One Piece: Nico Robin Collection

Chapter 138 Provoking War
As a Shichibukai, why would he ask the Navy for help?

Moria felt ashamed, but he had no other choice at that moment.

It was absolutely impossible for him to fight Caesar head-on. He himself didn't care, but his three subordinates were definitely doomed.

He knew all too well what level of combat power the Four Emperors were, having been utterly crushed by Kaido in the past.

While the Seven Warlords of the Sea cannot afford to lose, running away is definitely not a problem for them.

Strategic retreat, huh...

Neither the Navy nor the World Government can say anything about this. Whoever has a problem with it can fight him themselves. If the Navy can't do anything about him, there's no reason for me, a Shichibukai, to step in, is there?
If I had that kind of strength, why would I need to be some damn Shichibukai?
Having figured out the key points, Moria made a quick getaway without hesitation, turning around and heading straight for Marine Headquarters.

Meanwhile, dozens of nautical miles away, Caesar and Nami also noticed the movements of the Thriller Bark.

Nami glanced at the direction indicated by the pointer on her wrist and muttered to herself, "They're heading towards Sabaody Archipelago."

The Sabaody Archipelago is directly above Fishman Island. Because it is a mangrove archipelago and has no magnetic field, it is usually located using Fishman Island's coordinates.

Sabaody…

Caesar chuckled, immediately guessing Moria's plan.

"It's not Sabaody, it's Marine Headquarters."

"Huh? The Marine Headquarters is on the Sabaody Archipelago route?"

"It's not far."

Caesar said calmly, choosing not to give chase.

On the one hand, he doesn't care; he hasn't completely decided on his goal for the third fruit yet.

On the other hand, it's for Perona's sake. She's such a lovely girl, it would be a shame to kill her like this. As Perona's adoptive father, if Moria is killed, he will inevitably have to be ruthless and send Perona away as well.

Now that Moria has run away, it gives him plenty of room to maneuver.

After thinking for a moment, Caesar took out a drawing board and wrote down the names of Big Mom, Doflamingo, and Moria in turn.

These three were the men he was determined to eliminate, but Caesar did not want to kill them himself if conditions allowed.

The reason Caesar killed Big Mom was because of Katakuri, and that's why he wanted to avoid killing Big Mom himself as much as possible.

Katakuri may be dissatisfied with Big Mom's cruelty towards her children, but his strong sense of family means he will not follow the person who killed Big Mom.

Doflamingo, on the other hand, has a connection to Baby 5. Given Baby 5's personality, even if Caesar personally killed Doflamingo, Baby 5 wouldn't object; at most, she'd just observe a three-minute silence for Doflamingo…

However, Caesar was quite fond of the abilities of the Monet sisters, one being the Snow-Snow Fruit and the other the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, both of which were near-top-tier abilities.

However, considering their loyalty to Doflamingo, Caesar preferred to use someone else to kill Doflamingo, then help Doflamingo take revenge and incidentally seize his power and assets, much like his plan for Moria.

"Xiao Feng, how's your Armament Haki coming along?"

"You've made amazing progress!"

Upon hearing Caesar's question, von Clay quickly replied, "What task has the captain assigned me?"

Caesar didn't speak, but simply waved to von Clay.

Bon Clay immediately understood; Ace had been taught this very lesson by Caesar before.

Without a second thought, he launched a flying kick aimed at Caesar's face: "Transvestite Fist - Memoirs of That Winter!"

Bang!
With a muffled thud, Xiao Feng was sent flying backward, crashing awkwardly into the guardrail.

Caesar shook his hand, somewhat surprised.

This guy's strength has improved quite a bit; at least he's become very proficient in controlling his Haki.

Of course, this is also thanks to Kuma, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards. Currently, among the people on the ship, apart from the two old men Wolf and Vegapunk, as well as Dezaia and Conis, who have only recently started training, everyone else is already proficient in using Haki.

However, the strength and quantity of his Haki still need time to be honed, but given the level of Haki Bon Clay has shown, as long as he doesn't encounter high-ranking members of the Yonko crews, he should have no problem protecting himself in a place like the New World.

"Dezaya, how's your Six Forms training going?"

Caesar looked at Dezaia, who was cultivating with a group of soldiers not far away, and asked.

"Sir, you have already mastered the Shave and Moonwalk techniques."

Upon hearing Caesar's question, Dezaia replied respectfully.

Where is Connie?

Caesar then looked at Conis, who was standing to the side.

Connie smiled shyly: "Well... I've only just mastered shaving."

"shave?"

Caesar was somewhat surprised; the progress was beyond his expectations.

Keep in mind that this girl has only been cultivating for six months and has never cultivated before. In the original story, Ricky only reached this level after six months, and that was the result of two hundred times the effort.

According to Caesar's plan, if Connie has the potential, then let her eat the Float-Float Fruit; if not, he will choose a fruit of above-average quality to feed her.

But to be honest, Caesar didn't have high expectations for her, after all, not everyone is suited for fighting.

For example, Deus has been surpassed by Nami and Bonney, becoming the weakest member of the ship. However, his main profession is a doctor, and he also has multiple identities such as explorer, novelist, and shipwright.

Of the others, Galdino was the weakest. He certainly didn't have much talent in combat, but he was good with his brain and had a mind as sharp as cheese.

Dog's luck is also quite strong. The Red-Nosed Pirates' vice-captain is no joke. Although luck plays a big part, think about how these comedic characters can survive in a place like the New World and even become one of the Four Emperors. How could they not have some skills?
Furthermore, the least talented among this group is actually Bartolomeo. Compared to ordinary people, Bartolomeo is naturally talented, but compared to monsters like Ace, Law, and Bonney, he is clearly much less talented, at best only at the level of the Flying Six.

Therefore, although Caesar required his subordinates to train, he did not criticize them for their strength.

However, Connie's progress gave Caesar an unexpected surprise. With such talent, he probably had little hope of reaching the level of an admiral, but he was definitely at least at the level of a lieutenant general in the headquarters.

In comparison, Dezaa's talent was somewhat lacking; despite having a solid foundation of skill, he only mastered two moves and six techniques.

In this case, it's not suitable to give the Door-Door Fruit to the other party; it would be better to give them a Zoan-type fruit for a direct boost.

Space-type fruits consume a great deal of physical strength, so it's no wonder Luo Chengtian looks like he has kidney deficiency. If he gave them to Dezaya, the burden would probably be greater than the effect.

"Xiao Feng, Galdino, Connie, Luo, you guys come with me for a moment."

The group arrived at the captain's cabin, where Caesar handed the Floating Fruit to Conis: "Eat it."

"Eh? Me?"

Connie was visibly taken aback, then looked somewhat embarrassed: "My abilities..."

"Your talent is good, and your strength can be cultivated gradually. I have a task to assign to you now."

Caesar waved his hand, and Connie had no choice but to eat the fruit.

"Ugh...this tastes awful."

The girl's pretty face contorted in pain, while von Clay and Galdino beside her immediately revealed gloating smiles, and even Luo's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Test your abilities."

Caesar tossed an apple to Connie, who caught it. An invisible force field spread out, and the apple floated up in a way that would make Newton's coffin lid explode.

"It's flying!"

Connie let out a soft gasp, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"The Float-Float Fruit allows the user and inorganic matter to float in a way that defies gravity."

Caesar said, taking out another piece of gold: "Try it." Connie placed her palm on the gold, and defied common sense, the gold nugget floated up!

"How's the consumption?" Caesar asked.

"Hmm... not much consumption."

Will it continuously drain my stamina?

"No, stamina is only consumed when granting abilities; once the ability is successfully granted, it will not be consumed."

As Connie spoke, she pointed her finger upwards, and the gold nugget flew up with a whoosh.

"Okay, let's see if we can make the boat float."

Upon hearing this, Connie placed her hand on the floor, and an invisible force field spread out. Everyone clearly felt that the ship seemed to be lifted up by something, like riding an elevator.

"How is the burden?"

"I feel fine."

"good."

Caesar nodded, signaling Conis to withdraw her ability: "Now I have a mission for you. This mission is mainly about infiltration. I need you to protect Bon Clay and cause conflict between Shanks and Doflamingo."

"Huh? Red-haired? Doflamingo? Us?"

Galdino sniffed and stared at Caesar in astonishment.

"Don't underestimate yourself."

Caesar chuckled: "Don't forget that Law is helping you. And you don't have to go up against Shanks and his crew directly. You just need to pretend to be Doflamingo's subordinates and then... burn the pirate flag on Shanks' territory."

"Eh--?!"

Von Kree and Galdino looked shocked.

Burning someone's flag is an irreconcilable feud!

Law, however, smirked, clearly intrigued, though he didn't understand why Caesar would do this: "With your strength, wouldn't it be better to just kill Doflamingo directly?"

Caesar smiled: "He has a few men under his command that I quite like..."

Luo frowned: "Could it be one of those guys, the snotty-nosed guy?"

Caesar shook his head: "No, they are two girls."

"Oh--"

Everyone immediately looked enlightened.

Thinking about the women around their captain, it wasn't surprising.

Caesar's face darkened: "I think you may have misunderstood something."

"No, absolutely not."

Several people shook their heads in unison.

"In short, that's it. You guys try to get close to Doflamingo's high-ranking officers, find a suitable opportunity, burn Shanks' flag, and then quickly leave. Remember not to give them an alibi. If you can just kill the target and take their place, that would be even better."

"understand!"

"Alright, once you've passed Fishman Island, you can go ahead first. We'll keep in touch by phone later."

Caesar cautioned, "And this matter is best kept to yourselves."

"It concerns Doflamingo, so I won't say anything more."

Luo held his long sword, his gaze sweeping deeply over the faces of the other three.

"I am His Majesty's head maid, and I would never betray His Majesty!"

Connie's pretty face flushed slightly, and she quickly said...

"Oh right, we wouldn't! After all, I was the one who burned the flag! If Shanks and his gang found out, we'd be dead for sure!"

Von Clay felt a chill run down his spine from Luo's gaze and quickly made a promise.

Galdino: "..."

If your reasons are so convincing, then am I doomed?
To avoid being caught by Luo in his sleep, Galdino had no choice but to repeatedly assure him that he would not reveal the secret.

He was a coward. Although the task Caesar gave him was somewhat dangerous, he dared not betray Caesar, not to mention that working for Caesar was much better than working for Baroque Works.

And over such a long time, he had long since become friends with the other people on the ship, and they were genuine friends.

The environment can change a person. By spending every day with pure and enthusiastic single-celled individuals like Yamato, Bonney, and Ace, Galdino is bound to be infected as well; he is an easily infected person to begin with.

This can be seen from the original storyline where he faced pressure from the Fleet Admiral to help Luffy create the key.

Although Third Brother is a bit timid, he's really capable when it comes to trouble!

"There's another problem..."

Luo hesitated and said, "I heard from Ace that the redhead is his brother's benefactor. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to do this?"

"Don't worry, I'll just use it for a little while."

Caesar waved his hand gently: "You don't think Doflamingo's strength can pose a threat to them, do you? They are the only elite crew among the Four Emperors. Their first mates are all at the Four Emperor level. Even if we were to face them, we might not come out on top, let alone Doflamingo."

"Also, do your best. Success is the best outcome. Even if you don't succeed, don't reveal your identity. If you are unlucky enough to be exposed, remember to protect your life and safety and don't act rashly."

"understand!"

Von Kree and Galdino quickly responded, feeling a warmth in their hearts.

Look at this, how can you say it's the same no matter who you do the job with?!
Back in the Baroque Works, failing to complete a mission meant certain death!

Looking at things now, all I can say is that Crocodile was lucky to die! If he hadn't died, how would we have met such a great captain?
"It's a pity I haven't found a suitable person to inherit the Door-Door Fruit yet, otherwise your safety could be guaranteed even more," Caesar sighed.

"Door-Door Fruit?"

Luo asked curiously, "What ability?"

"It's possible to open doors anywhere, including spaces," Caesar explained.

What do you think of PayPal?

Adhering to the principle of recommending the worthy regardless of personal relationships, Luo recommended PayPal without hesitation.

"Not suitable."

Caesar shook his head: "Since you are a user of the Op-Op Fruit, you should understand how physically demanding this kind of spatial ability is. Bepo will be exhausted. After we get past Fishman Island, I will find him a suitable Devil Fruit."

"Thank you very much..."

Luo nodded; he was still struggling to cope with the effects of the Operation Fruit.

Although PayPal is quite talented, he is spoiled and has always been treated like a child, which is really not appropriate.

"Don't rush back after the mission is complete. I have other tasks to assign you."

Caesar instructed, "You can adjust the specific operations, but there are three main targets: Doflamingo, Big Mom, and Moria."

Galdino chuckled, "Well... it wouldn't hurt to have another Yonko."

(End of this chapter)