HST: Chapter 172: Reverse and Reverse

On the other side, Caelan looked at Sugar and asked, “Your ability is to turn people into dolls, right?”

“N-No, I mean yes!”

Sugar swallowed nervously, stuttering as she replied.

In her eyes, Caelan was a terrifying monster—a devil who ate children.

“Then I’ll give it a try.”

Caelan was genuinely curious whether Sugar’s ability could work on him.

With his A-rank Divinity, it shouldn’t be possible.

He had already tested this before with Perona. Even when doing nothing, her Negative Hollows had no effect on him.

Still, he wanted to try out this Devil Fruit ability, which was probably one of the most broken powers in the One Piece world.

Even if he really turned into a doll, it didn’t matter. He still had the Twelve Labors. He could just die and resurrect.

That’s the kind of freedom that comes with being lucky.

“Caelan-sama, please don’t take this lightly!”

Violet warned nervously.

She was genuinely afraid that if Caelan failed, her fate would be sealed.

“Yeah, better safe than sorry.”

The women around him also tried to dissuade him.

None of them wanted anything to happen to Caelan. If he fell here, they’d be devastated.

“It’s fine. I’m confident.”

Caelan responded with certainty.

Then he turned to Sugar and smiled. “Sugar, if I do turn into a doll, you’re not going to hurt me, right?”

“N-No, no way, I would never hurt you!”

Sugar nodded frantically, looking adorably obedient.

In her heart, she was overjoyed.

She thought she was doomed, but didn’t expect this man to be so arrogant as to walk right into her trap.

Once he became a doll, she would definitely teach him a lesson!

Sugar laughed wildly in her heart, but maintained her sweet and innocent act on the surface.

“Aww, so sweet.”

Caelan patted Sugar’s head and praised her.

He already knew she wasn’t being sincere, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t afraid.

As he said, with this kind of power, he could afford to be reckless.

Seeing that Caelan had made up his mind, Violet, Nami, and the other girls stopped trying to convince him. They could only watch with worry.

Caelan reached out his hand, deliberately not covering it with Armament Haki, and extended it directly toward Sugar.

Faster, faster!

Sugar was screaming in her heart, incredibly eager. It was the first time she’d wanted to touch a man’s hand so badly.

At that moment, Diamante noticed what was happening on the battlefield and rushed to inform Doflamingo, who was still gathering his strength.

“Boss, something’s changed. Caelan is about to shake hands with Sugar!”

Diamante stopped the enraged Doflamingo and reported in surprise.

What?

Could there be a turnaround?

Doflamingo was stunned.

He grabbed the telescope and saw Caelan holding Sugar’s hand—without any Armament Haki covering his body.

A wave of elation suddenly washed over him, throwing him off balance.

Just when he thought there was no hope, a ray of light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

“So careless!”

“He knows Sugar’s ability, yet he’s still doing this. He’s out of his mind!”

Doflamingo was ecstatic, nearly dizzy with joy.

If Caelan was turned into a toy and killed instantly, the memories of him would vanish. The followers Caelan had gathered would be scattered.

“This is the price for underestimating the enemy. I’ll tear your doll apart, then kill that treacherous woman!”

Doflamingo sneered cruelly, already envisioning Caelan’s death and Violet’s punishment.

Doflamingo and the other officers stared intently as Caelan reached out to Sugar.

They were just waiting for the moment Caelan turned into a toy. Then they’d strike with full force and eliminate him completely.

Under the expectant gazes of Sugar and Doflamingo, Caelan and Sugar finally held hands.

The moment their hands touched, Sugar activated her ability. “Heehee! You bad guy, be my toy!”

She shouted gleefully.

Once Caelan turned into a doll, he’d be completely at her mercy.

Sugar’s smug declaration instantly made Violet, Nami, and the others tense with worry.

Even Caelan was a bit surprised—he truly thought for a second that he might’ve turned into a doll.

He glanced around and realized nothing had changed.

As expected, broken Devil Fruit abilities didn’t work on someone with A-rank Divinity.

Caelan smiled to himself, satisfied.

Sugar, meanwhile, was dumbfounded. Caelan hadn’t changed at all.

“Y-You, you, you!”

Sugar pointed at Caelan, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She hadn’t expected her power to fail.

There wasn’t even a trace of Haki on him, so how could her ability be ineffective?

Before she could figure it out, she saw the amused look in Caelan’s eyes.

It’s over. Totally over!

“Since you like dolls so much, then you should be my doll from now on.”

Caelan patted Sugar’s head and said with a teasing tone.

“Waaah…”

Sugar was on the verge of tears, devastated, yet unable to cry.

If she had known things would end like this, she wouldn’t have acted so smug earlier.

Monet closed her eyes helplessly. She knew someone like Caelan wasn’t going to be taken down so easily.

Now, both she and her sister Sugar were in Caelan’s hands. Their future looked grim.

Monet no longer held any hope for Doflamingo. She could only curse Caelan for being way too unbeatable.

On the other side, Doflamingo and his officers, who were hiding in the shadows, were also silent.

They had just seen a glimmer of hope when Caelan shook hands with Sugar.

And it was shattered just as quickly—by Caelan himself.

The officers were stunned.

That man was immune to Devil Fruit abilities. He was so absurdly strong that he didn’t even seem human.

“Does he have any weaknesses?” Diamante asked bitterly.

He was so powerful the Marines couldn’t do anything to him. He didn’t even need Haki to resist, and Devil Fruit powers didn’t work on him.

They couldn’t beat him head-on, and sneak attacks were pointless.

How were they supposed to defeat someone like Caelan?

For a while, despair settled over the officers.

“No point in talking about it anymore. Let’s face the God Slayer and fight to the death.”

Doflamingo said solemnly, his eyes filled with determination.

“Yes, Young Master!”

Diamante was the first to respond.

The other officers also steeled themselves and prepared for the final battle.

Soon, they followed Doflamingo and appeared in front of Caelan.

“Caelan, I really underestimated you,” Doflamingo said darkly.

“Violet, I didn’t expect you to be so naïve. Do you really think that by betraying me and siding with Caelan, he’ll save your country?”

“He’s just like me, another wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Doflamingo glared at Violet, resentment burning in his eyes.

She was the one he loved, the one who represented his feelings for his deceased mother. That was the only reason he hadn’t acted against her until now.

Seeing her so close to Caelan felt like watching his mother being violated by another man.

“You should stop assuming everyone is like you.”

Violet sneered.

She had done her homework. Caelan had always maintained a solid reputation. Apart from being a little flirtatious, he had no real faults.

Compared to the villainous Doflamingo, Caelan was far better.

Even if Caelan wanted Dressrosa, she’d rather hand it over to him. Anything was better than life under Doflamingo’s rule.

As she spoke, Violet tightened her hold on Caelan’s arm and shot Doflamingo a provocative look.

“You!”

Doflamingo was furious.

This wretched woman had the audacity to humiliate him like this.

As much as he wanted to keep watching the drama unfold, he’d rather do so after the fight.

Caelan looked at Doflamingo and said calmly, “Enough talking. Let’s get this started.”

“Fine! Even if I die today, I’ll take a piece of you with me!”

Doflamingo shouted in rage.

This man had not only destroyed his artificial Devil Fruit operation, but also stolen his subordinates and his woman.

He couldn’t let that slide.

Even if Caelan was ridiculously strong, he wasn’t made of steel.

Doflamingo was prepared to fight to the death.

“I admire your courage. I’ll give you the most crushing defeat.”

Caelan replied flatly, not taking Doflamingo’s threats seriously.

What a joke. With his current strength, if he couldn’t beat Doflamingo easily, it would be an embarrassment.

Caelan turned to his group and said, “I’ll handle Doflamingo. The rest of you, take on his subordinates. Try to keep any Devil Fruit users alive. As for the others, do as you see fit.”

“Yes!”

Everyone was hyped and ready.

Nami and the other girls wanted to test their strength. Gecko Moria wanted to prove himself to Caelan. The Marine officers were eager to show off.

All of them eyed Doflamingo’s officers like wolves stalking their prey.

Diamante and the others were feeling the pressure as they led their forces forward.

An admiral candidate, two Warlords of the Sea, and several other mysterious masters…

This wasn’t a battlefield. It was a slaughterhouse.

If not for their loyalty to Doflamingo, they’d have surrendered already.

As the two sides squared off, the tension in the air grew thicker.

…

Just as both sides prepared to clash, Borsalino arrived at the scene.

He landed on a rooftop and casually activated a video Den Den Mushi, connecting him to the Marine Headquarters and the Five Elders in the Holy Land.

However, what Kizaru didn’t know was that the Five Elders, along with several Celestial Dragons, had already relocated from Mariejois.

After witnessing Caelan unleash the God-Slaying Spear in the East Blue, they had been spooked into moving, fearing he might wipe out all the Celestial Dragons with a single strike.

At this moment, both the Five Elders and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were watching the battlefield with tense expressions.

Now that Caelan had become an enemy, any data on him was critical.

Hopefully, Doflamingo would push him hard enough to reveal more of his abilities.

Just then, a bird-like figure carrying a camera landed beside Kizaru and greeted him warmly. “What a coincidence, Admiral Kizaru. You here to film the news too?”

“How is your bird’s nose sharper than a dog’s? Wherever there’s trouble, you’re always there.”

Kizaru looked at Morgans and sighed.

“Haha, I’ve been waiting for Caelan-related news. I’ll follow him wherever he goes.”

Morgans laughed proudly, satisfied with his foresight.

After Caelan killed two Celestial Dragons, he became a living headline. Even his daily life footage was wildly popular—let alone an actual fight with Doflamingo.

Of course, Morgans wouldn’t dare film Caelan’s daily life. He might not live to edit it.

“Alright, enough chatting. The fight’s about to begin!”

Morgans quickly turned his head toward Caelan, his bird eyes gleaming.

Kizaru also focused on the battlefield, growing serious.

King versus king. Cadres versus cadres.

The battle between the Donquixote Family and Caelan had officially begun.

(To be continued.)