Yamato wandered aimlessly through SweetIsland, the bustling crowds around her feeling distant and unreal, as if separated by an invisible barrier.
"Uncle uncle! I want to fly! Will you take me up to the sky? Daddy never lets me fly up to catch clouds."
Amid the noisy crowd, a little girl's clear voice caught Yamato's attention.
Her blank gaze focused, and her body trembled slightly.
At the street corner ahead, Kaido's unmistakably massive frame stood out prominently among the crowd like a crane among chickens.
A mischievous little girl sat fearlessly on Kaido's broad shoulders, swinging her legs and chattering nonstop into his ear.
Kaido's typically stern expression had transformed into something remarkably animated.
His deep laughter rumbled occasionally as he reached out to grab snacks from street vendors, handing them to the little girl.
"Wororororo! Of course! Your father's too busy to play with you all day! Uncle will take you flying to catch clouds!"
Kaido's hearty laughter made him seem years younger.
Without concern for startling bystanders, he gradually transformed into a massive azure dragon, his long body undulating as he carried little Ain skyward.
"Hold tight! Uncle's taking you cloud-catching!"
"Woo-hoo~" Ain's delighted laughter drifted down from above.
The crowd below looked up in awed admiration, having grown accustomed to such sights these past days.
After all, what was a hundreds-meter dragon compared to the golden bird that had blotted out the sky?
Totto Land was a place of wonders—nothing here could truly surprise anyone anymore.
Yamato stared blankly at the sky, feeling hollow inside.
*****
Meanwhile, in a southern Sweet Island manor, Caesar and Linlin sat waiting in the parlor.
Soon, Perospero and Daifuku entered, their expressions tense.
"Father. Mother."
The moment they entered, both bowed respectfully to Caesar and Linlin.
Caesar nodded with a smile, glancing at Linlin before sighing lightly.
"Perospero, Daifuku... We called you here today to strengthen your abilities. About Oven's incident... Well, as pirates, we must always be prepared. Death could come for any of us—me, Linlin, anyone. Accidents happen when least expected."
Perospero and Daifuku's expressions darkened upon hearing about Oven.
The bond between the four brothers was the strongest, especially among Daifuku, Oven, and Katakuri, who were triplets.
No matter the task, the three of them would often work together.
Countless life-and-death trials had forged an unshakable trust between them—brothers who could fully rely on each other in battle.
Now that Oven had suddenly died, how could they not grieve?
"Katakuri and the others have already set off for the waters where the Buggy Pirates are stationed. Before tonight, they will wipe them out. That clown Buggy must pay for Oven's death. Even if we don't capture him today, the Beast God Pirates will hunt him down relentlessly!"
A cold, murderous intent flashed across Caesar's face, and the temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
Then he stood up and walked toward the bath chamber.
"Come with me. Though you didn't inherit my bloodline and can't awaken the special talents of the Oni Clan, the abundant Lifeforce within my body should still enhance your strength—at the very least, your physical bodies will grow stronger."
Perospero and Daifuku exchanged a glance, then followed Caesar into the bath chamber with some trepidation.
In the hall, Linlin pursed her lips and suddenly let out a long sigh.
Inside the bath chamber, the water in the massive square pool had already been drained.
"Take off your clothes and step into the pool. Endure for as long as you can. Your bodies will be reforged and strengthened by my Lifeforce. There's even a slim chance that the dormant oni bloodline within you might awaken."
Caesar raised one arm, and a gash split open on his wrist.
In an instant, it was as if a floodgate had been opened—torrents of crimson blood surged from his wrist, cascading down like a waterfall.
It was hard to imagine that a single person's body could contain such an immense volume of blood!
The blood pouring from Caesar's wrist seemed endless, rapidly filling the bottom of the pool and forming a thick, scarlet bath.
Perospero and Daifuku had no reservations about modesty.
They stripped off their clothes and stepped into the pool.
"Lie down and fully immerse yourselves in it," Caesar instructed, still draining his blood as if his supply were infinite.
The two took a deep breath and lay down without hesitation, letting the thick plasma submerge their bodies.
"Huh? This blood…" Daifuku was startled.
When he lay down, he had expected to struggle for breath once submerged.
But to his surprise, the blood acted like pure oxygen, covering his nose and mouth without suffocating him.
Instead, breathing became even easier.
There was no scent of blood—only a faint, refreshing fragrance.
The viscous fluid wasn't heavy either, seeping directly into their bodies through their pores and orifices.
As the blood permeated their flesh, surges of terrifying life energy began bombarding their frames, forcing their long-stagnant cells and bones into frenzied growth!
Simultaneously, both men felt something at their temples—something trying to break through and emerge.
'Is it the horns? Like Father, Kaido, and Katakuri?' Perospero felt a faint sense of joy in his heart.
Though they never expressed it openly, both he and Daifuku could clearly sense that Katakuri seemed much closer to Caesar and Linlin.
This had always left them feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Moreover, Katakuri's strength had far surpassed theirs.
Nowadays, he didn't even need their help for missions, which made the two feel that the rift between the brothers had grown invisibly wider.
In the bathroom, Caesar stopped the bloodletting and the wound on his wrist healed automatically.
Watching the two brothers in the bathtub as their bodies gradually grew and expanded, Caesar gave a slight nod.
Though it seemed they hadn't awakened the true bloodline talent of the Oni Clan, at least their physical bodies had made significant progress.
Horns of the Oni Clan were also beginning to sprout from their temples.
After a long while, Perospero and Daifuku groggily awoke, feeling as if their entire bodies were brimming with explosive power.
Their line of sight seemed to have risen considerably.
Standing up, they glanced around the bathroom and noticed that Caesar had already left, with a stack of clothes placed on the floor.
When they looked into the mirror opposite them, they saw that their bodies had grown to Katakuri's height of six meters, their frames now robust and muscular.
Most strikingly, two long, black horns had grown diagonally from their heads.
Perospero and Daifuku exchanged delighted glances.
The changes in their physical strength weren't what mattered most to them—what thrilled them was the growth of the Oni Clan's horns.
Now, just like Katakuri, they could be recognized at a glance as true descendants of Caesar's!
"Daifuku, I wonder what expression Katakuri will have when he sees us?" Perospero said with a smile.
Daifuku grinned too.
At last, the brothers could stand side by side again.
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