"Why limit yourself to one universe when infinity is an option?"
Wano - Private Workshop, Late Night
I sat on the roof of my workshop, staring at the stars.
Three months of building an empire. Five months of training with Guy Crimson. Businesses thriving, skills mastered, power accumulated.
And yet.
I was restless.
One Piece was interesting. Wano was profitable. The automotive revolution was satisfying.
But it wasn't enough.
I had an entire multiverse at my fingertips. Why the fuck was I limiting myself to one world? Also One piece was literally being made in the present I just read the chapter 1173.
"Raphael, pull up the reincarnation parameters from the Essence of Overcoming Limitations."
<
Right. I could leave whenever I wanted. Reincarnate into any world, any time period, as anyone I chose.
The question was: where?
I pulled up my mental list of viable destinations.
Fate/Type-Moon: Powerful magic systems, interesting characters, complex lore. , Reality Marbles, Servants, True Ancestors , Ultimate one ,The Root the whole conceptual magic framework. Tempting.
But also a clusterfuck of alternate timelines and confusing mechanics.
Naruto/Boruto : Chakra system, powerful techniques, interesting world-building.
Problem: I already had better energy manipulation than anything chakra offered. What would I actually gain?
DxD: Sacred Gears, powerful beings, interesting power scaling.
Also extremely horny all the time. Did I want to deal with that? Maybe later when I consider myself to be old enough.
Fairy Tail: Magic guilds, dragon slayer magic, friendship power.
Honestly? Seemed kind of basic compared to what I already had.
Misfit of Demon King Academy: Anos Voldigoad's bullshit power levels, source magic, absurd reality warping.
That one was tempting. But it was such a deep dive into conceptual magic and cosmic-level bullshit that I'd need years just to understand the setting properly.
Not right now.
Jujutsu Kaisen : Cursed energy, domains, interesting combat system.
Cool, but limited compared to my current abilities.
Marvel and DC: Literally gods, cosmic entities, infinite universes.
Way too chaotic. Maybe someday when I wanted to fuck with omnipotent beings, but not yet.
I leaned back, considering.
The truth was obvious once I stopped overthinking it.
Tensura.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
My entire skillset was already based on Tensura mechanics. Ultimate Skills, magicules, Saint evolution, Infons , Demon Lords.
I'd trained with Guy Crimson. I understood the power system intimately. I knew the world's rules, its politics, its power structures.
If I was going to master a universe, why not the one I was already halfway built for?
Plus, there was something poetic about it. Rimuru's journey in Tensura was about starting from nothing and becoming godlike through clever application of abilities.
I was doing the same thing, just... faster.
"Raphael, analysis. If I reincarnate into Tensura, what's the optimal entry point?"
<
I considered that.
Satoru Mikami. The original Rimuru. Thirty-seven-year-old salaryman who died protecting his junior and reincarnated as a slime.
But if I became Satoru...
"Wait. If I reincarnate as Rimuru, I'd be a monster. A slime specifically."
<
"But I'm currently a Saint, a human in core. A spiritual lifeform with holy attributes."
<
"So if I undergo Harvest Festival as a Saint-turned-monster, what happens?"
<
<
I sat up straight.
Two Hero Eggs. Or perhaps even more.
That was... that was fucking brilliant.
Chloe is the only person mentioned in the novel to have hatched two Hero's Eggs—her own and Hinata's.
"What are the compatibility issues?"
<
Five hundred and forty percent.
Fuck yes.
But there was a problem.
"Raphael, Rimuru's whole journey starts on Earth. Normal Earth, no magic, just modern civilization. If I reincarnate as Satoru Mikami directly into the Cardinal World as a slime, I skip all of that."
<
"Why would I do that?"
<
Oh.
Oh, that was smart.
Spend some time on Tensura's Earth as Satoru. Build resources, gather knowledge, let Raphael analyze everything. Then die, transfer to Cardinal World, and hit the ground running with both Earth knowledge AND my existing abilities.
"How long would we need?"
<
Six years on normal Earth.
That seemed like a waste of time, but...
Actually, no. It wasn't.
I could build influence on Earth. Establish businesses. Create a resource base. And most importantly, I could have Raphael analyze every piece of technology, every scientific principle, every cultural element that might be useful later.
When I hit Cardinal World, I'd have the complete sum of Earth's knowledge plus my existing powers.
That was a ridiculous advantage.
"Alright, new plan. I reincarnate on Tensura's Earth as Satoru Mikami. But not at age zero. I want to start at..." I thought about it. "Twenty-one. Young enough to build a career, old enough to have freedom."
<
"I want to look like Neuvillette from Genshin Impact. That aesthetic works."
<
"Good. I'll use that. Build a public profile, make money, establish influence."
But there was another consideration.
"Raphael, if I reincarnate with all my current powers active, I'll be way too strong for Earth. I'll accidentally break things, my unintentional Aura release could cause supernatural catastrophes."
<
"Can you do that?"
<
That worked.
I'd be enhanced—faster, stronger, smarter than normal humans—but not obviously magical. I could live a normal-ish life, build resources, and prepare.
"What about you? Can you still function if everything's sealed?"
<>
"Perfect. What about knowledge retention? If my powers are sealed, will I remember everything?"
<
I nodded slowly.
This could work.
Live on Tensura's regular Earth as Satoru Mikami for sixt years. Build a career, maybe some businesses. Let Raphael catalog everything. Then die, transfer to Cardinal World, unseal everything, and hit the ground as an overpowered slime with both Earth knowledge and ridiculous magical abilities.
"One more thing. I want you to record the coordinates of this universe. One Piece. When I'm done with Tensura, I might want to come back."
<
"And time manipulation. Can I freeze time here while I'm gone?"
<
Perfect.
That meant Sachiko, the businesses, everything I'd built—all of it would be exactly as I left it.
I could spend years in Tensura and come back to Wano the same day I left.
I stood and looked out at the sleeping city.
My city. My empire.
I'd built something good here. Changed lives. Started an industrial revolution.
And I'd come back to it.
But first, I needed to see how far I could go.
I walked to the edge of the roof and activated my enhanced sight, looking across Wano until I found what I was searching for.
There.
Sachiko's room in the main estate. She was asleep, peaceful, safe behind the barriers I'd placed.
My sister. The person who'd cared for me in this world without question.
I couldn't tell her I was leaving. She wouldn't understand. How do you explain "I'm going to reincarnate into another universe for a few decades, don't worry, time is frozen here"?
You don't.
You just... go.
And come back when you're done.
"I'll be back in a instant Sachiko-nee," I murmured. "When I come back, I'll have built something even greater."
I closed my eyes.
"Raphael, initiate reincarnation sequence. Target: Tensura universe, Earth, age 21, appearance as specified. Seal all abilities except baseline enhancement. Freeze time in One Piece universe. Begin."
<
<
<
I took a deep breath.
"Confirm."
Reality folded.
Tensura Universe - Earth, Japan - 16 Years Later
I stared at the office ceiling, listening to my coworker drone on about some corporate policy change.
Twenty-seven years old. Successful career. Comfortable life.
Boring as fuck.
The past six years had been... productive, I suppose.
At twenty-one, I'd started modeling. The Neuvillette appearance worked exactly as planned—refined features, white hair, that aristocratic bearing. Agencies had thrown contracts at me.
I'd used the modeling money to start a clothing brand. Mikami Designs. High-end fashion with a focus on elegant, timeless pieces.
It had exploded.
Within five years, Mikami Designs was international. Tokyo, Paris, New York, London. Revenue in the tens of billions of yen. I'd become legitimately wealthy.
I'd also acted in a few films. Nothing serious—just enough to maintain public visibility and build the brand. And I'd studied. Everything I could get my hands on.
Physics. Engineering. Biology. Economics. History. Literature.
Whenever I had free time, I studied.
I didn't know why. Some instinct told me it would be useful.
(It was Raphael, obviously. She'd been nudging me toward comprehensive knowledge acquisition.)
<
Raphael had spent six years connected to the internet, accessing libraries, analyzing everything human civilization had produced.
When I hit Cardinal World, I'd have the complete technological knowledge of modern Earth ready to deploy.
But right now?
I was sitting in my office looking through some limited edition clothing designs on screen.
The seal had worked perfectly—I was stronger, faster, more durable than any human. I'd dominated every sport I'd tried casually. Could have gone Olympic if I'd bothered.
I was bored.
Suddenly I heard a noise outside my cabin so I went outside to check what's making the noise.
As I was looking for anything I saw the reflection on the plant pot Multiple people dressed in full black masks covering faces and Guns and all sneaking on me few on the ceiling as well. [Raphael hired assassins for his orchestrated death as Satoru/Arlo had planned before his reincarnation as he wanted it to be as realistic as possible and to mimic the skill acquisition as the thoughts going through his mind should be similar and perhaps he would get few more skills]
I kept walking, acting oblivious.
They moved in coordinated silence—two from ahead, two from behind, two on flanking positions.
Professional. Efficient.
The first shot came from behind.
I dodged on instinct—superhuman reflexes still active even with powers sealed—but the second shot clipped my shoulder.
Pain. Actual pain.
When was the last time I'd felt that?
I spun, throwing a punch that connected with the nearest attacker's jaw. Enhanced strength sent him flying into a wall.
The others opened fire.
I was fast, but not fast enough to dodge bullets from six angles.
Three rounds hit me. Shoulder, leg, side.
Fuck.
I grabbed one attacker's gun, twisted it away, used him as a shield while shooting another.
Combat training from Guy Crimson kicked in. Even without magic, even bleeding, I was more dangerous than they'd expected.
Two more attackers down.
But the numbers were against me.
The leader—calm, professional, absolutely emotionless—aimed carefully and fired.
Center mass. Through the heart.
I felt it punch through my chest, felt my enhanced body trying desperately to compensate, to heal, to survive.
Not enough.
I collapsed, blood spreading across the pavement.
The attackers started to retreat.
Beelzebuth activated as seal was on me not on Raphael herself.
I felt it. Sixteen souls, ripped from the attackers mid-step. They collapsed like puppets with cut strings, bodies hitting the ground as Raphael consumed their souls completely.
<
My vision was fading.
This was it.
Six years of normal life. Building resources. Gathering knowledge. Preparing.
Now the real journey began.
<
Darkness.
Then—
A purifying light surrounded me. Warm. Cleansing.
And a voice. Mechanical, commanding, completely unlike Raphael's sweet one.
<
I felt reality shift around me, something trying to analyze me but I obstructed it and sent the information of original Satoru to commence the canon sequence.
The Voice of the World had spoken.
My reincarnation had begun.
End of Chapter 17
Next Time: Satoru Mikami dies and transfers to the Cardinal World. The seal breaks. Powers return. And a slime with the accumulated knowledge of two worlds and abilities beyond measure begins a journey that will shake Tensura to its foundations.
Author's Technical Notes:
Universe Selection Process: Worlds Considered:
Fate/Type-Moon: Complex magic, Root access, powerful but confusing Naruto/Boruto: Chakra system, already surpassed by current abilities DxD: Sacred Gears, powerful but extremely horny setting Fairy Tail: Basic compared to current power Misfit of Demon King Academy: Too deep dive for now JJK: Cursed energy, interesting but limited Marvel/DC: Too chaotic, cosmic beings everywhere CHOSEN: Tensura - Skillset already compatible, known mechanics