"Hey, guys! Let's work hard today so we can drink to our heart's content tonight!!"
At the construction site in Axel, the foreman issued a rousing call.
"Yeah!!!"
The workers cheered loudly, vigorously wielding their shovels and hammers.
Aqua had already changed into a simple vest, wearing a safety helmet, her movements fluid and practiced as she evenly spread cement and sand onto a red brick wall.
For once, the foolish goddess wasn't lying—she was indeed familiar with this world. As soon as they arrived in the city, she managed to secure jobs for her companions, saving them from starving on the first day…
Meowth, watching Aqua integrate into the construction team, felt a mix of emotions while shoveling sand.
This is what happened: after entering the city, Aqua led them around in circles for half the day without finding the so-called Adventurer's Guild.
Eventually, it was Uta, with her outstanding cuteness, who managed to get the exact location from a random passerby.
After finally making their way to the Adventurer's Guild, they were refused registration by the busty receptionist since they had no money.
In this situation, Aqua, acting confident as a "local expert," claimed that, as a goddess with countless believers, she would easily attract substantial sponsorship just by invoking the name of the goddess of water.
After some shameless begging, she managed to get a few coins from an elderly man with a kind face.
—The man was a devout follower of Eris, and only gave money out of pity for someone he deemed a lunatic.
"Although our beliefs differ, it's best not to impersonate a goddess. May Lady Eris bless you," the elderly man said, smiling, his words a dagger to Aqua's spirit.
Aqua was devastated, her previously radiant face now drooping, her wise eyes filled with tears.
However, the money they obtained wasn't enough for everyone to register as adventurers; it could barely buy a meal to fill their bellies halfway.
Feeling she had lost face in front of her comrades, Aqua was desperate to prove that she could make money even without her followers' help.
That's how she ended up leading them all to the construction site.
In short, it was a disastrous and embarrassing few hours of their isekai journey.
The difficulty of defeating the Demon King Zyhark suddenly seemed far greater than overthrowing the World Government.
Under Aqua's misguided leadership, the future looked bleak, with almost no hope in sight!
"Meowth, sir, you seem to be deep in thought?" Escanor, in contrast to Meowth's visible worries, seemed to be enjoying himself.
It was tough on his beloved Golden Battle Axe, Rhitta, though, which was now being used to mix cement and sand.
"Take it easy, Escanor, this scorching heat is burning my skin off!"
"Although I'm just a skeleton without skin, yohohoho~"
Brook continued telling his own cold jokes while passing a bucket of cement to Aqua.
Due to his habit of asking the first female adventurer he met about her underwear color, coupled with his resemblance to a demon-like skeleton, Brook had quickly earned the reputation of a lecherous skeleton in Axel.
Fortunately, he had no demon energy whatsoever, and the men stood by him as someone who had not forgotten his faith even in death, sparing him from being expelled from the city.
"Be careful, mister," Kanna, wearing a safety helmet, stood on a lift, seriously reminding her coworkers.
In the sweat-drenched construction site, her crisp, cute voice captured the hearts of countless burly men.
This was one of the reasons why they were willing to accept such a strange group.
Kanna-chan was just too adorable!
"Honestly, it feels like following Aqua means we'll starve nine out of ten times," Uta sighed deeply, looking skyward.
Having grown up with the Red-Haired Pirates, she wasn't some pampered little princess.
But...
The brick in her hand was scalding!
'Maybe I should just make a flag and turn to thievery?'
Such a thought emerged in Uta's mind—after all, she was Shanks' daughter!
Meanwhile, King worked efficiently without any expression on his face, silently being the most productive of them all.
The punch in the Land of the Gods had greatly boosted his confidence, and now that he had seen the path to getting stronger was achievable, he naturally treated bricklaying as regular training, striving to truly break his limiter!
Furthermore, feeling a constant coolness on his head, King secretly decided that he would buy a wig here no matter what.
Without Zyhark, their pillar of support, these guys each harbored unorthodox thoughts.
In the short term, forget defeating the Demon King—even saving up for travel expenses to reach the Demon King's castle seemed unlikely!
Their tumultuous working journey finally drew to a close at sunset.
Although the endlessly versatile Endless Dream had also crossed over with them, it had somehow transformed into a lazy Eastern dragon that was now dozing on Kanna's shoulder.
They had no place to stay, and they needed to use their wages for adventurer registration and food.
So Aqua had an idea and energetically led them all…
To sleep on straw mats in the stable.
Later that night, under a sky filled with a bright moon and countless stars, the bustling little town fell silent.
...
At the same time, the Demon King's castle was anything but quiet, filled with demons of all sorts gathering in the ominous courtyard, their numbers overwhelming.
At the front of the group stood the Headless Knight Beldia, the Venomous Death Slime Hans, and Vanir, the high-ranking demon, all part of the Demon King's army!
"Now then, tell me, how would you like me to prove my power as the Demon King?"
Zyhark sat casually on the crimson throne, resting his cheek on one hand, looking nonchalantly at the demon army before him.
To make himself look more like a Demon King, he had put on two decorative demon horns on his head.
Combined with his handsome profile, he really did look like a dashing Demon King.
"The demon race respects strength above all. If you want me to obey your command, it's simple: defeat me!"
The Headless Knight, fully armored, stepped forward, the crimson glow of his severed head intensifying.
"Well said, I have no habit of submitting to a guy without magic power."
Vanir's black and white mask hid a smile that was impossible to decipher.
As the leader of the Seven Archdemons, he was known as the Great Demon who could see through everything in the world.
With the statements of the two officers, the Demon King's commanders and other high-ranking demons unleashed their ferocious and overwhelming auras.
Even the lowest-ranking demon soldiers wanted to see for themselves how this magicless human could claim the title of Demon King.
Without overwhelming strength, one had no right to be their "king"!
Facing the unrestrained hostility released by the demon army, Zyhark merely smiled slightly and turned to look at the beautiful brunette standing beside him.
"Do you have the same idea, Lich Wiz?"
"Ah? I don't really have a particular opinion on who the Demon King is, as long as you can make it quick."
Wiz smiled and waved her hand.
Despite being a core officer of the Demon King's army, her gentle and meek nature made her reluctant to intervene in the struggle between the new Demon King and the other officers.
More than anything, she wanted to finish up quickly and get back to running her magic shop in Axel.
Who knows how much business she had lost with the store being closed for so many days!
"You want to get back to doing business in Axel, don't you?" Zyhark saw right through her thoughts.
"Huh? You even know about that?" Wiz covered her mouth in surprise.
She had never had any prior contact with the new Demon King, nor had she mentioned her affairs.
Indeed, he was an extraordinary character—Vanir and the others were going to suffer...
Just as she was contemplating this, she suddenly heard the new Demon King sigh.
"Give it up, Wiz. It's a losing business. With your talent, the harder you work, the more you'll lose. Better stay at the Demon King's castle for a few more days."
What an infuriating guy!
Even the normally kind-hearted Wiz, who had never harmed a human, couldn't help but pull a forced smile, thinking murderous thoughts.
"Fine, since you're in such a hurry to get back to losing money, as the new Demon King, I'll fulfill my subordinate's small wish."
Zyhark withdrew his right arm from supporting his face and slowly stood up from the Demon King's throne.
What an infuriating, stupid Demon King!
Wiz, insulted twice, clenched her teeth and drew a curse circle behind Zyhark's not-so-imposing back.
"Such arrogance, acting like you could defeat us all just like that."
The Headless Knight took up his greatsword and faced Zyhark. "Everyone, let me be the first to test this guy's strength."
"Good luck, Beldia." Vanir clapped leisurely.
The black-and-white mask concealed his expression, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.
The other demons raised their weapons, their excitement palpable.
However, as Beldia was about to swing his sword, Zyhark raised a hand to stop him.
"Afraid already? Foolish human who only talks big," Beldia sneered.
Zyhark crossed his arms over his chest, facing the dense ranks of demons without a care.
"I said I'd grant Wiz her wish to finish this quickly, and doing it one by one is just a waste of time."
Under the incredulous gazes of the demons, Zyhark smiled, opened his arms wide, and motioned for all of them to come at him, "You, come at me all at once!"
"You damn human! How dare you look down on us like this?!"
"Arrogant, reckless fool—let's see if you still talk big when you're on your knees begging for mercy!"
"You won't be forgiven! He's got a handsome face; I'll turn him into my personal Incubus, hehehe!"
The demons erupted in rage, with a busty female demon licking her lips, eyeing Zyhark's handsome face.
Angry shouts and curses filled the courtyard.
Vanir carefully watched Zyhark's sharp eyes, seemingly noticing something off, and silently retreated to the back of the group.
Almost simultaneously, a fierce gale swept through without warning.
Hum!
With a sharp glare from Zyhark, a terrifying pressure exploded forth.
Dark red lightning crackled around him, forming an oppressive aura that pierced directly into the hearts of everyone present.
Heaven and earth seemed to lose their color, turning to shades of black and white.
In this terrifying backdrop, Zyhark's hellish gaze stabbed into the blood and nerves of all the demons, delivering an overwhelming spiritual shock!
Thud, thud, thud.
The weaker demons were the first to succumb, collapsing to the ground with eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth.
Zyhark increased the force of his Conqueror's Haki, and soon, even the stronger demons reached their limit and fell.
In an instant, the once-imposing demon army was reduced to just a few scattered individuals still standing.
With a single glance, ninety percent of their soldiers had lost the ability to fight!
What a terrifying power!
Could this really be the strength of a magicless human?
Or perhaps... this man was no human at all!
The Demon King's officers were horrified.
Many of them had lived for centuries, but never had they seen anything like this!
"Now, it's your turn, isn't it?"
Zyhark slowly drew the Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri at his waist and waved at Wiz, who wore a stunned expression behind him, "Get ready, Wiz."
"Huh? Do I have to fight too?" Wiz clearly hadn't recovered from the shock of the Conqueror's Haki.
"Honestly, before coming here, I ran a peaceful sea restaurant that was quite profitable. If you want some business advice..."
"It will be my pleasure to serve you, Lord Demon King!"
Wiz's eyes lit up, and she jumped to Zyhark's side, channeling her vast magic power.
"But Vanir is my friend. I won't attack him."
"Don't worry, you don't actually need to fight. Just stand there and shout 'Zyhark-sama, go, go, go!'"
"Okay?" Wiz was utterly bewildered.
Did you bring me along just to cheer you on???
While she remained confused, Zyhark, with his two swords, had already turned into a blur, charging directly at the fully prepared Demon King's officers.
Even without the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he still possessed advanced Armament Haki with internal destruction, Observation Haki for sensing movements, as well as abilities like the Cliffedge Sword, Time Reversal, and Devour.
With countless battles under his belt, his physicality and combat sense far surpassed ordinary fighters.
There was no doubt that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had significantly boosted his strength, but it didn't mean he was entirely reliant on its power!
Against these Demon King's officers who had never faced the powers of the One Piece world, but whose abilities Zyhark knew all too well, he was more than enough!
Amid Wiz's awkward cheers, the intense battle in the Demon King's castle lasted late into the night.
The demon soldiers, who had fallen asleep long ago, didn't know how it ended.
They only knew that, afterward, the officers all reined in their arrogance, no longer questioning Zyhark's claim as the new Demon King!
(End of Chapter)