— — — — — —
Boom!
With a shudder, the Moby Dick settled firmly against the docks.
"Hey, old man Whitebeard!" Rimuru hopped onto Whitebeard's massive chair. "When's Roger's execution?"
Whitebeard frowned. "Why do you want to know that? Don't tell me you're planning to break him out?"
Rimuru waved frantically. "No way! Do I look like that kind of person?"
"…Day after tomorrow." Whitebeard's voice dropped low. For all their battles, he and Roger had ended up respecting each other. To think that the man who became Pirate King was about to…
"So that means there's still time?" Rimuru's eyes lit up. "Old man, I want to meet him!"
Whitebeard fell silent. Roger might've turned himself in, but the World Government wasn't taking chances. The prison would be locked down tight.
"You sure you can manage it?" Whitebeard asked, staring hard at Rimuru.
"Piece of cake." Rimuru grinned.
"…Is that so? Then wait a moment. Take something to him for me."
Whitebeard rose to his feet, disappearing below deck. He returned carrying a massive sake barrel.
Rimuru tilted his head. "What's in that?"
Whitebeard broke the seal, poured out half the liquor, then resealed the rest. "A debt of mine. Give it to him, Rimuru."
"…Got it." Rimuru tucked the barrel into his slime body. "Then I'm off."
With a flap of his wings, he leapt skyward and left the Moby Dick behind.
Whitebeard stood watching the little figure disappear into the night sky, a sigh slipping out before he could stop it.
...
Up above, Rimuru flew over Loguetown, cloaked in invisibility, scanning the sprawling city for the prison holding Roger.
Then he froze. Someone was contacting him. The guild's chat feature allowed members to talk across worlds.
『Ramiris』: Rimuru! Something came up!
『Rimuru』: What's wrong?
『Milim』: Bestie! Come back right now! Veldora is a total noob! I can't carry him anymore!
『Veldora』: …I'm sorry.
『Milim』: He feeds first blood every single match! Always last place! I got roasted by Charys of all people! You know, that Charys! Ugh!
『Veldora』: …
[User "Veldora Tempest" Logged out.]
『Milim』: Tsk! Anyway, where are you, bestie?
『Rimuru』: Different world right now.
『Milim』: WHAT?! (⊙-⊙)
『Ramiris』: Since when?!
『Rimuru』: Been out for over a month now. (=_=)
『Diablo』: Lord Rimuru… it's been too long.
『Rimuru』: Diablo?! You're here too?
『Diablo』: Of course. I never log out, so I can answer you instantly should you need me. After all, I am your secretary.
『Rimuru』: Wow… talk about committed.
『Milim』: Bestieee! Can I come?
『Ramiris』: Me too!
『Rimuru』: Why?
『Milim』: I promise I won't cause trouble! On my honor as a Demon Lord!
『Ramiris』: Same here! I swear on my Demon Lord title too!
『Rimuru』: I seriously doubt that.
『Milim』:"Bestieee~"
『Ramiris』: "Rimuru-chan~"
Rimuru sighed. There was no way these two wouldn't cause chaos. But refusing them? That would probably cause even more chaos back home.
"…Fine. But listen! No causing trouble."
"Yaaay!" Milim and Ramiris cheered in unison, already bouncing with excitement. As for those solemn "Demon Lord oaths"… yeah, they were already forgotten.
Rimuru, oblivious to their lack of shame, opened the guild interface. A shimmering screen floated before him.
[Add: Dimensional Travel Function... Confirm?]
"Yes."
[Function successfully added.]
Two glowing silhouettes appeared before him.
The first was a girl his own height, with long twin pink ponytails, deep blue eyes, and—seriously?!—just a black pair of panties and nothing else. A cowlick stuck proudly from her head like a flag.
This was Milim Nava, the Destroyer. One of the first-generation Demon Lords, bearer of the Ultimate Skill: Satanael, Lord of Wrath.
Thanks to the Dimension guild enhancements, she'd evolved into the God of Wrath. She looked frail, but her power was basically infinite and grew endlessly in battle. Even Rimuru found her terrifying. Too bad her brainpower was close to zero, and she could be tricked by a toddler. She needed supervision at all times.
The second figure was tiny—barely twenty centimeters tall—fluttering in the air on four delicate wings. Ramiris, the Fairy Queen. Sweet but tsundere, she carried the titles of both Fairy Queen and Demon Lord. Like Milim, she was one of the first-generation Demon Lords. Once immensely powerful, she had sacrificed her strength long ago to save Milim, but with the guild's support, much of that power had returned.
Now Rimuru, Milim, and Ramiris stood together in the night sky.
Anyone looking at them would never have guessed: these three fluffy, silly, adorable figures were Demon Lords. One was cuddly, one was clueless, one was tiny and cute.
Together? They didn't look threatening at all.
"Bestie!" Milim spotted Rimuru and immediately launched herself at him, wrapping him in a bear hug. Ramiris fluttered down to perch neatly on Rimuru's shoulder.
"How could you sneak off without telling us?" Milim pouted in Rimuru's arms. "We're supposed to be the strongest combo in the game!"
In their virtual battlefield—modeled after a 5v5 arena like League of Legends—the three of them, plus Veldora (their noob) and Diablo, had basically turned into an unstoppable team. With the Lord of Wisdom's, Raphael's cheat-level support, victory was practically guaranteed.
"Alright, alright!" Rimuru pried Milim off. "You're here now, aren't you? So don't stay mad."
"So this is the new world?" Ramiris asked, eyes sparkling.
"Yup. This is the world of One Piece." Rimuru folded his arms. "And listen carefully: no causing trouble."
"Relax!" Ramiris thumped her tiny chest with exaggerated bravado. "I swear it on my title as Demon Lord!"
Rimuru sighed inwardly. 'If I believed that, I might as well rename myself The Idiot Slime.'
{Request detected. Would you like to rename ability?}
"???" Rimuru blinked, then said, "No, that was a joke, Mr Lord of Wisdom."
"Oooooh~"
One Piece?" Ramiris tilted her head. "What's that supposed to mean? A new Demon Lord?"
"Not quite," Rimuru said patiently. "It's the name the world gave to all the treasure gathered by the Pirate King. And the Pirate King? He's the one who conquered the seas—the dream every pirate here chases. Funny thing is, the current Pirate King's actually locked up nearby. Wanna meet him?"
"Of course!" Milim's hand shot up like a kid in class.
"Me too!" Ramiris chimed in.
"Then let's go." Rimuru had already pinpointed the prison. With a snap, wings unfolded from his back, and he scooped up his companions, adding layers of invisibility magic. His spell didn't just hide appearances—it erased presence entirely, masking sight, sound, and even smell. Even a Marine Admiral standing face-to-face wouldn't notice a thing.
Below, thousands of Marines patrolled the port. Vice Admirals spread their forces, Admirals held their positions, and the whole fortress bristled with vigilance. Clearly, the World Government wasn't taking Gol D. Roger's execution lightly.
But all that preparation was meaningless against three Demon Lords from another world. Even if the Marines did somehow spot them, Rimuru and company could flatten the entire base before anyone blinked.
Leading the way, Rimuru drifted down toward a fortress forged from solid blocks of seastone. Inside sat a broad-shouldered man with a thick mustache and a crimson captain's coat. Gol D. Roger—the Pirate King himself.
The moment they slipped in, Roger laughed.
"Well, well. Didn't expect visitors for a man on death row. Hm? Two kids and… what, a tiny winged Dwarf?" He arched a brow. "Strange little bunch."
"Dwarf?! I'm a fairy! A fairy, you hear me!" Ramiris shouted, puffing up indignantly.
"Rimuru, he can see us?" Milim blinked in surprise. She couldn't believe anyone had pierced Rimuru's spell.
Rimuru gave a slow clap, grinning. "Impressive. As expected of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. That must be the 'Voice of All Things,' huh?"
"The… what now?" Milim scratched her head.
"Yeah," Roger admitted without hesitation. "The air itself told me you were here. But still, you're not what I expected. Who exactly are you? I'll warn you though—if you're fishing for intel on Laugh Tale, I won't say a word!"
"Laugh Tale?" Milim echoed, eyes wide. "Bestie, what's that?"
Before Rimuru could reply, Roger grinned. "The world's greatest treasure lies there. Whoever finds it… inherits the world itself!"
"Treasure?!" Milim and Ramiris' eyes lit up like children spotting candy.
For Milim, "treasure" meant anything shiny or edible, and she pursued it with single-minded glee. Ramiris, meanwhile, just loved the thrill of a hunt.
Rimuru rubbed his forehead.
"I'm Rimuru," he introduced. "This here's Milim, and the little one is Ramiris. We came to see for ourselves what the legendary Pirate King is like. Oh, and we brought you something."
He slipped a hand into the cell, and with a shimmer, a massive wine barrel materialized inside.
"Oh?" Roger's eyes widened. "What kind of Devil Fruit power is that? Storage-Storage Fruit? Space-Space Fruit?"
Rimuru shook his head. "Not a Devil Fruit. Just my own ability."
"Spatial storage!" Milim added, puffing her chest proudly. "How do you not know that? Are you really the Pirate King?"
"..." Roger stared, speechless. How the hell was he supposed to know that? Still, his eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Not a Devil Fruit…? Interesting."
"This was from Whitebeard," Rimuru said simply. "He asked me to deliver it."
"He… remembered?" For a moment Roger looked stunned, then he laughed heartily and hefted the barrel with one arm. Tilting it back, he gulped half down in one go. "Ahh! Nothing beats East Blue's sake!"
Rimuru smiled faintly. "So tell me, Roger—do you want to drink it again, in the future?"
Roger froze mid-swig, lowering the barrel.
.
.
.