— — — — — —
Three months had already passed.
The remnants of the old World Government had been completely wiped out, and the once-untouchable Celestial Dragons had fallen so low they'd become everyone's favorite target to spit on.
Still, sticking to principles of humanity, their crimes were made public in open trials. Those who hadn't committed any real offenses were let go—after all, you couldn't just wipe them all out, especially the ones who were basically just clueless kids or babies.
All the nations came together to form a United Government.
Kings of all nations were no longer chosen by bloodline but through elections, and the United Government oversaw fairness and transparency in the process.
The Navy was kept independent, tasked with monitoring the United Government and the nations, while also being monitored by them in turn.
United Government, nations, and Navy—they kept each other in check, building a system unlike anything before. Pirates who had fought to overthrow the World Government had their old crimes erased, but from here on out, if they went back to plundering or killing, the Navy would hunt them down without mercy.
As for the title of Pirate King, it was transformed into something new: Adventure King.
The United Government didn't just allow people to sail out and search for treasure, they actively encouraged it. But now, treasure-seekers weren't pirates, they were adventurers.
Ports offered supply stations at every stop, and an Adventurer's Guild was even founded. The guild rated crews based on their accomplishments and strength.
For example, Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki all had such overwhelming power and influence that their crews were the only ones to break the Billion-Belly rating mark, so they were the top.
However, Redfield, while individually strong, ranked only 65th—because he worked alone.
And every crew that actually reached the final destination would be crowned Adventure King by the United Government itself, receive a billion in prize money, and claim a mysterious treasure hidden at the end of the journey.
By the way, since Roger had already made it to the end once, he became the first Adventure King practically for free—pocketing that billion with a grin.
So in the One Piece World... The Great Pirate Era never came to be. Instead, the Great Adventure Era was born, with countless people setting sail to chase Roger's legacy and uncover that ultimate treasure.
---
Meanwhile, in the Tensura World—
"Ahh, now this is the life. Fighting and killing? Totally not my thing." Rimuru stretched out lazily on Ranga's back, eating an ice cream with a look of pure bliss.
Ranga's tail swished back and forth like an electric fan, stirring up a cool breeze while he clutched a massive shaved ice and licked at it nonstop, frosty mist puffing out from his mouth.
"But seriously…" Rimuru glanced at the group sprawled out nearby: Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, Sengoku, even Kong. All of them were lounging in chairs, snacking and sipping on cold drinks like they owned the place.
"This is my home, you know. Did any of you bother to ask before barging in?" Rimuru smacked his forehead in exasperation.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard bellowed with laughter, raising his drink. "Don't be so stingy. We're all guildmates here, aren't we? As the guild master, isn't it only natural for you to host a get-together for us?"
"Heh." Rimuru gave him a deadpan look. "Sorry, but what kind of 'guild master' lets his so-called members raid his house, eat his food, crash on his furniture, and spend his allowance money—then still has the nerve to say that?"
Whitebeard flushed and quickly took another swig of the very drink Rimuru's allowance had paid for.
"Don't sweat the details," Garp said with his usual carefree grin. "Next time we'll drag Kuzan and Sakazuki along too. Let them handle the shaved ice and barbecue."
Rimuru: "(—_—)"
… Seriously, Garp, when it comes to wild ideas, you take the crown.
---
Back in the pirate world, both Kuzan and Sakazuki suddenly sneezed. Was it a cold? Or was someone talking about them? Either way, why did their backs feel so cold all of a sudden?
---
"Damn you, Garp."
Beside Garp, Sengoku was tempted to smack him across the head. Did he really have to embarrass the Navy like this?
"By the way, Popsy," Rimuru asked with interest, "what happened with Blackbeard?"
"I kicked him out of my crew," Whitebeard's tone dropped into something quieter, heavier. Then, after a pause, he straightened up again. "That kind of man isn't worthy of being my son. He can't carry the weight of my name."
Yeah, Rimuru had already let them watch One Piece in the Dimensional Guild's cinema. Of course, it was only up to the episodes he himself had seen—he didn't exactly get the whole anime from the gacha yet.
"C'mon, lighten up." Garp slapped Whitebeard's thigh with a grin. "Ace is doing fine, isn't he? And I didn't even do anything too harsh to Sakazuki—just beat him up a few dozen times. So cheer up!"
Everyone: "..."
Just a few dozen times? Only Garp would say that with a straight face. Sakazuki would cry if he heard that.
"Forget it," Whitebeard said at last with a carefree wave. "Everything's different now. I've let it go. I hope he finds a new goal now."
"That's the spirit." Garp laughed, pulling out a bizarre-looking bottle of liquor. The drink inside shimmered in rainbow colors. Without hesitation, he popped it open and drank straight from the bottle. "Why think so hard about the past? Just enjoy the moment!"
"…Wait. Where did you get that bottle?" Rimuru frowned. It looked awfully familiar.
"Found it under your bed," Garp said shamelessly. "Didn't know you were hiding the good stuff. You're still too young for booze, so leave the drinking to us grown-ups."
"You… you bastard!" Rimuru's face turned red with fury. "Can you not be so shameless?! And for the record, that stuff isn't even alcohol." His expression twisted strangely by the end.
"…Not alcohol?" Garp blinked.
"That's slime juice. I spent ages squeezing it out of different colored slimes just to fill that one bottle. And you went and drank it. So—how does slime juice taste?" Rimuru said with a dark smile.
Garp's face turned purple. "S-S-Slime juice? You—"
He didn't even finish. A horrifying taste slammed into his brain, and before he could react, he was foaming at the mouth and collapsing on the ground.
That bottle contained extracts from acid slimes, poison slimes, gold slimes—dozens of varieties. Practically the essence of the entire slime race.
Honestly, no one but Garp could've been dumb enough to actually drink it.
.
.
.