Three Years Later: The Evolution of the Caesar Pirates
Three years had passed, bringing great changes to the Caesar Pirates. During this time, they returned Lilith to Fish-Man Island, reuniting her with her long-lost relatives. However, as they spent time there, their emotions deepened.
When the Caesar Pirates were about to leave Fish-Man Island, Lilith and her lover, Hades, exchanged their heartfelt vows. She ultimately decided to accompany him on his adventures across the sea. Alongside her, her sister Lilian—an aspiring pastry chef eager to see the world—and Belisa, a barista the crew had rescued in the Sabaody Archipelago, also joined the voyage.
The Gratitude of Fish-Man Island
The Fish-Men and merfolk held deep gratitude toward Caesar and his crew. The pirates had repeatedly protected their people, earning the respect of the entire island. Among those inspired by their actions was a 16-year-old fish-man boy. Yearning for the sea and moved by the kindness of the Caesar Pirates, he volunteered to join their ranks.
Caesar did not refuse. He recognized the boy's potential and foresaw that he would become an indispensable figure for Fish-Man Island in the future. That boy's name was Jinbei.
Now, the crew included seven mermaids of various ages, though two were still very young. Hades, instead of staying in the crew's dormitory, relocated to Little Fish-Man Island, a place they had established to provide a more familiar environment for their fish-man and mermaid crewmates. Though they longed to explore the surface world, they still found comfort in their new home.
However, despite visiting Fish-Man Island three times over the years, the Caesar Pirates always seemed to miss one key figure—Fisher Tiger. At this point, he had not yet been enslaved by the Celestial Dragons and still held great hopes for coexistence between humans and fish-men. Similarly, Fisher Tiger harbored respect for Caesar and his crew, wishing to join them and seek reliable comrades for adventures. Yet, fate always seemed to keep them apart.
Family Growth and New Generations
In the past three years, some members of the crew had settled down. Hades was now married with children. Fenrir and Kyle also tied the knot three years ago and had two children in consecutive years. Their eldest, a two-year-old wolf cub, was named Sesshomaru by Caesar. Their younger child, a one-year-old feline girl, was named Emily by Kyle before Caesar could decide on a name.
Emily, despite her natural strength as a non-human, was still too young to play with her sisters. However, in a few months, she would be able to join them. Meanwhile, Sesshomaru and little fish-man Willis often caused trouble for Caesar's two sons.
With so many children aboard, the Caesar Pirates were beginning to resemble a kindergarten. Thankfully, Tony's Expansion-Expansion Fruit allowed him to create more space, ensuring they wouldn't run out of room.
Growth in Strength and New Powerhouses
Over three years, the crew's combat strength had skyrocketed. The newest addition, Jinbei, had been aboard for less than three years but had already reached major general-level combat strength despite his youth. Meanwhile, all the senior members had surpassed the rank of vice admiral.
At just 14 years old, Douglas Bullet was a true monster. He had awakened Conqueror's Haki, mastered it, and gained immense physical power. Two years ago, he finally ate the Fusion-Fusion Fruit, allowing him to merge with objects and enhance his combat ability. To maximize this power, Caesar had Amicell design a massive submarine over 100 meters long, integrating elements from the Pluton blueprints, Caesar Rex blueprints, and some of his own ideas. Bullet's strength had now reached terrifying heights—he could even fight Gnali to a standstill, and only Caesar himself could completely overpower him.
His meteoric rise was due to his unparalleled talent and relentless training. Whenever he had free time, Bullet would demand that Caesar personally train him. As a result, at just 14 years old, his strength already surpassed most of the New World's warriors.
Wei Na's Devil Fruit Awakening
Meanwhile, Wei Na had acquired a more suitable Devil Fruit: the Instant-Instant Fruit (Toki Toki no Mi). This Paramecia-type fruit granted her teleportation abilities, albeit with limitations.
She could only teleport within her visible range and needed to focus on a specific location.
With high-powered binoculars, she could teleport across distances of hundreds of kilometers in an instant.
However, attempting to teleport beyond her direct sight resulted in exponentially increased stamina drain.
For short-range movements, like within 100 meters, the stamina cost was negligible. With Caesar's guidance, Wei Na honed her kicking techniques, significantly improving her close-combat prowess.
The Hierarchy of the Caesar Pirates
As captain, Caesar had become one of the strongest individuals in the world. If not for the hidden forces of the World Government, he might already be considered the absolute strongest. Below him were:
Gnali and Bullet, both at the upper echelon of power. Gnali had likely reached his potential limit, whereas Bullet still had room to grow. In just one or two years, Bullet would become a top-tier powerhouse.
Brad and Hades, both at the vice-admiral/emperor's deputy level. However, Hades, lacking a Devil Fruit, had likely reached his ceiling. Despite this, Gnali would struggle to defeat him, and killing him would be nearly impossible.
Yakexi, an elite vice-admiral-level fighter who could reach admiral-level strength if he ate a Devil Fruit—but he refused to do so.
Lili (Cloud-Cloud Fruit), Wei Na (Instant-Instant Fruit), and Regina (Kinetic-Kinetic Fruit) had reached this level due to their Devil Fruits.
Arnold, Eli, Brook, and Fenrir, who had developed their abilities well, were at the elite vice-admiral level.
Kyle, originally capable of reaching elite vice-admiral level, had slowed down due to childbirth and child-rearing. However, her Scythe-Scythe Fruit gave her great potential for future growth.
Tony, a half-combatant, had just barely reached vice-admiral level. His combat power was mediocre, but his Expansion-Expansion Fruit made him a difficult opponent in battle.
In total, the Caesar Pirates had 21 crew members, with 16 combatants. Their weakest fighters were at least major general-level, with most surpassing vice-admiral. Their top members were among the strongest in the world.
This made them the second most powerful pirate crew since the Rocks Pirates era—only a few decisive battles stood between them and cementing their legacy.
Shifts in the Pirate World
The world outside the Caesar Pirates was also changing rapidly:
Whitebeard had officially formed the Whitebeard Pirates a year ago. Among his crew was a young blond-haired boy with a punkish look—Marco. Many of his sons were still young, leading to the nickname "The King of Children."
Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom) continued expanding Totto Land, giving birth to more children from different races and abilities.
Golden Lion Shiki, using his Float-Float Fruit, continued wreaking havoc. Caesar predicted he would die due to recklessness.
Kaido disappeared for a while but resurfaced with a silver-haired boy with black wings. He recently formed a new pirate crew, though its strength was still lacking.
John vanished two years ago, leading to rumors of Captain John's treasure—Caesar assumed he was dead.
Wang Zhi and Silver Axe remained active but had failed to reach admiral-level strength.
The Roger Pirates remained their strongest rivals, with Roger himself matching Caesar. Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and other key members ensured their combat power was formidable.
Meanwhile, the Navy was bolstering its strength with future monsters like Sakazuki (Akainu), Borsalino (Kizaru), and Kuzan (Aokiji). Though they posed no threat to Caesar, he regretted missing the chance to recruit their top-tier Logia Fruits.
With so much changing, the Caesar Pirates were poised to shape history.
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