Off the coast of Udon in Wano Country, Caesar was wreaking havoc in the sea, brutally devouring Sea Kings.
Unbeknownst to him, in the distant misty waters, a colossal elephant treading through the ocean slowly turned its gaze in this direction.
This mountainous beast was covered in deep ravines—wrinkles formed by its aged skin. On its back, it carried an entire nation.
The elephant enormous eyes were hollow and pitch-black, as deep and dark as the abyss of hell itself.
This was the walking land of Zou, the giant elephant Zunesha.
It seemed to possess awareness, sensing Caesar presence as it began moving closer.
Inside the quarry, Ryokugyu thrashed against the seastone chains and shackles binding him, roaring in frustration at his first mission ending in humiliating defeat.
"Damn it! I was supposed to take the Straw Hats' heads and make Sakazuki-san praise me—tell me I did well! But no, I got taken down by some nobody! I can't stand this!"
"Quit your whining, vine bastard. Serves you right for getting strung up. That's what you get for making me lose weight—hah, cough cough!"
Outside the cell, Queen, now withered and frail like an old man, leaned weakly against the bars, mocking Ryokugyu.
Ryokugyu glared at him, his expression dark.
"What are you staring at? Never seen someone as charming as me? I always said the real reason I stayed fat was because if I ever slimmed down, I'd be too damn handsome—cough cough—and become irresistible."
"Trash pirate scum. Get lost, don't ruin my sight" Ryokugyu finally snapped, enduring the searing pain as he shouted.
Queen pouted dismissively, swaying his bony body in an exaggerated pose, but his brittle frame creaked ominously, as if it might snap at any moment.
Out at sea, millions of tons of water erupted as a massive black fish leaped from the waves, swiftly transforming into a golden bird that blotted out the sky—the Golden-Winged Peng, soaring on mighty wings.
With each flap of its kilometer-long wings, the ocean was pressed down dozens of meters by the sheer force of the wind, sending towering waves crashing.
"Hm? What's that...?" Caesar, now in the form of the Golden-Winged Peng, his feathers gleaming, sharp eyes scanning hundreds of miles ahead.
Through the thick black mist, a towering silhouette loomed, slowly advancing toward him.
After a brief thought, Caesar realized what it was.
"Zunesha, the giant elephant?"
Zunesha colossal form dwarfed even his current size—truly an intimidating sight.
Caesar even had a faint intuition that this thousand-year-old monster might be coming for him.
"Tch. Just a beast. If it really pisses me off, I'll wipe it out." With a final glance, he dismissed it.
Zunesha moved too slowly Caesar wasn't the least bit afraid.
Beating his sky-spanning wings, Caesar returned above Udon before shrinking back into human form.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished from the air, reappearing inside the quarry.
"Huh? So fast!" King, perched atop the quarry, startled, quickly descended.
"Caesar-sama" King landed, reverting to human form as he addressed him.
King was slightly taken aback.
Caesar current appearance looked rather comical.
His once ferociously muscular body was gone, replaced by an enormously obese frame, like Queen who had been enlarged several times over.
Ignoring the strange looks from King and Queen, Caesar strode straight to where Kaido and Big Mom lay.
He grabbed their ankles like dragging dead dogs and hauled them onto the quarry floor.
Extending one arm—like a tentacle sprouting from a massive ball of flesh—looked particularly ridiculous.
BOOM!
His fist smashed into the ground, leaving a sunken fist imprint on the hard surface.
Enhanced by Armament Haki, the crater spanned ten meters in length and width.
Caesar had perfectly controlled his strength, ensuring the ground didn't crack but instead compressed and sank inward.
THUD. THUD.
With two kicks, Caesar sent Kaido and Big Mom tumbling into the pit.
Then he raised his right wrist, which split open automatically.
SPLASH!
A torrent of crimson blood gushed out like a waterfall, drenching Kaido and Big Mom.
"What is this?" King stared in shock at Caesar actions, quickly realizing his intent.
Queen waddled over eagerly, eyes glued to the blood flowing from Caesar wrist.
He knew exactly what it was—just a single drop could heal King injuries.
If he could get just one drop, he could revert from this monstrous form back to his original handsome, charming self.
The blood continued pouring out and Caesar occasionally slashed his wrist again.
His regenerative abilities were so potent that the wound would naturally heal within moments.
"What? How can his body contain such an immense amount of life force? Impossible!"
From his cage, Ryokugyu watched in disbelief.
No one understood the aura of vitality better than him.
His Devil Fruit ability relied on absorbing and devouring others' life force to fuel his own power.
Thus, Ryokugyu was utterly stunned.
The blood gushing from Caesar body was measured in tons, now completely submerging Kaido and Big Mom and filling the ten-meter-wide pit.
Meanwhile, Caesar bloated, spherical body deflated like a punctured balloon, rapidly shrinking.
By the time he dropped his massive sword and plopped onto the ground, he had fully reverted to his original form.
Nine meters tall, a dragon-like physique full of muscles and an aura as heavy as a mountain.
"Damn it! I just woke up—haven't even enjoyed good food, fine wine, or beautiful women—and now I'm sacrificing myself to save you two idiots with my own blood. If you still don't wake up after this, I'll bury you right here!"
Caesar face twisted with annoyance.
When had he, the mighty Emperor Caesar, ever stooped to something so demeaning?
Even back on Rocks' ship, he'd often disregarded Rocks' authority.
For Caesar, if he didn't want to do something, not even God could persuade him!
The dense pool of blood in the pit was visibly diminishing.
GULP. GULP.
Kaido and Big Mom bodies acted like bottomless pits, absorbing the vast amount of life force.
Soon, the pool of crimson blood was drained, yet Big Mom and Kaido bodies lay motionless in the pit, showing no signs of awakening.
"Hmph! Still not awake?! Kaido! Linlin! How long do you two plan to sleep?!"
Caesar rose to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury.
The Conqueror's Haki of a ferocious beast erupted from him, precisely controlled as it surged straight toward Kaido and Big Mom heads.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Like a nuclear bomb dropped into the ocean, it triggered a chain reaction.
Under the terrifying stimulus of Caesar Conqueror's Haki, the slumbering Big Mom and Kaido suddenly snapped their eyes open.
Simultaneously, their own overwhelming Conqueror's Haki burst forth like a cataclysm!
The collision of three unparalleled Conqueror's Haki forces created a storm capable of annihilating the world.
Rumble—!
The skies darkened.
The thick, ink-like clouds in the sky were instantly torn apart, vanishing without a trace.
Within the quarry, aside from King, Queen, and Ryokugyu, all the pirate grunts collapsed unconscious—some even died on the spot.
The earth trembled and cracking.
The towering stone walls of the quarry groaned and creaked, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Kaido and Big Mom turned their gazes toward the towering figure standing beside them, even more massive than themselves.
Their pupils trembled violently, their emotions nearly spiraling out of control as they shouted in unison.
"CAESAR!!"