In the evening, the golden sun set in the west.

Aboard the Wind Rider, heading toward Dressrosa, Caelan had no idea what Doflamingo was plotting.

Of course, even if he did, he wouldn't care.

In the face of absolute power, those little tricks were meaningless.

At that moment, everyone around Caelan was taking stock of their gains.

"Artificial Mythical Beast, Dragon Form, five artificial Devil Fruits, and an entire artificial Devil Fruit production line."

"This time, the harvest is truly massive!"

The women sighed, amazed at everything they had taken from Punk Hazard.

"And that's not all. I also got a beautiful prisoner and a capable officer."

Caelan pointed at Monet, who wore Seastone handcuffs, and Hina, who was still deep in conversation with Gion about the past.

Monet snorted coldly and turned her head away.

Caelan didn't mind. Once it was time for a proper defeat CG, Monet would fall in line.

Hina said modestly to Caelan, "When it comes to talent, I'm nowhere near Sister Gion!"

Hina truly believed that. In both strength and naval administration, she was far inferior to Gion, who had once been a candidate for admiral.

Gion could reorganize the newly recruited marines with just a few words, something Hina knew she couldn't manage.

"Didn't you hear what Caelan said? He's building a new navy. If you don't help, I'll collapse from exhaustion!"

Gion patted Hina's shoulder and complained.

Caelan's talk about forming a new navy wasn't just idle words. He would definitely follow through.

That was going to be a massive undertaking, and she couldn't handle it alone.

"Okay, okay, I'll help!"

Hina stuck out her tongue playfully.

She was genuinely looking forward to the new navy Caelan had envisioned.

Soon after, Hina, Kalifa, and Tashigi were taken by the mermaids and questioned about everything that had happened on Punk Hazard.

"I never thought there'd be so many secrets on an island abandoned by the Marines!"

Shirahoshi, Shyarly, and the other mermaids were full of emotion.

They hadn't expected that just by following Caelan, they'd witness something so thrilling.

What was even more shocking was that Caelan had captured over 2,000 Marines. It was insane.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Caelan became king of the world.

When that time came, the residents of Fishman Island could finally move to the surface.

As they thought about this, the mermaids' eyes welled up with tears as they looked at Caelan.

Caelan noticed their gazes and felt a little proud.

At this point, all he had to do was snap his fingers, and plenty of mermaids would throw themselves at him.

However, while Caelan was interested in exploring the physiology of merfolk, he decided to hold off.

Because he had more pressing matters.

Caelan walked over to Gion and whispered in her ear, "Come to my room tonight. Let's carefully review that bet."

Gion's body trembled. Her ears turned red as she nodded ever so slightly, accepting Caelan's invitation.

Elsewhere, Nami, Robin, and Vivi chuckled knowingly.

"I told you we'd get her within two months!"

Vivi said proudly.

"What two months? She only lasted one."

Robin corrected her.

"Caelan's abilities are more formidable than we thought."

Nami rubbed her forehead, feeling a little helpless.

"In that regard, I approve!"

Vivi gave Caelan a thumbs-up and grinned mischievously.

Gion's expression remained calm as she walked into the cabin, pretending not to hear a word.

But deep down, she was so annoyed that her teeth itched.

Once the new navy is established, she would make all of them do hard labor!

Nearby, Nojiko and Uta looked a little down.

As more women joined the ship, Hancock had risen above them all and secured her position.

Time was running out for the two of them.

They glanced at the mermaids making eyes at Caelan and started to feel anxious.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was night. The stars were sparse, and the moon hung high.

Caelan was in his room, sorting through his gains while waiting for Gion.

The 600 million Berries Vergo had sent were converted into synchronization progress, raising his progress bar to 42%.

However, the increase in power wasn't as significant as before.

He had only inherited a bit more experience in spear techniques. As for raw stat improvements, they were negligible.

For Caelan, who had already reached the limit of a Heroic Spirit, enhancements to basic attributes did little.

After all, the true value of the Karna template lay in his skills and Noble Phantasms.

Those skills and Noble Phantasms had already been fully inherited when he acquired the template.

In that regard, the system was actually quite fair.

Still, the greatest gain from Punk Hazard wasn't the 600 million Berries.

Kalifa had acquired the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, significantly boosting her strength and future potential.

He had obtained five artificial Devil Fruits. Though flawed, they could probably sell for 300 million Berries in total.

Then there was Caesar and his SAD production line. Selling them would fetch two to three billion Berries.

More importantly, he had conquered over 2,000 Marines, laying a solid foundation for his future power.

It could be said that the gains from Punk Hazard surpassed even his raid on the Celestial Dragons.

"Next stop, Dressrosa!"

Caelan was already looking forward to it.

In his plan, once he took Dressrosa, his grand enterprise could officially begin.

As Doflamingo's carefully cultivated base, Caelan had a feeling the loot there would rival or surpass Punk Hazard.

There were countless industries in Doflamingo's hands, and who knows how many Berries were tied up in them.

It was also the source of raw materials for artificial Devil Fruits. Controlling Dressrosa would mean monopolizing the entire artificial Devil Fruit industry.

With that control, his new force would finally have fertile ground for growth.

After thinking for a while, Caelan set those thoughts aside and focused on what really mattered tonight.

He had made a bet with Gion. If he could find a powerful Devil Fruit on Punk Hazard suitable for Kalifa, Gion would spend one night in his room.

Clearly, it was time to collect.

It was late at night, and everyone was asleep.

Caelan picked up a Den Den Mushi and said, "Gion, it's about time."

Gion remained silent, her face red. It was finally happening.

She had been preparing herself ever since they left Punk Hazard.

Still, it was hard to accept giving herself away like this!

She wanted to slap herself. Why did she agree to such a bet?

Was the Den Den Mushi broken?

Caelan leaned in and heard the slightly uneven breathing.

So she was just shy.

Caelan smiled. This unexpected shyness from the normally composed Gion made him like her even more.

Still, if she wasn't ready, he could wait a little longer.

Thinking that, Caelan said, "I'm not in a rush. We can do it later if you're not ready."

Hearing that, Gion let out a long sigh and said, "No need. I'll be there soon."

Then she hung up the Den Den Mushi and walked toward Caelan's room.

The longer she waited, the worse it would feel. Better to get it over with quickly and avoid unnecessary trouble.

As for breaking her promise, that was out of the question.

She was honorable. A loss was a loss.

Besides, ever since she boarded Caelan's ship, she had been mentally prepared.

All things considered, aside from being a shameless flirt, the man wasn't that bad.

Soon, Gion entered Caelan's room.

Caelan's eyes lit up at the sight of her.

She wore a white, half-slit bathrobe that perfectly highlighted her stunning figure.

Through the opening, her long, fair legs were faintly visible.

Gion's usually heroic face now carried a trace of shyness. Her sharp eyes held a subtle charm.

She looked like a female general who had just taken off her armor.

Both beautiful and commanding, she made people want to conquer her.

And she was a general—formerly of the Marines, and soon to be one in his new force.

"Then allow me to help my General remove her armor."

Caelan stepped forward with a smile and spoke gently.

Time to get serious.

Gion gave Caelan a sidelong glance.

"Then go ahead."

Gion replied, trying to remain calm.

Her face flushed as she waited nervously for Caelan to make his move.

Soon, she felt a pair of warm hands.

Those hands were causing her to slowly lose herself.

As Caelan removed her bathrobe, a flawless body appeared before him.

"You're beautiful—so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off you."

Caelan whispered into Gion's ear as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Moments like these called for a bit of flattery.

And honestly, his Gion was breathtaking.

"Mm."

Gion blushed but felt pleased.

Things had come this far. Hearing kind words made it all the better.

And so, the two embraced one another.

As if in a dream, the night passed.

(To be continued.)

Check out my new book and add it to library xD: Building a Monster Nation From Zero in Another World.

Thanks : )

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)