The New World.
"Flame Demon… Flame Swordsman… Sun God… Fire God…"
Caesar flipped through the stack of newspapers on his desk. For days now, every column—every page—was filled with reports about the incidents at Sabaody Archipelago and Mary Geoise.
"That's one hell of a pile of titles."
Rubbing his chin, Caesar let out a low sigh.
"But having that kind of power at such a young age… he definitely has some sort of special bloodline or race. If only I could get my hands on his blood—my research would make a massive leap forward."
"You want my blood? You're welcome to try."
A strange voice echoed behind him.
Caesar froze, then snapped around.
Sitting casually at a nearby table was a young man, neat and immaculate.
The moment Caesar saw the man's face, his entire body went rigid.
A heartbeat later, he ballooned several times in size—his head swelling grotesquely, rows of sharp teeth laid bare.
"D-De–Don!!"
His voice cracked into a sharp, shrill screech from sheer panic.
"Lord Caesar!"
The guards in protective suits burst into the room after hearing his scream—but when they saw Don, they too froze on the spot, rooted to the floor, not daring to move.
Don merely glanced at them. Then he rose and walked over to Caesar, picked up a newspaper from the desk, and began reading it calmly.
No one dared even breathe too loudly. They simply stood there, trembling, while Don flipped through the paper in absolute silence.
"That bastard Morgans… he really went and slapped 'Flame Swordsman' on me?"
Don's expression soured as he read the headlines.
"You got a Den-Den Mushi?"
He turned toward Caesar.
"Ah—!"
Caesar blinked, jolted back to reality, then nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken. He hurried to fetch a Den-Den Mushi, holding it out with both hands, bowing obsequiously.
Seeing that Caesar was at least smart enough to behave, Don took the Den-Den Mushi.
Purururu…
After a moment, it connected, and the snail's face morphed into a beaked bird.
"Don?"
Morgans' voice came through.
"What the hell is this 'Flame Swordsman' business?"
Don asked, voice cold.
"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted something more… low-profile?"
Morgans replied.
"When did I ever say that? I clearly told you to pick something fitting my status."
"Oh? I misunderstood?"
Morgans sounded genuinely surprised.
"But it doesn't matter. The whole sea already refuses to use that title anyway… Your Excellency, the Sun God."
"I'm not Nika, damn it!"
Don clicked his tongue.
"Then how about 'Flame Demon,' the one the World Government came up with?"
Morgans continued.
This guy really dared to chat casually with Don.
"You little—"
"But, Your Excellency, what is this 'Nika' you mentioned just now?"
As expected of a journalist, Morgans instantly latched onto the unfamiliar name.
If Don said it, it definitely wasn't ordinary.
Caesar and his men remained silent statues nearby.
The content of the call made Caesar want to roll his eyes.
These monsters actually care about titles? Even if he had no title at all, who would dare ignore someone like him?
"Nothing. Anyway, I'm on Punk Hazard. Spread that news as fast as possible."
Don said.
"Huh?"
Morgans sounded startled.
"Punk Hazard? The World Government's old secret research base? Wasn't it abandoned after some kind of research accident?"
"You're talking too much."
Don cut him off.
"Apologies, I'm just… very curious about anything related to you. Every move you make now draws global attention. After all, you're the man with the ninety–nine–billion bounty."
Morgans laughed.
"Ninety-nine billion, huh? If I handed myself over to the World Government, think they'd pay it out?"
Don raised an eyebrow.
"Oh absolutely. Not just ninety-nine billion—even nine hundred and ninety billion Beli—they'd scramble to prepare it. And then they'd personally escort you out with the utmost respect."
Morgans answered instantly.
"Because they're terrified you'll destroy the other half of Mary Geoise."
"I see. Anyway, spread the news that I'm on Punk Hazard. Also, pass along another message—broadcast it to the entire world. Tell everyone that six months from now… I'll be holding a Hunter Exam."
"A Hunter Exam?"
Morgans' voice instantly sharpened with excitement.
His instincts told him—this was huge.
"The details?" he pressed.
"How should I know? Go talk to Crocodile and have him arrange everything."
"Understood!"
Sensing Don's impatience, Morgans answered quickly.
"But… announcing your location—are you trying to send a message to your people?"
"…Something like that. Just do it."
"Of course. I'll get it done immediately. Anything else you need?"
"No. Hurry."
Don hung up and tucked the Den-Den Mushi into his shirt.
That last fight really got too intense.
Even the Concept God's Den-Den Mushi couldn't survive—it died on the spot.
Too bad he couldn't find the family to pay funeral compensation.
"Um, Lord Don… you're planning to make your location public?"
Caesar swallowed and asked cautiously.
"Yeah. Problem?"
Don looked at him.
"No problem, of course not!"
Caesar shook his head rapidly.
"Good. Now… you've got one of Vegapunk's failed Devil Fruits here, right? The one made using Kaidō's lineage factor."
The moment Don mentioned it, Caesar's eyes flew wide open.
"H-How do you know about that?!"
Hardly anyone in the world knew about that.
"Bring it."
Don waved his hand.
"Right away!"
Caesar didn't dare argue. It was just a failed prototype anyway.
Soon, a blue Devil Fruit with ring-shaped patterns was placed before Don.
"My lord, this is the artificial Devil Fruit Vegapunk created. But it really is a failure."
Caesar explained honestly.
He knew all too well—if Don wanted to, he could erase the entire island with a flick of his wrist.
So, he behaved.
"You also think it's a failure?"
Don asked, examining the fruit.
"Of course. My abilities aren't inferior to Vegapunk's. If he thinks it's a failure, it's beneath my standards too."
Caesar said proudly.
Don gave him a glance, then lowered his gaze to the Devil Fruit.
"By all logic, identical fruits shouldn't exist. So how is it that lineage factors can replicate these abilities?"
After a moment of contemplation, Don finally spoke.
END OF CHAPTER
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