Deep in the jungle, Mr. 3 Galdino and Miss Goldenweek wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
"Those three guys are complete monsters!"
"Especially that Caelan. Two giants together couldn't defeat him. Is he really from the East Blue?"
The scene of the clash between them replayed in Miss Goldenweek's mind, filling her with fear as she glanced at the battlefield in the distance.
"He's way too strong. If we had charged in directly, we'd probably be lying on the ground right now."
Galdino felt a wave of relief.
Thankfully, they had chosen to watch from afar instead of rushing in blindly.
"And what was that aura with black lightning earlier?"
"Even though we were halfway across the island, it still paralyzed us. I couldn't move at all!"
Miss Goldenweek was terrified.
It was the first time she had experienced such overwhelming pressure, a shock that struck both body and soul.
"That was most likely the legendary Conqueror's Haki, the spirit of a king. Not even the boss has that."
Galdino spoke seriously, though there was a trace of excitement in his voice.
The qualification to become a king. To think such power would appear at the very beginning of the Grand Line.
Galdino looked at the two giants collapsed on the ground and at Caelan, bleeding but still standing, and a bold idea began to take shape in his mind.
"They're all injured right now. This is our chance!"
"If we take them down here, the boss will be blown away by our achievement."
Galdino licked his dry lips, his ambition growing uncontrollably.
"Yeah. They're seriously injured. This is the perfect opportunity!"
Miss Goldenweek hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed.
Caelan and his crew were the ones Princess Vivi had called for help. They were the enemy.
If they didn't take this chance while Caelan was weakened, they might not get another. If he recovered and came after them later, she had no idea how they would handle it.
…
Seeing that the battle was over, the women from the Wind Rider quickly came ashore, rushing to Caelan's side to protect him.
"Caelan, how could you be this badly injured!"
Nami looked at Caelan, whose body was covered in blood and clothes torn apart, her eyes filled with concern.
Tashigi was also flustered. Seeing him so wounded broke her heart.
"You didn't have to go this far."
Vivi's eyes welled with tears, deeply moved.
She had thought Caelan had come to Little Garden to fight the giants simply because of her commission, to help her defeat Crocodile.
Now, complex emotions stirred within her as she looked at him.
"Well, there's no need to be so sad. I'm fine."
Looking at the worried and emotional girls, Caelan broke the heavy mood with a smile.
"You call this fine?!"
Nami didn't believe him at all.
Ignoring the blood on his body, she hugged Caelan tightly, pressing his head against her soft chest.
Vivi and Tashigi didn't believe him either. They carefully helped Caelan sit down and gently tended to his injuries.
What could he say?
Feeling the soft warmth pressing against his face, Caelan was helpless. The truth was, he really was fine.
Thanks to the Twelve Labours of his Noble Phantasm, he possessed twelve lives, and his injuries could recover after a short time.
The Hakoku Sovereignty unleashed by Dorry and Brogy had indeed been powerful.
But Caelan's body wasn't just for show. He hadn't even lost a single life.
His stamina and wounds were quickly healing under the nourishment of his magical energy.
"Haha, Brother Caelan sure is popular!"
Dorry and Brogy, lying on the ground, couldn't help but laugh bitterly as they watched the scene in front of them.
"Dorry, you good?"
"I'm fine. Brogy, you holding up?"
"Haha, I'm fine too."
The two giants comforted each other, their exchange somewhat comical despite the situation.
Suddenly, Galdino appeared before everyone, with Miss Goldenweek standing beside him.
Caelan had already sensed their presence the moment he awakened his Observation Haki, but he hadn't expected them to actually show themselves after witnessing his power.
Looking at the two of them with interest, Caelan wanted to see what tricks they planned to pull.
"What a magnificent battle. Thank you all for such a wonderful performance."
Galdino clapped arrogantly, a smug smile on his face.
"It's the Baroque Works senior agents, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek!"
"Damn it, why are they here?!"
Vivi's expression grew tense, as if facing a great enemy.
These two were ranked much higher than Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, and their strength was significantly greater.
Nami and Tashigi stayed close to Caelan, their guard fully up.
With both Caelan and the giants seriously injured, they were in no shape to face the two senior agents.
"Hahaha, now you will become my greatest achievement!"
A candle-like flame flickered atop Galdino's head as wax began to flow from his body. Large amounts of wax spread across the ground, quickly surrounding the giants and Caelan.
Miss Goldenweek pulled out her emotion paints, ready to manipulate their mental states at any moment.
"I can't move at all… If I die at the hands of a scumbag like this, it will be the ultimate humiliation."
Dorry struggled against the hardened wax, but his body was spent. He could only drag himself a few inches on the ground.
"Yeah… If I'm going to die, I'd rather it be by Caelan's sword."
Brogy also gritted his teeth in frustration.
Dying at the hands of Mr. 3 felt like an insult after the battle they had just fought.
"Hahaha! You're all out of strength. How could you possibly break free from my wax?"
Galdino laughed triumphantly as he approached Caelan.
Even the giants couldn't resist. There was no way Caelan could fight back now.
"Even if you awakened Conqueror's Haki, you don't have the strength to resist."
"This is perfect. I'll turn you into a wax sculpture… my most prized masterpiece!"
Galdino was completely intoxicated by his own fantasy.
The thought of killing Caelan, a man with the qualifications of a king, made him tremble with excitement.
Nami, Tashigi, and Vivi stood firmly in front of Caelan, glaring at Galdino with hatred.
But Galdino only laughed more arrogantly, his eyes filled with mockery.
"No matter how strong you were before, or how powerful you might become, right now you're nothing but prey waiting for the slaughter."
Sigh…
Caelan let out a soft sigh.
So this was all they had? He had expected something more impressive.
He thought they might have some deadly trump card, but it turned out they were just here to pick up the scraps.
During Galdino's long speech, Caelan's injuries and stamina had mostly recovered. A little more time and he would be fully healed.
But honestly, Caelan had lost interest. He didn't feel like listening to this clown any longer.
With a sudden burst of strength, Caelan shattered the hardened wax beneath his feet, which was as tough as steel.
Galdino's eyes widened in horror as Caelan's figure vanished before him, only for a shadow to suddenly appear right in front of his face.
Before Galdino could react, a large hand wrapped tightly around his throat.
How… how could he be this fast?!
So fast that Galdino couldn't even process what was happening!
"Aren't you supposed to be seriously injured?!"
Galdino's voice trembled with fear.
"Those injuries are already healed."
Caelan's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
In just a few moments, his body had already recovered from the earlier battle.
Healed?!
Such severe wounds, healed so quickly? How was that even possible?!
Galdino's eyes bulged in disbelief, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous lie.
But before he could say another word, Caelan applied a bit of pressure, cutting off his breath and knocking him unconscious.
(To be continued.)