Magellan watched the attacks closing in on Caelan from all directions, and an uncontrollable panic rose in his heart.
Byrnndi World's Flame Giant Fist, the high-temperature flames attached to it were nothing. But with the power of the Moa-Moa Fruit, the speed and mass increased a hundredfold, it was an attack beyond the limits of an Admiral.
Bullet had a body as massive as a mountain, with gigantic arms a hundred meters long, all covered in pitch-black Armament Haki.
Judging by Armament Haki alone, it was the most terrifying Magellan had ever seen.
Although Redfield's attack was not as overwhelming as the previous two, it was still an unignorable strike. He poured all his strength into a single blow, making it as powerful as theirs.
Except for Blackbeard's comparatively weaker move, the attacks from these remnants of the old era were extremely powerful, absolutely at Admiral-class combat power.
Before they were brought into Impel Down, these men had been great pirates ruling their own territories, captured only with the combined efforts of multiple Admirals.
They were proud and unruly. They should have dominated and opposed each other, not united.
But under the pressure from Caelan, they joined forces.
Not only did they cooperate, they even showed perfect tacit understanding and unleashed their strongest attacks simultaneously.
Magellan had no idea how to resist such a deadly siege.
If he used the Venom Demon, the result would be that it would be evaporated and crushed.
He looked at Caelan and grew worried for his future boss.
…
A black shadow swam under Caelan's feet, and the suction of the Dark-Dark Fruit tried to drag him into the darkness, then crush him with its power.
This ability was a lethal weapon against Devil Fruit users. Even those without fruits could not avoid the gravity. However, it was completely ineffective against Caelan's raw strength.
Caelan stood calmly. No matter how the darkness pulled at him, he remained immovable.
Blackbeard without dual fruits was just a clown. Even if his physical skills were not weak, he was nothing to Caelan.
The real threats were the other three.
Individually, they were manageable. Together, this was a serious strike.
"What a surprise."
Flames reflected in Caelan's pupils, and his loose clothes clung to his body under the pressure.
The combined power of Byrnndi World, Redfield, and Bullet was nearly twice as strong as Kaido's strongest technique, Rising Dragon: Flame Torch.
Of course, he had the strength to face them head-on. Many of his treasures could meet them directly, and the Spear of God Slayer could even reduce them to ash.
But that would kill all the unconscious criminals inside the Reality Marble with the aftermath, leaving no chance to harvest their Devil Fruits.
So, he had to endure.
But taking it alone would be foolish, and he did not want to put himself in that awkward position.
"Kaido-sensei, I'm sorry. Stop them."
Caelan's mind moved, and he ordered the blue dragon in the sky.
"Roar!"
The Azure Dragon roared.
Under the compulsory command of Riding (A), the dragon dove toward Caelan without hesitation.
The moment the dragon plunged down, Byrnndi World and the other two were briefly stunned.
They had unleashed their ultimate moves, yet Caelan actually let someone else block them. How shameless could he be?
And Kaido, are you mad?
He actually helped someone block this kind of attack. You cannot be that kind.
They tried to bypass the dragon and strike at Caelan, but found the Azure Dragon shielding him tightly, leaving no opening.
Yet the arrow was nocked. There was no way to withdraw.
If a technique could be casually retracted, it was not a technique at all.
Helpless, they poured all their strength into crushing the troublesome dragon first.
The 600-meter body fully stretched out like a solid wall, wrapping around the three charging attackers.
Flame Giant Fist hit first, slamming into the dragon's waist.
The Azure Dragon controlled by Caelan could not use Armament Haki, and its defense was greatly reduced.
This strike had to be taken purely by its body.
In an instant, the dragon's hide split open and purple scales scattered across the ground.
A massive crater of mangled flesh two meters wide appeared, almost punching through its heavy body.
The flesh was scorched black by the flames clinging to the giant fist.
"Roar!"
The Azure Dragon let out a shrill roar, yet did not retreat even as Bullet and Redfield closed in.
Redfield's attack struck the dragon's tail, breaking it in two.
Bullet's mountain-sized fist smashed into the dragon's head. The horns shattered, and the entire head was driven into the ground.
The once-majestic Azure Dragon was now in a wretched state.
The once-proud horns had snapped and fallen, the dragon's head was nearly deformed, the body tattered, and the tail severed in two.
The entire dragon lay on the ground, covered in blood, breath so faint it could no longer rise.
The Azure Dragon had absorbed all the attacks with its body, creating an opening for Caelan.
The moment the dragon fell, Caelan moved.
He drew Shusui, tightened the muscles in his legs, and stomped the ground hard.
In the next instant, Caelan appeared in front of Byrnndi World.
Among the three, the Momo-Momo Fruit granted the highest offensive power. With the hundredfold boost, Byrnndi World's power even surpassed his own in raw output.
"How is he this fast!?"
Byrnndi World stared in horror at Caelan, who had suddenly appeared.
The speed was so great it flashed past his senses.
Before he could react, Caelan was already before him.
In that instant, he knew something was wrong.
Instinctively, Byrnndi World swung his fist, clad in Armament Haki, at Caelan.
"Your reaction is too slow."
Caelan remained composed.
Perhaps the fruit's power was too overwhelming, or perhaps his talent was limited. This legendary pirate had not reached the pinnacle in Haki, and his Observation Haki was lacking.
Using future-sight, Caelan tilted his head to evade the punch, then swung his blade at Byrnndi World's neck.
A silver-white arc flashed, and bright red blood sprayed.
Byrnndi World fell. His body was promptly transformed into a Heroic Spirit by Caelan and returned to the Hall of Heroes.
"Next, Redfield."
Caelan shot toward the caped Red Count with lightning speed, blade poised.
"Coming straight for me. What a terrifying young man."
Redfield was a master of Haki, with Observation Haki as his greatest gift.
In a heartbeat, he reacted to Caelan's assault.
He used extreme speed to change direction rapidly.
However, Caelan was faster, and appeared before him in a flash.
"I am old after all. My legs are not what they used to be."
Redfield looked at Caelan and could not help but sigh.
In his youth, his speed would have been unmatched.
But Caelan had no time to lament with him.
The blade rose and fell. Redfield, dead.
Finally, the only one left was the 500-meter-tall inorganic giant, Bullet.
Compared to Bullet, Caelan, who was only two meters tall, was like a tiny bug.
But strength is not measured by size. The 170-meter-tall Sanjuan Wolf had been suppressed by Caelan's Conqueror's Haki and could not move.
"Roar!"
The giant-like Bullet roared.
Two enormous palms, each over a hundred square meters, came crashing down toward Caelan.
In an instant, the sky went dark, and all that remained in Caelan's eyes were the two giant hands.
"Your power is great, but dispersed. You are inferior to the other two."
Caelan offered a cold assessment.
The giant's size gave Bullet the power to overturn seas, but not the corresponding speed or invincible hardness.
In Caelan's eyes, he was just a loose target.
Facing the massive palms, Caelan stamped the ground with his right foot, gripped Shusui, and soared into the sky.
In a blink, Caelan was beneath the giant palm.
Then he drove straight in with unstoppable force.
With Armament Haki coating Shusui, the giant reconstructed from inorganic matter felt like clay.
Even with Bullet's Armament Haki added to it.
Before Caelan, it was nothing but a thin, brittle shell.
From the point where Caelan pierced through, the entire arm of the giant began to collapse, black material pouring down.
"Damn it, how can he be so strong!?"
Sensing the giant's collapse, Bullet gritted his teeth.
While desperately trying to repair the titan, he shifted his position within the inorganic colossus.
Unfortunately, none of this could escape Caelan's Observation Haki.
Wherever Bullet fled, Caelan rushed to meet him.
Even with torrents of inorganic matter blocking his path, Caelan's speed did not slow.
In a moment, he was in front of Bullet.
"Armament Haki, Hardening!"
Seeing Caelan rush him, Bullet had no escape.
He immediately withdrew the Armament Haki coating the giant and clad himself entirely instead.
In an instant, Bullet was wrapped in pitch-black Haki, his muscular frame gleaming.
Caelan found it almost amusing.
In Bullet, he seemed to see the shadow of Lucci and Blueno using Tekkai.
But once you brace like that, do you not leave yourself rooted?
"One strike, cleave in two!"
Caelan raised Shusui and brought it down with all his strength.
Purple-black lightning crackled along the blade, amplifying the strike's power.
As it fell, it roared like wind and thunder.
At extreme speed and force, friction kindled flames around the edge.
Under Bullet's horrified gaze, Shusui struck his head.
Sssht.
There was a brief resistance, then it slid through as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.
Bullet, armored in Haki, was split in half.
There was no spray of blood, as the high heat along the blade sealed and carbonized the wound.
Valhalla gained another powerful general.
"Three attacking together, and there was still enough for one more blow.
"Divide them and break them. They are nothing but chickens and dogs."
Caelan sheathed his sword and quietly evaluated the three men's strength.
Individually, at their current states, they fluctuated around Admiral level.
In terms of destructive power, with the aid of the Moa-Moa Fruit, Byrnndi World had surpassed an Admiral's level.
When the three attacked together and restrained each other's gaps, their impact was indeed significant.
But as long as you seized the opening and defeated them one by one, there was no threat at all.
It was a pity for Kaido-sama, who could not use Armament and relied only on the Zoan's physical defense to take three major moves. He had likely lost half his life.
But it did not matter. Once transformed into a Heroic Spirit, Kaido would immediately rise again.
Joining the Summit War with Caelan, letting the three Logia Admirals experience true dominance, would be easy.
…
On the other side, Blackbeard looked extremely displeased as he watched his three allies die.
A moment ago, four of them had been besieging Caelan with overwhelming ultimate moves.
Now three were dead, and one remained, isolated and helpless.
In an instant, the situation reversed, and he was the only one still able to fight.
But his fighting ability was far inferior to Caelan's.
After witnessing Caelan dispatch his three temporary allies, he felt no will to resist.
In terms of combat strength, he was inferior to those three.
Caelan's power was simply too great.
"How do I survive this?"
Blackbeard thought.
If he charged in by force, he would not survive.
But if he revealed certain secrets, he would be in trouble.
For a moment, Blackbeard was torn and anxious.
But looking at Caelan's indifferent face, he made up his mind.
"Caelan-sama, I have admired you for a long time." Blackbeard grinned with his missing teeth. "You may not know it, but I once saw you on Jaya Island. I was so scared I did not dare to approach.
"I am willing to be your subordinate. I am a user of the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit. I can seal a Devil Fruit user's power. I am very useful!"
He wore a flattering smile.
But no matter what kind of smile he made, it only disgusted others.
"Is that all?"
A smile touched Caelan's lips.
"Of course, there is more. I am also good at hand-to-hand combat!"
Blackbeard hurried to raise his price and add conditions for himself.
"That is nothing. I heard you can strip other people's Devil Fruit abilities, right?" Caelan asked with a smile.
"…"
Blackbeard's pupils shrank, and he stared at Caelan in shock.
He did not know how Caelan knew. This was clearly a secret only he knew.
But now Caelan knew.
In this case, he could only admit it.
With such an ability, surely his life would be spared, and he would be valued.
"Yes, you are well-informed. I do have this ability." Blackbeard smiled ingratiatingly. "I am willing to be your subordinate and gather the sea's Devil Fruits for you."
"No."
Caelan drove his fist, clad in Armament Haki, straight into Blackbeard.
Dark Haki flowed flexibly over his knuckles. It was Armament Haki, Ryuo.
"Why!?"
Blackbeard could not understand why Caelan suddenly attacked.
His pupils contracted and he crossed his hands to block.
But how could he stop Caelan's Haki-clad punch?
Boom.
On impact, Blackbeard was blasted away.
He plowed a deep trench in the ground, then lay still.
"Gwah!"
Blackbeard fell and wailed.
Under Caelan's Ryuo-infused punch, the Dark-Dark Fruit's damage absorption was shattered.
His internal organs were displaced. Even with his special body, he could not avoid serious injury.
Coupled with the Dark-Dark Fruit's double pain, he could barely breathe from the agony.
"Do you not need me to extract Devil Fruit powers?"
Blackbeard asked through tears.
"Of course."
Caelan's tone was calm.
"Then why did you—!"
Blackbeard was full of confusion.
But Caelan did not intend to explain.
He transformed a vast amount of mana into a great hand and seized Blackbeard.
That immense magic surged into Blackbeard's body, forcibly completing the Heroic Spirit Transformation Ritual despite his resistance.
This was nothing like the gentle method used when transforming Nami and Robin.
Against Blackbeard, Caelan's methods were brutally direct, bordering on torture.
Grab, and refine on the spot.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)