"Kid!!"
Law's jaw dropped as he watched Kid charge recklessly toward the towering demon, like a moth drawn to fire—while he himself lacked even the strength to follow.
Without the Op-Op Fruit, his physical strength, combat skills, and Haki were all inferior to Kid's, even with Kid missing three limbs.
Caesar gazed down at him like a god observing an insignificant insect.
As Kid lunged forward with desperate fury, Caesar suddenly extended a massive arm—thick as a pillar, muscles bulging—his fingers morphing into enormous talons that shattered the air.
Golden bone spikes erupted from his knuckles as he mercilessly drove his fist into Kid.
Caesar's fist was so large it could engulf Kid's entire body.
A golden, table-sized fist, crackling with crimson Conqueror's Haki lightning, hammered down like a sledge, smashing Kid into the dirt!
BOOM!
The earth quaked, debris exploding outward as Kid collapsed into the crater, blood gushing from his body like a broken ragdoll.
"Eustass Kid, hailed as the worst of the Worst Generation, second only to Straw Hat Luffy among the Supernovas. Borororo... Seems like an overrated title. Just a bunch of brats playing house—always weeping over lost comrades. Pathetic."
Caesar stood at the edge of the crater, reaching down to grasp Kid's head and hoist him up.
Kid's face was a mess of blood, his injuries gruesome.
Yet, despite his reputation for brutality, the infamous Supernova captain was now weeping uncontrollably.
"Killer, I'm sorry... I'm so useless. I couldn't avenge you. Let's be brothers again in the next life!"
"Oh? Already giving your last words? Fine. Before I kill you, let me verify if what you're saying actually happened."
Caesar's lips curled into an amused smirk as he gripped Kid's head with his left hand while his right hand plunged directly into Kid's forehead!
Not far away, Law—immobilized by Caesar's Armament Haki—wore an expression of utter disbelief and horror.
Caesar casually extracted Kid's memories, scanning through them with disinterest.
"Oh? So you're with the Revolutionary Army. No wonder you had the guts to cause trouble in my territory. Hmm? Pluton?"
Caesar's pupils contracted, his massive body shuddering as an overwhelming aura erupted uncontrollably from him.
He never imagined that the very thing he coveted—the Ancient Weapon capable of opposing the World Government and Uranus, the legendary mightiest battleship, Pluton—would be in Wano Country!
"These Revolutionary Army rats, following Nico Robin's lead, took advantage of our Beast God Pirates' meeting in Totto Land to sneak into Wano and search for the Pluto Battleship mentioned by Kozuki Sukiyaki?"
"Hiyori's alive... Ulti and Page One were defeated. Black Maria... at least she was smart enough not to resist, leaving herself a way out. And thank goodness for Doflamingo—that brat's sharp enough to pick up on the smallest details. Otherwise, forget about Wano..."
"At the very least, the Revolutionary Army would've taken the Pluto Battleship. If they could unleash its power... that would be troublesome. I wonder if this 800-year-old battleship is even operational anymore?"
Finding nothing else of value in Kid's memories, Caesar coldly stared at the now-catatonic Kid, his aura raging violently.
"Eustass Kid... my subordinates owe you quite the debt."
With that, he slowly extended his massive hands—one gripping Kid's body, the other clutching his skull—before exerting brutal, merciless force in both!
CRACK!
Blood gushed from Kid's eyes as he let out an inhuman scream.
Caesar lifted his head, inch by inch, pulling it straight from his torso!
"Kid!!" Law's eyes nearly burst from their sockets, his entire body freezing over as he felt true, bone-deep terror for the first time.
"AAAAAHHH—!!"
Beyond screams, Kid could no longer form words.
He felt his skull, still attached to his spine, being wrenched upward, millimeter by millimeter, forced out of his own chest.
At this moment, Kid knew... he was going to die.
'Never thought... this would be how I go. Should've tried this on someone else first... Bet it would've felt amazing. Hahaha...'
That was Kid's final thought.
SNAP!
Caesar indifferently tossed the headless corpse aside, Kid's severed head dangling from his right hand—still connected to a fully intact spinal column.
Baring his teeth in a ghastly grin, Caesar turned his icy gaze toward Law and uttered with chilling detachment:
"Next... it's your turn, Trafalgar Law."
"Keh... kehkeh... HAHAHA—!"
Law's entire body trembled uncontrollably as his gaze remained fixed on the terrifying severed head of Kid in Caesar's hand.
A hysterical, almost manic laugh escaped his lips, his face twisted with madness and... a trace of bitterness.
"I always believed I had achieved inner peace, that I no longer feared death. Yet faced with my end, I find myself afraid after all. In this regard, I fall short of Kid."
With that same smile, Law raised his head to look at Caesar—his sworn enemy.
All the hatred, the rage, the resentment in his heart had grown indistinct in this moment.
Because none of it mattered anymore.
He was about to die.
And in the end, he had accomplished nothing in this life.
'Corazon... I'm sorry. That bastard Doflamingo is free to roam the seas once more. What a pity. If I could turn back time, I'd take Bepo and the others, open my own hospital... just like you, Corazon. Always bringing smiles to others...'
Caesar extracted Law's memories, seeking to determine whether the current Op-Op Fruit user could perform the Perennial Youth Operation.
As he sifted through Law's recollections, he discovered an astonishing truth: the Perennial Youth Operation required the Op-Op Fruit user to push their mastery of the fruit to its absolute limit!
If awakening represented the pinnacle of Devil Fruit development...
Then performing the Perennial Youth Operation demanded the user break past even that awakened state, reaching a higher plane of power altogether!
A realm neither Caesar nor Law could comprehend.
This was merely an intuition Law had gleaned from his connection to the Op-Op Fruit's abilities.
"The Perennial Youth Operation? Hah! What's the point of living for millennia? A man's life should burn bright and fierce—even a few short years is enough!"
Caesar's expression remained impassive as he raised his massive hand toward the already broken Law.