Plunderer: Master of the Multiverse

Onitake Vergo stormed onto this snow island with two clear goals. One was to capture Law, whose Ope-Ope Fruit held immense value to Doflamingo's schemes.

The other was the Snow-Snow Fruit, a Natural-type Devil Fruit so rare and powerful that no one could dismiss its allure.

Initially, he was caught off guard when Lily plunged into the sea. Now, with Buffalo's frantic shout ringing in his ears, Vergo's eyes widened in alarm and he bolted toward the ocean's edge, his heart pounding.

"Ah? Did that Donquixote pirate just tip off the captain? Are they working together?"

Buffalo's outburst made the sailors exchange wary glances, and a dawning realization hit them, piecing together why Alex had attacked Captain Vergo without warning.

Shave!

As Vergo charged toward Lily, Alex's chest tightened, urgency surging through him, and he unleashed Shave with desperate speed.

Though his stamina was limited, this Shave was copied from Garp himself, its technique among the finest in the One Piece world. In a blur, Alex flashed forward, planting himself squarely in Vergo's path.

With Armament Haki surging, the White Dragon sword turned jet-black, gleaming like obsidian, and Alex's blade slashed at Vergo with fierce precision.

Facing Alex's onslaught, Vergo raised his bamboo staff, meeting the strike head-on.

A rapid clash of steel rang out, sparks flying. The Dugu Nine Swords' intricate moves were masterful, and in close-quarters combat, Alex's blade found its mark, piercing Vergo. Yet, wrapped in his superior Armament Haki, Vergo's body shrugged off the blow, Alex's sword barely scratching his ironclad defense. In raw Haki strength, Vergo utterly outclassed Alex.

The moves were dazzling, but failing to breach the enemy's defense rendered them futile…

Vergo had no patience to dally with Alex and the others. His staff struck with devastating force, relentlessly driving back Alex and Law beside him.

If the Snow-Snow Fruit fell into Alex or Law's hands, Vergo wouldn't sweat it—they were Devil Fruit users, weakened by the sea. But if that little girl, Lily, claimed it, things could spiral. What if she ate the Snow-Snow Fruit on the spot?

Shave, Shave, Shave!

Alex threw everything into the fight, desperation fueling him as he chained Shave after Shave, moving like a phantom, clinging to Vergo like a relentless shadow, his White Dragon sword raining down in a flurry of strikes.

"You two—go to hell!" Vergo's patience snapped, and as he reached the shoreline, his fury erupted.

Facing the storm of swords and knives, he deliberately eased his Armament Haki, letting the White Dragon sword and Law's Ghost Cry blade slice into him, blood spraying in crimson arcs.

Yet, as wounds opened, Vergo poured every ounce of strength into his Haki, his blackened body becoming like tempered steel, clamping the blades lodged in his flesh. Then, with a snarl, he seized Alex and Law's arms in a vice-like grip.

"What? This maniac!"

Vergo's gambit stunned Alex and Law. Neither had anticipated he'd trade injury to trap them both.

Clutching Alex and Law tightly, Vergo dragged them and leapt straight into the sea, the water churning around them.

What's the simplest, most brutal way to neutralize a Devil Fruit user? The sea, of course.

No matter your strength, seawater saps a Devil Fruit user's power, leaving them limp and helpless, drowning in its depths.

"Disaster!" As the sea loomed closer, Law's face paled, terror gripping him. He thrashed to break free, but Vergo's iron hold gave no quarter. Escape was impossible.

"Well, he thinks I'm a Devil Fruit user and plans to drown me!" Alex, grasping Vergo's intent, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, a spark of amusement cutting through the chaos.

He hadn't expected his magnetic ability, passed off as a Devil Fruit, to yield such an unforeseen advantage.

Splash!

Vergo yanked Alex, Law, and himself into the sea, the icy water swallowing them in a frothy surge.

"Law, you'll stay quiet here for a bit," Vergo thought, glancing at Law, now limp and powerless in the water's embrace.

The Ope-Ope Fruit was vital to Doflamingo. Vergo wouldn't let Law die, but leaving him submerged for a spell to keep him docile was fair game.

With Law's strength, ten or eight minutes in the sea wouldn't kill him.

Dismissing the two, Vergo turned and swam swiftly toward Lily, his strokes cutting through the water.

In the sea's depths, Lily glided, spotting a snow-white fruit adorned with delicate snowflake patterns.

She snatched the fruit and turned to surface, only to see Vergo barreling toward her, his silhouette menacing in the dim light.

Her expression shifted, and a memory flashed—when they'd seized the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Smoker ate it to keep it from falling into enemy hands.

Knowing she was no match for Vergo, Lily acted on instinct, opened her mouth, and bit into the Snow-Snow Fruit…

"This girl's insane!?" Seeing Lily's reckless move, Vergo's face twisted in disbelief, his eyes bulging.

Eating a Devil Fruit while submerged? Anyone with a shred of sense would call that madness, right?

But Lily, unaware of Devil Fruit quirks, didn't know better. After taking a bite, she instantly felt her body transform.

The biggest sensation was utter weakness, her strength draining away, her limbs useless. Her body sank like a stone toward the ocean floor.

"Damn it!" Vergo seethed, fury and frustration boiling as he watched Lily plummet, but he was powerless to act.

With Lily having eaten the Snow-Snow Fruit, Vergo's instinct was to end her on the spot, but now, even without his intervention, she was doomed.

His face flushed red, then paled. After a moment's hesitation, Vergo spun around to search for Law.

His mission on Snow Island was to secure Law and the Snow-Snow Fruit. With the fruit lost, he'd at least secure Law.

But after scouring the depths and diving to the seafloor, Law was gone. Even Alex's body had vanished, sending a jolt of dread through Vergo.

While Vergo frantically hunted for Law, Alex, gripping Law in one hand and Lily in the other, with the White Dragon sword at his waist, used his magnetic ability to propel them to the surface.

Then, hauling the two limp figures, Alex slipped ashore, silent as a shadow.

Vergo combed the sea for a full hour, but found no trace of Law, Alex, or Lily—not even their bodies.

"How's that possible? Did they make it to the island?" Emerging after an hour, Vergo muttered, doubt gnawing at him.

Though he deemed it impossible for three Devil Fruit users to reach shore after sinking into the sea, no other explanation fit.

On land, the Navy sailors had suffered devastating losses. Without Alex's leadership, Buffalo and his crew had fought back ferociously, slaughtering most of the unit. Only four or five sailors escaped, battered and bloodied.

"Buffalo, stop chasing! Scour this island for any sign of Law and his group!" Vergo barked urgently at Buffalo and his trio, still hounding the fleeing sailors.

But Buffalo's team searched the island multiple times, finding no trace of Alex, Law, or Lily. They'd vanished as if into thin air.

In the end, Vergo could only guess their bodies were devoured by sea beasts like sharks, and he left the island with his crew.

The three Devil Fruit users had fallen into the sea, surely dead, and no sign remained ashore. Vergo was at a loss, dreading how he'd explain this to Doflamingo.

He'd come for Law and the Snow-Snow Fruit, yet failed on both counts.

"Phew, they're finally gone…" But after Vergo and his crew departed, the air at the island's edge shimmered, and Alex, Law, and Lily materialized from nowhere.

Incredibly, the invisibility technique Alex had copied from an Awakened in the apocalyptic world proved a game-changer at this critical moment.

Thankfully, this invisibility worked like the Red Devil's teleportation. As long as he held his targets, the ability cloaked them all in invisibility…

But on second thought, if only he could turn invisible, wouldn't he have to strip naked to avoid leaving clothes behind?