The Hunt Begins
The Heaven's Embrace hovered over the open ocean, wings spread wide as the sun set in streaks of gold and crimson.Inside the strategy room, Robin laid out the translated text from the first key fragment.
"This inscription hints the second fragment lies in 'the place where ice eats the sea.'"
Nami frowned. "That sounds… cold. And unpleasant."
Reiju smirked. "You've been to Drum Island. This'll be nothing."
Lilith adjusted her glasses. "Cross-referencing climate and old Marine logs, I've narrowed it to the Frostspire Expanse — a glacial field in the far north of the New World. Nobody goes there without a death wish."
Vegito grinned. "Lucky for us, I'm immortal enough to not care."
Travel Hijinks
It was a week-long flight to the Expanse, and the crew made the most of it.In the training hall, Kuina and Tashigi sparred at blinding speed while Carrot refereed — poorly, judging by the dent in the far wall from her last "accidental" leap.
In the lounge, Shirahoshi, now human-sized thanks to Vegito's size-shifting trick, tried to learn poker from Bell-mère and Mikita. She kept accidentally revealing her hand to everyone, then laughing about it.
The mink trio — Carrot, Wanda, and Tristan — used the quiet time to test their Sulong form stances under Vegito's supervision, though it often turned into playful chasing matches that ended with Vegito catching all three in one arm and declaring himself the "Mink King," much to their mock annoyance.
Approaching the Expanse
The skies darkened as they neared the Frostspire Expanse. Sheets of ice drifted in jagged formations, towering like frozen cliffs. Snow swirled in constant blizzards, and the ocean below was an endless field of shattered white.
Lilith frowned at her instruments. "I'm reading no life signs. No ships. Just… static interference. This whole area's a dead zone."
Robin scanned the horizon. "According to the fragment, the second key is guarded by 'the slumbering warden of ages past.'"
Landing on the Glacier
The Embrace descended into a clearing between ice towers. The snow was so deep that even Bell-mère sank to her knees.Shyarly shivered. "Feels like the sea here… is angry."
They followed Robin through the icy maze until they reached a chasm glowing faintly blue. The light wasn't natural — it pulsed like a heartbeat.
The Warden Awakens
The ice beneath them cracked.A massive shape shifted under the glacier, and with a deafening roar, the ice shattered outward.
A colossal figure rose from the depths — humanoid in form but carved entirely from blue ice, runes glowing faintly along its arms. Its eyes blazed white, and its breath came in gusts that froze the air.
"Outsiders…" the voice rumbled like cracking glaciers. "The Key is not yours to take."
The Battle
Vegito stepped forward. "We'll see about that."
The warden swung an arm the size of a galleon, but Vegito caught it mid-swing and hurled the giant over his shoulder, shattering a tower of ice.
Kuina darted in, slicing at its legs — but each cut instantly froze over. Lyra tried a sonic burst, but the warden's icy armor absorbed the sound waves.
Lilith shouted from the cliffside. "The runes! They're reinforcing the ice!"
Robin sprouted arms to grab the warden's head and twist it downward, exposing the runes along its neck. Carrot leapt in Sulong form, claws glowing with electro, and raked across the glowing marks.
The ice cracked — and Vegito followed up with a palm strike that sent the warden crashing through the glacier floor into the glowing chasm.
The Key Fragment
When the ice settled, a crystalline chest floated up in the chasm's center. Vegito reached down and plucked it out.
Inside lay another sphere, this one swirling with frozen mist. Robin read the inscription: "Second of three. When united, the path to the world-ship will open at the throne where no king sits."
Vegito tilted his head. "That… sounds like a jab at someone."
Robin's lips quirked. "Perhaps."
Unexpected Company
As they prepared to leave, a shadow passed over the glacier. A Marine battleship descended from the clouds — coated in frost-resistant plating and bristling with cannons.
At its prow stood a tall woman in Vice Admiral's colors, her long crimson hair tied back, a massive sniper rifle slung over her shoulder.
Her voice carried over the wind. "Vegito. By order of the Fleet Admiral, you will surrender the artifact."
Vegito smirked. "And you are?"
"Vice Admiral Seraphine. Last warning."
Sniper Duel
Seraphine raised her rifle — and in the same instant, Vegito vanished. He reappeared behind her, plucking the weapon from her hands and spinning it on one finger.
"Nice balance," he said. "But you're aiming at the wrong guy."
She spun, haki flaring, and kicked at his head — only for him to catch her ankle and set her gently back on the deck.
The crew watched from the Embrace, amused. Carrot leaned to Wanda. "Is this a fight or flirting?"
"Both," Wanda replied without hesitation.
The Retreat
Seraphine's crew bristled with weapons, but she held up a hand. "You could have killed me. Easily. Why didn't you?"
Vegito shrugged. "Not my style to shoot the messenger. But if your bosses keep chasing me…" He grinned. "I'll start sending the messengers back gift-wrapped."
With that, he vanished back to the Embrace.
Closing Scene
As the ship lifted away from the Frostspire Expanse, Robin placed the second key fragment beside the first in the library vault.
"Two down," she murmured. "One to go."
Vegito glanced out the window at the frozen horizon. "And I bet the last one's in a place even crazier than this."
[World State Updated]
Crew: Acquired second of three key fragments.
Rival Introduced: Vice Admiral Seraphine — potential recurring opponent (and possible future recruit).
Foreshadowing: The "throne where no king sits" hinted at as final assembly point for the keys.