[D.S] Ch 16~20

16: Crushing Victory

— — — — — — 

BOOM!

Guy Crimson was sent flying again, crashing hard into the iron cage. The whole thing rattled from the impact, but instead of anger, a faint smile crept across his lips.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Imu frowned. For some reason, a chill ran down his spine. Did he miss something? 

"Finally finished analyzing." Guy got back on his feet, his words making no sense at all.

"Analyzing…?" Imu's face darkened. Something about this didn't feel right.

"My ultimate skill: Pride." Guy's grin widened as he explained, "It lets me analyze an opponent's abilities and then copy them for myself. Pretty broken, right?"

Imu felt an icy dread crawl up his back. "That kind of ability can't exist! You're bluffing!"

But Guy ignored Imu, continuing calmly, "Truth is, I had many ways of beating you head-on. Your ability is insane, I'll give you that. But your combat sense? Trash. You rely completely on your fruit power."

"But I wanted to copy you abilities so I played a little. That's why I was the one who came here after all. Well, besides putting on a show and having a big fight so the world would remember this day as the Day of Freedom—or something like that."

"Anyway, how do you want to die?"

"You are lying! I'm always the victor. I don't die." Imu froze Guy again and lunged. But before he even realized it, Guy's fist smashed straight into his face, sending him flying.

"What—?!" Imu's mind went blank. Guy was moving—unaffected by his power!

"I told you already. I've got all of your abilities now." Guy's voice was cold, detached. "So… what's your next move?"

As Guy drew closer, Imu's courage shattered. He collapsed to the floor, scrambling backward. "Wait! Anything you want, I'll give you! Money, women, power—you name it! Just don't kill me! Please! No nonono I can't die... I'm a god, the king of the world."

"Sorry," Guy said flatly, pinning Imu underfoot as glowing magic circles lit up around them. "I don't need any of that. And you… must die."

"Noooo!!"

Imu's scream echoed through the palace.

"Lord Imu…" One of the Five Elders lay bleeding on the ground. Hearing the cry, he weakly lifted his head—then closed his eyes forever.

"Took you long enough!" MilImu planted her hands on her hips with a pout. "Was he slacking off or what? Such a waste of time!"

"Eh, I heard this Imu guy's ability was tricky. Probably why it dragged out so long," Veldora muttered, before casually stomping down on another Elder who was trying to crawl away.

"..."

The last Elder sat slumped against the floor, his wounds tearing open as he tried to move. He looked pathetic, nothing like the supreme leader of the World Government.

"Cough… guess you've won, huh?" His eyes were dazed, unable to process the scene before him. But then he chuckled bitterly. "Still… if the World Government falls, don't think you'll have it easy!"

"Activate Uranus!"

At some point, he'd pulled a remote from his sleeve. He slammed his thumb down on the button.

"...."

Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Milim tilted her head, blinking in confusion. Was this guy an idiot?

"What's going on? Why isn't it activating? Don't tell me it broke in the fight—dammit, start already! Start!" The Elder smashed the remote over and over, but it remained dead silent.

"Um, about that Uranus," Veldora said awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "My buddy already took care of it. By now, there's probably not even ashes left. Sorry to break it to you."

"Impossible! That's Uranus—the weapon that could wipe out the world! There's no way you destroyed it!" The Elder's face twisted in disbelief. This was the final trump card, hidden so carefully… and not only had it been discovered, it was already gone? Did they have any idea how embarrassing it felt, mashing this useless remote? Couldn't they at least think about the villain's dignity for once?

...

Meanwhile, far above in space, a mechanical dragon let out a roar that shook the void.

This was Uranus—the ultimate biological weapon. Its scales were nearly indestructible, its speed like lightning, its power enough to shatter islands with a flick of its claws. Worse, its vitality was endless; no matter how grievous the wound, it would regenerate almost instantly.

From the void, massive chains burst forth, wrapping around its body and pinning it down. No matter how it thrashed, the chains didn't budge an inch.

"So this is Uranus, huh? Looks impressive, I'll give it that." Rimuru's golden eyes gleamed as he studied the struggling beast before him with amused curiosity.

"Still… this mechanical dragon is kind of ugly. Veldora looks way cooler." Rimuru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then stretched out his left hand.

"Gluttony."

A tiny black hole bloomed in his palm. Space itself twisted, pulling everything—including Uranus—straight into the hole. 

"Man, this skill's too good." Rimuru looked at his own hand in awe. "Didn't expect my power to skyrocket this much…"

Then he paused. "Oh, right. That thing was supposed to be their trump card, huh? Maybe I went a little too far… eh, whatever. Not my problem. I just 'accidentally' ran into it. I'll be on my way."

Out of respect for the villains' tragic fate, Rimuru bowed his head for three seconds of silence. Then, in a flicker, he was gone—off to check the battlefield.

...

On the ground, the fighting had already stopped. Benimaru was directing troops as they neatly secured prisoners. Even the pirates pitched in, helping organize things.

Those with nothing to do chilled around with Garp and his men.

To a stranger, the scene looked more like a feast than a prison camp. The so-called prisoners were laughing, drinking, and eating meat alongside their "captors."

"Hah! Finally, the World Government's gonna collapse!" Garp bellowed with laughter, downing his drink. Sengoku could only give him a look of exasperation.

"You're still a Marine, old man. Can't you at least pretend to have some standards?" Sengoku grumbled. Sure, he wanted the World Government gone too, but did Garp have to be so obvious about it? He didn't want the Marines to be called traitors in the book of history.

"Don't give me that, Sengoku. You think I don't know what's in your head? You're happier about this than I am!" Garp smacked him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "With them gone, the world can finally know peace."

The words made Sengoku fall silent for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he raised his cup. "Yeah… here's hoping for peace." He downed the beer in one go.

"Peace, huh? Sengoku, you sure didn't look so peaceful when we fought. You were weak as hell!" Whitebeard snorted.

Sengoku rolled his eyes. "Ever think maybe I didn't want to fight you? Unlike everyone else, you weren't putting on a show. You just went all in and tried to kill me!"

Whitebeard gave an awkward chuckle. "Oops. Didn't notice. Won't happen again."

"'Again'? Get lost! I don't want to see your face again."

Right then, a beam of blue light dropped from the sky. Everyone tensed—until they got a look at the newcomer. Who would bother being on guard against a pint-sized kid barely four and a half feet tall?

"Uh… what exactly are you all doing?" Rimuru pointed at them blankly.

"Isn't it obvious? We're being prisoners of war!" Garp barked with his big piece of meat, as if Rimuru was the one in the wrong. 

Wait, that's how prisoners of war are supposed to act?

"Been a while, Rimuru," Whitebeard greeted with a grin. "So? Changed your mind about being my daughter yet?"

Rimuru sighed. "If you drop that topic, we can still be friends. And seriously, why daughter? Do I really look that much like a girl? …Wait. Damn, I kinda do."

"Master!" From the distance, Ranga came charging full speed, leaping on Rimuru and smothering him in slobbery licks.

"Ranga! No licking! Not the face! Stop, stop!" Rimuru sputtered. 'So this is where the term 'lickspittle' comes from…'

"Rimuru!"

"Bestie!"

"Rimuru-sama!"

Everyone who spotted him rushed over to greet him.

"Looks like Rimuru-sama is enjoying himself," Diablo teased. That only made Ranga lick harder.

"Diablo…" Rimuru groaned. "Forget it. What's the damage report? No casualties, right?"

Benimaru, still every inch the commander, answered seriously. "No fatalities. We have 8,400 injured and 30,000 lightly wounded. Overall… I'd call it a solid victory."

"Benimaru, you're way too modest. That's amazing!" Rimuru beamed.

"Cough… thank you." A hint of red crept onto Benimaru's face at the praise. Truly, the man was a classic tsundere. 

Noticing Guy approach, Rimuru patted Ranga's head, got to his feet, and asked, "So, what's the deal with Imu?"

"Not even bones left," Guy replied with a smile.

Rimuru swallowed hard. Casual tone, brutal words. Classic Lord of Darkness.

"Right, that reminds me—I happened to pick up something interesting." Rimuru quickly shifted the topic, not wanting to dwell on Guy's handiwork.

"Oh? What is it?" everyone asked, curious.

"Take a look!" Rimuru raised his hand, revealing a transparent cube of crystal. Inside, a small silver robotic dragon thrashed and roared.

One of the surviving Five Elders, still dangling in Veldora's grip, froze at the sight. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"No… impossible! That's— that's Uranus, the Uranus! How could it be in your hands? And why does it look like that?!"

"Mm… well, if I said I caught it by accident… would you believe me?" Rimuru scratched his cheek, trying to look innocent.

.

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17: The Slime Juice

— — — — — — 

Three months had already passed.

The remnants of the old World Government had been completely wiped out, and the once-untouchable Celestial Dragons had fallen so low they'd become everyone's favorite target to spit on.

Still, sticking to principles of humanity, their crimes were made public in open trials. Those who hadn't committed any real offenses were let go—after all, you couldn't just wipe them all out, especially the ones who were basically just clueless kids or babies.

All the nations came together to form a United Government.

Kings of all nations were no longer chosen by bloodline but through elections, and the United Government oversaw fairness and transparency in the process.

The Navy was kept independent, tasked with monitoring the United Government and the nations, while also being monitored by them in turn.

United Government, nations, and Navy—they kept each other in check, building a system unlike anything before. Pirates who had fought to overthrow the World Government had their old crimes erased, but from here on out, if they went back to plundering or killing, the Navy would hunt them down without mercy.

As for the title of Pirate King, it was transformed into something new: Adventure King.

The United Government didn't just allow people to sail out and search for treasure, they actively encouraged it. But now, treasure-seekers weren't pirates, they were adventurers.

Ports offered supply stations at every stop, and an Adventurer's Guild was even founded. The guild rated crews based on their accomplishments and strength.

For example, Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki all had such overwhelming power and influence that their crews were the only ones to break the Billion-Belly rating mark, so they were the top.

However, Redfield, while individually strong, ranked only 65th—because he worked alone.

And every crew that actually reached the final destination would be crowned Adventure King by the United Government itself, receive a billion in prize money, and claim a mysterious treasure hidden at the end of the journey.

By the way, since Roger had already made it to the end once, he became the first Adventure King practically for free—pocketing that billion with a grin.

So in the One Piece World... The Great Pirate Era never came to be. Instead, the Great Adventure Era was born, with countless people setting sail to chase Roger's legacy and uncover that ultimate treasure.

---

Meanwhile, in the Tensura World—

"Ahh, now this is the life. Fighting and killing? Totally not my thing." Rimuru stretched out lazily on Ranga's back, eating an ice cream with a look of pure bliss.

Ranga's tail swished back and forth like an electric fan, stirring up a cool breeze while he clutched a massive shaved ice and licked at it nonstop, frosty mist puffing out from his mouth.

"But seriously…" Rimuru glanced at the group sprawled out nearby: Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, Sengoku, even Kong. All of them were lounging in chairs, snacking and sipping on cold drinks like they owned the place.

"This is my home, you know. Did any of you bother to ask before barging in?" Rimuru smacked his forehead in exasperation.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard bellowed with laughter, raising his drink. "Don't be so stingy. We're all guildmates here, aren't we? As the guild master, isn't it only natural for you to host a get-together for us?"

"Heh." Rimuru gave him a deadpan look. "Sorry, but what kind of 'guild master' lets his so-called members raid his house, eat his food, crash on his furniture, and spend his allowance money—then still has the nerve to say that?"

Whitebeard flushed and quickly took another swig of the very drink Rimuru's allowance had paid for.

"Don't sweat the details," Garp said with his usual carefree grin. "Next time we'll drag Kuzan and Sakazuki along too. Let them handle the shaved ice and barbecue."

Rimuru: "(—_—)"

… Seriously, Garp, when it comes to wild ideas, you take the crown.

---

Back in the pirate world, both Kuzan and Sakazuki suddenly sneezed. Was it a cold? Or was someone talking about them? Either way, why did their backs feel so cold all of a sudden?

---

"Damn you, Garp."

Beside Garp, Sengoku was tempted to smack him across the head. Did he really have to embarrass the Navy like this?

"By the way, Popsy," Rimuru asked with interest, "what happened with Blackbeard?"

"I kicked him out of my crew," Whitebeard's tone dropped into something quieter, heavier. Then, after a pause, he straightened up again. "That kind of man isn't worthy of being my son. He can't carry the weight of my name."

Yeah, Rimuru had already let them watch One Piece in the Dimensional Guild's cinema. Of course, it was only up to the episodes he himself had seen—he didn't exactly get the whole anime from the gacha yet.

"C'mon, lighten up." Garp slapped Whitebeard's thigh with a grin. "Ace is doing fine, isn't he? And I didn't even do anything too harsh to Sakazuki—just beat him up a few dozen times. So cheer up!"

Everyone: "..."

Just a few dozen times? Only Garp would say that with a straight face. Sakazuki would cry if he heard that.

"Forget it," Whitebeard said at last with a carefree wave. "Everything's different now. I've let it go. I hope he finds a new goal now."

"That's the spirit." Garp laughed, pulling out a bizarre-looking bottle of liquor. The drink inside shimmered in rainbow colors. Without hesitation, he popped it open and drank straight from the bottle. "Why think so hard about the past? Just enjoy the moment!"

"…Wait. Where did you get that bottle?" Rimuru frowned. It looked awfully familiar.

"Found it under your bed," Garp said shamelessly. "Didn't know you were hiding the good stuff. You're still too young for booze, so leave the drinking to us grown-ups."

"You… you bastard!" Rimuru's face turned red with fury. "Can you not be so shameless?! And for the record, that stuff isn't even alcohol." His expression twisted strangely by the end.

"…Not alcohol?" Garp blinked.

"That's slime juice. I spent ages squeezing it out of different colored slimes just to fill that one bottle. And you went and drank it. So—how does slime juice taste?" Rimuru said with a dark smile.

Garp's face turned purple. "S-S-Slime juice? You—"

He didn't even finish. A horrifying taste slammed into his brain, and before he could react, he was foaming at the mouth and collapsing on the ground.

That bottle contained extracts from acid slimes, poison slimes, gold slimes—dozens of varieties. Practically the essence of the entire slime race.

Honestly, no one but Garp could've been dumb enough to actually drink it.

.

.

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18: The Dimensional Guild

— — — — — — 

Everyone stared at Garp, who was lying flat on the ground. Not a single one of them moved to help—on the contrary, they casually shifted a little farther away, as if silently saying, 'Nope, don't know that idiot.'

Rimuru gave the scene a quick glance, then calmly went back to sipping his drink. He wasn't about to let some fool ruin a perfectly good, lazy afternoon.

But, of course, life never went the way he wanted.

Shion eyed the group lounging by the pool and sighed, clearly unimpressed. Then she walked straight over to Rimuru.

"Rimuru-sama," she said, plucking off his sunglasses with a helpless look, "handing everything to your subordinates isn't really how a king should act, you know. And you lot—" she turned to the others—"your world was only just liberated. How are you already so free and easy?"

"Well, with you guys around, I can relax, can't I?" Rimuru answered with an awkward yet polite smile.

Shion shook her head, scooped Rimuru up, and dropped onto a deck chair with him in her arms, kneading him like a stress ball.

"By the way," Rimuru muttered, eyes half-closed as if none of this bothered him, "you all finished your work already?" He was long used to Shion manhandling him. Shuna had the same habit, so he'd given up resisting.

"Mm. There's really nothing much going on," Shion said contentedly while still squishing him. "This country's too peaceful—nothing for us to worry about."

"That so?" Rimuru grinned. As king, hearing his nation was calm and harmonious was the best news.

"Oh, right. There's something else I need to tell you all." Rimuru wriggled free from Shion's arms and stood up. "I've made a little change to the guild's recruitment system."

"Huh? Recruitment system?" Everyone looked curious.

"Yup," Rimuru pushed up imaginary glasses with a serious look. "The Gate of Worlds needs a world's coordinates to function. If we wait for automatic capture, it takes ages. So, I scattered a bunch of guild invitation cards into the timestream. Whoever finds a card and meets the membership requirements will join the guild. And when they do, the coordinates of their world will be added to our system. That way, we can hop to their world through the gate. Cool, right?"

"That's pretty clever," Shion praised.

"But wait," came an annoying voice. Sure enough, Garp had crawled back up. The King of Nitpicking—fifty years undefeated—struck again. "What if someone finds an invitation card but doesn't meet the membership requirements, then just hides the card instead? Huh? What then?"

Everyone: "…" 

Rimuru glared at him, snorted, then carried on. "Anyway. I've got another announcement. I want to establish a guild base. That way, we'll have a proper place for meetings, activities, and hanging out. Makes communication easier too. What do you think?"

"Yeah, we should have a headquarters," Shion agreed.

"Definitely. Meeting at Rimuru's house all the time isn't ideal," Sengoku added.

"I agree as well," Whitebeard rumbled, dead serious. "Rimuru's home is far too small. Just look at this pool. You can't swim in it—it's barely big enough to soak your feet."

Whitebeard, you too?

…Are you sure you and Garp aren't long-lost brothers?

"So where are you planning to build it?" Roger asked.

"Heheheh." Rimuru chuckled smugly. "Already picked the perfect spot. Right over there." He pointed into the distance.

Everyone followed his finger.

At the heart of the city towered an ancient tree, thousands of meters tall, its vast canopy brimming with life, sheltering the entire city in its shade.

"Oho!" Roger's eyes gleamed. "That is a good spot. Building on top of the Tree of Life… excellent idea."

The Tree of Life had been one of Rimuru's gacha prizes. Its limitless vitality nourished everyone living beneath it, strengthening their bodies, warding off disease and curses. If its life force was that overwhelming just at the roots, then at the crown… who could imagine? It might even condense into literal Water of Life.

"As expected of Lord Rimuru," Shion said, impressed. "That's a brilliant plan. When do we start building?"

"Not for a few more days," Rimuru said with a mysterious smile. "There's one little thing I need to handle first. Once I'm done, we'll go build the guild together."

"What thing?" Shion asked, curious.

"Secret." Rimuru just grinned.

[Ding…]

[Mission complete: Let Freedom Ring Across the Seas.]

[Rewards incoming.]

"Okay… I'm done. All guild members will get their share of the mission rewards. I think you've got the gist of how the Dimensional Guild works now."

Rimuru's cheeks warmed with embarrassment. He'd just been about to check the One Piece world to see why his mission wasn't finished—and bam, the face-slap system kicked in right on cue. Still, he managed to act like he was distributing the rewards.

"Ohhhh!" Sengoku and the others were surprised, but the joy on their faces was obvious. Ensuring their world had been transformed, they couldn't be happier with the outcome.

"Hey, Sengoku, check it out—I got… huh? Only 500 crystals?" Garp frowned, rubbing his eyes. Was he missing a zero? He checked again. Nope. Just 500.

"Could've been worse. Don't forget, we used to be part of the World Government. If we hadn't played such a big role later, even that 500 would've been out of reach," Sengoku sighed.

"Roger, what about you?" Garp grumbled.

"Eh, nothing special. Just 8,000 crystals. Pretty measly, huh?" Roger said with a smug, punchable grin. Garp nearly exploded.

Right then, a chime rang in Rimuru's ears.

[Ding…]

[Rewards received: 40,000 crystals, one Ultimate Enhanced Devil Fruit, and one Gacha.]

"Ultimate enhanced, huh? Sounds fun." Rimuru stroked his chin, intrigued, then tapped to claim it.

[You have obtained the Devil Fruit: Space-Space Fruit (Ultimate Enhanced).]

[Gacha reward: Source Fire.]

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19: The Queen of Dark Cuisine

— — — — — — 

Rimuru's pulls were the Space-Space Fruit (Ultimate Enhanced) and the Source Fire.

As for the others who contributed to the One Piece mission, they'd already received rewards like crystals. On top of that, they each got a bonus—a Devil Fruit. Of course, theirs weren't Ultimate Enhanced like Rimuru's.

"Great news!"

"Rimuru-sama, I drew the Gourmet-Gourmet Fruit!" Shion's eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "That means my cooking is about to level up again!"

"What!?" Rimuru's face went pale in shock.

That walking biochemical-weapon-level cooking was about to get an upgrade? His joy from just obtaining the Space-Space Fruit and Source Flame evaporated instantly.

"Huh?" Shion tilted her head, puzzled. "Rimuru-sama, aren't you happy? From now on, everything I make for you will taste even better!"

"Heh… heh…" Rimuru forced a stiff smile. "Of course I'm happy. I'm really looking forward to it… I guess?"

Inside, though, his thoughts were spinning: 'Should I just demolish every single kitchen in town? But… even that probably won't stop her. Forget it. I won't die from eating it anyway. I'll just drag Benimaru and the others along next time—share the suffering together. That's the plan.'

Benimaru and the rest, completely unaware of the deadly crisis about to descend on them, were busy experimenting with their own new abilities.

"I'll go test out my new powers, see you later, Rimuru-sama!" Shion ruffled Rimuru's hair, beaming, before running off.

As he watched her disappear into the distance, Rimuru's heart sank with grief.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard threw his head back in laughter. "Seems fate's on my side—right off the bat, I drew the Quake-Quake Fruit! This will either strengthen mine further… or even push it toward awakening."

"Pfft. Big deal," scoffed Garp. "Look at my Human-Human Fruit, Model: Titan. Way more impressive than your puny quake powers."

Rimuru sighed as the old men bickered, each boasting about who had drawn the stronger Devil Fruit. They were all over fifty, yet they argued like squabbling children. 

As for Roger? The man left to take care of his wife, Portgas D. Rouge.

...

After watching for a while, Rimuru slipped away to the underground chamber in his house. Time to see exactly what his own fruit could do.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, pulling out the Space-Space Fruit he had drawn earlier. It looked like a perfect polyhedron, as though carved with countless cuts, mysterious blue patterns etched across its surface.

Channeling his energy, Rimuru let it flow into the fruit, then drew the power inside into himself. Within moments, the fruit's energy was completely absorbed, and the Devil Fruit in his hand crumbled into ash.

Immediately, he sensed a shift deep within. One of the starfields inside his slime body began to stir.

It blazed with an eerie radiance, and when the light finally faded, it had completely transformed."

Every star within looked sliced apart, fragments drifting chaotically in space. But when Rimuru focused, he realized it wasn't destruction—it was overlapping space itself, creating the illusion of shattered stars.

He flicked his wrist. Space around him rippled like waves. With a light press of his palm, the ripples calmed and stilled.

"Amazing." Rimuru's lips curled into a grin. Not only was this power overwhelming, it was also practical. He could teleport instantly, unleash space-rending slashes, and more.

Then he took out the Source Flame and absorbed it as well. Another starfield shifted—this time bursting into blazing fire. Stars ignited one by one, releasing a force capable of burning everything.

Rimuru smiled faintly. Another useful ability. His offensive power had grown considerably, and with the added bonus of devouring other flames to strengthen it further, the possibilities were endless.

"I wonder how the others are doing… I should ask them."

He opened the group chat.

『Rimuru』: Everyone, how are your devil fruits working out?

『Garp』: Just ate the Titan Fruit. My new form is two hundred meters tall! From now on, Edward has to look up to me, hahaha!

『Whitebeard』: Two hundred meters? Even if you were two thousand, I'd still beat you until your own mom wouldn't recognize you, Garp.

『Garp』: If your mom recognizes me, then it's enough, son.

『Whitebeard』: YOU—

『Rimuru』: Ahem, can you two calm down for once?

『Benimaru』: I got the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Overall, a solid upgrade. Thank you for your concern, Rimuru-sama.

『Hakuro』: Mine is the Slash-Slash Fruit. Doesn't help me much, but it's not bad.

『Veldora』: Mine's called… the Fission-Fission Fruit? Seems like I can spit out shells or something. Kinda useless, if you ask me.

Rimuru nearly dropped his jaw. 'The Fission-Fission Fruit!? Don't tell me Veldora's about to go full Godzilla—a walking nuclear bomb.'

『Sengoku』: You guys all got great fruits! Meanwhile, I ended up with the Love-Love Fruit. What the hell am I supposed to do with this!?

Everyone immediately imagined a scene: Sengoku standing tall before the enemy, smugly declaring, "No matter what crimes I do, you'll forgive me… Why? because I'm just handsome." Then blowing them a kiss.

Rimuru and others shivered. That mental image was too much. Nothing could possibly be scarier.

『Garp』: Hahaha! Sengoku, you should totally eat it. Imagine it—one flying kiss and the enemy dies of disgust. Victory without a fight!

Sengoku's face turned darker than storm clouds. Without another word, he transformed on the spot. If he didn't beat Garp into an idiot today, he swore he'd write his name backward.

The chat fell silent.

『Shion』: Rimuru-sama, I just finished a brand-new dish! I'll bring it to you right away!

『Rimuru』: Oh! Uh, right… I just remembered I have something urgent. You know, that guild-establishing business. Might be busy for the next few days. So, no need to bring it over. Bye!

『Shion』: You mean you won't get to taste my cooking? Don't worry. When you're back, I'll make it for you again!

Rimuru's heart sank. 'Am I doomed to face this torture no matter what?'

『Shion』: Anyway, who wants to try today's meal?

『Benimaru』: I have military duties. Excuse me.

『Geld』: Repairs to finish today. I'll pass.

『Hakuro』: I must train my sword. Farewell.

Anyone who knew Shion's cooking immediately found an excuse to flee. But a few reckless newcomers dared to test the rule of the Dark Cuisine Queen.

『Garp』: None of you want it? Fine, I'll have some!

『Whitebeard』: I want to taste it too. Count me in.

『Shion』: Great! I made plenty, so anyone who wants some can come over!

No. Absolutely not. Nobody else wanted any. The veterans silently offered a three-second prayer for Whitebeard and Garp.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

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20: Hogwarts?

— — — — — — 

High above the sky, a lone figure drifted upward toward the crown of the World Tree.

"That was way too close!" Rimuru let out a relieved sigh. "Good thing I reacted fast, or I wouldn't have lived to see tomorrow's sunrise." He patted his chest dramatically, still shaken.

"But now that I think about it…" He allowed a sly smile to curl his lips. "I wonder if this little idea of mine will actually work." With that, he shot upward faster.

Before long, he reached the very top.

"Wow, that's high." Rimuru leaned forward, peering down at the sprawling city far below. "This tree is ridiculously huge. Honestly, it's like a whole forest by itself. The Gacha has many good things for real."

Folding away his wings, he set foot on the leafy canopy.

"Alright. I hope it goes well. Time to get started."

He pressed his palms together, letting energy swirl between them. Slowly, a perfect cube of shimmering space-energy formed in his hands.

"Open!"

The cube exploded outward, releasing a veil of glowing blue light. It spread, wrapping around the treetop.

In moments, the entire crown of the tree was enclosed.

Rimuru poured his strength into the space itself. Like a balloon being inflated, the inner world stretched larger and larger, though from the outside the light barrier remained unchanged.

Dozens of times bigger. Hundreds. Thousands. Soon it rivaled the size of the Great Jura Forest itself, and still it kept expanding.

"Perfect." Rimuru clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Looks like my idea worked. They're in for a huge surprise."

Whistling a tune, he happily flew back.

"Master!" Ranga bounded toward him, tail wagging as he caught Rimuru's scent.

"Good boy, Ranga." Rimuru rubbed his head affectionately and bounced along, humming.

Ranga tilted his head. "Master seems really happy…" He watched Rimuru's skipping figure with confusion, then trotted after him.

---

The next morning, before dawn had even fully broken, Rimuru was already awake. He sent word to all guild members to gather for the construction project.

"Why so early?" Shion grumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "If I don't sleep well, it ruins my skin, you know."

"Maybe it's urgent," Benimaru muttered, also squinting blearily but forcing himself awake.

"Zuuuuh…Gorororo."

That was Garp—yes, snoring while standing upright.

"He'd better have a good reason for this," Whitebeard growled. He was not a morning person.

Roger nodded.

As everyone mumbled complaints, Rimuru strolled out, beaming with excitement.

"Looks like everyone's here. Great job showing up on time." He scanned the gathered crowd with satisfaction.

"So, Lord Rimuru," Shion asked with suspicion, "why did you call us out at this hour?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Rimuru tilted his head innocently. "We're going to build the guild today."

"You told us that?" Everyone shouted in unison, veins popping.

"…Maybe I forgot?" Rimuru's smile faltered under their glares.

"So that's it? You dragged us out here just for this?" Whitebeard's fists tightened, glowing faintly with quake energy. "I didn't sleep because of this?"

"It's kinda rude." Roger wanted to draw his sword.

"Rimuru-sama. Please excuse my rudeness," Shion said sweetly, hefting a giant blade onto her shoulder.

"Zzzzzzz…Gorororo." Yes, Garp was still asleep.

"Well… it's morning already! Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy!" Rimuru laughed nervously.

Shuna's voice was ice-cold. "It's four thirty in the morning."

"..."

---

After thoroughly scolding him, the group reluctantly calmed down and followed Rimuru to the top of the World Tree.

"What's that?" Shuna stared at the enormous blue barrier glowing before them.

"Hehehe." Rimuru snapped his fingers proudly. "Come inside and see."

Inside the barrier, everyone froze in shock.

"Incredible…" Whitebeard muttered. From the outside, the crown hadn't seemed so large. But inside was an entire world, vast enough to rival a god's creation.

"So this is the surprise?" Shion's eyes widened in amazement.

"That's right," Rimuru declared smugly. "I made a pocket world, about the same size as the Jura Forest. Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Truly worthy of Rimuru-sama," Diablo said with admiration. Destroying worlds, they could all manage. Creating one? That was something else entirely.

"Alright then," Rimuru said, striking a pose. "Let's get to work on the guild!"

"Yeah!"

The members sprang into action. Some gathered resources, others started construction. At first it was chaos, but soon teamwork kicked in and progress accelerated.

At the center, everyone joined forces to raise a massive guild hall. But when Rimuru saw the finished product, he nearly died of embarrassment.

It was a colossal blue slime. A giant Rimuru-shaped building.

He was so mortified that his slime form was about to turn pink.

...

Elsewhere, Whitebeard and his crew built a house shaped like a giant ship, modeled after the Moby Dick.

Sengoku's group recreated a miniature version of the Marine Headquarters.

The local demon lords… well, Guy Crimson and the other Primordials built nothing but giant stone pillars and called them "houses."

And his other subordinates? Multiple different-colored slime houses.

Did no one think about Rimuru's feelings? Mortifying didn't even begin to cover it.

Milim, meanwhile, didn't build anything at all. She just claimed a room in Rimuru's "slime house," declaring she wanted to live close to her bestie.

The truth? She was just lazy.

At least most of these creations were still functional.

But Ramiris… oh, Ramiris. On the outside, her house looked normal. Inside? A sprawling labyrinth with no exit. A "home" that instantly lost all house privileges.

The good part was that everyone enjoyed building the guild, knowing there would be many more worlds to explore later.

---

After a while, a strange voice echoed.

"Uh… hello? Where am I? This doesn't feel like Hogwarts anymore."

.

.

.