"So the 'Devil Fruit' is in another world, correct?"
At this moment, Zeref, who had been standing silently beside Irene and Ide, suddenly spoke up to smooth things over for Ide.
"Another world?"
Irene turned to Zeref, her eyes questioning.
"Yes."
"In fact, the universe we live in is vast and wondrous! The myriad stars you see in the night sky are all unique worlds."
"Among them, as far as I know, the world we are in is called Earthland. Besides this, there is Edolas, a world where magic is running dry, and Elentear, a world where magic is so abundant that the entire planet is on the verge of exploding."
Zeref explained with a cheerful smile.
For the past four hundred years, in his quest to break his "curse" and destroy the damned Black Dragon, Acnologia, he had visited countless worlds. Yet, he still hadn't found a solution for either.
However, after visiting so many worlds, Zeref had become very open-minded about strange powers existing in other dimensions.
So he believed that perhaps in one of those starry worlds, there really was a way to turn a Dragon back into a human.
"The location of this other world!"
Having received confirmation about "other worlds" from Zeref, Irene immediately turned back to Ide, demanding the location of the world with the Devil Fruits.
"I don't know right now."
Ide opened his mouth, then answered helplessly.
"But I believe in myself. One day, I will be able to go back."
He quickly added a supplement.
Ide firmly believed that once his system's Dimensional Gate finished charging, he would be able to return to the One Piece world.
"..."
After confirming Ide wasn't lying, Irene fell silent again. Her emotions were on a roller coaster ride.
"I believe you."
After a long silence, Irene suddenly smiled. Her smile was like the warm sun in spring, like melting icebergs, full of infinite vitality.
"Hehe."
Seeing this, Ide smiled too.
BOOM!
Just as they shared a smile, the look in Irene's eyes changed slightly. After hesitating for a few moments, she finally made a difficult decision.
The moment she made up her mind, magic power erupted from her body like a volcano, so immense that it eclipsed the heavens and the earth.
"Ugh."
Watching the sky crack under the pressure of Irene's magic, Ide's pupils constricted. An ominous feeling rose in his heart.
"Irene, what are you doing?"
"Calm down! You have to calm down!"
Ide asked, his voice trembling.
"Master Enchanter: Dragon Slayer Magic!"
Irene didn't answer. She simply extended a slender, pale finger and gently tapped Ide's chest. Her smile was bright and enchanting as she chanted the name of her spell.
"Huh?"
"Enchanting Dragon Slayer Magic?"
Ide was visibly confused.
"Yes, Ide."
Before Ide could think further, Irene spoke in the gentlest tone possible. "Although I believe what you said, that doesn't mean I trust you as a person!"
"So, for the sake of this little woman becoming human again..."
"And also to prevent the 'Dragon Seed' inside you from fully maturing and turning you into one of my kind..."
"Do your best to find that 'Devil Fruit'! My dear Mr. Ide."
Irene winked at him playfully. "Besides, I've already paid you the reward in advance. I won't hold you accountable for peeping at my naked body earlier."
"I..."
Ide wanted to argue, but he didn't know where to start. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't get them out.
"One more thing."
Irene didn't give him a chance to speak. She gently stroked her abdomen, a flash of maternal light in her eyes.
However, this primal maternal instinct was quickly suppressed by Irene. Her expression returned to normal, and she whispered softly, "Separate!"
Hummmm!
The moment her voice fell, a cute baby appeared in her arms. Irene hugged the baby tightly, as if holding a peerless treasure, her eyes filled with reluctance.
But Irene knew clearly that she couldn't keep this baby by her side. Her heart had thoroughly fallen into darkness during four hundred years of suffering.
If she forced herself to keep her daughter, one day she wouldn't be able to suppress the urge to possess her daughter's pure body—a body uncontaminated by Dragon Slayer Magic—to regain her humanity.
"Are you serious?"
Ide was stunned speechless by Irene's "painless instant childbirth." His eyes widened, completely at a loss.
"I'm entrusting my daughter to your care as well, Ide."
Saying this, Irene thrust her daughter into Ide's arms.
"Wait, what?"
"You trust me that much?"
Ide hurriedly cradled Irene's daughter, looking up at her in confusion.
"It's not that I trust you."
"It's that besides you, there is no one else here I can entrust my daughter to."
Irene shook her head. Then, thinking of something, she looked at Ide and continued, "Of course, if you really can help me break this curse, I wouldn't mind marrying you as repayment."
"Huh?"
"I'm already married."
Ide shook his head, clarifying his marital status.
"It doesn't matter."
"I can wait for you for four hundred years!"
"Ide, what will you have left in four hundred years?"
"In fact, your lifespan is already far longer than you imagine. Long enough for you to lose interest in everything in this world."
Irene smiled at him, radiating an indescribable calmness.
"Uhh."
Ide didn't argue. He needed a favor from Irene, so it was best to keep his mouth shut.
Inhale... Exhale...
Seeing the timing was right, Ide glanced at the cute baby in his arms, took a deep breath, and looked up at Irene. "Irene, helping you take care of your daughter isn't a problem! But before that, could I trouble you to heal my daughter first?"
"My daughter is suffering from severe 'Magic Deficiency Syndrome'."
Yes. Bringing up the Devil Fruit intel and agreeing to take care of Irene's daughter—it was all leading to this request: asking Irene to save Ultear.