He needed Robin as a medium, using her bond with Olvia to summon her soul, then transform her into a Heroic Spirit.

"I understand."

Robin stood still, watching Caelan curiously.

His expression grew serious, and his body once again surged with vast amounts of magic power.

As the energy flowed, Caelan chanted mysterious incantations.

"I stand in the center and declare, your spirit shall unite with mine, your wisdom shall guide my path.

In answering the call of our intertwined fates, if you submit to this vow and respect this truth, respond to my summoning.

Here I pledge, I am the one who seeks all the beauty in the world, I am the one who confronts all the pain in the world.

Bound by the three words of power, emerge from the boundless unity, Guardian of Balance!"

Soon, Robin felt a faint pull, and in her mind she seemed to glimpse O'Hara as it was now.

An abandoned island in the South Blue, with ruins covered in vines.

From the beach, a translucent spirit emerged.

The spirit flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, already on the verge of disappearing. In a few more years, it might have vanished completely.

The spirit was pulled by an unknown force, drifting across the vast sea toward Dressrosa.

"That's my mother!"

Even though the spirit was blurry, Robin recognized Olvia at once.

Her heart leapt with hope. There was now a real chance her mother could be resurrected.

In just moments, Olvia's spirit crossed the ocean and arrived in Dressrosa.

With Caelan's guidance, her spirit entered the Reality Marble, appearing before everyone.

"Is that a ghost?"

Nami looked at the spirit, her legs suddenly weak.

Even though it had no malice, fear stirred instinctively within her.

"It's a ghost, yes, but nothing to fear. Every ghost is someone dearly missed by others."

Caelan gently patted Nami's head and spoke with emotion.

And it wasn't just humans that clung to bonds. This spirit carried deep obsessions too.

Otherwise, after twenty years, it would have dissipated entirely.

"Mm."

Nami nodded, calming herself a little.

She couldn't help but look at Robin. This was the mother she had missed all her life.

"Mother..."

Robin looked at the spirit, her eyes blurring with tears.

She remembered again that figure who had stood unflinchingly before the cannons twenty years ago.

But the spirit looked fragile, its form wavering between light and dark, and it had no consciousness.

"Don't worry. This weakness is normal. It will be repaired once she is given a Heroic Spirit's body."

Caelan reassured her as he led Olvia's spirit to the altar.

Twenty years had worn heavily on her soul, but this was no problem for someone who had mastered the Third Magic: Soul Materialization.

With ease, Caelan began the process, infusing magic to shape Olvia's spirit step by step into a Heroic Spirit candidate.

Robin bit her lip, watching nervously and expectantly.

Within just a few minutes, Caelan's immense magic had repaired and stabilized Olvia's soul, transforming it into a complete Heroic Spirit.

"Perfect!"

Caelan looked at Olvia, who was slowly awakening, and was very satisfied with his work.

The first Heroic Spirit resurrected from the dead in the world of pirates had been born in his hands.

(To be continued.)