Chapter 3+4 - Preview of One Piece: Reincarnated as Rimuru Tempest

Chapter 3: Mimicry! Inviting Nami!

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[Analyzing... Common bullet - Analysis complete!] [Material confirmed. Replicate?] Yes!

A fresh batch of bullets, reconstructed from gunpowder and metal, materialized within Rimuru's Stomach. He took a deep breath, or rather, the slime equivalent, and unleashed his newly acquired skill.

Barrage!

A torrent of bullets ripped through the air, tearing through the unsuspecting pirates. The sheer force of the attack punched through multiple targets, leaving a trail of carnage.

The fight was over in seconds. A few pirates and the captain managed to escape in the initial chaos, but the rest were reduced to Magicules. Most yielded a paltry five or six points, with only the slightly more robust pirates offering a measly ten, hardly enough to register as a power boost. They were, after all, small-fry pirates from the weakest sea. Rimuru hadn't expected much.

Turning to Nami, Rimuru observed her reaction.

“W-What are you?” Nami stammered, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and bewilderment. Those ruthless pirates had been no match for this… creature. She certainly wouldn't stand a chance.

Damn it! I shouldn’t have boarded this ship!

Just as panic began to set in, the voice that had offered her a chance at survival echoed in her mind again.

“Me? I'm just a passing slime,” Rimuru quipped, tilting his head in a manner reminiscent of his encounter with Shizu. “And I’m not a bad slime, either.”

“A… slime?” Nami stared. Though only 18, she had been sailing the seas for eight years and had never heard of such a thing. Yet, she sensed no hostility from the strange creature before her. In fact, its jiggly form looked oddly… squishable.

Sensing her confusion, Rimuru elaborated, “I ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. It lets me transform into the legendary slime.”

“A Devil Fruit?!” Nami’s eyes widened. She’d heard tales of these mystical fruits, but this was the first time she'd seen their power firsthand. “Can… can you change back into a human?”

Human? Now that she mentioned it, hadn’t he absorbed those pirates and gained access to their genetic information?

[Confirmation. Human race information analysis complete. Mimicry can now simulate a human form.]

A mischievous grin spread across Rimuru's… face? “Of course, I can become human again. But I don’t have any clothes. Would you mind lending me yours?”

“Oh… right.” Looking at the undeniably naked slime, and swayed by an inexplicable sense of trust, Nami began to unbutton her shirt.

Then she stopped. “Wait! This is all I have! Isn’t this the captain’s cabin? There have to be clothes in the wardrobe!” Without thinking, she lightly smacked Rimuru.

Nice and squishy.

Rimuru, ever observant, had already spotted the wardrobe. He bounced over to it, Predator activating, and sucked the contents into his Stomach. Focusing on his usual black attire, he initiated the transformation.

Mimicry, Human!

[Sensing host's desire...]

As Nami watched in disbelief, the slime shifted and reshaped itself. A young man with flowing blue hair, golden eyes, and dressed in a sharp black uniform stood before her.

“Mimicry is quite something, isn’t it?” Rimuru mused, examining himself in a nearby mirror.

“But… I only absorbed their genetic information. Why do I look so much like… well, me?” He looked remarkably like his original Rimuru form, albeit taller and with an added touch of… allure.

[Explanation. Mimicry adapts to the host's desired form. An unknown force has influenced the final human form, which is now fixed.]

Unknown force? Probably the Character Binding System. It made sense. He was bound to Rimuru, possessed his unique skills, so naturally, his human form would resemble him.

“Who… who are you talking to?” Nami asked cautiously, having recovered from her initial shock. She noticed Rimuru seemed to be talking to himself. “And… are you a boy or a girl?” His delicate features and androgynous figure made it difficult to tell.

“Oh, I’m talking to my partner,” Rimuru replied, instinctively checking himself. Good, still there. He was a slime with dreams, and those dreams didn't include being genderless! Whether it was the strength of his desire or the Great Sage subtly manipulating the other talents, he was still very much male.

“What? Never seen a pretty boy before?”

Nami just stared.

“I’m building a powerful empire! I saved your life, so according to our agreement, you should join my nation.”

“Build… a nation? You?” Nami gaped at him. She had expected him to mention a pirate crew or an adventuring group, not nation-building!

“Yeah, it’s just me for now. And we’ll probably end up with a few Marine bounties on our heads.”

Nami was speechless. At least he’s self-aware.

“So, what’s your answer? Hmm…” Rimuru trailed off, sensing multiple approaching presences. “Let’s deal with these pesky flies first. But Nami, my navigator, you’re coming with me.”

Nami? How did he know I was a navigator?

Before she could ask, the cabin door burst open, revealing a group of angry pirates.

"Captain Dog-Eye! Watch out! The blue monster is here!"

"Yeah, I saw it eat Akai!" The two pirates who had fled earlier pointed at Rimuru.

But they froze, confused. Where was the blue monster? And who was the girl?

“You bunch of idiots! What are you babbling about?” A booming voice cut through the commotion.

A towering figure, over two meters tall, clad in a Western-style duster and wielding a long sword, strode into the cabin. It was the captain of the Rizaho Pirates, Dog-Eye Mihawk.

“A monster? All I see are two brats! You think you can fool Captain Dog-Eye? Trying to keep the loot for yourselves, huh?” Ignoring his crew’s explanations, Dog-Eye turned his attention to Rimuru.

"Hmph, 'flies'? You've got some nerve, kid."

"I'm Dog-Eye Mihawk, a 5,000,000 Berry pirate! A legend in these waters! I'm feeling generous today, so I’ll let you taste my Yoru." With a flourish, he drew his large black blade, Yoru, basking in the awed stares of his crew.

....

Chapter 4: Dog? Dog-Eye Mihawk?

...

Dog-Eye Mihawk? Does he have a brother named Hawkeye Mihawk? Rimuru briefly wondered if he’d somehow stumbled into a bizarre alternate reality.

"Die!" Enraged by Rimuru's apparent lack of fear, Dog-Eye swung his sword.

"Look out!" Nami shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut.

But the next sound she heard was a gasp of shock, and it wasn't from Rimuru.

Nami cautiously opened her eyes, staring in disbelief. Rimuru had caught the blade, with two fingers! The entire room was frozen in stunned silence.

[Slashing Resistance acquired!]

Just like in the anime, Rimuru thought. Taking damage grants resistance. Though the attack was no more than a mosquito bite, it still registered as hostile. The bullets hadn't triggered the resistance because Predator had absorbed them before they could make contact.

Dog-Eye strained, his muscles bulging, trying to force the blade down. It wouldn't budge.

What kind of strength is this?! He stared at Rimuru, barely more than a teenager. Dog-Eye prided himself on his immense strength, yet he was being overpowered by a boy!

“Too slow. Too weak.”

“This is how you use a sword.”

Snap!

With a casual flick of his wrist, Rimuru snapped the blade in two. Then, in a blur of motion, a replica of the broken sword materialized in his left hand. Before anyone could react, the blade flashed down.

A spray of blood splattered across the cabin. Dog-Eye Mihawk's head sailed through the air like a discarded toy.

“C-Captain Dog-Eye is dead?!”

“One… one hit?!”

“Monster! He’s a monster!”

“Run!”

Terror gripped the remaining pirates. They scrambled for the exit, desperate to escape with their lives.

Rimuru didn’t bother pursuing them. It wasn’t mercy. These pirates deserved far worse than a quick death. But out on the open ocean, there was nowhere for them to run. Even if they reached their ship, what then?

[One common pirate devoured.] [Magicule value +5.]

A captain, and only five points? He was slightly more valuable than his crew, but still classified as a "small-fry pirate" by the Great Sage.

“Don’t be scared. They were evil pirates. They deserved it.” Rimuru turned to Nami, who stood frozen in place. He assumed she was shocked by the violence.

While only 18, Nami had witnessed plenty of bloodshed since Arlong’s arrival in Cocoyasi Village eight years earlier. The fish-man pirates had killed her adoptive mother and many villagers. She wasn’t fazed by violence.

What truly stunned her was Rimuru’s overwhelming power.

Maybe… maybe he can defeat Arlong. Maybe he can save the village.

“So, what do you say? Want to be my navigator? It’s just me for now, but the future is limitless! We’ll conquer not just the East Blue, but…”

“I’ll join!” Nami blurted out, her earlier fear replaced by a surge of hope. She didn’t even care how he knew about her navigation skills.

“But… Rimuru-sama” she began hesitantly, extending her left arm, afraid of his reaction. “My village is occupied by the Arlong Pirates. They forced me to be their navigator. I’m only with them so I can buy back my village for 100,000,000 Berries.”

Rimuru already knew about Arlong. He hadn't brought it up because he knew it was a sensitive subject for Nami. He wanted her to confide in him when she was ready.

He hadn’t expected her to reveal it so quickly. It spoke volumes about her determination to save her village.

With a sigh, Rimuru placed his hand on the Arlong tattoo. A flash of white light, and the ugly mark vanished.

“You’re a fool, Nami. You really think they’ll let you and your village go, even if you gather all that money?”

Nami looked up at Rimuru, his golden eyes filled with gentle understanding.

He’s right. Would Arlong really keep his promise? Deep down, she knew the answer.

But what choice did she have? The Marines had tried and failed to defeat Arlong. They hadn’t returned since. If even the Marines had given up, what hope did the villagers have? All they could do was pray that Arlong would honor his word.

But now, a new hope had appeared. A chance to save her village. She wouldn’t let it slip away.

“Now that you’ve joined the empire, you’re family. Your problems are my problems.” Rimuru’s voice was firm. “Arlong, huh? Tell ‘em I’m hungry for fish.”

[Congratulations! Nami has joined the Devouring Empire!]

Name: Nami

Origin World: One Piece

Overall Potential: K

Position: S-Rank Imperial Navigator / Imperial Concubine...

Nami’s information appeared before Rimuru. Only he could see the details.

S-Rank Navigator! That alone made her K-rank overall potential irrelevant. Besides, that ranking was based on a multiverse scale. A K-rank in this world was already impressive.