HST: Chapter 46/47

Chapter 46: Stepping Stone
New World, Moby Dick.

"Dad, look at this newspaper!"

Marco waved a newspaper in his hand, shouting loudly.

"Gurarara, Marco, what's got you so worked up?"

Whitebeard asked curiously. Marco wasn't usually this noisy.

Whitebeard took the newspaper and began reading it carefully.

"Crocodile tried to seize a country but was defeated by a newcomer."

Seeing the headline, Whitebeard looked a bit surprised.

More than twenty years ago, Crocodile had challenged him. Though he lost, he had still left a lasting impression.

His Armament Haki was weak, but his mastery of his Devil Fruit was exceptional.

In terms of combat ability, he was comparable to Marco, who also had ordinary Haki.

"Young people these days are truly impressive."

Looking at Caelan's young and determined face in the newspaper, Whitebeard sighed.

In the blink of an eye, a new generation of powerful figures had emerged. He was beginning to feel like he couldn't keep up with the times.

"Dad, Ace is the strongest of the new generation!"

Marco couldn't help but compete when he heard Whitebeard praise someone else.

In his eyes, Ace was the true standout of the new era—stronger than any rookie.

"Gurarara. Ace is excellent, but he should still be slightly behind Caelan."

Whitebeard laughed heartily, pinching his fingers together to show a small gap.

"Ah?!"

Marco was stunned. He couldn't believe those words had come from Whitebeard.

Ace was Dad's favorite and most trusted son. He had never hesitated to praise him.

But now, Dad believed Ace wasn't as good as Caelan?

…

Revolutionary Army Base.

Monkey D. Dragon looked at the newspaper in his hand and laughed heartily.

"Haha, Sabo, there's another hero rising in these seas!"

He waved the paper, pointing to the news as he laughed.

"Leader? Who could get you this excited?"

Sabo was a bit confused.

As leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon was always calm, composed, and reliable. It had been a long time since Sabo had seen him laugh like this.

Sabo glanced at the paper and his eyes widened.

"He just entered the Grand Line… and foiled Crocodile's plan to seize a country?!"

"It wasn't the Marines, or pirates, but a bounty hunter?!"

Sabo's expression changed dramatically.

Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, had unquestionable strength. Few in the Revolutionary Army could match him.

Now he had been defeated by a rookie? That was indeed shocking.

But what stood out to Sabo even more was Caelan's identity as a bounty hunter.

Not bound by the Navy's flawed justice, nor falling into the sins of piracy, he simply followed the justice in his heart.

"No wonder you're smiling, leader. A hero like this is truly inspiring."

Sabo said with admiration.

The appearance of someone like Caelan on the seas ignited a fire in his chest. It made him want to take down a Warlord himself.

"Sabo, find a way to meet him."

Dragon picked up the newspaper again, studying Caelan's photo and committing his face to memory.

If Caelan could be recruited to the Revolutionary Army, it would be a huge gain. Their movement would gain incredible momentum.

"Sabo, prepare yourself. The Revolutionary Army may soon gain a new deputy leader."

Dragon tucked the newspaper away carefully and spoke with calm resolve.

Sabo looked at him in disbelief, uncertain of what to say.

The deputy leader position had remained vacant for a long time, and no one in the organization dared to even consider taking it.

And yet, the leader was now placing that much importance on Caelan?

Without giving further explanation, Dragon turned and began issuing new orders for the Revolutionary Army.

…

Dressrosa, Donquixote Family.

"I really can't believe Crocodile tried to seize a country."

"But he's still too naive."

Doflamingo read the newspaper with a smug grin.

It was the same idea—usurping a kingdom—but the execution was different.

He had succeeded where Crocodile failed. Dressrosa was already entirely under his control.

Only someone as cunning as him could pull off such a feat.

Doflamingo swirled his wine glass, a sense of superiority rising in his chest.

Still, Caelan's name was getting on his nerves.

Looking at Caelan's confident photo in the paper, Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.

As a fellow schemer, he couldn't help but dislike the one who had ruined Crocodile's plan.

"You must be feeling proud after beating Crocodile."

"Come see me soon. I'll give you a warm welcome."

Doflamingo crumpled the newspaper and gave a sinister smile.

A bounty hunter defeating a Warlord? What an ugly headline.

He wouldn't allow that shame to be cast upon his own reputation.

If the chance came, he would wash it away with Caelan's blood.

Brrring, brrring!

Brrring, brrring!

A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, cutting off his thoughts. Frowning, Doflamingo picked it up.

"Doflamingo-sama, this is Bellamy, your loyal pirate."

On Jaya Island, Bellamy held the Den Den Mushi with reverence and excitement.

"I want to officially join the Donquixote Family. Please give me a mission!"

As a die-hard fan of Doflamingo, joining the Donquixote Family had always been his dream.

Doflamingo thought for a moment and remembered Bellamy.

A minor pirate with a 50 million Berry bounty, once obsessed with joining the family. Back then, he refused and just gave him a flag.

Now he had come knocking again.

"You're on Jaya Island, right?"

Doflamingo stroked his chin.

He recalled that Caelan's location was not far from Jaya.

"Yes, Doflamingo-sama! I'm honored you remember me!"

Bellamy was ecstatic.

"Very well. Kill that bounty hunter Caelan, and you'll become a cadre of the Donquixote Family."

With that, Doflamingo hung up.

He didn't think much of it, but figured he'd throw Caelan some extra trouble.

On the other end, Bellamy was ecstatic after receiving the task.

"Awesome! I can finally join the Donquixote Family!"

He flipped backward in celebration, unable to contain his joy.

As long as he defeated Caelan, he'd become an official cadre. One step closer to his dream!

"Caelan, I'm going to kill you!"

Bellamy licked the corner of his mouth, eyes gleaming with a twisted, bloodthirsty grin.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 47: Vivi's Courage

When the sea was in turmoil because of Caelan, he was enjoying the treatment of a distinguished guest in the palace of Alabasta.

"Mr. Caelan, this is your Berry."

King Cobra personally handed a box to Caelan and said enthusiastically.

Caelan took the box, opened it, and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"There's over 300 million Berries in here, right?"

The Berries inside were neatly stacked.

With Caelan's years of experience counting money, he could tell at a glance it was 400 million Berries.

"Mr. Caelan, 300 million Berries isn't enough to express our gratitude."

"It's just that this is all we have in the treasury right now," Cobra said regretfully.

At the start, the commission was only to drive Crocodile out of Alabasta.

Now the entire Baroque Works had been taken down, and Crocodile was completely defeated—Caelan had gone above and beyond.

Cobra was full of joy and almost wanted to give himself to Caelan.

"Then I'll gladly accept. Happy cooperation!"

Caelan smiled and extended his right hand to Cobra.

He appreciated such a sensible employer who understood the value of hard work.

"You're too kind, Mr. Caelan."

Cobra shook his hand happily. Having Caelan satisfied was his greatest honor.

"There will be a celebration banquet tonight. I hope you'll attend."

Taking advantage of the pleasant mood, Cobra extended the invitation.

"Sure, I'll definitely be there."

Caelan readily agreed.

Since entering the Grand Line half a month ago, he had been either fighting or rushing to the next battle.

After working hard for half a month, couldn't he enjoy himself a little?

That night, the palace of Alabasta was brightly lit, filled with music and dancing.

All the people of Alabasta offered their best hospitality to the hero of the nation to express their heartfelt gratitude to Caelan.

Caelan, Nami, and the other girls enjoyed themselves thoroughly. The best wine and food were in abundance, and everyone had a wonderful time.

Late at night, the banquet ended.

Caelan, Nami, and the others returned to their rooms to rest.

Lying in bed, Caelan was in a great mood, daydreaming.

The Marines had been efficient. Crocodile's bounty of 81 million Berries had been delivered, along with a new Hunter License.

It sounded good, but that was about it. Catching a pirate earned him the same salary as a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.

As for the Rear Admiral title itself, it was basically meaningless. With Caelan's current strength, he was respected wherever he went.

Its greatest value was that it reflected the Navy's friendly attitude.

"Equivalent to a Rear Admiral's status with corresponding benefits. Not bad."

Caelan casually slipped the new Hunter License into his pocket.

What he cared about more was how much this batch of Berries would boost his synchronization progress.

The Baroque Works agents who attacked the port had netted 130 million Berries in bounties, plus Crocodile's 81 million, Cobra's 400 million, and Galdino and Miss Goldenweek from Little Garden had totaled 53 million.

Other miscellaneous bounties had been spent on daily expenses and weren't included.

Right now, Caelan had 664 million Berries available to enhance his synchronization.

With a thought, Caelan opened his system panel.

---

[Host: Caelan]

[Template: Berserker Class · Heracles]

[Synchronization Progress: 54.5% + 2% (gained from defeating Crocodile)]

[Berry: 3 million + 664 million]

[Strength: B+]
[Endurance: B+]
[Agility: B+]
[Magic: B+]
[Luck: A]
[Noble Phantasm: A+]

[Personal Skills]: Battle Continuation (B), Mind's Eye (Fake) (B), Valor (A+), Divinity (A), Madness Enhancement (B)

[Other Skills]: Swordsmanship (B+), Armament Haki (C), Observation Haki (C), Conqueror's Haki (B+)

[Noble Phantasms]: God Hand: The Twelve Labors (B), Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads (C–A+)

---

"Consume 600 million Berries to improve synchronization."

As Caelan activated the function, the panel flickered and a surge of immense power flooded into his body.

Fragments of Heracles' combat experience and techniques surfaced in Caelan's mind.

---

[Host: Caelan]

[Template: Berserker Class · Heracles]

[Synchronization Progress: 62.5%]

[Berry: 67 million]

[Strength: B++]
[Endurance: B++]
[Agility: B++]
[Magic: B++]

---

Caelan could feel his strength had increased dramatically.

Now, he could face Dorry and Brogy together without sustaining any injuries.

But his attributes hadn't undergone a qualitative change yet. He still hadn't reached the A-rank power level.

"Looks like I need to hit 75% synchronization to break into A-rank."

Looking at the main stats on the panel, which now had a plus sign again, Caelan rubbed his chin in thought.

"There's still 12.5% left to reach... which means I need 1.2 billion more Berries. Where can I find that?"

Caelan calmed down and began thinking.

If he only relied on hunting pirates, he'd need to take down two more forces like Crocodile's.

That was difficult to find in the first half of the Grand Line.

He thought of the other Warlords of the Sea like Crocodile, but quickly dismissed the idea.

The others were relatively disciplined and couldn't be turned in for bounties.

Doflamingo was the only exception, but he was in the New World—too far away.

Aside from the Warlords, the other pirates were too scattered. Capturing them one by one would be troublesome.

"Is there a place where I can earn money quickly without too much hassle?"

Caelan racked his brain before finally having an idea.

Skypiea!

As a One Piece fan, Caelan remembered Skypiea vividly.

That place had an enormous amount of gold. Even taking a portion of it would bring in over 1 billion Berries.

And there was also Enel, who called himself a god. He was about as strong as a Warlord and worth fighting.

"It's decided. The next destination is Skypiea!"

Thinking of the many benefits, Caelan made up his mind.

Suddenly, his ears twitched as he picked up a sound.

Using Observation Haki, Caelan sensed an unexpected figure.

He didn't make a sound. Instead, he closed his eyes, curious to see what would unfold.

Tap tap tap...
Click!

With careful footsteps, Caelan's door was slowly pushed open.

"Hoo~"

Vivi cautiously poked her head in and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Caelan lying still on the bed.

Holding her breath, Vivi tiptoed into the room.

Thump, thump!

Her heart was pounding wildly, like it might leap out of her chest.

After gently closing the door behind her, Vivi walked softly to Caelan's bedside.

"Thank you, Caelan!"

She squatted beside the bed and whispered softly.

When she had gone undercover in Baroque Works and faced despair as she uncovered the mastermind behind it all, Caelan had appeared like a ray of light.

They had lived together for many days, facing countless dangers—Caelan had shielded her from all of them.

In the end, he had saved her father and rescued her country from crisis.

Vivi couldn't quite understand her feelings for Caelan.

Maybe it was gratitude, maybe admiration, maybe the fluttering affection of a young girl...

Or maybe it was all of the above.

Looking at Caelan's still-handsome sleeping face, Vivi's delicate cheeks turned bright red, like they were about to bleed.

At last, a powerful impulse rose from the depths of her heart, and Vivi leaned in.

Suddenly, she saw Caelan open his eyes and was instantly startled.

"Caelan! W-When did you wake up?!"

Vivi blushed furiously, her voice stammering.

"I never fell asleep."

Caelan looked at the flustered Vivi with amusement.

"Ugh!"

Vivi buried her face in her hands and whimpered.

It's over. This is too embarrassing!

Vivi felt like her world was collapsing. How could she do something so humiliating?

But then, a surge of courage welled up inside her.

Since it had already come to this... she might as well go all in!

Vivi leapt onto the bed. She wanted to shock Caelan once again!

Caelan's eyes widened in disbelief. He was truly shocked.

(To be continued.)