Chapter 66: CHAPTER 56
From the depths of the sea to the sky above, Caesar Clown's ice-cold gaze locked onto the CP0 operative he had been battling moments ago.
With a sharp "Hmph!", he swooped down, eyes gleaming with disdain, appearing beside his opponent in an instant.
"You bastard...!"
The CP0 agent, now fully transformed into his Mythical Zoan Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Griffin form, had been preparing to join his comrades in besieging the Rocks Pirates' officers.
Seeing Caesar's sudden reappearance, his pupils shrank in shock—as if he had seen a ghost.
Instinct kicked in. He flapped his powerful wings and shot backward, his talons scraping against the ground before launching him into the air. He needed distance.
"Are you afraid?"
Caesar smirked as his psychic energy retracted. Using his mind to propel himself, he accelerated forward at a speed far surpassing the Rokushiki technique Soru.
A thin, drop-shaped aura enveloped his body, minimizing air resistance.
He was rapidly adapting.
In the blink of an eye, he closed in on the CP0 agent once more.
With a flick of his hand, Shodai Kitetsu, the cursed blade, materialized in his grip. Without hesitation, he thrust it toward his foe's throat.
The CP0 agent's instincts screamed danger. His pupils shrank once again as he twisted his body midair, barely evading the merciless strike.
As he turned back toward Caesar, doubt and solemnity flickered in his eyes.
"Your speed… it's increased. And your attacks… have grown stronger."
Moments ago, he had watched Caesar launch himself skyward—not by using Geppo, not by leveraging inertia.
No, at this moment, Caesar was simply floating in midair.
Could it be… flight?
As the realization hit, Caesar struck again.
This time, he was even faster.
The CP0 agent turned sharply, flapping his wings erratically to test his theory, changing directions in rapid succession.
But no matter which way he moved, Caesar was always right behind him. The sky flashed with deadly slashes of flying sword energy.
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It didn't matter how many times he altered his trajectory.
No matter what angle he tried to break away from, his opponent matched him effortlessly.
Now, he was certain—this was not Rokushiki.
Caesar was not leaping with bursts of power. He wasn't momentarily staying aloft.
This was true, unrestricted flight.
"Are you… a Devil Fruit user?!"** The CP0 agent demanded, voice laced with disbelief.**
But before he could even process his own question, he immediately dismissed it.
"Impossible! If you were, you wouldn't have survived sinking into the sea just now!"
---
Meanwhile, on the battlefield below…
Hearing those words, the Golden Lion's narrowed eyes flickered with intrigue.
He had personally sent Caesar plunging into the ocean during their fight.
Yet now, that same man was soaring through the sky.
"He flies… just like me?"
Shiki's lips curled downward. His Fuwa Fuwa no Mi granted him dominion over gravity itself. He could make himself—and objects—defy the natural laws of the world.
But Caesar?
He had never heard of any ability, aside from a Devil Fruit, granting true flight.
"That brat... what the hell is he using?"
His gaze followed Caesar's movements intently.
The more he watched, the heavier the weight in his chest became.
If Caesar truly was a Devil Fruit user, then there was something very wrong with the world.
"It seems that bastard has been hiding a lot from us!"
---
Elsewhere…
"Kuhaha! That brat, huh?"
Whitebeard chuckled, but his eyes held a glimmer of thought.
"If he ain't a Devil Fruit user… then what the hell is this power?"
Charlotte Linlin's sharp gaze flickered with malice.
"Well, well… the ability to fly?"
Kaido, locked in combat with another CP0 operative, clenched his kanabo tighter.
His mind was racing.
Caesar had joined the crew only a few years ago, yet back then, he was already strong enough to defeat even me in a fight.
And now—he had been hiding even more strength?!
"Damn bastard…" Kaido gritted his teeth. "Holding back against me?!"
A spark of anger flickered in his gut.
---
Above them all…
"BOOM!"
Three legendary figures—Rocks D. Xebec, Gol D. Roger, and Monkey D. Garp—clashed once more, their monstrous strength shaking the battlefield.
The very air trembled as shockwaves rippled across the wasteland, shattering what little remained of the terrain.
Yet, all three paused in unspoken agreement—turning their eyes skyward.
"That kid… wasn't he the one I knocked into the sea earlier?" Roger grinned, eyes alight with curiosity.
"Locus, your crewmates are quite something."
Rocks didn't answer. His eyes were locked onto Caesar, unreadable.
Garp exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he cracked his knuckles.
"Flying… just like the Golden Lion." His eyes darkened. "That bastard… he's gonna be trouble."
Even the Rokushiki technique Geppo couldn't compare to this.
Caesar was already a dangerous fighter. But if he had also gained unrestricted flight, it would only make him even more of a monster.
---
[71] - CP0 Suppression: The Power Surge of Mind Mastery
Rocks' eyes glowed with something akin to fury.
"This damn brat…"
His fist clenched.
Caesar had been personally recruited by him. He had even fought him once before bringing him aboard.
And yet, all this time—he had never revealed this ability.
He had hidden his strength.
Xebec was no fool. He knew what that meant.
The other monsters on his crew were likely thinking the same thing.
A deep, burning rage flickered to life in his gut.
The kind of rage reserved for traitors.
Caesar had deceived them.
And once his grand conquest was complete—once he overthrew the Celestial Dragons and crushed the World Government—
He would kill them all.
There could only be one king of this world.
---
Meanwhile, in the sky…
The CP0 operative was growing more and more terrified with each exchange.
Moments ago, he had been evenly matched with Caesar.
Now—he was barely hanging on.
"What… what are you?!"
He roared, both in shock and fury.
This wasn't a Devil Fruit.
Yet it rivaled even the strongest of Paramecia abilities.
Caesar didn't bother answering.
He was completely immersed in the thrill of mastering his psychic power.
With a flick of his mind, the very earth below them began to rise.
Swords, shattered weapons, and debris from the battlefield hovered in the air—each one wrapped in a coat of Haki.
A true storm of devastation.
The CP0 agent paled.
"This power… what is this power?!"
Caesar merely smiled.
"You're about to find out."
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