"Aloof Red" Patrick Redfield's Observation Haki had always been more than just a tool to sense intent—it let him catch glimpses of the future.
That ability had once placed him among the top contenders of the sea. But it came with a cost.
He could hear everything… which meant he trusted nothing.
And as the years passed, that Haki became more curse than gift—driving away allies, severing ties, and leaving him drifting alone through the world like a relic from another era.
So maybe it made sense that he noticed something was off the moment he met Jaeger.
This Celestial Dragon—no, this anomaly—had divine energy laced through his body, fused with the Hand of Hermes.
And yet… Redfield couldn't sense a thing.
No voice. No presence. Nothing to predict. It was like trying to read fog.
Even Roger, sitting in the cell just down the hall, couldn't hide from Redfield's Observation Haki.
But Jaeger?
Empty.
"…If I had met you a few decades earlier," Redfield said quietly, "we might've been friends."
Jaeger didn't even hesitate.
"If you met me decades ago, I still wouldn't have been friends with you."
He raised his hand.
A ring of prison keys gleamed in his fingers—passed to him earlier by Shiryu, quietly and unnoticed.
"I'm a Celestial Dragon," Jaeger said, matter-of-factly. "I was born to rule this world. You? Just another name time forgot. We were never equals."
He tossed the keys forward.
Redfield caught them with one hand.
Click.
The Seastone cuffs clattered to the ground.
"…Ahhh. That's better," Redfield exhaled, stretching his shoulders with a grunt. "Thought I'd never feel my joints again."
Neither he nor Roger looked surprised. They'd both seen it coming, after all.
Observation Haki.
"So," Jaeger said flatly, "are you ready to die, Red Cunt?"
Redfield scoffed.
"Please. The one dying today… is you, you arrogant little noble."
Then came the shift.
A wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from Redfield's body, enough to rattle the walls and shake the floor. It wasn't overwhelming—it didn't need to be.
He wasn't trying to knock anyone out.
He just wanted to make a point.
The air grew heavier as Redfield stepped forward, fingers now coated in hardened Armament Haki. Dark, polished black with a faint crackle of energy—evidence of Conqueror's coating layered on top.
Old pirate habits died hard.
First, pressure the opponent.
Second, coat the strike.
Third, break them in one clean blow.
Even after years locked away, Redfield hadn't dulled.
He just needed a reason to stretch.
"He's not weak at all…" Jaeger said, eyes tracking the crimson figure as Redfield closed the distance.
Once, that kind of raw power might have ended Jaeger on the spot.
Not now.
Jaeger's palm rose with a speed that didn't feel entirely human and caught Redfield's wrist dead center, stopping the strike in midair.
"What—?! Impossible!" Redfield spat, surprise and pain warping his face.
Even Roger's features twitched. He'd been watching through Observation Haki and still hadn't predicted that move.
"Hercules Belt," Jaeger said quietly, not bothering to elaborate.
A divine ability that kept his strength and speed a step ahead of anyone facing him.
Crunch.
Jaeger's grip closed like iron. He didn't need to force it; the hold was effortless and precise.
"Damn it…! He's stronger than a Giant… and also extremely fast…!" Redfield's thoughts scattered — disbelief and the sharp sting of bone under pressure.
He struggled, but there was nowhere to go.
In one final, fluid motion—
Crack.
Jaeger tightened. Redfield's throat gave out. His eyes stayed open, wide with the last shock of it.
Red the Aloof— legendary and feared fell silent.
[ Chat Group ]
Esdeath: "Well, that ended faster than expected but given his Noble Phantasm, I can't exactly call it surprising."
Luo Hao: "Jaeger's still adapting to those Noble Phantasms, isn't he? That strike screamed Hercules' Belt—pure God-Slayer enhancement. Strength and speed both transcending mortal limits. Truly absurd."
Sakura Tosaka: "Jaeger-nii is amazing and a bit scary!"
Sakura who had already seen her cruel fate in the chat group was already developing a twisted sense of view.
Miyuki Uchiha: "Another legend gone. I wonder what kind of Noble Phantasm Redfield will yield for His Highness."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Acting like a true villain. Honestly, my five-second time-stop would suit him perfectly."
Yamamoto Mei: "Now only Pirate King Roger remains. Jaeger-kun's Impel Down mission is almost finished."
--
Back in the One Piece world…
With Redfield's death, the Hand of Hermes activated once more.
From his fading soul, something was extracted—his obsession, his regret, his legacy.
And then it formed.
[I Am the Lord of Life and Death]
[Grade: N/A
Type: Intrinsic Enchantment]
[Redfield had spent his entire life fleeing death, chasing after immortality.
The Hand of Hermes took that desperation and refined it—elevating the man's obsession into a divine artifact.]
The result?
[A Noble Phantasm that dragged its victims into a Reality Marble where time reigned absolute. Even the immortal would decay there. Even gods would wither. And death—was inevitable]
"Tsk… so I really am the protagonist of some overpowered light novel," Jaeger muttered with a crooked smirk.
He almost felt bad for whoever he'd have to fight next.
Well—almost.
Just… not the ridiculously overpowered ones. He wasn't looking to get one-shot, thank you very much.
With a casual flick of his finger, he shared the new Noble Phantasm to the group chat—sparking yet another explosion of curiosity, praise, and stunned silence.
Then his eyes shifted toward the final cell.
Gol D. Roger.
"…So. Is it finally your turn?"
Roger met his gaze calmly.
He let out a dry laugh and raised his Sea Prism Stone–shackled hands.
"You crushed Redfield like he was nothing. Let's be real—if we fought, I wouldn't last long either. I won't resist."
Jaeger stepped forward… then stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Your wife, Portgas D. Rouge, will die in two years from exhaustion. And your son… Ace… he'll be executed by the Navy twenty-two years from now."
Roger's breath caught.
"…What?"
A moment passed. Silent.
Then—
BOOOOM.
A tidal wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded out from the cell like a detonation.
Walls cracked.
Steel bars bent.
And at the far end of Impel Down—
Stussy. Magellan. Akainu. The guards.
Every single one dropped to their knees.
Some passed out completely.
They couldn't move.
Because this wasn't just a pirate.
This was Gol D. Roger—The Pirate King.
Inside Level 6…
Jaeger stood calmly as the weight of truth settled in the prison air.
One by one, he revealed the future—fragmented pieces of what should've happened. Events from the original timeline that had already played out in another world.
Roger listened, his silence heavy. Anger faded to shock… then to thoughtfulness.
Eventually, the Pirate King exhaled.
"…Why tell me all this?" he asked, his voice low. "You want me to die consumed by guilt?"
"No," Jaeger replied, and for once, his voice carried no arrogance—just quiet certainty.
"I'm not that heartless."
"Then why—?"
Roger's words hung midair.
Jaeger smiled.
Soft. Almost kind.
The kind of smile that made people uneasy because they didn't know if it was real.
"Because the future can change."
Roger blinked, stunned.
"…What?"
Jaeger stepped a little closer. His gaze never wavered.
"After you die… I'll raise your 'wife'. I'll protect her, support her and make sure she has all her 'needs'. Same with your child. I'll make sure they're safe. Happy. Loved. So you don't have to carry that regret anymore."
----
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