Caesar sneered and said, "It seems the owner of this villa is rumored to be as strong as a Vice Admiral. But in the end, it's just a rumor."
"What?" Eli was completely baffled, unable to make sense of what was happening.
Caesar didn't bother to answer. Instead, he grabbed Eli and soared into the sky, flying directly toward the pirate ship.
As they left the large courtyard, they spotted a group of armed men standing guard outside.
Presumably, these were local patrols and troops who had arrived after receiving news of the commotion.
But Caesar didn't spare them a glance—he simply flew away.
With a smirk, he muttered, "For an island built like a fortress, this is nothing impressive."
Eli glanced back at the patrol members who were desperately chasing after them, their expressions strained from exhaustion. He sighed and said, "Well... maybe it seems meaningless to a powerhouse like you, but for the people of this island, their defenses are crucial. Even a pirate crew like the Kaiser Pirates wouldn't take them lightly."
He continued, "I lived here fifteen or sixteen years ago, so I still remember a few things."
"This island, as far back as I can recall, has never been successfully invaded. Most pirates who travel along the Grand Line, and even those who enter from the Four Blues, rarely find any advantage in attacking this place."
"From that perspective, the guy in charge here has actually done a decent job."
And it was true.
The island's overall military strength was comparable to a well-equipped Marine base.
Ordinary pirates wouldn't dare cause trouble at a Marine base, so they naturally wouldn't take unnecessary risks here.
As for major pirate crews, they had bigger ambitions and wouldn't waste time attacking a small island like this.
As a result, the island had remained relatively safe over the years.
But now, being targeted by Caesar over the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, their luck had run out.
Or rather, the island's noble ruler was the unlucky one.
Even though Caesar couldn't increase his flight speed, he was still fast enough to return to the pirate ship with Eli in no time.
Upon landing, Caesar quickly scanned his surroundings.
It seemed that most of the people who had been knocked unconscious by his Conqueror's Haki earlier had been taken away.
However, there were now a few new bodies scattered on the deck, their weapons lying abandoned beside them.
It was clear that the crew had been busy while he was gone.
Seeing the crew's expectant gazes, Caesar raised an eyebrow. "Were you all getting bored on the ship?"
Brad grinned. "Boss, didn't you go looking for the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?"
"Since we knew you'd be bringing it back soon, how could we be in the mood to go out?"
"I've been curious about Devil Fruits for two years now!"
"Same here!"
"I hope we find a Logia-type fruit. That would seriously boost our crew's overall strength!"
"You're dreaming, Lily," someone scoffed. "Logia fruits are extremely rare."
"Enough talk!" Lily said excitedly. "Caesar, hurry up and show us the Devil Fruits! I can't wait to see what powers they hold!"
"I hope there's a strong one that suits me. Right now, I'm the weakest on board."
"Oh wait, since Eli joined, I'm not the weakest anymore—now I'm second to last!" she added with a laugh.
The crew exchanged amused glances before turning their eager eyes back to Caesar.
They all knew there were eight Devil Fruits aboard, but without knowing their abilities, none of them dared to eat one blindly.
Caesar himself was curious about the fruits' abilities, so he understood their excitement.
"If there's one that suits me, I wouldn't mind eating it myself," he thought with a smirk.
"Alright, let's get started," he said. "Time to compare them with the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
With that, he led the crew toward the ship's restaurant—the largest common area on board besides the deck.
As they walked, Caesar silently activated his Devil Fruit ability.
The cabinet in his captain's quarters opened on its own, and one by one, the Devil Fruits floated out, forming a line as they made their way toward the restaurant.
A moment later, all nine Devil Fruits—including the newly obtained Den-Den Fruit—were neatly placed before them.
The sight was nothing short of spectacular.
The crew had noticed the fruit floating beside Caesar earlier, but they had been too preoccupied to ask about it.
Now, sitting before the mysterious fruits, they finally remembered.
Gnali glanced at the Den-Den Fruit and asked, "Did you snatch that on the island? Do you know what ability it has?"
"Yeah, I grabbed it while taking the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia," Caesar replied casually.
"I already checked—it's a Paramecia-type fruit called the Den-Den Fruit. It's not bad. With proper training, it could turn someone into a strong fighter."
"Wait, are you thinking of eating it?"
"Nah, I'll pass," Gnali said, shaking his head. "I'm already busy developing my Haki, swordsmanship, and physical training. Adding a Devil Fruit on top of that would be too much to handle."
Without wasting time, Caesar opened the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
[Chapter 108: A Powerful Fruit Appears! A Suspected Logia Hurricane Fruit?]
Caesar quickly flipped through the book until he found a matching entry for the first Devil Fruit.
It was grayish-black, covered in intricate patterns, and had a shape reminiscent of a gourd.
To be honest, it looked pretty ugly.
Its appearance alone had drawn Caesar's curiosity, prompting him to check it first.
Zoan-Type: Spider-Spider Fruit, Model: Tall Spider.
It granted the user the abilities of a spider.
The Encyclopedia's description was fairly detailed, enough for Caesar to understand its potential.
Zoan-type fruits typically granted increased vitality and recovery abilities, making them ideal for close-combat fighters.
Caesar's gaze swept across the crew before settling on the chef, Yaxi.
However, before Yaxi could respond, several crew members immediately voiced their disgust.
"I'm not eating that!"
"Turning into a spider? No thanks, that's too creepy!"
"Can you imagine fighting on the battlefield like that? The enemy wouldn't even need to attack—they'd die laughing!"
"If I had to eat that, I'd rather just drop dead now."
Lily's face paled. "Absolutely not! And Yaxi, you better not eat it either! I can't stand the thought of a spider cooking our meals! I'd starve to death first!"
Even the musician, Weina, looked sick, her throat bobbing as if she were trying not to gag.
Caesar chuckled. He didn't particularly care, but if the crew was this resistant, he wasn't going to force the issue.
"It's just one Devil Fruit," he thought. "If this one doesn't work, we'll just find another."
Setting the Spider-Spider Fruit aside, he moved on to the next.
However, after scanning the entire Devil Fruit Encyclopedia twice, he couldn't find a match for the second fruit.
"It seems this book isn't as comprehensive as I thought," Caesar muttered.
Eli scratched his head awkwardly—after all, he had been the one who suggested stealing the book.
Caesar, however, simply waved it off. "This version was last updated decades ago. Considering how many Devil Fruits exist, it's not surprising that some are missing."
"Anyway, let's move on."
He flipped to the third fruit.
It was bright red and resembled the legendary Ope Ope no Mi—except for its shape.
While the Ope Ope no Mi was shaped like a flattened heart, this fruit was round, resembling a peach.
Caesar cross-referenced it with the book.
Regina, the crew's doctor, was practically holding her breath. "Caesar... is it the Ope Ope no Mi?"
After a moment, he answered, "No. This is the Self-Healing Fruit."
"It grants the user powerful regenerative abilities. Once awakened, it can even enhance others' recovery speed, though it consumes significant stamina."
"A perfect fruit for a melee fighter."
The crew's eyes gleamed.
Caesar smirked. "So, who wants it?"
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