HST: Chapter 223/224

Chapter 223: Instant

In an instant, Ochoku, using the Teleportation Fruit, appeared right in front of Caesar.

"Success!"

He grinned and reached out to grab Caesar.

Just as he expected, once he chose the right moment, everything fell into place.

Just like in the Battle of God Valley years ago, when no one could catch him, no one would be able to catch him now.

Next, all he needed to do was teleport away with Caesar.

Ochoku silently activated his ability, preparing to teleport again.

"What the hell?"

Caelan's sharp senses picked up on something suddenly appearing in front of Caesar, and his eyes narrowed.

Without hesitation, the golden spear in his hand instantly condensed and was hurled forward.

"What the hell?!"

Ochoku's face twisted in horror.

Brilliant golden light filled his vision.

A massive sense of crisis surged into his mind.

In that instant, he knew the God Slayer had made his move.

And from the very first strike, it came with the force of thunder, leaving no room to escape.

Ochoku tried to activate his ability, but his body would not respond.

In his terrified and bewildered eyes, the bright golden light pierced his torso.

"Rustle… rustle…"

There was no explosive roar, only the sound of sand falling.

In an instant, his massive torso and lower body turned to ash, scattering to the ground.

Thump!

An armored head dropped to the floor.

"So… I'm dead!"

It was only when his head hit the ground that Ochoku realized the truth with horror.

No wonder he could not activate his powers. The moment the golden light appeared, everything below his head had turned to ash.

"How could it be so fast… so strong?"

Ochoku's mouth opened and closed in disbelief, though no sound came out.

He had attacked without warning, yet Caelan reacted to him instantly.

In reality, it had taken only one strike to kill him.

Without oxygen, Ochoku's brain quickly faded into darkness.

He did not even have time to regret before dying in pure shock.

…

Many in the auction hall were still confused.

It was not until they saw Caesar still standing and a golden spear lodged in the ground nearby that they realized what had happened.

"Someone tried to attack Caesar, but was killed by Caelan?!"

The conclusion quickly spread.

Caelan had just declared that no one was allowed to act in Dressrosa, and someone had immediately broken that rule. Wasn't it only natural for him to be killed?

What puzzled everyone was how the attacker had gotten there.

It was obvious this person had not been standing there before.

"Who is he?"

Caelan turned to Morgans.

Just now, he had only sensed someone appear and acted on instinct, not knowing the full situation.

Luckily, Morgans was beside him. As the king of news and intelligence, he would know.

"That head belongs to Ochoku, the great pirate of Hachinosu and former cadre of the Rocks Pirates!"

Morgans carefully examined the head and spoke in shock.

Ochoku was a well-known figure in the New World, his status second only to the Yonko.

So what happened?

Ochoku had tried to attack Caesar, only to be instantly killed by Caelan.

Morgans drew in a sharp breath and stared at Caelan.

He had not even seen how Ochoku appeared. All he had seen was the blinding golden light from Caelan's strike.

And in just that one blow, a legendary pirate had been reduced to nothing but a head.

To appear for only a second and then be reduced to this… it was terrifying.

Morgans glanced at his boss, feeling a sudden chill below his neck.

If he ever leaked gossip about Caelan, would a golden light suddenly appear for him too?

"Oh, it's him."

Caelan nodded in recognition.

No wonder he could not figure out how this man reached Caesar. So it was Ochoku.

Unexpectedly, he had been foolish enough to come here and practically commit suicide.

Caelan had just said no one was to act in Dressrosa. Clearly, this man had no intention of taking him seriously.

"Tell me, was I too merciful before, making people like this think I wouldn't kill them?"

Caelan stroked his chin and asked Morgans.

"Ah… well…"

Morgans was unsure how to respond.

This man had never been gentle, so how was he supposed to answer such a question?

"Forget it. Hang his head outside as a warning."

Caelan cut off the matter with a wave of his hand.

The head of a legendary pirate would be enough to suppress any reckless thoughts.

"Yes!"

Morgans immediately began making arrangements.

…

Among the audience.

"He's already dead?"

Aokiji and Borsalino muttered in disbelief.

They had watched Ochoku vanish from his seat, and by the time he appeared in front of Caesar, he was already just a head.

After surviving the Battle of God Valley and living well for decades, Ochoku had died here at Caelan's hands.

Death itself was not strange, but to die so quickly… that was something else.

"Why do I feel like Caelan is becoming more and more unfathomable?"

Aokiji frowned in thought.

It had not been that long, yet this man had grown into such an overwhelming presence, changing day by day.

Even in his battle with Monkey D. Dragon, Caelan had been so calm that it was impossible to gauge his full strength.

Now, after killing Ochoku with a single strike, it was even harder to measure.

"That's true. Even if we joined Akainu now, we wouldn't be his match."

Borsalino nodded, a faint unease in his eyes.

If the three Admirals together could not defeat Caelan, then now, as an enemy of both the Navy and the World Government, facing him again would mean certain defeat.

"If I fought him again, I think I'd be killed," he added half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"I almost feel like surrendering to the enemy."

Aokiji spoke quietly.

He still remembered the battle near the Florian Triangle when Caelan had invited him to join.

Looking back now, it seemed rather tempting.

Bringing his talents to the Neo Navy and becoming brothers with Caelan did not sound so bad.

No. No, Kuzan. You're supposed to be the Admiral, the man who will change the Navy.

Aokiji shook his head, pushing the thought away.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku had high hopes for him, and he still wanted to realize his own justice. He could not submit to Caelan.

"Mm?"

Borsalino looked at him curiously.

Had he just heard something dangerous?

No, no. Must have been his imagination.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 224: Deterrent

On the other side, Tesoro was stunned after hearing the exchange between Morgans and Caelan.

"The pirate who suddenly appeared and was instantly killed… was Ochoku?!"

He stared at the head Morgans had taken away, remaining in a daze for a long time.

Frankly speaking, Ochoku was someone on the same level as him, a man whose strength could definitely be called formidable.

And yet, this very man had appeared right in front of him, only to be killed in seconds by Caelan before Tesoro could even see him clearly.

Seconds.

If Caelan could kill Ochoku in seconds, could he also kill him just as easily?

Tesoro glanced at Caelan, feeling a heavy sense of fear in his heart.

Caelan, known as the God Slayer, had earned the title by killing the Celestial Dragons who called themselves gods.

But now that Tesoro had witnessed his true strength, he realized something.

With this kind of overwhelming presence, even a real god standing in front of Caelan would have to be cautious about their life.

Even if he used Caesar to create a legion of ability users, could he really replace someone like that?

For a moment, Tesoro felt uncertain.

There were some opponents whose strength could not be overcome, no matter how many forces you gathered. It was like throwing eggs at a rock—no matter how many, the rock would remain unbroken.

"Forget it. No need to think so far ahead. Even if I can't replace him, being second or third is fine."

Tesoro quickly adjusted his mindset, comforting himself.

As long as he could mass-produce artificial Devil Fruits, his power would grow significantly.

It was still possible for him to become the fifth or sixth Emperor alongside the Yonko.

Moreover, Caelan killing Ochoku had created a powerful deterrent, which was also good for him.

At least, it meant he would be safe for the next two days in Dressrosa.

"I have two days of absolute safety. That's enough time to prepare."

Regaining his confidence, Tesoro began planning.

Now, with the powerful warning of Caelan killing Ochoku, he was certain that at least until he left Dressrosa, nothing would happen to him.

Two days was a bit tight, but still enough to transfer Caesar.

…

Not far from Tesoro, Lu Feld and Peclo were both sweating.

"This is terrifying!"

They stared at Ochoku's head, feeling a cold chill run through their bodies.

Most people in the New World had heard of Ochoku's reputation.

Once a cadre of the Rocks Pirates, three of the current Yonko had shared the same background as him.

His strength was certainly far above that of the kings of the underworld.

And yet, such a great pirate, with such a deep history, had been killed instantly on the spot, not even causing a ripple.

"If he can kill Ochoku in one move, killing us would be child's play."

Peclo looked at Caelan in horror.

Even someone like him, who usually treated human life as worthless, felt a deep fear now.

The so-called Major Undertaker only assassinated lesser figures.

Compared to Caelan casually killing Ochoku while chatting, it was worlds apart.

"It would take him just one move to kill us."

Feld spoke bitterly.

As a king of the underworld, he had never imagined there could be someone so strong that his life could be taken with a single wave of the hand.

"Feld, this doesn't look good. We need to be more careful."

Peclo warned in a low voice.

Caelan's decisive execution of Ochoku showed extraordinary resolve.

Anyone who wanted to act recklessly in Dressrosa had to be ready to die.

Their plans against Tesoro would have to be far more restrained now.

"Indeed. Until we leave Dressrosa, we'll do nothing but keep watch."

Feld's voice was deep and serious.

Caelan's lightning-fast kill of Ochoku was the best warning.

They had been wary before, but still held on to a sliver of hope.

People were like that. They only truly wake up when they see someone suffer for real.

Fortunately, they weren't the ones on the receiving end.

"I'm considering withdrawing my forces from Caelan's territory."

Peclo's tone was firm.

His power lay in assassination networks. It was unlikely Caelan would tolerate such an organization within his sphere.

If he angered Caelan by accident, the consequences would be dire.

"I've been thinking the same thing."

Feld agreed it was better to stay away.

His work relied on ruthless methods for lending and collecting. That sort of underground activity easily stirred trouble.

In most places it didn't matter, but inside Caelan's territory, it was best to tread carefully.

It would be safer to withdraw entirely.

"Then we're of one mind."

Peclo managed a bitter laugh.

"I guess we're just two scared cowards now," Feld said self-mockingly, then pointed toward Caelan and whispered, "There's only one true hero here."

"Yeah, the only real hero."

Peclo and Feld exchanged a look, both feeling a strange sense of kinship.

For now, their temporary alliance to target Tesoro had grown stronger.

Faced with this great devil who could erase them with one gesture, they no longer had any sense of superiority as kings of the underworld.

They looked at Caelan with quiet fear, worried that at any moment, he might raise his hand and wipe them from existence.

The two kings who once dominated the underworld now behaved like obedient children in front of him.

…

Up in the audience seats.

"He killed Ochoku instantly?"

Kaido looked at the familiar head and spoke softly.

This was an old acquaintance. Back when Kaido was just a trainee in the Rocks Pirates, he had sparred with many of its members, and Ochoku was no exception.

At that time, Kaido had yet to obtain his Devil Fruit and had not fully grown, so he was often defeated by Ochoku.

He knew well that this great pirate's strength was almost equal to that of his current All-Star, King.

For Caelan to kill him instantly proved he was truly a formidable opponent, worthy of being on par with the Yonko.

Facing such a man, Kaido felt the long-lost bloodlust in his heart begin to stir. His desire to fight grew strong.

"No hurry. After we take Caesar, then we'll fight him."

He etched Caelan's face into his memory, looking forward to the day they would clash.

…

Elsewhere in the audience.

"This warning is powerful."

Katakuri's gaze shifted to the head now hanging at the entrance, his tone deep.

It was easy to imagine that anyone who saw Ochoku's head would think twice before acting recklessly in Dressrosa.

Katakuri himself had never intended to cause trouble here, and now, seeing the risks, he certainly would not.

But inwardly, he raised Caelan's danger level another notch.

"Good thing we didn't act."

Smoothie patted her chest, still shaken.

She had thought about stirring things up and taking advantage of the chaos earlier.

She never expected Caelan to be so fierce and overwhelming that a famous pirate would die without the slightest suspense.

Fortunately, Katakuri had stopped her. Otherwise, she might be the one hanging at the entrance now.

'Though maybe your fate would have been different.'

Katakuri glanced at his sister in thought.

With her looks, she might have been tied up and sent to Caelan's room instead.

But that outcome would hardly be a good one either.

(To be continued.)