HST: Chapter 82/83

Chapter 82: A Chance

At this moment, Tokikake had temporarily set aside his petty jealousy and gained a new understanding of Caelan's ability.

Even the Warlords, who often disregarded the World Government's commands, showed complete obedience in front of Caelan. Moria's arrogant demeanor had vanished, replaced with meek compliance.

It was worth noting that even Marine admirals rarely received such cooperation from Moria.

Gion couldn't help but wonder what kind of method Caelan used to make someone like Moria follow him so willingly.

"Well, since you seem curious about my method, Miss Gion, how about coming aboard my ship and finding out for yourself?"

Caelan replied playfully, without a hint of modesty.

"Haha, dream on! That's never happening!"

"If Gion ever joins you, I'll eat a battleship on the spot!"

Tokikake burst out laughing, feeling that Caelan was overconfident.

Gion had deep ties to the Marines. How could she possibly abandon all that and follow Caelan?

Gion frowned slightly. While she had no intention of joining Caelan, Tokikake's words felt over the line.

Caelan didn't argue with Tokikake, simply smiling in response.

"For now, please help me with the bounty exchange."

Caelan pointed at the thousands of pirates and spoke calmly.

"Understood."

Gion gave Caelan a long look, then led a group of Marines to begin tallying the pirates.

Soon, the total count was complete.

"Mr. Caelan, your standards are... pretty low."

"Can you tell me whose corpse that is?"

Tokikake pointed to Brook, clearly unimpressed.

Most of the thousand-plus pirates were small fry with bounties in the thousands, some not even listed. And then there was this skeleton, who knew where those bones had been dug up from? They looked like they'd been dead for decades.

"Forget about him."

Caelan sighed and tossed Brook back to Moria's ship.

Brook's skeleton-only form made it hard to collect a bounty. Still, his Revive-Revive Fruit ability had value, so Caelan decided to leave him under Moria's command.

"Excluding the skeleton, the remaining pirates total 300 million Berries."

Gion chuckled and handed over a suitcase.

"Until we meet again."

Caelan took the bounty and turned to leave.

"Haha! Gion, did you hear him?"

Tokikake pointed at Caelan's departing figure, laughing as if it were a joke.

As if Gion could ever be lured away by someone like him. He'd never have to eat a battleship in his life!

"I'd like to see what kind of tactics he plans to use to win me over..."

Gion murmured softly.

Tokikake drew in a sharp breath, his gut twisting with dread.

He'd pursued Gion for years, yet she had never looked at him that way.

No way... could she really be falling for him?

Tokikake stared at the retreating Wind Rider, his face contorted.

…

After leaving the Marine base, Caelan visited a nearby island and exchanged the rest of the treasure for Berries. Including the pirate bounties, he earned a total of 500 million Berries.

His synchronization progress rose from 83% to 88%. His strength grew once again, leaving just 1.2 billion Berries' worth before completing the current template.

"Next, we set sail for the New World. I should be able to complete the synchronization on the way."

Caelan reclined in a beach chair, lost in thought.

Ahead lay Sabaody Archipelago and Fish-Man Island. And if a few short-sighted Celestial Dragons happened to cross his path, he might make an extra stop at Amazon Lily.

He didn't want to provoke the Marines just yet, but if the Celestial Dragons brought trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter them.

A mere World Government couldn't stop him. His goal was to become one of the Four Emperors.

In any case, his progress should be nearly complete before reaching the New World.

If not, then he'd pay a visit to Doflamingo. The Donquixote Family was filthy rich.

Once synchronization reached 100%, he could unlock a new template and gain even more power.

Heracles template was already enough to let him rampage through the seas. If he acquired another...

Just thinking about it thrilled him.

"Master, please enjoy your afternoon tea~"

As Caelan was deep in thought, a soft and sugary voice drifted to his ears.

Perona, dressed in her maid outfit, approached with a tray of snacks.

"So it's Perona-chan. You're getting more and more like a real maid."

Caelan took the snack tray and patted her on the head.

At first, she had been shy. But over the past two days, he noticed that she had started to enjoy it.

Not only did she perform her duties well, she even made extra donuts for everyone.

"No! I just made too much and didn't want it to go to waste!"

Perona swung her twin ponytails with a red face, trying to sound proud.

"What a dishonest little girl. Who makes dozens of donuts just for themselves?"

Vivi slung an arm around her shoulder, teasing her.

The other girls, all snacking on donuts, chuckled at her flustered expression.

"Ah! Don't overthink it! I really just made too many!"

Perona shrieked and ran off to the cabin, her face bright red.

"What a strange bunch..."

She curled up inside the cabin and muttered, but her smile couldn't be hidden.

After spending a few days with everyone, she found the atmosphere on the ship surprisingly nice.

Nami and Robin said they wanted to punish her, but all they did was make her a maid—which wasn't even that bad.

And while Caelan had a nasty personality, he was still kind and easy to get along with. Aside from constantly teasing her, he had no major faults.

But she didn't mind the teasing, either.

Compared to the gloom of the ghost castle, Perona much preferred the warmth and laughter on the Wind Rider.

…

On the ship trailing behind the Wind Rider.

"Did Perona make this? It's really good."

Moria took a bite of a donut, savoring the taste.

"It's average."

Brook said flatly.

Over the past two days, he had officially become one of Moria's subordinates.

After all, knowing when to bend and when to fight was the mark of a true man!

He still had to stay alive and fulfill his promise to Laboon.

"You just don't appreciate it! These are the best donuts in the world!"

Moria shouted, punching Brook on the skull in irritation.

"That's right, that's right!"

Hogback nodded furiously in agreement.

Though he also thought the flavor was just okay, he wasn't stupid.

"You've got good taste."

Moria patted Hogback on the shoulder, feeling pleased.

These were Perona's creations, so of course they were the best!

As he looked toward the Wind Rider ahead, Moria felt reassured in his decision.

There was hope for revenge against Kaido, and Perona was happy.

Being a little leader under Caelan? Not bad at all.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 83: Capture Him

It was noon again. The sky was clear, and the Wind Rider was sailing steadily toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

On the deck, the girls had just finished their Rokushiki training and were now sipping chilled drinks to cool off.

"I'm exhausted!"

Perona stuck out her tongue and exhaled heavily.

Raised by Gecko Moria, she had never trained this hard in her life.

"Don't complain. Plenty of people would love to suffer like this but never get the chance."

Caelan placed his large hand on Perona's head and gave it a light pat.

"Will I be able to defeat you if I master this?"

Perona slapped his hand away in annoyance.

How could he just pat a girl's head like that without asking?

"If you train hard enough, maybe a miracle will happen."

Caelan chuckled, giving her a shred of hope.

"That's right. As long as you stick with it, anything's possible!"

The other girls tried to hold back their laughter and spoke seriously.

Rokushiki was indeed a practical system, but at its peak, it was still only a foundational combat style. Someone like Caelan didn't need to practice it. His raw strength alone already replicated its effects.

"Hmph! You're bullying me again!"

Perona huffed and turned away proudly.

Just as everyone was laughing, Kalifa suddenly froze mid-motion and walked back into the cabin.

Buru buru buru!

A moment later, she returned holding a ringing Den Den Mushi, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"Caelan, it's Spandam. What should I do?"

Kalifa looked at him seriously.

This was the first time Spandam had contacted her since she joined the Wind Rider. She had completely committed herself to Caelan's crew, so she naturally deferred to his decision.

"Answer it right here. Let's see what he wants."

Caelan was curious.

Logically, after defeating an admiral, CP9 shouldn't have the courage to make a move. What was Spandam thinking?

Robin, Nami, and the others stopped talking. The entire deck fell silent.

At Caelan's instruction, Kalifa no longer hesitated and connected the Den Den Mushi in front of everyone.

"Kalifa, is there anyone around you?"

Spandam's voice came through nervously, barely above a whisper.

This was his first time making contact with an undercover agent planted within a Four Emperors' crew. He was thrilled.

"Don't worry. There's no one nearby."

Kalifa answered seriously while glancing at the six curious faces staring at her.

"Excellent. Kalifa, I want you to send Nico Robin to Enies Lobby immediately!"

Spandam's tone turned stern.

Caelan's expression darkened.

He had thought that after the confrontation with Aokiji, the World Government would back off for a while. He didn't expect them to cling like leeches.

These bastards really didn't fear death.

"Why the sudden rush?"

Kalifa remained calm, trying to get more information.

CP9's objective was the Pluton blueprint. Their interest in Robin stemmed from her ability to read Poneglyphs. She was a backup plan, only needed if the design couldn't be found.

"Lucci and the others failed. The Pluton blueprint finally surfaced, and it was destroyed by the Straw Hat Pirates!"

Spandam's voice trembled with rage.

Caelan raised an eyebrow. CP9 was truly useless. After farming half of Luffy's experience bar, they still lost?

Still, he couldn't let Robin be taken.

Caelan motioned for Kalifa to come closer.

She held the Den Den Mushi away, whispered with Caelan, then returned to the call.

"Sir, Caelan was seriously injured during the battle with Admiral Aokiji, and then he clashed with Moria. His injuries worsened afterward."

"He's currently on high alert. I really can't make a move right now!"

Kalifa spread her hands, sounding helpless.

"What?! He was seriously injured? He struggled that much against Moria?!"

Spandam sounded both shocked and elated.

"Yes."

Kalifa didn't blink as she lied. Her face remained calm.

The women around her exchanged looks. They all knew this was a setup.

After defeating Moria, Caelan was in perfect health. He had been too healthy the past few days. It was them who had suffered.

"Great! Send me your coordinates. This time I'll make a huge contribution!"

Spandam was ecstatic.

"We're headed toward the Sabaody Archipelago. Just follow the route and you'll find us."

Following Caelan's signal, Kalifa gave the location and ended the call.

"Caelan, are you planning to take on CP9?"

Kalifa asked quietly.

Taking on CP9 meant opposing the World Government.

Though she had prepared for that possibility, facing it directly still made her uneasy.

It was a behemoth that had ruled the world for 800 years. Its true power was unfathomable.

"Yes. He's already threatening my crew. That means he's looking for a way to kill me."

Caelan's voice was firm and absolute.

He had wanted to deal with Spandam for a long time.

As someone who had watched One Piece, he found Spandam to be utterly disgusting.

He hadn't bothered before because it wasn't worth the effort.

But now that Spandam was walking into his trap, he'd die like a dog.

"You're willing to defy the World Government… for the sake of your crew?"

Perona was stunned by Caelan's boldness. Her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at him.

The other women were also moved. Their eyes shimmered as they felt a deep sense of safety.

As for the World Government's threat—it didn't matter. They were all on the same ship now. Sharing life and death was only natural.

…

Enies Lobby, Top Floor of the Judiciary Tower

Spandam paced back and forth in his office, holding the Den Den Mushi tightly, almost giddy with excitement.

Not only could he capture Nico Robin, he might also eliminate Caelan, the man who defeated a Marine admiral.

Caelan had already been labeled a Yonko-level threat and marked by the Five Elders.

Capturing him would be a massive achievement. Maybe he could get promoted from CP9 Chief to CP0 Chief.

Just the thought made him grin.

Unfortunately, his limited brain power couldn't comprehend that this was a trap laid by Caelan.

Soon, summoned by Spandam, Rob Lucci, Kaku, and the rest of CP9 entered the office.

"Tomorrow, go to this location and capture Caelan—the man who defeated Aokiji!"

Spandam pointed at a sea chart and declared with conviction.

"Us?"

Kaku pointed to himself, dumbfounded.

This was someone who had defeated both an admiral and a Warlord of the Sea.

Though usually arrogant, Kaku had some self-awareness. Against a Yonko-level powerhouse, even a hundred of him would be useless.

(To be continued.)