Multiversal Recruitment

We spent quite a while talking, me telling her the basics of my world and how everything worked. In the end, we both ended up sitting side by side in silence—Kaina processing everything, and me waiting for her to do so.

—A world like that... you're asking me to trade one evil for a worse one.

—I'm asking you to point your rifle at the right people.

—You're not giving me many options, you know? —she said with a small laugh, her arms resting on her knees as she looked at the bars.

—Oh, I trust you and go with you, or I stay locked up here.

—For your comfort, I'll be locked up too when we return.

—And how exactly is that supposed to comfort me?

—I don't know. I'm just listing the things we have in common to earn your sympathy.

—You're too honest, you know?

—My lying skills are rusty. Months as a slave without a decent conversation... I guess that leaves a mark.

Silence. She didn't respond—not out of pity, but because she didn't know how.

—If I accept this... agreement, what do I have to do? Obey you? —she said the last part playfully, as Salazar closed his eyes in thought.

—Jmhp... only an idiot would dream of ordering his savior around.

—You have that much faith in me?

—Me being here doesn't answer that already?

Laughing a little, amused, she looked at her hands, opening and closing them.

—I guess it does...

—How do you plan on escaping this place? —she asked, looking at Salazar, who returned her gaze.

—Does that mean you accept?

—Just tell me.

—My powers allow me to take us to my world immediately.

—So that's why you came in here so confidently, huh?

—I'm not that crazy yet, for your information.

—If your world is so bad, why not stay here?

—You think I haven't considered that? My time here is limited. I'm forced to go back.

Sighing, a bit tired of the endless questions, he looked up at the ceiling.

—Listen. From what I told you, you know I get what you're feeling. Maybe I don't have your broken morals, trying to be a hero and ending up as an assassin, but...

He paused to breathe, looking her in the eyes with determination and sincerity.

—But I do know what it's like to call for help and have no one come. That no matter what you do—even if it's right—people will still see you as a villain.

Those words left a lump in Kaina's throat. She clenched her fists as she watched Salazar stand and offer her his hand.

—I'm asking you to join me as my partner, and lend me your strength so we can both be free...

Looking seriously at Kaina, he kept his hand extended. She stared at it, deep in thought.

—Alright...

She took his hand, stood up, and gave him a small smile.

—I'll be your hero, damsel in distress —she teased, making Salazar smile.

—Nothing would make me happier.

They both chuckled, complementing each other well and creating a friendly atmosphere.

—So? What do we do now? —she asked, raising an eyebrow while Salazar was focused on his system.

---

[Ding... Congratulations, Host, for successfully recruiting Lady Nagant!]

My Hero Academia World has been unlocked in the store!

Reward: MHA Roulette Spin!

Description: One spin to obtain a random MHA power. It could be anything from One for All to Erasure.

Bonus Reward: Lady Nagant's Hero Suit and Combat Skills!

(N/A: This might all seem like too much, but let's be honest—what is this compared to the world of One Piece? Exactly, trash :v)

Salazar's expression didn't change. He stared at his system, trembling with excitement.

—With all this roulette, I'm going to become a gambling addict.

—What the hell are you talking about?

—Nothing. Forget it. Just... having you as a partner makes me happy.

He tried to claim the reward, but it was only available upon returning to his world. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

—Uh-huh. And I'm supposed to believe that?

—Do you?

—Of course not, idiot!

—Alright, alright. Don't yell at me —he said with a grin, seeing Kaina annoyed.

He returned his focus to the system panel.

[Task Completed. Early Return Available.]

Would you like to return early?

Yes / No

He ignored that for now and looked at Kaina.

—I think we can go now. But first, let me take this off you —he said, reaching for her neck—specifically, her collar. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity but was surprised to see it vanish.

—What?

She looked at Salazar, stunned, as he gave a smug smile and touched his own, making it disappear as well.

—Inventory has its perks, huh... —he said, rubbing his now-free neck, recalling the bonus reward, which he was able to claim, gaining tactical combat knowledge.

—Hey, Kaina —he called out, seeing her still processing that the collar she'd worn for so long was now gone.

—What?

—Here —he said, pulling her folded outfit from behind him, surprising her again as she looked at him, incredulous.

—How?

—I made your collar disappear, and this is what surprises you?

Kaina blushed a bit in embarrassment but quickly took her clothes, running her fingers over them nostalgically before looking up at her new partner.

—Do weird things like this happen often with you?

—Probably.

—I'm starting to regret this.

—Too late —he replied playfully, making her sigh in resignation.

—You should get dressed. As soon as we get back to my world, we'll have to escape by sea from an entire country.

Kaina stared at Salazar expressionless. No amusement, no anger—just a cold stare.

—You didn't think to mention that sooner?

—It wasn't relevant.

—Any other 'not relevant' information?

—Plenty. But the sooner we go, the better.

—Suddenly, Tartarus is looking kind of nice —she muttered bitterly, setting her uniform down on the bunk. She gave her companion a sharp glance, and he got the message, turning around.

He took the opportunity to equip his old clothes from the inventory, along with his dual pistols and katana.

—Alright, I'm—... You know what, I won't even ask —she said, already dressed in her outfit, looking at Salazar, who had also changed. She sighed at how many strange things this man had done in such a short time.

—Don't I look handsome?

—You look like a show-off.

—I'll take that as a compliment.

—It wasn't.

—How kind of you.

Salazar just laughed genuinely, in a good mood now that he had someone he could speak to as an equal. A companion who would support him. That alone made him momentarily forget all he'd suffered. But he soon remembered his goal. Nervous, he extended his hand toward Kaina.

—Ready? —he asked seriously, but with a confident smile. Kaina replied with a soft tilt of her head and took his hand without hesitation.

—Ready.

—Good.

He looked forward, focusing on his system.

(Take us back.)

[Understood... Beginning transfer.]

No glory. No flash. They simply vanished from the cell, leaving it empty, with only their prison uniforms behind.

-------

Salazar's coat fluttered as he appeared alongside Kaina in his old cell. On the ground were bones and skulls of animals, rotting meat, and iron bars at the front.

Salazar looked around his former prison seriously. The bones of the creatures he had killed and devoured like a savage beast, the stench, the dried blood… It all reminded him of Saint Gilet's amused expression as he watched Salazar behave like an animal. He clenched his free fist.

Meanwhile, Kaina stared at the place, visibly disturbed—almost horrified. She let go of Salazar's hand and observed the dried blood all over the cell.

—System, spin the roulette.

Wasting no time, he ordered the system to claim his reward. He didn't have much time before they would come to execute him.

[Affirmative. Spinning roulette...]

Countless quirks flashed before his eyes. Just like in the first world he visited, he couldn't distinguish them clearly. The images whirled until they began to slow… and finally stopped on a result.

Salazar stood still, eyes fixed on the screen. A wide, excited, almost maniacal smile spread across his face.

—Salazar, are you okay? —Kaina asked, watching him tremble with excitement. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He reacted and turned to her with a joyful smile.

—Never been better. Don't worry.

[Congratulations, Host!

You have obtained the Quirk "Explosion" from Katsuki Bakugou.]

—Okay... You sure?

He felt his biology shift. His body began to change. It was like going from zero to a hundred in a second—a nearly addictive sensation.

—Oh yeah.

—Alright, if you say so. Now what? —she asked, resting a hand on her hip.

Salazar took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He looked at his hands and began to form a plan.

—Right now, we're in holy land. This place is crawling with undercover agents who would kill either of us on sight.

—And you're just telling me this now? —she asked, arms crossed, glaring at him with a cold stare.

—Details —he said nonchalantly, while she rubbed her forehead.

—What did I get myself into...

—The best way to escape right now is to stir up chaos. But tell me something —how strong are your bullets?

She twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, meeting his gaze with calm confidence.

—How strong do you want them to be?

—Can they pierce steel?

—Like paper.

—Perfect —he smiled with satisfaction. Suddenly, a small explosion sounded behind them. They both turned to see Salazar's old slave collar detonated on the ground.

—What was that? —Nagant asked, curious. But as she saw the shape of the object, her eyes widened.

—That...

—Yeah. A slave collar. If you escape, it detonates instantly. The owner can also trigger it manually, but...

She walked over, crouched beside it, and inspected it closely.

—This is convenient... and a bit tragic. Guards will arrive any second. I need you to analyze this collar and figure out how to disable it with a bullet —he said, picking it up and handing it to her. She took it silently, studying it.

—Along the way, we'll free as many people as we can to stir up chaos. Just the two of us won't be enough, no matter how skilled you are.

—All those slaves... Are we just going to leave them? —Kaina asked, looking him dead in the eyes.

He met her gaze, unwavering. A long silence passed before he finally spoke.

—We'll take as many as we can. But if we see a Marine ship, I won't hesitate to grab you and run. Got it?

It was a deal. She sighed and nodded. Salazar watched her closely as she analyzed the collar.

He couldn't ignore her good intentions. She was his partner now. As much as he wanted to run, he respected her. Especially since without her, he wouldn't have had a single chance of escaping this place—he'd probably be dead already.

While Kaina studied the device, Salazar approached the bars. He examined the lock, raised his palm, and focused on the sweat from it—or rather, the nitroglycerin.

—This feels almost instinctive. I like it —he muttered, smiling to himself. Without delay, he unleashed a controlled but powerful explosion from his hand, blowing the simple metal lock apart. The Celestial Dragons reserved seastone for their most valuable slaves.

Kaina raised an eyebrow, surprised.

—What was that?

—Oh, I forgot to mention —visiting your world gave me some perks. Among them, a very nice quirk —he said, raising his hand and firing off small sparks from his fingers with a smug grin.

—After all this, you're going to have to tell me how that works.

—Someday. Have you figured it out yet?

—Yes, there's—

But she was cut off by the sound of fast-approaching footsteps echoing from the dungeon's entrance. Salazar turned toward the noise, his expression serious.

—You'll have to explain it later. Focus on freeing as many as you can. I'll cover you. Agreed?

They both stepped out of the cell. Kaina gave him a small nod and turned toward the massive row of cells. Twisting a lock of her hair into a bullet, she raised her arm, revealing a custom-built sniper rifle integrated into her body.

—Easy —she said with confidence. Crouching down, she took aim, focusing to destroy all the locks in her field of view with one shot.

Meanwhile, Salazar calmly walked forward. As soon as he saw the silhouettes of the guards, he drew his dual pistols and opened fire without hesitation.

Clean headshots. With Nagant's abilities now part of his arsenal, his aim was deadly. He checked the bodies—mere servants, no powers, no threat.

—I wish everyone here went down this easy —he said ironically, knowing that once the uprising began, CP0 agents would swarm the area and likely call Marine HQ.

He heard another shot and turned to see Kaina adjusting her aim and firing again. One shot, both sides of the hall. Every lock destroyed with surgical precision.

—I don't even want to imagine you with Observation Haki.

—With what?

—Forget it for now.

Cell doors exploded open, one after another. Hundreds of slaves poured out—of all races: three-elbows, long-legs, two giants, and fish-men.

Kaina watched the scene with a serious yet astonished expression. She turned to Salazar, who was now beside her.

—You've got a lot of explaining to do.

—I know.

Stones for my please, and coment, yes? Yes :)