In the evening, the sun set in the west, and Caelan, who had been asleep all afternoon, finally woke up.
"So comfortable!"
Caelan stretched his body, loosening his muscles.
In just a few hours, he was fully energized and completely recovered.
Out of habit, he glanced at the system panel.
The synchronization progress had jumped from 78.5% to 83%.
Just the battle with Aokiji had raised it by 4.5%—five times the increase from defeating Crocodile.
"I really hope Aokiji comes to visit Robin more often."
Caelan grinned.
If he could get into a hundred battles like that, it'd be perfect.
If Aokiji showed up for Robin more often, he might be able to max out synchronization progress just through fighting.
Just as Caelan was lost in pleasant thoughts, Nami poked her head in through the door and called out in surprise, "Caelan, you're awake? The party's ready!"
"Alright, I'm coming."
Caelan changed into a fresh black uniform and stepped out of the room.
Nami, lively as ever, led Caelan to the venue they had carefully decorated.
Bang!
The moment he entered, two bottles of champagne popped open, and colorful ribbons burst toward him.
"Welcome, Captain, to this grand and unparalleled feast!"
Vivi, dressed in a maid outfit, gave him an exaggerated gentleman's bow.
"You guys..."
Caelan lightly pinched Vivi's delicate nose.
"What, Captain, don't you like it?"
Vivi blinked her large, watery eyes, feigning grievance.
"I like it. Of course I do."
Caelan looked around, speaking from the heart.
The long dining table was filled with every kind of delicacy imaginable. The golden wine shimmered beautifully under the lights.
But what caught Caelan's eye most were the girls, dressed stunningly.
Nami wore a bikini, flaunting her alluring figure.
Robin and Tashigi looked like sisters, one mature and graceful, the other youthful and cute.
Kalifa had returned to her agent persona, clad in a skintight black leather outfit that exuded deadly charm.
What man could resist such temptation?
Caelan definitely couldn't.
"But, do you all think I'm some kind of pervert?"
He looked at the girls dressed to the nines and sighed.
"Why? Aren't you?"
Nami clung to Caelan's arm, smiling playfully.
"Alright, I am."
Feeling the soft pressure on his arm, Caelan gave up resisting.
Caelan opened his arms in a theatrical gesture.
"Coming, Captain!"
The girls giggled as they approached, pressing Caelan into the seat at the head of the long table and doting on him with all their attention.
"Wahoo, takeoff!"
Caelan savored the barbecue fed to him by Nami, closing his eyes in contentment.
After Nami, Robin and Tashigi poured him wine. Vivi peeled shrimp and served it to him, while Kalifa stood behind him, giving a skillful shoulder massage.
Caelan didn't know how he made it through the night, but he was left with an endless aftertaste.
In the days that followed, the girls weren't quite as proactive, but Caelan still enjoyed himself thoroughly.
The biggest reason was Kalifa, now dressed in a secretary suit.
"Mr. Caelan, have some fruit."
Kalifa held out a peeled grape to his mouth, her tone gentle.
"Oh? So you've come around?"
Caelan opened his mouth to eat the grape and smiled.
Over the past few days, in addition to teaching Nami and the others Rokushiki, Kalifa had fully embraced her role as his secretary, attending to him in every way.
"I wouldn't say I've come around. I'd say I've walked out of the darkness."
Kalifa looked into Caelan's eyes and spoke.
Ever since Caelan's overwhelming victory against Aokiji, she had accepted her fate.
She couldn't fight someone as powerful as a Yonko. Any little tricks would only get her killed in a hundred different ways.
And this man—it looks like when he commits to something, he goes all out!
For Nico Robin, he even dared to take on Aokiji. That's real courage! Compared to that idiot Spandam from CP9, he was leagues better.
If she truly joined Caelan's crew, Kalifa felt the rest of her life might be secure.
Thinking this, she quickly peeled another grape and brought it to Caelan's mouth.
"Hmm, not bad."
Caelan took a bite, accidentally biting Kalifa's finger in the process.
Kalifa blushed but said nothing.
…
While Caelan enjoyed a few leisurely days, the sea was in turmoil.
This time, the news king Morgans had personally penned an article on Caelan's victory over Aokiji. Hundreds of millions of copies were printed and circulated across the world.
"Shocking! A Marine Admiral Taken Down by a Rookie!?"
That was the only article on the front page, and the headline was impossible to miss.
As expected, this issue became another global bestseller.
New World, Red-Haired Pirates.
"Beckman, any news on Luffy?"
Shanks took a big swig of sake and asked Beckman, who was reading the newspaper.
Ever since parting ways with Mihawk, he hadn't heard anything about Luffy.
To find news on Luffy, he hadn't missed a single issue of the news and had practically bankrolled Morgans in the process.
"No, but there's big news. Aokiji was defeated by that Caelan."
Beckman replied, shaking his head while puffing his pipe.
"Didn't he just defeat Crocodile less than a month ago? And now he's taken down an admiral?"
Shanks was initially disappointed about the lack of Luffy news, but Beckman's words left him stunned.
Are all rookies this powerful these days?
To take down a Marine Admiral head-on—that's Yonko-level power.
It had been less than two months since Caelan entered the Grand Line, and his power had skyrocketed!
"Tsk tsk, looks like another emperor is rising on the seas."
Beckman exhaled a smoke ring, speaking with emotion.
This sea is always birthing new legends.
But no one quite like Caelan.
"Yeah, with his strength, he could absolutely support an emperor's crew."
Shanks nodded in agreement, though his expression turned grim.
The emergence of such a powerhouse would definitely shake the balance of power at sea.
Still, he wasn't too worried.
No matter how strong Caelan was, the one who truly mattered was Luffy—the one who had eaten the Nika Fruit.
"But if Caelan's powerful enough to beat an admiral, why is there still no news about Luffy?!"
Shanks stared at the paper in frustration.
Luffy had eaten the Nika Fruit… so how was it someone else who was rising to prominence?
Did he end up with a fake?
He scratched his head with his only remaining right hand, completely baffled.
(To be continued.)
***
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