Cherreads

Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Esdeath Wants to Be Pounded?!

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Chaos Dragon Leviathan

[Level: 1]

[Type: National-Class Treasure – Hostile Domain Armament (Capable of Growth)]

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[A Noble Phantasm born from the fusion of two impossible powers — the might of a Mythical Zoan, Phantom Beast-Type Bone Dragon, and the divine essence of the God's Left Hand — the Hand of Hermes.]

[This artifact transcends conventional logic. Its wielder commands the ability to summon forth the Chaos Dragon Leviathan, an ancient creature said to have drowned entire civilizations beneath its wrath. Its very existence embodies calamity — a beast whose roar splits the seas and whose wings eclipse the sun.]

[When unleashed, Leviathan manifests as a colossal dragon wreathed in obsidian mist, scales shimmering with otherworldly energy, and eyes glowing with the despair of the drowned. Entire nations crumble under the weight of its breath, and oceans churn at its command.]

[At its apex, the Leviathan's mere coil could distort the world's fabric — collapsing sky, land, and sea into chaotic singularity. A power so overwhelming that it surpasses all known measures of human creation.]

[Undoubtedly, an EX-Rank Noble Phantasm, a true calamity given form — the echo of divine punishment and mortal ambition intertwined.]

(To command Leviathan… is to grasp the end of the world itself.)

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This was the information Jaeger shared with the chat group after retrieving the newly acquired Noble Phantasm.

For a few seconds, no one said a word.

The description alone felt so absurd, so apocalyptic, that even the chat group members themselves were stunned into silence.

[ Chat Group ]

Miyuki Uchiha: "Wow! This is terrifying. Are we all just side characters now? Is Jaeger the actual protagonist here? Your system rewards are in a completely different league!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "I'm not even into combat… but yeah. This is insane."

Sakura Tohsaka: "I think it's great! The stronger Jaeger-nii becomes, the better. We're all allies here."

Yamamoto Mei: "True… the stronger the team, the better. We're comrades who support each other, after all."

Yamamoto Mei: "But your ability is very powerful… The Hand of Hermes basically took a power that should've capped at peak Vice Admiral and yeeted it straight past the Ancient Weapons tier."

Miyuki Uchiha: "Right? RIGHT?! That thing's so big, I swear it could use a continent as a coaster!"

Esdeath: "Incredible! A flawless weapon of war!"

Miyuki Uchiha: "Oh no… she's into it."

Esdeath: "@Saint Jaeger — when we can travel across worlds in the future, use this Noble Phantasm on me. I want to witness its power firsthand… to understand the kind of strength that can level a continent."

Miyuki Uchiha: "Yup. We've officially entered the 'Esdeath arc."

Sakura Tohsaka: "…Esdeath-san…"

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "…She really is a war maniac, huh."

Nerona Jaeger: "...Sure."

Miyuki Uchiha: "No, no, Jaeger, don't just 'sure' that! That's how long distance relationships start!"

The chat group erupted in curiosity and anticipation over Jaeger's newest power.

Esdeath, in particular, was thrilled — already imagining what it would be like to face him in a true battle someday.

Still, she couldn't help but sigh at the flood of reactions filling the chat.

In truth, she was only curious about the strength behind that Noble Phantasm.

Did I come off too strong…?

She rested her cheek against her gloved fist, her cold blue eyes reflecting the chat log.

Her expression changed slightly — calm, thoughtful, and just a little amused at how easily everyone misunderstood her.

--

Jaeger himself was pleased, momentarily swept up by the illusion of power.

But clarity returned soon after.

Yes, destroying a small continent might be possible… but certainly not with a single blow.

Not yet atleast.

It was powerful, terrifyingly so but not omnipotent.

Especially when considering the existence of actual gods.

Even in worlds like Bleach or Naruto, there were beings capable of shattering planets, bending reality, or rewriting existence itself.

So why were the others so shocked?

For two reasons—

One: The other group members had only recently obtained their systems. The longest user had barely one or two years of experience. Their strength and their understanding of their own world's power ceiling was still developing.

After all... hearing is one thing, witnessing is another.

Two: The power ceiling of the One Piece world was simply too low. Even its strongest beings, by comparison, fell short of the higher-tier dimensions Jaeger had glimpsed.

Three: Miyuki… well, she was just an idiot. But Mei — Mei was simply being polite.

The strongest known weapons in the One Piece world — the Ancient Weapons — could at most obliterate an island or a single nation.

So when Jaeger unveiled something that looked like it belonged in an entirely different reality, their shock was understandable.

It wasn't just overwhelming power, it was an anomaly.

And it proved one thing above all—

The Hand of Hermes truly lived up to its divine name.

Jaeger's God's Left Hand… was unreasonably broken.

Still, Jaeger wasn't about to let that get to his head. He knew better than anyone in the chat group that the top tiers of the One Piece world could already destroy islands without much effort.

Although his Noble Phantasm was powerful, to think that it alone was enough… Jaeger didn't believe that for a second.

He still needed more — more Noble Phantasms capable of standing at the peak, beyond any mortal or mythic limit.

The others in the group were too caught up in the spectacle of his sudden "power-up" to notice the fine details.

Or maybe Yamamoto Mei did notice but chose to stay quiet, unwilling to ruin the hype Miyuki was riding.

Jaeger smiled faintly at the thought, his eyes glinting with quiet amusement.

--

In the One Piece World

Jaeger exited the chat group and looked up at the sky, where the Chaos Dragon Leviathan still lingered ominously among the clouds.

The moment he recalled it, a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him like a crashing tide.

His face lost color, his breath grew shallow, and his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

He staggered, gripping his head as the air around him shimmered faintly with residual energy.

He'd only maintained the Noble Phantasm's release for a few minutes—yet it felt as if the life had been drained from his very core.

And this was coming from a man who once endured five sleepless days and nights during a certain… 'festival' of questionable moderation.

Jaeger wasn't weak—not by any stretch of the imagination.

But the truth was undeniable.

This power demanded a price.

As expected, he'd already anticipated this. The backlash wasn't a surprise. His foundation was still incomplete, his "basics," as he called them but he had a feeling that issue would be solved soon enough.

One day, he would become truly complete, an all-rounder with no weaknesses. That was Jaeger's unshakable confidence in his Left Hand.

For now, his goal was simple: to gather more Noble Phantasms.

One day, even Gilgamesh himself would look at his collection with envy.

Thankfully, the others were still too stunned by what they'd witnessed to notice his brief moment of weakness.

Thanks to the naturally enhanced constitution of humans in this world and the grueling training he'd put his body through, Jaeger's stamina began to recover rapidly once Leviathan vanished.

As the sky cleared and the oppressive aura faded, the sea below calmed once more.

From the distant islands, the people who had been frozen in terror slowly began to stir, blinking in disbelief, as though waking from a long, collective nightmare.

But Akainu and the others?

They knew better.

That was no dream.

That was real.

And it was terrifying.

"That… was that an Ancient Weapon?"

Akainu's throat felt dry, his voice hoarse as he forced the words out. His instincts screamed danger.

Magellan and Shiryu didn't even try to speak. Their bodies moved before their minds could, both dropped to their knees, trembling under the weight of what they had just witnessed.

Even Stussy, who had once been intimately close with Jaeger, found herself speechless. She simply stood there, staring at the now-cleared sky in stunned silence.

They all believed it now.

The massive skeletal dragon that had blotted out the sun… wasn't some illusion or trick of light.

It was real.

An Ancient Weapon.

Perhaps even the legendary Uranus itself.

"So that's why the Celestial Dragons could establish the World Government and rule over the world... They had a godlike power backing them all along," Stussy thought silently.

A mystery spanning eight centuries — now laid bare before her eyes.

"Guess?" Jaeger replied lightly, a faint smile curling his lips at Akainu's hesitant question.

Perfect. None of them had connected the appearance of Leviathan to his killing of Chief Warden's Bone Dragon. That was precisely why Jaeger had remained calm from the beginning, playing his part naturally.

He had nothing to fear, true but even so, his Left Hand was still only potential, not absolute power.

Potential didn't make him invincible. It only meant he could reach that level someday. And though few in this world would dare challenge him, the possibility still existed.

"Hahh… understood."

Akainu exhaled, lowering the brim of his cap, his tone subdued. He didn't press further.

He wasn't stupid. Secrets like these… weren't meant to be questioned.

As for why Jaeger had revealed such power before them, Akainu already had an answer.

He's trying to bring us under his banner. Just like he did with Stussy.

But even so, Akainu wasn't ready to kneel, not yet. No matter how different Jaeger seemed from the rest of the Celestial Dragons, that bloodline alone was reason enough for hesitation.

"Let's move."

Jaeger's calm voice broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality as the oppressive tension slowly lifted from the air.

"Saint Jaeger, awaiting your command!"

Magellan, who had been frozen in place, finally lowered his head deeply.

Power commands obedience.

Status and strength command worship.

"I'm going to tour Impel Down… and maybe slaughter a few pirates while I'm at it."

Jaeger's voice was calm, his words half-truth and half-decree.

With slow, deliberate steps, he began walking toward the massive steel gates of the undersea prison.

Behind him, Akainu, Stussy, and Shiryu followed without hesitation, each step echoing through the silent corridor like the approach of a storm.

Only Magellan hesitated.

To slaughter prisoners indiscriminately… that wasn't his justice.

If anyone else... any other Celestial Dragon had issued such a command, he would've resisted, even to the death.

But this man…

The image of that colossal skeletal dragon devouring the heavens replayed in his mind.

Magellan's massive frame trembled.

It wasn't death he feared...

It was a feeling he got from Saint Jaeger, one he had never felt from anyone before.

"Understood, Saint Jaeger."

Without informing the Five Elders or the Navy, Magellan fell into step beside him.

He lowered his head, his voice steady but subdued.

"Allow your new Chief Warden, Magellan, to lead the way."

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