"Oroorororo..."
Kaidou laughed heartily, seemingly unbothered. "If he ran away, then so be it. It just means he wasn't even worthy of being killed by me."
Caesar glanced at Ulti and sighed softly. "Kids really do have simple minds..."
Ulti was furious. "Bastard! What did you just say?"
"Don't get mad. Want to come with me?"
Caesar smiled as he extended the invitation. "With your help, things might go a bit smoother."
"Hmph~"
Ulti crossed her arms and let out a proud, dismissive snort. "Fine, tell me. What do you need me to do?"
When it came to her Pops' life, Ulti decided it was worth listening to Caesar's suggestion.
Though she hated to admit it, this guy did seem a little smarter than her.
"Nothing much. Just cry when we get there."
"What? Do I have no dignity?"
Ulti's face darkened, while Page One hesitated, glancing at Caesar.
"Caesar, what about me?"
"You? Forget it. A big guy like you crying would be disgusting. If someone decides to cut you down, that'd be bad."
"..."
Page One felt a little hurt.
I'm only fourteen. What's wrong with crying a little?
"You jerk... How dare you call Page One disgusting!"
Ulti glared at Caesar angrily. "Even if he's disgusting, he's still my little brother!"
Page One: "That's not the point, is it?!"
Caesar tossed the Eternal Pose in his hand. "Anyway, if there's no issue, I'll be heading out now."
"Wait, I'm coming with you!"
Ulti quickly followed. Though her words were fierce, her actions were honest as she stuck close behind Caesar.
The executives of the Beasts Pirate Crew each had their own ships. The two boarded Ulti's vessel, which was mostly pink with black sails bearing the Ogre Horn Skull emblem. The ship's prow was shaped like a Pachycephalosaurus.
The ship wasn't particularly large, measuring around sixty to seventy meters in length. In the New World, where ships often spanned two to three hundred meters, it even seemed a bit petite.
"Raise the sails! Set sail!"
Ulti tossed the Eternal Pose to the navigator, stood at the bow, and pointed into the distance.
Meanwhile, Caesar had somehow found a lounge chair and was lying on the deck, basking in the sun.
"Hey, Caesar, what did you mean earlier?"
As the ship left the port, Ulti approached Caesar, her tone slightly conflicted. "What do you mean by 'kids have simple minds'?"
"Huh?"
Caesar tilted his head in surprise. Though his eyes were covered, it wasn't hard to imagine the conflicted expression on the girl's face, which made him chuckle. "Actually, the matter itself isn't complicated. Whitebeard captured someone to threaten Kaidou into releasing me. That's all."
"If we clash head-on with the Whitebeard Pirate Crew, even if Kaidou wins, the core strength of our crew will suffer heavy losses. With bad luck, Whitebeard might even take Kaidou's life in exchange. But if we don't fight, it'll be a blow to our pride. The reason Kaidou called me here was to have me resolve this matter."
"If I go and the Whitebeard Pirate Crew still doesn't release the hostage, Whitebeard's reputation for honor will be tainted. Kaidou will surely spread this story far and wide. After all, even pirates wouldn't want to follow someone who lacks honor."
"And since I'm not a member of the Whitebeard Pirate Crew, even if Whitebeard releases the hostage, I'll still have to return to Wano Country."
Ulti tilted her head, her face filled with confusion. "Weren't you captured? Why aren't you running away? Are you an idiot?"
"Running away is meaningless. Becoming stronger is the truth."
Caesar chuckled. "Besides, Kaidou treats me quite well. Even if I can't defeat him, staying as the de facto General of Wano Country isn't so bad."
"So, you're not leaving?"
Ulti's eyes lit up, seemingly a bit happy.
She had a good impression of Caesar. They were close in age, and he was quite tolerant of her.
Ulti thought that if Caesar asked her, she wouldn't mind becoming good friends with him.
"How could that be? Even if I can't win, as long as I can hold my own, I wouldn't hesitate to run away."
Caesar smirked proudly. "No one can catch up to my speed now."
"Tch…"
Ulti pouted, planning to report Caesar's insolence later and have Kaidou break his legs.
"Then, should I really cry?"
"Cry! When you see your father, just cry your heart out."
Caesar nodded seriously. "Whitebeard is a magnanimous man. Without deep-seated hatred, he's unlikely to kill someone's father in front of a child, especially since he's a father himself…"
"So, if nothing unexpected happens, when Marco sees me and you start crying, he'll probably let me go."
Ulti let out an "oh," then turned and headed into the kitchen, planning to find some onions to help with her performance later.
The waves surged and rolled as the ship cut through the sea. After a while, as Wano Country shrank to the size of a sesame seed on the horizon, the surrounding winds and waves calmed down.
Sailing on the sea was always monotonous, though this was rarely depicted in the story.
The prolonged boredom and cramped quarters could easily drive people mad, so pirates often resorted to throwing parties to vent their pent-up frustrations.
There were only so many forms of entertainment on a ship. Some ships even kept goats to help the crew relieve stress, lest someone go crazy and do something dangerous.
Caesar had noticed Ulti's crew. The proportion of female pirates was nearly 30%, which was quite high for a pirate ship.
However, this also meant that the relationships among the crew were rather chaotic. From time to time, Caesar's Observation Haki would pick up on some steamy scenes, including some rather heated winter romances.
Ulti seemed oblivious to this, though her occasional flushed face didn't escape Caesar's notice.
It wasn't until Caesar drained the blood of a noisy couple who disturbed his sleep that the chaotic situation on the ship finally subsided.
Soon, two days flew by.
Guided by the Eternal Pose, a lush green island came into view in the distance.
The Moby Dick, like a massive blue whale, was anchored by the shore.
Caesar flew up into the sky, and on the deck of the giant whale, a pair of hawk-like sharp eyes suddenly turned toward him.
It was a man as tall and imposing as Kaidou, with a burly frame and a crescent-shaped white beard.
He wore a black headband, a white coat draped wildly over his shoulders, and his bare, muscular body exuded a different kind of pressure compared to Kaidou.
The world's strongest man, Whitebeard…
Edward Newgate!
"Gurararara… So only two brats came, huh?"
Whitebeard glanced at Caesar in the sky: "That bat kid, is he the Caesar you mentioned, Marco?"
"Ah! That's right!"
Blue flames surged as Marco transformed into the Phoenix and soared into the sky: "Haha, long time no see, Caesar!"
"It's been a while, Marco!"
The two flying figures met in the sky, clapping their hands crisply before gracefully landing on the deck of the Moby Dick.
Caesar turned to the massive figure seated there and gave a slight bow.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Newgate!"
(End of Chapter)