"Don't worry."
"I will never let that happen!"
"As long as I'm around, I won't let you fall into that kind of danger."
Ide looked at Ur seriously, his eyes burning with intense emotion.
"..."
Ur fell silent. She held his gaze for a few seconds before turning her head away. She touched her warm cheeks and whispered, "Idiot."
"Ur is still so cute."
Ide noticed her reaction and smiled slightly.
But right now, he didn't have time to flirt. His mind was consumed by the power of the Super Freeze Magic, Iced Shell, that Ur had just demonstrated.
He also realized something: he couldn't simply equate the power levels of the One Piece world with this world based purely on physical stats or "life force."
In this world, experts often possessed one or two "ultimate moves" that far exceeded their base level, allowing them to punch way above their weight class.
In contrast, high-level fights in One Piece often felt like two tanks chipping away at each other's HP bars. A battle between top-tiers could drag on for days.
(Ace vs. Jinbe lasted five days and nights. Admiral or Emperor-level fights could easily go on for ten days to half a month.)
---
Four more months flew by.
Ide's magic finally leveled up to LV8—reaching the Limit of Human Potential. (Roughly the level of Jura during the Grand Magic Games or Makarov at the start of the series.)
[Magic Origin:]
First Magic Origin:
Gains 100 MP every 1 second in Deep Meditation.
Gains 10 MP every 1 second while Sleeping/Resting.
Current Total MP: 0
[Magic:]
Ice-Make Magic: LV8 (+)
"Ur."
"Now you really have to call me Teacher."
Having reached the "Human Limit," Ide grinned at Ur.
"Hah!"
"I will surpass you, Ide."
"I definitely will!"
"Just you wait and see!"
Ur glared at him, declaring her determination loudly.
---
"Thinking about it..."
"The side effect of Iced Shell is that the user's body irreversibly turns into ice. But it doesn't mean the caster dies. Their life force still exists; it's just sealed within the ice."
"If that's the case... if I could get my hands on Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit (Hie Hie no Mi) or Monet's Snow-Snow Fruit (Yuki Yuki no Mi) for Ur..."
"Wouldn't that mean she could cast Iced Shell without any consequences?!"
"She could turn a sacrificial, once-in-a-lifetime ultimate spell into a spammable basic attack."
Over the past few months of living with Ur, while their relationship deepened, Ide had never stopped analyzing her original spell, Iced Shell.
He had to admit, Ur was a genuine genius.
After thoroughly dissecting the mechanics of Iced Shell, Ide was awestruck by her creativity.
It was a spell that contained the concept of "erasure" or "eternity"—something that would even impress the Spriggan 12 of the Alvarez Empire.
And finally, Ide had a theory on how to nullify its cost.
The thought of finding a way back to the One Piece world, retrieving a Logia fruit for Ur, and turning her into a mage who could spam Iced Shell indefinitely... it was both exciting and terrifying.
Terrifying because he feared he wouldn't be able to "suppress" her anymore.
Exciting because he wouldn't have to worry about her safety ever again.
Who could possibly defeat her then?
---
A few days later.
Date: February 13, X763.
"Ide."
"Tomorrow is the town's Ice Crystal Festival."
"Let's take a day off and go celebrate!"
Ur smiled at him.
"Sure."
Ide agreed without hesitation.
---
The Next Day.
Ice Crystal Festival.
Ide and Ur came down from the mountain and entered the festive town.
Seeing the hawkers shouting their wares, the streets filled with laughter, and children running around playing, they both smiled.
The peaceful, joyous atmosphere soothed the tension and stress built up from months of relentless training.
It also eased Ur's chronic nervousness. As her mind relaxed, she found that her understanding of magic deepened slightly, pushing her closer to the next breakthrough. A double blessing.
"Magic isn't something you master in a day or two. How could I forget that?"
Ur chuckled at herself. She realized she had lost sight of her original passion for magic, all because she was comparing herself to Ide, a freak of nature who broke through barriers like he was drinking water.
"Wow."
"Look, they're selling Candied Ice Fruits!"
"Great!"
Ur's eyes lit up. She spotted a stall selling the festival's specialty treat nearby. Grinning, she grabbed Ide's hand and pulled him toward it.
"Boss."
"Two Candied Ice Fruits, please."
Like a little girl, Ur bought two skewers and handed one to Ide.
"Oh!"
"Candied Ice Fruit?"
"This looks just like Tanghulu from my hometown."
Ide took the treat, examining the fruit coated in a layer of frosty sugar glaze.
"Tanghulu?"
Ur looked at him curiously.
"A specialty from home."
"It's basically the same thing."
Ide explained.
"Haha."
"I guess delicious things get discovered in every world."
Ur laughed.
"Hm?!"
Suddenly, Ur realized something. Her hand was still tightly clasping Ide's.
"Ide, I..."
She remembered that she had grabbed his hand in her excitement to get the candy. Her face flushed red. She stammered, trying to find the right words while instinctively starting to pull her hand away.
"Ur, I..."
However, Ide didn't let her go. He tightened his grip on her small hand, his gaze unusually serious.
"Ide, you..."
Ur felt her heart racing out of control. Her usually cool, composed face was burning hot. She looked down shyly. "I agree."
"Ur, what flavor is your candy?"
"Mine seems to be cherry."
Just as Ur was bracing herself for a romantic confession, Ide suddenly asked her about the snack.
"Huh?"
Ur froze. She hadn't expected that.
Wait, I was ready to say yes! And you hit me with this?!