CHAPTER 225
Caesar swiftly extended his hand, using his thoughts to pull the newly reborn Devil Fruit toward him.
Gazing at the fruit in his palm, he carefully compared its intricate patterns and swirling designs with the image of the Asura Fruit from the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia stored in his memory.
After thorough scrutiny, he was absolutely certain—this was the Mythical Zoan, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Asura.
A rare smile surfaced on his face, and he couldn't help but think:
"I never expected such a stroke of luck on this expedition!"
With that, Caesar carefully gathered the Devil Fruit, the beast's corpse, and the remaining fruits before exiting the Seastone-fortified chamber. The reason for taking the other fruits was simple—to prevent spoilage and contamination.
Returning to the palace, he made his way to the hidden vault, a sealed chamber specifically designed for storing Devil Fruits. Only by securing the fruit here could he feel at ease.
After completing this task, Caesar went to check on his children, both young and old, showing them a rare moment of tenderness.
---
"Caesar, why did you return so quickly? Has the island been relocated?"
"Is everything settled?"
Wei Na was visibly surprised by Caesar's early return. He hadn't sensed any movement from the Floating Island, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, are the rescued civilians safe?"
Caesar shook his head. "The island hasn't been moved yet, and the people haven't been rescued either."
"Huh? Why?" The three women looked at him in confusion.
"Because I made a very important discovery!"
Hearing this, their eyes lit up with curiosity.
"What kind of discovery?"
Caesar smirked. "On the island where I planned the rescue, I found a beast that had consumed a Devil Fruit."
"And I have taken its power!"
Glancing at the sleeping infants in the crib, his gaze softened. Everything he did was for them.
"What kind of fruit?"
Having followed Caesar for a long time, the women had seen many powerful Paramecia, Logia, and Mythical Zoans. For Caesar to return alone with just a single Devil Fruit meant that this one must be exceptional.
"It's a Mythical Zoan—Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Asura!"
"What?! A Mythical Zoan?!" Their shock was evident.
They were well aware of the rarity and power of such fruits. In general, any Mythical Zoan variant of the Hito Hito no Mi granted extraordinary abilities.
"This is incredible! With this, we have another top-tier ability in our hands!"
They knew that Caesar had been searching for high-level abilities to strengthen his forces. This new find was another step toward his grand goal.
That night, Caesar spent rare, peaceful moments with his wife and children.
---
"World Destroyer" Captured—The Momo Momo no Mi's Unlimited Potential
Year 1495 of the Great Age of Pirates—End of the Year
It had been over a year since Caesar ascended the throne and became a ruler.
The rapid transformation of the Central Island stunned those familiar with its previous state—almost to the point of disbelief.
In just over a year:
The island's landmass had tripled.
The population had nearly quadrupled, now surpassing 11 million citizens.
This made it one of the largest territories in the world, rivaled only by a few nations.
On the surface, life was peaceful.
The three young children trained diligently daily.
They also spent time watching over their younger siblings, playing, and bonding with them.
Caesar himself remained committed to his ambitions.
Three months prior, his latest child had been born. As a result, he had slightly reduced his workload, focusing only on essential tasks like relocating islands and rescuing civilians.
Across the seas, however, tensions simmered beneath the surface.
Most major powers were in a state of quiet preparation, stockpiling their strength.
Occasional clashes erupted, but these were mere skirmishes, not full-scale wars.
In casual conversation, the world's most discussed topics included:
The Middle Kingdom's rapid rise.
Whitebeard's Pirates becoming the strongest crew.
Golden Lion's unchecked rampages.
Roger's eternal cat-and-mouse game with Garp.
However, amidst all these events, no one realized that a certain man was already inching closer to discovering the true final island.
The era of the Pirate King was fast approaching—something that deeply unsettled the World Government.
---
Island Relocation & Civilian Rescue
One day, Caesar relocated another island to his kingdom.
Upon arriving at Central Island, he seamlessly integrated the new landmass by:
1. Merging it with existing flat terrain.
2. Anchoring it securely to the seafloor.
3. Connecting it to the underground water veins.
After completing the integration, he handed over the hundreds of thousands of new citizens to his officials for processing:
Registration
Identification issuance
Cultural assimilation
Only after ensuring everything was in order did Caesar return to the palace, eager to spend time with his children.
His plan to expand the kingdom wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight.
For now, he would simply extend a helping hand when opportunities arose.
Life was relatively calm…
…yet beneath the surface, an undercurrent of revolution brewed.
Just as Gol D. Roger was searching for the final island, Caesar was methodically laying the groundwork to overthrow the World Government and take its place.
---
Military Development
After two days in the palace handling government affairs, Caesar decided to visit the military base.
He hadn't inspected the troops in a while and wanted to assess their training progress.
His army's quality mattered far more than quantity—he needed elite soldiers, not cannon fodder.
To this end, those who demonstrated exceptional potential would be rewarded with Devil Fruits to further enhance their combat power.
Before heading to the base, Caesar made a Den Den Mushi call to Douglas Barrett, the army's chief instructor.
"Hello, is this the military base?"
"Your Majesty, are you looking for the Chief Instructor?"
Caesar recognized the voice—it was Barrett's adjutant, a meticulous and reliable young officer.
"Yes. Inform him that I need to speak with him immediately."
"Understood, Your Majesty! I'll notify him right away!"
The adjutant wasted no time, setting off at a sprint.
---
Soon, Barrett—who had been in the middle of intense training—paused his brutal self-discipline regimen and rushed to his office to answer the call.
"Captain, this is Barrett. What do you need?"
"How is the army's training progressing? What level have the 30,000 soldiers reached?"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Barrett replied:
"The army has already surpassed the military strength of most kingdoms."
"Compared to the New World Navy, we are still slightly behind. But against the Four Seas Navy or the first half of the Grand Line, we are unquestionably superior!"
"Our soldiers have made immense progress, though their martial arts foundations still need refining. I'm working on improving that now!"
Caesar nodded in satisfaction. Training an army from scratch in just one year was no small feat.
"And what about the elite soldiers?"
Barrett took a moment to think.
"Roughly 10% of the army can be considered elite. The top hundreds among them have remarkable combat instincts, requiring minimal instruction."
"If they receive Devil Fruits, their potential will increase significantly!"
Caesar smirked.
"Then let's make it happen."
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