"Naive..."
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes: "Kid, from what you're saying, it sounds like my brother was the one who acted foolishly?"
"No, he was smart!"
Caesar shook his head, his expression sincere: "But I would never do something like that!"
"..."
Whitebeard was momentarily speechless. How could this young brat be so blunt?
"Moreover, I was the one who personally took down Kurozumi Orochi. He had eaten the Eight-Headed Serpent Fruit, giving him eight heads and eight lives. I killed seven of them."
Caesar pointed at himself with his thumb: "If anything, I should be considered the one who avenged Kozuki Oden."
"What a joke!"
Izo shouted angrily: "Even if you killed Kurozumi Orochi, it was only to take control of Wano Country!"
"That's right."
Caesar nodded: "To be honest, I am now the de facto ruler of Wano Country."
"You?"
Marco was even more surprised. What on earth had this kid gone through in just over two months?
Caesar explained: "Simply put... Kaidou doesn't really care about Wano Country. His plan to take over Wano was for money and resources to expand his forces, and making money happens to be my specialty."
"After that, I used taxes as bait to force Kaidou to treat the people well, ensuring they had enough to eat and wear. I also lifted Wano's restrictions on overseas trade, encouraged the people to engage in overseas trade, protected Kozuki Oden's daughter, and took in his retainers..."
As Caesar spoke, he suddenly turned to look at Izo.
"So what if I took control of Wano Country? As an enemy, Kaidou gave Kozuki Oden the utmost respect, but did Kozuki Oden do any of the things I mentioned?"
Hearing this, Izo's face turned red: "That's just sophistry!"
Caesar chuckled lightly: "Yeah, sophistry..."
Izo's face turned even redder...
"Hey, hey..."
Marco glanced at Izo's expression and gently nudged Caesar with his elbow, whispering: "Why are you suddenly speaking up for Kaidou? Don't tell me you're actually planning to join him?"
"Not really..."
Caesar grinned, not hiding his ambition at all: "But I did sleep with his daughter, and I plan to take over the Beasts Pirate Crew and Wano Country."
"Wait, you... I..."
Hearing Caesar's words, Marco was completely stunned: "What?!"
"What?!"
Ulti was also shocked: "You two actually slept together?"
Caesar glanced at her: "The way you're so surprised clearly means you don't see me as a man..."
"Gurararara..."
Whitebeard, who had been silent until now, suddenly laughed: "After all that talk, it turns out it's all about your ambition, huh?"
"But it's also the truth."
Caesar didn't deny it: "Whether it's Wano Country or Kaidou, they are both my goals. And since Kozuki Oden didn't ask for your help back then, doesn't that mean it was a battle between him and Kaidou?"
Hearing this, Whitebeard fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Based on his understanding of these two men, they were indeed capable of such a thing.
Kaidou, though cunning and calculating, was also straightforward in battle.
Kozuki Oden was deceived and outmaneuvered by Kurozumi Orochi, but that couldn't be blamed on Kaidou, as they were enemies.
Caesar was right about one thing: Kozuki Oden was naive, but one couldn't expect Kaidou, his enemy, to be equally naive.
As fellow strongmen, Kaidou had given Oden the opportunities he deserved and preserved the dignity befitting a warrior.
Since Oden had chosen not to seek his help, it was clear that this was a battle between the two of them.
Although there was still a lingering unease in his heart, it wasn't as tangled as it had been in the past.
If Kozuki Oden had been ambushed by underhanded means, he would absolutely seek revenge for him.
But if it was truly as Caesar had said, and Kaidou hadn't schemed against Oden—even helping him maintain the dignity of a strongman—then there was nothing more to say.
After a long silence, Whitebeard suddenly raised his hand gently.
Soon, a tall figure was brought onto the deck.
"Pops!"
Ulti's eyes lit up: "You're still alive?"
"Hey, hey…"
Caesar's mouth twitched as he glanced at Hanafusa.
Standing over five meters tall, Hanafusa fit the style of the Beast Pirate Crew perfectly. He wore a black mask over his head and metal gloves on his hands. Though he looked somewhat worn out, his aura was still fiercely menacing.
Judging by their appearances, Ulti and Page One must have taken after their mother.
"Ulti…"
Hanafusa's eyes widened slightly as he saw her: "What are you doing here?"
"Huh? What am I doing here?"
Ulti mimicked Hanafusa's tone sarcastically, then suddenly crossed her arms and pouted angrily: "Of course, I'm here to save you, you dumb Pops! Why did you get caught by these guys? If you couldn't win, couldn't you have just hidden somewhere?"
"What a noisy little girl."
Whitebeard glanced at Ulti, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He liked lively kids like her.
Turning his gaze to Caesar, Whitebeard spoke calmly: "You've got quite the silver tongue, kid. As you said, in terms of honor, Oden was outmatched, and I really have nothing to say. But that guy was still my brother, and I can't just do nothing."
"Here's what we'll do: one of my sons will fight you. If you win, you can take him back. If you lose, you'll stay here."
"Stay here?"
Caesar was taken aback, then pointed at Hanafusa: "Shouldn't he be the one staying?"
"Kid… are you really here to save me?"
Hanafusa was also stunned, turning to Ulti: "Is he your boyfriend?"
"Of course not!"
"Gurararara… I'm a pirate, after all. Since I'm in the stronger position now, we'll do things my way."
Whitebeard laughed heartily: "A capable and ambitious brat like you would be a big trouble for my sons if you were an enemy."
"I see…"
Caesar nodded, not angry at all.
On the contrary, receiving such recognition from the world's strongest man felt oddly satisfying.
"Alright then!"
"I'll do it!"
Marco cheerfully slung an arm around Caesar's shoulder: "If you lose, you'll have to stay, Caesar. If it's as Pops says, with your strength, you'd make a fine division commander."
"Wait, Marco, I'll do it!"
Izo suddenly stepped forward, glaring at Caesar.
He was a die-hard fan of Kozuki Oden, his mind filled with nothing but loyalty.
No matter how Caesar had governed Wano Country, he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Right now, all he wanted was to give this guy a good beating.
Upon hearing this, Caesar arrogantly lifted his chin.
"The loser has to call the winner 'Dad'!"
"You!!!"
Second update of the day! We've advanced to the second round of recommendations, so please keep up with the updates!
(End of chapter)