Upon hearing Erica's report, Su Mo wasn't surprised at all.
There's a reason nicknames exist, and none more fitting than "Stupid Sword."
That title came about because the King of Swords really did act like an overexcited husky. This kind of behavior was classic Doni.
Still—
"So that idiot's going to take several more days to get here?"
Thanks to his [Man of Steel] Authority, Salvatore Doni wouldn't be crushed by the pressure of the deep sea. But that same Authority, while giving him monstrous defense, also drastically increased his weight—making him as heavy as a literal chunk of iron.
Swimming? Out of the question. The only option was to walk across the ocean floor.
Even if he didn't get lost, considering the jump was near the port, walking all the way to Sardinia from there would still take at least two to three days.
Su Mo wasn't an impatient man—but this guy was really testing his limits.
He was already resolved: once Doni arrived, he'd have to teach him a lesson in manners.
"According to Sir André's report, the King of Swords didn't land too far from here. He should arrive within two days," Erica deduced from the available information.
"Fine." Su Mo nodded. "But if he doesn't show up in two days, I'm going to bury him in the Earth's core."
Even for a Campione, climbing back out of the planet's core wouldn't be easy.
And for someone who had made him wait this long, that kind of punishment was completely justified.
"..."
Standing nearby, Erica broke into a cold sweat.
As someone who had personally witnessed Su Mo slay a god, she definitely didn't take his words as a joke. If someone capable of instantly killing a herectic deity actually wanted to deal with another Campione... then yeah, burying the King of Swords in the planet's core was terrifyingly plausible.
"I'll urge Lord André to hurry and fish him out!"
Although she had always had a few choice words for the King of Swords as a fellow god-slayer, Erica didn't want her own liege to start off his reputation by being branded as one who subdues his peers.
So no matter what, she truly hoped that fool of a king would show up on time.
With nothing to do while waiting, Su Mo casually flipped through the magic tome in his hand. After gaining a rough understanding of how this world's magic worked, he closed his eyes—ready to head into the Mist Space to see whether the others had made any progress.
....
Inside the Mist Space, Su Mo—already well-acquainted with this place as a seasoned god-slayer—headed directly toward the central plaza.
As he passed through the final veil of mist, he spotted two figures conversing at the centre.
Thinking they might be familiar faces, he prepared to greet them—only to freeze when he caught sight of their attire.
One wore a pristine white coat of justice, adorned with what appeared to be admiral's insignia. It didn't take much deduction to recognize the unmistakable garb of the Navy from the pirate world.
The other was a youthful-looking Su Mo in casual clothes. While nothing seemed particularly unusual about his outfit, the rainbow-colored irises in his eyes were undeniably familiar.
It looked vaguely... like something he had seen before.
Just as he was about to approach them, the two newcomers noticed him.
Spotting the "God-Slayer" Su Mo, the one in the admiral uniform—who had clearly figured out the rules of the place—greeted him warmly.
"Welcome to the Mist Space, newbie!"
"That's right," the younger Su Mo nodded calmly. "To remain so composed your first time here… you're clearly of excellent quality."
"…"
The Su Mo from the Campione world went speechless.
Wait, what? Newbie? Me? He was utterly confused. He had just been about to say hello—and now they were calling him the newbie?!
Among all the Su Mos, he, along with the Tiga Su Mo and Fairy Tail Su Mo, were the first to ever arrive here. He was basically a veteran of the Mist Space! Yet now… he was the one being welcomed as the rookie?
It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. These two must've met each other first and hadn't come across any other Su Mos yet. Naturally, they assumed the two of them were the earliest arrivals—so when they saw a new face, they just assumed he was the newcomer.
Understanding this, the Campione Su Mo wore an expression of mixed amusement and exasperation. He opened his mouth to clarify—
"I—"
But before he could say anything, the admiral Su Mo interrupted.
"I get it. You must be nervous, right?" He gave a knowing smile, full of false empathy. "I was the same at first. Thought this place was some kind of trap conjured by a Devil Fruit user or something. But don't worry. This Mist Space exists beyond the boundaries of worlds. We can't harm each other here. And surely you've noticed by now… we all look the same." He ended with a dramatic pause, eyes twinkling.
The younger Su Mo chimed in on cue. "Exactly! You might have already guessed it…But let me formally break the big news to you." He put on his most serious face, as if preparing to deliver some universe-shattering revelation.
"We… are the same person!"
"We're all Su Mo!"
The Campione Su Mo was left speechless. Dumbfounded. And more than a little numb. You don't say. But under the hopeful gazes of the two "senior" Su Mos, he sighed and decided to play along.
"Oh, I see... that's quite something." He forced a smile, doing his best to sound impressed—but his flat tone made it feel like a bad voiceover. Seeing that he wasn't particularly shocked, the admiral Su Mo frowned slightly. Maybe that bombshell hadn't landed hard enough. Or maybe the "newbie" still didn't quite believe them. So he dropped an even bigger one.
"Here's the real kicker—just by making physical contact, we can share each other's powers."
"That's our golden cheat!"
"Between us, we've got the power of a Navy Admiral and someone with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!"
"With our abilities combined, surviving in your own world will be so much easier." With that, the admiral Su Mo raised his hand enthusiastically. The younger Su Mo immediately mirrored the gesture. They were clearly waiting for a high five—offering their powers in the spirit of camaraderie.
"…Fine." The Campione Su Mo had a strange look on his face as he lifted both hands.
Clap!Clap!
The moment their palms met, the transfer began. Power flowed into each of them— And then came the shout that echoed through the entire Mist Space.
"WHAT THE HELL?! What kind of god-tier cheat is this?!" Feeling the overwhelming surge of power, the pirate Su Mo nearly collapsed.
"Hngghh—my brain! My brain is shaking!!" The younger Su Mo clutched his head in agony. They had thought they were the powerful ones. But this so-called "newbie"? He wasn't just a big shot. He was in a whole different league. Even combined, they weren't one-tenth his strength! In hindsight, maybe the posturing had been a bit premature. Thankfully, it had only been in front of this Su Mo—so their dignity wasn't completely shattered. As they tried to recover from the shock, the young Su Mo noticed something strange about the energy he had just acquired. It wasn't just divine authorities or magic. There was also the power of Tiga Ultraman.
"???" This wasn't the kind of strength one could obtain from a single world.
"…Don't tell me…" The pirate Su Mo seemed to realize it too. "Maybe… we're actually the newbies here?"
The two—he and the young Su Mo—exchanged glances and fell silent. In that moment, they both understood why people say you can dig a whole three-bedroom apartment out of the ground from sheer awkwardness. It wasn't just a joke—it was exactly how they were feeling right now.
"Pfft—hahahahahahaha!"
Seeing their embarrassed expressions, the Su Mo from the Campione world couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. He laughed so hard his stomach hurt before finally calming down.
Watching him laugh so freely, both the Navy Admiral Su Mo and the young Su Mo looked like their faces had turned pitch black, like charred pans. It was both humiliating and frustrating.
At that moment, the Campione Su Mo stopped laughing and spoke in a teasing tone. "Seniors! Tell me, how are you feeling right now?"
"..."
"..."
The two looked at each other silently and nodded.
"…I suddenly feel like we should eliminate witnesses."
"I want to drag him down with me!"
Of course, in the Mist Space, it was impossible to harm each other. But even so, watching their utterly devastated expressions, the Campione Su Mo waved his hand, deciding not to tease them any further.
"No need to go that far! We share the same roots—why should we harm each other?"
Leaving the banter behind, his expression finally turned serious. "Judging from your powers, one of you comes from the world of One Piece, and the other from the Type-Moon universe, correct?"
"Yeah."
Both Su Mos nodded.
"To be honest, this cheat ability came a bit too late for me," the Navy Admiral Su Mo sighed. "I'm already an admiral—pretty much max level—before I arrived here. If this had come earlier, I wouldn't have had to work so hard."
No one needed further explanation. Everyone here understood just how grueling and dangerous it was to rise from an ordinary man to an admiral in the One Piece world.
"Compared to him, I was a bit luckier," the Type-Moon Su Mo said with a light smile. "After crossing over, I seem to have replaced Shiki Nanaya's existence. While I did face a crisis where my entire family was nearly wiped out, I was adopted by Makihisa Tohno."
"Unlike the original Shiki Tohno, who forgot his killing techniques, I not only mastered Nanaya assassination arts, but also had knowledge of modern science and technology."
"Not long after I was adopted, that old beast Makihisa bought a pair of twin sisters from the Fujou clan. On the same day, before he had the chance to act, I seized the opportunity—mixed chlorine gas using disinfectants and a few other chemical methods and finally poisoned that old scum to death."
"After that, nothing too remarkable happened. I accidentally awakened the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception when dealing with SHIKI."
The Type-Moon Su Mo spoke lightly, but everyone here understood the difficulty. Even with Nanaya assassination arts, at such a young age the techniques would be weakened. And trying to kill Makihisa Tohno using modern chemistry in an era where forensic science wasn't as advanced wasn't exactly easy. Awakening the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception was even more dangerous—a gamble with one's life. It definitely wasn't as simple as he made it sound.