Emet didn't want to become Caelan's enemy, but Joy Boy's knot held great meaning for him.
He had been sleeping peacefully when Caelan suddenly destroyed the treasured knot and knocked him to the ground.
If he backed down now, he wouldn't be able to swallow the humiliation.
Finally, Emet looked at Caelan and said hesitantly, "I don't want to be your enemy, but you destroyed the gift that Joy Boy left for me."
Caelan smiled and said, "If I call Joy Boy out to talk to you, will you still care about this little knot?"
"If I could see Joy Boy again, I wouldn't be angry anymore."
Although Emet didn't fully understand what Caelan meant, he answered honestly.
The knot was a gift from Joy Boy. It held more sentimental than practical value.
If he could see Joy Boy again, the keepsake would no longer matter.
"All right then. I'll call Joy Boy out to talk to you."
Caelan wasn't surprised by Emet's response.
"Huh? Are you kidding me, Emet?" Emet looked at Caelan with disbelief. "Joy Boy's been dead for eight hundred years, and Nika hasn't awakened yet. How can you make him talk to me?"
"Don't get impatient. Just watch."
Caelan extended his hand toward Emet.
As magic energy surged, a massive hand formed and took hold of the knot, now split in two.
As the vessel for Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki, and his final gift to Emet, the knot was deeply connected to him and perfect for summoning a Heroic Spirit.
"Roar!"
Emet yelled at Caelan, trying to take the knot back.
"Quiet."
Caelan shot a glance at Emet, releasing a Haki shockwave infused with black and red lightning.
Boom!
Emet was struck again and crashed clumsily into the sand.
His expression was filled with frustration. Even though this was the second time enduring it, he still couldn't take it.
That Haki, far beyond Joy Boy's, was simply too overwhelming.
Before he could get up, he once again attempted to attack Caelan.
But then he saw it.
A massive human figure slowly condensed in front of Caelan, transforming from a silhouette into something real.
"Joy Boy!"
Emet cried out.
Even though the figure was still only partially formed, there was no mistaking the aura.
After eight hundred years, that presence remained clearly etched into his memory.
But how? How could Joy Boy, who died eight hundred years ago, appear again in this era?
Could the man in front of him really make Joy Boy talk to him?
Emet quieted down, watching the silhouette form with eager anticipation.
It had been eight hundred years. His best friend... could they finally meet again?
Vegapunk, Kizaru, and the others watched just as nervously.
As time passed, the giant figure became increasingly solid.
He wore a large straw hat, shorts, and a vest. His aura matched exactly with the Conqueror's Haki previously released from the knot.
Compared to the usual speed at which Caelan summoned Heroic Spirits, this time was clearly slower.
After all, unlike other Heroic Spirits, this Joy Boy was a giant. A powerful giant whose strength exceeded that of the Yonko.
Summoning him required more than twice the energy of all other Heroic Spirits combined.
Even with Caelan's limitless regenerative magic, it would still take time to recharge enough.
Still, Joy Boy's spirit had already shown signs of life. He would be fully present soon.
Vegapunk stared, speechless. "What the hell... what's going on?"
He had studied the Void Century through the research left by the scholars of Ohara, so he knew exactly how significant Joy Boy's name was.
Yet now, could this legendary figure, clearly dead for eight hundred years, really be returning to life?
Stussy focused on something else. She turned to Vegapunk. "Doctor, do you know the principle behind resurrection?"
"I don't." Vegapunk shook his head honestly. "If it's reviving someone who faked their death, I've got experience. But reviving a soul from eight hundred years ago? That's beyond me."
"With one more ability, Lord Caelan is becoming more and more mysterious." Stussy looked at Caelan and licked her red lips with the tip of her tongue. "It seems we can serve him with peace of mind. Even if we die, he can bring us back."
He's so powerful and mysterious, joining him is more than worth it.
"Ah, you're right," Vegapunk nodded, then turned and asked, "By the way, how did you get him to come save me?"
"Your intelligence," Stussy said with a bright smile, "and myself."
"Huh?"
Vegapunk stuck out his long tongue, then awkwardly turned his head to watch the resurrecting Joy Boy.
He felt a little conflicted, considering Stussy was his clone, essentially his daughter.
He had actually relied on his daughter offering herself up for help. How pathetic.
At this moment, Garling, whose spirit had been shattered, couldn't help but look toward the figure being resurrected.
Of course he recognized that giant. The old enemy Lord Imu had never forgotten for eight centuries.
Even though he had died long ago, the Nika Fruit passed down from him had kept the World Government fearful for all that time.
And it was Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki that had first sealed his immortality. A power second only to Caelan's, in a class of its own.
Was this terrifying Joy Boy really about to return?
Lord Imu... what kind of enemy are we facing? They can even bring the dead back from eight hundred years ago!
And Garling was certain Caelan had ways to control the resurrected.
Even if nothing else, the overwhelming Haki Caelan had just shown was more than enough to dominate any will.
To face both Joy Boy and the man who summoned him... the World Government truly had no chance of winning.
No... it went deeper than that.
If Caelan could resurrect Joy Boy, had he already revived others?
Roger, Whitebeard, Rocks... what if they were gathered too?
Garling lay trembling in the yellow sand.
Caelan had already stopped releasing his Haki. At this moment, Garling was no longer being suppressed, and the immortality granted by Imu flowed freely through his body.
But he remained motionless on the ground, because his rebellious spirit had been shattered along with his Haki.
He wasn't dead, but he might as well be. Just like the World Government today.
At that moment, Joy Boy fully returned.
"Imu!"
A roar that had waited eight hundred years erupted the moment he awakened.
Black and red lightning exploded outward with terrifying force, overwhelming momentum, majesty, and rage.
But then another Haki of the same color flashed by.
Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki didn't even last a second. As soon as it surged from his body, it was completely forced back.
"Calm down, Joy Boy."
Caelan raised his head and looked at him with a steady gaze.
"…"
Joy Boy trembled and slowly came to his senses.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)