A frozen sea extending to the horizon.
Perfect as footing, but for certain ability users, it was also a place where using their powers risked destroying that footing.
Not trusting terrain created by enemies, Perospero used his ability to generate candy and coat the footing.
Partly to ensure safety if the footing suddenly disappeared, and partly because pre-generating it made it easy to utilize.
For instance, it made it simple to capture the enemy before him—David—and coat his entire body in candy to create a "Candy Man."
"Perorin, how easily you let yourself be caught... so only some of the crew are troublesome after all?"
Not just Kanata fighting Linlin head-on, but also Junshi crossing swords with Streusen and Feiyun easily trampling the biscuit soldiers produced by tenth son Cracker.
Seeing that some were ability users, he'd expected them to be formidable... but at least David before him wasn't.
"Kukukukuku... show me your face twist with fear, perorin♪"
"Too naive. I ate the Bomb-Bomb Fruit—I'm a bomb human. Just because you caught me in this candy, I can just blow it up!"
"What?!"
Against Perospero's confident display, David grinned fearlessly.
Even with his whole body gradually being encased in candy, his ability made blowing it apart from the inside child's play.
"Full-Body Detonation!!"
David's entire body exploded, blowing Perospero's candy apart from within.
"Not so easy, huh?" Just as he clicked his tongue—
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
Cracks spread radially from beneath the spectacularly exploded David—and the next moment, the ice underfoot shattered and he went splashing into the sea.
"Aaaaaaaaah?!"
"Whaaat?! He self-destructed?!"
He flailed desperately, but the world was cruel.
Being an ability user, David sank without floating.
Spotting this, Junshi ambushed Perospero while Scotch dove into the sea through the broken ice.
"That fool... he'll get a lecture when we return."
"You think you'll return safely? Perorin."
"I'll return those words right back to you."
Instantly dodging the Candy Maiden—an iron maiden made of candy—created to capture Junshi, he stepped in from the side and delivered a powerful punch.
The Armament Haki-coated fist struck deep into Perospero's side, breaking several ribs as it sent him flying.
"...I intended to finish it with that blow."
The impact felt thin.
He seemed to be wearing candy reminiscent of armor—fragments stuck to Junshi's fist.
Even punching through candy with hardness rivaling steel had this much power... yet Perospero remained conscious.
Credit where due—the enemy had spirit.
"What the hell were you doing, you idiot?!"
"Sworry..."
Behind them, David pulled from the sea was being yelled at by Scotch.
Even if it was to escape the opponent's ability, destroying the footing yourself was inexcusable.
With the surface covered in thick ice, the seawater temperature was extremely low. The two shivered violently after climbing onto the ice.
"Damn cold! Hey Junshi! Got anything warm?!"
"I obviously don't. Go borrow Samuel's fur."
"Good idea, his fur does look warm."
His thinking dulled by cold, Scotch nodded obediently and started looking for Samuel.
After apologizing for leaving Perospero to Junshi, David followed along.
David alone could probably start a fire with a small explosion, but with nothing to burn, it was pointless. Plus he probably wouldn't risk a repeat.
They'd need to train their abilities more for the future, Junshi thought.
"Damn... making fun of me...!"
With several broken ribs, Perospero glared at Junshi with a pale face.
Though overshadowed by Kanata, Junshi carried a 300 million bounty. His strength was no joke.
Plus the Big Mom Pirates' officers were at a severe disadvantage. With their greatest force Linlin fighting the suddenly appeared Octavia, no one could stop Kanata.
If even Perospero struggled against Junshi, Feiyun, and Zen—all with bounties over 100 million—he doubted his younger siblings could handle them.
(The battle situation keeps worsening...! Is it really okay to keep fighting?!)
Linlin's children were still young.
Children around Kanata's age or younger couldn't match quality even with numerical advantage.
The other crew members—Streusen was fighting alongside Linlin, and neither other subordinates nor countless Homies could stop them.
Yet they couldn't retreat either. They knew Linlin would interrogate them later if they did.
(Die here or get killed by Mama later... what terrible choices!)
In the Big Mom Pirates, the captain's orders were absolute.
Unless Linlin decided to "retreat," retreat wasn't permitted.
Could they hold out—just as he thought that, an especially massive lightning strike scattered blinding light and explosive sound.
"...Looks like that side reached a conclusion."
After hours of combat, the battle between Octavia versus Linlin and Streusen had concluded.
The thunderclaps that had been echoing ceased, and such stillness spread across the twilit ice that it seemed so.
Even Octavia hadn't emerged unscathed against Linlin and Streusen—she bore wounds here and there.
Though minor injuries, the wounded party sighed, "I've gotten quite rusty."
Burns, cuts, bruises—she used to never get wounded, but Linlin's strength had grown since those days.
Five years since Rocks fell.
The era had already changed.
"...Am I already a ghost of a past age?"
Octavia muttered self-deprecatingly.
She looked toward the unconscious collapsed Linlin. Beside her was the blood-soaked Streusen, breathing heavily.
"You should leave. If you want to fight to the death, fine—but having Linlin die here would still be inconvenient for us."
"What... are you saying...!"
Though countless pirates sailed these vast seas, only a handful could be called great pirates with such strength.
Rocks's ambition had crumbled, but Octavia moved with her own purpose.
Having Linlin die here was problematic.
She needed to remain alive as a target for the World Government and Navy to be wary of.
"...I don't know your purpose... but if you're letting us go, we'll escape. Live to fight another day."
"Heh. I don't dislike that about you."
Octavia laughed at Streusen's words, watching as he shouldered Linlin's massive frame and returned to the ship.
As she did, someone suddenly stood behind her.
Kanata, who'd just defeated eldest daughter Compote.
They exchanged glances but didn't move, maintaining distance for several minutes—until Octavia quietly spoke.
"...This may be our first meeting like this. The last time I saw you, you were still young."
"I have no memory of it. I didn't know my parents existed until recently."
"What? That man didn't tell you?"
The man called the "Director" who ran an orphanage on a certain island in the West Blue.
Octavia voiced her question—hadn't he told her anything?
To that question, Kanata shook her head.
"Nothing—I knew nothing."
"I see..."
It was imaginable.
The Director had employed every means to prepare to kill Octavia. Even if his granddaughter, she'd still be an object of hatred—no reason to tell her anything.
"Is there anything you want to know? I'll answer what I can—even the location of an Ancient Weapon, if you want."
Though the only Ancient Weapon Octavia knew was Poseidon.
She added that since she'd searched unsuccessfully in the past, its existence was dubious.
But Kanata shook her head again.
"I'm not interested in such things. I have nothing to ask you either."
"Hmm. —Then what do you want?"
She wanted nothing.
Kanata had already severed ties with her past.
She'd discarded the name "Novem" and lived as "Kanata."
From the moment she learned her mother was alive, she'd considered this might happen... but with her parent appearing now, she had no words to exchange.
She'd thought she'd come to terms with her emotions—but actually facing the person was different.
"...I won't pretend to be motherly and lecture you now. I don't have that right."
"..."
"But, Novem. You are a descendant of our clan. You'll inevitably be caught in the coming storm."
"Storm?"
"It's been nearly 800 years since the Void Century. Seek out the D Clan. We are a clan of knights who fight alongside them."
—This is destiny.
So Octavia declared.
"...Destiny? I—"
"Not interested in such things? That's fine too... By the way, what are you traveling to achieve now?"
With a bounty, the Navy would pursue her. Would she spend her life running? Octavia asked.
Kanata answered while glaring at Octavia.
"...To see the end of this sea."
"Lodestar Island—no, beyond that? Either way, if you aim for the end, seek the Poneglyphs."
There was no shortcut to that island.
Regardless, searching for Poneglyphs wouldn't hurt, she said.
The World Government forbade Poneglyph research. The stated reason was preventing Ancient Weapon revival, but was that really all?
—Octavia probably knew far more than Kanata thought.
Because they touched too many of the world's taboos, the Rocks Pirates were rarely even in the papers. Rocks and Octavia knew things that inconvenient for the World Government, and fought because of it.
"Xebec aimed to be King of the World against everyone... but you're not like that. Do as you please."
Making the World Government your complete enemy was fine.
Hiding until the day comes and gathering forces was fine.
Either way, Kanata was positioned where she couldn't escape the world's upheaval.
Though Octavia said this, Kanata found it hard to accept. There were concerns.
"What happens if I find the D Clan?"
"For now, let them do as they please. Eventually someone will drag the Celestial Dragons down to earth—though you too are counted among the D Clan."
"...But you're not?"
"No. But Xebec was."
—Your father is Rocks D. Xebec.
"—..."
"You can't say you didn't imagine it."
The possibility certainly existed.
Being on the same ship.
Having equal strength.
How Octavia alone called the man everyone called "Rocks" by "Xebec" so familiarly.
This fact was probably known only to the two present... but if the Government learned it, they'd never let Kanata live.
"...I feel like I've learned something troublesome."
"If you want to take the Rocks name, do as you please. That too is your freedom."
She had no intention of binding her.
Both Rocks and Octavia were pirates who sought "freedom" by trying to "dominate" the world.
As if to say the conversation was over, Octavia turned her back.
She removed her tasteless mask, revealing a face identical to Kanata's.
"We'll meet again someday."
Emerald eyes shone against the sunset.
With a small smile, she vanished somewhere with thunder.
Kanata also turned from Octavia and returned to Water Seven.
The conflict with the Big Mom Pirates was over. It was unsatisfying—but she had no choice but to accept this too as one conclusion.
***
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