HST: Chapter 196/197

Chapter 196 You Came at the Right Time

"Hmm!"

Rebecca let out a soft cry, not daring to look at Violet, and buried her head deep in Caelan's arms.

How could this happen!

It was already embarrassing enough that she and Caelan, her own sensei, had confessed to each other.

Now she had been caught by Violet, her aunt and Caelan's wife. This was total social death!

At this moment, Rebecca was so embarrassed that she wanted to go live on another planet.

The Moon or Mars?

Rebecca thought in despair.

At this time, Violet looked at Caelan and Rebecca, feeling the same awkwardness.

She knew Rebecca had been learning swordsmanship from Caelan, and she had been bringing them lunch these past few days.

She didn't expect that coming just a little late today would lead to such an embarrassing scene.

Family matters, who can understand them!

Her husband and her niece were hugging each other and about to kiss a second time.

Yes, Violet had already seen that the two of them had kissed once.

After all, Rebecca's lips were swollen.

"It seems I came at the wrong time today. You two continue, I won't disturb you."

Violet let out an awkward laugh, trying to put down the lunch box and leave.

She knew that Caelan would eventually have a new woman, and her lovely niece probably wouldn't escape either. But when she actually saw it, she still felt a little sad.

Right now, Caelan and Rebecca were hugging, and she, the one who came first, seemed like an outsider.

Caelan's face was expressionless, but his mind was working rapidly.

A love triangle between sensei, student, and sensei's wife. An Asura field between aunt, uncle, and niece. Such a plot was really intense.

Fortunately, Caelan was an experienced man. Although the situation was difficult, it was not unsolvable.

In just a moment, he had the answer.

He held the shy Rebecca with his left arm, leaving his right arm free, and then said to Violet, "You came at the right time. I was just missing one person."

"…"

Violet stayed silent for a moment as she looked at Caelan's actions.

In this situation, should she leave or stay?

If she had married an ordinary man, she would probably just slap him and walk away.

But her man was Caelan!

Caelan was someone who openly displayed his philandering ways and had been with many women before finally winning her over.

She wasn't in any position to act like that. She herself was a latecomer. Just as a third wife has no right to criticize a fourth wife, she, the fifteenth, had no right to criticize the sixteenth.

"Oh, there's nothing I can do about you."

Violet gave a helpless smile, walked obediently to Caelan, and leaned into his right arm.

Finally, Rebecca occupied Caelan's left arm and Violet occupied his right.

Everything seemed harmonious and beautiful, just like a family.

After hugging each other for a while, the three of them gathered around a table and began to eat lunch.

Caelan and Violet looked calm, as if nothing had happened.

Only the shy Rebecca kept her head down at the table, too embarrassed to speak.

"Aunt, I'm sorry…"

Rebecca said shyly to Violet.

She still couldn't quite get over it. This kind of relationship was too much for her.

At that moment, she finally understood why her father didn't want her to get close to Caelan.

Unfortunately, she was already too deeply involved and realized it too late.

"Rebecca, there's nothing to be sorry about. Auntie is actually happy that you can join us."

"After all, this guy has so many women. If we unite, we'll have more of an advantage."

Violet rolled her eyes at Caelan and comforted her niece.

"Is that so?"

Rebecca found some reason to hold on to and calmed down a little.

"If there's anything you don't understand in the future, you can come and ask Auntie!"

Violet patted Rebecca's head and sighed inwardly.

No wonder Caelan set his eyes on such a simple and lovely niece. She had to teach her well so that Caelan wouldn't just take advantage and then leave her behind.

"I understand. I will listen to Auntie from now on."

Rebecca said softly.

Out of guilt for competing with her aunt for a man, she decided to listen to Violet.

"That's right. It's best if we can all live together happily."

Seeing that the two had calmed down, Caelan finally felt relieved.

"Sensei is so bad!"

Both of them rolled their eyes at Caelan. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have been in such an awkward situation.

"You are all my treasures. I can't bear to lose any of you."

Caelan didn't care at all. He pulled the two of them into his arms, one on each side, and spoke shameless words of affection.

"…"

Violet and Rebecca both stopped talking.

Who made them meet Caelan and fall into his trap?

Maybe living together was the best outcome.

Violet and Rebecca looked at each other, their expressions softening.

"Very nice!"

Caelan kissed them and sighed at the shy and angry gazes of the two women.

He still remembered that half a year ago, he was a pure little virgin.

How did things become like this in just half a year?

Caelan reflected on himself for a moment, and then quickly put the thought aside.

Because everything was the world's fault!


---

In the afternoon, Caelan left some time for Rebecca and Violet to talk things through.

He picked up a Den Den Mushi from Gion that could be used to contact Sengoku.

The Neo Navy had been established for a while and was already on the right track. After enjoying himself for a few days, it was time to handle serious matters.

"Bru-bru-bru!"

Sengoku, who was busy at Marine Headquarters dealing with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, picked up the Den Den Mushi in confusion.

"Is that Gion?"

Sengoku was very surprised.

Ever since the World Government issued a wanted notice for Gion, she had only contacted Tsuru to report her safety and had never contacted the Marines again.

Why would she be calling now?

Could it be that she wanted to lead the Neo Navy to abandon the darkness and return to the light?

Thinking of this, Sengoku could no longer sit still.

He had been extremely frustrated that his chosen candidate for admiral became the commander of an enemy force.

If Gion could return with the Neo Navy, that would be great.

"Gion, has Caelan bullied you? If you want to return to the Marines, I will help you!"

Sengoku answered the Den Den Mushi and asked with a hopeful tone.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you don't need to worry about that. My lady Gion is living very comfortably here."

Caelan said with a dark expression.

He was the only one who stole from others. No one else could steal from him.

Moreover, Gion was indeed living a good life. Not only could she fulfill her sense of justice within the Neo Navy, but she also had the Neo Navy commander-in-chief to accompany her at night.

Life was much better than it had been in the Marines.

When Sengoku heard Caelan's voice, he immediately became furious. "Caelan, you little brat, what do you want with me?"

Sengoku was full of hatred toward this shameless thief who was obsessed with stealing from the Marines.

If he weren't curious about what Caelan wanted, he would have already hung up.

"Speak politely, old man Sengoku. Once I recruit two more admirals, all your crying will be useless!"

Caelan replied bluntly.

"You wish. The three admirals of the Marines are loyal and will never defect to you!" Sengoku roared. He still had confidence in his admirals.

After a moment, Sengoku, who was usually so composed, spoke through gritted teeth. "If you have something to say, just say it. Stop talking nonsense!"

"Tsk tsk, that's so boring." Caelan curled his lips and got straight to the point. "I'm calling to make a deal with the Five Elders. I wonder if you've heard of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure?"

All of a sudden, Sengoku was shocked by the information Caelan revealed and couldn't help but repeat, "You want to deal with the Five Elders? The national treasure of the Celestial Dragons?!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 197: Dialogue of the Five Elders

Caelan's words revealed an enormous amount of information. What was the national treasure of the Celestial Dragons? Even as Fleet Admiral, he had never heard of such a thing.

How did Caelan know about this, and what kind of deal did he want to make with the Five Elders?

"What do you mean?"

Sengoku asked in a deep voice.

"It's nothing special. I just got some information from Doflamingo. I believe the Five Elders will be interested."

Caelan said calmly.

"Doflamingo?"

Sengoku muttered softly, but he did not doubt the truth of Caelan's words.

Doflamingo was originally a Celestial Dragon, so it was understandable that he knew secrets about the Celestial Dragons. After being defeated by Caelan, it was indeed possible that he used these things as bargaining chips.

But what exactly was the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure?

"In fact, there's no need to deal directly with the Five Elders. As long as Fleet Admiral Sengoku can afford the price, I can trade this secret to the Marines instead."

Caelan didn't care who bought the information, as long as he got Berries.

Selling it to the Marines would be fine too.

"Okay."

Sengoku was slightly stunned, then subconsciously agreed out of curiosity.

But he quickly came to his senses and immediately changed his words. "You should make the deal with the Five Elders. It's useless for the Marines."

He really wanted to know the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure, but what if Caelan turned around and told the Five Elders about the deal?

If the Five Elders learned about it, they would definitely suspect that the Marines had rebellious intentions, and no matter what he said, it would be useless.

As for whether Caelan would do that, Sengoku believed it was very likely.

Caelan, who constantly poached Marines, was simply a hateful troublemaker. It was entirely possible for him to do something like that.

"Since Fleet Admiral Sengoku doesn't want to make this deal, then please help me connect with the Five Elders."

Caelan sounded a little regretful.

If Sengoku bought the information and then reported it to the Five Elders, the rift between the World Government and the Marines would definitely grow.

By then, he would just swing the hoe and leave a shadow behind, and the Marines might end up completely ruined.

Therefore, Sengoku truly was a wise general. He saw through Caelan's intentions.

"No problem. I'll connect you to the Five Elders right away."

Sengoku suppressed his curiosity and stopped thinking about the Celestial Dragons' national treasure.

Soon, after being informed by Sengoku, the Five Elders learned of Caelan's intentions, and their expressions immediately darkened.

They had been thinking about using the national treasure to deal with Caelan. Now that this secret had been exposed, if Caelan was prepared for it, the effectiveness of the national treasure would be greatly reduced.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the Five Elders immediately notified Kizaru and rushed to Dressrosa with a Den Den Mushi capable of video communication.

---

Dressrosa.

"Bru-bru-bru!"

Not long after Caelan used the Den Den Mushi, the Five Elders on the other side answered the call impatiently.

They were desperate to know how much Caelan knew about the national treasure.

The scene changed, and the Five Elders and Caelan met for the first time through the video Den Den Mushi.

"Hello, five old men."

Caelan greeted them cheerfully.

Meeting the Five Elders for the first time put him in a good mood.

These big villains were about to contribute a large sum of money.

"How much do you know about the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure?"

The Five Elders ignored Caelan's greeting and asked with dark expressions.

Compared to Caelan's good mood, their mood was terrible.

The establishment of the Illuminati and the Neo Navy was already a complete slap in the face to the World Government, and now the entire world was beginning to stir.

The leak of the national treasure's existence made the already bad situation even worse.

Before Caelan appeared, the position of the World Government had been very secure.

Now, faced with the source of all the turmoil, the Five Elders wished they could tear Caelan apart.

"I don't know much. For now, I only know that the national treasure exists. Doflamingo wanted to use this information to buy his life, but I didn't agree. Do you understand?"

Caelan dropped his playful expression and spoke in a serious tone.

The Five Elders let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a little calmer.

Since Caelan didn't know much, there was still a chance to fix things.

They cursed inwardly. Damn Doflamingo, he should have just died quietly instead of causing them so much trouble.

"Tell me, Caelan, what are your conditions?"

The Five Elders asked seriously. As long as the request wasn't excessive, they would agree.

"Five billion Berries. As for Doflamingo, do whatever you want with him. I won't ask any more about what the national treasure is."

Caelan said lightly, as if five billion wasn't a big number.

"Impossible. Five billion is far too much to buy Doflamingo's life. The most we can give is two billion."

Saint Saturn refused without hesitation.

Five billion Berries was a price that could be paid for Whitebeard. For Doflamingo, it was a complete loss.

Besides, Doflamingo might not know much about the national treasure. The national treasure was an absolute secret even among the Celestial Dragons.

A child who had left Mariejois many years ago could not possibly know the details.

"If it's only two billion Berries, then I am more interested in the information about the Celestial Dragons' national treasure. It might be better for me to just take Doflamingo as my subordinate."

"I'll give you a number. Three billion. If you don't agree, pretend you never got this call. The secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure will definitely make headlines in the World Economy News."

Caelan's tone was cold, and he looked fearless.

Although he had expected two billion, the fact that the Five Elders had agreed so easily meant that two billion was not their limit.

"You!"

The Five Elders were so angry at Caelan's attitude that their blood pressure spiked.

If the secret of the national treasure was made public, even if the information wasn't much, it would still alert all the major forces.

What would follow would be extremely troublesome.

The Five Elders were so furious that they were puffing their beards and glaring, wishing they could jump out of the Den Den Mushi and kill Caelan on the spot.

But unfortunately, they couldn't do anything to him.

"Fine, we agree to the deal!"

The Five Elders looked at each other and gritted their teeth as they agreed to Caelan's conditions.

"It seems that three billion is still too little. Would you agree to add another ten billion?"

Caelan touched his chin and asked thoughtfully.

Three billion had already exceeded expectations, but if he could squeeze out a little more, that would be even better.

"Caelan, don't even think about it!"

The Five Elders could no longer hold back and roared in anger.

What on earth did this greedy little devil take them for?

His playful attitude from beginning to end had already made them furious.

If Caelan continued to push, the deal would be canceled.

They simply didn't believe that a Celestial Dragon brat from years ago could know any secrets.

"It's just a joke. The deal is done. Once I receive three billion Berries, Doflamingo will die immediately, and the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure will die with him."

Caelan smacked his lips and stopped teasing the Five Elders.

From this, it was clear that three billion was truly their limit.

(To be continued.)