Chapter 348: Castle Bracelet
His son's growth rate was so astonishing that Charlotte couldn't help but question if the child was truly his.
If it weren't for a DNA test proving 100% biological relation, Charlotte might've doubted it completely.
At just ten years old, Caesar was already two meters tall. By adulthood, he'd likely surpass his father's height. Charlotte began to wonder if this was some kind of genetic mutation.
He'd had Caesar Clown study his son's blood before, and sure enough, Caesar found something different—something akin to artificial augmentation.
Caesar Clown explained that the changes stemmed from the artificial Devil Fruit Caesar had eaten, which had been copied by Vegapunk from Kaido's own fruit.
Not only had Vegapunk successfully replicated the powers of Kaido's Devil Fruit, but he had also replicated Kaido's terrifying natural talents and embedded them into the artificial fruit.
After Caesar consumed it, those copied talents subtly integrated into his body, enhancing his physical growth and strength—making him a smaller version of Kaido, only with even more terrifying potential.
When Charlotte learned this, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
While the fruit had some quirks—not exactly defects—it still felt bizarre to think that his son's genes now carried traces of Kaido's.
Still, a stronger version of Kaido as his son? Charlotte couldn't really complain.
Caesar took the guandao and gave it a few random swings. The weapon felt as natural in his hands as his own limbs—much better than his old spiked club.
"Dad! This blade is perfect! My old club was getting too light—it needed replacing all the time. But this Devil Fruit guandao? It's just right!" Caesar said, thrilled, his hands lovingly stroking the blade that glinted coldly in the sun.
Charlotte smiled at his son's excitement.
"Alright, if it suits you, it's yours. Go to the Martial Pavilion and pick a proper sword technique to match it. A fine blade like that deserves proper training."
Although he had just recently straightened out Caesar's training habits, Charlotte knew it wouldn't last forever. Better to remind him now before the slacking resumed.
Back when he was a kid, Charlotte was the same—lazy with his studies, getting beaten by his old man, temporarily obedient, and then back to slacking off.
Caesar really was his son—same personality to the bone.
"Uncle Clown! Could you engrave some dragon scales onto the handle? Maybe add some friction?"
After swinging it a few times, Caesar discovered that the grip was wrapped in white cloth. When he removed it, he found the hilt was too smooth for a solid grip.
Caesar Clown examined the weapon.
"No problem. I'll modify it. But I'll need the vice-captain's help."
He turned toward Barrett. While Caesar Clown wasn't an expert in metallurgy, Barrett—thanks to his Fusion-Fusion Fruit—was a genius when it came to materials.
"I'll need Barrett to fuse the enhancements," Caesar Clown added, eyes gleaming.
"Barrett-bro! Can you help?" Caesar asked eagerly.
Barrett gave a small smile. "Anytime."
"Awesome! Besides the grip, I want a golden dragon carved along the spine of the blade!"
Caesar began gesturing excitedly.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow at the description—it sounded oddly familiar.
(Are you hearing this, Second Lord?) Charlotte muttered mentally, thinking of a certain legendary spear from a past life.
"You came at just the right time," Charlotte turned to Caesar Clown. "I have another Devil Fruit that I want to fuse with an item."
He strode toward his quarters and pulled out the Castle-Castle Fruit from his personal collection.
"Caesar Clown, can you merge this Paramecia-type Castle Fruit with a bracelet?"
He handed over the Devil Fruit and a golden bracelet he usually wore.
"No problem," Caesar answered confidently, accepting the items and heading off to begin the process.
"Dad, are you trying to use the Castle Fruit as a storage space?"
Caesar, who knew what the fruit did, asked curiously.
Charlotte smiled and nodded.
"The ship's running out of room. I've got too many things I want to store. I considered building a few more ships, but your timing couldn't be better. This solves everything."
Caesar nodded in understanding.
They stayed in Ohara for four or five days.
During that time, Charlotte never once returned to visit Olvia and her people.
After a few days' rest, Olvia announced her intention to set sail again—to fulfill her husband's dying wish and uncover the truth behind the missing century of history.
Charlotte was stunned.
To leave behind a newborn child—barely a month old—all for the sake of a dream?
It was admirable, yes. But to Charlotte, it was incomprehensible.
Nothing was more important than family.
At least, that's how Charlotte saw it.
When Caesar Clown finally returned with the completed Castle Bracelet, Charlotte was thrilled.
Now all the knowledge and culture stored in Ohara's countless books could be transferred into his hands.
When Ohara was inevitably destroyed, he would use this as the seed to recreate it in the New World.
Before leaving, Charlotte even asked Clover for a seed from the Tree of Knowledge.
He planned to replant it in the New World.
And he had the perfect candidate to help: his third daughter, Eve, a user of the Bloom-Bloom Fruit.
While Eve was only seven now and couldn't possibly grow a tree that big yet, the future held promise.
Now, with his ship full of books and knowledge, Charlotte felt extremely satisfied.
The voyage through the West Blue resumed.
He began delving into the martial techniques he'd collected, hoping to find a way to push past the limits of the human body.
His strength had plateaued, like he'd hit the ceiling of this world.
But he wouldn't give up easily.
If conventional training failed, then he'd turn to other methods.
One option was to find martial arts that broke the body's natural limits.
The other? Science.
In the world of pirates, there were many scientific ways to enhance strength.
IQ plants. The secret drugs of Fishman Island. Genetic modifications.
Charlotte would never stop.
In the world of One Piece, power always came first.
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