One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

"Smoothie-sama, the ship across from us looks brand new—and impressive. Should we just seize it?"

One of the Big Mom Pirates' men spoke up, his tone trying to curry favor.

"Yes, Smoothie-sama. That ship looks like it could be valuable," another added.

Soon, several others echoed the sentiment.

Pillaging was second nature to pirates—especially the Big Mom Pirates. As one of the most feared crews in the New World, they had plundered even Marine warships and World Government fleets without fear.

"Seize it?" Smoothie said, her eyes narrowing. "Of course we're taking it."

The opposing ship was clearly a quality build. And in a world ruled by the sea, a good ship meant survival, power, and status.

However, Smoothie didn't immediately give the order to attack. She waited for the two ships to draw close.

Soon, only a two-meter gap separated them—easily jumpable.

"Who are you? Pirates?" Smoothie demanded, eyes locked on the two women aboard.

Esdeath wrinkled her nose. "These pirates are disgusting."

The men across the ship leered openly, their gazes repulsive. It only heightened her disdain.

"They were probably waiting to steal our ship," Kalifa muttered. "Good thing they didn't open fire."

Ignoring Smoothie's question entirely, Kalifa raised her right hand—and slammed it down.

Crack!

Thunder exploded from the sky. Without a single cloud above, a bolt of blue lightning roared down directly onto Smoothie's ship. Electricity surged across the deck like a storm out of nowhere.

"What?! Lightning?!" Smoothie gasped, realizing too late she'd walked into a trap.

Kalifa's attack was ruthless—50 million volts of pure electric force rained down, enveloping the entire enemy crew. Screams erupted. Even Smoothie was overwhelmed by the shock and collapsed to one knee, her teeth gritted in pain.

Her crew fared far worse—most were incapacitated instantly, some possibly dead.

"[50 Million Volt: Lightning Phoenix]!"

"[30 Million Volt: Thunderbird]!"

Kalifa followed up with two devastating attacks, piling damage on top of damage. That was how she'd been taught—never give the enemy time to breathe.

"Aaarghhhh!"

Smoothie howled in pain. She wasn't fatally wounded, but her entire body smoked from the burns. Her crew lay motionless around her—some twitching, most not moving at all.

"You'll regret this!" Smoothie roared. "I'll drain every drop of moisture from your bodies!"

Esdeath remained unmoved. In her long, brutal fighting career, she'd heard far worse. Most enemies cried the same way before they begged on their knees.

She smiled coldly.

Esdeath leapt into the sea—and in an instant, the water beneath her froze solid, creating a platform of ice.

She crouched low, then struck the surface with her palm. Massive spears of ice exploded upward from the ocean, skewering the hull of Smoothie's ship. Ten massive ice pillars punched through from below, lifting the entire vessel out of the sea.

Smoothie, still smoking from Kalifa's lightning, was gasping for air. She hadn't even noticed the ice attack from beneath.

She knelt, trembling, her vision hazy with smoke and shock.

"Lightning? Is she a Logia-type user?" she murmured, still trying to process what had happened.

Meanwhile, Esdeath landed gracefully aboard the now-tilted deck. Smoothie's men were unconscious—or worse.

Only Smoothie remained standing.

"Who… are you?" she asked, her voice unsteady. Her legs trembled, her composure cracked.

"What a tall woman," Esdeath muttered, noting Smoothie's towering frame—easily over four meters tall. Compared to her own 1.7-meter height, the difference was stark.

Kalifa stood nearby, equally elegant and dangerous.

"You've pissed me off, woman," Smoothie growled. She drew her long blade and lunged forward.

But Esdeath moved like a shadow, easily avoiding the strike.

"Trying to match blades with me?" Esdeath said calmly. "Even without my original weapon, I don't lose."

A long blade of ice formed in her hand—over a meter long. She grasped it with both hands and parried the incoming sword with brutal efficiency.

"Ice? Another ice user?" Smoothie muttered in shock. "First Admiral Aokiji, then the so-called Fire Sword God, and now… her?"

"Are you even trying?" Esdeath asked flatly.

With both hands gripping her weapon, her movements became a blur—ferocious and relentless.

"She's insane!" Smoothie thought, struggling to parry the nonstop assault.

Then—

Smash!

Esdeath slammed her palm against the deck.

Beneath Smoothie, enormous ice spires burst through the wood, erupting upward with terrifying force. It was the power of her [Ice Teigu]—an ability capable of manifesting ice anywhere, including midair.

"Damn it! Careless!" Smoothie cursed.

She barely escaped the trap by leaping to higher ground, but now her footing was compromised.

Esdeath smiled again. Behind her, dozens of sharp icicles formed and hovered in the air like a barrage of bullets.

They fired.

Smoothie tried to dodge, but she was forced into defense, sweeping away the icy projectiles with her sword.

Each block sent vibrations up her arms. These weren't just shards—they were projectiles with serious mass and speed.

"My fruit only works at close range," she realized bitterly. "And she's keeping me at a distance…"

Smoothie gritted her teeth. Every second of hesitation gave Esdeath more control of the battlefield.

And Esdeath never gave her enemies a second chance.

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