"It feels like something strange has awakened in me… almost like an innate ability," Haruto muttered as he sat on his bed. "It's like a subconscious instinct in my mind is telling me I was born to use this power. As long as I will it, I can use it."
He shifted his gaze to a pencil on the table nearby.
With a curious mindset, he lightly tapped the pencil with his finger. A faint, somewhat blurry white glow circled around his fingertip.
This power… he didn't need to chant anything, didn't need to gesture dramatically. He only had to think, and the ability would activate—like blinking his eyes.
The white light enveloped the pencil for just a second before it faded away. In the next instant, the pencil had been separated cleanly into two components: the long wooden exterior and the thin, dark graphite core. They lay quietly on the table, perfectly intact but no longer joined.
He'd actually separated the pencil lead from its casing!
"If this works on a person…" Haruto thought, "could it separate flesh from bone?"
That terrifying possibility didn't seem out of reach.
"There's still a long way to go before I can break matter down to atomic levels," Haruto assessed thoughtfully. "Right now, I can probably just split objects into their parts—like separating planks and nails from a table."
Alone at home, Haruto began testing the ability on all kinds of random items—an old stool, a worn-out glove, a rusty kitchen knife… He even caught a living cockroach, curious to see if the power could affect living organisms.
The result?
It could.
He watched in eerie fascination as the cockroach's exoskeleton and internal organs were separated into distinct piles on the floor. The creature—infamous for its tenacity—wouldn't survive long in that state.
If it worked on a cockroach, then by all logic…
It would work on humans too.
Though arthropods and mammals are very different, they're both forms of life.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Haruto furrowed his brows. He'd just realized something important—his stamina was woefully insufficient to keep using this power continuously.
In the world of ninjas, jutsus and techniques consume chakra. In the pirate world, Devil Fruit powers, Haki, and physical techniques all drain stamina.
Haruto, in this world, was just a regular civilian. He wasn't a ninja or a samurai, and he hadn't even attended the ninja academy.
So where was he supposed to get the stamina to keep using a Devil Fruit ability?
Forcing himself to keep using it would only backfire.
Edward Newgate: "Lord Admin, did you eat that fruit already? It should be the Paramecia-type Decomposition Fruit, right?"
Awuu the Ferocious (Haruto): "Yep, it's the Decomposition Fruit. Pretty interesting ability."
Awuu the Ferocious: "But man, the taste of Devil Fruits… it's something else, I'll tell you that."
Lady Kaguya: "Eh? Does that mean Devil Fruits taste terrible?"
Awuu the Ferocious: "Uh… let's just say, the flavor is 'unique.' Only way to know is to try it yourself."
Lady Kaguya: "..."
Because it was still the weekend, Kaguya Shinomiya was resting in her luxurious mansion. Upon reading Haruto's message in the group chat, she fell into deep thought.
For some reason, she felt like she was being conned.
Could the fruit really not taste that bad?
Surely the group admin wouldn't lie to her… right?
Shaking her head to clear the thought, Kaguya buried her face into her expensive, fluffy pillow and muttered faintly, "This Dimensional Chat Group really is something else…"
In her daily-life-style world, the group felt like pure fantasy.
Her world was incredibly similar to Haruto's past life on Earth—advanced in science and culture. The only difference was that works like One Piece, Naruto, or The Wandering Earth didn't exist in her universe.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. Kaguya sent a message to the group:
Lady Kaguya: "By the way! I just realized—how many points does it take to travel to another member's world?"
Wandering Little Planet: "I don't think the announcement ever said exactly how many."
Wandering Little Planet: "Why are you so curious about traveling?"
Lady Kaguya: "Isn't it natural to be curious about other worlds?"
Wandering Little Planet: "True, true! I wanna explore too, maybe find a nice galaxy to chill in. Too bad I'm broke on points."
Awuu the Ferocious: "Good question, actually. Let me double-check—didn't focus on that detail before."
Haruto realized he'd mentioned that travel cost points but never said how many. That was a slip.
Kaguya's sharp observation skills really were worthy of her "elite student" status.
After checking the system settings, Haruto edited the previous group announcement and reposted it.
Awuu the Ferocious: "Kaguya's reminder was spot on. I've updated the announcement—traveling to another member's world costs 1,000 points. Not exactly cheap, but not impossible either. And you still need the admin's approval."
Lady Kaguya: "1,000 points?! That's so expensive… I only have 50 right now."
Lady Kaguya: "Wait a minute… hold on, wait a sec! How did you know my surname is Shinomiya?! I never told you that! 〣(ºΔº)〣"
Eternally Seventeen Girl: "Nice catch, little Kaguya. You found the blind spot."
Lady Kaguya: "Weren't you supposed to be in hibernation?"
Eternally Seventeen Girl: "Yeah, I was. I've now finished hibernating. Half an hour later, I feel totally refreshed."
Lady Kaguya: "???"
Haruto couldn't help but be impressed by her sharp intuition.
Still, it wasn't like he was hiding anything.
They'd all find out eventually anyway.
So he decided to just explain it plainly in the group chat:
Awuu the Ferocious: "Because I've seen the anime you're from. The multiverse includes all kinds of worlds—novels, movies, games, anime… I might even be from a novel myself."
Awuu the Ferocious: "I know your surname because I've seen your series. You're even one of the main characters."
Awuu the Ferocious: "Same goes for Whitebeard and Little Planet—I know their stories too. As for Miss Yukari… well, I've only heard bits and pieces."
Eternally Seventeen Girl: "Calling me 'granny'? How rude, Lord Admin!"
Haruto ignored the grumpy Yukari, who was clearly touchy about her age.
He quietly let them digest this "shocking" info.
Of course, there was one thing Haruto would never say aloud…
He'd also seen Kaguya in ahem… "other types" of content.
Back when he worked part-time as a content inspector, staying up late every night to flag illegal videos and apps… he'd "accidentally" come across some interesting… fan-made material.