Chapter 127: Lucifer's Fantasies About Ninjas Are Shattered
The atmosphere in the Dimensional Restaurant was usually one of warm tranquility, a sanctuary separated from the chaos of the multiverse by a sturdy wooden door. However, at this precise moment, the air was vibrating with the aftershocks of a brief but intense violence.
Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman who aimed to be the world's strongest, was currently lying flat on his back on the polished wooden floorboards.
He wasn't moving.
If it weren't for his single eye being wide open, staring at the ceiling beams with a manic, almost feverish intensity, and the uncontrollable, feral grin stretching across his face, one might truly think he had fallen asleep or passed out from the sheer impact.
But Zoro was not asleep. He was awake. He was alive. And he was exceptionally, terrifyingly excited.
His body throbbed with a dull ache where Ren's kick had connected—a simple, straight front kick that had felt like being hit by a cannonball fired from a Marine battleship. The force had launched him across the room before he could even complete his draw.
'Fast...' Zoro thought, his grin widening until it showed his teeth. 'He didn't even use a weapon. He didn't use Haki. Just raw speed and power.'
For a man who spent his days lifting weights that would crush a normal human and fighting beasts the size of islands, this defeat was not a humiliation. It was a gift.
First, he had stumbled into a restaurant visited by the very person he aimed to surpass—Dracule Mihawk. The lingering scent of strong liquor and the ghost of a presence confirmed the shopkeeper's words.
Second, he had just fought against a man whose strength was unfathomable.
Whether a swordsman or a warrior, the truly strong never fear failure. Failure is just data. Failure is the sharpening stone for the soul. Every loss is just another step on the staircase to the summit.
Although he was defeated in an instant, launched across the room like a ragdoll, it only reinforced a truth he already knew but constantly sought to test: the world is vast. There were too many strong people, both in the Grand Line and in these strange, other worlds.
Thinking of this, he was filled with motivation. His ambition burned hotter than the spicy food he was about to eat.
"Heh... Heh heh..." A low, gravelly chuckle escaped his throat, vibrating in his chest.
Nearby, Lucifer sat at her table, sipping her tea with practiced elegance. She glanced down at the moss-headed swordsman lying on the floor with a mixture of pity and aristocratic disdain.
'Humans are so noisy even when they are defeated,' she mused, adjusting her cuff. 'He enjoys pain? Or is he just stupid? Probably both.'
She dismissed him from her mind. Him lying there didn't affect the ambiance too much; he was quiet enough, and he wasn't bleeding on the floor, which was a plus.
Instead, Lucifer turned her attention to the other new arrival, the woman in red.
Mai Shiranui was standing near the entrance, still recovering from the shock of her arrival and the sudden display of violence. Unlike Zoro, she wasn't focused on the fight. She was admiring the shop itself.
Mai smoothed the fabric of her revealing red outfit—a modified kunoichi gi that prioritized mobility (and distraction) over coverage. She looked around the room, her large, expressive eyes taking in every detail.
She saw the warm, amber light filtering through the glass pendants of the lamps. She saw the grain of the high-quality mahogany tables. She smelled the faint, comforting scent of old wood, mixed with the lingering spices of previous meals—star anise, cinnamon, and searing meat.
It was a sanctuary.
It reminded her of the dojo back home, but warmer. Softer. It lacked the sweat and the shouting of the Andy Bogard fan club.
"Hmm... such a cozy feeling," Mai murmured, her voice soft and melodic. "It feels... safe. Like a hidden safehouse, but with better decoration."
She believed that no girl would dislike a room that felt this secure. The tension from her previous escape, the adrenaline of the chase, slowly melted away from her shoulders.
Lucifer watched Mai Shiranui closely.
The Queen of Hell's crimson eyes scanned the kunoichi with the precision of a predator assessing a new species. She looked at the deep V-neck of the red cloth, the decorative oversized beads trailing behind her like tails, and the fan clutched in her hand.
'A ninja...' Lucifer thought. 'A real human ninja.'
Suddenly, a thought sparked in Lucifer's mind. A memory of the pop culture she had consumed on her new smartphone.
She sat up straighter, her posture shifting from relaxed to attentive. She reached into her pocket, took out her phone, and quickly typed a search query under the table.
[Search: Human Ninjas. Abilities. Magic. Real Life.]
She read the results that flashed on the screen.
Invisibility. Cloning. Walking on water. Summoning giant toads. Breathing fire.
Her eyes lit up. The crimson irises seemed to glow with childish wonder.
She looked at Mai Shiranui with renewed interest and sparkling anticipation. This wasn't just a guest; this was a specimen of a legendary class!
Mai, noticing the intense stare burning into her side, was slightly startled. She turned to look at the silver-haired woman.
She saw a beauty that defied logic. Pale skin, silver hair, red eyes—Lucifer looked like a doll made of moonlight and blood. But right now, that doll was staring at her with an intensity that was... unsettling.
Mai looked down at herself, checking for stains or wardrobe malfunctions (which were always a risk in her outfit).
"Um..." Mai asked in confusion, tilting her head. "Is something wrong with me? Do I have soot on my face from the travel?"
Lucifer shook her head repeatedly, her silver hair swaying with the motion. But her eyes remained fixed on Mai, practically glowing with curiosity.
Mai felt a bit awkward. This beautiful, elegant woman with the perfect figure and the sharp business suit kept looking at her with such a strange, hungry gaze... it wasn't lust, but it was definitely a form of coveting.
Finally, Lucifer couldn't hold it back anymore. She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper.
"Are you..." she paused for effect. "Are you wearing a ninja outfit?!"
Mai Shiranui breathed a sigh of relief. So it was just curiosity about her fashion choices. She was used to people staring at her outfit; it was designed to draw the eye, after all.
She nodded and said with immense pride, puffing out her chest and placing a hand on her hip.
"Yes! Because the Shiranui Style is a ninjutsu school! I am the successor! I am a Kunoichi!"
Lucifer, the Queen of Hell, the CEO of the Damned, suddenly looked like an ordinary human fangirl meeting an idol. She clasped her hands together on the table.
"So, you can use ninjutsu?!" she asked breathlessly.
Mai nodded, smiling confidently. "Of course! I have trained since childhood under my grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui! My skills are impeccable!"
Lucifer asked with intense anticipation, leaning even closer, her eyes wide. "Is ninjutsu that kind of thing where you can just disappear with a 'whoosh' in a puff of smoke?! Teleportation? Invisibility?"
Mai was startled. She blinked.
She looked at the expectant face of the woman. She didn't want to disappoint her, but honesty was a virtue.
She smiled apologetically and waved her hand.
"Ah... that's just folklore," she explained gently, unknowingly destroying the Queen's dreams with a sledgehammer of reality. "There's no such thing as vanishing into thin air magically. Smoke bombs can provide cover for a tactical retreat, but we still have to run away physically. We can't dematerialize. Ninjutsu is actually just a special martial art, incorporating tools like fans, oil, and psychology."
(Somewhere in a hidden leaf village across the multiverse, a blond ninja sneezed violently: "Huh? Someone is underestimating us! Dattebayo!")
Lucifer's face fell. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed slightly.
"No teleportation..." she muttered.
But she was a bit unwilling to give up. She had read the wiki!
"Then… what about the Clone Jutsu? Can you make copies of yourself to fight? Shadow clones?"
Mai shook her head. "That's an illusion~. Using high speed to create afterimages to confuse the enemy. But they aren't solid. You can't send them to buy groceries."
"What about Substitution Jutsu? Turning into a log when hit?"
"That's just finding something to take your place quickly before an attack lands~. Usually a dummy or a piece of wood we carry. It's sleight of hand, not magic."
Lucifer slumped slightly. Sleight of hand. Speed. Physics.
Where was the magic? Where were the hand signs?
"What about those elements?" Lucifer asked, grasping at straws. "Fire, water, lightning, and so on? Can you breathe fire?"
Mai thought for a moment. She tapped her fan against her chin.
"I'm not really sure about lightning and water... I haven't seen anyone shoot lightning from their hands without a generator. But fire..."
Mai grinned. She snapped her fan open with a flick of her wrist.
"Fire is no problem~. The Shiranui style specializes in pyrokinesis. I can summon flames with my spirit!"
Lucifer nodded. Although she was a little disappointed that ninjas weren't magical wizards of stealth as depicted in anime, she relaxed once she knew that fire—her favorite element as a ruler of Hell—was still on the table.
"Fire is good," Lucifer muttered, a satisfied smile returning to her lips. "I like fire. Fire solves many administrative problems."
She had always thought ninjas were something very mysterious and powerful, capable of reshaping reality with hand signs. It turned out they were just agile fighters with pyrotechnics. But fire... fire she could respect.
Mai Shiranui, on the other hand, looked at Lucifer with growing curiosity.
This woman was strange. She wore a modern suit, spoke like a queen, and asked questions like a child. And then there was the matter of her headgear.
"Miss," Mai asked politely, pointing a finger. "Is that horn on your head a special hair ornament? It's quite pretty… very realistic. Is it bone? Or plastic?"
Lucifer touched her white horn instinctively. It was smooth, warm, and very much a part of her skull.
"Oh? This?" She smiled smugly. "It's natural~."
"Eh?!" Mai gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Natural? So you're also from Another World? A demi-human?"
Lucifer thought for a moment.
"Logically speaking, those who come through that glowing door are guests from Another World. Like you. But I came in normally through the front door, and I live upstairs in the guest room. So, technically, I should be considered a resident of this world now~."
Mai nodded, trying to follow the logic. "Considered?"
"Because I came up from below~," Lucifer said, pointing a manicured finger downward.
Mai looked down at the wooden floorboards.
Below? Which below? The basement? A subway station? A secret underground organization?
Suddenly, Mai looked at Lucifer's horn again. The pale skin. The crimson eyes that seemed to hold ancient secrets. The aura of authority.
A bold, terrifying guess formed in her mind.
"That… this 'below' is… Hell?"
When Mai asked, she herself found it absurd. Creatures from Hell would look like this? Elegant, beautiful women in business suits eating breakfast? If devils looked like this, then Heaven must be empty, because everyone would be running downstairs to submit resumes!
However, she apparently forgot that her own current situation—traveling across dimensions to a restaurant via a magic door—was also a very bizarre act that defied logic.
Lucifer showed a strange, smug smile. She flipped her silver hair over her shoulder.
"Yes. I am Lucifer, the…"
"Lucifer?!"
Mai Shiranui interrupted, her voice rising an octave. She certainly knew that name. It was one of the most famous names in existence, across almost every culture. The Fallen One. The Morning Star.
Lucifer's eyes lit up with joy. Finally! Finally, someone recognized her name and showed the appropriate shock! This feeling was too exhilarating! This was the respect she deserved!
But then Mai tilted her head, a frown of confusion marring her face.
"But..." Mai asked innocently. "Isn't Lucifer... a man? A fallen angel with six wings? Usually depicted as a handsome man or a dragon?"
Crack.
Lucifer's smile froze. Her mouth twitched.
She had intended to awe the mortal, but she was counter-attacked by gender stereotypes and theology.
"I am Lucifer!" she exclaimed indignantly, slamming her hand on the table. The cutlery rattled. "Queen of Hell! Queen! CEO! Why does everyone assume I'm a man?! Do I look like an old man with a beard?!"
Lucifer's outburst made Mai Shiranui pause. She blinked, taken aback by the sudden fury. Then she nodded quickly, sensing danger.
"O-Okay! Queen! I understand! I apologize for the assumption!"
Since Lucifer was someone she couldn't afford to offend (and looked like she might bite or summon fire), Mai decided to just go along with her. After all, this Lucifer didn't seem at all like the terrifying Devil from mythology. Compared to that, this Lucifer was more like... a tsundere little girl trying to act tough in a suit?
Lucifer naturally sensed the perfunctory feeling in Mai's agreement. It annoyed her. It felt patronizing.
Just as Lucifer was about to summon a skeletal minion or manifest some hellfire to prove her identity once and for all, the kitchen curtains parted.
Ren walked out.
He was holding a tray with two steaming cups. The aroma of tea wafted ahead of him, cutting through the tension.
"Your dishes all need some time to prepare," Ren announced, his voice calm and grounding, ignoring the magical standoff. "The pork needs to braise, and the mochi needs to steam. Have something to drink first to warm your stomach~."
Mai looked at the steaming cup placed on her table. It smelled floral and sweet.
Ren then walked over to where Zoro was still lying on the floor contemplating his defeat. He placed a cup on the nearby table leg.
"Although the floor is clean," Ren said with a smile, looking down at the swordsman, "it's still better to sit on a chair, Mr. Zoro. Unless you're planning to nap there. I have to sweep later."
Zoro sat up, his abs crunching effortlessly. He glanced at Ren, twisted his neck with a loud crack, and then sat in his seat.
He sniffed the contents of the cup. "What is this? It smells like... leaves."
"Nothing, just ordinary Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea). It's good for digestion."
Zoro grunted, taking a sip. "Not bad. Needs sake."
Ren turned back to the ladies.
"But, Miss Shiranui... can you accept that title for a ninja? 'Miss'?"
Mai was surprised, then nodded repeatedly, waving her fan. "There are no such formalities! Mai is fine!"
Ren nodded and said softly, "However, Miss Mai's tea is a bit different from the swordsman's. Because it's a tea specially for ladies."
"Eh? Tea specially for ladies?"
Mai suddenly became very interested. What kind of tea was specially for ladies? She had smelled a very mellow aroma just now, but she wasn't sure if it was what she thought.
Ren looked at Lucifer. The demon was pouting, her arms crossed, glaring at the table.
"Eh? Lucifer, what's wrong? Did the ninja disappoint you?"
Lucifer grabbed Ren's arm, pulling him down slightly. She whispered with a serious expression, her eyes pleading.
"Ren... I am the Queen of Hell, right? Tell her! She thinks I'm cosplaying!"
Ren looked at her desperate face. He smiled.
He turned to Mai Shiranui.
"Miss Mai," Ren said, his voice serious. "I can vouch for her. The person in front of you is the genuine Queen of Hell, Lucifer. Even if she looks a bit... harmless right now, and spends her time eating pancakes and reading manga, she is indeed the ruler of the underworld."
Mai blinked. She looked at the somewhat smug Lucifer, who was now puffing out her chest.
"Oh..." Mai nodded slowly. "Okay. I believe you, Shopkeeper."
She still didn't feel it was quite right, but if the mysterious chef said so, it must be true.
Ren smiled and patted Lucifer's head. "Alright, little Queen, are you satisfied? I'm going to prepare the dishes~."
"Hmph! Go! And make it delicious!"
"Please wait a moment, both of you. Lucifer, you can chat with the guest. Don't scare her."
Ren said, then turned back to the kitchen.
Lucifer turned her head to look at Mai Shiranui. For some reason, she always felt a bit strange about this ninja. Too... exposed.
Mai also felt strange looking at Ren's retreating back.
'To make the Queen of Hell so obedient... and to defeat that scary swordsman with one kick...' Mai thought. 'Who exactly is this shop owner? Is he a god in disguise?'
The two women stared at each other, an awkward silence filling the air.
Finally, Mai broke the ice.
"So... Miss Lucifer. About Hell... do you have Onsen (Hot Springs) there? With all that fire?"
Lucifer blinked. "Hot Springs? We have lakes of boiling lava. Does that count?"
"...Maybe not for bathing."
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