Watching Gin chug the liquor like a madman, a rare smile crept onto Caesar's lips.
This defiant kid reminded him so much of Shiki in his youth.
The sa arrogance, the sa audacity.
The only difference was that at Gin's age, Shiki's strength had already rivaled that of an admiral.
Back in the Rocks Pirates, alongside Newgate and Caesar, they were known as the Three Calamities.
One loved summoning colossal tsunamis, another hurled islands at people and the last charged through everything like a primal beast.
"Shiki... wonder where the hell you're hiding. I kinda miss you, Borororo! Newgate went ahead of us—don't you dare die too soon. I still wanna beat the crap outta you, bastard."
Leaving Gin behind, Caesar entered the prison cells.
He glanced first at the unconscious Kuzan, then at Moria, who was staring at him in terror.
"Newbie! I'm the boss here! Listen up—you take orders from , Captain Redfield! I've got a mission for you... Huh? What was the mission again?" Redfield rattled his chains, struggling to break free.
Ignoring him, Caesar crouched in front of Moria, staring him down.
Moria trembled, his beady eyes wide with fear.
Under the gaze of this monster, he couldn't suppress the bone-deep chill creeping through his body.
"So you're Gecko Moria? My little brother ntioned you. How did you get so weak? Even Gin could beat you to a pulp now. And you used to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Was the World Governnt blind or sothing?"
Caesar didn't bother hiding his disdain.
Though furious inside, Moria dared not show it, forcing a stiff, bitter smile instead.
"Ca-Captain Caesar, I haven't even thanked you yet for helping get revenge..."
"When did I help you get revenge? I don't recall that," Caesar raised an eyebrow.
Moria hurriedly explained, "It's about Teach! His subordinate Shiryu killed my crew mber Absalom—"
Caesar waved him off mid-sentence. "Teach isn't dead. Besides, I wasn't doing you any favors. Don't flatter yourself."
Moria gave an awkward chuckle. "Kishishishi... Even if you say that, Captain Caesar, I'll always rember this debt. Captain, I... I'd like to join the Beast God Pirates. What do you...?"
"You're too weak and what's with all this fat? It's downright embarrassing. Even that fatass Queen looks bulky but it's mostly muscle. Yours is pure fat."
Caesar's words stabbed into Moria's heart like a dagger.
That hurt.
"My Haki used to be decent. But after Kaido defeated , I lost heart and neglected training. That's why I'm like this now. Captain Caesar, give a chance. I'll definitely work off this... excess weight. I want to beco one of your... shadow guards."
During these hours in the cell, Moria had been contemplating his future.
His only future.
Ever since Katakuri took custody of him from Beckman, Moria understood his fate: join the Beast God Pirates or die.
He couldn't see any third option.
Caesar was Kaido's elder brother—not the type for rcy or random acts of kindness like setting him free.
So his choices were: stubbornly resist and get obliterated by Caesar's fist, or let go of his grudge against Kaido and join the Beast God Pirates.
Setting aside past grievances, the Beast God Pirates were now the New World's premier force.
Packed with top-tier fighters and rising stars, given a few more years of stable developnt, Caesar's status might rival even the Pirate King's.
Looking back, his old dream of becoming Pirate King seed laughably naive now.
With his current strength, he'd probably lose to that rookie who just joined the crew outside.
Let alone facing Caesar, whose power existed on a completely different plane.
But if he could board the Beast God Pirates' ship now, he might still get to the final island and see Roger's legendary treasure.
Caesar stroked his chin in thought.
Moria's heart pounded like a drum, filled with anxiety and uncertainty, worried that Caesar might not think highly of him.
He quickly added, "Captain Caesar, although my Haki isn't strong, my Devil Fruit ability is quite useful. I can create an immortal army for the Beast God Pirates. All I need are a few doctors to help stitch corpses together, and then capture so capable pirates. I can cut off their shadows and insert them into the corpses, creating powerful, obedient immortal soldiers."
This ti, Caesar was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected this fat man to have such an ability.
Curious, he asked, "How many of these soldiers can you create? And what are their weaknesses?"
"As long as there are enough shadows and corpses, I can keep producing them—there's no upper limit, as long as I don't recklessly absorb the shadows myself. As for the weaknesses of the immortal army... well, to be honest, Captain Caesar, these soldiers are most vulnerable to salt and seawater. Also, if I lose consciousness, the shadows I've taken will detach from the soldiers and return to their original owners."
As he spoke, Moria carefully observed Caesar's expression, his heart still uneasy.
Caesar frowned in thought, then nodded under Moria's hopeful gaze.
"Alright, that's a decent ability. Though it has flaws, they're not major issues. Your power is best suited for inland battles. And for the sake of the immortal army's combat strength, you'll need to improve your own abilities. Only then can your true value be realized."
Moria nodded frantically, like a chicken pecking at rice.
Exactly!
'I'm better suited for inland combat. That bastard Jinbei—if I faced him near the sea, it'd be like a father beating his son. During the Summit War, I completely lost face as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.'
"Gin!" Caesar suddenly called out toward the cell door.
"Burp~!"
Gin, bleary-eyed from drinking, swayed as he shook his groggy head.
He drained the last drops from his massive barrel of liquor, let out a belch, and looked at Caesar with hazy eyes.
Pointing at Moria on the ground, Caesar said to Gin, "Gin, I'm handing this guy over to you. Before he joins my Shadow Guard, I want you to whip him into shape. No more of this flabby ss—it's an embarrassnt to the Beast God Pirates."
Drunk and red-eyed, Gin exuded a fierce, nacing aura.
The corners of his lips curled into a cruel smirk as he replied, "Leave it to Boss. Ten days—no, three. In three days, I'll strip this fat off him. Hehehe."
Hearing Gin's eerie chuckle, Moria shuddered and stared at him in horror.
What kind of joke is this?
Three days?
I'd rather take a punch from Caesar and die on the spot—it'd be less painful.
But Gin's next words shattered Moria completely.
"If you can't do it in three days, I'll skin you alive."
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