— — — — — —
Before long, a few more figures stepped through the great doors. Roger immediately felt the overwhelming aura they carried.
"Long time no see, Rimuru-chan." The speaker, a handsome man with fiery red hair, smiled faintly. "Calling us all here—must be something serious, right?"
This was Guy Crimson, one of the strongest Demon Lords, bearing the title of Lord of Darkness. Along with Ramiris and Milim, he was one of the three oldest Demon Lords. Originally he had been one of the Primordials, the Primordial Red.
"If it's nothing important, then don't waste our time." The man beside him, equally handsome but with a colder tone, cut in bluntly.
Leon Cromwell—the Platinum Saber, Guy's close friend. Once chosen to become a Hero, he had "defeated" a Demon Lord… only to become one himself. Seriously though, did this world hand out the Demon Lord title like candy? Was it like, the one who fought too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself?
"..."
Behind these two Demon Lords, a silver-haired beauty stood silently, her gaze locked on Veldora at Rimuru's side.
Veldora, never one to back down, met her stare head-on. This was Luminous Valentine, a Vampire Queen and Demon Lord in her own right, who had once fought Veldora and clearly hadn't forgotten it.
"Yes, it's something important." Rimuru waited until everyone sat before speaking. His voice was calm, but there was a weight to it. "Over the past few months, I've been traveling through the One Piece world. What I saw there… honestly, it made me furious."
His expression didn't change much, but everyone present could hear the anger in his tone.
"Oh? What kind of thing could possibly anger our kindhearted Rimuru?" Guy leaned back, intrigued. Having known Rimuru for so long, he understood his nature well. Rimuru almost never got angry. Even when they dumped endless paperwork on him, Rimuru would just grumble a little, then finish it all without complaint.
"The nobles of that world…" Rimuru exhaled deeply, steadying himself. Then he laid it all out. How nobles captured people and sold them as slaves. How they lived in luxury while common folk starved, fought over scraps, or died in the streets. How the so-called Celestial Dragons casually gunned down slaves for sport. How one of them even tried to kill a pregnant woman for no reason—and Rimuru had slaughtered that one on the spot. If not for fear of throwing the world into total chaos by collapsing its government too quickly, Rimuru admitted he would have already wiped the World Government off the map.
"Slaves?" Guy's smile vanished. The other Demon Lords, and even those simply present, fell silent.
For monsters, freedom was sacred—more precious than life itself. They could submit, even swear loyalty, as they had to Rimuru. But slavery? That was beyond unacceptable.
"…Hard to hear your own world being criticized like this." Roger let out a bitter laugh. "And the worst part is… there's no denying a single word of it."
"Roger, this isn't your fault," Rimuru said gently.
Roger had started the Great Pirate Era to shake the foundation of the World Government, hoping to weaken their grip through chaos. He did his best.
"But I'm still one of them. Everyone says a pirate is the freest person alive, yet that world is nothing but a giant cage. There's no freedom at all!" Roger clenched his fists, then forced himself to calm down. He bowed deeply to Rimuru. "Rimuru, please—help us. I know I don't have the right to ask this, but on behalf of everyone suffering under that system… I beg you."
If anyone could make the impossible possible, it was this group.
"H-hey! Roger, what are you doing? Get up already." Rimuru hurried to pull him back up, flustered. "I called this meeting precisely to help your world, you know!"
"…Really?" Roger's eyes lit with hope.
"Of course it's real." Rimuru sighed helplessly. "Sheesh, can't you let me finish a sentence? Always in such a rush. Ever heard the saying 'You can't bake a cake faster by turning up the heat'?"
"Helping to overthrow that World Government thing, huh? Not a bad way to kill some time." Guy stroked his chin with interest.
"Hmph. Pointless, but… I suppose I've got nothing better to do. Might as well lend a hand. It's just a World Government, after all." Leon frowned as he said it. Classic tsundere act—cold on the outside, but not fooling anyone.
Rimuru gave Leon a warm smile, which only made the man's expression darken. What? Was it a crime for a Demon Lord to be a little tsundere?
"Then let's get down to business." Rimuru clapped his hands lightly. "How do we topple the World Government? Who takes what role?"
The room came alive with heated discussion. Roger watched them, his chest warming, his fierce eyes softening with emotion.
"…Thank you. All of you."
— — —
Meanwhile, One Piece...
"Commander Kong, care to explain? How did this happen?"
Inside a dim conference room, the Five Elders fixed their sharp gazes on the man before them. The air itself seemed to weigh heavy, thick with invisible pressure.
Kong, his body swathed head-to-toe in bandages, sat in silence for a long moment.
At last, he spoke. "I never imagined we'd face an enemy on that level! And it wasn't an army. Just one woman... ONE! Yet even with me, Garp, Zephyr, and a whole lineup of Vice Admirals combined… we weren't even close to being her match."
His voice grew darker as he went on. "And if my read on the situation is right, she wasn't alone."
"At least three of them. One kept me occupied, another held off Sengoku and the others, and a third pulled Roger out. Monsters only befriend monsters. To ally with creatures that terrifying… what do you expect me to do?"
The Elders' faces shifted slightly. At last, one of them spoke, hesitant. "Are you saying they were truly that strong?"
"It's worse than that." Kong's reply was firm. "When Garp and Zephyr came to, they swore the woman hadn't even been fighting seriously. When she finally did, she crushed them in an instant. At first I thought they were exaggerating. Now… I can't even picture what kind of strength that is."
"I see," one Elder muttered, his voice low. If Kong spoke the truth, then the World Government might soon face an enemy unlike any it had ever known. Its claim of being unmatched could soon crumble.
"This incident has dealt us a severe blow," another Elder said coolly. "Several kingdoms have already voiced dissatisfaction with our failure. Roger aside, what matters most now is restoring the Government's prestige. Calm the people. Show strength. Kong—take Sengoku and the others and round up as many notorious criminals as you can. We need a public show to repair the damage."
"Agreed." The others nodded.
"…Understood." Kong gave a stiff reply, then turned and left.
The room grew quiet. The five exchanged looks, the silence heavy with unspoken unease.
"Should we… inform Lord Imu?" one finally asked.
"We'd better. If Kong's words are true, this situation has already slipped beyond our control."
With grim expressions, they opened a hidden passage and disappeared into the shadows.
.
.
.