After a while, in a traditional Japanese-style room, Caesar and Yamato were indulging in a feast.
In front of them was a mountain of food, and the aroma of the dishes filled the entire room.
As they devoured the food, Caesar could clearly feel his stamina rapidly recovering, and the soreness in his body gradually fading away as he absorbed the vitality from the meal.
The physique of a Zoan user is truly outrageous!
Caesar felt that if he kept this up, it wouldn't be long before he could awaken the divine skill of Life Return on his own.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp… Ah—"
After downing a large bottle of red wine in one go, Yamato let out a satisfied sigh.
Seeing her like this, Caesar couldn't help but chuckle: "The way you drink is exactly like your old man."
"I'm nothing like that bastard!"
Yamato pouted: "Whether I become Kozuki Oden or not, there's one thing I must do—defeat Kaidou!"
"Why? Because he's stopping you from going to sea?"
"No…"
Yamato pursed her lips and slammed the wine bottle down heavily: "When I was imprisoned by Kaidou, I received a meal from three samurai, and it was because of that I decided to inherit Oden's will. I promised them that one day I would fight alongside them!"
"Just like you said, Oden might not have been smart, but no matter what, I can't just sit back and watch what's happening to Wano Country! If it weren't for Kaidou and Kurozumi Orochi colluding, Wano Country would never have fallen into such a state!"
"A meal of gratitude?"
"That's right!"
"Then how many meals have you eaten from Kaidou?"
"What could I do?!"
Yamato's face darkened: "Who made me his daughter? From the very beginning, I never had a choice! And that guy tried to kill me several times. What kind of father would kill his own daughter?!"
Caesar looked puzzled: "But it seems to me that he's been quite accommodating to you?"
"Huh—?!"
Yamato glared at Caesar with displeasure: "Where did you get that idea from?"
"You said you wanted to be a man, right?"
"That's right!"
"When we came back earlier, whether it was Ayun or the patrolling pirates, they all called you 'young master' or 'heir,' not 'young lady,' right?"
"Yeah! So what?"
"You said you wanted to become Kozuki Oden?"
"Exactly!"
"So Kaidou locked you up and treated you as an enemy? He let you challenge him, but in the end, you're still alive and well?"
"Y… yeah…"
Yamato's voice gradually faltered.
"So you're saying he not only has to treat you as a son and Kozuki Oden according to your demands, but he also can't kill you like he would Kozuki Oden?"
Caesar pondered thoughtfully: "So you want him to willingly impale himself on his own Spiked Club?"
Yamato's beautiful face flushed red: "Th… that's not it!"
"Then you haven't fully committed to becoming Kozuki Oden yet?"
"..."
Yamato lowered her head, unsure of what to say.
Caesar's eyes lit up, and he chuckled: "I get it! You're just as ungrateful as I am!"
"Sh… shut up! You bastard, Caesar!"
Yamato's delicate face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. In a fit of frustration, she lunged at Caesar, knocking over several wine bottles in the process. Her fair, lotus-root-like arms clamped around Caesar's head, and she opened her mouth wide, biting down on his head!
"Ow!"
"Ah! That hurts! Are you a dog or something?" Caesar pushed at Yamato's head, yelping in pain.
"Not wrong! I'm the user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi no Makami!" Yamato mumbled incoherently, drool dripping all over Caesar's head.
"Get away from me! These handcuffs are made of Sea Prism Stone, I can't use my strength, damn it..."
"Wahahaha, you jerk, Caesar! Stop tickling me!"
After their playful scuffle, the two of them collapsed onto the tatami mat. Caesar wiped the drool off his head, while Yamato pursed her lips and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
After a while, she spoke softly, "Do you think... these handcuffs are really a bomb?"
"From my interactions with Kaidou, I don't think he would joke about something like that."
Caesar's tone was cautionary, "The battles between pirates aren't child's play. Kaidou and Kozuki Oden are completely opposed in their stances. As Kaidou's daughter, choosing to become Kozuki Oden is undoubtedly a betrayal to him as a father."
"But he has tacitly allowed your actions and tolerated you constantly challenging him in Oden's name. I think... the reason he hasn't killed you is because you're his child. But the moment you decide to leave, you'll no longer be his child—you'll just be another Kozuki Oden."
"That guy, though a bit foolish, was quite strong. As a former opponent, Kaidou probably believes that by inheriting Oden's name, you've already prepared yourself for death."
"So, you're saying he doesn't completely disregard my life?"
Hearing Caesar's words, Yamato felt a wave of confusion.
"Caesar, what... should I do?"
"In the style of this sea, you should follow the decision in your heart. But..."
Caesar paused, then suddenly grinned, "I firmly believe that feeling lost just means you're not strong enough! Perhaps by the time we need to make a choice, we'll already have the power to decide everything. We'll just crush him!"
Hearing this, Yamato's spirits immediately lifted!
Thinking wasn't her strong suit, but fighting? She was an expert!
"You're right!"
Yamato sat up, clenching her fists tightly. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly raised her arms high, "If I'm feeling lost, then I'll break through it! I'm not strong enough yet! I need to get even stronger!"
Seeing Yamato regain her vigor, Caesar laughed heartily, "Not bad at all. This is the kind of crewmate I'm looking for."
Yamato looked at Caesar curiously, "Speaking of which, I still don't know your purpose for setting sail, Caesar. Are you planning to become a pirate too?"
"Me? I don't have any grand purpose."
Caesar shook his head with a smile, "I just want to find some like-minded companions and explore this vast sea. As for what kind of person I'll become... the world will give me the answer someday."
Yamato frowned, "I don't understand a word of that!"
"Let me put it more simply..."
Caesar said with a grin, "My future has only two paths: if I can't become the most noble person in this world, then I'll become the freest person on this sea."
"Noble... free?"
Having never set sail in her life, Yamato couldn't quite grasp the meaning of "the most noble," but she understood what "the freest person" represented.
"So, Caesar, do you also want to become the Pirate King?"
"Why not? Someone has to sit on that throne, so why can't it be me?"
Caesar chuckled, "And it doesn't matter whether I'm a king or not. I just want to be happy and free. Isn't the Pirate King the freest guy on the seas?"
"The freest..."
Seeing Caesar's carefree smile, a bright light suddenly sparkled in Yamato's eyes.
She abruptly sat up, pulled out a tattered booklet, and handed it to Caesar with both hands, her voice brimming with excitement, "Listen, Caesar! The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, once said something similar!"
Of course, it was similar because this was the answer she had gotten from Roger.
Although, to be fair, Caesar genuinely thought the same way.
He wasn't the ambitious type to begin with. When it came to the main quest, he mostly adopted a "since I'm here, why not give it a try" attitude. What if he really got rewarded with immortality?
But he figured he'd just do his best. As a Vampire Fruit user, with clues about Pure Gold in hand and Kaidou as his top-notch mentor, even if he failed, he could still live a carefree life for a thousand or eight hundred years with his strength.
"In that case, Caesar! I will definitely make you the Pirate King!"
"Don't say that! It's not my primary goal! You make it sound like I'm destined to fail..."
Feeling his stamina had mostly recovered, Caesar looked at Yamato, "By the way, you must have already mastered Armament Haki, right? Can you teach me?"
"Of course!"
As Yamato spoke, she extended her fist. A subtle ripple passed over it, and in the blink of an eye, her fair, delicate fist turned pitch black.
Caesar flicked it with his finger, feeling as though he had struck solid steel.
Caesar was puzzled, "How exactly is this power activated?"
"With conviction!"
Yamato said with a serious face.
"..."
Conviction!
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
Conviction again!
Caesar sighed. This kind of shonen-like explanation was just too abstract.
Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind.
A few seconds later, an invisible aura suddenly radiated from Caesar. As he concentrated, the aura instantly condensed and wrapped around his right fist.
Crackle—
A black-red lightning bolt danced like a spirit snake before exploding violently!
"Is this... Conqueror's Haki Infusion?!"
Yamato stared at Caesar in shock, "Why have you already learned Conqueror's Haki Infusion but haven't mastered Armament Haki yet?"
"I want to know too! These two abilities aren't even from the same system, are they?"
Caesar raised his right fist to his eyes, carefully observing the changes.
The surface of his blackened fist shimmered with a steel-like luster, occasionally flickering with lightning.
With the addition of Conqueror's Haki, his stamina was rapidly depleting. The energy consumed by this single punch was comparable to him throwing a thousand punches at full strength!
"Phew..."
As the Haki dissipated, Caesar let out a long breath.
Although he hadn't mastered Armament Haki yet, he had somehow accidentally learned the even more difficult Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Moreover, judging by the proficiency, it shouldn't take long to master it completely.
Indeed, the hardest part of anything is going from zero to one. Having learned Conqueror's Haki Infusion in just one attempt, it seems my talent isn't inferior to Monkey D. Luffy's…
Of course, Caesar was well aware that with his previous aptitude, he wouldn't have been able to achieve such a feat.
But ever since gaining the Conqueror's talent, he could clearly feel that his body had become more coordinated. Many movements could be mastered after just one glance, and the power within him was growing rapidly every day.
Knock, knock, knock…
Just as Caesar was pondering how to awaken Armament Haki, Ayun suddenly knocked on the door.
"Sir, Kaidou has summoned you."
"Kaidou?"
Yamato quickly stood up: "I'll go too!"
The two of them made their way to the main building. Inside the spacious and enormous room, Kaidou was reclining on a soft couch, drinking. Seeing the two arrive together, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"Hmm? I didn't expect the two of you to come together."
"Ah, it's just a coincidence. I didn't expect Yamato to be your daughter."
Caesar nodded. He noticed that every time he saw Kaidou, the man was almost always drinking.
"Daughter?"
Kaidou gave Yamato a strange look.
From what he knew of Yamato, she always referred to herself as a man.
"That's right!"
Yamato slammed her Spiked Club heavily on the ground, declaring with great enthusiasm: "I've decided! For now, I'll remain a woman! A woman who is stronger and more outstanding than any man!"
"Later, I'll set sail with Caesar! As for becoming Kozuki Oden or something like that, I'll decide after I've seen the world!"
"Huh?!"
Kaidou abruptly sat up straight, looking at Yamato in astonishment: "You… you're serious?"
"Yes! Dead serious!"
Yamato nodded resolutely, then furrowed her brows: "But there's one thing I won't change, and that's my determination to defeat you someday and open Wano Country!"
"Hmph, still the same as ever…"
Hearing this, Kaidou fell silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter: "Orohohoho! If you can do it, then go ahead and try, you foolish daughter!"
"Daughter…"
Hearing this address, Yamato's cheeks puffed up, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
Having grown accustomed to Kaidou calling her his son, being referred to as his daughter again felt a bit unfamiliar.
Before she could adjust to the title, Kaidou leaned back on the couch and gave Caesar a meaningful glance: "But why did you change your mind? Could it be that you've taken a liking to this kid?"
"Not at all!"
Yamato said with utmost seriousness: "We've made a promise to set sail together someday."
"Hmph, suit yourself! Whether you're setting sail or trying to become Kozuki Oden, be prepared to die! I won't hold back!"
Kaidou snorted coldly, then turned to Caesar: "I just heard from King that you've mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion? Show me!"
Caesar nodded, slowly closing his eyes as he sought out the sensation of Haki coiling and surging within him.
Boom—
Conqueror's Haki erupted once more, that indescribable domineering intent once again following Caesar's will and wrapping around his right fist.
Dark red lightning crackled as Caesar unleashed Conqueror's Haki Infusion for the third time that day!
Compared to the previous two times, the wind-up was shorter this time, and his control over Conqueror's Haki seemed more refined.
"Oroororo... What a feeble Conqueror's Haki."
Kaidou laughed heartily, but his gaze toward Caesar grew even more appreciative: "But you're quite the oddball, kid. You managed to grasp the more difficult Conqueror's Haki Infusion before even mastering Armament Haki. Even across the entire sea, there are only a handful of people who can do that, and every one of them is among the world's top-tier powerhouses..."
"Since you two already know each other, why don't you settle down, kid? How about I marry Yamato off to you? That way, we'd be family. With your talent, it wouldn't take long for you to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me! The entire New World would be ours for the taking!"
Yamato's face darkened: "No way! Who wants to get married?!"
"Oh? Weren't you just talking about eloping with this kid earlier?"
"It was about setting sail! Setting sail, you idiot Pops!"
"Same difference!"
Kaidou looked at Caesar expectantly: "So, what do you say, kid?"
Caesar spread his hands and sighed regretfully: "No thanks. As tempting as it sounds, I'm not planning to give up the entire forest for one tree. I still want to find a few more women."
Hearing this, both Kaidou and Yamato tilted their heads in unison: "???"
"Isn't that kind of thing irrelevant?"
Yamato thought for a moment: "Even if we did get married, Caesar, you could still find other women, right? Isn't that just how men are?"
"Whose side are you on, you idiot!"
Hearing this, Caesar's eyes widened in shock, and he was thoroughly shaken!
(End of Chapter)