Drake reappeared in his room with a soft shimmer of particles.
He blinked a few times, adjusted to the familiar ceiling above him, then glanced at the clock.
6:58 AM.
"…Perfect. My calculations were spot-on."
He stretched, showered quickly, and changed into casual clothes—hoodie, jeans, sneakers. It felt almost surreal returning to normal life after three weeks of demon-slaying training.
But he had gotten used to switching between worlds now.
It was almost routine.
Descending the stairs, he found the house quiet.
Which made it the perfect time to do something important.
He plopped down on the living room sofa, exhaled, and spoke softly:
"System… roll out the new anime world."
Yeah, he had unlocked the third anime world when his multiversal presence evolved. And so, Drake deducted that each time it evolved, a new world would be unlocked.
A mechanical chime answered.
[Rolling new world…]
[Ding!]
[World Selected!]
[World: Fruitmaster]
Drake stared blankly at the text.
"…The hell is Fruitmaster?"
He pulled out his phone and typed it in.
A few images popped up—Light Underwood, the Holy Sister, the skills, the fruits—
"Oh. Right. That anime."
He had watched it months ago.
Not great, not trash.
Perfectly mid.
"…Nami, just wait a little longer for me."
He whispered dramatically toward the ceiling, as if One Piece's orange-haired navigator could hear him across the multiverse.
Then his expression sharpened.
Tonight, he would enter this new world.
And he had a plan.
'System. Can you drop me in right when Light is about to enter the church to receive his skill fruit?'
[Yes, host. Precise arrival is possible.]
Drake smirked.
'Good. And am I strong enough to handle the priests guarding the ceremony?'
[You are slightly below Urokodaki in overall strength. Overpowering the priests will not be difficult at all.]
He nodded. It was risky, but doable.
Skill Fruits worked like devil fruits—you ate one and you gained a special ability, and if you ate more than one, you would die, with the only difference being the cause of death, poison instead of explosion.
But the protagonist's fruit, Fruit Master, bypassed that limitation entirely. Hidden effect: immunity to all fruit-based poison.
Which meant:
Eat infinite skill fruits.
Get infinite skills.
He opened his mouth to speak—
SMACK!
A palm collided with the back of his head.
"Argh—! What the hell?!" Drake twisted around.
Elle stood there, giggling.
"Is it really that fun talking to yourself in the morning?"
Drake felt his soul leave his body.
Even fighting demons was better than dealing with her.
Before he could reply, Maya came down the stairs, cheerful as ever.
"Stop bullying Drake, Elle!"
Maya leaned forward over the back of the sofa, sliding an arm casually around his neck. She smiled at him with pure, innocent sweetness.
Which only gave Elle more ammunition.
"She's so cute. If only she knew what I know…" Elle whispered wickedly into Drake's ear.
His fists tensed.
His jaw tightened.
His patience—already fragile after a week of hellish training—finally snapped.
He stood up abruptly. "We're leaving. Now."
He grabbed his backpack and headed toward the door.
"Wait, Drake!" Maya hurried after him.
Elle just followed with her usual smug grin.
Aunt Marina peeked out from the hallway in pajamas.
"Have a great day, kids!"
"You too, Auntie," Drake replied.
"Yeah, yeah, bye Mom," Elle muttered dismissively.
...
The walk wasn't as awkward as it should've been. Mainly because Maya kept rambling happily about what they had seen in New York this past month.
If it weren't for her constant chatter, Drake and Elle would've been walking in cold silence.
Once they arrived, the bell rang, and Maya rushed off to the freshmen lessons.
And immediately, Elle leaned towards Drake with that sinister smirk of hers.
"Maya is really adorable. I wonder what face she'll make when she learns just how disgusting her cousin really i—"
SLAM.
Elle hit the lockers with a metallic clang loud enough to turn heads.
Students froze mid-step.
Drake stood over her, eyes cold—an expression she had never seen from him before.
"What… are you doing?" Elle stammered, clearly shaken.
Drake clenched his jaw.
"…Elle. Stop."
His voice was low. Controlled. Deadly calm.
The pressure he released—not killing intent, but something close—was enough to make her flinch.
For an entire year, he'd let her push him around.
Insult him.
Humiliate him.
But why would someone as strong as a Hashira be intimidated by someone like her? This thought had just occured.
Elle tried to regain her bravado. "S-So what will you do if I tell the whole school—"
Drake grabbed her cheeks between his fingers and leaned in.
"Go ahead. Tell everyone."
Her eyes widened. A blush crept up her face from the sudden closeness.
He continued, voice steady:
"This school already thinks I'm a pervert. I don't care. If Aunt Marina finds out? She'll understand. I'm sixteen. I'm human. You're not holding anything over me."
Elle swallowed hard.
'Was Drake always this… manly?'
He released her and walked away without another word.
Students whispered as he passed.
Some shocked.
Some confused.
Drake didn't care.
He was done being intimidated by a girl who hid behind mockery.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Like the choice of the third world? It's not a long anime and its power system isn't that complicated.