Luo Hao had used the Enhancement Core to enhance various items for members of the chat group before.
Among them, Jaeger had undoubtedly received the most enhancements, especially due to his arsenal of countless Noble Phantasms.
The same could be said for Esdeath's Ice Fruit and Yamamoto Mei's Lightning Fruit—both had undergone previous enhancements.
However, during none of those times had the phrase "Additional abilities" ever appeared.
Now, seeing those words—along with two terrifyingly powerful new abilities—everyone in the chat group immediately sensed something was different this time.
Yamamoto Mei: "Power… Could it be related to killing gods? Did Luo Hao actually slay two Heretic gods while strengthening these items?"
Luo Hao: "Correct. Items from other worlds often carry divine traces. While I was enhancing the two artifacts, they attracted the attention of two heretic deities from my world"
Luo Hao: "Odin, the Norse King of Gods, and Ōkuchi no Makami, the ancient Japanese wolf deity. I defeated both and absorbed their divinity. That energy was then transferred into Jaeger's items."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Wait, wait! So Jaeger just got the power of two divine beings… for free? What kind of luck is that?!"
Luo Hao: "The items belong to Jaeger. Naturally, so does the power. Besides, heretic gods aren't all that impressive. A few good slaps and they fall."
Jaeger: "Thank you, Luo Hao."
Luo Hao: "One day, I hope you'll call me by my real name—Cuilian."
Jaeger: "…Sorry, but your real name is a bit… rustic. Luo Hao just sounds cooler."
Luo Hao: "Tch."
Luo Hao: "Anyway, when are you heading out? I'm curious about this mission—especially if it involves someone like Scathach, a fellow god-slayer."
Scathach: "Huh? Me? Honestly, if I hadn't recovered my peak form through the chat group, I wouldn't even qualify. Potential or not, I was just a strong human."
Luo Hao: "Most god-slayers were ordinary before their ascension. What matters is now and what comes next."
Scathach: "…Fair point."
Jaeger: "My ship's already en route to the East Blue. Just a few more days. I'll keep you all updated."
Scathach: "Looking forward to it."
Karuizawa Kei: "Same here! Can't wait to meet you, Saint Jaeger!"
Esdeath: "Let's see how long those 'rising stars' of the sea can last. I hope they don't all get wiped out right away. That would be boring."
Jaeger closed the chat group window with a faint chuckle and turned to see Yamato gazing at him with childlike anticipation.
He smiled, patted her head, and pulled out a fruit—a devil fruit, though one that had clearly been transformed.
"Huh?" Gion's eyes widened. She recognized the fruit, but its shape, aura, and pressure had drastically changed.
No… this wasn't just a change. The feeling it gave off was oppressive.
Is a Devil Fruit supposed to make me feel this threatened? she thought. I'm a Vice Admiral, soon to be an Admiral. This isn't normal…
"Here." Jaeger handed the enhanced Mythical Zoan Fruit to Yamato.
Yamato didn't even use her hands. She simply opened her mouth and swallowed it whole—leaving a long trail of saliva on Jaeger's hand.
"…Seriously?" Jaeger glanced at his dripping hand in disgust, then wiped it on Gion without hesitation.
"Ugh! What the hell! That's disgusting!"
Gion yelped, recoiling. Her eyes narrowed. This brat's not only my love rival, she almost brained me with a kanabo once. Now this?!
But before she could complain further, a powerful wave of frost erupted from Yamato's body, chilling the air. Gion instinctively took a step back, stunned.
Yamato had transformed.
She was now a towering, silver-white wolf deity cloaked in ethereal flame clouds. Majestic, divine… terrifying. Her presence radiated freezing energy more potent than any she had ever felt.
Even more so than Aokiji.
What?! Gion's mind reeled. This… This level of ice manipulation—it surpasses the ice Fruit completely!
She's like a living Ice Goddess.
"Jaeger!!" Yamato barked joyfully, her voice both bestial and bright. She lunged at him, tail wagging, leaping into his arms like an excited pup.
"Click, click, click—!"
The temperature dropped instantly. Moisture in the air froze solid, and even Gion—caught off guard—was flash-frozen into a block of ice.
She shattered the ice with brute strength a second later, but she was visibly shaken. The cold had seeped into her bones.
And yet, Jaeger—being hugged tightly by this divine Ice Wolf—remained completely unaffected. He calmly petted her fur, enjoying the warmth instead of freezing.
"What the hell?" Gion muttered. "Even Haki can't neutralize cold that intense. How's he not frozen solid?!"
"It's because of my ability, obviously!" Yamato replied proudly.
"The fruit told me about it—it's called Ice Protection! It makes Jaeger and me completely immune to ice-type attacks. Forever!"
"Forever?!" Gion was stunned. That's so powerful!
Even if there were some hidden stamina cost—as most Devil Fruit powers usually required—the sheer utility was outrageous.
And now Yamato, this ditzy girl, had outclassed Aokiji in sheer cold output… just moments after eating the fruit.
Unreal…
Looking at the cozy, frostproof Jaeger, Gion couldn't help but feel an icy stab of envy.
She got a Mythical Zoan Fruit this powerful… and I'm standing here freezing my ass off. Why does she get all the luck?!
Frustrated, Gion raised a long leg and tried to step closer to Jaeger, hoping to compete for his attention—but tripped over something.
"Ah!"
She stumbled forward and fell directly into Jaeger's arms. Dazed, she glanced down to see what had tripped her.
"…Olvia?!"
The archaeologist had been silently frozen into a block of ice, still standing, completely encased in frost.
"Jaeger!! This woman's going to freeze to death!"
Unlike her petty rivalry with Yamato, Gion felt a kind of pity for Olvia. Maybe it was her quiet nature—or maybe the fact that Jaeger clearly didn't treat her the same way as the others.
Only now did Jaeger even remember Olvia was still in the room.
"Ehh… You can't really blame me," she said casually. "She's too weak to be around us."
Yamato tilted her head innocently, sensing the shift in mood. "Oops~ I didn't mean to freeze her. It was an accident!"
Jaeger sighed and patted her furry head. "Cut the cold, Yamato. Let her thaw out before she dies."
Neither Yamato nor Gion noticed the faint lack of concern in his voice. In truth, Jaeger wouldn't have minded if Olvia had frozen to death.
His interest in her had always been mostly tied to her daughter, Robin.
Yamato, however, was his "wife" now—favored, pampered, untouchable.
Compared to her, Olvia and Gion were just… others.
A Few Days Later…
The warship escorting "Roger" finally crossed the windless zone and entered the East Sea—drawing closer to Loguetown.
"Ah-choo! A-choo!"
On the sunlit deck, Olvia sat bundled in several thick quilts, her nose red and eyes watery.
Even wrapped up, she shivered beneath the sunlight, her body trembling as sneeze after sneeze left her feeling miserable.
She hated this—this weakness, this helplessness.
If she hadn't been so frail, she never would've become Jaeger's possession—a woman marked by the Celestial Dragons.
She never would've been chosen by him. And she certainly wouldn't be freezing just because Yamato accidentally released a bit of cold air.
Jaeger had offered strength, yes. But unlike Yamato, Olvia wasn't so obedient.
Jaeger had no intention of granting her power unless she gave up every ounce of her pride, her dreams, and became something less than human—his exclusive, loyal pet.
That day, if it came, was still far off.
Elsewhere on the deck, Yamato—partially transformed in her hybrid beast form—was clashing violently with Kaido.
With a body that had been personally reinforced by Jaeger dozens of times, and empowered by a Mythical Zoan fruit, she easily overwhelmed her father.
Kaido couldn't keep up. Blow after blow from her thunderous kanabo left him with no room to breathe.
Akainu, watching the bout from the side, couldn't help but smirk with thinly veiled schadenfreude.
Kaido might be on the verge of promotion to admiral, but watching this former Yonko get thrown around like a ragdoll was a delightful sight.
"Isn't her power growth a bit... insane?" Akainu muttered under his breath.
Nearby, Gion stretched her legs in Jaeger's line of sight, her voice laced with faint jealousy. "Your enhancements are powerful, Jaeger-sama— it's hard to beat the growth rate of a Mythical Zoan."
Jaeger leaned lazily against the ship's railing, not bothering to hide his amusement.
"Aren't you a swordswoman, Gion? I thought top-tier swordsmen avoided Devil Fruits to pursue true mastery. You looking to cut corners now?"
Gion narrowed her eyes.
"It depends. Seeing Yamato's strength... it's hard to keep believing that technique alone is enough. I used to think I could compensate with skill. But that brute-force growth—it's ridiculous."
Jaeger chuckled.
"Hard work only matters if your talent is already higher than others. Otherwise? It's a joke."
Look at Might guy—works harder than anyone, still a side character in the grand scheme.
His smile sharpened as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"If you really want a Mythical Zoan fruit—even an enhanced one—I can get it for you."
He inhaled softly, taking in her scent. His voice dropped to a playful murmur.
"So, how will you prove your loyalty to me?"
Gion's eyes flickered. "The Mark of the Celestial Dragon."
Jaeger blinked, surprised. "You're serious? Even though you were sent here by the Navy to monitor me... I've never treated you like a slave."
"This has nothing to do with slavery,"
Gion interrupted, her tone firm.
"I made my choice the day I followed Sister Tsuru's advice and joined you. I'm yours now."
"So if becoming yours means taking the brand of the Narona family, then so be it. Not as a Celestial Dragon's pet—but as yours."
Jaeger stared at her for a moment. His grip tightened slightly, then he exhaled.
"...Fine. I'll find you a Mythical Zoan fruit. One worthy of your decision."
He smiled faintly. "You're smarter than Garp and Sengoku. If the rest of the Navy had your mindset, maybe I wouldn't have to crush them."
A sudden explosion of frost burst across the deck.
"Ice Wolf Mode! Thunder Bagua!"
Yamato, having easily tossed Kaido across the battlefield with a final swing of her frozen mace, now stomped toward Jaeger with a pout.
"Jaeger! Kaido's too weak! He's not even fun anymore!"
Kaido groaned in the distance, half-buried in ice. Akainu, barely containing his laughter, turned his head to hide the smirk on his face.
Without missing a beat, Yamato shoved Gion aside and latched onto Jaeger's arm with a spoiled huff. "Isn't there anyone stronger I can fight?"
Jaeger ruffled her icy-white hair, smirking. "Oh, there is."
He turned his finger toward the magma-cloaked figure watching from the sidelines.
"Sakazuki here has a power-enhancing ring and the Magma Fruit. He's one of the strongest in the seas right now. Why not give him a go?"
Yamato scrunched her nose.
"Eww, no way! That magma guy's ugly! I want to fight a beautiful lady!"
Akainu's jaw twitched. "…Seriously?"
Kaido, still struggling to get up, burst into laughter. "Pfft—Yamato, you little brat!"
Jaeger rolled his eyes. "Jealous again, huh?"
He looked toward the horizon and murmured, "It's about time they arrived."
Opening the chat group interface, he sent a message.
[Destination reached. Time to come over.]
The reply came almost instantly. [Ready.]
The next moment, golden light flared in the center of the deck.
A humming vibration filled the air. The brilliance caught everyone's attention as three silhouettes began to emerge within the light.
Kaido frowned. "Jaeger's power?"
"Seems like it,"
Akainu said, his voice sharpening.
"Three presences. One's familiar… the other two are powerful."
Yamato narrowed her eyes. "Tch. I feel three shameless women auras."
When the light faded, three figures stood at the center of the deck.
At the forefront was a striking woman in a white military uniform, long blue hair flowing behind her like a glacier in motion.
Esdeath. The infamous Ice Queen who once defeated Rayleigh during the World Broadcast. Her presence froze the atmosphere around her.
Beside her stood a sharp-eyed woman clad in a black-and-purple bodysuit, long purple hair cascading over her shoulders.
Her aura screamed danger—a warrior through and through.
And lastly, a golden-haired girl with a high ponytail, her curvaceous figure wrapped in casual combat wear.
She looked shy, like a nervous animal, yet something in her eyes hinted at hidden depths.
•••
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