Chapter 264

Several infamous pirate captains gathered on an island adorned with flowers, standing solemnly on either side of the path.

These brutal and cold-hearted pirates had somber, grief-stricken expressions, and tears glistened in their eyes.

At the front of the crowd stood a dignified grave, upon which lay a ladle and an iron spoon.

Whitebeard and his crew were at the forefront, paying their respects.

"To abandon family for profit, to watch them die without saving them, I have no son like that!"

Whitebeard spoke solemnly, looking at the grave of Fourth Division Captain Thatch, as he gave an order to his crew and the allied pirates.

"Everyone, listen well: from now on, should you meet that man, Teach, on the seas, he is our enemy!!"

Upon hearing this, the pirates clenched their fists and engraved Teach's image deep into their memories.

Meanwhile, Teach, having obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, traveled alone to a remote area of the West Blue.

With a sinister grin on his face, he had come here to find a man exiled from his country for excessive cruelty.

The Devil Sheriff—Lafitte.

...

Wano Country, Onigashima, under stormy skies.

The air occasionally erupted with violent energy as Kaido, captain of the Beasts Pirates, sat slumped on his throne, cheeks flushed.

All around him lay scattered sake pots and bottles.

The officers—King, Queen, Jack—stood at a distance, exchanging glances. None dared approach Kaido, who was already drunk.

"Even you couldn't free the world, nor escape the fate of being brought to justice, Zyhark..."

"During the battle of the Land of the Gods, I almost thought you were the Joy Boy I had been waiting for."

"A promised decisive battle... in the end, it's just an irremediable regret?"

"You haven't returned my sake pot yet, and a man like you wouldn't do something so dishonorable as to owe me and not repay, right?"

"Zyhark! Tell me, you're not dead!!!"

Drunken Kaido mumbled to himself, occasionally losing his temper as red lightning flashed.

Having a one-on-one showdown with Zyhark was something Kaido had looked forward to for a long time.

But now, that anticipation had become an indefinite dream.

Realizing that the sea would once again enter a boring and monotonous period, the frustration and melancholy in Kaido's heart deepened as he grabbed the barrel beside him and drank heavily.

In the dimly lit corner of the hall, Yamato held her kanabo with a face full of excitement.

"Fighting for your country, even against the whole world, and swearing to fight to the last breath despite the vast difference in strength."

"That's so cool! The Evil Thunder, Zyhark!"

Without comparison, there's no harm. After hearing about the heroic deeds of the Sea Restaurant from the pirates who participated in the battle, Yamato suddenly realized that the Kozuki Oden she idolized didn't seem all that impressive.

After all, what Zyhark had done was something even Roger, the Pirate King, and Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, hadn't achieved!

Thinking of this, Yamato raised her slightly trembling hand, driven by excitement, and put on the demon mask, covering her heroic and beautiful face.

"It's decided! I will inherit your dreams and reputation!"

"From today onwards, my name is Zyhark!"

...

Red-Haired Pirates, also a Yonko crew in the New World.

The crew had just fought a fierce battle, defeating a powerful pirate who had long dominated the sea.

On the shattered battlefield, the campfire representing their great victory slowly rose.

While his crewmates cheered and celebrated, Shanks sat alone in the corner, taking out a piece of pure white paper from his pocket.

The white paper floating in his palm swayed like an ordinary Log Pose in the magnetic chaos of the New World, never pointing to the exact location of its owner.

This was Uta's Vivre Card, which Shanks carried with him.

The fact that the paper showed no signs of burning meant Uta was safe.

Recalling the dazzling light that had enveloped the Sea Restaurant crew, Shanks frowned slightly, his expression complicated.

"Uta, Zyhark, Aqua, where are you all now..."

...

In a bright and spacious hall, with black and white tiled floors.

A beam of light shone down, illuminating the slightly dim environment.

This was a completely separate space, not part of the pirate world, but a "Afterlife Dimension" of another world.

"Welcome to the Afterlife. I am the goddess Eris, here to lead you to a brand-new path."

"Your life in the original world has ended—wait, huh? Why is there no record of which world you died in?"

"Huh?! Aqua-senpai, Aqua-senpai! Come quickly, something big has happened!!"

"Oh right, Aqua-senpai was sent to a place even gods cannot reach..."

A bald head gleamed under the light as King slowly opened his eyes.

After quickly taking in his surroundings, he looked at the panicked girl sitting in front of him, holding her head in her hands in confusion.

She had long silver hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful, delicate face. Her goddess-like attire, which resembled a nun's robe, complemented her figure well.

A ruby necklace adorned her flawless neck, but what caught his attention most was her ample bosom.

"Um..." King greeted, a little at a loss for words.

He had seen Aqua's resurrection spell firsthand and had thought he'd awaken on the deck of the Endless Dream, not in this completely unfamiliar scene.

Moreover, this seemingly airheaded girl had just called Aqua "senpai"?

"Ah, I apologize. Please wait a moment; I'm experiencing a slight issue."

Eris quickly stood up, bowing in apology to King, then frantically scratched her head.

Is it really just a slight issue?

King could tell she was trying to act tough.

Just as he was about to ask about Aqua and where they were, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from the ceiling of the reincarnation hall.

"Hey! Eris, this guy is my friend. Just send him over to me!"

Upon hearing this, the distressed Eris lifted her head in surprise, as if seeing a ray of hope. "A-Aqua-senpai? You're back?"

"Don't ask so many questions, just do as I say!"

Aqua's impatient scolding echoed above.

It seemed she had no particular fondness for her junior goddess, speaking to her in a rather domineering and brash tone.

"But—but his world is unknown, and we at least need to investigate before—"

"Shut up, Eris! You wouldn't want everyone in the divine realm to find out about you stuffing things in your chest, would you?"

Stuffed?

King's gaze at the silver-haired girl instantly turned strange.

With her biggest secret exposed, Eris's adorable face turned beet red. "Wha-wha-what are you saying?! Fine, fine! I'll send him over right now!"

Buzz!

As she gently raised her hand, a sacred and dazzling beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping King and transporting him out of this strange space.

The feeling of dizziness passed in an instant, and when King opened his eyes again, he found himself in a lush green meadow beneath a clear blue sky.

Under a large tree, Aqua, Meowth, Kanna, Escanor, Brook, and Uta were all looking at him with concern.

"What a troublesome junior!" Aqua clapped her hands and asked King, "King, that girl didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

From my perspective, it looked like you were the one giving that kind, gentle girl a hard time...

King thought silently, shaking his head with his usual stoic expression.

"Aqua, you brought me back, right? This place doesn't look like where we agreed to meet," King couldn't help but frown. Although he hadn't completely broken through his limiter, his body's abilities had clearly changed.

He could distinctly feel that the environment and aura here were completely different from the Grand Line.

Or more precisely, it was vastly different from the entire pirate world!

"Sigh, we've crossed over again, meow." Meowth sighed with a look of worry.

"This is Aqua's main world, a world governed by gods," Escanor explained solemnly.

"A wonderful and magical world!" Kanna added, her mouth faintly showing remnants of butterfly wings.

On her small shoulders lay a cute, mini Eastern dragon that resembled the Endless Dream.

Having experienced an isekai transition once before, they all reacted relatively calmly.

Brook and Uta, both native to the pirate world, were visibly shocked and hadn't fully processed everything yet.

"A world governed by gods? Aqua, you really are a goddess?" King blurted out almost instinctively.

"Hey! For the goddess who brought you back to life, even if you're King, that's an extremely rude thing to say, jerk!"

Aqua put her hands on her hips and glared at King.

Here's what happened: Aqua was suddenly transported back to the Konosuba world. After learning of King's death from Escanor, she immediately used her resurrection spell to try to revive him.

However, King didn't appear right away.

Upon sensing what had happened, she realized King had mistakenly been revived in Eris's realm, leading to the series of events that had just unfolded.

"I see..."

After the explanation from his comrades, King finally understood the current situation and had no choice but to accept that they had crossed over again.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted as he noticed something wrong, "Wait, where is Zyhark?!"

At the mention of Zyhark, the expressions of his comrades became strange.

"Hehehe," Aqua grinned mischievously, waving her fist with more enthusiasm than ever.

"Listen closely, King. That guy is now our enemy!"

Upon hearing this, King's imposing face instantly froze, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, and his tongue wobbled up and down.

He had completely brought the One Piece art style into the Konosuba world.

"Nani?!"

...

Meanwhile, at the Demon King's castle, far from the beginner town of Axel.

Sitting high on the ominous and pitch-black Demon King's throne, Zyhark looked down expressionlessly.

Below him, several humanoid demon commanders knelt on one knee, bowing their heads respectfully, waiting for the new Demon King's command.

Among them were a tall, seductive lich, a Duke of Hell with a black-and-white mask, and a headless knight holding a helmet in one hand...

Looking at these demon commanders who had pledged loyalty, Zyhark couldn't help but feel troubled.

At the time, when he threw the Wishing Bead to block the combined attack of several admiral-level fighters, as he had expected, the terrifying attack was successfully deflected, averting the crisis.

However, whether it was due to reaching its limit or some deliberate internal mechanism, the cursed "cheat" shattered on the spot and upgraded itself to a brand-new version 3.0, turning into a wisp of colorful smoke!

The smoke enveloped Zyhark, and he was suddenly "summoned" to the Konosuba world, unexpectedly becoming the new Demon King of the Demon King's castle!

[Wishing Pool 3.0 (This forced update has fixed some bugs)]

[Under the condition that the original wishing requirements remain unchanged, a special dungeon mode is enabled]

[Special Dungeon: Offer Your Tribute to the Wonderful World]

[Hate the Demon King, understand the Demon King, become the Demon King—this is a peculiar and interesting journey in another world. Defeat and sacrifice the hero's party to return to the pirate world, and you will receive an additional wish opportunity.]

This cursed "cheat" was called a curse for a reason—it always found a way to screw Zyhark over in the most serious manner.

Though his comrades were a bit flawed, no one understood more than him just how terrifying they could be when united!

Even with the powerful Demon King's commanders, the difficulty was still hell-level!

What's that? Aqua is on the other side too?

Oh, well, in that case, there's nothing to worry about!

With "absolute trust" in Aqua, Zyhark stood up from the throne, spread his arms, and laughed maniacally.

"Kyahahaha! Come on, guys! I'll show you what a true Demon King is!"

The demon commanders below exchanged puzzled looks, each seeing the same worry reflected in the other's eyes:

This suddenly appointed Demon King seemed…

A bit unreliable?

And what was with that bizarre laugh?!

...

Meanwhile, back with Aqua and the others.

"So, basically, we need to defeat Zyhark, who has become the Demon King, in order to avoid being wiped out as anomalies by the gods of this world?" King asked seriously after grasping the situation.

Zyhark understood their strength, just as they understood Zyhark's power.

It was hard to imagine how difficult it would be to deal with Zyhark as a Demon King, considering his already highly flexible moral boundaries!

"If I weren't yet to regain my full powers, I'd give those jerk gods a good beating!"

Aqua fumed at the thought of her former colleagues and their arrogant attitudes.

Seeing her comrades' worried faces about having to face Zyhark as an enemy, Aqua confidently put her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry, don't worry! I'm very familiar with this world, and as long as we follow the steps, we'll definitely beat Zyhark to a pulp!"

"This is a great opportunity to let that cunning bastard feel the weight of a hero and a goddess!"

After her rousing speech, which was very similar to Zyhark's, the atmosphere grew awkwardly silent.

"That's all well and good, but why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Meowth muttered.

Especially after making eye contact with Aqua's supposedly wise eyes, his unease only deepened.

If he had to choose between Zyhark and Aqua, Meowth would pick Zyhark without hesitation!

"Go, go! Defeat the Great Demon King Zyhark~"

Kanna, usually close to Zyhark, seemed unusually interested.

To the little one, this was just an entertaining role-play game.

After all, even if Zyhark had become the Demon King, he wouldn't hurt them!

"Defeat the Demon King Zyhark, huh? Just thinking about it gets me fired up. Although I'm just a skeleton and have no hot blood to boil, yohohoho~" Brook shared a similar sentiment to Kanna.

"So, what do we do next?" Uta asked.

Ever since arriving in this unfamiliar world, she had lost her connection to the Song-Song Fruit.

As Aqua mentioned earlier, the power of Devil Fruits wasn't acknowledged by this world's rules.

In other words, without swordsmanship or Haki, she was just a weakling who could sing!

Defeating Zyhark the Demon King? That was unimaginable.

"The first thing we need to do is find the Adventurer's Guild and register as official heroes!"

Aqua puffed out her chest, striking a senior pose.

"Seems that's our only option. Then, please lead the way, Aqua-san," Escanor said.

"Wha-what?! Lead the way?!"

"Aren't you familiar with this place?"

"Of course! Just follow me. Oh, by the way, I have tons of followers in this world!"

And so, with the great genius Aqua leading the way, the group set out for Axel, the nearby beginner town.

(End of Chapter)