— — — — — —
The vote on letting Shiroyasha and Esdeath into the Shared Space with full privileges ended just as expected. All yesses.
Shiroyasha's case didn't even need discussion.
Ever since she joined the chat group, she's been ridiculously active—always online, always popping up the second someone tags her. After a month of that nonstop presence, her standing in the group was already on par with veterans like Chika.
Esdeath, on the other hand, was quiet and not much of a talker, rarely posting in the chat at all. But a few weeks were enough for everyone to get at least a basic idea of who she was. At the very least, no one had a problem with her.
---
In Little Garden, Shiroyasha was still busy enjoying the Queen Halloween's flustered reaction, too wrapped up in her own fun to care much about the notification that her Shared Space access had been fully "unsealed."
Esdeath, however, was in the One Piece world, at the Holy Land Mariejois, following Artoria Pendragon for systematic lessons on statecraft. After receiving her teacher's permission, she finally stepped into the Shared Space she had been curious about ever since seeing that image of "holding a universe in one hand."
Previously, Merlin had not allowed her or Lily to enter (cuz it's her island), saying that she and Veyron would have a "battle" to test their powers and that it would slow the speed of her wand if they came.
---
"So this is the main city?"
Standing at the edge of the central castle—the one where an access-granted member could customize the entire universe using an orb at its center, even creating their own island with it—she gazed out at the sprawling districts stretching endlessly toward the horizon. The thought that all of this had been created by Veyron made her marvel once again at his overwhelming power.
"After studying all this time, what do you think you've gained from it?"
Veyron appeared at her side and asked casually.
"I… don't really know how to put it."
Esdeath opened her mouth, but the words stuck. She didn't even know where to begin.
"It's fine. I was just asking casually," Veyron said with a small smile.
He hadn't expected a girl who, back in her own world, had only ever known the frozen borderlands of the Northern tribes to suddenly be able to give a polished summary of governance after just a month of lessons. He gestured for her not to worry, then produced a vial of Gene Lock and its upgrading-tier serums.
This trip served two purposes: adjusting the layout of the Shared Space by adding floating islands for Shiroyasha and Esdeath, and making up for Esdeath's member benefits.
After boosting her Gene Lock to the early stage of Tier Four, he conjured up a fruit—an ice-blue sphere covered with spiral markings.
"This is… a Devil Fruit?"
Esdeath had been living in the One Piece world for over a month. Of course she recognized it immediately. She'd even studied the massive Devil Fruit catalog compiled by the World Government over seven centuries. Which was why she instantly knew what this one was—the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit, the exact same one that had caught her eye back when she saw it in the illustrations.
But wasn't the Ice-Ice Fruit already eaten by that Marine admiral, Kuzan, the one they call "Aokiji"?
"That's where the quirks of this world come in…"
Veyron then explained the origin of Devil Fruits.
In simple terms, Devil Fruits were born from the wishes of living beings. The Ice-Ice Fruit, for example, was the embodiment of people's awe when witnessing glaciers, icebergs, and frozen tundras.
But if one fruit was taken out of that world, would the people stop seeing glaciers and icebergs? Would they stop feeling awe at the power of nature?
Of course not.
That's why, just like how a Devil Fruit respawns somewhere in the sea when its user dies, a fruit taken out of the world could also reappear—born again from collective faith.
However, this wasn't an infinite loophole. The prayers and wishes of countless beings, accumulated over millennia, weren't limitless. Which meant this "duplication" could only happen once.
From the second duplication onward, anyone who eats the fruit will never be able to reach the same ceiling as the original or the first copy.
As for how this Ice-Ice Fruit exists even though Kuzan is still alive…
Well, the will of the world basically says, "Some things you don't need to overthink. Just take it as it is. It's better for everyone that way. Every rule has an exception."
And holding a full collection of Devil Fruits in his hand, Veyron had to admit—yeah, the world's will had a point.
Esdeath: "..."
Since she had already unlocked her Fourth-Stage Gene Lock, it didn't take her long after eating the Ice-Ice Fruit to fully dig into its potential. She quickly brought the fruit's abilities to awakening.
---
On her personal floating island—
One million ice knights stood in perfect formation, lined up in one hundred square phalanxes of 100 by 100, awaiting their queen's inspection.
Wielding Frostmourne, Esdeath looked toward Veyron. "With my current strength… do I finally stand as the Empire's equal?"
Veyron: "..."
Honestly, she was giving the Empire way too much credit.
Forget anything fancy—just her army of ice knights alone, with their bodies as tough as forged steel, could crush the Empire flat. One single phalanx would be enough to march through the Empire and its northern, western, and southern tribes all tied together like cattle for slaughter.
Even those ancient, so-called "Super Class Danger Beasts"… like that one beast the first Emperor bled centuries ago to forge the Teigu: Demon's Extract, the very relic that would one day make Esdeath the strongest general of her age—if that monster faced her head-on now, it'd just end up as raw material for upgrading her own power.
"…So this is enough?"
Seeing the speechless look in Veyron's eyes, Esdeath understood his answer. "Then… can I return to my world now?"
"Ooh? But you didn't know what to do when I asked about the empire before?" Veyron asked, with interest.
"That's because I don't know the situation there yet," Esdeath replied. "Artoria told me something once: 'Don't judge what you don't know.'"
"So, unless I set foot in the Imperial Capital myself, unless I see with my own eyes the nobles and powerbrokers who rule it, I have no right to decide how to deal with them."
"I see, Esdeath! But aren't you worried that if you handle things poorly, the future could turn out even worse than the present? Is brutality really the answer?"
"..."
"I saw the 'evil' of the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois, and the corruption of those who cling to them."
Her voice was firm as she continued. "If the nobles of my world's Imperial Capital truly warrant your assessment—that aside from lacking the Dragons' untouchable status, they're nearly identical—then no matter how brutal my methods, as long as my strength is overwhelming, it won't be a bad thing. At least not for the people who truly deserve saving."
She paused, then added, "Of course, my grasp of these ideas is still shallow. I've only just begun studying them, so there are plenty of things I don't understand. That's why I want Artoria to return with me. She's observed governance in Mariejois longer than I have, and since childhood she's been trained in the ideals of kingship under Miss Merlin. When it comes to ruling, she's far more qualified than I am."
"And what does Lily herself say?" Veyron asked again.
"When I first arrived in Mariejois, she promised me she would. And half a month later, we had a formal discussion about it."
Veyron gave a small nod. "Then just follow the path you two agreed on."
He pulled up the group chat interface and tagged Artoria's Sensei.
『(Admin) Veyron』:@Lady Avalon, should we give Lily a graduation assignment?
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