Ryuji's Conqueror's Haki singlehandedly brought the war in Alabasta to an end. From that moment on, in the world of One Piece, although he hadn't yet become one of those overwhelming figures capable of toppling nations with brute strength, he now possessed a power that could plunge an entire city—or even a whole country—into massive unrest simply by willing it.
If there was a kingdom he didn't like, all he had to do was drop in every now and then and release a burst of his Conqueror's Haki. That alone was enough to make the ruling elites scramble to summon the Marines—or fall to their knees and beg for mercy.
Thus, the Alabasta conflict was undeniably resolved.
But with peace came a new problem:
Ryuji had nothing to do.
Sure, the ship he requested was now under construction. But due to the colossal cost of materials—especially the use of Adam Wood and other rare resources—it would take at least three or four months to complete, even on the fastest schedule.
Which meant… he would be stuck in Alabasta for the time being.
But he had no desire to stay in Alabasta any longer.
Sure, he could spend his time overseeing Nami's physical training—but the more he watched, the more frustrated he got. Nami's body hadn't matured yet, unlike someone like Robin who, just by switching outfits or hairstyles, could easily cosplay her post-time skip version.
Nami still needed time to grow.
And he wasn't interested in biting into unripe fruit.
While he could sleep with the other women around him—the maids who were basically his for the taking—but the energy points he got from them were laughably small. After all that effort, he'd barely gain a few points. Totally not worth it.
So, once Alabasta was stable again, he made a decision.
"Time to head back to Food Wars world for a bit."
Looking at the attribute points he'd accumulated from Robin and Nojiko, Ryuji nodded to himself.
Mainly, he wanted to test a few things: how much his strength would drop after leaving the One Piece world, and how many ingredients from this world he could actually bring back with him.
So, he went out to the coast, hunted down a massive sea beast, and after giving Robin a heads-up and arranging a time for her to make a specific signal so he'd know she was still safe, he grabbed a large fish from the ocean and opened his multiverse travel interface.
He tapped on Erina's icon. Her avatar flickered to life—looking bored out of her mind.
Through the interface, Ryuji saw her sitting in a classroom, listening to a lecture. So he waited until she got home before preparing to make the jump.
But just as he stood atop the giant fish, left hand holding it steady, right hand gripping a five-meter slab of meat and a ten-meter-long pole, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Travel to the moment right before I left."
And then—ding!
[Current anchor point locked. Unable to travel to previous anchor. You may only return to the currently observed point.]
"…Huh?"
Ryuji blinked, then quickly understood.
Because he had observed Erina's situation just now, the system had locked that exact time point as his current anchor. If he had refrained from checking on her, he could have traveled back to an earlier moment. But once he viewed her, that moment became the new fixed destination.
"Observer effect, huh? Actually… this works out pretty well."
He finally grasped the system's mechanic—and was quite pleased. It meant he could now avoid time-wasting periods like waiting for his ship to be built, without messing up the flow of his personal timeline.
Like now, for example—he could skip the dead time in the One Piece world.
"Still… a little heads-up about this would've been nice. Kinda annoying!"
Grumbling, he selected [Travel].
In the next instant, he reappeared two meters away from Erina—along with every item he was carrying within a two-meter radius.
He looked down at the massive slab of fish meat, now neatly sliced into strips the size of his fingers, and sighed.
It seemed the travel limit was strictly enforced: anything beyond a two-meter radius of his body would be cut off and left behind.
"Hmm… I could use this in a fight."
His mind instantly filled with combat strategies. For example: teleporting mid-battle and using the travel cut-off to slice through a giant opponent—then jumping back in to attack the exposed parts.
Still, he checked his inventory.
The fertilized eggs and fish roe from One Piece had come through. Seeds for grain and spices had also made it. But living creatures—like chicken or fish—didn't make it.
"So anything with a sense of self can't cross worlds?"
Ryuji nodded to himself, just as Erina noticed him—and yelped.
"You! Do you even realize how long you've been gone?!"
"I know, I know," Ryuji said, grinning. "But hey, did you miss me?"
"I missed you so much! You suddenly disappeared for so long!"
Erina snorted angrily, but still walked over considerately and helped him tidy up his clothes.
"Which world did you go to again? And what's with the giant slabs of fish meat? Is that world dangerous?"
"Mmhmm. Pretty dangerous. Have you ever seen One Piece?"
"I've heard of it."
Erina nodded. She hadn't watched it, but One Piece was legendary—even in her world. With anime being a major industry and gateway to social mobility, of course she knew the big three.
"Well, I just got back from there."
Ryuji pulled out a piece of cartoonish, oversized bone-in meat—the kind characters always gnawed on in the show.
Erina's eyes lit up immediately—but then drifted to the scars on Ryuji's body.
Even with all his training, wounds were inevitable. Some injuries had left marks he'd kept intentionally—as reminders. They hadn't healed yet.
"You really did get hurt…"
Erina gently touched one of the cuts—a jagged mark left by a Sea King's scales—and looked up at him.
"You didn't go picking fights just for ingredients, did you?"
She was quite worried about this.
"I mean, I did fight for food… but don't worry. I'm crazy strong."
Grinning, he cupped her chin and planted a kiss on her lips.
Just to be safe, he'd spent half a month avoiding kisses with anyone else—so Erina wouldn't catch the scent of another woman.
"Smooth talker," she muttered, red-faced. "Just give me the ingredients! Go take a shower or something. Wait… are these fertilized eggs? You actually brought back fish roe?!"
Blushing, Erina shoved him away and grabbed the bags. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she sorted through the ingredients. Last time, the spice seeds Ryuji brought from Arad had already begun to sprout. Some were even bearing fruit. The flavors weren't quite the same as in Arad—but they were undeniably new, with entirely unique potential.
"Oh, I've got more!"
Ryuji proudly waved a little notebook—filled with cooking methods and ingredient properties he'd collected from One Piece. Thankfully that world used English, or he would've had to write it all out himself.
"Give me that!"
Erina shrieked and lunged for it.
Ryuji lifted it high above his head, forcing Erina to press her soft, curvy body against his as she tried to reach it. Her chest rubbed up against him, her scent filled his nose—and he couldn't help but slide his hand down to her waist, already planning to pull her into the bath with him.
But just then—
"Ahem."
A low voice interrupted them.
"Have some dignity. This is the front door, not a love hotel."
It was Nakiri Senzaemon, Erina's grandfather.
The old man did his best not to look at the scattered exotic ingredients on the floor, while the nearby servants discreetly moved to gather and sort them.
Meanwhile, Alice—white-haired, red-eyed, and brimming with excitement—was already staring wide-eyed at the huge chunks of fish meat.
Her culinary instincts told her something amazing:
"This… this is just a part of a fish. Which means… the whole thing must be over ten meters long!"
So this was food from another world, huh?
Just as Alice was about to reach out, Erina stepped in front of her with a smug look on her face. Her eyes clearly said, "These are all mine!"
Alice nearly laughed from sheer exasperation. Meanwhile, Ryuji noticed the disapproving look from Senzaemon Nakiri and reluctantly let go of Erina.
Erina was special—so he intended to be a good son-in-law.
"Go take a shower already—you stink," Erina said, giving Ryuji a light punch on the chest. Then she turned to join Alice, flipping through the small booklet Ryuji had brought back, cross-referencing the recipes he had listed.
It was only then Ryuji noticed that Ikumi—was also present. She had kept her distance, likely because she was still sweating from training.
"Hmph."
Senzaemon let out a cold snort. He truly disapproved of Ryuji, this playboy. He would've rather not have these exotic ingredients than let Erina marry such a man. But just like his daughter once did, Erina had clearly made up her mind.
So all he could do was stand by, helplessly watching this scoundrel flirt with every woman in the family.
Irritated, he turned and walked toward the living room. As for these ingredients? Once Erina finished cooking, would he miss a single bite? Of course not.
Ryuji didn't take it to heart. From an ordinary person's perspective, their relationships were indeed unconventional, so it made sense for Senzaemon to be uncomfortable.
As long as he and Erina were happy, that was all that mattered. There was no need to overthink it.
Ryuji looked at the blushing Ikumi, who kept her eyes fixed on him rather than the slab of meat nearby. Curious, he asked:
"Aren't you curious about the meat?"
Flushed and flustered under his gaze, Ikumi felt like she was sizzling on a grill—just like an A5-grade steak searing over open flames.
"W-Well… I just… I'm still sweaty. I don't want to contaminate the meat…" she mumbled shyly.
He gave her a mischievous grin.
"Perfect. I'm drenched too. Time to wash this piece of meat."
Laughing boldly, he scooped Ikumi up like a sack and carried her toward the bathroom. Erina merely shook her head at the sight, then went back to studying the booklet.
She'd let Ikumi take the first round. She'd wait until Ryuji had calmed down.
In the Bathroom:
Ikumi pressed her ample breasts against Ryuji's back, lathering him with soap, her movements growing increasingly erratic as arousal took hold. Ryuji didn't miss the way her nipples stiffened beneath the suds.
But what amused him most was Even after all this time, the Meat Princess still flushed like a virgin when arousal took hold.
Pulling her into his lap, he reached for the razor Erina kept in the bathroom. His fingers toyed with the sparse golden curls between Ikumi's thighs, his voice a low tease.
"Shouldn't we trim the garnish before devouring the main course, Nikumi?"
The food metaphor sent a visible shudder through her. After all, her nickname—Nikumi—literally meant "meat with charm." Her entire persona was built around her voluptuous, almost edible allure. Though she'd toned down her wardrobe since joining Ryuji, in his hands, she was still the same sizzling, decadent cut of meat.
"Y-yes…"
She squeezed her eyes shut as his warm hands worked the shaving foam into her skin. She could feel his already hard dick pressed insistently against crack of her ass, teasing but never entering, causing her to continuously release her love juices that mixed with the shower jel.
"Good girl."
Guiding her trembling fingers, he helped her grip the razor. The scritch-scratch of blade against skin made her whimper—like a steak being trimmed for the grill. With every stroke, she felt herself surrendering, accepting her role: seasoned, prepared, and served for his pleasure.
By the time the last hair fell away, Ikumi was panting, she moved like a woman possessed. She flung the razor aside and twisted in his lap like a mermaid breaching water. Her lips crashed against his as she lifted her hips—then sank down in one fluid motion, taking his dick to the hilt with a gasp that shook the shower curtains.
What followed wasn't lovemaking.
It was a frenzy.
No longer passive meat on a platter, she became a self-basting dish, riding him with abandon. The bathwater sloshed violently as she took control, lost to the rhythm of her own hunger.
"Ahh~ah~ah~nnnn~"
"Ahh~ Ryuji~ it feels so good" she moaned, her hips moving in sync with his thrusts.
Ryuji picked up the pace, his hips pistoning in and out of Ikumi's wet cunt, his member coated with her juices and his own seeds.
"Ahh~ hahh, Ryuji~ Ryuji~"
She chanted his name like a prayer as she felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge.
Ryuji increased his pace, his member slamming into her with reckless abandon, her screams and moans of pleasure only making him more turned on.
"Ahhh! Oh! Yesss! Yesss! Harder! ore! Ahhh~" she cried , her body trebling with the force of her orgasm.
"Ahh! Ryuji! Ryujiiii~ I am cumming! I am CUMMMINGGG!"
She screamed, her entire body trembling with the intensity of her orgasm as he fucked her.
"Nnnnnghhhhhhh!!!!!!"
Splash! Splash! Splash!
"Haahh! Haahhh~ Haaahh!"
He didn't stop and continued his thrusts until she fainted from the intense orgasms.
Three hours later, she lay there, her body still trembling with the aftershocks of the intense orgasm, her mind foggy with pleasure, a string of drool falling from her mouth.
He pulled out of her, his dick still hard and throbbing, coated with their mixed cum.
He dazed by her stamina—finally carried her out, healing the redness between her thighs with a flick of flame before tucking her into bed.
_ _ _ _ _
Ryuji made his way to the kitchen.
As expected, Erina was already busy cooking. She was experimenting with various recipes, diligently familiarizing herself with all the ingredients he had brought back.
He watched for a while before stepping out into the courtyard just beyond the kitchen. There, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.
The moment he returned to this world, he had sensed it—that smooth, effortless feeling he'd enjoyed before was now gone.
And as he focused and examined his current condition more carefully, the truth became clear.
"So Observation Haki really is gone," he muttered, gazing at his clenched fist.
While his senses had become sharper, and he could still project his aura to a certain extent, it was nowhere near what he had in the Pirate World. There, his Conqueror's Haki could sweep across vast distances, his Armament Haki would activate automatically, and his Observation Haki allowed him to hear the "voices" of all things.
But now?
His Conqueror's Haki had been reduced to little more than a powerful aura. Observation Haki was now merely heightened perception. And Armament Haki… was completely gone.
Still—his physical strength had remained. And not just partially—fully.
During his little "sparring session" with Ikumi earlier, she had gone all out, using every skill she had—but he didn't even break a sweat. In the end, she was the one sprawled out on the floor, utterly exhausted and unable to move.
Ryuji hadn't dared to use his Dragonfire healing while she was still awake. She already had a slightly masochistic streak, and if she ended up developing even stranger preferences because of it, that would just make things more complicated.
After all…
This was a culinary world—and one misstep could easily lead to the bizarre.
From this, it became all too clear to Ryuji just how vastly different world rules could influence a person's strength.
If he were to fight Crocodile again now, his speed would still overwhelm him—but to truly go toe-to-toe with the Warlord, he might have to rely on his Water Manipulation Technique.
Slowly turning his body, he began performing the flowing motions of the technique. These movements were said to emulate the flow of energy inside divine beasts, gradually refined into a martial form over time. Supposedly, they helped the energy circulate more smoothly throughout the practitioner's body.
But Ryuji could tell—his Water Manipulation Technique was different. It was smoother, more natural. It was as if his body had been built for this.
With his current strength confirmed, he let out a soft chuckle.
"As I thought—what I can truly rely on are my own skills, and this body of mine."
His greatest reward from the One Piece world wasn't some flashy technique, nor any of the infamous Haki abilities. It was his enhanced physical strength—exactly what he had been aiming for from the beginning.
As for Haki? The so-called Conqueror's Haki or Haoshoku Haki? Those were all secondary. If your body was powerful enough, then the Haki would naturally follow. Training it was barely necessary.
But what he hadn't expected… was how much of a distraction the new ingredients would be for the chefs.
Erina and the others spent the entire night grinding away in the kitchen, testing recipe after recipe. Even Ikumi, after recovering from their earlier "lovemaking," joined in on the cooking frenzy.
And that's when Ryuji made a terrifying discovery.
"No one's paying attention to me anymore..."
He walked over and casually gave both Erina and Ikumi's butts a squeeze.
But unlike the night before, when they would've blushed and leaned into his touch, they now simply turned around with kitchen knives in hand, glaring at him like frost queens.
"Ryuji," Erina said coldly, "I know you're… impatient. If it's that bad, maybe… go use this konjac jelly instead."
"Erina-sama, that's a little harsh…" Ikumi added, her expression awkward. "Ryuji, I… I can offer you some A5-grade meat instead."
Ryuji: "…"
From the look in their eyes, he could see the fury of someone being interrupted mid-rank climb in Honor of Kings.
And sure, he played Honor of Kings too, but—
This is Gundam time, damn it!
"Understood!" Ryuji gave them a thumbs-up and slowly backed away.
The two women had found something they genuinely loved. What right did he have to interrupt that? And besides… he could feel their joy. A different kind of joy from being with him—neither better nor worse, just something they loved from the heart.
Ryuji quietly returned to his room, picked up a book, and began flipping through the pages.
"I seriously need to find some pretty girls who don't like cooking..."
He racked his brain, trying to recall characters from the series. Aside from that one who was already basically a walking cheat code… almost every other attractive girl in this world had some culinary obsession.
"Seriously... this world is way too obsessed with food."
Letting out a sigh, Ryuji sat up from the bed.
And right at that moment, a sudden jolt surged through his chest—followed by something strange: a guidance, an unmistakable pull.
It was the signal of a World Fragment!
He immediately opened his character interface—and just as he'd expected, the 7 Days to Die world fragment was reacting. It had found another world with a compatible fragment.
Glancing at his current energy reserves—36,271 points—Ryuji didn't hesitate.
He pressed confirm.
In the next instant, a powerful force began drawing him into another world.
But before he could even get a sense of his surroundings, he was greeted by a horrifying scene—
Zombies. Countless zombies.
He froze for a second, then grabbed the sword strapped to his waist, face blank with irritation.
"So I really can't get away from you bastards, huh?!"
~~~~~~~