"Borororo! Linlin, forget Blackbeard's soul—I'm more curious about what my own soul looks like. Can you pull mine out too?"
Caesar was deeply intrigued by Linlin's ability.
Souls—the stuff of ghost stories whispered across the world.
Of course, Caesar knew such supernatural entities existed.
After all, Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit ability allowed her to manipulate souls, using them to steal others' lifespans and augment her own Life Force.
Decades ago, he had witnessed Linlin use her powers to extract the souls of hundreds of pirates, causing them to die instantly.
When they died, there were no visible injuries on their bodies, making them appear like empty shells.
Linlin rolled her eyes at him in annoyance and chided, "Stop joking Caesar. Souls can't just leave the body at will—it affects one's lifespan. Unless, of course, you've eaten a Devil Fruit related to souls, like my Soul-Soul Fruit, or like that Brook with his Revive-Revive Fruit. Besides, your physique and willpower far surpass mine. Even if you were willing, I might not be able to extract your soul."
Caesar pouted in disappointment.
He genuinely wanted to see what his soul looked like.
Was it a wisp of air? A replica of his body? Or perhaps shaped like his Devil Fruit abilities?
Ignoring his unreasonable request, Linlin continued to amplify her power output.
Fortunately, Blackbeard was unconscious and unable to resist.
Otherwise, given Blackbeard's physique and willpower, combined with the interference of the three souls within him, Linlin would never have succeeded in extracting his soul.
Even so, beads of cold sweat had formed on Linlin's forehead.
"I am the master of souls! The souls hidden within Blackbeard—come out now!"
Linlin shouted sharply, her large hand pressing down and then yanking upward in the air.
Sssshhh!
Several high-pitched shrieks rang out, and Caesar's eyes widened as he clearly saw, under the pale moonlight of the night sky, Linlin's hand pulling upward from Blackbeard's head.
At the same time, three smoky wisps emerged from Teach's head, slowly taking humanoid forms above his body.
One of them was unmistakably Teach himself, though in this soul state, his eyes were closed and he remained motionless.
The other two figures were strikingly beautiful women with graceful, curvaceous body.
One of them bore a resemblance to Pudding, with long hair tied up into a high ponytail.
The other had short hair and a round face, appearing somewhat shy and introverted.
"Hello, I'm Jorna, and this is my younger sister, Bella," the ponytailed girl said, floating in the air as she offered a strained smile to Caesar and Linlin.
Her sister, Bella—the round-faced girl—hid timidly behind Teach and Jorna, stealing glances at Caesar and Linlin before casting a worried look at Teach lying on the ground.
Caesar was astonished.
He hadn't expected Teach's other two souls to have their own consciousness—and they even seemed polite.
"So, you two are Teach's sisters? You've really been living inside him all this time?" Caesar asked curiously.
Jorna was clearly the more outgoing and courageous of the two.
Seeing that Caesar and Linlin weren't making any further moves—especially Linlin, whose power made Jorna and Bella feel an overwhelming sense of threat—she relaxed slightly.
This was the intimidating presence of the Goddess of Souls over mere spirits.
Jorna's body was composed of smoke, seemingly naked.
As if suddenly self-conscious, she waved her hands a few times, and her smoky form materialized a set of clothes that draped over her petite frame.
Only then did she answer Caesar's question.
"Yes, Bella and I have lived inside our brother's since birth. We've never come out before. But ever since he gained the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he's been able to pull us out of his mind. Two years ago, we came out once and met a boy made of fire—his name was Ace." Jorna answered in great detail, mainly out of concern that Caesar and Linlin might kill Teach.
If Teach were to die, she and her sister would also vanish into thin air.
The three siblings were one entity—prosperity and decline were shared between them.
That's why Teach never casually summoned Jorna and Bella in daily life.
The two sisters were too naive and lacked any real power.
Teach's body had always been under his sole control.
If one of his fragile sisters were to die accidentally, Teach would likely perish instantly as well.
Caesar nodded and pointed at Teach.
"Which of you is hosting your brother's two Devil Fruit Abilities?"
Jorna trembled, her form nearly dissipating back into a wisp of smoke.
Behind her, Bella shrank in fear, hiding behind her sister.
Indeed, the current Teach only possessed two abilities.
The third ability Caesar had sensed earlier was likely just the soul fluctuations of these two sisters.
In Teach's final memories, he had wanted to obtain a Zoan-type ability—specifically, Marco's Phoenix Fruit.
"Mamamama, whatever Caesar asks, you better answer obediently. Otherwise... hehe, things won't end well for you."
Linlin raised her hand slightly, her massive palm shrouded in shadows, exuding a peculiar power that allowed her to easily grasp even the most ethereal spirits.
Jorna paled, hesitating for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Brother ate the Dark-Dark Fruit himself. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability is hosted within me, but when it's used, it's still Brother controlling it. I'm just the vessel for the ability."
Caesar nodded.
It seemed that one soul could indeed match one ability.
Teach still had his other sister, Bella, who could host a third Devil Fruit ability.
Caesar couldn't help but glance enviously at Teach's unconscious soul.
He felt that if he tried to accommodate a third Devil Fruit ability, the balance within his body might shatter instantly—he might very well explode with a boom.
After finishing his questions, Caesar fell silent for a long time.
The courtyard was plunged into a deathly stillness, the oppressive atmosphere making the two girls tremble with fear as they stared at Caesar and Linlin.
They had always idolized their brother Teach, believing him to be invincible, capable of defeating any foe.
Even that strong fire-wielding boy had been defeated easily by their brother.
But after witnessing Caesar's overwhelming power firsthand from within Teach's mind, they couldn't muster even a shred of resistance.
In truth, when Teach was unconscious or asleep, Jorna and Bella would take turns controlling his body.
Though not as skilled as Teach himself, they could still manage to use some of his abilities.
But after experiencing Caesar's terrifying might, their fear of him had seeped deep into their souls, which was why they hadn't dared to seize control of Teach's body and flee.
Even when Caesar had left the courtyard to amuse himself in the room over ten minutes ago.
After a long silence, Caesar slowly raised his head and fixed his gaze on the three souls.
"I'm considering whether to alter your memories... or simply kill you outright."
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