"Come on... let the world feel pain."
High above Mary Geoise, Ryosuke stood suspended in the air, his gaze cold and detached as he stared down at the city below.
"What is that?!"
"Careful!!"
Panicked shouts erupted from Kong and the other defenders.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
A blinding white light surged down from the heavens, swallowing the entire Mary Geoise in an instant.
The next second, the world-shaking explosion tore through the air like thunder from the gods.
KABOOM—!!
Flames engulfed everything. The luxurious city that once stood as the heart of the World Government was annihilated in a single heartbeat.
Palaces crumbled. Towers disintegrated. The ground itself cracked and shattered.
And as for Kong and the rest?
They were vaporized on the spot. They didn't last a single second under the power of the Rasenringu.
RUMBLE RUMBLE——
A colossal mushroom cloud slowly rose from the ground, towering into the sky like a pillar to the heavens.
Up above, Ryosuke watched it all with detached indifference, hovering high over the destruction he had wrought.
He waited silently.
Ten minutes passed.
Only silence remained.
Everything had gone still.
Where once stood the grand city of Mary Geoise, now there was only a titanic crater stretching across the land.
But—
Near the center of that deep, gaping pit…
An untouched space glimmered faintly.
The crystal point.
It remained unscathed.
"Invincible, huh?"
Ryosuke murmured, gazing at the crystal point's radiant form.
He waited a while longer. But no one came through the teleportation function.
It was then that he understood—
The Pirate King of this world had abandoned the crystal point.
Clearly, this world's Pirate King lacked the strength to defend it, especially if even Mary Geoise fell without resistance.
No need to guess—this had to be one of the weaker Pirate Kings in the chat group.
Their combat power was probably among the lowest of the 17.
And in that case—
It wasn't surprising they chose to give up.
After all, the third round was no longer child's play.
"People actually die this time."
Rather than throw away their lives chasing a reward, giving up was the smarter option.
If someone had the strength to defeat the Celestial Dragons and Five Elders stationed at Mary Geoise, they wouldn't be able to defend it anyway.
And if no one could defeat them?
Then there was no need to come at all.
"Heh. To give up so quickly—but it's a clear-headed decision." Ryosuke smiled faintly and shook his head.
Then, with a flick of his fingers, he summoned a Wood Clone, assigning it to occupy and guard the crystal point.
His true body, meanwhile, turned and soared away through the skies. He intended to take a good look around this particular Pirate World.
After all, it was his first time here. Naturally, he was curious.
...
While Ryosuke effortlessly secured control of an entire Pirate World—
In the other worlds, chaos had erupted.
Fierce battles had already broken out!
Unlike Ryosuke's one-sided devastation, the wars across the multiverse were anything but peaceful.
"Kill! Steal their treasures!"
"Haha! So this is the Otherworld? The riches of the Hokage World are mine!"
"Get lost! Don't block me! I'm going to hunt down treasure in the Otherworld!"
Across the Pirate Worlds, most Pirate Kings had made the same strategic decision.
They stationed themselves at their own crystal points, taking up defensive positions—and at the same time, they dispatched massive waves of pirates through the dimensional channels to invade the Hokage World.
Why?
For two reasons.
One—
To probe the strength of the enemy.
Two—
To protect themselves.
If they moved personally and the enemy counterattacked while they were away, they might lose their own crystal point entirely.
Especially since…
Aside from the Pirate Kings themselves, the rest of their world's strongest fighters were nothing more than glorified elites.
In truth, they wouldn't stand a chance against the powerhouses from the Hokage side.
Let someone like Minato, Tobirama, or even Kakashi appear and the entire Pirate World would be swept away.
They knew. They all knew.
This war was unwinnable for them.
There was a monster on the Hokage side.
A monster who couldn't be stopped.
So their real goal this time—
Survival.
They remained near their crystal points because that's the only way to instantly teleport into the Hokage world if necessary.
If Ryosuke came to their side?
That was their one and only escape route!
...
But why not just go into hiding?
Why stay at the crystal point at all?
Well—
First off, they were Pirate Kings. They had their pride. Running off without even trying would be too disgraceful.
Too cowardly.
And second—
They wanted resources.
The Hokage World had something their world lacked.
Ninjutsu.
Elemental attacks.
Clones.
Seals.
Chakra manipulation.
Abilities that required no Devil Fruit.
And all of it was ripe for the taking!
"If we can just grab some ninjutsu scrolls…"
"Maybe we can change everything."
So their plan was clear:
First—stay alive.
Second—loot as many resources as possible from the opposite world.
As long as it didn't interfere with their survival, they'd steal everything they could get their hands on.
As for capturing crystal points?
They didn't even bother to consider it anymore.
"If we get anything at all from this war, that's already a win."
Still—
After the war ended, they'd likely face punishment from the chat group.
They didn't know what that punishment would be. But they were already preparing for it.
...
Over the next seven days, Ryosuke moved through all 17 Pirate Worlds.
He collected hair samples from the strongest combatants in each one.
Some cooperated.
Others had to be… persuaded.
All of it was to prepare for what came next—
Talent entry generation.
Of course, not every sample was usable.
Only those with powerful biological energy signatures could be converted into talent entries.
And Ryosuke's bar was high. He was only interested in materials that could generate gold-tier talent entries or higher.
As for those ordinary purple talent entries?
Ryosuke couldn't even be bothered.
"Nothing valuable," he muttered. "Too low-tier."
He didn't even spare them a second glance. Instead, he simply broke them down in batches, recycling them into points for future conversions.
In the span of just seven days, Ryosuke had done the unthinkable. He single-handedly conquered all 17 opposing Pirate Worlds.
At first glance, the timeframe might've seemed too short, almost impossible for one person to achieve.
But in truth, the judgment system of the chat group was surprisingly lenient.
There was no need for Ryosuke's real body to guard the crystal points at all times.
Even leaving behind a Wood Clone was sufficient to count as ownership.
And so—
Without breaking a sweat, Ryosuke claimed 17 crystal points as his own.
It wasn't even difficult.
As for the other group members?
It's not like they didn't gain anything either.
Aside from the final rewards granted for victory in the dimensional war, the other Hokage world powerhouses had spent those seven days wisely.
They plundered vast amounts of resources from the various Pirate Worlds.
Their biggest interest?
The mysterious and powerful Devil Fruits.
That, along with the two Haki training methods, Marine Six Styles, and other rare combat knowledge unique to the Pirate King universe.
All of it was looted clean.
On the flip side—
The Pirate Kings who fled into the Hokage world weren't idle either.
They retaliated in their own way, ransacking several ninja villages during their short stay.
However—
None of them dared to approach Konoha.
They were terrified.
Terrified of being noticed by Ryosuke.
Terrified of being annihilated by just one of his avatars, let alone his true self.
"That guy's Wood Clone is already too terrifying…"
They understood that the monster named Ryosuke wasn't someone they could afford to offend—not even by accident.
During the first few days, they managed to loot several of the weaker ninja villages, seizing whatever resources they could find.
But soon after, they went into hiding.
Fleeing overseas.
Avoiding all detection until the war officially ended.
And then, seven days later—
The Dimensional War finally came to a close. Each participant was teleported back to their respective worlds one after another.
And inside the Hokage Chat Group—
Celebration erupted.
Everyone began to tally their harvests, sharing their gains with excited chatter.
"I got three Devil Fruits!"
"I tamed a Sea King!"
"I found a treasure vault full of gold!"
Some showed off rare items, while others boasted their elemental spoils.
Even those who weren't originally strong found themselves giddy with what they'd brought back.
Of course, Sakura and a few others near the bottom of the power rankings could only watch with envy.
Then they opened their own reward screens and their faces instantly crumpled.
"...What the hell is this?"
Forget Devil Fruits. They didn't even get a proper Sea King.
The best they got were low-level Sea Beasts, along with some gold, silver, and jewelry.
The only consolation?
They received copies of the Haki training methods and the Marine Six Styles technique.
These had been generously distributed by Ryosuke to every member of the group.
But here's the thing—
Just because you have the training method…
Doesn't mean you can use it.
Whether it's Marine Six Styles or Armament Haki, a strong physical foundation was mandatory. The techniques weren't for the weak.
In contrast, Observation Haki had relatively low physical demands. It was simple perception.
So over the coming days, many group members were expected to unlock Observation Haki at the very least.
Though, of course—
Everyone's learning speed would differ.
Some were quick.
Some would take their time.
It all depended on individual aptitude.
Finally, the dimensional war victory rewards were issued.
Each member received:
500,000 bonus points.
One chance to enhance any single ability.
The former was nice.
The latter?
Even better.
Although the stronger an ability was, the smaller the enhancement, it was still a meaningful boost.
Especially for bloodline abilities or physique-type talents, which were notoriously difficult to improve through normal means.
"Only an idiot would waste this on a normal jutsu." Someone in the group said.
They weren't wrong.
Wasting this on something like a basic Rasengan or Great Fireball Technique?
Pure stupidity.
As for the best performer in this dimensional battle? Naturally, it was Ryosuke.
And for his unparalleled contribution, he was granted the ultimate prize.
A reward that left everyone speechless.
5 million bonus points.
One unlimited ability upgrade.
Unlike the standard enhancement, this one had no upper limit.
No matter how powerful the ability was, this opportunity would push it up by one full tier.
If it was Six Paths level, it would become God-level.
If it was God-level, it could reach High-God!
Originally, Ryosuke had planned to use this opportunity to upgrade one of his most terrifying trump cards—
Either the Immortal Body or the Berserker Body.
But then…
Disappointment.
"The chat group… can't detect it?"
Both divine bodies were bound to his talent entries, given by the system itself. And the chat group had no access to them.
Meaning—
They couldn't be upgraded through group mechanics.
A wasted opportunity.
So Ryosuke sighed, pushing aside his disappointment.
Now—
He had to choose something else.
A different ability.
Something that belonged solely to him.
And as he stood there, surrounded by the spoils of war, he began to think carefully…
Which of his high-end abilities deserved to be pushed even further?