"Holy crap! It's Rem!!"
That familiar figure appeared suddenly—like a dream given form—surrounded by a flash of purple light, and she intercepted the fatal blow meant for him.
Ark froze on the spot. Then, an overwhelming surge of joy crashed over him, and he nearly shouted aloud.
He choked back his excitement, cheering wildly only in his mind: System Daddy! This time you really delivered!!
Just then, Rem turned her head.
Perhaps it was a faint connection forged by the summoning system, but she felt a flicker of familiarity from the boy.
Yet his stare was so shamelessly direct that she couldn't help but frown.
"Do you… know Rem?" she asked, wariness coloring her voice. "Please don't look at Rem like that."
You're being… a bit rude.
Are you a pervert?
"My older sister isn't here," she added firmly. "Rem has to be careful!"
Ark flushed and quickly coughed a few times to mask his embarrassment.
"Ahem… Sorry!"
"The situation is urgent," he said, struggling against the ropes binding him. "I summoned you—we're surrounded by enemies. Could you deal with them first? Then you can save me!"
I'll explain everything clearly afterward—I promise!
Rem's eyes flicked to the pirates encircling them, then back to the bound boy. She raised her flail slightly, her expression cool and unreadable.
"Although Rem can't fully trust your words," she said evenly, "she senses their malice clearly enough."
She shifted into a fighting stance, weapon at the ready.
"Rem will handle these enemies first. But afterward," she added, fixing him with a stern look, "you will give Rem an explanation."
The pirates, stunned by the sudden appearance of the blue-haired maid, fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then laughter erupted.
"Is this your backup, Ark? A little girl in a maid outfit?"
"Did you wander onto the wrong ship for your cosplay game?"
"Our captain is Lord Chris Corliss—the 'Super Strength'—with a bounty of five million Berries! Run along before you get hurt!"
A burly pirate swaggered forward, sneering. "Who do you think you're scaring, dressing up like a servant girl?"
Before the words fully left his mouth, Rem's meteor hammer whistled through the air.
BOOM—!
The deck exploded inward with a deafening crash, leaving only a human-shaped crater in the wood. The boastful pirate was gone—smashed clean through the planks.
Rem sheathed her weapon without a flicker of expression, her skirt unmoved by the sea breeze.
"You," she said coldly, "have no right to mock Rem's outfit."
The pirates snapped to horrified attention. This "little girl" was no joke.
"C-Captain! She's… she's a monster!"
"Captain Corliss—time for you to step in!"
Chris scowled at his trembling crew. "Don't be cowards! She's just one girl!"
"Charge! I'll hold her off!"
"KILL THEM!" His roar rallied the crew, and they surged forward.
But the moment they did, Chris spun on his heel and bolted for the ship's edge—no hesitation.
Survival at sea taught him one thing: know when to run. Between her bizarre arrival and terrifying strength, this maid was way out of his league. If he didn't escape now, he'd never get another chance.
He reached the railing and reached for the lifeboat—
—when a row of gleaming ice spikes shattered into the deck right before his feet.
Rem's voice cut through the wind like steel:
"You sent your men to die while you fled? Rem despises cowards like you."
Chris froze. He turned—and saw his entire crew sprawled unconscious across the deck.
"How… how could you be so fast?!" His eyes darted to the ice embedded in the wood. "Are you… a Devil Fruit user?! A legendary one?!"
He spat, teeth gritted. "Damn it! I won't believe it! Prepare to die!"
With a final, desperate roar, he swung his massive fist at her.
But his strike hit only air.
A blur—then nothing.
"Where… where is everyone?!" Panic clawed at his throat as he spun in place.
Then—instinct screamed.
He turned.
A cold, metallic flail filled his vision.
THUD.
Darkness swallowed him before he could scream.
---
Meanwhile, Ark—still tied up near the mast—hadn't been idle. While Rem fought, he'd been frantically examining his cheat ability:
[Multiverse Dimensional Summoning System!]
Accumulate Legendary Points to summon beings and artifacts from all realms!
Summoning Tiers:
• Normal (100 LP)
• Advanced (2,000 LP)
• Rare (Conditions not yet unlocked)
Features:
– Host and summoned allies gain global fame!
– Increase Bond Levels for special rewards:
Friendly → Best Friend → Life-and-Death Comrades!
New Player Gift Pack Activated!
– Advanced Summon (used)
– Special Bloodline Detected: Host is in the One Piece world. Automatically adapting to [Vermilion Bird Form] (fusion in progress).
Mythological Origin:
One of the Four Symbols of Chinese cosmology—the Southern Deity, Suzaku, god of summer and immortal flame.
"???"
Holy crap!!!
MERGE! MERGE NOW!!!
Kazu Ark's heart hammered. Even a second's delay would be a sin against the great Suzaku!
If this power exists in the One Piece world… I'll be unstoppable!!
---
In an instant, searing heat erupted from the core of his being.
Not ordinary fire—something deeper, older. The essence of summer itself, divine and unquenchable, coiling through his blood.
His muscles convulsed. Bones groaned as if being reforged. The frail body of an ordinary pirate was scoured clean, expanded, and remade by a force both ancient and tyrannical.
He heard his blood roar like molten lava. Vitality surged through his limbs, raw and overwhelming.
Physical stats skyrocketing.
Limits shattered like dry twigs beneath a wildfire.
His heartbeat thundered like a war drum. Beneath his skin, crimson-gold light flickered—alive, hungry.
Then—whoosh!
Flames erupted from his body, incinerating the ropes in an instant.
He dropped to one knee, each gasping breath warping the air around him. After a moment, he rose—power thrumming through every fiber.
But…
It's not enough.
The true might of the Vermilion Bird was vast beyond imagination. He could feel it—an ocean of primordial fire, waiting to be unleashed.
Yet his body… was still human.
Even with strength multiplied tenfold, he was like a child grasping a god's sword—clumsy, unbalanced, unable to wield its true weight.
"This… is Suzaku's bloodline," he whispered, staring at his trembling palm.
Even a ten-thousandth of its power… and I'm already this strong.
One day—one day—he would command it fully.