"Ah ha?" Caelan held the soft girl in his arms, surprised but not entirely unexpected.
With Hancock's genes, their behavior patterns were identical.
In fact, since they were still children, they appeared even more enthusiastic.
But he didn't mind it at all.
"Lord Caelan, let's get married…"
S-Snake's eyes were hazy, and she was about to say something outrageous.
Caelan quickly covered S-Snake's mouth.
That was not something she should be saying. It would be terrifying if she actually said it.
S-Snake nodded in disappointment and promised not to speak further.
Caelan enjoyed the warmth and softness of the girl in his arms.
He liked the grown-up Hancock, and he liked the little S-Snake as well.
"Lord Caelan, we should head out now."
Stussy looked at Caelan with a smile.
According to their deal, she now belonged to Caelan.
She needed to solidify her position with him as quickly as possible and couldn't afford to be overshadowed by a flat-chested loli.
Caelan turned to look at her.
"Shh~"
Kizaru whistled and pretended he saw nothing.
Vegapunk was inspecting Kuma's body as if checking for damage.
The other six Seraph children looked at Caelan with curious expressions.
The giant robot and Joy Boy were communicating, discussing their reunion after eight hundred years and their current circumstances.
"Well, it's time to go out."
Caelan set S-Snake down and spoke without changing his expression.
As soon as Caelan had the thought, the Reality Marble fully dissipated, and everyone returned to Egghead Island.
The remains of the CP agents and Garling also reappeared in the real world.
A residual black energy detached from the chunk of flesh and returned to its original source.
Caelan's Observation Haki picked up on it, but he didn't care. At this point, there was nothing to hide from Imu.
"Vegapunk, transfer the Seraphim's highest authority to me," Caelan ordered bluntly. "Then restore Kuma. No need for further modifications."
"Understood, Commander Caelan."
Vegapunk replied cheerfully.
This was a simple task for him.
"By the way, how's your research on infinite energy coming along?"
Caelan asked.
"It's nearly complete. Probably within one or two months."
Vegapunk estimated.
Although the theoretical framework was finished and the prototype nearly done, the final stages needed careful attention. Rushing now could lead to problems.
"A month or two? That's good."
Caelan nodded, clearly satisfied.
Infinite energy could be used to build a global energy grid. Even with minimal fees, the potential profits were immense.
Suddenly, Caelan remembered something and pointed at York, one of Vegapunk's clones.
"Seal this one's consciousness. She's untrustworthy."
He knew Vegapunk had created seven clones based on his seven emotional aspects to accelerate research.
York was the embodiment of Vegapunk's greed. She was naturally treacherous and had always sought to eliminate the other clones and become the sole Vegapunk.
She had made many underhanded moves for this.
If not for the concern that killing her might lower Vegapunk's intelligence, Caelan wouldn't even spare her life.
"Uh, could we not seal her? She's usually obedient."
Vegapunk gave an awkward laugh.
He was well aware that York had been a spy, that Garling had treated her differently, and that there were records of her leaking information to the World Government.
But as her original body, he still didn't want to see York suffer.
"Doctor, you should listen to Commander Caelan. After all, the data leak this time was very suspicious."
Stussy advised from the side.
As a high-level CP0 agent, she knew there was a traitor on Egghead Island, but she hadn't been able to confirm the culprit.
"Lord Caelan, please don't lock me up. I'm very smart and can invent so many things!"
York looked at Caelan with teary eyes, pleading in fear.
She didn't want to be sealed. Consciousness confinement was far worse than physical imprisonment. She might even be reintegrated by Vegapunk and lose her independence.
If she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have leaked information to the World Government. She should have reported to Caelan instead.
"No need. You're not as smart as Vegapunk. With one less clone plotting things, he can help me more effectively."
Caelan replied coldly, unmoved.
York felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. It was true, she wasn't as intelligent as Vegapunk. Her role was to handle bodily functions like eating and excretion.
Wait, maybe there was one last option.
York dropped to her knees and begged, "Lord Caelan, I'm very beautiful. I can…"
"Seal her consciousness now or I'll kill her myself."
Caelan's expression darkened, suppressing his irritation.
He had no interest in spending the night with a clone of an old man. Just thinking about it was disturbing.
"Yes, yes, I understand!"
Vegapunk was startled and immediately inserted a USB into the back of York's head, locking her consciousness into the Punk Records system.
He acted decisively. He didn't want Caelan to kill York, nor did he want one of his clones to have a child with Caelan.
Ugh, this clone is no longer usable.
"Flesh is weak, but machinery endures."
Caelan watched Vegapunk's operation and thought to himself.
The Punk Record could upload Vegapunk's consciousness. As long as the data remained, the death of the body didn't matter.
As long as the consciousness data existed, it was equivalent to eternal life.
Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist, had once again impressed him.
If combined with the summoning of Heroic Spirits, it could become something incredible.
He could build a virtual world like Sword Art Online, where heroes wouldn't get bored and heinous criminals could suffer endlessly.
A new kind of heaven and hell. Maybe through the beliefs and legends of countless beings, he could obtain a sliver of divine status.
Just like how Heroic Spirits formed through faith and legends.
As if sensing Caelan's thoughts, the Heroic Spirit Synchronization System, which had been silent for a long time, vibrated faintly, as if something had changed.
Caelan's heart stirred. It seemed this idea had potential.
But it was too early to act on it. He needed to finish the final battle with the World Government and wait for the system to restart before considering it.
Once they returned, it was time to start the war, strike the World Government hard, and take over the entire world in one go.
"Commander Caelan, it's getting late. Would you like to rest here on Egghead?"
Seeing Caelan remain still for a while, Vegapunk cautiously suggested.
"Alright, go prepare."
Caelan snapped out of his thoughts and said with ambition, "Rest for one night. Tomorrow, we return to Dressrosa to declare war on the World Government."
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned. They didn't understand why Caelan had suddenly said that.
Joy Boy felt surreal. He had just been revived and was already diving into revenge. The world after eight hundred years was truly fascinating.
Kizaru simply felt that it was unexpected but reasonable. The Neo Navy now had the power to conquer the world.
Today, Caelan had even broken through an unprecedented level of Haki, his strength once again skyrocketing.
They had even gained two admiral-level allies, Joy Boy and Emeth, both of whom had once been the World Government's greatest enemies.
Fighting the World Government now felt like a father disciplining his child. There was no reason to lose.
Stussy's eyes sparkled. She decided to dedicate herself immediately. If she waited too long, her status might change after Caelan took down the World Government.
"Take me to a place to rest. We'll talk about everything tomorrow when we return to Dressrosa."
Caelan waved his hand, unwilling to talk more today.
"Lord Caelan, I'll take you. My room is very spacious!"
S-Snake held Caelan's hand, her eyes twinkling.
He was so domineering that she couldn't hold herself back anymore.
"…"
Caelan shook his head and gently pushed S-Snake aside.
This wouldn't do. No matter how cute, it was illegal.
…
Holy Land, Mariejois.
In the World Government's supreme palace, Imu sat on the Empty Throne, face dark with fury.
Not long ago, he lost the ability to sense Garling's residual power.
He instantly realized something had happened on Egghead Island. Most likely, it was caused by Caelan.
Below the throne, Saint Saturn, Saint Nusjuro, and two newly promoted Five Elders stood respectfully.
"How could this happen!" Imu roared. "Every plan has failed. None of them succeeded!"
The Mother Flame needed to power the national treasure had no hope. Vegapunk had fallen into Caelan's hands again.
Garling was dead. His power was lost once more.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
"…"
The Four Elders stood silent, like mice. No one dared to provoke Imu further.
Suddenly, the remaining immortal power from Garling's body returned to Imu.
"My power wasn't completely destroyed this time."
Imu was stunned.
Though the energy was weak, it still existed.
When the three Warcury Saints were killed by Caelan, the power within them was obliterated, leaving no trace.
Could it be that Caelan's strength had weakened?
Had the God Slayer Spear lost its original effect after being used so often?
A rare look of hope appeared on Imu's face. "That power really has its limits!"
The residual power in Garling gave him a sliver of hope.
Maybe, if Caelan kept using it, eventually he wouldn't be able to kill Imu.
"Let me see what happened."
Imu absorbed the black energy and entered Garling's perspective to review his final memories.
Boom!
In a battlefield of yellow sand, Caelan stood high above, slashing down with black and red lightning.
It was as if the sky and earth collapsed.
Thud!
Imu fell off the Empty Throne, panting heavily.
"Lord Imu!"
Saint Saturn and Saint Nusjuro cried out in shock.
In this hall, Imu had actually reacted like that.
What did he see in that memory?
Huff, huff!
Imu gasped for breath and stood up with the help of the throne. His scarlet eyes were filled with horror.
The first thing he saw was Garling's most terrifying memory.
What was that? How could that Haki be so powerful?
Just watching the memory had such a huge impact.
Even Joy Boy from eight hundred years ago had never reached that level.
Imu gripped the throne tightly, forcing himself to calm down.
He dove back into the memories, this time skipping the moment of death.
Now, everything Garling had personally experienced in the yellow sand battlefield replayed clearly in Imu's mind.
In the lab, the robot was suddenly dragged into a yellow sand battlefield, and then the giant robot unleashed black and red Conqueror's Haki.
Imu recognized it immediately. It was Joy Boy's Haki.
So, that robot still retained some of Joy Boy's power.
But after a brief surprise, Imu turned his focus to Caelan, who stood calmly with his eyes closed beside Joy Boy.
Caelan hadn't moved at all. Then, Garling ordered the robot to attack him.
The robot stomped down on Caelan.
Then, black and red Haki erupted from Caelan.
Wait!
Imu's pupils contracted. Something was wrong.
Boom!
Imu dropped to his knees again, his hands trembling slightly.
"…"
The Four Elders glanced at each other in confusion but didn't dare speak.
It was the second time Imu had fallen while reviewing a memory.
What did he see?
"Ahem…"
Imu coughed, struggled to stand, and muttered in disbelief, "Caelan awakened a Haki that surpasses Joy Boy's."
The memory was crystal clear. Caelan released Joy Boy's stored Haki and then ascended beyond it.
This wasn't surprising. Back at Marineford, Imu had seen Caelan's Haki nearly reach that level.
But he hadn't expected him to break through so soon.
That realm could seal Devil Fruit powers and render immortality useless.
In just two weeks, Caelan had not only reached it but surpassed it.
It was a level beyond Joy Boy, otherwise, Imu wouldn't have reacted so violently, and his immortal power wouldn't have returned so weakly.
This was terrible. He had thought the God Slayer Spear had lost its effect, but now Caelan had awakened a new power.
Imu's face darkened, his entire presence aging noticeably.
"Lord Imu, did you say Caelan surpassed Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki?"
Saint Saturn's voice trembled in fear.
Back then, when Caelan neared that realm, they had tried everything to kill him.
Because that realm was their Achilles' heel. Their immortality and Devil Fruit powers were useless before it.
At the time, they were only enhanced elite vice admirals.
(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.)