Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

Huh…? Borsalino froze.

A dimensional chat group?

Could this be the long-overdue cheat finally arriving after decades? So he did have a cheat ability all along—it just showed up a few decades late?

As he thought back to all the hard work he had poured into getting stronger, along with the repeated blows of harsh reality, Borsalino couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration.

This feeling… it was like walking into an open-book exam completely unaware it was open-book, only to be told after the test was over. And worse—it was the college entrance exam!

Borsalino's emotions were incredibly mixed at the moment. He thought about how he'd been forced by the world's cruelty to abandon his ambitions and resign himself to becoming a lazy man, drifting aimlessly through life.

Yes, it was all the world's fault—not because his own personality leaned toward slacking off!

With these complicated feelings in mind, Borsalino chose to accept.

[Ding! Welcome, Borsalino, to the Dimensional Chat Group!]

Borsalino has joined the chat.

[Kobayashi: Welcome, welcome~! Oh my, another newcomer has joined the group!]

[Ai Haibara: A newcomer? Judging by the name, it looks like a foreigner. Hopefully not from some strange, incomprehensible world.]

[Orochimaru: A new world? How intriguing.]

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails: Holy crap! Kizaru?!]

[Kobayashi: Eh? Do you know the newcomer, Random-san?]

[Ai Haibara: Very suspicious! Every time someone new joins the group, this guy always recognizes them. And he even changed his username to hide his identity. Could he actually be some kind of mastermind?]

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails: That's slander! I'm just an ordinary transmigrator—how could I possibly be a mastermind? @Zhang Sanfeng, Master Zhang, back me up here!]

[Kobayashi: Now that you mention it, everyone in this group—including the newcomer, Borsalino-san—seems to come from entirely different worlds.]

[Zhang Sanfeng: Indeed, I arrived here before Random-san, but I was not the earliest to join this chat group either.]

[Orochimaru: The first to join, and someone who rarely speaks… Certainly suspicious. Isn't that right, Jotaro?]

[Jotaro Kujo: Enough already! Stop with the pointless probing!]

[Kobayashi: Random-san, since you seem to recognize the newcomer, why don't you introduce our group to Borsalino-san?]

[Ai Haibara: Kobayashi loves playing the mediator, huh? Honestly, letting them argue wouldn't be such a bad thing.]

[Zhang Sanfeng: Harmony is precious. Kobayashi understands this principle well.]

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails: Sure thing. @Borsalino Admiral Kizaru, can you see what I'm saying?]

Borsalino, who had been silently observing this so-called dimensional chat group, raised his head.

He glanced at Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was currently delivering a lengthy speech, and began pondering how to send a message in the group. Before he even figured it out, the group automatically displayed what he wanted to say.

[Borsalino: I can. Seems like you know me, little guy?]

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Let me confirm something first. Is it currently the Age of the Sea Circle… wait, never mind, let's simplify this. Has Pirate King Roger been executed yet? Has the Summit War started? Is the Fleet Admiral Sengoku or Akainu?

[Borsalino]: Pirate King Roger was publicly executed many years ago. The Summit War hasn't started yet, and Sengoku is still alive, so naturally, Sakazuki hasn't become Fleet Admiral.

As Borsalino read through the chat group messages, a curious smile spread across his face.

Who would've thought he'd encounter a fellow Earthling after his transmigration? A pity they weren't in the same world.

Meanwhile, several branch vice admirals attending the meeting noticed the sudden smile on Admiral Kizaru's face and couldn't help but grow nervous.

Did the generic remarks Sengoku had just made contain some critical decisions that had already been agreed upon by the high command? Otherwise, why would Kizaru suddenly smile? Could it be the part about the increased activity of pirates in the New World? Was headquarters planning a major crackdown on New World pirates?

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: What the hell! You're not Kizaru? No, wait! Are you a transmigrator too?!

[Borsalino]: Is a transmigrator like a prophet? Speaking of which, there was a pirate I killed before who claimed to be a transmigrator. He said some very strange things before he died.

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Damn… which unlucky fellow was that? Did they transmigrate only to immediately fall into the hands of someone as powerful as you? That's way too tragic!

[Kobayashi]: It sounds like Borsalino-san is quite an extraordinary person. The one who died… was he an acquaintance of yours, Random-san?

This "Kobayashi" seemed to be trying to defuse any potential tension, clearly worried a conflict might arise.

Borsalino hesitated for a moment, wondering if this Kobayashi was the one he was thinking of. Given his current role as the proper Admiral Kizaru, he figured it wasn't appropriate to ask directly.

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: No, we're both transmigrators, but we had nothing to do with each other. I was just lamenting how unlucky that guy must've been—probably didn't have a cheat, which is why he died so miserably.

Seeing that response, Borsalino couldn't agree more.

If he hadn't transmigrated into the young Kizaru, he might have already died in some unknown sea by now.

[Kobayashi]: Ah, I see. That's good, then. But we still don't know Borsalino-san's identity. Random-san, could you introduce him to us? Oh, right, let me introduce myself first! I'm Kobayashi, an utterly ordinary programmer. My hobby? Adorable maids! That's all!

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Sure, I can do that… but Admiral Kizaru, you don't mind, do you? Oh, I should introduce myself too. I'm just an utterly ordinary small-fry transmigrator, with no cheat or amazing family background. My dream is to cling to the protagonist Luo Feng's thigh in the Swallowed Star universe!

[Zhang Sanfeng]: Young friend, there's no need to belittle yourself. I am Zhang Sanfeng, the humble head of the Wudang Sect.

Borsalino waited for a while but didn't see the other three members introduce themselves.

After thinking about their personalities, though, it made sense.

Even so, the dynamic where most of the others were being transparent while he alone was hiding behind a "mask" was oddly entertaining.

[Borsalino]: I don't mind. But what did you mean earlier when you mentioned people coming from different worlds?

Since he had decided to stay incognito for now, he figured it was best to stick to his current persona. While there didn't seem to be any immediate need for this disguise, it might come in handy one day—perhaps to deliver a "pleasant surprise" to anyone with ulterior motives.

[Kobayashi]: Oh, it's just as it sounds. Including Borsalino-san, everyone in this group seems to come from a different world or even a different time period. For instance, Grandpa Zhang Sanfeng seems to be an ancient person from hundreds of years ago—I even found his name online once!

[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: No, no, no… it's purely different worlds! How could you mix a world of magic with one of martial arts? That makes no sense!

[Kobayashi]: Even though Random-san insists on that, there's no magic in my world. Running into a dragon or something sounds like a fairy tale!

[Orochimaru]: Heh, Kobayashi-kun, if you ever come across a dragon, do let me know. I have a keen interest in unique creatures.