Chapter 35

 

For a moment, the world went slow as I saw a pure white beam of energy make its way towards me. I could see the air around it burst and form a hyperbola as the tip of the beam broke through the sound barrier. The beautiful burst of colors as the white tip split into rays and spectrum of all the colors known to man.

 

In pure habit I tried to displace myself and the attack even though I knew it was useless.

 

Haki

 

A very well made thin layer of haki was all it needed to prevent something or someone from being space-fucked inside my realm after all. Besides, these were my brothers and sisters, fucking Sweet Commanders, I was talking about. They knew my abilities better than anyone except myself.

 

As it got closer and closer so fast yet so slow, I knew this would be a crushing and crippling blow. Taking this would mean I would be out of the fight for good…just like the time against Whitebeard and the same with Fujitora.

 

Endure it

 

No, I can’t. Not that! That’s sis Smoothie’s Full extract! That’s her Ultimate!

 

Weather it

 

Are you serious? That??!

 

Is that all your freedom is worth? A blow to your chest?

 

A sliver of rage shimmered in me as I realized…yes…up until now that was what I thought would be the price of my freedom.

 

Face it. Suffer through it. Show them that you are unbreakable.

 

The tip of the beam connected with my haki covered chest. It was as if my defense was ignored as I felt the energy shred my will of armament as it began to burn through my skin itself. My snowy composition failing to regenerate faster than the ray burned through.

 

Remember why you are fighting.

 

It burned. It really really burned. I felt the searing pain as I screamed in defiance of the pain and heat going through me.

 

Don’t let go! Freedom is within your grasp!

 

An eternity of being chained to the fire continued as the beam didn’t let go. In truth, it would have only been a handful of seconds maximum…but my enhanced perception had made it feel so much longer.

 

With the heat gone, I felt the coolness of the air. The relief was only a moment before the nerves screamed in shock at the emptiness…the cold as the pain demanded its attention again.

 

It wasn’t the pain but the strange feeling of something lacking that brought me to my knees as I held up on the ground for support as not to collapse completely.

 

Katakuri: It’s over Syrup. Stop this now and let’s get you healed up. Cracker, you go get some Seastone chains.

 

Blood…my own red blood came out of my mouth as they dripped on the purple checkered floor. Ironically, there was a mirror fragment on the ground, coloring its reflection red.

 

Inside, I saw myself looking back.

 

Man, I look like shit

 

My dirtied and bloodied light pink hair stuck to my forehead as the blood and sweat dried. I could see a bruises forming on my jaw where I got hit by brother Katakuri and a black eye coming soon.

 

Guess endurance isn’t my forte

 

I was an absolute mess but for some reason, none of that mattered at the moment. It took one look at my eyes in myself and I knew I would be getting through this.

 

Looking back at me was the eyes I had come to fear, to respect, to strive for. Beyond my battered body was eyes filled with determination and will. The same eyes that Fujitora had so cruelly defied the logic of a functioning anatomy.

 

It’s time

 

It was all or nothing now. I couldn’t fight properly anymore so it was an all-or-nothing. A One For All you could say.

 

Risk it all. Embrace the challenge if you dare to call yourself a Pirate

 

An all-or-nothing move that I had found…but was too cowardly to ever use. My evolved Luck-Luck fruit after my fight with Fujitora on the Queen Mama Chanter. Even though I’ve never tried, I knew exactly what it would do.

 

Test your Luck

 

Inside me, the flames of the fate-defying fruit burned as its power in all its glory was called upon, not leaving even a speck behind.

 

I brought it out all into my right hand as it began to glow and shine…quite like the tempting luster of gold.

 

Katakuri: …??!!! Syrup! What are you doing!!!

 

Me: Seeing it through till the end brother. GAMBLE

 

This wasn’t simply money or materials that I had put on the table. This was a much larger, expensive, and costly gamble.

 

Befitting a power that has cut me free from the strings of fate, the powers it gave me came with their share of risks. In this case…it could cost me everything. But hey, I had already decided it was worth the risk, didn’t I?

 

Suddenly, I could imagine a dealer materialize in front of me. I could tell he wasn’t real as he was partially transparent and nobody else seemed to notice him. Still, quite a sight it was, to see something like this in front of my very eyes.

 

Dealer: What do you wish for?

 

Me: Power. Power to set me free

 

Dealer: What do you wager?

 

Wasn’t it Obvious?

 

Me: ALL-IN

 

Everything I was left me for a second as I realized what it meant to be…empty. To be nothing but a shell. All of my power, my will, my looks, my history, my identity was stripped away from me as gathered on the dealer’s open hands.

 

Closing his hands for a moment, my-everything disappeared and in its place a single coin formed. A thick and heavy looking gold and Silver coin. One the golden side was a side-head carving of myself…looking high and mighty. Dignified and prideful. On the other (the silver) was the monster I had become to pay my price for freedom. Despite only a single carving of myself holding my tanto in one hand and a snow flower in the other, I knew better than anyone what that stance meant.

 

Tribute or Life?

 

The side of me in which I had inherited from my mother for which I had used against my enemies and the tributary Islands across the New World.

 

Dealer: May Lady Fortune Smile down upon you today.

 

A gigantic slot machine formed before the dealer put in the coin and pulled the lever. From there, I had lost my count of time as the machine rolled and rolled through the numbers and symbols before finally coming to a stop.

 

Dealer: My my…

 

7 7 7 7 7

 

Dealer: It seems like you are a chosen one. You have my congratulations.

 

The reward screen of the Slot Machine blinked to life as it turned into an icon of a Clock. What did that mean…? Was the power limited to time? No…that would be too unfair wouldn’t it? I wagered my everything into this.

 

The chip shot out from the reward box of the slot machine before slamming into my chest. I expected to feel pain but…instead, it was simply absorbed into me as I became myself again.

 

All of who I am came back at me like a tsunami. My name. My identity. My history. My powers…and more.

 

When I looked up again, the dealer was nowhere to be seen and brother Katakuri, Cracker, Daifuku, and sis Smoothie looked like they had just been unfreezed from a time-pause.

 

I looked back down again and saw that my injuries was no more. The chip, time chip. Burned itself inside as I felt more alive than I ever had before, as if I had three espresso shots at once. The difference I felt was the new wave of surging power within me. More powerful than I have ever felt before. So powerful I felt like I could do anything.

 

Cracker: What??! I thought we got her!

 

Katakuri: We did…but something happened it seems.

 

End this in One Shot.

 

I summoned forth my snow to cloak me as I began to rise in height and power. Soon, with all the snow I even towered over my brother (5m) but I continued to grow taller and taller still.

 

I stopped once I had reached Mama’s height of nearly 9 Meters. Using my gigantic limbs, I put forward my hands together before calling forth my new blade.

 

Me: Mimicry-Napoleon

 

A snow hat formed before a handle popped out of the bottom in which I grasped as the top of the head formed a double bladed longsword. Gleaming in the light as the ice shined dangerously.

 

Me: Advanced armament. Jupiter’s Frosting

 

A pitch black ice crawled its way up my snow hands and began covering the blade as they hardened to an entirely new level.

 

It’s One for All. One attack. Use Everything

 

Both hands grasping Napolean, I brought it to my side and over my shoulder, mimicking my own mother.

 

Katakuri: No way…impossible! That is Mama’s form!

 

Cracker: Oh SHIT! Seriously??!! She’s going to do that??!!

 

Daifuku: …Genie. Defend me!

 

Smoothie: How…how could you…that’s Mama’s!

 

Haki flooded my limbs to endure the power I was pumping through the snow as I charged up possible the most powerful attack I have ever done.

 

I recalled the moment when Mama’s had used this very attack. It was quite long ago when a big-shot captain in the New World thought himself to be equal to that of the Emperors. It was just his luck that, like this time, was a Tea Party where Mama was present.

 

She had called forth Napolean in her rage for having her perfect party interrupted before rushing forward to personally destroy the foolish captain.

 

Putting her blade on her shoulder, she heaved her Yonko-worthy strength before letting loose a pure arc of destruction for miles and miles on end. The single attack had obliterated the captain and his crew into nothing and recreating the mircale of Moses’s splitting the Ocean.

 

Using Mimicry on my own Mother that day, I had never thought that a day would come when I would actually use it. While simple in execution, the prior ludicrous amount of strength and will to even attempt such a move…

 

But now…I might be able to pull it off. Just this once

 

I roared out as I let it all loose.

 

Me: MIGHTY NATION

 

Quite Ironic that my final attack to leave Mama’s crew is her own move.

 

The attack destroyed everything in front of me before continuing on to trash and demolish the Mirror Dimension into nothing.

 

A single move of Mama’s ultimate had left me empty and drained once again as my snow giant form crumpled before I collapsed onto the ground below. All the fatigue crashing down on me as if I was pressed down upon by a powerful force.

 

Barely keeping my eyes open, I tried to crawl myself out to the one place where I knew (from canon) the mirror would be open.

 

My muscles hurt. Some bones must have cracked or have been broken. I can’t see anything clearly. I can’t feel my fingers… I’m tired.

 

No. No! I can’t afford to fall asleep here. Not now…especially not now. In agony I continued to crawl in my blindness as a black figure stood above me.

 

Me: brother…?

 

No answer

 

Instead, I felt a vague sense of a soft giant hand wrap around me before carrying me off to the way out of this damned place.

 

No… no… all this for nothing?

 

In my broken state I pulled against the scarf that I knew so well. Guilt and shame eating away at me as I, yet again, continued to resist.

 

Something hit me on the head softly but it was really all that needed to send me off into unconsciousness. But I heard something before I fell into the embracing darkness. Surely I must be dreaming already.

 

?: It must’ve been really hard for you to do this… thank you Truly.

 

??: If this is really what she truly wishes…then that too is my duty. You take good care of her. Or else I’ll personally rip you apart.

 

I felt myself being passed from his warm hand to the embrace of another smaller, and even warmer, figure before I let myself relax and leave my problems for later.

 

POV Unknown from worlds and realities away

?: Bifrost