Chapter 253: Ten Consecutive Miracles!
Thanks to the live broadcast, Ryuunosuke's reputation value surged by 80,000 in just a short amount of time!
In addition to gaining a new base, the people of that region showed an overwhelming degree of support for the Dragon Hunter Pirates. Their loyalty ran so deep that Ryuunosuke didn't even need to station anyone there for protection or control—it was a territory already won in hearts and minds.
The system chimed in with a reward:
[Ding! New base secured. Awarding 10,000 reputation points.]
Combined with the constantly climbing reputation counter, Ryuunosuke had a gut feeling he might crack 100,000 reputation points before the broadcast buzz died down.
This was more than just vanity points. In the upcoming war against the World Government, reputation equaled strength—it could directly fuel the expansion and replenishment of his squads.
And that meant one thing:
Now was the perfect time to recruit.
"System, initiate ten consecutive recruitments—immediately!"
Within minutes, the system responded. The results came in fast and furious.
---
[Ding! Congratulations! Recruited crew member Levi.]
Origin: Attack on Titan — Captain of the Survey Corps.
Current Power Rating: A-Rank. Potential: S-Rank.
Ability Extracted: "Titan Slayer"—Deals 150% damage to giant-type enemies.
[Ding! Congratulations! Recruited crew member Rem.]
Origin: Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World.
Current Power Rating: A-Rank. Potential: S-Rank.
Ability Extracted…
[Ding! Congratulations! Recruited crew member Leona.]
Origin: Akame ga Kill.
…
One by one, ten new crew members materialized on deck. Ryuunosuke stood at the bow, wind teasing his coat, as he watched them arrive.
Captain Levi
Rem
Leona
Kobayashi (from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid… somehow)
Princess Peach (from the Super Mario World… don't ask)
Feitan (Hunter x Hunter)
Shizuku (Hunter x Hunter)
Kazuto Kirigaya (Kirito) (Sword Art Online)
Rika Shinozaki (Lisbeth) (Sword Art Online)
Shino Asada (Sinon) (Sword Art Online)
Ryuunosuke couldn't help the grin stretching across his face.
Not only had he scored three high-value members of the original squad—Leona, Shizuku, and Feitan—who were worth 150,000 reputation points combined, he'd also landed Levi, Kirito, and others with high combat or support potential.
Ten-pulls really were magical.
"Princess Pinkie!"
A sudden outburst came from the lower deck. Mario, who'd been inspecting the hull, sprinted up the steps with tears in his eyes. Spotting Princess Peach, he practically flew toward her in slow-motion drama.
You'd think someone played an opera in the background.
Back in his world, no one had come to save her. But here… Ryuunosuke had recruited her personally.
Peach looked startled at first, but the moment she saw Mario, her expression softened into a radiant smile.
"Ahem. Maybe save the PDA for later?" Ryuunosuke scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Mario, Princess Peach is officially in your care now."
It was sweet, sure. But with most of the crew still single, watching a public reunion like that stung a little.
"Leona!"
"Shizuku! Feitan!"
At the same time, Najenda and Machi came forward to greet their own team members. With that, Ryuunosuke didn't need to assign them—those three would naturally rejoin their old squads and resume duties as combat specialists.
That left seven new members without squads.
For some reason, the system hadn't categorized them into units.
Likely because Kirito and his companions—Rika, Shino, and Asada—weren't technically from an organized faction. Their identities came from a game world, not a traditional structure like the Survey Corps or Phantom Troupe.
Levi, surprisingly, also wasn't linked to any squad. Perhaps because his Survey Corps didn't meet the system's criteria for recognized factions.
Once the group had settled in, Ryuunosuke gathered them to explain the situation.
---
"Um… I have a question," Kobayashi raised his hand. His voice was soft, almost embarrassed. "What exactly am I doing here?"
His stats weren't encouraging.
According to the system, his combat strength was literally zero.
No joke—he didn't even get an evaluation panel.
Still, since he was summoned, the system had automatically labeled him a crewmate. But due to his poor physical foundation, he couldn't even begin absorbing the effects of shared halos or buffs.
"Krillin…" Ryuunosuke said solemnly, "you're our mascot."
"…Huh?"
"A symbol of morale. A beacon of peace. And… honestly, you might surprise us one day. The system doesn't pull randoms for nothing."
"Well," Kobayashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "guess my life's finally gone off the rails."
He seemed to take it well—after all, he was a guy who lived with dragons in his world. Time-travel and cross-dimensional pirate gigs weren't exactly the weirdest thing he'd dealt with.
---
"Let me confirm something," Levi stepped forward, arms crossed. "So our enemies aren't titans… they're so-called 'World Nobles'?"
Ryuunosuke nodded.
"Good. How many people can I command, and what do you need from me?"
Ever the soldier, Levi didn't waste time. He hadn't expected to be alive, having plunged into a river with Hanji in his last moments. But now that he was here, his new mission gave him purpose—and perhaps peace.
Ryuunosuke gave him the cleansing mission of the corrupted kingdom territories, pairing him with Hawkins for manpower and logistics.
Shino Asada would serve as a sniper, carrying with her the anti-materiel rifle from the game. Thanks to Shinozaki Rika's inclusion, ammo supply wouldn't be an issue.
As expected, Shino was automatically assigned to First Division, where she'd join forces with Mine.
Rika, on the other hand, was now the blacksmith of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
She had forged the legendary sword Dark Repulser in her world—her crafting skill needed no introduction.
While most elite squad members had exclusive weapons or didn't need them, the rest of the crew would benefit immensely from her talents.
"Can I really use all the materials in the ship's vault?" she asked, eyes sparkling. "Even the rare metals?"
"You have full access," Ryuunosuke replied. "Don't worry about quantity or cost—just focus on adapting your forging to this world and—"
"Got it!" she grinned, raising a hand.
Suddenly, a magic circle shimmered into view beneath her.
Right. There was no need for adjustment—her game avatar and skills had been pulled directly into this world.
"Then just craft the way you're used to," Ryuunosuke chuckled. "Kuina, take Rika to the forge and get her oriented."
"Understood."
With Rika gone, only Kirito and Rem remained.
Ryuunosuke turned toward Kazuto.
"I'll call you Kirito—it's simpler that way."
Kirito gave a small nod.
"I have a special mission for you. One that requires your particular set of skills…" Ryuunosuke leaned in.
"Infiltrate the World Government."
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