Chapter 57: A New World, Elf
Tsunade's eyes sparkled with interest. "This is a good development," she remarked. "If the Golden Gate can absorb the power of Devil Fruits, wouldn't that mean you could eventually possess dozens, or even hundreds of different abilities?"
Yumesaki shook his head, offering a light shrug. "It's not quite that simple. The Golden Gate has specific requirements for which fruits it can accept. It's not a universal sponge."
"Because the Golden Gate allows me to traverse time and space, it naturally leans toward those specific attributes. Only Devil Fruits with space-time properties can be integrated into the gate."
"The Door-Door Fruit is a perfect example," he continued. "Aside from that, the only others that might fit the bill would be the Toki Toki no Mi, the Warp-Warp Fruit, and perhaps a few other rare types."
Nico Robin chimed in, her expression thoughtful. "What about the Castle-Castle Fruit? It turns the user's body into a literal living fortress, allowing them to shrink down and house subordinates, cannons, and various objects within themselves. Even the user can enter their own internal space. That deals with spatial dimensions, doesn't it? Would that one work?"
Yumesaki's eyes flickered with contemplation as he rubbed his chin. "Theoretically, it should. But as for whether it actually works... we'd have to test it. Honestly, though, I'm not exactly itching to try."
His reasoning was straightforward: if the gate failed to absorb it, Yumesaki would be stuck as a Castle-Human. He wasn't a fan of the Castle-Castle Fruit's mechanics. In his mind, he'd rather eat the Bomb-Bomb Fruit than turn into a walking house.
Tobirama spoke up, his voice calm and analytical. "If we aren't certain, it's best not to gamble. We should stick to the original plan: prioritize researching the essence of Devil Fruits first. Once we've deconstructed how they work, we can track down the user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi—Brook—and duplicate the ability from him. That would be the safest way for Lord Yumesaki to consume it."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement, a faint, serpentine smile on his lips. "Indeed. That is the most logical path."
The others murmured their consent. They had already spent a significant amount of time dealing with the Door-Door Fruit. It was time to return to their primary research. Fortunately, they now had several additional fruits on hand to use as experimental subjects.
Just as they were preparing to move, Yumesaki suddenly spoke. "Oh, right. There's one more thing I forgot to mention."
The group turned to him in unison.
"Right after the Golden Gate finished absorbing the Door-Door Fruit, I received a sort of... feedback," Yumesaki explained. "It seems I'm already capable of traveling to a new world again."
"That was fast," Tsunade blurted out, surprised.
A flash of excitement crossed the faces of Tobirama, Orochimaru, and the rest of the researchers. A new world meant new powers and untapped knowledge. It was the perfect catalyst to accelerate their understanding of Devil Fruits and further increase their overall strength.
However, they didn't immediately rush through the gate. Given the size of their group, appearing all at once in an unknown, potentially hostile world would make them far too conspicuous. If they stumbled into a high-danger zone, they risked being wiped out entirely.
After a brief discussion, they formulated a tactical plan.
Tsunade, Tobirama, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Shizune would return to the Naruto world to continue their intensive research on Devil Fruit energy. Robin would remain behind to look after Nami and Karin.
As for the exploration team, Hashirama, Kanae, and Minato would accompany Yumesaki into the new world.
The roles were clear: if they encountered a threat, Hashirama would act as the primary shield to hold the enemy back, while Minato—the Yellow Flash—would use his legendary speed to whisk Yumesaki and Kanae to safety. If Yumesaki happened to be injured, Kanae would step in immediately with her medical expertise.
Of course, that was the "worst-case" scenario. Now that Yumesaki had mastered the Door-Door Fruit's abilities, he could simply manifest a door and extract the team the moment things looked south.
Yumesaki agreed with the proposal; it aligned perfectly with his own cautious instincts. As long as he wasn't killed instantly, escaping with a small team would be trivial.
Once the decisions were finalized, Yumesaki sent Tsunade's group back to the hidden leaf's world. He then spent the rest of the day familiarizing himself with his new spatial powers, practicing how to apply the Door-Door Fruit's techniques in a practical combat setting.
The following morning arrived.
Yumesaki raised a hand and "unzipped" the air, opening an Air Door. However, the destination wasn't a new world—it was the floating restaurant, the Baratie.
This was one of the many perks of the Door-Door Fruit: the ability to perform spatial leaps by opening doors through the atmosphere itself. In the original records of this world, the CP9 agent Blueno had used this very technique to leap across the sea train, neutralizing Sanji and capturing Robin. After a day of practice, Yumesaki had made the technique his own.
Before venturing into the unknown, he wanted to ensure Robin, Nami, and Karin were safely settled at the Baratie.
"Be careful out there," Robin said softly as she stepped onto the deck of the restaurant.
Nami, meanwhile, still looked a bit dazed. She had been knocked unconscious by the sheer pressure of Hashirama's Haki the previous day and hadn't woken up until the middle of the night. She had missed a lot. Even though she didn't fully understand where Yumesaki was going, she couldn't hide her concern. After all, he was the one who had saved her life.
"I don't really know what you're up to, but... don't go getting yourself killed," Nami added.
"I'll keep that in mind," Yumesaki replied with a reassuring smile.
Karin clutched the hem of her mother's dress, her eyes wide and anxious. "Please be very careful, Mama... and Big Brother too."
Kanae knelt down, gently stroking Karin's hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Mommy will be back before you know it." She then looked up at Robin, handing Karin over. "Please look after her for me."
Robin nodded solemnly.
With their goodbyes finished, Yumesaki closed the Air Door. The view of the Baratie and the girls vanished as the portal sealed shut, leaving no trace behind, as if it had never existed in the first place.
Yumesaki turned to Hashirama, Minato, and Kanae. "Everyone ready?"
The three of them nodded in unison, their expressions focused.
Yumesaki raised his hand once more. This time, he reached for the connection to the truly unknown. He opened the gate.
The Air Door swung open, revealing a massive, grand study on the other side. The room was breathtaking, filled from floor to ceiling with an endless array of books.
But the décor wasn't what caught their attention. The most striking sight was a woman sitting cross-legged atop a stone chair.
She was petite in stature but possessed long, flowing blonde hair. She wore intricate braids at her temples and behind her ears, giving her an air of ancient elegance. Her outfit consisted of a pristine white tunic with tan trim and short breeches, fastened at the center by an oval emerald brooch.
Yet, all those details paled in comparison to her most defining feature: her ears. They were long, pointed, and tapered, with a pair of brown cuffs clipped near the tips.
They weren't human ears. They were the unmistakable ears of an elf.
"Oh? Now this is a rare group of guests."
As Yumesaki laid eyes on her, the elf looked back at them, her gaze coolly sweeping over each member of the group.
"How very interesting. I don't sense a single ripple of Mana from any of you. I take it you aren't Mages?"
A small, intrigued smile played on her lips as she made the realization.
"You've piqued my curiosity. You aren't Mages, yet you managed to bypass my barriers and walk straight into my study. Tell me... how exactly did you do that?"
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto theirs. "Give me a satisfactory answer, and I might just overlook this little intrusion without holding you accountable."
Yumesaki stared at the elf sitting cross-legged before him, taking a slow, steady breath. He knew exactly who she was. Her appearance was too iconic to mistake for anyone else.
Suppressing his internal shock, Yumesaki bowed slightly and spoke with measured respect. "It is an honor to meet you, Great Mage Serie. My name is Kazuma Yumesaki. I am a traveler from another world."
There was no mistake. The woman before him was the legendary mentor of Frieren, the protagonist of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
She was the founder of the Continental Magic Association and the undisputed pinnacle of human—and elven—magic. A Great Mage born in the distant Age of Myth, a being so powerful and ancient that even demons had long since forgotten the true terror she could unleash.
In the lore of her world, Serie was a living grimoire, possessing knowledge of nearly every spell in human history. She was the closest thing to the All-knowing Goddess herself—a true apex predator of the magical realms.
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