In a dimly lit underground chamber...
A thick layer of insects, nearly a meter deep, writhed and squirmed incessantly, evoking a wave of nausea and revulsion from deep within.
Anyone with trypophobia would probably faint at the sight alone.
Above this horrifying sea of bugs hovered a transparent membrane, oval-shaped, within which lay a middle-aged man with graying temples. He was snoring away, sound asleep, a comically large snot bubble inflating and deflating with each breath.
"Snore~ huuuuuhhh~"
"This guy…"
Watching the scene through his system interface, Nawaki's brow twitched.
This was the first time he'd ever seen a reincarnator—teleported into an unfamiliar place—remain fast asleep without a care in the world.
This kind of nerve… should he say, "As expected of Luffy's grandfather"?
Monkey D. Garp.
Once used by Nawaki as the final boss in the Sannin's first reincarnator mission in the One Piece world—Garp had intentionally gone easy on them to let them pass.
Back then, after the Sannin completed the mission, Nawaki had designated Garp as a reincarnator but delayed his debut until now.
With S+ level strength, he wasn't much weaker than Madara.
But first, he had to be woken up…
A faint grin tugged at Nawaki's lips.
With a flick of his finger, a specially inscribed bug sprang up from the insect sea, passed effortlessly through the protective barrier, and landed right on Garp's snot bubble.
POP!
"Achoo!"
With a slap, Garp sent the bug flying and lazily sat up, rubbing his nose.
Looking around at the bug-infested underground room, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Then he relaxed, laid back down, and went straight back to sleep.
"Huh, must be a dream."
…Sleeping inside a dream? Just how thick-skinned are you!?
A vein bulged on Nawaki's forehead.
This was exactly why, even after assigning Garp as a reincarnator so long ago, he had never given him a mission.
People like Garp—who lived carefree lives with no regrets or desires—were almost impossible to tempt with money, power, or women.
But…
That's what made it fun.
He was the Lord God after all. It was his job to target the cracks in human nature and craft missions that hit where it hurt. No strong desires? Fine. Surely you have rules or ideals you hold dear?
Anyone who becomes a powerhouse in their world must live by some code.
In Garp's case—as a Marine—it was a sense of justice.
Not necessarily institutional justice, but his own brand of personal justice.
Manipulating human nature, bending reincarnators to his will—that was the Lord God's specialty.
Once he mastered that, the range of reincarnators he could use would widen considerably.
Our motto?
"If you don't have desires… we'll make you some!"
Penalty: Ten minutes of insomnia.
Spending just a few points, Nawaki forced Garp into a state where he couldn't fall asleep again.
After tossing and turning for a few minutes, Garp finally sat up, scratched under his dog-headed cap, and smiled cheerfully.
"Yup, can't sleep in a dream after all. Heh, guess I'll stretch a bit."
Without a care, he twisted his waist, glanced around, and began inspecting the insects beneath his feet—utterly unconcerned about being in a completely unfamiliar place.
Nawaki didn't rush. He simply waited a few minutes more.
Suddenly, the door to the underground chamber creaked open.
Bright light spilled through the narrow doorway, and silhouetted against it were two small figures.
One was a girl who looked five or six years old, with short purple hair draped over her shoulders, and a red ribbon tied on the left side.
Beside her stood a hunched, skeletal old man, bald and shriveled like a mummy. He leaned on a cane, but his sunken eyes gleamed with frightening vitality.
The moment they appeared, Garp's attention was drawn to them.
The old man's face softened with a grandfatherly smile as he spoke with a raspy voice:
"Go on in, Sakura. The magic attribute modification can't be interrupted. That brat Kariya will never reach the Holy Grail—I've pinned all my hopes on you."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Sakura nodded obediently. Her eyes were lifeless.
Like a delicate doll.
Under the elder's gaze, she stepped down into the insect sea one stair at a time.
The moment she entered, the bugs seemed to go wild—like sharks smelling blood. The entire insect mass churned and swarmed toward Sakura, biting and tearing as they began to engulf her.
It was deathly silent, the only sound the squirming and scraping of insects.
Sakura's face didn't show a flicker of emotion, as if this wasn't happening to her at all.
The old man at the doorway revealed a satisfied expression.
"The Tohsaka girl truly can't be allowed to go to waste."
As all of this unfolded—
Garp's gaze had gone cold, the smile on his face now tinged with a bone-chilling edge.
Grandfather?
A man who would treat his granddaughter like this didn't deserve that title.
At some point, his right hand had become coated in a black metallic sheen. Without hesitation, he threw a punch at the barrier in front of him.
Boom!
The barrier didn't even crack, while Garp himself was knocked back two steps from the rebound.
"Heh… tough one."
He muttered an admiring note, then stepped forward and threw another punch without hesitation.
Just then, Nawaki finally spoke. His voice, altered through the system, became the calm and emotionless tone of the Lord God:
[Welcome Reincarnator.]
[From this moment on, you will begin your journey through endless worlds. Here, you may encounter countless dangers—but as long as you keep fighting, you can gain everything you desire: longevity, power...]
[The protective barrier will be removed once you've reviewed your mission.]
The protective barrier?
Garp had tuned out most of the speech, but that last part made him pause.
A translucent screen unfurled before him, covered in text.
[Current World: Magic World (Holy Grail)]
~~~
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Remove the parentheses btw