[So why are you guys even here?] Right before the group of teenagers could show off the power of their so-called formation, Shun asked a question.
[…]
[As far as I understand, isn't that disgusting monster supposed to be the one doing the job?]
[…If we can move our muscles a bit and avoid using 'that', that's for the best.] The man named Tadashi, a cliché swordsman, replied as he drew his sword.
Shun didn't bother asking anything else. He'd already gotten what he wanted to know.
[…Prepare to enjoy the bitter taste of defeat and helplessness.] The beast-like guy named Rakan said with a confident, sadistic grin.
[You sound like you're pretty familiar with that taste, huh?] As always, Shun welcomed the small trash talk.
[!]
Rakan's face immediately scrunched up.
[We are the 'absolute' unit. I'm the absolute speed.] The lightning man named Butterfly said briefly before turning into lightning.
'…As expected, they're teenagers, declaring embarrassing stuff like that.' Shun's face heated up a little until…
ZAP-!
The next moment was the familiar sight of Shun getting brutally attacked.
This time, once the lightning stunned Shun, the other three moved in, except for the healer, who immediately went to detoxify Butterfly.
Swoosh-!
A deadly slash cut through the defense Shun had hastily put up and left a deep wound across his chest.
The one who got slashed didn't seem to mind much, but the hat started transforming into a thundercloud crackling with purplish lightning.
[SCREEECH-!]
What stopped the raging cloud, though, was the very person it got angry for.
Bonk-!
[Loki, I said use your words instead of screaming creepily.]
Shun sighed, and the raging cloud turned timid again, transforming back into his cap.
'But… this brat is pretty good with a sword. It cut my magic and even my bubble shield. Their so-called formation wasn't just talk either. There's no opening, and their attacks are basically unguardable.'
"So lightning is my weakness?" Back in the current timeline, Shun wondered out loud.
"Eh? How come?" Ultear asked from the side.
"Lightning is about millions of times faster than the speed of sound, which is what my base form moves at. Also, back during that stupid fight caused by Nirvana, Laxus' lightning woke me up. And now there's this dumb brat."
'Plus a few days ago, Killua's lightning stunned me for a second during that little prank.'
"Really?!" Elfman asked in shock, hearing the numbers for the first time.
"…I made those numbers up, but lightning is definitely way faster than sound."
"…"
Ignoring Shun's half-nonsense, the group looked back at the smartphone playing Shun's will.
The video had gotten pretty stale by now. It was just Shun fighting half-heartedly while getting beaten by the perfect teamwork of the five kids.
Whenever a pad cannon from his paw was about to hit its target, the archer would step in with a thick magic shield that completely nullified Shun's magic.
[So… a sword that cuts anything, a shield that nullifies any attack, a healer that can heal any disease…] Shun muttered as their clash paused for a moment.
The kids felt a flash of pride when their strengths got mentioned. Until…
[Then… a lightning and an animal?]
[…]
[How come you mediocre brats are even on the team?]
[!]
[Stop talking to him. He's just trying to provoke us verbally because he can't win fair and square.] the swordsman, Tadashi, reminded his team.
[Five against one and you're talking about fair and square, huh?]
[!]
This time Tadashi got provoked. His expression turned bitter.
[Guys, let's do formation B!] The beast guy shouted, maybe trying to cool their heads. The others nodded.
'Talking about formations… they really are just kids.' Both Shuns sighed in their heads.
The future Shun still wasn't taking it seriously. He half-heartedly swatted their attacks away every now and then and just played around for a full twenty minutes until…
"!"
"T-That monster's hand just moved!"
"I-I saw it too!" For reasons no one could explain, the guild members in the current timeline started to panic.
Maybe noticing it as well, the future Shun's expression shifted as he climbed out of the rubble the kids had buried him under.
Swoosh-!
The next moment, Shun's appearance began to change. His skin turned a tanned brown, and four horns grew from his head.
It was a form Irene, sitting nearby, recognized right away.
[Children… leave.] Shun's whole demeanor had changed as he gave them one last warning.
[!]
The five so-called absolutes immediately understood their position had flipped. They were no longer the hunters. Now they were the prey.
'Isn't this… that guy's ability?' Shun sighed as he stared at his future self with disgust and disappointment.
'Did my future self time travel just to grab that guy's power? How much more pathetic can I get?' His emotions flipped so suddenly that a little of his magic power slipped out and made the whole room tense.
No matter how the viewers' feelings changed, the recorded future wasn't going to.
[…Punching, kicking, stabbing, slashing, shooting, bludgeoning, blasting people with magic power.]
Everyone waited patiently for the now demon-looking Shun to finish speaking, while the giant monster in the distance kept steadily closing in.
[…I'm bored of all of that.]
[Huh?] X5
[What I want is beyond all of that, beyond your understanding.]
[…]
[…Cursing is pretty close to what I want, but… it's getting a bit stale lately.] Shun muttered with disappointment before touching his chest.
"!"
While the five absolutes stayed clueless, the people who knew Shun's abilities felt a bad premonition.
Before long, a colorless paw-shaped bubble floated out of Shun's chest.
[…This bubble is my limiter.]
[!]
[…This is the final warning. I won't say it a second time. Go back to wherever you came from.] Shun spoke in a completely emotionless tone. What he planned to do was something he knew was possible in theory but had never actually tried.
He was trying to repel the concept of his own 'limit.'
[…]
There was no response from the enemies. But the millisecond the lightning guy was about to move…
POP-!
The colorless bubble vanished as Shun sent it into his armory inventory, which was Erza's space magic.
When a bubble comes out of someone, it has to be destroyed or taken by someone else. If not, it eventually returns to the person it came from.
Shun's solution was simply to send it far away. It would come back, but it would take time. He couldn't risk sending it too far either, because if he couldn't find it again, it would be a disaster. He himself would become the most vile villain capable of destroying the world.
'…Simple but efficient.' The current Shun was impressed by his future self.
ZAP-!
What came next was lightning striking the spot where Shun had been… a moment earlier.
[W-Where is he?!] Butterfly the lightning guy shouted, looking around in panic.
Only the people present could feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
What gave away Shun's position was a scream from their allies.
[Kyaa-!] X2
[!]
When the three men turned toward the voices, they found Shun standing right between their back-liners.
[What are you doing?!] The swordsman shouted in anger as Shun's arms draped over the girls' shoulders from between them, his hands grabbing their… breasts.
"…"
The room that had been quietly cheering for future Shun suddenly started having second thoughts.
[What do you mean? Prioritizing the back-liners, of course.] Shun said as he… licked the archer woman's cheek.
Bonk-!
For reasons the current Shun couldn't understand, Mavis and Ultear started bonking his head.
"Hey, that trash isn't me. If it was me, I would've finished those brats in seconds."
"…"
Future Lucy's mood visibly soured, but she couldn't really get angry at Shun for badmouthing… Shun.
'Sigh-! So repelling my 'limit' comes with this kind of weakness. Well, at least I didn't start acting like Griffith.'
ZAP-!
Meanwhile in the video, the lightning still chased after Shun the way it had the whole fight.
But this time, to everyone's shock, the one left stunned on the floor was Butterfly.
Thud-!
Future Shun, still holding the archer and healer women whose names he didn't even know, brutally kicked the lightning guy under the chin while he was down.
The clash happened so fast their eyes couldn't follow it. Watching through a camera didn't help either.
Before anyone noticed, three different tails had appeared on Shun's back. One was his usual Acnologia tail. Another was thick, green, and muscular, ending in a sharp needle-like stinger. The last one was a demon's tail that looked a lot like the succubus tails from certain comics.
Grab-!
The thick green tail, which resembled a certain ant king's, wrapped around Butterfly's neck.
[Butt, was there a girl you liked among them?] Shun asked with a smirk, still holding the two girls in his arms. For some reason the two girls didn't resist… or rather, they couldn't use any of the tricks they'd pulled earlier.
'What did he do to us?!' The archer, Selena, and the healer, Pythia, trembled in fear. It was the first time their absolute magics refused to respond.
[Omen.] Shun muttered as he slapped Butterfly across the cheek with his other tail.
"!"
Only Shun understood what he was doing.
'Omen is the opposite of haki. While haki is a power of will, Omen gets stronger the more the user breaks their opponent's will.' Shun figured that much out, but he still had no idea how his future self had actually sealed them.
'It's some kind of trick using Omen.' He pondered with a hand on his chin like some sage… until Ultear bonked him on the head again.
Shun wanted to complain this time, but… his future self was now licking the healer.
[Idiots complain about fighting women being difficult, unfair or whatever, but… personally, I like fighting women more than men.]
"…"
Swoosh-!
Before the unhinged version of Shun could say anything more vile, the beast guy Rakan and the swordsman Tadashi charged in with violent slashes.
To their shock, their absolute attacks were… repelled!
[What do you think happens when an immovable object and an unstoppable force meet?]
[…]
[People often get confused about it, but I know the answer!] The limitless Shun was a lot more talkative than usual.
[The answer is simple. When everyone is absolute… no one is! What decides the winner in the end is… talent!] Shun shouted as his smile widened. He finally let go of the two women, who collapsed powerless on the ground.
The next moment… Shun disappeared.
POP-!
No one could keep up with the limitless Shun's speed.
The beast man, the lightning man, and the swordsman were each seized by the neck by one of Shun's tails.
[…]
[I've lost count of how many times I told you to just go back home.]
[Tch.] The beast man tried to act tough, but it wasn't very convincing.
[Y-You're under suspicion of becoming a future world eater!]
[!]
Suddenly the group's leader, swordsman Tadashi, dropped a bomb.
However…
RIP-!
A fleshy sound echoed as something hit the ground.
[T-Tadashi! Your tongue!] Butterfly shouted in panic, and everyone immediately understood what had happened.
Tadashi's tongue had been cut off.
After what felt like forever, Shun spoke.
[…Suspicion of becoming a world eater? So what if I eat it?]
[…]
[It's none of your business.]
Shun's argument was completely childish, but… no one dared argue back.
That was the authority of absolute strength.
POP-!
Right under the trembling enemies' eyes, a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a colorless bubble.
[Oh? It's already coming back? Om nom nom.]
Shun didn't resist. He welcomed his limiter back.
Even with the limiter returned, Shun was still Shun. He wasn't some yellow-haired kid who lost control of his body to a beast. He still had the enemies firmly in his grip.
To the current Shun's frustration, he didn't finish the brats off. He just stared blankly at their defeated faces.
Then…
Thud-! X3
"!"
To Shun's shock, he threw the three of them at the two women.
Then, without a word, he floated toward the enemy that had drawn closer while everyone was distracted by the fight.
"…What is this idiot doing?" Shun muttered, annoyance clear in his voice.
"…Shun became a bit soft toward children after our children were born."
"…"
The one who answered was future Lucy.
'…Children? There's more than just Mavis? It's only supposed to be a year from now.'
While Shun was stuck thinking about useless things, the video had been fast-forwarded to the moment the clash between the mysterious colossal enemy named Cthulhu and Shun was about to begin.
Only now did Shun realize the enemy wasn't just big. It was floating outside the planet!
'Won't a single attack from this thing flatten the whole planet?' Even Shun felt alarmed by the ridiculous monster.
But future Shun stayed calm. He created an unfamiliar weapon and loaded it with a bullet that was his ultimate attack.
'A cannon whose bullet is 'Urusus Shock.'
Both sides prepared their attacks. The colossal monster simply swung a punch while Shun readied an ancient weapon.
"…"
Future Shun didn't seem interested in attacking first since the target was too far. Instead he aimed for the hand that would inevitably reach him.
[I'll show you something interesting, you clueless monster.] Shun's confident smirk, as always, brought hope and unshaken trust to the guild members watching.
[Hmm, Cthulhu and Clueless. Don't those sound a bit similar?]
"…"
As if it could hear and understand Shun even from that distance, the monster's fist started accelerating.
As the fist drew closer, the sky darkened like the end of the world. Well, it kind of was.
When the fist was right above him, Shun completely ignored the weapon he'd prepared and instead jumped toward the massive fist with his own.
[Divine Divide—!] Before the excited Shun could finish the words…
ZAP-!
Swoosh-!
A familiar bolt of lightning, followed by a sword thrust and a wolf-fang attack, slammed into Shun's back.
"!!"
The viewers' expressions shifted from horror to pure fury at the sight of the enemies Shun had pitied stabbing him in the back the second they got a chance.
Only Shun watched with a straight face.
But it wasn't over. The massive fist was still coming down on the Shun floating in the sky.
BAM—!!
It was a strangely small sound because the huge fist landed cleanly only on Shun's body, driving him into the ground.
Then…
BEEEEEP—!!
Something must have happened to the camera or the cameraman. The video cut off abruptly.
"…"
The room fell completely silent. No one knew what to say after the sudden, ridiculous ending to the story they'd been watching for over an hour.
POP-!
Suddenly… Shun disappeared without a word.
"Shun!" Lucy shouted in worry, but it was already too late.
No one knew what he was thinking, but they all knew it wasn't anything good.
"…It's good that he left." Future Lucy broke the silence, and current Lucy followed.
"Yeah… huh?"
Future Lucy smiled at her other self mysteriously.
"…Actually, I came back in time not to warn Shun, but to meet you guys." Future Lucy flipped the script.
"…You want us to deal with those stupid brats?" Irene asked before Lucy could explain further.
"Yes." Lucy simply nodded.
"…"
After a momentary silence…
"How are we supposed to get to a different world?" August asked the practical question this time.
"That's not a problem. There's a girl from that world who's obsessed with summoning scrolls. She's in a magical slumber, but using her scrolls, Mr. August managed to create one that can hop into their world."
"!"
"T-That's great! Men!" Elfman said a little nervously, sensing the dangerous aura coming from his sister.
"With Shun's stubborn personality, he'll definitely go to that world in a year." Lucy said.
"Yeah."
"I agree."
"That's why this time, we're going to protect him."
"Yeah!!"
"Everyone, keep this a secret and train hard. In a year, we'll go to that world and kill those five bastards!"
"Yeah!!"
"…"
Brandish and the Sabertooth trio watched in awkward silence. They weren't especially close to Shun to begin with, but they hadn't expected the Fairy Tail guild to be this attached to him.
Even Shun wouldn't have imagined this scene. He never thought his influence on the guild members ran this deep. He wouldn't have guessed that even Gray felt genuine gratitude toward him for saving his teacher and her daughter.
If the necessary situation arrives, Gray is always ready to use the Iced Shell for Shun.
Without realizing it, Shun had created a guild that was mildly obsessed with him. A guild of yanderes… the exact kind he feared.
——
Meanwhile on Shun's side…
Knock-! Knock-!
Shun knocked on the door of a certain bar. He was a man of great manners, after all.
Creak-!
"Hmm? Why didn't you barge in like you always do?" Shakky came out with a smile.
"I didn't want to risk walking in on a weird spectacle if you were in the middle of something."
"…"
Shun's words were unserious as always, but Shakky noticed something was off about him.
"Well, come in. I haven't had a customer in a while, so I'm hoping you'll drink a lot~"
"Ho? I wonder why."
"…"
Shakky's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. This was a common occurrence with Shun.
"…Are you fine with the usual?" Shakky asked as she went behind the counter.
"No, give me a strong one. I'll try getting drunk for the first time in my life." Shun replied as he pulled a paw-shaped bubble out of his body.
"!"
"…That's the ability you used to defeat 'him.'" Shakky was visibly shocked. She had thought it was his trump card or something, but…
'He casually uses it on himself?'
"It's my immunity toward poison."
"…"
Despite the ridiculous claim, Shakky accepted it as truth. Like everyone else, she had watched the global broadcast that decided the fate of the world.
Shun had won, but… nothing much changed for the world. The only real difference was that crime rates had dropped to a historical low.
'They claim he's a dictator or whatever. But even if that were true, could he be worse than the World Government?' Shakky shook her head to clear away the useless thoughts. Shun had come to her bar as a friend.
She pulled out the strongest alcohol in the bar, just as the customer requested.
She never usually did this, but… tonight Shakky acted as a bottle girl.
She sat next to Shun on the sofa and poured him a glass of wine.
"Why wine?" Shun asked with a confused look, but still took a sip.
"We can't start with the climax from the very beginning~"
"…"
"…Climax? If you're flirting with me, I'll have to warn you that I'm terrible at those." Shun said bluntly as he continued drinking.
"Pfft-!" Shakky couldn't hold back a giggle, as usual. She didn't laugh at Shun's jokes, but she often laughed when he was being serious. She was one of the rare women Shun found difficult to read.
After an hour of light talk, Shakky asked,
"So… what could be troubling our king of the world?"
"…"
"…It's a bit complicated."
To Shakky's surprise, Shun seemed genuinely troubled this time.
After a deep sigh, he continued.
"Actually…"
"Hmm?" Shakky asked when he suddenly stopped talking. But when she turned to look at him…
He was knocked out cold after only one glass of the "strongest alcohol" he had asked for.
"…"
"Seriously… you're too careless~" Shakky muttered as she picked Shun up in a princess carry and carried him upstairs to her room.
Thud-!
After placing him on the bed, Shakky shook her head.
"The untouchable, strongest man in the world is in my hands now~
'If I were to use seaprism stone handcuffs, he'd be helpless.' Shakky sighed. The brat seemed to trust her a lot.
'But I won't get a chance like this again…' Shakky thought as she started to… remove her clothes.
——
Next morning at exactly 5 AM, Shun's eyes opened.
"!"
He immediately felt threatened by a pair of unfamiliar breasts pressing against his face.
'Where the hell am I? I don't remember anything…'
Shun's current predicament was that his head was being hugged by someone with unfamiliar breasts.
Instead of overthinking it, he decided to just ask the person what had happened last night that led to him ending up here.
"Mmph~" A sweet sound came from the woman as Shun played around with the pair of balloons in front of him to wake her up.
"…You woke up? Good morning." A sleepy voice echoed in the silent room.
Finally he had a room to raise his head.
'Shakky?!' Shun just stared blankly at her.
"From that look in your eyes… I guess you don't remember anything, huh? How terrible, after all you did to me…" Shakky muttered with fake tears, confusing Shun even more.
But… Shun was Shun.
"!"
The next moment, Shun wordlessly hugged Shakky tightly.
"Don't worry, I remember everything." He lied.
"…"
'Remember what?!' This time Shakky was the one shaken. The only thing she had done last night was undress both of them and sleep in the same bed to prank Shun and cheer him up, since he seemed down.
Smooch-!
While she was lost in her confusion… her lips were stolen.
"!"
"…Since it came to this, I'll take full responsibility and take care of your divorce. I'll put Rayleigh in Impel Down, so you don't have to worry at all."
"…"
While Shakky couldn't find the right timing, everything was moving far too quickly. All the while, Shun's hands didn't stay idle either as they played around her body.
"Wait!!" For the first time in a while, Shakky got seriously worried. Her little prank was about to spell disaster for her husband.
"Huh?" Meanwhile, Shun, who really didn't remember anything, asked in confusion.
"…Are you feeling guilty? Don't be. That bastard Rayleigh has been cheating around openly for decades. The other day I saw him flirting with Gloriosa."
"…"
'It's even more awkward to tell him now.'
What snapped Shakky out of her distracting thoughts was… a hard thing trying to enter her body.
"!"
"Wait!!" Before her entire life could change without any chance of going back, Shakky managed to stop Shun.
"Huh? Why?"
"Actually…"
"We already did it, so what difference does it make doing it a hundred more times?"
"Because…"
"Weren't you the one who initiated last night? I remember everything." Shun smiled normally, but it made Shakky suspicious even though he was being honest for once.
'…This bastard, was he acting the whole time?'
What made Shun say that was a faint memory of seeing Shakky carry him to the bed.
Regardless, Shakky's decision to end things before they got out of hand wouldn't change.
"I think my prank has gotten out of hand."
"Actually, nothing happened last night. You just fell asleep mid-conversation." Shakky said awkwardly as she searched for her cigarette while still under Shun on the bed, stretching around.
"…"
"Fufu~ Sorry." Shakky added when she saw Shun frozen in place.
After a painful full minute of silence…
"!!"
Shakky's world changed without any chance of returning.
Shun's grudge had entered her without warning.
"W-What are you doing?!" Shakky asked with more confusion than anger.
But Shun didn't reply. Instead, he pinned her hands above her head and sealed her lips.
"…"
——
After an hour… the two were still in bed. This time, though, Shakky was the one on top.
"Sigh-! What a stupid prank you've pulled." Shun sighed out loud for Shakky to hear as he enjoyed the view of the previous most beautiful woman in the world, Hancock's predecessor, jumping up and down desperately above him.
"…"
Shakky didn't refute it. It was mostly her fault. Instead, she replied with a sweet whimper.
Thanks to the ridiculously high physical abilities of people in the One Piece world, the two weren't even nearing their limits.
After another hour, though, the two got up, silently took a shower, and opened the bar. Despite it never having customers, if one ever showed up it would usually be a rookie pirate who didn't know anything about the bar's reputation. Lately even those had disappeared, thanks to how influential Shun's global broadcasts had been.
"A retired pirate gave an interview to the local newspaper and said… 'If there are monsters like that at the top, we small-timers should just get along and live the life we can afford to the fullest.'" Shakky said as she sucked on her cigarette on the sofa next to Shun.
"That sounds smarter than 99% of people. But… why are you acting like nothing happened?" Shun asked as he took a sip from his cup of milk. For some reason he was no longer allowed alcoholic drinks.
"…It was a one-time thing. Let's just forget about it." Shakky said with a shake of her head.
"Hmm? Didn't you like the effect it had on your body?"
"…"
Shakky fell silent this time. She had noticed… her skin, her hair… her body overall had magically rejuvenated.
"What did you do to me?" Shakky was sure it wasn't Shun's paw bubble tricks. She hadn't been so lost in the pleasure that she wouldn't notice something like that.
"I'm overflowing with life… so exchanging bodily fluids with me has a magical effect of rejuvenating the other party."
"…"
"Don't trust my words? Feel free to try it." As soon as Shun finished speaking, Shakky's body magically started floating until she was kneeling on the floor in front of him.
"…"
"…The king of the world forces himself on a poor bar lady. I'll inform the newspaper~" Shakky said with a teasing smile, but it had the opposite effect.
"That… sounds exciting."
"…"
As Shakky got to her "test" to see if Shun's words were really true, he fell into his thoughts while occasionally playing around by messing with her rhythm.
'No offense to Shakky, but I gave her a bit of the life force, like in August's case. After all… Shakky was almost in her mid-sixties.'
——
After another few hours…
"The little Straw Hat Pirates and their alliance are almost reaching Wano Country." Shakky informed Shun. As an information broker, she knew a lot about what was happening around the world.
Her appearance was now much younger. She had rejuvenated by nearly twenty years.
"…I see."
The two were finally done with their little exercises. They had dirtied almost every possible location in the entire bar.
Shakky was now busy erasing the evidence.
"I'm going to Wano then. You want to come?"
"…No, I'll stay here."
"Have you ever been to Wano?"
"No. It's rather difficult to enter that country. Not to mention it's not worth traveling there. The country became a mess compared to its glorious days."
"I see. Then I'll go alone. I'll return later." Shun said as he gave the now-in-her-forties Shakky a peck on the lips.
"…"
"By the way, I'm thinking of putting Rayleigh in Impel Down. Even if it pains Hancock, she'll understand."
"!!"
"Tell me what you think the next time I come here."
POP-!
Shun disappeared without giving her a chance to form a single sentence.
"Haaaaaaaa~"
Now that she was alone… Shakky pulled out a mirror and looked at her reflection with complicated feelings.
"I… had underestimated the rumors. He really is a tyrant~"
——
After half an hour of various teleportations, starting from the Navy Headquarters to grab an Eternal Pose to Wano Country and then flying there, Shun finally arrived above the land of Wano.
Since the Navy and World Government bought most of their seaprism stone supplies from Wano, it wasn't hard to find an Eternal Pose inside the headquarters.
Shun didn't have any particular feelings for the country. He didn't even feel the need to save it from Kaido.
"Oh-! Young man over there, you must be a tourist. It's very rare to see them in this country." The moment Shun started walking around the Flower Capital, his white uniform caught the crowd's attention. Many vendors called out to him. It wasn't a secret that tourists meant… money.
"…Give me some meat skewers."
"Yes~"
"Also, where does Komurasaki work?" Shun didn't plan to sit around idle while waiting for the Straw Hats.
"Eh? That would be the red-light district, but… if you're hoping to meet her, I'd advise you to give up."
"Huh?"
"She has a long line of customers begging to meet her, but she only chooses the most wealthy—!"
Bonk-!
Shun bonked the vendor who was preparing the meat skewers on the head, right in front of the neighboring vendors.
"Ouch-! W-What are you doing?" The vendor was terrified even though Shun hadn't put much strength into it.
"Did you just call me poor?"
"…"
"O-Of course not!" The vendor considered calling for the cops, but after hearing Shun's reasoning he smartly decided to suck up instead.
"Here you go. That'll be ten silver."
"Silver?" Shun was confused for a moment, then just handed over a gold coin. It seemed they didn't use paper money here in Wano.
The gold coins he had were ones he stole… no, ones he rightfully took from a World Government official. Now that he had taken over, that official was just one of the people Kalifa had hired.
Because of the frequent transactions between the World Government and Wano, the World Government kept a huge stash of gold and platinum coins. Shun hadn't held back when taking some, considering the fact that Komurasaki's time probably costs a lot.
"!!"
The vendor's eyes nearly popped out of his skull before he managed to calm himself.
"I-If you don't mind, I'll lead you to the red-light district."
"Lead the way." Shun said as he enjoyed the meat.
"Yes!!"
While the vendor acted as guide and led the way…
"H-He is…"
"I have to inform the lord!"
Spies from the Beast Pirates and Orochi's factions around the Flower Capital had noticed Shun's presence and hurried off to report to their bosses.
——
After just a few minutes of walking…
"Sir, we're here." The vendor said with a smile, rubbing his hands together.
"Thanks." Shun didn't mind paying for good work.
"!!"
"F-Five gold coins?! Thank you very much!" The vendor bowed and left with tears in his eyes. Shun still had no idea how much he was actually spending.
"From his reaction it must be worth a million belli or something…" Shun muttered as he decided to head inside, but…
"Wait there!" A bunch of bandit-looking samurai with swords at their waists stopped him.
"Huh?"
"The money you gave that vendor equals twenty-five million belli in your country, foreigner."
The leader of the group was a man named Kyoshiro.
Kyoshiro stood over three meters tall. He was a samurai with narrow, slanted eyes and a distinctive light-blue oversized pompadour. He wore a dark yakuza-crested yukata with a large, high-collared captain's coat slung over his shoulders like a cape.
"So?" Shun's casual reply angered the fodder, while Kyoshiro broke into a nervous sweat. He wasn't a fool who couldn't estimate an opponent's strength.
'…He's on the level of Lord Oden and Kaido, or maybe even stronger…'
'Hiyori-sama, I told you this was a bad idea.' Since the Flower Capital was his turf, the Kyoshiro Family had already been informed that a foreigner was heading their way.
When Kyoshiro heard that the foreigner's wish was to meet Komurasaki, he immediately rejected the idea. He had always protected Kozuki Hiyori, even while she worked as an oiran. She had never gone past casual skin contact and pouring drinks. All of that was thanks to his protection. He had even protected her from Orochi. But this time the target was far stronger, so he had expressed his rejection. However…
"…It's fine. I'll entertain him." It was Komurasaki who rejected his rejection.
"But, Hiyori-sama…"
"He's wealthy, right? His money will help hundreds of citizens of Wano."
"…"
That closed all of Kyoshiro's protests.
Back in the present, Kyoshiro spoke to Shun.
"…Follow me."
"Okay."
"…"
Leaving the clueless fodder behind, the two headed inside the Kyoshiro House where Komurasaki worked.
"Wait here." After leading Shun to a room, Kyoshiro left, probably to bring Komurasaki.
Creak-!
"Om nom nom." Now alone in the room, Shun didn't hold back from eating the peculiar desserts that were prepared in the room which he had never seen before.
"Yum."
——
"…He's handsome, even a bit cute~" Komurasaki smiled slightly after seeing Shun through a camera snail.
"Hiyori-sama…" Kyoshiro stood by her side as usual.
"Then I'll go."
"…Yes."
——
Creak-!
"Excuse me."
"Hi~"
Before long the two parties finally met face to face. But there was still a third party present.
"We will collect the payment beforehand." It was Kyoshiro again.
"Kyoshiro-san!" Komurasaki noticed how rude the remark was and protested, but Kyoshiro didn't budge.
"Sure. Here you go." Shun pulled out a hundred platinum coins without even knowing how much they were worth.
"!!"
"Is it enough?" Shun smiled at their shocked expressions.
"Yes, Mr…"
"I'm Shun."
"Shun-san doesn't seem to realize the difference in currency, but even ten platinum coins would have been more than enough." Komurasaki said, showing she was an honest girl… except when she wasn't.
"It's fine, just take it. My father is the king of a big country far away from here." Shun came up with a very scummy lie.
"…"
"Thank you very much." Komurasaki didn't question it anymore and simply smiled gratefully. Money was never too much to have, especially when it was meant to support her citizens' livelihoods.
Creak-!
Meanwhile Kyoshiro wordlessly left the room with the bag of coins.
"Excuse me for the late introduction. I'm Komurasaki of the Kyoshiro House." She said and took a seat nearby.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Milk." Because of Shakky's nagging, Shun had decided to stick to milk and stay away from alcohol. Otherwise he might wake up with Shinobu in his bed tomorrow.
After just a minute, a servant brought a glass of milk.
'Are they watching the room constantly?' Shun felt a bit annoyed and even considered knocking out the camera snail with Conqueror's Haki, but decided against it.
"Do you want to just talk, or would you like to listen to me perform a piece?"
"Let's do both." Shun said as he pulled her onto his lap.
"What do you usually talk about with your customers?" He asked while enjoying the desserts Komurasaki fed him. He even "accidentally" licked her fingers a few times.
"…All sorts of things, but most of the time their troubles."
"Then can you listen to me complain?" Shun said as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"Of course. Please let it all out."
"…"
Shun wanted to comment but decided not to.
"Actually, some idiots are suspecting me because of a stupid prophecy."
"!"
At the mention of a prophecy and a strong man suddenly arriving in the current year, the same year mentioned in her mother Kozuki Toki's prophecy, Kyoshiro and Komurasaki's expressions changed.
'…Could he be the one?!'
Meanwhile Shun remained completely clueless about the misunderstanding he had caused as he blabbered on and complained about a lot of things.
But Komurasaki patiently listened and even laughed at the jokes most people around him ignored.
After an hour of Shun's talking finally ended, Komurasaki began playing an unfamiliar instrument.
'Is this the piece that played when Wano Act 1 finished?'
Shun's head now rested on Komurasaki's lap while she played above him.
Occasionally she would sneak a shy glance at his face.
Even though Shun often joked about his own charm, it was by no means low-rated.
Watching them through the camera den den mushi, Kyoshiro even smiled a bit like an idiot watching a romance anime.
While Shun was considering when to make a move… a group of annoying people had already surrounded the Kyoshiro House.
A sudden intruder stopped Komurasaki's performance.
Creak-!
"Huh?" Shun turned his head a little from her lap, but he had no intention of getting up.
"Excuse me, Lord Shun." The one who opened the door was a man named X Drake.
"…"
'Wasn't this guy a Marine spy?' Even Shun felt a bit awkward seeing his subordinate catch him in a red-light district. But from X Drake's point of view, things weren't that simple.
'…Does this guy know I'm a Marine? He won't kill me just because I interrupted, right?'
"…What do you want?"
"Orochi and Lord Kaido want to have a meeting. Please follow me to Orochi's castle."
"…"
Komurasaki and Kyoshiro were shocked by the respect X Drake, a member of the Tobi Roppo, was showing Shun.
"…Why would I go there? If they want to meet me, they should come here. Am I wrong?"
"!"
Shun's sudden arrogance came as a shock to Komurasaki and Kyoshiro. Until now he had acted very forgiving, except when he bonked the vendor on the head.
"Y-You're absolutely right, but I'm just a messenger." X Drake reminded him before Shun decided to make an example out of him, which Shun had never even considered.
"Um, can I go with you?" Suddenly an unexpected person came to X Drake's assistance.
"Huh? Why?" Shun's tone changed completely when speaking to Komurasaki.
"I… want to know more about Shun-san." It was an honest confession that almost made Shun blush.
'She's really a professional.' Shun felt a bit strange remembering how he had been treated by a different famous oiran named Daki.
'She spent the whole time threatening to beat me up, but this one is a true professional.'
"Okay, let's go then." Shun said and took her hand to help her stand. Even after she was up, he didn't let go. He helped her put on her shoes and they headed outside together.
All under the watchful eyes of the awkward Kyoshiro and X Drake.
'…Is this the same person who was threatening to kill gods and royal families on a live broadcast?'
Since they were in the center of the wealthiest city in all of Wano, Orochi's castle wasn't far. They soon arrived with Shun and Komurasaki still holding hands. X Drake led the way in front while Kyoshiro followed behind.
"Please follow me." X Drake then led them to a certain room.
Inside were quite a lot of people. Most of the men's expressions turned to anger when they saw whose hand Shun was holding.
But the moment Shun's eyes met theirs, their anger vanished instantly. That small display didn't go unnoticed by Komurasaki and Kyoshiro.
"Hi~" Shun said without any hint of fear or nervousness at the gathering of so many strong people.
"I heard you've come here, so we came to throw a welcome party."
To everyone's shock, the one who spoke was the strongest creature in the world, King of the Beasts, Kaido.
On the right side of the room, which resembled an ancient Japanese-style chamber, sat the entire cast of the Tobi Roppo along with King, Queen, and Jack, all led by Kaido.
On the left side were Orochi and his subordinates.
Only the head seat was empty, so naturally Shun walked over and took it, bringing Komurasaki with him.
"!!"
'Just who is this man? Orochi isn't even sitting in the head seat of his own castle…'
"That's very considerate of you." Shun said as he laid his head on the awkward Komurasaki's lap.
"So… what did you prepare for entertainment?"
"…"
Shun's words would have been considered disrespectful even by uneducated people, but Kaido and Orochi didn't seem to mind. Instead of getting angry, they laughed.
"Worororo~ Let them in." Kaido ordered Orochi, perhaps showing their hierarchy to Shun.
"Yes." Orochi said and clapped.
Creak-!
Soon many women dressed in kimonos entered carrying various foods and drinks.
"Oh-!" Shun got up. He didn't dislike this welcome party at all.
He had initially been a bit annoyed, suspecting Kaido and Orochi were going to try fighting him like idiots.
But this kind of treatment he liked very much.
Shun held Komurasaki's hand and opened his mouth. Already used to it, she fed him with a smile.
Her impression of Shun was getting better and better.
'If I can get his help…'
Meanwhile Kaido seemed more interested in chatting with Shun.
"Gulp-! Gulp-! So… was there anything interesting in their treasury?"
"…"
What Kaido was referring to was obvious to everyone except the Wano country bumpkins.
"Hmm? I haven't visited there yet, but… there must be a lot of great weapons and Devil Fruits." Shun responded without hiding anything.
"If you have something to trade, I'll let you choose from the treasury."
"!!"
Shun's words were completely unexpected. They were pirates and Shun was from the Navy… well, previously. Yet he was willing to trade?
"Worororo~ Trade, huh? Sounds interesting…" Kaido said, thinking for a moment.
Suddenly he smirked.
"Then… how about my daughter?"
"!!"
"…You have a daughter?" Shun asked with feigned ignorance while everyone else was asking the same question in their heads.
'Didn't this bastard say he only had a son before?' Orochi thought.
'When did Yamato-sama become a daughter…' The Beast Pirates decided to remain silent.
"Oi-! Someone bring a picture." Kaido shouted to his subordinates.
Soon a man named King somehow pulled a picture from his pocket, as if they had planned this long before even though Shun had appeared so suddenly.
When King handed the picture to Shun, Kaido asked,
"…How is it? Isn't she beautiful?" Kaido smirked. If he could get a treasure and even form an alliance through his crazy son, it would be more than he could ask for.
"Yeah, she's cute."
"Then?"
"It's a deal." With those words, Kaido and Shun shook hands. A man nearly eight meters tall and a man only about 1.9 meters shaking hands looked a bit weird, but no one mentioned it.
"…"
The fate of Kaido's daughter was decided without her realizing it.
"Then I'll send her to your room later. Do whatever you want with her."
It was a ridiculous remark coming from a father about his own daughter, but Shun didn't mind.
The party didn't end after their deal. Instead it got even merrier as Kaido and Shun drank and laughed loudly, as if they were best friends meeting after a long time.
'I thought this guy was just a muscle-brained idiot, but… he's quite cunning.' Shun honestly didn't mind as long as they didn't go too far.
The party continued until 2 AM. Before anyone realized it, Black Maria was pouring Shun drinks while Ulti sat nearby without a word.
'Were they instructed to do this?' Shun shook his head. Ignoring the useless thoughts, he hugged Ulti on his left and Komurasaki on his right while the three of them sat on Black Maria's lap due to the size difference.
While Shun enjoyed himself, someone else was stressing out, a man named Page One.
'Sis! Don't headbutt him! Don't punch him! Don't speak! Don't… just don't do anything!'
Before coming here they had all been given a warning: no matter what, they had to do their best to secure an alliance with Shun.
"Since it's gotten this late… I'll go rest." Shun said, still holding Komurasaki's hand. But the wrong man saw them.
"Y-You bastard! Let Komurasaki go!!" A shout silenced the merry mood that had lasted the entire day.
"…"
"Huh?" Shun, who still had his poison immunity, wasn't drunk from any of the alcohol he had consumed.
The one who shouted was… Orochi. An infamous idiot.
"Let her go! Just wait a moment, I'll save you, Komurasaki!"
"…"
"O-Orochi-sama, you are drunk…" A man with a long pointy head reminded him nervously, but…
"Shut up!!" Orochi was unstoppable.
"Orochi…" Kaido muttered in a low voice, but…
"Kaido! You bastard, ignoring me the moment you find a new ally, huh?"
"…"
The Beast Pirates were ready to silence the idiot at any moment until…
"You bastards—!"
POP-!
Orochi was erased without a trace.
"!!"
While most people knew what this ability was, it was pure horror for Komurasaki and Kyoshiro.
"He'll drop from the sky in six hours. Deal with him however you like." Shun said as he looked at Kaido with a mysterious expression.
'Is this brat… testing me? Trying to see how I would deal with Orochi… and then decide on the alliance after that?' Kaido was indeed a cunning man. He had already seen through Shun's small actions.
Creak-!
Shun left the room without another word, taking Komurasaki with him, followed by Black Maria and a reluctant Ulti.
Soon King caught up and led them to a room that had already been prepared.
——
"Oh? It's quite a big room, as if it expected a lot of guests." Shun muttered before turning to Komurasaki.
"…"
"Komurasaki."
"…Yes?"
"Do you want to go home? I won't force you if you're not into it."
"…"
"I'll visit you later."
'So you won't force her, but you will force us?!' Ulti wanted to shout, but Kaido had privately warned her that her brother's life would be in danger if she did anything foolish.
"Thanks for the consideration, but… I want to stay the night!" Komurasaki was already determined. She was going to make Shun fall for her. If she waited and left today, Shun and Kaido's alliance would be finalized without her having a chance to get involved.
"I see… then come here." Shun said and patted his lap.
He only meant Komurasaki, but Black Maria and Ulti followed as well. Ulti hadn't spoken a single word all day, yet she still sat on Shun's lap.
'If you say anything, I'll kill you.' She thought, though her face remained emotionless.
Meanwhile… Queen and Jack had just caught Yamato.
"Hahaha, to think you'd get caught by a trap meant for beasts." Queen laughed cruelly.
"…"
"Pfft-! A book containing the newest Kozuki Oden's adventure! That guy's been dead for twenty years!! How can there be a sequel?!"
"…"
"Tch-!" Yamato, the self-proclaimed Kozuki Oden, was handcuffed and dragged toward Shun's room.
Knock-! Knock-!
"Excuse me, I'm bringing the goods." Queen spoke in his usual tone.
"Enter."
Creak-!
"W-What's going on? Who are you?!" The moment she saw the people inside, Yamato shouted, but she was ignored.
"Well then, my job here is done." Queen pushed Yamato inside and left after giving one last glance at Komurasaki.
'Goodbye, my love Komurasaki. I've loved you, but my life is more important!'
Before she realized it, Komurasaki had been dumped.
——
Meanwhile back in the room…
"Hi~ You're Yamato, right?"
"No, I'm Kozuki Oden!"
"…"
A peculiar conversation was taking place.
"What? Anyway, your dad sold you to me."
"What?! Kaido?!"
"…"
"Idiot, you've been sold. Just accept your fate." Ulti, who had been silent the entire time, spoke with a smile when she finally found a girl in a similar situation.
Black Maria and Komurasaki weren't the same as her because they were actually into the plan.
"Ha? Ulti? Black Maria?! What are you guys doing here?!"
"…"
"Uhm… Yamato-sama has always wanted to adventure around the world, right?" Black Maria decided to step in before the stupid girl said anything more ridiculous.
"I'm Kozuki Oden, but yes. What about it?"
"If you go with this man, he will make all your dreams come true."
"!"
'Why is this girl making ridiculous promises in my name?'
"Really?! Then I'm in! What should I do?!" Yamato completely switched from resisting to actively asking for guidance.
'This girl… she somehow reminds me of Luffy.'
"You just have to follow my actions." Black Maria said and removed her kimono.
——
Next morning at exactly 5 AM, Shun's eyes opened.
Around him were four women sleeping in a futon bed.
For reasons unknown, he was being hugged tightly by a woman who hadn't spoken a single word to him yesterday.
'Haaa-! I guess that's enough sulking. Time to face things and move on.'
'But status really is everything, huh? If I hadn't been named King of the World and had arrived here as the Tyrant Fleet Admiral instead, Kaido would have undoubtedly tried to fight me.'
'Did both Kaido and Page One force their rather unique girls on me to marry them? It did feel like that…' Shun felt rather awkward looking at the girls. He had never had any interest in the others except Komurasaki.
As fighters of the same rank as Doflamingo, the moment Shun glanced at their sleeping figures they woke up, except for Komurasaki, who woke up because of the others talking.
"It's still early. Stay in bed. I'll go cook something."
"Mm~" Ulti nodded sleepily, then woke up the next moment.
"What? Cook? You?!"
"…"
'She's quite a unique girl.'
"Please wait here. I'll order the maids." Black Maria said and hurriedly dressed before going out.
'Those girls…' Shun gave up on cooking and just let them miss the opportunity.
Soon the fully dressed five individuals returned to the room where they had partied the day before.
The mess from yesterday had already been cleaned, and everyone from Kaido's party was present once again.
After an awkward greeting with Kaido, the group started eating, but there was another awkward situation.
"Yamato…"
"Kaido…"
After being told she had been sold to Shun, Yamato no longer called him father.
"Open your mouth~"
"Om nom nom."
"…"
While one part of the group had to endure Kaido and Yamato's situation, on the other side Page One had to endure his sister, who hadn't spoken a single word to Shun yesterday, now feeding him with a big smile on her face.
'As expected of the King of the World. He really tamed a beast.' Page One sighed in relief seeing his wild-boar-like sister being wedded off.
Once the attendees of Kaido's party finished eating, Shun brought up a subject they had hoped he would forget.
"So… how come this guy is still alive?"
"!!"
Despite the sudden change in atmosphere, the group followed Shun's line of sight and found… Orochi.
"W-What? What do you mean? I was very drunk yesterday. I don't remember anything." Orochi seemed to have decided on pretending not to remember.
"I fell asleep yesterday." Kaido just shrugged, abandoning the hope Orochi had placed in him.
"Hey, why don't you just forgive him? He was drunk after all." No one knew why, but it was Queen who spoke up.
"…When people are drunk, their real self shows."
"…"
"With my current position… I'll be damned if I allow trash like you to walk all over me." The moment Shun finished speaking, Orochi's body was crushed and twisted into a grotesque human goop.
"!!!"
"Orochi-sama!!" Orochi's subordinates fell into panic. Only now did the group truly understand the horrors of the man they had been partying with.
No one, not even Kaido, understood what kind of ability Shun had just used.
'…It wasn't shown in the global broadcast.'
"…"
Yamato and Komurasaki fell into an awkward silence.
The man they held a grudge against… had died just like that?
While Orochi pretended to be dead in the form of a wrinkled wet tissue, even fooling Kaido's eyes, Shun commented.
"That's an interesting ability. I'll take it."
"!"
"W-Wait!" Orochi instantly returned to his old self, showing the greatness of his Mythical Zoan ability.
"An ability that can avoid death seven times, huh?"
'…Won't I be fine against that creepy monster if I just take this ability?' Shun thought before shaking his head. His future self must have encountered this situation as well.
'Or not. After all, I wouldn't have come here if future Lucy hadn't visited and muddied my thoughts.'
"Wait! I'll leave Wano right now! You can be the next Shogun!"
"…"
Just as Shun was about to turn him into a wet tissue again with telekinesis, someone spoke up.
"Shun. Let me kill him."
"Huh?"
"I, as Kozuki Oden, have a long history with him."
"…"
It was Yamato.
Shun honestly didn't know how to deal with her Kozuki Oden role-play.
'…Am I supposed to act like Kozuki Toki?'
Regardless, he allowed her to do it.
"All right. If you defeat Yamato, I'll forget this incident."
"!"
"Let's go outside." Yamato said with a determined expression.
'I'll run the moment I get a chance.' Orochi thought before following.
Once they left, Shun spoke to Kaido. As for Yamato, he never doubted her ability to defeat Orochi. After all, Yamato was stronger than the current Luffy.
"I'll go back and check the treasury today."
"Oh? That's fine with me."
"So you're fine with a Zoan Devil Fruit?"
"Umu. Just bring back whatever you think is an equal exchange for what I've offered you."
"…"
'This guy sure is cunning.'
"Okay."
Meanwhile the others picked up on a different part of Shun's words.
Ulti pounced onto Shun's shoulders and asked,
"…Are you going to leave?"
'Tch. Ulti is surprisingly a big threat.' Black Maria, who had initially thought Komurasaki was her only rival, now felt threatened.
"Don't worry. I can teleport instantly to places I've already visited."
Crash—!!
Outside was noisy. When they stepped out…
"Thunder Bagua!!" They arrived at the exact moment Orochi blocked Yamato's Thunder Bagua with his face.
"That's two lives. Six left."
"…"
——
After nearly an hour, Orochi was on his last life. That meant he had been killed a total of seven times, once by Shun and the other six by Yamato.
'Is she surprisingly the type to hold a grudge?'
No one present who was watching felt any empathy for the short-built man who was somehow over three meters tall.
'I guess they're top-tier pirates who are used to seeing death. Also, this guy's face isn't exactly the type to earn people's sympathy.'
Even when Orochi turned into a wet tissue on his first death, the people around him didn't feel sorry for him. They were only curious about what kind of ability Shun had used.
"Wait." Shun's voice echoed right when Yamato's club was about to land and take Orochi's final life.
"Eh?" Yamato was confused but stopped, which surprised Kaido a bit. His stubborn child was actually listening to Shun's word. And it wasn't just a simple order. It was a request to stop her from finishing off Kozuki Oden's nemesis.
Orochi's eyes brightened as hope appeared on his face. But…
"I'll take his ability first."
"…"
"…Why didn't you take it first before starting the execution?" It was Ulti who asked. Kaido clapped in his mind, because if he or anyone else had asked, it would've looked suspicious.
"I can't take abilities from them if they aren't weakened to a certain extent."
"I see…" Ulti nodded from Shun's back. For reasons unknown, she was glued to him.
"Also, I wanted him to suffer."
"…"
Leaving the speechless group to their thoughts, Shun went ahead and pulled a paw-shaped bubble out of Orochi.
"Gah-!" Orochi made some dramatic noises but was ignored even by his own subordinates.
"Om nom nom."
Just like that, Shun received a Mythical Zoan ability.
Swoosh-!
The next moment, Shun tested his new form, which gave him a total of eight monstrous snake heads.
Instead of Orochi's stubby, goofy-faced snakes, Shun's eight heads looked like colossal, demonic pit vipers covered in armor-like obsidian scales.
Each head had long, sharp horns, pale white eyes, and long white hair flowing down its neck.
"!!!"
'Orochi made the fruit look like trash, but… isn't this almost on the level of Kaido's fruit?'
While the group watching was shocked by Shun's monstrous appearance, which was a heaven-and-earth difference from Orochi's, Shun had a different shocking realization.
'I was always curious about the Nen that strengthens after death… can't I use that freely with this ability?!'
'From what Orochi displayed, the severed head won't regenerate, but… with my arsenal of magics…' Shun was unusually excited about the possibilities. In short, he had a biased view toward Nen.
"Now then, the hybrid form…" Only Shun's real head muttered. The other heads seemed like dolls that didn't talk, but there was life behind them. Perhaps Shun's obsession with being in control was the reason.
In his human-beast hybrid form, he remained a massive, hulking warlord, but with seven giant snakes bursting from his back and shoulders like a living, writhing cape of death. His main body gained scaly skin, claws, and fangs.
"Tsk, it looks disgusting. I guess I'm not using it for battles."
"…"
Shun's arrogant and extravagant words even enraged Kaido a little, but they concluded they would've felt the same if they were in Shun's position.
"Can I finish him now?" Yamato asked. She still hadn't forgotten her "grudge" as Kozuki Oden.
Seeing this, Shun came up with a realization.
'…If a certain Sea Emperor picks a fight with me in the future, I'll provoke them by saying Kozuki Oden is one of my wives.'
Yamato waited eagerly with her club spinning between her hands, but reality was often disappointing.
"No. I forgive him."
"Ha?!" Not only Yamato but Komurasaki was shaken by Shun's words. Komurasaki even considered asking him not to forgive until…
"Instead of the death penalty, I'm sending you to Impel Down for twenty years."
"!!"
"After serving your sentence, live however you want."
"W-Wait!!" Orochi had no idea what Impel Down even was, but from the faces of Kaido's side… it wasn't anything decent.
POP-!
"…"
"What's Impel Down?" Yamato asked, not feeling down at all. She somehow had a deep trust in Shun despite the short time they had spent together.
"It's a prison that our organization manages. He'll be having a fate worse than just dying."
"…"
Shun's persuasion worked. Even Komurasaki calmed down. She even felt like this was a better outcome.
Suddenly a peculiar animal made a weird noise.
Bere bere bere bere-!
It was Shun's Transponder Snail.
Gotcha.
"Hello?"
[Where are you?!] Opposite to Shun's calm voice, a raging voice echoed from the other side.
"Huh? Did something happen there?"
"…"
On the other side, Kalifa turned silent.
'Would someone really forget a thing like this?'
[The coronation ceremony is today! Everyone from the allied countries is waiting!]
'Shit, I forgot there was an official event to take the throne of the World Government. Essentially becoming the King of the World. I was calling myself one, but I still haven't done the official stuff.'
"Just let them wait. I'll return today."
"…"
"Anyway, I sent a guy to the headquarters. He'll drop in six hours. Send him to Impel Down… which one was the hot floor again? Put him there."
"…"
Everyone was speechless listening to this unserious conversation that was supposedly between the new World Government leaders.
[…Come back now. I have prepared all the treasures for you.] After a bit of silence, Kalifa said it as if she was trying to seduce him, but it worked for different reasons.
"What? You checked the loot before me?"
[…Yes.]
'Seems like I really have to stop sulking and return.'
[Ah-! Hibari is saying she will eat a random Devil Fruit if you don't return quickly.] Kalifa's teasing voice was soon followed by flustered Hibari's.
Gotcha.
The call ended just like that.
"I have an emergency back at home."
"…"
'This woman acts rebellious whenever she gets horny, so she'll get 'rough' treatment.'
Shun sighed for the last time in Wano. He was surrounded by perverts wherever he went.
Right when he was about to leave, he remembered something was still on his back.
"Sorry, but I can't have a named pirate with me at the coronation ceremony." Shun's reasoning was very human, but he still had a hard time persuading two of the four women. After all, Black Maria had a 480 million bounty on her head while Ulti had 400 million.
Only Yamato and Komurasaki were allowed to follow.
"Heh." Yamato gave one last smug look to the other two before disappearing.
POP-!
——
Once the trio arrived above the Holy Land, Mariejois, previously owned by the so-called gods.
"Woah-!!"
While Yamato was making all kinds of excited noises, not the perverted kind obviously, Komurasaki had a different agenda on her mind.
"Uhm, Wano just lost its Shogun. Who do you have in mind for the next Shogun?" Komurasaki said as she fixed her hair and clothes for reasons unknown to Shun.
"Hmm."
Shun fell silent as if he was having deep thoughts.
"How about Yamato?"
"Ha?" Even the modest Komurasaki couldn't help but make a noise at this nonsense.
"Isn't she Kozuki Oden? I was under the impression that the Kozuki family were some kind of nobles in Wano, no?"
"…"
"Wait, will I really become the Shogun?!" On the other hand, Yamato was excited.
"Sure."
"Leave everything about Wano to me, Kozuki Oden!"
Komurasaki, aka Kozuki Hiyori, felt tingles all over her body every time she heard this woman claim she was her father.
"I don't care anymore." Komurasaki said and turned her head around with a pout.
"…"
'Those two are a surprisingly funny duo.'
"I changed my mind. I'll decide who the Shogun will be depending on your efforts from now on."
"Huh?" X2
"The one that makes me feel the most comfortable today will become the Shogun of Wano."
Shun declared while the three of them were still inside the floating paw bubble.
"!"
"…What are you perverts imagining? Let's go prepare for the ceremony."
"…"
With Shun's words, the bubble floated down with the two women blushing for reasons unknown to him.
Before they even landed, two women came running out.
"That was fast…" Shun said as a greeting while the four women studied each other.
"Since we knew you would arrive from the sky, we've been keeping an eye above." Kalifa explained as she fixed her glasses.
"Enough of that. Let's hurry and prepare. Go take a bath and change your clothes."
"Calm down. What's the hurry?" Shun said as he grabbed Kalifa's hand.
"The allied nations are waiting…" Kalifa spoke with a flustered look.
"So? Let them wait. It's not like they're going to call the Navy on us or report us to the World Government."
"…"
Kalifa fell silent. She seemed to have forgotten the simple truth.
'…We are the World Government now.'
"If you still feel bad, just tell them it's a test to see their loyalty or something. They'll wait willingly for a month."
"…"
"Let's go check on the loot that the so-called 'gods' left us." Shun said with a smirk, leaving the four behind awkwardly looking at each other before catching up.
"Wait."
"Hmm?" Shun asked curiously. From what he knew, Kalifa wasn't the type to insist on something if he explained properly why he wouldn't do it.
Kalifa checked right and left before opening her handbag, from which… she pulled out a grape.
"…"
When Shun looked further into her bag… there were a bunch of grape-themed items. Perfume, lip gloss, and a keychain.
"Were you that into grapes?"
ZIP-!
Kalifa closed her bag quietly and offered the fruit in her hand.
"Thanks for the food, I guess?" Shun accepted it and was about to eat it until…
"Idiot! Look closer. There are weird patterns around the fruit."
"Huh?"
Only now did Shun realize… what he was holding was a myth to commoners.
"It's a Devil Fruit? So?"
"…"
"What kind is it?"
"That… it wasn't mentioned in the book."
"Ho? That certainly sounds interesting."
"Actually…" Kalifa hesitated a bit before continuing.
"I had that grape prepared just in case you got hungry during the rebellion day."
"…"
'She's really thoughtful.' Shun was moved.
"That fruit was just a regular fruit, but… after you killed the devil the other day, it changed into this one."
"!"
Yamato and Komurasaki still had no idea, but they noticed the change in Shun's face.
'…Is this the transformation I had in Lucy's video? That… makes a lot of sense. Sorry for not trusting you, my future self.' Shun took back the words where he accused his future self of going back in time just to take Imu's powers.
After spending nearly a minute staring at the grape, Shun made up his mind and ate it.
"Om nom nom."
"…"
Soon Shun's body transformed into the devil form, which was just Imu's horns, tail, and tanned skin added to his own body. But there was the usual passive boost of stats overall. It was the basics of a Zoan fruit. A Mythical fruit was even more special, as it granted tens of times more stats than a basic Zoan fruit.
"This one might even be a higher-ranked fruit than the Mythical Zoan…"
"!!"
The four were surprised by the praises Shun was giving it.
Suddenly…
An overwhelming amount of aura poured out of Shun's body.
"Huh?" X5
Even Shun was shocked by this turn of events.
"Shun! What's happening?!" Yamato shouted in worry.
"…Something is trying to take over my body." Shun said with a grim face.
"!!"
'It must be Imu's soul or ego. So he had a trump card like this, just in case he dies?' Shun was a bit impressed with his enemy, but he had Conqueror's Haki that resembled a strong waterfall for a reason.
With just one-tenth of a release of Conqueror's Haki, Shun took over control. Meaning he won the battle of egos.
The four women didn't even notice the change in Shun.
"Aaghh-! Kalifa, if this thing takes over me, it's your fault…" Shun muttered weakly before collapsing.
"…" Kalifa was worried for a moment too, but… Shun's acting couldn't get past her eyes.
'Seriously… messing around in a dangerous situation like this.'
"Shun!!" Only Yamato shouted in worry while the other three saw through Shun's acting. But they could tell… there really was something trying to take over his body.
Kalifa and Hibari felt chills just imagining the sequence if it ever happened.
'Thankfully the pervert has an ego of a psychopath, so whatever was trying to take control must've gotten frightened and lost.' Kalifa thought as she fixed her glasses.
If it had been anyone with weaker Conqueror's Haki, or even someone without Conqueror's Haki at all, the devil Imu would've taken over that body through the Devil Fruit.
Suddenly… Komurasaki came up with an idea.
"Please move aside, Yamato-san." She emphasized Yamato's name for a reason unknown.
"Huh? You know what's going on?" Yamato asked as she stepped aside obediently.
However… the next second.
Smooch-!
"…"
"…I read a fairy tale about how a kiss could be the best cure among destined lovers when I was a child."
"…But it works only if there is true love." Komurasaki added after seeing Shun get up and walk away without a word.
'…How can there be true love when we just met yesterday…'
——
After about twenty minutes of walking inside the Pangaea Castle, the group arrived in a strange room called the Room of Flowers.
It was a peaceful, lush indoor garden filled with wild grass, trees, flowers, and butterflies.
"…It's hard to believe we're inside a castle with all this greenery."
"It's probably a place where the devil had precious memories." Shun just shrugged as he turned to Kalifa.
"So where are the treasures?"
"…I don't know." Kalifa was honest as always.
"…"
"This place is creepy. What if there are traps? I didn't dare wander around alone."
'So that's why she called me in a hurry… to use me as a poison tester, huh?'
'Well, can't really blame her. Even that fruit earlier had an obnoxious side effect. Or rather, anyone other than me would've gotten possessed. Then the Demon King Imu phase two would've started.'
"…Who is this person?" Yamato asked as she wandered around without fear. In fact, she and Komurasaki had no idea that the place they were touring used to be home to the gods.
"She looks like… the princess of Alabasta." Kalifa explained, a bit unsure.
"Ah-! I found Shun-san's pictures, when he was young. It's so cute~" Komurasaki suddenly exclaimed with a blush.
"Ha?" Shun hurried over to see what she was talking about.
"!"
There… he saw pictures of his portraits from when he was young. From when he first arrived in this world to his current age.
While Yamato and Komurasaki were happy about finding the pictures… Hibari, Kalifa, and even Shun were… scared.
"…Been a while since I had goosebumps." Shun sighed out loud with fear.
"…"
Even Kalifa couldn't tease him as usual.
"…Is this why he kept trying to make conversations with you during the fight?" Hibari asked a weird question, but Shun couldn't refute it.
"Ah-! There are more pictures of others… they seem to be criminals? Since they have bounty posters…"
"Let's go to a different room. Remember, we're here to find treasures. Search for Devil Fruits and weapons."
"Ah-! I kept the weapon of that demon safely. I think it was a double-bladed glaive."
"Good." Shun nodded as he and Kalifa smoothly changed subjects and left the questionable room.
——
The group wandered around many different rooms. But since no one lived in the castle anymore, it gave off a creepy feeling, as if it was a haunted house.
They found a lot of treasures such as gold and all the precious jewels that Nami would love, but there weren't any Devil Fruits around.
'I laughed at Kalifa, but… this place is indeed creepy.'
After a long walk… the group arrived in the throne room where a lot of weapons were stabbed into the floor.
"This must be the place…"
"Yeah."
'Maybe I'll give them to Erza.' While thinking that, Shun went ahead and collected the weapons.
"If you guys want anything, just tell me."
"!"
"You'll give it to us?"
"I'll sell it to you guys for a cheap price."
"…"
——
A few hours later…
"Seems like we had the wrong idea… there are many families among the Celestial Dragons. Each one of them has their own treasures. We'll have to be satisfied with what we find in this castle. I'll trust you two to collect the other treasures later." Shun said as he patted the heads of Kalifa and Hibari.
"Yes!" While Hibari saluted with a blush…
"Always using sweet words to make us work overtime…" Kalifa complained, but her expression betrayed her words as a small smile blossomed on her face.
'Though she's only mumbling a bit… I did make them overwork too much when I was a Marine.'
"All right, since you guys worked hard. Once you finish the next mission, I'll grant one of your wishes."
"!!"
Yamato and Komurasaki were shocked by this grand and arrogant promise, but they were also elated by the possibilities.
Doesn't this mean if they spent enough time with Shun, their time would come too?
"Any wish?" Kalifa asked back in surprise.
"Any."
"Each?"
"Each."
"As long as it doesn't involve me harming my allies. Also not harming my dignity, principles, and reputation. I'll allow it." Shun added just in case Kalifa's wish might be something ridiculous like asking him to get his gender changed into a female by Ivankov.
'Well, she wouldn't go that far… probably.'
"Deal." After thinking for a moment, Kalifa stretched out her hand for a handshake. While she masked it as a handshake, she was just taking her turn after seeing Komurasaki holding hands with Shun almost the entire time today.
While still holding hands, Kalifa reminded him.
"…Enough of that. Eat that fruit already."
"Hmm…"
In the throne room, below the grand throne seat… the group had found a Devil Fruit.
If it wasn't for Shun's En plus sensory magic plus Observation Haki, they would've missed it.
"It was hidden so well… also it's not recorded in the book of Devil Fruits. It might be the strongest Devil Fruit." Hibari said with stars in her eyes, but…
"That's unlikely."
"Eh?"
"If it was that strong, they would've used it themselves. Imu himself probably can't use other Devil Fruits, but he would've fed it to his servants." While Shun was realistic,
"Unless… it's so strong that he didn't trust to give it to anyone." Even Kalifa was being a bit hopeful and a little delusional.
"Whatever the case is… Om nom nom." Shun ate the fruit.
Due to Shun's Poison Dragon Slayer Magic, the taste wasn't that bad. It even felt delicious. What Shun feared most in food taste wasn't the food being terrible. If it was delicious then it was good, and if it was terrible it was also fine. What he feared most was… mediocre cooking.
"…"
"!!"
While the group waited with tension for Shun's explanation of what the fruit was, Shun's expression changed.
"P-P-Power…" Shun muttered with excitement.
"Huh?" X4
"Power is overflowing through my body!" Shun shouted to the group's delight, but…
"…Never mind, it's not that type of fruit."
Shun's excitement died down instantly.
"…"
"Then what type of fruit is it?" Kalifa asked, unable to wait anymore.
"Hmm, it's Paramecia type."
"…And?"
"If I had to name it, it's… the Less-Less Fruit." Shun dropped the bomb on them. At least he thought so, but their expressions were rather puzzled.
"Sounds like an underwhelming ability." Hibari muttered.
"Yeah, it was probably forgotten because it's a crap ability." Kalifa agreed too.
Komurasaki and Yamato didn't think much of it either. But… Shun was different.
'They don't understand. The Less-Less Fruit is the exact opposite of the More-More Fruit. Meaning it's at least equal with that broken fruit. It might even be stronger. I need to practice this ability more.' Shun was excited for the first time in a while. The last time he was this excited was when he was learning Nen.
But Shun didn't plan to tell them the possibilities, because he wasn't a premature show-off. He'd rather show the results.
"Let's finish what we came for today."
"Huh?" X4
"…"
'Are they being serious?'
"We came here for the coronation ceremony…"
"Ah-!" X4
Even Kalifa had forgotten about it. The treasure hunting was… rather fun.
A/N: Next is the last one. Really.