— — — — — —
"Finally, a new world..."
On a small, lonely island, space itself split open like torn fabric. From that crack, two figures slowly stepped out.
"But the question is, which world? Hope it's a cool anime."
"... I wish there was someone nearby so I could guess at least." Rimuru stretched his neck, scanning the surroundings. Other than the barren island beneath his feet, there was nothing but the endless blue ocean.
"Well, whatever. Ranga!"
The moment his voice fell, a massive wolf the size of an elephant burst out from his shadow, growling as it appeared.
"Master, why have you summoned me? Is there an enemy nearby?" the star wolf asked, standing protectively in front of Rimuru. Then, with a playful gleam, it leaned down and gave him a big lick.
"Nope, no enemies. I just felt like hanging out with you," Rimuru replied with a laugh.
Ranga—his friend, his loyal subordinate, and his occasional mount. And for some reason… his favorite pastime seemed to be licking Rimuru. Literally. Like he was ice cream.
With a light hop, Rimuru landed on Ranga's back.
"Let's just pick a random direction for now. Once we bump into someone, we can ask where we are."
"Okay!"
Ranga's paws slapped against the sea, his body shooting forward at impossible speed. To a normal person, his figure would be invisible; the only trace of his passing was the spray of white foam trailing behind.
---
(So, you might be wondering, my dear readers… what the fuck is going on? Well, I'm glad you asked, but if you'd just shut up for a sec, the MC was about to introduce himself. Honestly, why the rush? You should be ashamed for even asking something that basic. You didn't read my author's note, did you?)
(Shame on you)
---
[MC POV]
Ahem...
My name is Rimuru Tempest.
Sure, I might look like a loli right now—but in reality, I'm actually a cute slime with the soul of a man.
A part-time Demon Lord? Yes, I'm. But all things considered, I'd like to think I'm still a good man.... or good slime?
I used to be human. Satoru Mikami. Just a salaryman. Seriously, the most ordinary guy you could imagine.
But thanks to some bizarre twist of fate, I ended up in "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime".
Not only did I become Slime, I also got saddled with this weird system. Why weird? Well… because it exists solely to let me have fun.
No missions. No ultimate goal. Just… gacha rolls. And I've pulled a ton of fun stuff. The best prize? A "Dimensional Guild." Basically a cross-world club where I can invite people in and install features like abilities, Gachas, stat boosts, even a virtual battlefield.
So what's my real system? No idea.
Even though I was surprised after watching the anime, my life was unfolding right in front of me. I was super confused, but I just treated it as another cheat.
Anyway, my life went way off-script compared to the original plot. I saved the Ogres. Shizu survived thanks to a vial of Water of Life I pulled from the Gacha. And I'm way, way stronger than the Rimuru from the anime. To put it bluntly—one-on-one, I'm basically untouchable.
With my strength, Tempest's development went way smoother too. Not only did I easily win the other Demon Lords' approval, I became close friends with several of them and pulled them into the Guild. In a sense, the Dimensional Guild already rules that entire world.
…Except now, all the Demon Lords are addicted to games. Even Veldora. He spends his days teaming up with Milim, Ramiris, and the rest for dungeon raids. And after that, they jump into League of Legends—or whatever other ridiculous, time-consuming game you can imagine.
I loved it at the beginning, but lately it has been torture.
Just guess who got stuck with the paperwork for the entire nation? Yep. Me. Fucking me.
Even with Raphael helping, I nearly died at my desk. Seriously, how could they treat a slime this way?! Where are Slime rights organizations?
But by yesterday, the world had finally stabilized. Only minor issues were left, so I dumped those onto Shion and the others, then opened a space-time gate and set out to explore this new world. About time I got a vacation.
Well, that's my story.
...
A few hours later—
"Master, there's a ship ahead." Ranga's deep voice broke the calm. His golden eyes locked onto a massive vessel shaped like the head of a whale.
"A ship shaped like a whale? Weird design. What's with the whale motif?" Rimuru mumbled, still groggy from a nap.
"Wait—no way…" His eyes suddenly went wide. As a diehard fan of Whitebeard, he recognized it instantly. A whale-headed ship? That had to be the Moby Dick! Which meant… he was in the world of One Piece.
How could he miss the chance to meet the strongest man in this world? Rimuru's excitement spiked.
"Ranga, head over there. I want to meet this world's greatest man. The man I respect."
"As you command, my master!"
Ranga dashed across the waves, streaking toward the Moby Dick at lightning speed.
...
Meanwhile, aboard that colossal ship, a towering man with a body like a mountain sat upon his throne, gazing across the horizon.
"How interesting…" His booming voice rolled across the deck, reaching every corner of the ship. "Sons! Get ready—we've got a guest incoming!"
— — —
Bang!
Ranga leapt from the sea and landed hard on the deck of the Moby Dick. The impact shook the entire ship, sending the crew staggering.
"Who the hell dares to provoke the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
"Sorry! Sorry! He didn't mean it," Rimuru quickly raised both hands and scolded the wolf under him. "Ranga, don't jump that high! We came to say hi, not pick a fight. Got it?"
"Wooo…" Ranga whimpered, looking pitiful. He hadn't meant any harm.
"Alright, alright, I'm not really mad." Rimuru rubbed his head gently, soothing him.
The moment those words left Rimuru's mouth, Ranga perked up immediately, his tail wagging so fast it looked like an electric fan. "Yes, Master!"
While Rimuru was busy calming Ranga, the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates just stood there in stunned silence. Even Whitebeard himself raised his brows.
Through his Observation Haki, he could feel it clearly: that little blue-haired "girl" carried a terrifyingly powerful energy inside her. Enough to put real pressure on him. And the wolf… that wolf wasn't any less threatening.
'When did monsters this strong start showing up on the seas?' Whitebeard thought.
"Hey, kid! Do you even know where you are?" one of the grunts shouted.
"Kid?" Rimuru's eye twitched. 'Excuse me? I'm an adult.' He took a deep breath. A Demon Lord does not bicker with idiots. Then he turned to the man sitting on the throne. His eyes lit up.
"The live Whitebeard!"
He stared at the giant man with shining eyes.
"…What, have you seen me dead or something, brat?" Whitebeard chuckled.
He'd met countless people in his life, but never someone with eyes like that—so pure, so clear, so bright. Eyes like that couldn't be faked; they belonged only to children untainted by the world.
"That's not what I meant!" Rimuru waved his hands frantically. "Well… okay, technically I have seen your corpse, but that doesn't count, right? Um… how do I explain this… uh in the future—"
"Gurararara! Forget it, no need to explain." Whitebeard laughed.
"…Wait, so you don't care about your own death? I know the future, I can even prove it to you." Rimuru said in surprise.
"Brat, I said no need. Everyone has to face death someday. As a man who sails the seas—how could he ever fear it? I am Whitebeard! Not even the gods can take me down so easily!" Whitebeard roared, raising his massive sake cup and drinking deep.
"That's right! Pops will never die! We'll never be defeated!" the crew shouted in unison, fired up by his words. This was their father—the strongest man in the world!
Rimuru couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, that's exactly who you are."
"So cute," some of the crew thought, struck dumb by Rimuru's smile.
"What's your name?" Whitebeard set down his sake cup.
"My name's Rimuru Tempest. I'm a slime! And also… a Demon Lord," Rimuru declared proudly.
"…A Demon Lord?" Whitebeard stared at him. "What, you kill enemies by making them laugh to death?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! Why can't I be a Demon Lord?" Rimuru's cheeks puffed red.
Whitebeard snorted. "Don't think I haven't read my share of stories. Demon Lords are supposed to be fierce, brutal, and terrifying in any story. You? You look more like… 'Cute Lord.'"
Rimuru instantly thought of Milim Nava, Ramiris, and the other so-called Demon Lords he knew. Okay, fine, maybe he didn't kind of fit into that group. But still!
"I am a Demon Lord!" Rimuru glared at him, gritting his teeth.
"Fine, fine. You're a Demon Lord. Of course you are." Whitebeard smirked. "So then, our adorable Demon Lord, what brings you here?"
'He is doing it on purpose! He has to be!' Rimuru was about ready to explode. Who said Whitebeard was a serious man? He was clearly just an old troll!
All around them, the crew tried—and failed—to hold back laughter. Some actually snorted out loud.
Rimuru's eye twitched furiously. "Tch… fine! Laugh if you want. But you too, Ranga?! You're supposed to be on my side!" His own wolf's muffled snicker sent him over the edge.
"…Forget it. Old man, where are you headed, anyway?" Rimuru huffed, calming himself down.
Unexpectedly, Whitebeard's expression turned grave. "We're taking a friend on his final voyage. Gol D. Roger."
"…Nani?!" Rimuru's jaw dropped, eyes wide in shock.
.
.
.