In the dimly lit basent prison, Caesar's massive body cast a long, oppressive shadow that enveloped Kuzan, sending a chill through his body.
As a user of the Ice-Ice Fruit, no one should understand the sensation of cold better than him.
Yet at this mont, Kuzan felt genuine fear toward Caesar—fear that stemd from the depths of his soul.
Yes, fear!
Not fear of Caesar's strength, but fear of his mory-mory Fruit ability!
"Caesar! You devil… have you allied with Blackbeard? Did he help you fuse the mory-mory Fruit's power into yourself? You're truly heartless—even your own daughter's life ant nothing to you. How do you possess dual Devil Fruit abilities? You're not like Blackbeard; you don't have his freakish body structure!"
Kuzan spat out a mouthful of broken teeth and blood, seemingly numb to the pain.
"Bororo! Who knows? Do you really think I'd tell you? Blackbeard—no, he should be called Barbarossa Teach now—my long-lost son, separated from for thirty years! Borororo!"
Caesar's grin widened, but his words sent an involuntary shudder through Kuzan.
A devil!
In his mind's, Kuzan saw a monstrous, horned shadow stretching across the skies of the New World, plunging the entire ocean into darkness.
Staring blankly at Caesar, Kuzan suddenly felt drained, collapsing weakly onto the ground.
"Caesar… you're the most evil criminals in this world. Not even Dragon of the Revolutionary Army, the Celestial Dragons, or the Four Emperors can compare to you."
After a long pause, Kuzan spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate.
"Tell … what is it you want? Power? Status? Or sothing else?"
Caesar's smile faded slightly, as if he were chatting with an old friend.
"Freedom. The freedom to do whatever I please, unrestrained. No one shall stand above . I don't need others to kneel, but if I want them to, they won't be allowed to stand."
Kuzan sighed. "So that's it… the path of a tyrant. In that case, both the World Governnt and the Revolutionary Army will beco your enemies. Next, you'll secretly seize control of all pirate factions across the seas, waiting for the right mont to achieve your goal, won't you?"
Caesar neither confird nor denied it, his voice deepening. "Kuzan, I don't actually dislike you. I respect those who stay true to their path—even enemies. Did you know? Garp is dead. I killed him."
"What?!"
Kuzan's previously calm heart erupted in turmoil.
His face turned deathly pale, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
Thud.
He collapsed face-first onto the rough prison floor, his cheek scraping against the ground, leaving a trail of blood.
The cell was eerily silent.
Kuzan lay motionless on the ground as if he was dead, not a single movent from him for a long, long ti.
After what seed like an eternity, Kuzan's faint murmur finally broke the silence.
"Old Man Garp... did he suffer when he died?"
Caesar sighed with a hint of lancholy.
"Perhaps. He desperately wanted to eliminate . He ate Sengoku's Devil Fruit, heh. You could say he ca carrying Sengoku's will this ti. Garp was conflicted. Though we were enemies, I could sense the struggle in his heart."
Caesar raised his head, gazing at the ceiling of the cell as if his vision could pierce through the walls and into the endless sky beyond.
"Garp wants to uphold his ideals of justice, but he also feels that in this era, perhaps violence is the only answer. His Great Buddha is the Fierce Deity, not the benevolent Buddha of Sengoku. Kuzan, you're the sa. That's why I say I admire those who can stay true to their path. When people like Garp and you begin to change, when you abandon the ideals you've held your entire life—that's when you 'die.'"
Kuzan's body trembled, his voice hoarse as he murmured, "When we change... that's when we die? Hahaha... You're absolutely right, Caesar. For the Marines of this era, having an opponent like you is both their misfortune and their luck."
Clenching his teeth, Kuzan pushed himself up from the ground, covered in dirt and dust.
Yet his expression remained calm, almost serene.
With a faint smile, he looked at Caesar and said.
"Perhaps a different ruler for this world would be better than the Celestial Dragons' tyranny? Pity I won't live to see that day. Caesar... may I ask you for one favor?"
Caesar's face remained impassive.
Unfazed, Kuzan continued, "After you alter my mories... could you make it so I only fight pirates or the Revolutionary Army? I don't want to face my forr comrades like that."
"Sorry. Can't do that," Caesar replied coldly.
Kuzan gave a bitter chuckle.
"Heh... Couldn't you at least lie to before my 'death'?"
"Sorry."
Kuzan took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting back to the place where he had spent his life fighting—laughing, battling, suffering, and grieving alongside his forr colleagues.
'Sakazuki, Borsalino, Chaton... everyone... I really didn't want to fight you all...'
Caesar's right hand slowly reached toward Kuzan's forehead.
Kuzan's eyes were vacant, making no move to resist or evade.
Squelch.
Caesar's hand plunged into Kuzan's skull, gripping a slimy tape before yanking it out.
"Kuzan... you, like Garp, are an opponent worthy of my respect. I won't pry into your mories."
With a sweeping motion, Caesar's hand moved like an eraser over the mory tape, wiping away every scene in one swift stroke.
Kuzan's expression froze.
A single ice tear fell from the corner of his eye and shattered on the ground.
"Goodbye, Kuzan. From now on, you are the commander of my Shadow Guard Corps—codena: Ice Demon."
Caesar gripped Kuzan's blank mory tape, imprinting his own will upon it.
Unlike with Teach's mories, he didn't bother crafting elaborate false narratives.
For Ice Demon, he took the simplest approach—implanting a single command: Obey Caesar.
Staring at the emotionless, wooden figure before him, Caesar grabbed the keys from the nearby table and unlocked Ice Demon's shackles.
Then, using a significant amount of his Lifeblood, he fully healed Ice Demon's injuries.
"Ice Demon, wait outside," Caesar commanded.
The Ice Demon's expression was cold and unreadable, offering no response to Caesar as he chanically walked out of the cell and stood rigidly by the door like a spear planted in the ground.
"Borororo, BORORORORO! The first commander of the Shadow Guard Corps—Ice Demon—is born!"
"Next up is you, Redfield!"
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