"Is this... the new world?"
On a small, desolate island, a rift suddenly tore through the air, like reality itself had been sliced open. From within that shimmering fracture, a delicate figure slowly stepped out.
"I wonder which world this is… There's no one around to ask."
Rimuru craned his neck, scanning the surroundings. Besides the barren island beneath his feet, all he could see was the vast, endless sea stretching to the horizon.
"Oh well. Ranga!"
As soon as he called out, a massive direwolf—large enough to rival an elephant—burst out from the shadows beneath him with a thunderous growl.
"My Lord, do you have need of me? Or… is there an enemy nearby?" The great wolf stood before Rimuru, eyes alert, tongue lolling out as it gave him a friendly lick.
"No enemies. I just wanted your company!" Rimuru grinned and waved cheerfully.
This was Ranga—his loyal friend, subordinate, and sometimes even a mount. The direwolf's favorite pastime? Licking Rimuru. Yes, literally licking him. Like one would an ice cream cone.
With a light step, Rimuru leapt onto Ranga's back.
"Let's just pick a random direction and go. If we run into someone, I'll ask where exactly we are."
"As you command, My Lord!"
Ranga responded with vigor and instantly took off, sprinting across the ocean surface. His speed was so great that ordinary people wouldn't even catch a glimpse of his form—only the white spray of water left in his wake.
I'm Rimuru Tempest.
Even though I look like a little girl, I'm actually an adorable slime. Sure, I'm also a Demon Lord, but all things considered, I'd say I'm a pretty nice slime... probably?
I used to be human. Just your average young office worker, living a pretty unremarkable life.
But for some reason, I ended up getting isekai'd into the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. I even became the beloved Slime King! On top of that, I received a special system—what makes it so special? Well, it exists for one purpose only: to make sure I have fun!
No quests, no missions, no world-ending responsibilities. Just pure joy and a gacha system! And from that gacha, I've pulled all sorts of interesting things—most notably, something called the Dimensional Guild. It lets me recruit people from other worlds into the guild and install various powers. At the moment, the guild has features like gacha draws, enhancements, virtual battlefields, and more.
So now the question is: is my system the gacha itself, or the Dimensional Guild?
The original plot of the series and my experience differ wildly. For instance, I managed to save the entire ogre tribe, Shizu-sensei survived thanks to the Life Water I pulled from the system, and I'm way stronger than I was in the source material. Honestly, when it comes to one-on-one battles, I'm practically invincible.
Because of my overwhelming strength, the development of the country progressed way smoother than it did in the original story. I gained the recognition of other Demon Lords with ease, even becoming good friends with some of them—and yes, I pulled them into the guild as well. In a way, the Dimensional Guild has already taken full control of that world. Nowadays, all the Demon Lords are hopelessly addicted to guild games. Even Veldora is always teaming up with Milim, Ramiris, and the others to play.
With everyone distracted by gaming, all state affairs ended up being dumped on me. Even with the help of Wisdom King Raphael, I was practically drowning in paperwork. Unbelievable. Just how heartless can they be—piling all the work onto a poor little slime like me?!
Thankfully, by yesterday, the world's order had stabilized and only a few trivial matters remained. So I dumped the rest of the tasks on Violet and the others, opened a dimensional gate, and headed off to explore a new world for a well-deserved break.
…
—Several hours later—
"My Lord, there's a ship ahead."
Ranga's voice drew my attention. In the distance, a massive whale-headed ship loomed on the ocean.
"A whale? So what, just a whale-shaped ship?" Rimuru yawned and rubbed his still-sleepy eyes.
"A whale… whale-headed ship!"
Suddenly, Rimuru's eyes flew open. As a die-hard fan of Whitebeard, it clicked instantly. A whale-headed ship—that had to be the Moby Dick! Which meant... this world was One Piece!
So he had ended up in the world of One Piece! And if that's the case, how could he not go meet the strongest man alive? After all, he was a huge fan of Whitebeard!
"Ranga, head over there. I want to meet the strongest man in this world—someone worthy of true respect." Rimuru's voice trembled with excitement.
"Yes, My Lord."
Ranga picked up speed, racing toward the Moby Dick in a blur of motion.
Meanwhile, on board the Moby Dick, a towering, muscular man sat upon a giant throne, gazing thoughtfully at the distant sea.
"What an interesting little guest... Sons! Prepare to welcome our visitor!"
His booming, thunderous voice echoed through every corner of the ship.