HST: Chapter 95/96

Chapter 95: See You Around

"Hahaha! Old man Rayleigh, why are you so pathetic?"

His voice came before he did. As soon as Garp landed ashore, he burst into laughter.

Rayleigh, lying on the ground, frowned and had the urge to curse.

Damn it. Today was the most humiliating day of his life.

He had been seen like this by Garp, an old rival, by a Marine Admiral, by a group of rookie brats... and worst of all, by that loudmouth news hawk, Morgans.

By tomorrow, the news that he'd been beaten to the ground would be known worldwide.

A lifetime of prestige, shattered in an instant.

Thinking of this, Rayleigh put on an expression of pained dignity.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Luffy recognized Garp's voice immediately and called out with excitement.

Grandpa!?

Rayleigh was stunned for a second, then broke into a grin.

The grandson of the so-called Marine Hero had turned into a pirate and was now caught, waiting to be turned in for a bounty. How interesting.

Rayleigh's expression relaxed as he started looking forward to the next development.

"Luffy?!"

Garp heard Luffy's voice and quickly led a squad of Marines over.

Luffy and his crew were all lying next to Rayleigh, each with a massive lump on their heads.

Garp couldn't even make fun of Rayleigh at that moment. Clearly, his grandson had also been given a beating.

Thankfully, they only had superficial injuries and no bleeding.

Just as he was about to rush over to check on Luffy, Caelan blocked his path.

"Vice Admiral Garp, let's settle my bounty first."

Caelan raised his hand with a smile, stopping Garp.

"Bogard, hurry up and bring the payment."

Garp looked at Caelan.

There were two of them here—him and Kizaru—and yet this kid was totally unafraid.

Still, he had no intention of fighting. It was only natural for bounty hunters to target pirates. If his grandson was stupid enough to become a pirate, then getting captured was on him.

Being a pirate was one thing, but clinging to someone like Caelan and then getting knocked out? That was entirely his own fault.

Besides, Caelan had clearly gone easy on Luffy and the others. With the strength to defeat Rayleigh, if Caelan had used full force, Luffy wouldn't be standing. He'd be paralyzed at best.

"Thanks, Vice Admiral Garp."

Caelan stepped aside and handed Rayleigh and Luffy over to Garp.

"Mr. Caelan, this is Rayleigh's bounty—3.8 billion Berries. And this is the Straw Hat crew's bounty, totaling 200 million Berries."

Bogard, Garp's adjutant, led a group of Marines carrying an entire container of Berries over to Caelan.

"Alright, perfect!"

Caelan opened the container and began inspecting it.

Stacks of Berries were piled neatly into blocks. Each bundle was one million Berries. Including the Straw Hats' bounty, there were exactly 4,000 stacks.

Garp was thoughtful enough to include the Straw Hats' bounty as well.

"Caelan, kid, why do you need so much money? It's just paper. Isn't it a pain to carry?"

Seeing the greedy glint in Caelan's eyes, Garp couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I've come this far thanks to Berries. I guess I'm sentimental. I just want to gather as much as I can."

Caelan was in a good mood and responded cheerfully.

"Oh, so you didn't have it easy either, huh?"

Garp patted Caelan on the shoulder, feeling a bit emotional.

In his mind, he imagined a story of Caelan being a poor man who rose to greatness through sheer hard work.

His fondness for collecting Berries probably came from childhood poverty—a lingering obsession.

"Yeah. It wasn't easy at all."

Caelan nodded with a deep sigh.

He'd fought hard to scrape together all these Berries, yet it still wasn't enough to satisfy the bottomless pit that was his system.

The road ahead was long, with no end in sight.

"I feel like they're not talking about the same thing..."

Kizaru watched the two of them share their heartfelt sighs and felt an odd disconnect.

They were clearly having two different conversations, but somehow both sounded reasonable.

"The money's been delivered, so we'll be leaving now."

Garp bid farewell to Caelan, then escorted Rayleigh and Luffy away with Kizaru.

"See you around."

Caelan watched them go, muttering softly. The next time they met, they would most likely be enemies.

Luffy turned back as he was being taken away.

"Heyyy! I'll definitely defeat you one day!"

He wasn't discouraged by the crushing defeat. In fact, it had lit a new fire in him.

To become the Pirate King, he'd have to surpass the world's strongest bounty hunter.

"My dear grandson, it's been a while. Did you forget about Grandpa's Fist of Love?"

"Now tell me, are you still planning to be a pirate?"

Garp cracked his knuckles, face full of menace as he glared at Luffy.

All of Luffy's bounty money had come out of Garp's own salary, not a single Berry from the World Government.

He had burned through most of his savings just to redeem Luffy. Now he had to skimp on rice crackers and donuts.

And yet this brat had the audacity to provoke Caelan.

If he got captured again, there wouldn't be enough money left to save him.

"Grandpa! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Luffy shouted with defiance, head held high.

"Fist of Love!"

A black fist covered in Armament Haki smashed down on Luffy's head.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Just you wait, Caelan! I'm going to beat you!"

Luffy refused to back down and turned to yell at Caelan again.

"Haha… so naive."

Caelan didn't reply. He just muttered to himself.

Now that he had 4 billion Berries, he had already surpassed the limits of the pirate world.

No matter how many sit-ups Luffy did, Caelan didn't care.

Caelan, backed by the Twelve Labours, was at least 10,000 times better at sit-ups than Luffy.

After Garp and Kizaru left, Morgans also took his leave sensibly. Caelan then began his feast.

"These Berries smell damn sweet."

He took a deep breath, savoring the intoxicating scent of money.

"System, recharge!"

As the mountain of Berries vanished, the total in the system panel reached 4.627 billion—a record-breaking number.

Once he found a quiet place, he'd be ready for another transformation.

…

Holy Land Mariejois

Spandam's father, Spandine, rushed toward the Five Elders' meeting hall.

He had urgent news to report.

He hadn't been paying attention for a few days, then suddenly noticed that his son Spandam's life card had turned to ashes.

When he went to investigate Enies Lobby, he discovered that all the senior agents of CP9 had been taken away by Spandam two days earlier. None could be contacted.

"Caelan, how dare you!"

Spandine's eyes were bloodshot with rage.

His son had been killed, and CP9's elite agents were gone. The organization now existed in name only.

He wasn't seeking revenge for his son. But if Caelan had wiped out CP9, the World Government absolutely would not let him live.

"Captain Spandine, the Five Elders will see you now."

The moment the guard made the announcement, Spandine stepped into the palace, red-eyed and filled with fury.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 96: Dead End

Caelan returned to the Wind Rider, and just as he was preparing to set sail, he received news from Gecko Moria.

"The Celestial Dragons really are filthy rich. They just bought a few more Devil Fruits. I heard there are two Mythical Zoan and one Logia among them."

"Damn it, I really want to snatch one!"

Moria's eyes were bloodshot with envy as he sighed.

The thought of such rare Devil Fruits being fed to slaves by the Celestial Dragons made his heart ache.

If those Fruits had gone to him, he could easily cultivate a few more fighters on the level of the Seven Warlords.

The speaker had no intent, but the listener did. Caelan had taken it all in.

"If you're that jealous… then let's take them!"

"Caelan-sama, I was just kidding!"

Moria waved his hands in a panic, clearly terrified.

He had been speaking casually, but this monster actually took him seriously!

"Moria, I'm not joking."

Caelan stared at him, deadly serious.

"Those Celestial Dragons are trash, but their status is protected. If we touch them, the World Government won't let us go!"

Moria surrounded Caelan, trying his best to reason with him.

"Haha. And yet you're happily using the shadows of CP9? You think the World Government's going to let you off?"

Caelan sneered, disdain in his voice.

The moment he wiped out CP9, he had already become a sworn enemy of the World Government.

And besides, he didn't recognize so-called 'world nobles.'

"I'm being hunted from all sides anyway. Might as well make it worth it!"

A fierce glint flashed in Caelan's eyes. He had already made up his mind.

"Robin, Nami, are you in?"

Nami and the others looked at Caelan. They could feel his imposing aura. He didn't even take the Celestial Dragons seriously.

"Let's do it."

Robin spoke first, her voice steady and unwavering.

After all, Caelan had defied the World Government for her sake. No matter what he decided to do, she would support him.

"Let's do it!"

Nami, usually the cautious one, also spoke up.

Caelan had saved her entire village. She couldn't bear to turn away from him now.

"Let's do it!"

Vivi answered loudly.

As the princess of Alabasta, she should have been more rational.

But Caelan had promised to protect Alabasta. She had no reason to hesitate.

Kalifa and Tashigi exchanged glances before responding together.

"Let's do it!"

Although they had once served the World Government and were still slightly conflicted, they had made their choice.

Besides, it was just the Celestial Dragons. Why not?

Perona also silently stood beside Caelan and voiced her determination.

"I'm in too."

Gritting his teeth, Moria finally gave in to Caelan's resolve.

Following a boss like this, he had no choice but to go all the way.

His worn-out ambition was suddenly reignited in the face of Caelan's madness.

"Alright!"

"Where are they? Let's go kill them!"

Caelan nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the united group.

"They're at another port. They left not long ago. We can still catch up!"

Moria pointed in the direction they had gone.

Soon, the Wind Rider and Moria's ship charged toward the Celestial Dragons like mad beasts.

As they approached, Caelan spotted CP0 agents in white uniforms standing guard on the deck.

"Stop! The Celestial Dragons are aboard this ship!"

The CP0 agent shouted, attempting to drive Caelan and his group away.

If it were anyone else, they would've already fired a cannon without hesitation.

But this agent was mindful of intelligence and recognized both Caelan—on par with the Four Emperors—and Gecko Moria, a former Warlord of the Sea.

"Haha. I'm here to beat up Celestial Dragons."

Caelan paid no attention and sped up instead.

"Damn it!"

The CP0 agent cursed internally, feeling like the sky was collapsing.

For years, no one had dared lay a hand on the Celestial Dragons. Their so-called 'divine authority' had intimidated countless pirates.

But those who did dare to attack were all absolute monsters, beyond reason or restraint.

And without a doubt, Caelan was one of them.

The ship was already on the brink of destruction.

Before Caelan could even board, the CP0 agent picked up a Den Den Mushi and contacted the Five Elders.

…

Main Hall, Holy Land Mariejois

The Five Elders had just received a report from Kizaru: Rayleigh had been successfully handed over.

The five old men lounged lazily on sofas, red wine glasses clinking. Their mood was excellent.

"A mere 3.8 billion Berries for the Pirate King's right hand. What a bargain!"

Saint Mars swirled his wine glass, closing his eyes in delight.

"Every time we captured a pirate of this level in the past, we had to deploy top-tier forces. The cost in manpower and resources was like a war. Even if successful, it often came at a huge price."

Saint Saturn was just as sentimental.

Even now, their elite troops were being whittled down. Training new ones cost time and treasure.

"But now we don't have to worry. With Caelan working for us, everything's easier."

Saint Warcury said smugly.

Anything that could be solved with money wasn't a real problem.

With over 170 member nations paying tribute, they held the greatest wealth in the world.

"If this keeps up, he'll start hunting the Four Emperors next, right?"

"Which one will it be? Charlotte Linlin? Kaido? Or Whitebeard?"

Saint Nasujuro leaned back into the sofa, speaking comfortably.

"No matter who it is, we profit. Even if it's 5 billion Berries, give it to him!"

Saint Saturn waved grandly, filled with bravado.

"Hahaha. Bounty hunters like him are just tools we use."

At his words, the other Elders burst out in laughter.

"Cheers to our hero!"

The five raised their glasses in celebration, openly mocking.

Just then, Spandine entered, eyes red.

"Reporting to the Five Elders, two days ago, Caelan wiped out the CP9 unit near the Florian Triangle."

Spandine knelt before them, his voice trembling.

The Five Elders, who had been brimming with joy, suddenly froze, all eyes fixed on Spandine.

"Impossible! You must be mistaken!"

Saint Saturn erupted, releasing an oppressive aura that nearly crushed Spandine.

"Two days ago, my son Spandam led all senior CP9 agents to the Florian Triangle to capture Nico Robin, the 'Devil's Child' aboard Caelan's ship."

"Afterwards, I discovered my son's Vivre card had turned to ashes. I investigated everything and concluded that it was Caelan's doing."

Spandine spoke slowly, his voice strained under the pressure.

"Impossible! Absolutely not!"

Saint Saturn roared in denial.

Caelan's position was too important. He couldn't believe it.

If Caelan remained a bounty hunter, he would be the World Government's sharpest weapon—eliminating unruly legends one after another.

But if Caelan turned against them, he would become a powerful enemy—one who required at least two Admirals to restrain.

Just then, another Den Den Mushi rang. Saint Nasujuro impatiently picked it up.

"Five Elder Stars, Caelan has attacked the ship of Saint Charlos. He has..."

The voice abruptly cut off with the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Then, silence.

Saint Nasujuro crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand, his face ashen.

(To be continued.)