"Boom—!!"
A slash infused with the might of the Conqueror's Haki shot toward Daemon at an overwhelming speed.
It was a deadly technique, an attack honed from the legendary Roger's swordplay and Rayleigh's own formidable style—his most lethal move.
Rayleigh was certain: he could cleave Daemon in half before he had the chance to unleash that terrifying black thunder.
"Enemy attack! Protect Daemon Saint!"
The sudden assault sent shockwaves through the crew. The Vice-Captain, hiding below the sea, and the two lieutenant generals, who had been caught off guard by Fire Mountain and Ghost Spider, were paralyzed with shock.
By the time they tried to respond, it was too late. Rayleigh's strike came too quickly, too fiercely.
But just as the slash, deadly enough to split gods, was about to land on Daemon, an icy chill descended from the heavens.
A freezing presence spread through the air, and the very water around them began to freeze solid.
"Ice cream!"
The voice that pierced the air was as cold as the ice forming around them.
"Click—"
The raging sea was transformed into a vast, frozen wasteland in an instant. A cavalry of ice, roaring with ferocity, collided with Rayleigh's slash, shattering it mid-air.
"Boom!!"
The explosion of sound was deafening, shaking everyone to their core. The thousand-strong ice cavalry was torn apart by Rayleigh's sword Slash, scattering into shards of frozen crystal.
The shockwaves made everyone shiver in the freezing cold.
Rayleigh's slash, too, was torn asunder by the collision, and the force of it left terrifying cracks in the frozen sea that stretched for kilometers.
"Kuzan!?"
Rayleigh's mind flashed with recognition. The icy storm that filled the sky immediately reminded him of the young man Kuzan from the Navy. Wasn't he the one who had clashed with Kizaru before?
But when he looked up, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Standing before him wasn't the Vice Admiral he expected. Instead, it was a woman—an unfamiliar figure with striking blue hair.
"Isn't that Kuzan, the ice-manipulating vice-admiral, blocking Rayleigh's attack?"
"Who is this woman? She's so powerful and beautiful... could she be the Navy's secret weapon?"
"Idiot! She's clearly a subordinate of the Celestial Dragons—likely a slave or bodyguard."
"This woman's ability… it must be the Ice Fruit, right?"
"No, that's impossible! The Ice Fruit's power can't freeze the sea so effortlessly, let alone block a fatal blow from Silver Rayleigh!"
The appearance of the mysterious woman, Esdeath, immediately sparked intrigue from the live broadcast viewers worldwide, their curiosity piqued by her beauty and power.
Many began to wonder—how many terrifying forces were still hidden beneath the surface of the World Government?
"Are you the Dark King Rayleigh?"
Esdeath's voice rang out across the frozen expanse, her gaze sharp and filled with fervor. "Let me, Esdeath, see the full extent of your power!"
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed, his expression softening with a hint of regret. Looking at the powerful woman before him, he couldn't help but feel pity.
"Why? With such strength, why do you serve the Celestial Dragons? You could have been a legend, a pirate worthy of your power. But instead, you've become a lackey, a slave stripped of your dignity and freedom."
"How laughable," Esdeath's voice was dripping with disdain. "You pathetic pirates, trapped in your narrow world, could never understand the greater ambitions we are working toward."
Rayleigh's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't care about your goals. Get out of my way, woman!"
His gaze flickered to the deck, where his friend's wife was still being humiliated by Daemon.
His frustration reached a boiling point. With a powerful swing of his sword, Rayleigh unleashed another slash—one that would slice through both sea and sky.
"Ha! A weak attack!" Esdeath scoffed, her eyes burning with a challenge. "If this were the past, I might have lost, but now..."
With the power of the War God coursing through her, Esdeath seemed to transform before their eyes—her every movement more lethal, her presence more commanding.
With a single step, her white high-heeled boots crushed the ice beneath her, and a storm of cold air erupted from her body, pressing down on Rayleigh like an unrelenting tide.
"The Demon God manifests the Demon Essence—!"
"Click! Click! Click!!"
The very air turned solid, freezing into a sheet of ice, and the invisible storm turned tangible, freezing everything in its wake.
Even Rayleigh's slash, which could tear through mountains and seas, came to a halt, frozen in mid-air as if it had never existed.
Rayleigh froze, his mind reeling with confusion. "What!? How?"
His sharp attack, once thought to be invincible, had been utterly neutralized by her ice. It was a power beyond anything he had ever encountered—not even Kuzan's logia freezing abilities had been able to block his strikes in this way.
Miyuki Uchiha: "Of course!"
As Miyuki Uchiha watched the live broadcast in the chat group, she couldn't help but praise her. "Sister Queen, she is the Queen of Ice who can freeze time and space!"
Yamamoto Mei: "No, it's Esdeath who's grown even stronger!"
Miyuki Uchiha: "Really? Is that so?"
Luo Hao: "Yes, indeed. Don't forget that just a few days ago, Daemon used sheer brute force to crush Esdeath's Ice Emperor. And now, she's obviously pushing herself even further."
Yamamoto Mei: "Honestly, she's truly worthy of the 'God of War' title! Even though the battle with Daemon didn't go her way, and her golden finger didn't activate, she still managed to break through with her own strength. She is, without a doubt, the Valkyrie of Ice!"
In the chat group, there was a mix of admiration and envy for Esdeath's progress, but no jealousy. They had all witnessed her relentless efforts.
From her own world, Esdeath would hunt down powerful opponents one by one, and after acquiring the fairy bean, she took on entire enemy strongholds on her own.
Even during her time in the One Piece world, her mission had been a string of intense battles, particularly against Daemon. How many times had she been beaten, bloodied, and left gasping for air?
With such perseverance, talent, and her powerful golden finger, it was no surprise that success had come her way. In fact, it would have been strange if she hadn't become this strong.
But as for Esdeath, she wasn't focused on the chat group's praise or comments. Right now, she was fully immersed in the battle.
Sword vs Ice.
Extreme Sharpness vs Extreme Freezing!
The battlefield was a chaotic symphony of terror. The air shimmered with the clash of sword qi and frigid winds, spreading outward from the two combatants.
The very clouds, ten thousand meters above the ground, froze solid, shattering into jagged pieces as the battle escalated.
"Are these two monsters?"
The two lieutenant generals, Ghost Spider and Fire Mountain, could only stand and stare in disbelief at the monumental struggle before them. They had forgotten all about protecting Daemon, the Celestial Dragon.
But of course, Daemon—who was now physically far stronger than anyone present—didn't need protection.
What really needed protection were the other people nearby.
In the midst of this chaos, Rouge shivered uncontrollably, her body trembling in response to the plummeting temperature.
She was just an ordinary person, and she could feel the chill of the cataclysmic cold creeping into her very bones. If she stayed any longer, it wouldn't be long before she froze to death.
"Child..." she managed to gasp out, squeezing the words between her chattering teeth, her eyes pleading as they met Daemon's.
Rouge, a woman who had long ago proven her resilience, knew that survival came first—above all else.
She had witnessed the brutality of the fight between Esdeath and Rayleigh, but her mind wasn't focused on that. No, her only concern now was her child, the one growing inside her.
Her instincts as a mother were in full force. She realized that if she didn't find warmth and shelter soon, her child would surely perish.
Either she would freeze and miscarry, or the aftermath of the fight between Esdeath and Rayleigh would prove too much, causing irreparable damage.
Yet, there was something else that kept her grounded in this moment of desperation.
Daemon—this man in front of her, who was clearly far stronger than her—didn't seem to want to harm her. It was a flicker of hope that sparked within her.
Despite everything she had endured, Rouge believed that she and her child might yet have a chance at survival. She wasn't concerned with the humiliation she had suffered; the safety of her child mattered more than anything else.
Daemon's gaze fixed on Rouge, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he held her in his arms.
"You want to protect your child?" he asked, his tone dripping with amusement.
Rouge, trembling under the cold, nodded vigorously, her face pale. "Yes..."
"Whatever it takes?" Daemon's voice held a dark edge, as if testing her resolve.
For a brief moment, Rouge hesitated, but then, her determination shone through her fear. "Yes, whatever it takes!"
Daemon's grin widened, pleased with her answer. He had no interest in cruelly exploiting her vulnerability, but the situation was far from simple. Rouge's willingness to do anything for her children made her far more interesting.
As Kasumigaoka Utaha had mentioned in the chat group, Daemon was a man who could recognize value in others, especially in those like Rouge who were willing to make sacrifices for their loved ones. He wouldn't make her suffer, but that didn't mean he wouldn't push her boundaries.
With a glance at the chat group, he turned off the live broadcast. The group's comments faded into the background.
Miyuki Uchiha had written: "Your Highness Daemon, what are you going to do to people's hearts!"
Jibril had followed up with: "Don't turn off the live stream!"
Luo Hao added: "Indeed, it's rare to see Esdeath fighting, and this little girl's fighting posture is getting more and more flattering."
But Daemon wasn't concerned with their comments. His attention was on the moment before him, and he knew what he was about to do would leave his audience guessing.
The battle between Esdeath and Rayleigh raged on in the distance, but Daemon had no interest in the fight now. His eyes were fixed on Rouge as he made his decision.
"Hold on," Daemon said to Rouge, before leaping high into the air, carrying her with ease.
"Ahh!" Rouge yelped, instinctively clutching at Daemon, her arms wrapping around him protectively. One hand shielded her stomach, the other clung to him as they soared into the sky.
With his powerful physique, Daemon mimicked the Navy's moon step, rocketing them toward a nearby island, far from the ongoing battle.
The shock of the move left Lieutenant Generals Ghost Spider and Fire Mountain stunned.
"Daemon Saint!?" Ghost Spider exclaimed, watching in disbelief as Daemon carried Rouge away, flying effortlessly into the distance.
Stussy, who had been watching from the sidelines, smirked before jumping after them with her own moon step, eager to follow Daemon.
"Don't worry," she called back to the others. "Daemon Saint is just taking her to a nearby island. I'll 'protect' him." The sarcasm in her voice was clear.
Back on the battlefield, Rayleigh, now distracted by Daemon's sudden departure, was caught off guard.
Esdeath, with a sharp gaze, saw her opportunity. With a swift motion, she conjured a massive iceberg, which crashed into Rayleigh's chest with terrifying force.
"Bang!"
The sound reverberated through the air as Rayleigh was sent flying, his body skidding through the air at unimaginable speeds.
He barely managed to shield himself with his armament haki, but the force of the impact sent him crashing into the sea below, his body covered in ice and snow.
The chat exploded with reactions.
Miyuki Uchiha: "Mighty!"
Sakura Tosaka: "Sister Esdeath is so cool!"
Jibril: "Yes, but it's still not quite as impressive as me~"
The live broadcast had resumed, and the group eagerly continued to watch the unfolding events.
In the New World, Whitebeard clenched his cheeks, his face shadowed with concern.
"That Rayleigh guy is in danger," he muttered, though he knew there was little he could do. The distance was too great, and even if he could intervene, it wouldn't change the fact that the battle was beyond his reach.
Whitebeard glanced at his sons. No matter how much he wanted to help, he couldn't sacrifice them to fight Daemon's battles. Daemon was too powerful, and even his strongest sons wouldn't survive such an encounter.
He shook his head, banishing the thought. His sons weren't ready for that level of conflict, and he wouldn't let them risk their lives for Roger's family.
The South Sea.
High above, at over 10,000 meters, the Golden Lion let out a disdainful snort, his face twisted in arrogance. "Vice-captain of the Pirate King?" He scoffed.
"Just basking in Roger's shadow. Rayleigh is nothing compared to Roger. He doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as legendary pirates like me."
The memories of the Battle of Atwall, years ago, still lingered in his mind. From that day, the Golden Lion had looked down on Rayleigh, dismissing him not just for his lack of strength but also for something more insidious—the respect Roger had shown Rayleigh. A bond that the Golden Lion could never hope to attain.
Rayleigh may have been a trusted first mate, but to the Golden Lion, he was merely a shadow, and not one worth focusing on.
Especially now, with the battle between Esdeath and Rayleigh already tilted in Esdeath's favor. The Golden Lion dismissed him entirely.
His attention was elsewhere—on Daemon. The Golden Lion's fleet soared toward Daemon's location, and with a command, they followed the path Daemon had taken.
On a deserted island, remnants of a once-thriving town stood as a grim reminder of the ravages of piracy. The buildings were empty, abandoned, and scarred by years of bloodshed. It was a quiet place now, but not for long.
Daemon strode into an empty cottage, his grip tight around Rouge, who remained in his arms.
"What are you going to do?" Rouge's voice was laced with panic. She had no strength to fight, only fear, her face flushed with distress. "I'm pregnant!"
Daemon's response was calm, almost too calm. "I know," he said, his voice low and smooth. "So, I'm going to take care of you? If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it. I've never looked after a pregnant woman before."
His words were soft, but there was something chilling about them.
Rouge's pupils dilated in sudden realization. She instinctively tried to pull away, but Daemon's voice stopped her—gentle, almost affectionate, but full of an underlying coldness.
"Don't move," he whispered. "Be careful, for the kid."
The words hung in the air like a warning, but they did nothing to comfort her. Instead, they felt like an icy chill crawling under her skin.
Rouge glanced toward Stussy, who was standing a short distance away, watching quietly. But Stussy wasn't paying attention to her. Stussy knew better than to get involved in Daemon's affairs.
After all, she was still recovering from the pain Daemon had caused her earlier, a mark of his control and dominance. She wasn't foolish enough to interrupt.
"I see…" Rouge muttered, her voice hollow. She resigned herself to the situation, knowing there was no escape. "If it's a boy, his name will be Ace. If it's a girl, her name will be Ann."
Daemon's smile remained, but there was no warmth in it. "I'd prefer a girl, too. If it's a son, well, I'll just strangle it." His tone remained disturbingly calm, even gentle.
"But if it's a girl," he continued, his smile widening, "her name will be the Saintess Ann."
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