Because of Big Mom's distorted way of raising children, the so-called family bonds within the Charlotte Family weren't actually that strong.
Especially among the daughters—the younger they were, the more likely they were to start entertaining their own thoughts.
"Is this a political marriage?"
Perospero rolled his eyes. Hadn't he just made himself clear enough?
"Hey, brat, being able to marry into the Charlotte Family is an opportunity countless pirates can only dream of. I suggest you agree quickly."
Oven and Daifuku had also come down to the beach. Compared to Perospero, who was good at controlling his expressions, these two were complete hotheads—whatever they disliked was written plainly across their faces.
"Don't know what Mama sees in you. You look weak enough to fall over in the wind."
Compared to those two burly men, Vane did look somewhat "delicate."
Perospero: "Oven, be a little more polite to our future brother-in-law."
Heat-Heat Fruit, Puff-Puff Fruit… feels like I can almost piece together the Ice fragments.
Clear-Clear Fruit, Hypnosis-Hypnosis Fruit, Rust-Rust Fruit, Arrow-Arrow Fruit, Flour-Flour Fruit, Kilo-Kilo Fruit, and one unclaimed Love-Love Fruit… plus these two brutes in front of me. Getting ten fragments is just around the corner.
There would be even more ability users in the New World. Vane had long anticipated a situation like this. If knocking Perospero out wouldn't cause too much trouble, he'd have just collected the Ice fragments outright.
"Perospero, I think this is a good chance for you to understand me better. Let's have a fight. I'm sure this red guy is more than willing."
Understanding him didn't really matter. What mattered was that Vane wanted their two fragments.
Perospero narrowed his eyes. He did want to know just how strong Vane really was now.
Since the other party had proposed it himself, it suited him just fine.
And it suited Oven too. He'd long wanted to beat Vane up.
"Kid, daring to challenge me on your own initiative—got guts! Today I'll show you what it means to be a pirate senior!"
Oven was in his thirties. In terms of age, he really was a senior.
"Vane-sama, are these people enemies?!"
Hancock, riding Crystal Onix, happened to return at that moment. With a forward flip, she landed in front of Vane.
The giant serpent, seemingly made entirely of crystal, perfectly fit the image of a rare beast.
"Hancock, no need to worry. These people aren't my opponents. Step back a little."
"But, Vane-sama…"
"Be good. Take a step back."
Ahh~ Vane-sama is calling me good? How annoying. I'm not that obedient, you know.
Hancock twisted shyly like a noodle before returning to the head of Crystal Onix, having it pull back some distance.
"Finally, no more interruptions. Kid, feel my scorching heat!"
Oven clapped his hands together. A wave of heat burst out, and the air around him visibly warped.
"You two come at me together. One alone might run into accidents."
"Against you? I don't need help. Arrogant brat!"
Just as Oven was about to fly into a rage and attack, a surge of blue Haki erupted from Vane's body.
Conqueror's Haki—carrying with it a bone-chilling cold.
The high temperature around Oven was compressed within a fixed range, unable to spread outward.
A bead of sweat appeared on Perospero's face. "Conqueror's Haki."
Within the Charlotte Family, only two people possessed Conqueror's Haki—Mama herself, and Katakuri.
This brat wasn't bluffing. It really would take two people to deal with him.
"Daifuku!"
"Got it."
Daifuku rubbed his hands against his abdomen. Soon, something emerged.
A mass of steam.
"Genie!"
The steam genie, dressed like Aladine's lamp spirit, held a massive glaive. Daifuku's Armament Haki coated it, turning it black and greatly enhancing its destructive power.
"Hot Wind Fist!"
With his brother sharing the pressure, Oven finally threw his punch. Wrapped in intense heat and scorching wind, he attacked Vane together with the steam genie.
"Blizzard."
Vane exhaled. Like a gale from the snowfields of Drum Kingdom, a raging snowstorm swept across the beach, plunging the entire shore into winter ahead of time.
Facing the blizzard head-on, Oven could only watch as his high-temperature fist hissed with white steam, its heat dropping noticeably.
Whoosh!
A massive white Rankyaku sliced through wind and snow, cleaving toward Oven's face.
"Genie!"
Daifuku moved in time. The Armament-coated steam genie swung its glaive, blocking in front of the Rankyaku slash.
Clang!!! Boom!
The steam genie was smashed into the ground. It was a product of a Devil Fruit ability—so long as Daifuku was fine, it could keep fighting.
It held off the Rankyaku slash, creating an opening for Oven.
Oven dashed forward, exhausting stamina to raise his body temperature once more.
Ice-type energy surged. Netherworld Mist wrapped around Vane's fist, forming an ice gauntlet—the same move Aokiji would later use.
Ice covered his fist, then Armament Haki layered over it.
"Whirlwind Cutting Fist!"
The high-temperature fist collided with the ice-clad fist. Setting aside which temperature was higher, Vane's flowing Haki and the strange force of Whirlwind Cutting Fist directly suppressed Oven.
Boom! Shhh—
Oven plowed a trench dozens of meters long across the beach, unable to rise again.
"Genie Slash!"
Daifuku frantically rubbed his belt. The steam genie swung with all its might, sending out a powerful slash.
Whoosh!!
Vane's figure blurred in midair, then shifted several meters sideways as if sliding across space. The genie's slash landed on empty ground.
"Ice Beam!"
Swoosh!
A bright white beam shot from his palm, crossing dozens of meters and striking the somewhat bulky Daifuku, freezing him directly inside a massive block of ice.
"Genie~~"
The genie cried out midair before turning into steam and dissipating. When an ability creation vanishes, it means the user has lost consciousness.
"Daifuku?!"
Perospero was a bit worried. Seeing Daifuku frozen inside that enormous block of ice—no matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem harmless.
"He'll be fine. At most, he'll catch a cold for a while."
Vane walked up to the massive ice block and placed his hand on it.
In reality, he was reclaiming the Ice fragment.
Then Vane came over to the unconscious Oven. Oven's injuries were clearly more severe than Daifuku's. Vane slapped his face twice.
"Wake up. Go thaw your brother out!"
Ice Fragment +1.