In the end, Sengoku and the others decided not to publicly disclose Caesar information for the time being.
The current situation in Wano Country made it clear that the Straw Hats, Kid, Law, and the samurai of Wano had unexpectedly defeated two of the Four Emperors and completely taken control of the country.
Now, after a full seven days had passed, Wano forces had grown significantly stronger. If they were to face Caesar again, their chances of victory would be even higher.
If the demon Caesar truly intended to head for the Flower Capital, there was a chance he might trip at the finish line and lose to the Straw Hats and the others.
Of course, Akainu wasn't entirely idle either.
First, he ordered Admiral Kizaru to take five Vice Admirals to the waters outside Wano Country in the New World, laying in wait to ambush and capture anyone who emerged.
At the same time, Garp and Sengoku also expressed their intention to join the operation.
With this, the combat strength of the mission reached an extremely high level.
Secondly, Akainu knew that CP0 agents dispatched by the World Government were still lurking within Wano. He planned to personally go to Mary Geoise to seek information from the Five Elders.
*****
Wano Country, Udon Prison, Quarry.
King looked up at Caesar, who was about to rise, and asked.
"Caesar-sama, are you planning to go to Flower Capital?"
Caesar grunted in affirmation, preparing to take flight toward the Flower Capital—a place he considered quite appealing.
King quickly advised "My lord, please hear me out."
Caesar paused and turned to him.
King continued "Lord Caesar, Wano forces are currently at their peak. Though it pains me to say this, the Straw Hats and the others did defeat both Kaido-san and Big Mom. By now, they've likely recovered much of their strength. If you go alone, I fear... I fear..."
Caesar expression darkened as he snorted angrily.
"What? You think I'd lose? They're just a bunch of brats!"
King hurriedly replied "I wouldn't dare suggest that. But, Caesar-sama, if you believe you can defeat both Kaido-san and Big Mom simultaneously—if you possess that level of strength—then by all means, go ahead."
As he spoke, King carefully observed Caesar expression.
After a moment of thought, though visibly displeased, Caesar admitted frankly.
"No, I can't. I may be confident I can overpower my worthless little brother, but taking on two opponents of Kaido caliber at once? That's too much. Hmph, you're right. I have big plans for the future—I can't afford to be used as a stepping stone by a bunch of kids playing pirates."
King sighed in relief and smiled. "Then, Caesar-sama, I suggest we wait until both Kaido-san and Big Mom awaken and regain their strength before heading to the Flower Capital. With the three of you as the ultimate force, Wano will be yours for the taking!"
"And how long will that take?" Caesar growled irritably.
He walked over to Kaido and kicked his massive body, sending it flying into the stone wall.
"These two useless fools not only lost to a bunch of brats but also suffered severe psychological blows—that's why they still haven't woken up. On top of that, it seems the eruption of that undersea volcano injured their internal organs. What a pain!"
BAM!
Caesar spoke, delivering another heavy punch to the stone wall, shaking the entire quarry within the volcanic crater violently.
Inside the cage, Ryokugyu was jolted awake by the deafening noise. As he became aware of his physical condition, his heart filled with frustration, bitterness, anger, and humiliation.
"Yes, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few more days, sir." King was most worried about Caesar current state—unwilling to listen and determined to take on all of Wano forces alone.
Fortunately, it seemed this brawny powerhouse was still open to advice.
In that regard, he was far better than Kaido.
Once Kaido got drunk, he did whatever he wanted—not even Jesus could stop him.
"Wait? I don't want to wait!" Caesar gritted his teeth, seemingly making up his mind as he turned and strode out with large steps.
King was startled and opened his mouth to dissuade him, but in the blink of an eye, Caesar massive figure had already vanished from the quarry.
"This is bad!"
Just as King was overcome with regret, an earth-shaking roar of surging waves echoed through the air.
King swiftly flapped his wings, transforming into a pterosaur and flew to the top of the quarry central pillar.
"What? What is that?"
Looking out, he saw that beyond Udon coastal waters, an enormous black fish—spanning countless miles—was parting the waves as it swam into the distance.
Its island-sized body appeared to be diving into the depths.
"Huh? Is he trying to leave Wano, or...?" King couldn't comprehend Caesar actions and could only stand there, watching.
Out in the sea beyond Udon, Caesar had taken the form of a ten-kilometer-long Kunpeng and was diving into the unfathomable abyss.
'There's no other way. If I want to wake Kaido and Linlin quickly, I'll have to use the most brutal method—dousing their bodies with the strongest blood of the Oni Clan, the blood contain boundless vitality, enough to fully restore them.'
And that required an immense amount of blood.
While Caesar own blood could achieve this, doing so would drain his life force significantly, weakening his strength by more than half and possibly even pushing him into a period of frailty.
That was not an outcome Caesar wanted to see.
Thus, he decided to plunge into the ocean, hunt and devour a large number of Sea Kings and use the Life Return technique to rapidly extract vast amounts of blood, storing it within his body.
Later, he could release it directly to heal Kaido and Linlin.
"What's going on with this place? I've swum hundreds of miles and haven't even seen a single fish! Damn it!"
Caesar opened his massive eyes, hundreds of meters in diameter, scanning the pitch-black seabed.
His Kunpeng vision allowed him to see everything in the deep sea with perfect clarity.
But all he saw were dark, undersea mountains—one after another, shaped in bizarre and grotesque forms.
Some were volcanic rocks from eruptions, while others resembled giant sea turtles or elongated fish.
"Wait a minute..." Caesar narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the underwater peaks.
The longer he looked, the more something felt off.
After staring for a long while, he cursed inwardly.
"Damn it! The Sea Kings of Wano have turned into these monstrosities? Have they been corrupted by something?"
Indeed, upon closer inspection, Caesar realized that these floating underwater mountains were actually massive Sea Kings
.At first glance, they didn't resemble fish at all—each one was enormous and grotesquely shaped, more akin to mountainous landscapes than sea creatures.
Their movements were also incredibly sluggish, no wonder Caesar couldn't recognize them.
"Who cares? As long as they're living beings, I can devour them and extract their essence, right? I'll Swallow them all!"
Caesar opened his massive mouth, spanning several kilometers wide and swallowed a pitch-black sea turtle whole.
His size was comparable to that of a colossal Sea King, far surpassing these small Sea Kings that were only about a kilometer long.
Moreover, his speed was astonishing.
These fish, moving as slowly as turtles, had no chance of escape. They could only float helplessly as Caesar devoured them one after another in a frenzy.
Caesar couldn't even taste the Sea Kings—his stomach was a bottomless pit.
No matter how tough the fish were, once swallowed, they were instantly digested and converted into the life essence of the sea.
This method of devouring and converting bore some resemblance to Ryokugyu ability.
However, it seemed Caesar efficiency was even higher.