Bang!
Yamamoto Mei's body split cleanly in half — a sickening thud following as the two halves collapsed into a lifeless heap on the icy deck.
[Chat Group]
Miyuki Uchiha: "What the hell are you doing, Jaeger?!"
Sakura Tosaka: "…Mei-san!?"
Even Esdeath, who had been watching the battle calmly, had a rare shift in expression.
Esdeath: "Don't tell me… he actually killed her by accident?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "World Noble-kun… what exactly is going on inside that head of yours?"
Luo Hao: "Calm yourselves. Jaeger is not a fool. He wouldn't simply kill Mei."
Jibril, of course, was the only one sounding completely relaxed.
Jibril: "Remember, I gave each of you a Senzu bean. Even if Jaeger used his on the ice-cube girl earlier, there are still three left."
Jibril: "Although… that move she used just now was impressive. But not unbeatable. If I used my lightsaber with [Straight Death], dodging it would be trivial."
Jibril: "But that god… Avoid? That's just cheating. A skill that ignores space, distance, and time itself? Even Lord Artosh — the god of war — couldn't do that!"
As the live broadcast lingered on the mangled corpse of Yamamoto Mei, a heavy silence filled the chat group.
Jibril's reminder eased the tension — the Senzu beans still existed. No one wanted to lose a member, especially not Jaeger, who had become crucial to the group's balance of power.
But Jibril's eyes… they weren't concerned.
They were intrigued.
For a Flugel, power wasn't just admiration.
It was desire.
It was instinct.
It was the urge to collect the head of a worthy god.
Artosh had built them that way — warriors meant to challenge gods without hesitation.
One Piece World
"Is this what getting cut in half feels like? Wow. It would be a perfect cinematic death if you'd just say 'You will never forget me as long as you live, Jaeger!'"
Yamamoto Mei stared at her severed lower half without the slightest trace of panic — casually cracking jokes while nearly dead.
Jaeger sighed, face full of exhausted disbelief.
"Just eat the damn Senzu bean before you actually die, you lunatic."
He rolled his eyes, grabbed the lower half of her body, and kicked it back onto her upper half.
"..."
Mei's dark eyes flickered. A smirk tugged at her lips. Then, with zero shame, she simply tossed her lower body upward — reattaching it like snapping a Lego piece.
Jaeger's brow twitched.
"…You're not going to take a Senzu bean?"
A pause.
Then Mei spoke casually:
"Well… my Senzu beans were eaten back in the Soul Society."
Jaeger's whole face turned into a question mark.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to be some noble lady back there? Who the hell would dare mess with you? Was it Aizen?"
"No." Mei's tone was flat but the embarrassment was obvious.
"I… might've gotten into a fight with old man Yamamoto Genryusai. He used a bit too much power. Almost roasted me alive with his Shikai."
Jaeger froze, leaned back slightly, and muttered:
"…Okay, that's… that's something I can't even comment on. Wow."
[Chat Group]
Miyuki Uchiha: "…"
Even she had no words.
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "So that's the Shinigami Captain you mentioned? What a dumpster fire."
Jaeger rubbed his temples. Letting Mei die here would be disastrous. The chat group would kick him out faster than Kizaru says "yo~".
His eyes shifted to Esdeath.
"What about you? Any Senzu beans left?"
Esdeath smiled wryly.
"No. After I got mine, I went straight into the Revolutionary Army's base alone… killed more than a dozen Teigu Envoys… and nearly died."
Jaeger's eyes widened.
"Are you serious!?"
[Chat Group]
Luo Hao: "Ha! After I got mine, I fought my old enemy and killed him!"
Miyuki Uchiha: "Ice Queen and God Slayer… now that's the energy I like! Legendary."
Luo Hao: "It was Sasha Dejanstahl Voban. The snake-faced bastard."
Miyuki Uchiha: "Good! He annoyed me in the anime too! Acting all high and mighty until someone smacks him down."
Sakura Tosaka: "We should save Mei-san first. She looks like she's dying…"
Erina Nakiri: "I'll handle it."
One Piece World
Erina shivered violently in the freezing air as she took out her Senzu beans. Her hands trembled as she rushed to Yamamoto Mei and fed her one.
The moment Mei swallowed it —
her body snapped together, wounds sealed, vitality restored, and spiritual energy surged back like a tidal wave.
She sprang upright energetically.
"Ahh… Senzu beans really are miracles."
Mei grinned and patted Erina's shoulder.
"I owe you one, kid. From now on, I've got your back!"
Erina, teeth chattering, forced a smile.
"G-Good… c-could someone… p-please melt the ice? I'm f-freezing."
Mei turned toward the source — Esdeath.
"Esdeath?"
Esdeath simply nodded, dismissing her Teigu power.
The frozen sea melted instantly. Temperature rose.
The maids and crew thawed, groaning back to life.
One CP soldier, thawed and terrified, grabbed his Den Den Mushi.
"H-Hello!? World Government!? The Celestial Dragon Saint Jaeger's ship has been attacked!"
He screamed into the receiver.
"Attacker suspected—Vice Admiral Kuzan!! The power resembles the Ice-Ice Fruit!!"
Later…
Jaeger got a call from the Five Elders.
He explained, deadpan:
"No, it wasn't Kuzan. It was Esdeath… a woman… my friend."
A pause.
Then he added:
"…She could be one of my future wives."
When the line disconnected, silence filled the council chamber.
Finally—
Saint Topman Warcury muttered:
"If His Highness Jaeger isn't lying… that woman Esdeath may not be weaker than Kuzan."
Saint Marcus stroked his beard.
"An Admiral-level force appearing out of nowhere… the Intelligence Department must investigate."
Saint Nusjuro smirked, gripping his sword.
"With someone like her on his side — and Jaeger's hidden power…" He leaned back.
"…Golden Lion Shiki's luck is about to run out."
Meanwhile, the poor soldier who'd snitched?
Jaeger fed him to a Sea King.
Natural selection.
--
After a while…
Once Jaeger and the others' ships had departed from the battlefield—leaving only chaos swirling in their wake—two blonde men began an animated discussion.
One swam through the sea at high speed, while the other glided thousands of meters above, cutting through the clouds.
"Kid Kuzan actually tweaked out and attacked a Celestial Dragon?" the swimmer murmured.
"Could it be Garp's orders? That old dog is trying to help Roger," the airborne one speculated, tone sharp with intrigue.
"That flash during Kuzan's fight… must've been another Logia vice admiral. Kizaru, no doubt."
He clicked his tongue. "Seriously, the gap between Celestial Dragons who command properly and those who don't is insane."
"Even better for us. If Kuzan and Kizaru are both out of play, saving Rouge will be a lot easier!" the first blond said, voice rising with excitement.
"Roger… first I'll save your wife. Then I'll break into Impel Down and rescue you. After that, you'd better behave when I give commands."
The second blond grinned, eyes full of mocking confidence.
The two of them—one cleaving the sky, the other slicing through the sea—had been observing the aftermath of the earlier battles from afar.
The flashes of ice and light were all too familiar.
And all too interesting.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the fourth day since they arrived in the pirate world.
Erina Nakiri had already seen Sea Kings towering thousands of meters high and had weathered a storm powerful enough to crush an entire island.
She felt that she had grown more in these few days than in her entire life.
But one thing still bothered her.
If only those two would stop being so damn noisy.
Boom!!
Esdeath slammed into the deck, Jaeger's backhand sending her tumbling. Blood spilled from her lips, but instead of anger, excitement filled her eyes. She sprang back up instantly.
Opposite her stood Jaeger, his body radiating power.
The Eight Inner Gates were open, and the two were locked in a brutal wrestling match—half spar, half sheer camaraderie between monsters.
Thanks to his Sage Body, Jaeger could maintain the Seventh Gate for incredibly long periods without fatigue. In the pirate world, that alone made him a terrifying anomaly.
Even without touching his Noble Phantasms, Jaeger's raw physical might was overwhelming.
Esdeath, naturally, couldn't match that.
Even without using Ice Demon Extract, she was leagues below in pure strength.
But that only made her grin wider.
This pain… this pressure…
This was growth.
Bang!!
Jaeger sent her skidding across the deck again.
"You two should take a break," Erina finally intervened, approaching with a glass of juice. "Your subordinates said we're almost at the destination."
"Ah, thanks." Jaeger smiled at her warmly as he took the drink. "My sweet chef."
Erina instantly flushed crimson, stumbling a step before retreating back toward the cabin.
"What kind of stupid name is that…?" she muttered, ears burning.
"Oh, she's really a simple lady," Yamamoto Mei drawled from her lounge chair, sunglasses pushed up.
"She's almost hooked. One more push and she'll fall."
Esdeath didn't care at all. In her mind, the strong naturally commanded a harem—man or woman.
As for Erina?
A girl with no combat strength wasn't a threat.
Even if Erina became Jaeger's woman, Esdeath wouldn't care in the slightest.
South Blue — On a Small Island
A peaceful island with a population just over 10,000 waited quietly beneath the afternoon sun.
But recently, tranquility had shattered.
A formation of Marine warships had surrounded the place.
The fleet was led by Vice Admiral Doberman—a rigid supporter of Akainu, and one of the five vice admirals assigned to the South Blue operation.
His ships targeted the harbor with cannons ready to fire, ensuring no one could escape.
On the bow of one vessel stood a masked man holding a Den Den Mushi—clearly a reporter, preparing a broadcast as instructed by the Celestial Dragons.
"I wonder what they're planning… going this far just to capture the Pirate King's widow?" Doberman muttered.
But his expression hardened as he spotted a World Government ship approaching.
"It's here!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the panicked reporter, used Geppo, and landed on Jaeger's ship.
"Saint Jaeger!" Doberman saluted sharply. "Headquarters Vice Admiral Doberman, reporting!"
"Oh, Sakazuki's right-hand man. Not bad," Jaeger replied lightly.
The compliment sent a thrill through Doberman.
Jaeger glanced at the reporter. "Is Morgan ready?"
"E-Everything is prepared, Saint Jaeger! With a large screen, the broadcast will reach the entire world!"
"Good. Begin."
"Yes, sir!"
The reporter activated the live broadcast.
In the next moment…
Saint Jaeger appeared on giant screens around the world.
"Who's that?"
"Isn't that Saint Jaeger? The Celestial Dragon in the news—the playboy tyrant everyone talks about."
"What the hell is he doing on live broadcast?"
"Hmph. Lucky bastard… I wish I were born a Celestial Dragon."
"Son, if he visits our country, you must have your father invite him home so I can serve him with all my heart."
"The Celestial Dragons… I'll kill every last one."
Reactions varied: envy, fear, worship, hatred.
But Jaeger simply smiled at the camera.
"I am Saint Jaeger of the Celestial Dragons. Today's broadcast has one purpose: to capture the wife of Pirate King Roger, Portgas D. Rouge."
The world froze.
"Capture Roger's wife?! Is he insane?"
"Didn't you hear?! The Navy's been hunting Roger in the South Blue for days. He's already been caught!"
"What?! The Pirate King captured?!"
"Hah! Trash pirates. They should all die."
New World
Whitebeard shattered the air with one punch, cracks tearing through the sea itself.
Wano
Kaido chuckled while holding Yamato on his shoulder.
"This is the fate of the weak. Roger got caught by the Navy, and his wife now can't be protected. Compared to Rocks… he was nothing but a failure."
"That's the bad guy from Impel Down!" Yamato pointed angrily at the screen. "I'll smash his skull one day!"
Kaido flicked her head. "Idiot. That guy is your old man's target, not yours."
Marineford
The doves exchanged uneasy glances.
Tsuru, Sengoku, and Kuzan felt a weight settling in their chests.
They all knew Garp had secretly gone to the South Blue.
South Blue
Garp, Rayleigh, Golden Lion.
All three watched the broadcast in grim silence.
Their relationship with Roger varied—rival, ally, enemy but they all respected him deeply.
Garp remembered their clashes years ago, the moments that forged them into unwilling brothers-in-arms.
He could not allow this.
He was Garp the Fist.
The man who dared punch the highest Authority at God Valley.
Golden Lion was no fan of Roger…
But allowing this humiliation of Roger's wife?
Unforgivable.
This was an insult to Roger himself.