For a moment, chaos ensued in the room.
After a while, Yamato finally clapped her hands together in realization: "Oh! I get it now! The current Barto is Ace, and the current Ace is Barto, right?"
Everyone: "You're way too slow to catch on?!"
"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and switch us back!"
Ace clamored. He didn't mind using Barto's body, but he strongly objected to that shameless guy using his own body.
"Wait a bit longer, you two stay put!"
Caesar pressed them both down again. Only after receiving Caesar's command did Barto finally settle down.
Seeing Barto stop fooling around, Ace snorted and expressionlessly stared at the ceiling.
"First, we must determine whether these two have exchanged souls, or merely personalities, or perhaps consciousness," said Dr. Wolf. "If it's souls, then they've truly swapped bodies. But if it's just personalities or consciousness..."
Caesar immediately grasped the implication: "That would mean their souls remain unchanged—Ace is still Ace, Barto is still Barto—only their cognitive perceptions have altered?"
"Exactly," Dr. Wolf nodded.
"Is there a good way to verify this?"
"Where do you think memories are stored? In the brain? Or the soul?" Wolf countered.
"Ace, do you still remember your childhood memories with Luffy and the others?" Caesar asked the current 'Barto.'
Ace nodded: "Yeah, I remember, very clearly."
"That doesn't prove anything," Law frowned, finding Caesar's questioning approach rather hasty.
"Then, Ace, can you recall events from Barto's childhood?" Caesar pressed.
Hearing this, a flash of understanding crossed Law's eyes.
From a medical research perspective, memories are engraved in the brain, with multiple storage points.
Ace frowned in thought for a long moment before suddenly slapping his head—vague, unfamiliar images surfaced in his mind.
"Ha—"
Before Ace could speak, Barto beside him had already cried out.
"I saw Ace's memories!"
"Switch them back immediately."
As Caesar's words fell, Law had already activated Room, restoring their personalities.
"Though we still can't confirm whether it's personalities or souls that were exchanged, we've determined that memories are stored in both the brain and the personality—or perhaps the soul."
The moment the two returned to normal, Kureha, Wolf, Law, and Deuce were already taking notes, their eyes filled with scientific fervor.
"Fascinating. This is my first time seeing an ability that can swap personalities," Issho remarked, leaning on his Cane Sword with keen interest.
"The Operation Fruit's ability is highly practical. Even those proficient in Haki might stumble against it upon first encounter. It's also useful for infiltration missions, hostage rescues, and such. The only drawback is the massive stamina consumption," Caesar noted with some regret. "Of course, this ability only reaches its full potential in the hands of a doctor like Law. I could never handle such a complex ability."
He and Law were fundamentally different.
Currently, within the Dawn team, he, Yamato, Issho, and Ace are considered "stat monsters," while everyone else is uniformly classified as Gimmick Monsters.
"Based on current conditions, we still can't confirm whether it's the soul or personality that undergoes transformation. Without clarifying this, we can't determine whether the Devil Fruit ability is tied to the body or the soul."
Wolf smacked his forehead in frustration: "As much as it irks me, this kind of bizarre research would require Vegapunk's assistance!"
"We'll bring him back in due time, but now isn't the moment," Caesar said calmly.
He recalled that this should be the year of the Punk Hazard gas explosion, when Vegapunk would relocate from Punk Hazard to Egghead Island.
For now, his cheap father-in-law was keeping watch over Punk Hazard. If anything happened, Caesar would be the first to know.
"That big-headed doll?" Kureha snorted with amusement. She had met Vegapunk years ago when Drum Kingdom was still renowned as a global medical powerhouse. Back then, he had copied numerous medical texts to take back with him.
"Vegapunk has successfully developed the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit. Though the fruit's color differs slightly, its abilities are fundamentally identical," Caesar mused. "Incidentally, he achieved this through research on Lineage Factors. If that's the case, then Devil Fruit abilities should logically be tied to the body. Yet, the Revive-Revive Fruit's power allows the souls of the deceased to return from the Underworld..."
"Could it be that the ability is recorded in the body like an anchor point, with some force ensuring the body isn't completely dead?" Law proposed.
"No, the body is unequivocally and utterly deceased," Caesar shook his head, dropping a bombshell: "Because the current user of the Revive-Revive Fruit got lost in sea fog. By the time he returned to his body, it had already turned into a skeleton."
"A skeleton?!" ×N
The group gasped in unison.
Yamato looked stunned but didn't doubt Caesar's words for a second: "Even in that state, he's still alive? What a tenacious guy!"
"That's the power of a Devil Fruit!" Nami couldn't help but interject.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, that's exactly what happened..." Caesar nodded. "After reviving, though he became a skeleton, he could still speak normally, eat, excrete, and even separate his soul from his body. Moreover, he can bring the Underworld's freezing air into the living world as a form of attack..."
"Eek—?!"
Nami and Baby 5 paled in horror, while Yamato and Bonney's eyes sparkled with fascination.
Robin, however, remained composed: "Freezing air? So it's not hellfire, then?"
"Does this mean the Underworld—a place of legend—truly exists?" Yamato buzzed with excitement. "I'd love to see it!"
"Sorry, but I don't have that capability yet..." Caesar glanced at his system mission, specifically the reward related to the Soul Slayer Sword.
If he could obtain that sword in the future, perhaps he could explore the Underworld then.
"This world is truly marvelous..." Kureha chuckled, her heart also stirring with longing.
At just over 130 years old, she was still in her prime for adventure. Given the chance, she'd naturally want to visit those legendary places before her time came.
Caesar didn't stay long at Kureha's place. After leaving Law and Deuce behind, the group bid their farewells and departed.
A pure snow country like Drum Island was rare even in the Grand Line, so Caesar allowed everyone to split into small groups to explore.
After all, their next destination would be a desert. It was best to enjoy the cool weather while they could.
As usual, Caesar stayed with his women. Nami didn't join them this time—since Bear wasn't around, the task of looking after Bonney fell to her.
The clever little girl had Bonney turn her into a child as well. With their adorable faces, the pair traveled from village to village, living off their cuteness.
Barto and Issho found a cozy tavern and buried themselves inside, drinking and gambling to their hearts' content.
Meanwhile, Ace, Bepo, and Dr. Wolf searched for parts that could be used on a powered ship.
Drum Island was a medical superpower, but advanced scientific productivity was required to support its medical industry. Notably, its shipbuilding industry was also quite impressive. The trio soon found what they were looking for—a steam-powered engine.
"We can start building the powered ship now!" Dr. Wolf announced when everyone returned to the ship in the evening.
"Oh? Isn't this an external paddlewheel engine?" Deuce, who had just returned from Kureha's place, spotted the object on the deck and brightened. "But it's a model I've never seen before?"
"It's a Navy-exclusive model, one of the older iterations Vegapunk phased out for the Navy a couple of years ago. It's practically brand new," Wolf explained. "With some modifications, we can adapt it for Ace's flame-powered ship."
"No need to rush," Caesar interjected, stopping the excited group. "Sky Island has Flame Dials that can store fire and Wind Dials that can store wind. If we finish it now, we'll just have to modify it later. Besides, we'll be riding the Knock-Up Stream straight up—there's a risk of collision damage."
"Sky Island?!" Ace bounded over to Caesar, eyes gleaming. "Are we finally going to Sky Island?"
"Right after Alabasta, we'll reach Sky Island's territory soon enough."
"Then let's wait! If we're doing this, we're doing it right!" Ace exclaimed, suddenly throwing a punch at Caesar's face.
Caesar tilted his head slightly, countering with a backhanded strike that sent Ace crashing into the deck.
"Mark it down, Yamato. 68 to 0."
With a wave, Caesar turned and headed into the cabin. He had bought plenty of ingredients during the day and needed to help Baby 5 prepare dinner.
With the crew growing larger, Baby 5 was struggling to handle the cooking alone. They'd have to find her a sous-chef soon.
...
After staying in Drum Island for over half a month, the group finally set sail for Alabasta.
Before leaving, Caesar helped copy several medical books.
"Are you sure you won't come with us, Chopper...?" Caesar asked with a smile, patting the little reindeer's head on the shore before departure.
Over the past two weeks, Kureha had frequently brought Chopper to their ship for meals.
Chopper had quickly bonded with the "Cute Trio"—Yamato, Bonney, and Bepo.
They built snowmen together, held feasts together, and even fought against the Raboons (giant carnivorous rabbits the size of bears native to Drum Island).
Now that Caesar's crew was leaving, the little reindeer seemed unusually quiet.
"I..." Chopper opened his mouth, feeling his eyes grow misty.
"Don't even think about it. This kid still has a long way to go."
Kureha snorted coldly, her heart aching with reluctance.
If only Caesar and his crew had arrived a year or two later, she would have gladly sent Chopper off with them.
Chopper's training period was still too short, and he was far too young—he didn't even meet the minimum requirements to graduate. She simply couldn't rest easy.
"Mmm..."
Chopper nodded. "I still have a long way to go... And I'm a reindeer, you know! You're all humans..."
"Dr. Kureha is human too."
Caesar ruffled the little guy's fluffy cheeks. "Companionship has nothing to do with race. You're someone we all acknowledge."
"How about we wait until Chopper's medical skills are up to standard before coming back to take him with us?" Bonney suggested.
"Yeah, yeah! What do you say, Captain...?" Bepo quickly chimed in.
"Then it's settled!"
Caesar stood up and flipped out a business card and a Snow Transponder Snail, handing them to Chopper. "Here's my contact info. Once your skills are good enough, we'll come pick you up!"
"Eh...?"
Chopper turned to look at Kureha.
Kureha just huffed, crossing her arms and turning away as if she hadn't seen anything.
Chopper dumbly accepted the Transponder Snail and carefully tucked it into the backpack behind him.
As he looked at the gentle expressions of the people before him, tears suddenly blurred his vision.
"It's a promise! A man's promise!"
"YEAH!!!"
Chopper raised his little hoof high, bawling his eyes out.
Even as the ship sailed into the distance, the little guy remained standing on the shore, unable to snap out of his daze for the longest time.
"Let's go, Chopper."
Kureha turned to leave, snorting. "You're my assistant, yet you almost got whisked away by a bunch of strangers with just a few sweet words. From now on, your training load is doubled! No meals until you finish!"
"Mm-hmm!"
The tiny figure trailed behind Kureha, leaving behind adorable cherry blossom hoofprints in the snow.
...
Somewhere in the New World, a secluded island—the headquarters of the World Economic Journal.
"Hahaha! Big news! Another big news!"
Morgans stared at the faxed photos on his desk, practically losing his mind.
"A Royal Shichibukai has fallen! Killed by Caesar! The victor is his rookie subordinate, Portgas D. Ace!"
In the chaotic, bustling office, Morgans spread his wings as if embracing something, tilting his head back and laughing uproariously.
"A rookie—with the power of a Logia Type Flare-Flare Fruit!"
"And a name with 'D'... Another 'D'! What could it mean?"
On Morgans' desk lay two photos—one of Ace defeating Crocodile, and another of Crocodile's corpse.
A nearby document also revealed Crocodile's identity—the president of the criminal organization Baroque Works, and the mastermind behind the Alabasta civil war, disguised as a hero!
"Such a shame... Such earth-shattering news has to be delayed. That Caesar guy..."
Thinking of the man who had sent the fax, a trace of wariness flickered in Morgans' eyes.
A Four Emperors-level powerhouse who could fly—of course he had to give him face.
Not just give face, but give it in spades!
Others might not know Caesar's true strength, but Morgans understood all too well.
A man who fought Kaidou to a standstill—even gaining the upper hand—not to mention the father-in-law and son-in-law alliance, and the fact that they could both fly!
If he really pissed off these two, once they found even the slightest trace of his headquarters, he might as well declare himself finished.
Even if they couldn't catch him, they could just send a Newspaper Gull to follow him and easily wipe out all his branch offices.
That's why he had absolutely no desire to provoke such powerful individuals who could fly.
For this very reason, over the years, Kaidou of the Four Emperors was the one he reported on the least.
Fortunately, Caesar seemed quite eager to create big headlines. After taking down Crocodile, he even specifically took photos and sent them to him, the newsman.
It was clear that Caesar would be a highly reliable partner for cooperation in the foreseeable future.
Take this instance of boosting the reputation of that kid named Ace—there were bound to be similar big stories in the coming days!
The two of them were like a perfect match now—one daring to act, the other daring to publish...
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