Chapter 71: Before Setting Sail

Sorbet Kingdom, Southern Region, Church.

"Crunch, crunch!"

"Creak, creak!"

"Chomp, chomp!"

Inside the church, at a long dining table, Caesar, Yamato, and Bonney were devouring the food on the table like gluttons, leaving no trace behind.

Kuma sat beside Bonney, holding a piece of chocolate mousse in his left hand, taking small spoonfuls and occasionally glancing at Bonney with a satisfied smile.

"My, my, to think there are three such voracious eaters…"

Brudo Grudge leaned on his cane, marveling at Caesar and the others. Behind him stood a group of elderly folks who were close to Kuma.

"Thank you all so much for your assistance. I am truly grateful."

"You're too kind. Kuma is our comrade, and his matters are naturally our matters as well."

Robin said with a smile. Since Caesar was too busy eating, the task of handling social interactions naturally fell to her.

"That's truly… wonderful, Kuma."

Brudo Grudge looked at Kuma with relief. "But you'll be leaving soon, won't you?"

Hearing this, Kuma turned his gaze to Caesar.

Caesar finally swallowed the food in his mouth and used one hand to block Bonney's little paw, which was trying to steal the beef burger in front of him. "We'll be leaving here soon. If there's anything you need help with, feel free to speak up."

"King Beckley has already been dealt with, so there's nothing we need help with."

Brudo Grudge shook his head. "It's just that the citizens are strongly urging Kuma to ascend to the throne. Aside from him, we don't have any other suitable candidates."

Caesar raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't rush to express his opinion. Instead, he asked, "How is Sorbet Kingdom's financial situation?"

"It's fairly good…"

Brudo Grudge thought for a moment. "Although our geographical location is relatively remote, being close to the Calm Belt means we have the largest aquatic trade market in the South Blue. Even after paying the Celestial Tribute, we can maintain a certain level of economic stability."

"Then why don't you, the former former king, take the position? Set aside a portion of the budget each year to maintain good relations with the nearby Navy branches. With the Navy's support, you'll have reliable shipping routes, and the profits will speak for themselves."

Caesar spoke calmly. "Alternatively, you could negotiate with the Navy Headquarters. Offer funds and resources to establish a branch in the southern region of Sorbet Kingdom. Given the kingdom's economic situation, the Navy likely wouldn't refuse."

"That's a good idea."

Brudo Grudge nodded. His thoughts were similar. If Kuma were no longer here, Sorbet Kingdom's safety would still rely on the Navy. At least in the Four Seas region, the Navy's control over the seas was quite strong.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of using emotional tactics to persuade Kuma to stay, Caesar felt somewhat satisfied.

He didn't mind showing kindness to the weak, but if the other party took it for granted and pushed their luck, he would have to reconsider whether he had been too generous with his goodwill.

"Before we leave, shall I relieve everyone's pain one last time?"

Kuma smiled gently and slowly walked up to the elderly folks, revealing the Paw Pad on his palm.

So cute!

Robin stared eagerly at Kuma's palm, the shape of the Paw Pad perfectly hitting her soft spot.

"Then we'll trouble you, Kuma…"

An elderly woman smiled warmly, and Caesar subtly sensed her emotions.

Warmth, kindness...

Hmm, it seems this group truly doesn't know the drawbacks of the Paw-Paw Fruit's ability.

"Let me handle it."

As Caesar spoke, a crimson Blood Mist surged, instantly freezing the elderly in place. Their eyes gradually turned red, and the wrinkles on their faces seemed to fade.

Soon, the Blood Mist dissipated, and everyone regained their senses. Feeling the changes in their bodies, they exclaimed in astonishment.

"This is amazing! I feel so light!"

"My herniated disc… it's gone!"

"My knees don't hurt anymore!"

Brudo Grudge looked on in awe. "This is even more powerful than Kuma's ability. I feel like I've become younger…"

"Of course! You old folks!"

Baby 5 spoke with a serious expression. "Caesar is a Vampire Fruit user. This consumes his life force! You better be grateful and pray for him!"

Caesar chuckled awkwardly. "Be polite to the elderly, Baby 5…"

"Got it, darling~"

Baby 5 smiled at him, then turned back to the elderly, her expression turning stern again. "You old folks better be grateful and pray for Caesar!"

Caesar: "..."

Brudo Grudge glanced at Caesar, whose face was twitching, and comforted him. "It's fine. At least she said 'please.' But consuming your life force… are you okay?"

"I absorbed it from others. It doesn't affect me."

Caesar cautioned, "Take care of yourselves from now on. I've replenished some of your life force, which can slow down aging. But too much of a good thing can be harmful. If you become too young, once this life force fades, your bodies won't be able to handle the sudden aging and will collapse quickly."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Brudo Grudge nodded slightly. The elderly, understanding the situation, politely excused themselves, leaving space for Caesar and the others.

"By the way, what were these elderly folks here for?"

After the elderly had left, Yamato finally asked curiously.

She held a sandwich in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other—foods she had never tasted in Wano Country, so she was momentarily lost in the indulgence.

"Oh, and where are we? Have we already set sail?"

The girl's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Caesar explained briefly, "The fight with Kaidou ended two days ago. We're now in the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue, Kuma's homeland."

Robin looked surprised. "Two days? From the New World to the South Blue?"

"Well… things were urgent before, so I didn't have time to properly introduce everyone. Now that the team is formed, you should get to know each other's abilities."

As he spoke, Caesar gestured toward Kuma. "Bartholomew Kuma, user of the Paw-Paw Fruit. His ability allows him to repel objects. He can not only push out fatigue and pain from a person's body but also send people flying to any place he's been to before."

"That's incredible!!"

Yamato's eyes lit up. "If he can push out fatigue and pain, does that mean you can fight without getting tired?"

"In theory, yes…"

Kuma scratched his head sheepishly, causing Yamato to yelp, "Hey! Don't touch your head carelessly! You might accidentally slap it off!"

Kuma: "..."

This girl really doesn't seem too bright.

Caesar gently patted Bonney's little head. "Bonney, the user of the Age-Age Fruit! She can alter her own age and the age of others. For now, she's considered a trainee in the crew."

Nico Robin looked surprised. "That's quite an impressive ability. Both father and daughter are powerful Paramecia users."

"Wait, why am I just a trainee?" Bonney pouted, slapping her slender arm. "I can fight too!"

"Because you're still young. You have to be an adult to be considered a full member," Caesar said casually, then gestured toward Robin. "This is Nico Robin, a survivor of Ohara, with a bounty of 79 million Berries. She's the user of the Flower-Flower Fruit."

"Nico Robin?" Yamato looked puzzled. "I thought her name was Viola?"

"That was just an alias. Robin has the ability to read Poneglyphs, which is essential for reaching the final island. That's why she's been hunted by the World Government for years," Caesar explained, shaking his head slightly. "If Kaidou were to discover her true identity, the consequences would be dire. I only let her out after ensuring we had a solid escape plan."

"Nico Robin…" Kuma also seemed surprised. "I deeply regret what happened to Ohara. The Revolutionary Army once tried to find you. Dragon even said you would be the light of the revolution. I never expected you to be with Caesar."

"The light of the revolution, huh…" Robin propped her chin on her hand and smiled softly. "What a pity. My faint light probably only illuminates one person's path."

As she spoke, she gently brushed the hair by her ear and glanced back at Caesar with a warm smile.

Caesar's heart warmed. Honestly, among the female characters in the Pirate King's world, Robin might not be the most beautiful, but she was undoubtedly the most alluring. Every move she made was captivating.

Kuma fell silent. So there was that kind of relationship between them? He felt it was necessary to seriously consider whether he should keep Bonney away from Caesar.

"Baby5, the user of the Arms-Arms Fruit, my adorable little maid," Caesar continued introducing. "And this is Yamato, Kaidou's daughter, the user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Okuchi no-Makami. Her ability transforms her into a white wolf that controls freezing air."

"Wait a minute…" Kuma looked around. "So… everyone here is a Devil Fruit user?"

Caesar nodded. "That's right. Currently, the core members of the crew are you, me, and Yamato. If we can recruit one more powerhouse of the same level, our overall strength might even surpass the Beasts Pirates."

"So… Mr. Vampire, do you have a suitable target in mind?" Robin asked with interest.

"There's a blind swordsman named Issho. He's chivalrous and incredibly strong. Doflamingo is helping me track him down," Caesar thought for a moment. "Besides him, I'm considering inviting Hawkeye Mihawk."

Yamato's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Mihawk? Who's that? Is he strong?"

"Like Doflamingo, he's one of the Royal Shichibukai," Robin explained. "But he's more widely known by another title: the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

"The World's Greatest, huh…" A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Yamato's eyes. "I'd really like to see him in action!"

"There will be opportunities, but before we set sail, there are a few things we need to settle in advance. First, everyone needs to confirm their respective positions."

Caesar lightly tapped the table with his finger: "Let me mention the ones that have already been decided. Besides me as the captain, Yamato's position is the combat captain, Baby 5's position is the chef, Robin's position is the archaeologist, and Bonney's position is tentatively set as an intern and mascot."

"I don't want that! I want to be a combatant too!"

Bonney immediately jumped up, raising her small hand and shouting: "I'm strong too!"

"No, to become a combatant, you must be proficient in Haki. You're still far from it."

Caesar laughed and looked at Kuma: "Aside from these people, I already have candidates for the navigator and ship doctor. Kuma, do you have any thoughts?"

Kuma sighed slightly, looking somewhat troubled: "Aside from combat, I don't seem to have any particular strengths. My actual profession is a pastor."

"Oh, I didn't realize that!"

Caesar was taken aback: "You, a pastor, joining a Vampire's crew—is that really okay? By the way, what do you believe in?"

"I believe in the Lord."

Kuma pointed to the large cross on the church wall, which was divided into four parts, with a sun symbol composed of a large circle and several smaller circles in the center: "Of course, I also believe in the Sun God Nika."

This world has a Lord too…

Caesar rubbed his chin, deep in thought: "Unbelievable. If things go according to my plans for the future… I might become the greatest enemy of what you believe in!"

"That's alright, I can also believe in Vampires."

Kuma smiled warmly. The Lord and Nika he once believed in couldn't save him, but Caesar, the Vampire, had genuinely brought him hope.

"Alright then, from now on, you'll be the leader of our support team!"

Caesar snapped his fingers and pointed at Kuma: "Your main responsibilities will be supporting others in combat and handling logistics. With your mobility and your previous experience in the Revolutionary Army, you should be able to maximize your strengths."

"I have no objections."

Kuma nodded. This position indeed suited him well.

"This is really interesting. Look at the members of our crew."

Caesar spread his hands with a grin: "A Vampire, a little werewolf, a child of demons, and even a pastor. Quite a dark theme, huh?"

"The most unbelievable part is that a certain Vampire openly lured away a believer of the Lord right in front of the church's cross."

Robin looked at Caesar curiously: "If I stabbed you with a silver knife, would you get hurt?"

"For Devil Fruit users, aside from the attributes of their abilities and the hierarchy of fruits, the only weakness is the sea."

Caesar shook his head. Not to mention his upgraded fruit, even the original Vampire Fruit wouldn't have such trivial weaknesses.

"Also, I hope you all remember that when encountering a Devil Fruit you're unfamiliar with, don't rashly engage in battle with the user."

As he spoke, Caesar's gaze turned to Robin: "Especially you, Robin. Your ability can be seen as an extension of your body. Any ability that activates upon touch will also affect your main body. So, before you're sure whether someone is a Devil Fruit user, don't recklessly use your ability."

Robin was puzzled: "Activates upon touch?"

"For example, Bonney's Age-Age Fruit takes effect through touch."

Caesar pointed at Bonney: "The Navy also has a similar fruit called the Rewind-Rewind Fruit. With each touch, it can rewind an object's time by twelve years. The Golden Emperor has a subordinate with the Luck-Luck Fruit, which can steal others' luck through touch. But the most dangerous one is the Hobby Fruit, held by one of Doflamingo's subordinates."

"Ah! Speaking of that!"

Baby5 slapped her forehead: "That's an extremely dangerous fruit. Once touched, the person is turned into a toy controlled by the user, and the transformed person is completely forgotten by everyone!"

"Forgotten..."

Robin's expression turned grave: "That means they can't be rescued!"

"Exactly!"

Baby5 warned: "The current user of the Hobby Fruit is named Sugar. She has green hair and looks about the same age as Bonney, but she's actually sixteen years old. Once the Hobby Fruit is eaten, the user's physical growth is completely frozen at the moment they consumed it!"

"Because a child's appearance lowers people's guard, Doflamingo uses this to turn many people into toy slaves! If we ever go to Dressrosa again, everyone must be extremely careful!"

Kuma also looked serious: "So this is the truth behind the 'Toy Kingdom'? Then we..."

"At least for now, I don't plan to move against Doflamingo."

Caesar shook his head slightly. He was still counting on Doflamingo to help him find the Dark-Dark Fruit.

Doflamingo might be unreliable, but if he handed this task to someone else, Caesar would be even more uneasy!

"Taking him down now would be of no value to us. On the contrary, it would put my future plans in a passive position. And this leads to what I'm about to say next—the positioning of our team!"

Upon hearing this, Yamato suddenly raised her hand: "Let's become Pirates!"

Bonney immediately raised her small hand: "I agree!"

The two idiots, one big and one small, grinned brightly.

Caesar: "First, let's rule out the option of becoming Pirates!"

"Eh—?!" ×2

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