The Shadow Guard was a special force Caesar had just conceived tonight.
This unit would answer directly to Caesar alone—no one else could command them.
Members of the Shadow Guard had to be elites, prodigies, or individuals with unique talents.
Now that he possessed the power of the Memory-Memory Fruit, in the days to come, those he defeated—aside from those needed for larger schemes—would...
For anyone with decent strength, Caesar planned to forcibly brainwash them, erasing all their memories to turn them into mindless killing machines that only followed orders.
Currently, there were two exceptionally powerful candidates who could become the leaders of the Shadow Guard.
The Shadow Guard would be divided into three ranks:
Leader, Captain, and Ordinary Shadow Guard.
Their uniforms would also be standardized, with special insignias added according to rank.
Aside from brainwashed members, Caesar also intended to recruit talented individuals like Gin and Moria—those with innate gifts and abilities—to join.
Redfield and Kuzan could become the first leaders of the Shadow Guard.
Gin could serve as a captain for now.
Once he became a God-level Member, he could be promoted to Shadow Guard Leader.
As for Moria, he was currently only fit to be an ordinary Shadow Guard member.
To advance further, he would need to prove his worth by creating the Undead Army and elevating his own strength.
"Perospero, Daifuku, take these two out and find them a place to rest."
Caesar dripped a drop of blood into Moria's mouth, then turned to Perospero and Daifuku, who were still standing dumbfounded outside the cell.
"Oh! Right away, Father!"
The two hurriedly responded, and Daifuku moved to carry Moria.
On the ground, Moria, having just had a drop of blood dripped into his mouth by Caesar, assumed it was some kind of control mechanism.
His face turned deathly pale with fear.
"Is this poison...? Huh? What is—?"
Before he could spiral into wild speculation, he felt the injuries all over his body vanish in an instant, swept away by an overwhelming surge of Life Force.
His body recovered in the blink of an eye.
Moria sat up in disbelief, examining himself.
Healed!
So fast!
Before he could even savor the miraculous sensation, it was already over—abruptly, leaving him strangely unfulfilled and hollow.
"What are you gawking at? Get the hell out of my sight."
Caesar snapped irritably, making Moria flinch.
The latter scrambled to his feet and waddled out as fast as his stubby legs could carry his bulky frame.
Meanwhile, Gin was completely drunk by now.
Perospero held him in one hand like a ragdoll.
Both he and Daifuku were already towering figures, but after being enhanced by Caesar's blood, they now stood six meters tall, their bodies packed with bulging muscles, several times stronger than before.
Once the group had left, Caesar let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph! How long are you planning to keep pretending, Kuzan?"
On the floor of the cell, Kuzan—who had been lying motionless—suddenly opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
Sea Stone shackles bound his wrists and ankles.
Though he wasn't trussed up like Redfield, his Logia awakening had been forcibly interrupted, leaving his soul severely wounded.
Moreover, his Haki mastery paled in comparison to Redfield's, making him even weaker than the latter.
Kuzan leaned against the mottled wall, his gaze calm as still water.
He didn't look at Redfield, only at Caesar before him.
Caesar sat cross-legged on the ground, staring back coldly.
After a long silence, Kuzan finally spoke.
"Are you here to kill me?"
"More or less." The corner of Caesar's lips curled slightly.
His massive, muscular body exuded an aura as deep and unfathomable as an abyss—sinister to the core.
"I'm going to erase your memories, Kuzan. You'll become a sharp blade in my hand—one that might just stab some familiar faces in the Navy. BORORORO!"
Kuzan stiffened, furrowing his brows.
"You're talking about that daughter of yours, the one who altered a fragment of my memory last time. Hmph, do you really think someone of her caliber could pull that off?"
"So Pudding really did fail to tamper with your memory last time. You've been hiding it all along. And here I thought I'd gained another fierce warrior under my command."
Kuzan's expression was cold, his eyes were burning with hatred.
"Her ability is dangerous no doubt, but she's far too weak to wield the power of the Memory-Memory Fruit properly. Caesar—did you break your promise and kill my teacher, Zephyr?"
Caesar smirked. "Borororo! Now, now, Kuzan, that's not fair. Didn't you betray me too, trying to assassinate me? We're two of a kind—the pot calling the kettle black."
"I won't lie to you—Zephyr is indeed dead. But he took his own life. My son, Katakuri, foresaw his plans involving the Dyna stones. The old man feared we'd find out, so he ended it himself."
Kuzan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked, his teeth grinding audibly.
His eyes turned bloodshot, his entire body trembling with the urge to tear Caesar apart.
"Don't look at me like that, Kuzan. I'm going to be your master from now on. I've decided to erase your name and replace it with… Ice Demon. How does that sound?"
Ignoring Kuzan's murderous glare, Caesar burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the underground chamber.
"Keep dreaming. Unless you kill me, I'll never—" Kuzan snarled.
But before he could finish, he saw Caesar raise his right hand.
A hazy, flickering image of a blank film reel materialized above his massive palm—completely devoid of any footage.
"Do you know what this is, Kuzan? BORORORO!"
Kuzan stared in shock at the distorted image in Caesar's hand, his mind reeling as if struck by thunder.
Through gritted teeth, he forced out the words, "The Memory-Memory Fruit's power?!"
Caesar leaned in, his enormous face looming over Kuzan.
"That's right. I'm now a dual-ability user, Borororo! Kuzan, tell me—with my strength, do you think I can turn you into my slave?"
Kuzan's pupils dilated, his gaze locked onto Caesar's.
His back pressed against the wall, his body trembled uncontrollably.
"I'll kill you, Caesar!" Kuzan roared, lunging headfirst at Caesar's face.
Simultaneously, his Haki fought against the suppression of the Sea Stone as he raised both hands, aiming straight for Caesar's eyes.
Caesar didn't even flinch.
He simply closed his eyes, shielding his pupils behind his eyelids.
THUD! CRACK!
Kuzan's skull smashed into Caesar's nose bridge—yet Caesar remained unharmed, while Kuzan's face was a bloody mess.
The impact shattered his own nose and knocked out over a dozen teeth.
His fingers, clawing at Caesar's eyes, scraped against the steel-like eyelids, producing a shower of sparks.
His nails snapped off, his fingers reduced to mangled, bleeding stumps.
Caesar opened his eyes, baring his fang-filled mouth like a demon from hell, revealing a sinister grin.
"Yare yare daze, Kuzan, you still don't have a clear understanding of the gap in physical prowess between us."
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