Riser raised his head, the vivid red swirling in his eyes. The flame beneath his skin pulsed, and space folded in a distorted spiral.
ZUUUUM
Inside Kamui, the void gained the texture of reflection. He traveled through the dimensional rift until the Grand Line's sea unfolded before him. A crimson portal loomed on the horizon, opening in pulsating waves.
Tentacles covered in eyes broke through the surface of the sea. The extrinsic creatures lunged at nearby ships, tearing their hulls like paper. A muffled roar spread in sonic waves, shattering masts and forcing sailors to cover their ears until blood dripped through their fingers.
The sky darkened with membranous wings that emerged from the rift. The abominations dove upon the decks, seizing men and tearing them apart midair.
[Host, these portals multiply without pattern. Each represents total risk.]
Riser remained motionless, eyes half-closed. "They're only showing me where to go."
The vision trembled. He clenched his fist, and his body vanished from the distorted dimension.
Alabasta
In the stone palace, silence was broken by urgent calls. Guards rushed through the corridors with hurried steps.
Cobra lifted his chin from the throne. "I want reports. What's happening outside these walls?"
A Marine captain, wounded and dust-covered, knelt before him. "Your Majesty, our troops are being crushed. The Pacifistas can't withstand the pressure. The creatures advance through entire cities. Every defense raised is destroyed within minutes."
Vivi rose, her eyes glistening. "We can't stand idle while our people are massacred by those creatures."
BOOOOM
The explosion echoed in the distance, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Dust rained down from the columns of the hall.
Cobra stood and, for the first time in years, dropped his royal stiffness. He pulled Vivi into a firm embrace, his voice low and trembling against her ear. "I won't let them take you from me, my daughter."
The echo of the blast reverberated once more through the palace, reminding everyone that the desert was no longer just sand and sun, but a frontier against the unknown. The heavy air inside mirrored the same tension that gripped the streets, as if even the silence waited for a salvation that never came.
'If only Luffy or Riser were here to protect us.'
The thought pulsed in Vivi's chest like a silent scream. She didn't know of Luffy's death, and about Riser, she only heard the rumors spreading like wildfire—stories of massacres and impossible victories. Yet reaching out to him was something she couldn't even imagine.
Somewhere at sea
Riser kept his gaze fixed on the shattered deck of a ship split in two. Bodies floated in the water around him, blood mixing with the churning waves. "With that, they're all dead."
DING
[Host, update complete. +9,300 luck points obtained from annihilation of the creatures. Current balance: 29,800 luck points.]
Riser lifted his chin, his narrow eyes reflecting the crimson glow of the still-active portal ahead. A cold smile crossed his lips. "It's good to see that number rise again."
He walked forward slowly, the flame beneath his skin reacting to the crimson distortion pulsing before him. The edges of the portal vibrated like living flesh, trying to expand again.
"System, can you absorb the portal's energy?"
[Confirmation: I can perform extraction. Risk present but within acceptable parameters. Recommend immediate initiation before new entities cross over.]
Riser stood still, simply raising his hand. The red energy detached itself in incandescent streams, flowing toward his body like a living current.
WHUUUUM
His skin gleamed in crimson reflections, but no sign of pain crossed his expression. Riser remained unmoving, cold and relentless, as the portal writhed and withered before his presence.
The rift screamed in silence until it collapsed, vanishing into nothing as if it had never existed.
DING
[Absorption complete. Dimensional energy successfully integrated, Host.]
Riser lifted his chin, eyes half-closed. "One less. In the end, they'll all disappear the same way."
The flames beneath his skin spread, igniting the corpses of the fallen creatures at sea. The acidic stench of burning extrinsic flesh mingled with the salt of the waves.
It was then that Merlin's voice crossed his mind—firm and precise.
Riser kept his gaze on the sea, still veiled by the smoke of combustion. His eyes glowed bright red, reflecting the void where the crimson portal once pulsed. A short smile touched his lips.
'Merlin, if you're going through the trouble of intercepting newspapers, it means there's either something useful or something ridiculous in them. Which is it?'
The answer came instantly, cold as ever. 'Both. The world is in chaos. Portals appear across multiple seas, but the Marines and kingdoms are turning tragedy into propaganda. Your name is plastered across headlines as both culprit and savior.'
Riser let out a low laugh, the sound cutting through the heavy air. "Culprit and savior. The same stupid dichotomy as always." He raised his hand, and the flame beneath his skin glowed. "Show me what you found most amusing."
His mind received flashes—hastily drawn illustrations of monsters ravaging Alabasta, testimonies of desert cities in ruins, desperate accounts of caravans vanishing into the rifts. Chaos was printed on every page, turned into panic headlines.
'The situation in Alabasta worsens, Riser-sama,' Merlin's voice carried precise weight. 'Reports indicate the kingdom's defenses are collapsing. Not even the Marines' presence can contain the creatures' advance.'
Riser's eyes narrowed. "So the desert has become a stage as well. The rifts have no preference… they just spread."
Merlin continued without hesitation. 'The news shows entire cities overtaken. The palace is tense. Vivi was mentioned directly, trying to raise morale, but each attack seems more devastating than the last.'
'Alabasta…' Riser tilted his chin slightly, his gaze cold. 'Always so quick to turn into tragedy.'
The link went silent for a few seconds, broken only by her softer tone. 'Alright, I'll keep the paper. We'll talk later.'
Riser exhaled lightly, more cold than amused. The flame beneath his skin receded in slow pulses, reflecting across the sea stained with ash.
The connection with Merlin faded, and he stood still before the horizon. His narrow eyes followed the distant line, as if beyond the waves he could already feel the echo of a desert in agony.
Support here: patreon.com/22Mirko22
Thank you so much for reading - see you in the next chapter!