Chapter 4: The Banquet
Caesar swept his gaze across the room.
There weren't many people present—aside from Kaido and the three top officers, only a few others stood scattered throughout the hall.
One of them was Who's-Who, wearing a red helmet that covered his face, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Even with the helmet on, Caesar could still feel his gaze—displeased, with a hint of jealousy.
Next to him stood Sasaki, a large man with a fat body, sharp fangs, and a pair of horns on his head. Beside him was Black Maria, whose height rivaled Kaido's. She wore a geisha outfit that seemed more seductive than traditional.
There were also two teenagers—a boy and a girl—both sporting the signature horns of the Oni race. The girl had long blue hair and looked at Caesar curiously, while the boy, with his purple hair and gentle demeanor, appeared calm and polite. These two were clearly Ulti and Page One.
Judging from their young age, the fact that they were present here meant Kaido placed a lot of value on them—these two ancient Zoan users were likely considered valuable assets.
The rest were nobodies, likely filler characters who didn't leave much of an impression. Perhaps they had appeared in the Wano Arc, but since that part of the story was so poorly written, Caesar hadn't paid much attention to it.
"Finally awake, you little punk!"
Kaido's eyes lit up the moment he saw Caesar. He held a sake cup so massive Caesar could've used it as a bathtub, laughing heartily.
"Good thing you didn't run off while you had the chance. Otherwise, I'd have beaten you half-dead and thrown you in a cell."
"Hmph, he doesn't look like he has the guts to run anyway."
Before Caesar could say anything, Who's-Who—who'd been staring daggers at him ever since he entered—immediately jumped in with a sneer.
Caesar tilted his head and glanced at him sideways, thinking he might've accidentally been handed the script of a Dragon King protagonist.
"In most groups," Caesar began casually, raising two fingers, "those who chime in at key moments during important gatherings typically fall into one of two categories..."
He raised one finger. "The second-in-command." Then the second. "Or... an irrelevant lackey. Which one are you?"
As his words landed, Ulti let out a giggle, Queen burst into unrestrained laughter, and even King gave a cold, mocking snort.
"My, what sharp words..." Black Maria murmured, amused, gently lifting her elegant smoking pipe.
Feeling the sarcastic stares from all around him, Who's-Who's face darkened. He stood, hand on his sword. "What did you just say, bastard?"
"He said you're a lackey!" Queen added gleefully, fanning the flames. In the entire Beasts Pirates crew, there was probably no one more disliked than Who's-Who.
Always acting high and mighty, constantly annoyed with everyone, and endlessly claiming he'd take someone's place—he was a loudmouth with no bite.
"Enough. Quiet, all of you."
Kaido waved a hand impatiently. Who's-Who sat back down begrudgingly, while Queen chuckled to himself and stopped stirring the pot.
Kaido then gestured to Caesar, signaling him to come forward. Two geishas approached—one holding a sake bottle, the other a large cup—and filled it before him.
"This is our oath cup. Drink it, and you'll officially become a member of the Beasts Pirates."
Kaido stared at Caesar intently. "Don't say I never gave you a chance, kid. But if you try to run again… next time, you'll die for real."
Caesar stared thoughtfully at the full sake cup in front of him. "So, in other words... as long as I gain enough strength to survive you, I'm free to leave?"
"You've got guts, brat…" Kaido grinned, baring his teeth. He raised his sake cup and gulped it down in one go.
Then, setting the cup down before him, his grin grew wider and more feral until he finally burst out laughing.
"Wororororo! If you think you can pull it off, go ahead and try!"
Caesar licked the corner of his lips, lifted his cup, and drained it.
The crisp sake slid down his throat and into his stomach, but then—just as quickly—it vanished, as if some invisible force had drained it away entirely.
Grrrrgggh...
His stomach growled like a war drum. Plates of food were brought before him one after another.
Without hesitation, Caesar grabbed a giant bowl of pasta-like noodles. Twisting a fork through it, he began devouring the food like a whirlwind.
Roasted meats the size of human heads were gone in two bites. Roasted chickens and geese disappeared with a crunch of bones. A whole suckling pig vanished into his belly in two swift mouthfuls. Even Caesar himself had no idea how he was managing to consume so much.
At this moment, he felt deeply fulfilled.
Like a dying tree finally receiving sweet rain from the heavens, every cell in his body was greedily absorbing nourishment.
And as the nutrients flowed into him, a warm sensation spread through his limbs. He could feel something surging deep within him—a tremendous power being born from every single cell.
Could it be… that I can absorb life force from food too?
Caesar was a bit surprised, but on second thought, it made sense. Food was a fundamental source of energy for humans. If he could absorb life force from blood, then converting food into life energy wasn't that strange after all.
As he devoured plate after plate, a tall stack of empty dishes piled up beside him.
"You've got quite the appetite, kid," Kaido remarked, raising an eyebrow. He keenly noticed Caesar's build seemed bulkier than before.
Rubbing his full stomach, Caesar let out a satisfied sigh.
"I'm full. So, when do we start Haki training?"
"Haki training?"
Black Maria blinked in surprise. "Wait, don't tell me this guy doesn't even know Haki? What's his deal? A Devil Fruit user? Or just a bottomless pit?"
Kaido glanced at King. "Huh? Didn't I mention it earlier?"
King replied blandly, "You only said a new guy was joining and to prepare for a banquet."
"Oh, right…" Kaido scratched his chin and pointed toward Caesar. "Let me formally introduce him then. This is Gold Caesar—he's a Mythical Zoan, Vampire-type Devil Fruit user."
"Mythical Zoan?" Ulti scoffed. "Tch. Big deal. Ancient Zoans aren't weak either, right, Pagey?"
She folded her arms, comparing Caesar's handsome face to her own Pachycephalosaurus form. A hint of jealousy crept into her voice.
Page One stayed quiet, only staring with envious eyes.
He, too, longed for Kaido's approval. Unlike Who's Who, however, he wasn't one to backstab his crewmates. He was one of the few honest ones in the crew and couldn't bring himself to say anything unpleasant.
Maria exhaled a puff of smoke, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"That's the fruit said to grant eternal youth and immortality, right? What a lucky man…"
"WHAT?! Eternal youth and immortality?!"
Ulti's eyes widened. "That kind of cheat ability actually exists?!"
"Obviously fake," Who's Who sneered. "I've read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. There's no such fruit recorded. Probably just a bat-type fruit or something."
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Queen burst out laughing, mocking Who's Who as he mimicked spinning turntables with his hands.
"The Encyclopedia is controlled by the World Government, dumbass. They've been reclaiming rare fruits, of course they wouldn't include this one! You need to read the underground versions, you idiot!"
"He's right," Maria chimed in, resting her chin on her hand. "I remember reading the underground version. The fruit left a deep impression on me because of its eternal youth part. Too bad a man got it. If it were a woman, I might've killed her out of jealousy."
"So how'd he end up with you, Boss Kaido?" Queen asked.
"Hmph, Joker contacted me—said he had a big deal…" Kaido trailed off for a moment, then grinned widely as if remembering something amusing.
"On the way back, I got a little drunk and happened to sense this brat awakening Conqueror's Haki. Lately, good things just keep coming my way! Wororororo…"
Caesar nodded slightly in realization. So Kaido really did stumble upon him by chance.
But talk about rotten luck!
Having Kaido as a mentor? That was more of a meme than a blessing. If he had a choice, who the hell would pick Kaido voluntarily?
Queen stared in disbelief. "Conqueror's Haki? This guy has that too?"
"Conqueror's Haki? What's so special about that?" Ulti was clearly sour now. She suddenly grabbed Page One by the neck and started shaking him.
"Right, Pagey? You'll awaken it too, won't you?"
"Hard to say. But if you keep choking him like that, he'll awaken death," Maria commented sweetly as she looked at the foaming Page One.
"Hmph… Conqueror's, huh…"
Jack, who had been silent all this time, stared at Caesar with a dangerous gleam.
He hadn't been a Calamity for long. He never paid much attention to folks like Who's Who or Sasaki, who wanted his position.
But Caesar was different.
Mythical Zoan. Conqueror's Haki.
The only other one in the Beast Pirates with both… was Kaido himself.
Mythical Zoans came with incredible physical power and often had Paramecia or Logia-like abilities. Conqueror's Haki was a shortcut to power, a fast track to the top. With enough battles, someone like Caesar could easily reach the level of a Calamity—or higher.
Jack could tell this guy had his eyes on Kaido's throne.
Eating Kaido's food, learning Kaido's Haki, and in the end… challenging Kaido himself?
Bastard!
"Conqueror's…"
Under his horned helmet, Who's Who's eyes burned with envy.
"So what if he has Conqueror's? As long as Kaido-sama lives, no one else will ever be king!"
"That's how you think, huh?" Caesar glanced at Who's Who in mock surprise, then smiled. "Then I guess you didn't awaken it, huh?"
"You… what did you say…?"
As those words landed, a visible flush surged from Who's Who's neck to his face. His exposed skin turned red.
There was no sound, yet everyone seemed to hear something break.
"Pffft—HAHAHAHA!!"
Queen howled with laughter. "Damn, Caesar, you're good! I think I like you already!"
Unable to take it anymore, Who's Who snapped. "Shut up! You haven't awakened Conqueror's either!"
"I'm a Calamity!"
"You &%￥—!"
With Who's Who fuming, the banquet hall buzzed with laughter and good cheer.
"Hmph. That's more like it…"
Kaido grinned savagely. "Exactly! Freedom? Family? Ambition? Whatever it is you desire, the only answer… is combat!"
"Am I right, you brats?!"
"YEAHHHH!!"
The room roared in unison. Whatever tension lingered before had now evaporated in the fire of Kaido's rallying cry.
It proved one thing—
A crew could be full of schemers, but there had to be one iron-willed leader strong enough to silence them all.
And Kaido was that kind of leader.
Put aside the Beast Pirates' operating methods and shady morals—Kaido's personal charisma was undeniable. Most of his crew followed him with fierce loyalty.
"If you want to learn Haki, then be prepared to die for it," Kaido said, downing a massive swig of sake and wiping his mouth.
"King! He's yours! Train him—bring out everything he's got!"
"Yes, sir."
King gave Caesar a long, hard look. Unlike the others, he'd known Kaido the longest. He was Kaido's true right-hand man.
So when it came to Caesar, he cared most about potential.
He didn't believe Caesar could surpass Kaido. But if Kaido ordered him to teach, he'd give it his all—no holding back.
"Actually, I have a question," Caesar said, turning to Kaido.
"Armament Haki boosts attacks. Observation Haki predicts them. But Conqueror's… doesn't seem to be just intimidation, right? Will you teach me?"
"…You noticed that already, huh?"
Kaido looked at him with newfound approval and chuckled.
"We'll talk after you've mastered Armament. Don't worry—once you get there, I'll teach it myself."
"Thanks, Captain Kaido."
Caesar turned to King, full of anticipation.
"When do we start?"
"Wororororo! What's the rush, brat?" Kaido laughed. "You're at a pirate banquet! You have to enjoy it to the fullest! This is your welcome party—drink up!"
Then he turned to Maria.
"Oi, Maria, get this guy a woman!"
Caesar waved him off with a small smile. "No need. I prefer simpler girls."
"Oh? So innocent," Maria giggled. "But all my girls are very… 'understanding.'"
She rested her chin in her palm thoughtfully. Then her eyes lit up as she noticed Ulti still pestering Page One.
"Speaking of which… Ulti, you've never had a boyfriend, right?"
"What did you say, Maria?" Ulti frowned. "No way I'm drinking with that pretty boy!"
"Come on, don't be mad. You can't cling to Pagey forever," Maria teased.
"I think Caesar's a fine catch. Be a shame if someone else got him first."
"Tch, weakling doesn't even know Haki."
Ulti rolled her eyes, then turned to Caesar.
"If he ever beats me, then we'll talk."
Caesar glanced at her and shook his head.
"Even if I beat you, I'd pass. I like curvier women."
"YOU BASTARD &%#￥—Don't hold me back, Pagey! I'm gonna kill him!!"
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