Bang!
With a slight jolt, the Moby Dick docked smoothly at the harbor.
"Old man Whitebeard!" Rimuru hopped onto Whitebeard's oversized chair with a grin. "When's Roger being executed?"
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious. "Why do you ask? Don't tell me… you're thinking of breaking him out?"
"What?! Of course not!" Rimuru almost rolled his eyes. "Do I look like that kind of person?"
"…The day after tomorrow," Whitebeard finally replied, voice low. Though they had once clashed as rivals, he still considered Roger a friend in a strange way. And now, that friend—the man who reached the peak of piracy—was…
"So that means I've still got time," Rimuru muttered thoughtfully, then turned to Whitebeard with determined eyes. "Old man, I want to meet him. Just once."
Whitebeard fell silent. Even though Roger had surrendered himself, the marines were taking no chances. The place where he was held… would be heavily guarded, as expected of the Pirate King.
"…Can you pull it off?" Whitebeard asked seriously, locking eyes with Rimuru.
"Totally," Rimuru puffed out his chest confidently. "Just leave it to me!"
"Alright. Then take something for me." Whitebeard stood up and left. A few minutes later, he returned carrying a massive sake barrel.
"What kind of sake is this?" Rimuru asked, curious.
Whitebeard opened the lid, poured out half the contents, and resealed it. "A debt I owe him. Give it to him, will you? I'm counting on you, Rimuru."
"…Got it." Rimuru absorbed the barrel into his body, then turned around. "I'm off."
Spreading his wings, he leapt lightly into the air, soaring away from the Moby Dick and toward Loguetown. Below, Whitebeard watched his figure disappear into the distance, sighing quietly.
High in the sky, Rimuru used invisibility magic to conceal himself as he searched the enormous town below, eyes scanning for the prison holding Roger.
Just then—ping!
A mental notification buzzed in his head. Someone from the Dimensional Guild was trying to contact him.
Ramiris: "Rimuru! Emergency! Pick up!"
Rimuru: "What's up?"
Milim: "Bestie! Come back quick! That dumb lizard Veldora is a total noob! I can't carry him anymore!!"
Veldora: "...I didn't mean to…"
Milim: "He's always feeding first blood to the enemy! He keeps dragging down the team, and now Ichiji—that arrogant Demon Emperor from the Primordial Demons—is laughing at me!! I want to cry!"
Veldora: "...…"
Milim: "Where are you, Bestie?"
Rimuru: "Uh, I'm in another world right now."
Milim: "WHAT?!" (⊙▽⊙!)
Ramiris: "Wait, when did that happen?!"
Rimuru: "I've been out for over a month now." (=__=!!)
Diablo: "Lord Rimuru… It's been a while."
Rimuru: "Diablo?! You're here too?"
Diablo: "Naturally, my lord. I've been online this whole time, waiting in case you needed anything. After all, I am your Chief Secretary."
Rimuru: "Huh, that's surprisingly responsible of you."
Milim: "Bestieee! Can I come over too?"
Ramiris: "Me too! Let me in!"
Rimuru: "Why, though?"
Milim: "Pleaaase, Bestie! I promise I won't cause trouble! I swear on my title as Demon Lord!"
Ramiris: "Same here! I swear on my name too!"
Rimuru: "…I'm skeptical."
"Pleaaase~!" "Rimuru-chaaaaan~!"
Rimuru sighed. Honestly, there was no way Milim and Ramiris wouldn't cause trouble. If he refused, they'd probably tear his country apart just to spite him!
"Fine," Rimuru finally gave in with a groan. "But! You absolutely cannot mess around!"
"Yaaay!!" Milim and Ramiris squealed with joy. A brand-new world to explore?! Best vacation ever! As for all that swearing and promising? Pffft, who cares? Worst case, they could just stop being Demon Lords!
Completely unaware of the chaos these two were about to unleash, Rimuru opened the Dimensional Guild interface. A screen popped up in front of him.
["Enable Dimensional Travel?"
"Confirm?"
"Yes."
Dimensional Travel Enabled.]
Rimuru linked the Space-Time Gate skill he had drawn previously into the Guild system. A few moments later, two familiar figures materialized midair in front of him.
One was the same height as Rimuru, with bright pink twin-tails, deep blue eyes, and a signature cowlick waving on her head. She was, as always, not wearing pants—just black panties. This was none other than:
Milim Nava, the Destroyer Tyrant, one of the oldest Demon Lords. Holder of the ultimate skill Wrathful King, now evolved into God of Wrath through the Guild's enhancement system. Her petite frame housed near-limitless magic power that increased endlessly during battle. Even Rimuru would think twice before challenging her. Unfortunately… her intelligence score hovered around rock-bottom. She was extremely gullible and needed constant supervision.
The other figure was far smaller—only about twenty centimeters tall—with two pairs of fluttering wings. Adorably fairy-like in appearance, this was:
Ramiris, the Labyrinth Fairy. Also one of the oldest Demon Lords and the current Fairy Queen. Once powerful enough to rival Milim, she'd sacrificed her strength long ago to save Milim from a mental breakdown. Recently, thanks to the Guild's system, she had regained much of her power. Kind-hearted, super tsundere, and just as troublesome.
Now, with Rimuru, Milim, and Ramiris standing side by side… they honestly looked like a group of cosplaying high schoolers at an anime convention. One cute, one silly, and one tiny. Who the hell would believe they were Demon Lords?! They didn't look intimidating in the slightest!