Marcus watched as Goliath wandered off with the self-proclaimed "Men's Romance Brigade." They were already arguing about which transformation was cooler.
But something was nagging at him.
His consciousness hadn't only descended upon Goliath. Over the past weeks, he'd used Soul Possession on several other iron golems to give them commands or scout areas. If the possession process had triggered Goliath's mutation, shouldn't the other golems have shown similar changes?
So why hadn't they?
He decided to test his theory immediately. He spotted the nearest iron golem standing guard near the pool entrance and activated Soul Possession.
The familiar sensation of his consciousness sliding into the golem's body hit him at once. He flexed the golem's arms, and walked it over to the poolside where everyone was relaxing.
Then he released the possession and stepped back to observe.
He'd been controlling that golem for more than five minutes, well over the threshold that had triggered Goliath's transformation.
But the iron golem just stood there motionlessly.
Nothing.
He walked right up to it and waved his hand in front of its face. "Can you talk?"
The iron golem's head tilted slightly, then it shook its head.
"Not enough time? Or maybe my consciousness wasn't strong enough?" Marcus muttered, trying to puzzle out the mechanics.
"Creator."
Marcus turned to find Goliath standing behind him, having apparently noticed what he was doing.
"Any being you create, only the very first one you possess will undergo a special transformation. It's like..." he paused, searching for the right words. "Like unlocking an achievement?"
Marcus blinked. "That's... actually a perfect way to describe it. So it's a one-time thing per creature type?"
"Correct."
His mind immediately jumped to another creature type he could create. One he'd been considering but hadn't gotten around to yet.
Snow golems.
"So if I made a snow golem and possessed it..."
"Yes. You could awaken another unique being."
Marcus quietly pulled snow blocks and a carved pumpkin from his inventory. The other crew members who'd been lounging by the pool sat up, curious about what he was doing.
He stacked two snow blocks vertically, and placed the pumpkin on top. The snow golem materialized instantly. It was smaller than the iron golem.
He had created snow golems before for various purposes, mostly as disposable guards or to generate snow for ice-related projects.
He activated Soul Possession without hesitation.
The transfer was seamless, just like when he'd possessed the iron golem. No strange sensations. Just a simple shift of consciousness from one body to another.
He flexed the snow golem's arms, testing its mobility. The body felt cold but not uncomfortably so, more like standing in a walk-in freezer than being frozen solid.
He turned to look at Goliath, pulled his arm back, and threw a snowball.
The projectile hit Goliath in the chest. It didn't deal any damage, but the impact did knock him back a step.
"Well, that's it. That's all this thing can do," Marcus said, his voice coming out of the snow golem's mouth. "Kind of disappointing comp—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed everyone staring at him. Or rather, at what the snow golem was becoming.
"What? What's wrong with you guys?"
The four-man squad looked stunned. Chopper's jaw had dropped. Usopp's eyes were bulging. Luffy looked confused.
And Sanji... oh god, Sanji's eyes were turning into hearts.
Before Marcus could process what was happening, Sanji launched himself forward like a lovestruck missile, spinning through the air and sliding on his knees across the deck.
"Ah! Such beauty! Such divine grace!" He grabbed the snow golem's hand and pressed it to his cheek. "My gorgeous snow maiden, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner? I'll prepare anything your heart desires."
Marcus reacted on pure instinct, pelting Sanji with rapid-fire snowballs until the cook tumbled backward into the pool.
"Get a grip! It's me! I'm Marcus! I'm a dude!"
The voice was still his, but something about it sounded... different.
Wait.
He looked down at the body he was currently inhabiting.
"Oh. Oh shit."
The blocky snow golem form was gone. In its place was a feminine figure, tall, curvy, and completely naked except for the natural "clothing" formed by strategically placed snow.
Before he could fully process this development, a blanket landed on his head, courtesy of Alvida.
"Well, well, well. Didn't know you had that kind of kink, Marcus," she said with a shit-eating grin. "Gonna make this a regular thing?"
Marcus felt his face, or rather, the snow golem's face, burning with embarrassment. Which was weird because this body was literally made of snow and shouldn't be able to blush. But apparently, it could.
"Shut up! This isn't... I didn't know this would happen."
He quickly released the Soul Possession, his consciousness snapping back to his human body.
The moment he left, the snow golem's eyes went blank for a split second. Then the light returned.
The snow golem's expression shifted to something completely emotionless, like a beautiful ice sculpture that happened to be alive. When she looked at Marcus, she spoke, "Creator."
That single word carried no warmth. It was like hearing a ghost speak.
Marcus blinked at the snow golem, then glanced at Goliath for comparison.
Before eating the Munch-Munch Fruit, Goliath had basically been a standard iron golem with a head that vaguely resembled Marcus. Now he was a muscular Terminator.
But this snow golem was something else entirely.
The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the pure white coloring of her body. Then came her figure, nearly six and a half feet tall, with curves that defied physics. Her face carried an icy, almost disdainful expression that gave her an intimidating aura despite her beauty.
It was like someone had created the concept of "ice queen" and given it physical form.
He found himself staring into those pale blue eyes. The word that immediately came to mind was "untouchable."
"You're really a snow golem?"
"Yes, Creator."
Then Marcus remembered something and looked down at her feet. No, don't misunderstand him
"Walk around a bit. I want to see something."
The snow golem took several steps forward. Wherever her bare feet touched the ground, a thin layer of snow instantly formed, creating a trail of white behind her.
He grabbed his shovel and quickly cleared away the snow layer. The mechanics were working exactly like in the game. But then the snow golem stepped forward again, and this time no snow formed beneath her feet.
"Wait, you can control it?!"
She nodded. "This is one of my basic abilities, Creator. I can suppress the snow generation when needed."
"Interesting... So iron golems need to eat iron to sustain themselves. What about you? Do you eat snow? But you can produce snow yourself, so does that mean..."
He trailed off as a disturbing mental image formed. The snow golem eating her own snow seemed somehow wrong on multiple levels.
The snow golem seemed to sense where his thoughts were going.
"The thought is... unsettling. However, I can consume normal food as well. Thanks to the abilities you gave me when creating this form, my body isn't composed entirely of snow."
"I see..." Marcus replied, relieved he wouldn't have to watch the snow golem eat herself.
While they'd been talking, Sanji had climbed out of the pool and was now spinning through the air again. He landed dramatically in front of the snow golem, water still dripping from his suit.
"My beautiful lady. What would you like for lunch? I'll prepare anything your heart desires. Seafood? Traditional Arabasta dishes? Name it and it's yours."
The snow golem looked at him. "Nothing hot. Anything cold or room temperature is acceptable. Thank you for the offer."
"She's not as cool as Goliath," Luffy said.
Chopper nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Goliath has that awesome robot voice and everything!"
Usopp shivered involuntarily, still staring at the snow golem. "I don't know, man. There's something about those eyes... it's like looking into the void."
The contrast between the two awakened golems was impossible to ignore. Goliath was warm, and enthusiastic, constantly talking about "men's romance" and striking action poses. His entire personality radiated positive energy.
The snow golem, however, was the complete opposite. Beautiful in a way that felt almost dangerous, with eyes that could kill desire with a single glance. She moved with grace but seemed completely unapproachable, like a queen made of ice who'd been forced to walk among peasants.
While the men seemed unsure how to interact with her, the women of the crew had no such hesitation.
Nami approached the snow golem cautiously at first, extending a hand. "Can I...?"
"You may touch me if you wish:"
Nami placed her hand on the snow golem's arm and gasped. "Oh! It's not cold at all, just cool to the touch. And the texture is so smooth! It's like touching... I don't even know how to describe it. Like soft ice?"
"It feels like a cold water balloon," Vivi added, coming over to investigate. "Smooth but firm underneath."
Alvida was already running her hands over the snow golem's sculpted arms and shoulders. "This is amazing. Perfectly cool and comfortable. You'd be the perfect body pillow for summer nights."
Kira leaned in close and sniffed carefully. "There's a faint scent... sweet, almost like vanilla mixed with fresh snow."
Marcus watched as the women explored the snow golem's body from head to toe. The snow golem stood perfectly still, allowing the inspection without complaint.
But for just a moment, he thought he detected something in her eyes. Satisfaction? Like she was secretly pleased by the attention.
It was a weird feeling, like sensing an emotion that shouldn't be there.
"By the way, do you have a name you want? Or should I pick one for you?"
The snow golem was silent for a long moment.
"Shira."