One Piece: Nico Robin Collection

Chapter 144 Gifts
"Hurry, this way, get on the boat!"

Ace and his companions quickly released the slaves on the island, and soon, one candle ship after another took to the sky and flew towards the coast.

Connie steered the candle boat, occasionally frowning and glancing back with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry, that guy is very strong."

Nami patted Connie on the shoulder, teasingly saying, "But Connie, you actually dared to make a move on my man..."

No... I didn't.

Connie smiled shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She did indeed harbor feelings of admiration for Caesar, which stemmed not only from girlish infatuation but also from a certain degree of admiration for strength and from the overwhelming sense of being flattered and treated differently.

Everyone on Skypiea knows that although Caesar rules Skypiea, he doesn't actually like the people there.

I dislike the Sky Islanders' invasion of the Shandians, and I dislike the Shandians' barbarity, even though Gan Fall and the former Shandian chieftain have little face in Caesar's eyes.

Despite his dislike for the islands, Caesar was still very dedicated to ruling them and never mistreated the native inhabitants. In fact, the people's lives were better than before, with more land and special products from Qinghai.

This has led to a strange sense of guilt among the people of the Sky Island towards Caesar.

It's probably that feeling of guilt that His Majesty clearly doesn't like us, yet still makes our lives better, while we can't help His Majesty in any way.

This is a form of self-inflicted psychological manipulation (PUA).

On the entire sky island, only one person received special treatment from Caesar: Conis.

This girl had never even met Caesar before he appointed her as his head lady-in-waiting. She was also the only Sky Island person who followed Caesar and was recognized by him.

Connie didn't know why Caesar would choose her. No one would believe that someone like Caesar would choose someone out of kindness.

Of course, this kindness is not saintly. Connie's kindness has a hidden edge; she knows how to be flexible and make choices, and is even willing to sacrifice herself. It is not a foolish kindness overflowing with saintly compassion, which is what Caesar admires most.

"We've arrived. This is the last slave shop, Mr. Luo, Miss Nami."

"give it to me!"

With a wave of her hand, Nami unleashed dozens of lightning bolts that crackled and annihilated the slave traders below.

Luo raised his hand and released ROOM, transferring all the slaves in the shop to the ship, and also removing their shackles.

Seeing this, Connie stopped and steered the candle boat at full speed toward Mangrove No. 29.

Just as the candle ships landed on the shore, everyone heard a whoosh as Caesar, carrying Kizaru who was shackled with sea stone shackles, flew down from the sky.

"You captured the general alive?"

Nami stared at Caesar in shock: "Only a few minutes have passed?"

"Really? I was surprised too~"

Kizaru's tone was gloomy, having already given up struggling: "Who would have thought this guy could conjure up Seastone shackles out of thin air?"

At this moment, Kizaru's limbs, neck, and waist were all encased in various sizes of high-purity seastone shackles.

Due to the effects of the Seastone, Kizaru could only be carried on Caesar's shoulder in a sorry state, like a dead dog.

sieve--

With a wave of his hand, a huge three-masted sailing ship appeared on the shore, and Caesar looked at the slaves behind him.

"This is all we can do to help. What happens next is up to you."

Caesar's gaze swept over the crowd: "There is enough food on the ship. I will send some men to escort you to Water Seven. Those who are willing to join my forces can go to Gaya Island with me. It is under construction and development there, and there are plenty of jobs available. That's all I can do for you. The future path is up to you."

"I! I want to join your faction!"

The first Longhanded Tribe member rescued by Caesar shouted, his eyes filled with fanaticism as he looked at Caesar.

He was the only one besides Nami to have personally witnessed how Caesar wiped out a large number of nobles and beheaded a Celestial Dragon with a single blow. From that moment on, he became a fanatical follower of Caesar!
"I also want to join your ranks!"

"My hometown was destroyed by pirates long ago, and I want to follow you!"

Immediately, people began to voice their desire to join Caesar's forces.

Caesar waved his hand gently, signaling for people to be quiet. Whether they stayed or left was never his concern.

Soon, the Eternal Night slowly approached. Dezaia disembarked with twenty guards and, following Caesar's orders, led the released people onto the new ship.

Before the ships could leave, a fleet of naval warships appeared on the sea, completely blocking off the surrounding waters.

"They arrived pretty quickly..."

Caesar chuckled: "Big Bear!"

sieve!
With a soft sound, the bear's massive body quietly appeared behind Caesar.

"How far can you send a ship flying with your power?"

"About twenty nautical miles."

"Okay, let's get them filmed."

As soon as Caesar finished speaking, the bear leaped up and slapped the stern of the ship.

With a muffled thud, the ship soared into the sky, carrying the horrified screams of the people, and flew towards Water Seven.

"Now all the troublemakers have left."

Caesar hoisted Kizaru onto the deck of the Eternal Night and looked toward the leading warship.

On the deck of the warship, Moria's massive body was very conspicuous. In front of him were Garp, Momousagi, Chaton, and other vice admirals of the Marine Headquarters.

"They even sent Garp?"

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it, since the only general stationed at headquarters is right here."

Kizaru sat cross-legged next to Caesar, tilting his head and speaking in a lazy tone.

"How about you let me go back, young man, and I'll let you leave in exchange for the floodwaters?"

"Do we look like idiots to you?" Nami couldn't help but complain.

"Haha, so this is the commander-in-chief?"

Yamato, carrying a spiked club, approached Kizaru: "I heard that the Admirals are no weaker than my dad. Uncle, how did you get captured by Caesar?"

"underestimate the enemy."

Kizaru spoke in a low, somber tone.

It can't be said that he underestimated his opponent; he already thought highly of Caesar. But who would have thought that Caesar had such a trick up his sleeve, able to conjure up sea stone shackles out of thin air?
Kizaru glanced at the approaching encirclement of warships in the distance, his eyes darting around, and said leisurely, "Speaking of which, little brother, you just transformed—"

Bang!
Before Kizaru could finish speaking, Caesar chopped him in the neck with a chop and then casually stored him in the system space.

"Hahaha, that guy Kizaru actually got captured alive by Caesar!"

On the warship, Garp saw this scene from afar and immediately burst into laughter: "Is this what you call a Marine Admiral? This stupid monkey!"

"This is no laughing matter, little Garp..."

Gion's expression was grave: "If a naval admiral is captured alive, once the news gets out, it will greatly affect the navy's deterrent power over this sea." Seeing the goddess's uneasy look, Chaton quickly spoke up: "Actually, it's not a big deal. This time, all our vice admirals from headquarters have been mobilized. As long as we can hold out until the other two admirals return..."

"It can't be delayed."

Before Chaton could finish speaking, Garp interrupted him, saying, "If it's just me alone, we definitely won't be able to hold out for long."

"It's alright, I'll help you!"

Tea-ton patted his chest, making a solemn vow.

Garp rolled his eyes: "You're just getting in the way, you idiot."

Although he was a candidate for general, his actual combat strength was still somewhat inferior to that of a general.

Furthermore, Chaton doesn't possess Conqueror's Haki, so if he were to accidentally get involved, he would simply be sliced ​​down by Caesar with a single stroke.

"Eh--"

Hearing what Garp said, Chaton was somewhat hurt.

"You all just need to take care of Caesar's men; I'll handle that brat..."

Before Garp could finish speaking, the Eternal Night suddenly lifted off the water and soared into the sky!
"Eh?!!!"

Upon seeing this, a gasp of surprise erupted on the deck of the warship, and everyone stared in astonishment.

Because of Kizaru's hasty defeat and the Navy's obstruction by Ace's flames, information about the Float-Float Fruit has not yet reached the Navy.

"That kid is actually avoiding the fight?"

Garp was also stunned, then flew into a rage: "Hey! Caesar brat! Stop right now! Fight me fair and square! Damn it! What kind of skill is it to run away!"

"Look at what you're saying..."

A black beam shot over and appeared above the encirclement in the blink of an eye.

Caesar flapped his wings slightly, creating a howling wind: "With so many of your naval warships surrounding me, can't I even escape?"

"That makes sense..."

Garp paused, his eyes clearing for a moment, before he started yelling like an old rogue, "No, you can't leave! If you want to leave, you'll have to hand over my grandson!"

"Shouldn't we have kept Admiral Kizaru here?!"

On the deck, the navy crew complained in unison, and even Moria was speechless.

"That won't do..."

Caesar shook his head slightly: "I like Admiral Kizaru very much. Rather than letting him stay at headquarters as a bodyguard for the Celestial Dragons and carry out that ambiguous justice, it would be better for him to join my ranks and help those who really need help."

"Of course, the same goes for you all. I have never regarded the Navy as my enemy. I only hope that one day we can fight side by side and bring true justice and peace to this sea!"

"If any of you are willing to join my ranks, I am willing to offer you double the salary of the Navy and search for the most suitable Devil Fruit for you... You might as well think carefully: do you want to fight for the justice you believe in, or do you want to continue to be loyal henchmen who aid and abet evil while waving high-sounding slogans and deceiving yourselves?"

"This is bad..."

Tea Pig's expression turned serious: "What should I do if I actually find what he said to make a lot of sense?"

Gion rolled her eyes at him. This wasn't just a matter of reason; it was simply an objective fact!

However, the Navy cannot easily break away from the World Government.

Military and political affairs are inseparable; if the navy were to break away from the World Government, a split would first occur within the navy itself.

At least a quarter of them will side with the World Government, and among the remaining group, there might even be members of the World Government.

Furthermore, no matter how corrupt the World Government is, it still represents the union of more than a hundred kingdoms, and these are the more than one hundred wealthiest and most powerful countries on the sea.

Once separated, it means that the navy loses the recognition of countries around the world and becomes an unrecognized armed force.

This means the navy will lose control of a large portion of the seas, and the weakening of its control means the seas will no longer be under any control and will descend into complete chaos.

"Hehehe... Kaido's son-in-law has actually extended an olive branch to the Navy."

Perhaps it was the large number of marines around him that gave Moria the confidence to speak out with sarcasm.

"Huh? Didn't you go on the run? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Caesar looked at Moria with a blank expression: "Did you seek the protection of the Navy? Or do you think the Navy can protect you?"

Upon hearing this, Moria's face turned ashen, but he wisely refrained from speaking further.

He knew he was no match for Caesar. If Caesar really went berserk here, these people alone might not be able to stop him, and even if they could, they probably wouldn't care about his life or death.

"That's right, that's exactly it. A stray dog ​​shouldn't bark."

Caesar sneered, "Speaking of which, I've heard that the Seven Warlords of the Sea have a license to plunder recognized by the Navy? That's pretty good. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of becoming a Warlord of the Sea again. How about giving me the title? It's a privilege that even the Navy's justice can't restrict!"

Upon hearing this, the group of navy personnel fell silent.

Garp's face was ashen, and his teeth were grinding together.

"The Navy is righteous! In the name of absolute justice!"

Caesar spoke loudly and earnestly, then seemed amused by his own words and burst into laughter. His clear laughter was like a resounding slap across everyone's face.

This bastard! !
Everyone's face was ashen.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

As Caesar spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a Devil Fruit.

"This is the Silence-Silence Fruit, the fruit that Donquixote Rosinante, the adopted son of Sengoku Fleet Admiral, ate. Later, Rosinante's identity was exposed while he was undercover, and he died at the hands of Doflamingo while trying to save a seriously ill child. This fruit ended up in my hands by some twist of fate."

"That boy is Trafalgar Law, now one of my crew members. He used to hate the world because of lead poisoning, but after being infected by Rassondi, he became a doctor who heals the sick and hopes to avenge Rassondi."

"I originally intended to give this fruit to him, but he has already eaten the Op-Op Fruit, so after much thought, I decided to give this fruit to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Although we have different positions, I do admire him for being able to cultivate such an outstanding and righteous navy as Rosinante."

As he spoke, to everyone's astonishment, Caesar casually tossed the fruit to Garp.

Garp glanced at the Silence-Silence Fruit in his hand, casually handed it to Bogart beside him, hummed, and said nothing more, but it was clear that he was quite happy.

Not only Garp, but the expressions of the other naval officers also softened considerably, and the guarded and hostile gazes they gave Caesar were no longer present.

Yes, just as Caesar said, although they had different positions, it didn't prevent them from appreciating each other, did it?

of course not!

This fruit was originally intended by Caesar to recruit Law, but it wasn't used at the time, and its power was relatively useless.

Although Vegapunk deduced that this fruit could conceal the detection of Observation Haki, it lacked any direct means of attack, making it too inefficient to use as a favor.

Caesar knew very well how mischievous that old man from the Warring States period was after he retired.

While giving away this fruit won't necessarily cause the Navy to break away from the World Government, it will certainly make the Navy's attitude towards it more ambiguous, and the World Government's suspicion of the Navy will intensify.

For some reason, Caesar felt like a mistress who was stealing someone else's partner...

(End of this chapter)