Late at night, Caesar sat alone in the manor on Donut Island, barbecuing.
A plump turkey was skewered on the rack, sizzling as it roasted over the firewood flames, dripping with oil.
The island had been devastated beyond recognition during the battle a few days prior.
Fortunately, with Pica as the diligent contractor, it took less than two days to basically restore the main buildings on the island to their original state.
Especially Caesar's manor, which had been expanded considerably compared to before.
A large platform had been added, protruding from the cliff wall and suspended at the top of the precipice, with dark, deep seawater below.
Dozens of lamp posts stood on both sides of the platform, their bright lights illuminating the surroundings like daytime.
Caesar rotated the sizzling, oily turkey, humming "Binks' Sake" softly while sprinkling some seasonings on it.
"Come to think of it, I've never had such leisure time like this before."
He suddenly felt somewhat emotional.
Whether it was before his slumber, in the Rocks Pirates.
Or after awakening, when he established the Beast God Pirates.
Caesar had always been busy.
Either fighting and killing, or on his way to fight and kill.
Recalling that he had only awakened on Onigashima not too long ago, he had already fought five or six times.
He fought the Supernovas, beat up the Marines, and clashed with the Revolutionary Army.
Now he had even captured two Celestial Dragons.
Looking at it this way, he had basically fought against all the major forces on this sea.
A fiery cloud flew in from the dark sky in the distance, approaching the platform.
"Mamamama, Caesar, why didn't you go to the banquet? They're all welcoming Bullett's joining. It's really lively over at Whole Cake Island."
Linlin jumped down from Prometheus, swaying her hips as she walked to Caesar's side.
With a smile at the corner of her mouth, she lightly brushed the pink hair by her ear and sat down gently beside Caesar.
Today, Linlin was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
On the chest of the short-sleeved shirt was embroidered a starfish, said to be a world-famous trademark from Fish-Man Island.
Since being regularly nourished by Caesar's essence blood, Linlin no longer needed to deliberately absorb the soul lifespans of the people in her territory to maintain her youth.
Her skin had become increasingly radiant, as smooth and tender as a baby's skin.
"Mmm, it smells so good! Hehe, Caesar, do you have more chicken? I want to roast one too!"
Linlin asked Caesar with a laugh.
Caesar shrugged: "No, I have no idea where this chicken came from."
As he spoke, he took down the golden-brown roasted turkey and handed it to Linlin.
"How about you eat my chicken instead?"
"Huh?"
Linlin immediately parted her delicate lips slightly, her beautiful eyes blinking.
She glanced around, a faint blush rising on her cheeks as she said somewhat shyly.
"R-right now? Wouldn't that be inappropriate..."
The corner of Caesar's mouth twitched, and he reached out with his large hand to knock her head lightly.
"What's going through that mind of yours all day? Don't be so perverted, okay?"
"Hehe..."
Linlin giggled as she took the roasted chicken, leaning in to peck Caesar's cheek.
She tore off a drumstick from the chicken and returned it to Caesar, then tore off a piece of meat for herself and began chewing.
"Mmm, not bad! The cooking is just right too. I never expected you to have this skill, Caesar?"
"Borororo, of course! Roasting meat is a skill I've honed since childhood. Back in the day, when Kaido and I were struggling to survive together in the Oni tribe, we went through plenty of hardships."
Caesar gazed at the vast sea ahead, his eyes distant.
The world before them was completely dark except for the light from the platform they were on.
"You seem preoccupied?" Linlin tilted her head, staring blankly at Caesar's strong profile.
Caesar let out a long sigh and looked toward the depths of the pitch-black sky.
"I'm thinking about things from the past, and some unknown aspects of this world. Linlin..."
Caesar suddenly turned his head, meeting Linlin's gaze.
He stared at Linlin absentmindedly for a long time before continuing:
"55 years ago, just before I turned ten, I suddenly lost consciousness and was captured by someone and taken to Mary Geoise."
"There, I became a blood container, having my blood drawn every day and undergoing all kinds of strange experiments."
As he spoke, Caesar extended his palm.
Soon, cold air began emanating from his hand, condensing into several spheres.
"One day, the people in the laboratory forgot to lock the door, and I accidentally ran into a very... dreamlike room."
"There, I saw models like this."
Saying this, Caesar raised his hand, where over a dozen spheres were orbiting a larger sphere.
"And on one of those spheres, I could clearly see the Red Line, the four seas, the Grand Line, and the New World."
A bitter smile suddenly appeared on Caesar's face as he shook his head.
"At that time, I thought, if one of those spheres represents the world I live in, then what are the other dozen or so spheres?"
He looked up at the dark sky, dispersed the ice spheres in his hand, and pointed upward.
"Yet above our heads, we can see nothing but the sun and moon."
"I also saw many illustrated reference books - about various races, about Devil Fruits, and some things I couldn't understand at all, along with some very captivating images."
"And it was from there that I learned the Celestial Dragons have been collecting our blood to create something. Perhaps it's for their so-called SSG weapons, or maybe something else entirely."
"And after that, I inexplicably returned to the Oni tribe. Later, during the awakening ceremony, I developed a mental issue... I personally slaughtered nearly eighty percent of the Oni tribe's members. This included some elders who had been asleep for centuries, as well as many of my own relatives."
"I've always felt that incident wasn't due to my own problems. To seek answers, I set out to sea and eventually encountered Rocks..."
Caesar sighed. "The Celestial Dragons have too many secrets, what we know is just the tip of the iceberg. Imu is definitely not simple. And in a few days, we'll be facing the Marines, facing the World Government. I don't know if what I'm doing is right? Because my actions might bring great crisis upon us. I have a premonition that this time, I'll lose many people... just like 55 years ago."
Caesar reached out both hands, gripping Linlin's shoulders, his eyes showing a rare hint of hesitation.
"Linlin, tell me, should I be satisfied with this? After all, now I command so many talented people and possess vast territories. Money, status, women - whatever I want, I can obtain effortlessly!"
"Perhaps I shouldn't risk all of you whom I cherish now, just to pursue that one answer!"