"Wait a minute… that's not right."
Malverick frowned as he examined the fruit in his hand.
"If I remember correctly, this fruit was supposed to end up in Doflamingo's hands!"
And that was true.
In the original timeline, Doflamingo had auctioned off this very fruit—only for it to be snatched away by the Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro.
For a moment, Malverick was genuinely stunned.
This fruit wasn't just rare—it was legendary.
In the original story, Gild Tesoro had used this exact fruit to become the richest man in the world, controlling one-fifth of the entire world's wealth!
"Could it be that in the original events, someone came here after Fisher Tiger's raid and took it?"
After thinking for a bit, Malverick came to a conclusion.
That must have been what happened.
After Tiger freed the slaves, some of them must have sneaked back in to steal valuables—and one of them took this Devil Fruit.
Later, it passed through several hands… until it finally reached Doflamingo.
"Well then," Malverick smirked, "looks like you belong to me now."
He tossed the Gold-Gold Fruit into a swirling vortex of darkness, storing it safely away in his spatial void.
With this fruit, he wouldn't just be strong—
he'd be rich beyond imagination.
Money could move mountains in this world, after all.
Outside the prison, Fisher Tiger and his men were busy setting everything ablaze.
The fires roared higher and higher.
Tiger was clearly determined—he wasn't going to rest until the entire slave prison was reduced to ashes.
Malverick understood perfectly.
After all, this was the place that had once tortured him.
By now, most of the guards had been dealt with.
The freed slaves fought like demons, desperate for their one chance at freedom.
"Tiger," Malverick called out, walking up behind him,
"that's enough. You're wasting time."
Then, with a single motion, Malverick spread his fingers.
A wave of black energy burst forth, wrapping around the entire prison complex.
Crush. Compress. Obliterate.
In the blink of an eye, the massive slave prison was reduced to rubble and dust.
Seeing the destruction, Tiger exhaled deeply and turned back to Malverick.
"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.
At first, Tiger hadn't trusted him—
the tension between humans and fish-men was no small thing.
But now, all he felt was gratitude.
"My name?" Malverick chuckled.
"Why not? It's Malverick."
Malverick.
Tiger repeated the name in his heart, committing it to memory.
Then he placed a hand over the mark on his chest and said solemnly,
"I, Fisher Tiger, swear to repay you one day—no matter what it takes."
Malverick smiled faintly. He knew Tiger meant every word.
"Good," he said, patting Tiger's shoulder before glancing toward the holy city of Mary Geoise in the distance.
Even from here, the enormous palaces could be seen atop the Red Line.
And Malverick was certain that by now, agents of the World Government were already on their way.
"You'd better leave," he said calmly. "I still have unfinished business.
If you stay here any longer, you'll have the whole Navy on your back."
Tiger nodded, motioning for his crew to retreat.
But just as they were about to leave—
"Wait!" Malverick suddenly called out.
Tiger stopped and turned around.
"I have a favor to ask," Malverick said seriously.
"Listen carefully—two years from now, we'll form a great pirate crew together.
Until then, I want you to stay alive. That's my only request."
He remembered all too well how Tiger had died in the original story—
refusing a human's blood transfusion, even at the cost of his own life.
Malverick didn't know if fate could be changed… but he wanted to try.
Tiger looked confused, but he could feel Malverick's sincerity.
"…All right," he nodded. "I'll live until that day. That's our promise."
After that, Tiger and his fish-men finally left.
Once they were gone, Malverick noticed something unusual.
Amid the chaos, the fire, and the fleeing slaves—
three people hadn't moved.
They stood together, watching him quietly.
From their figures, he could tell they were three young women.
Their clothes were filthy, their faces covered in dirt, their bodies trembling.
Curious, Malverick opened his system to scan them.
[Boa Hancock – Paramecia-type Love-Love Fruit user. Power Level: Platinum.]
[Sandersonia – Zoan-type Snake-Snake Fruit user. Power Level: Gold.]
[Marigold – Zoan-type Snake-Snake Fruit user. Power Level: Gold.]
[Defeating them yields no 'Strongest Points.']
"Oh… so it's them," Malverick said, eyes lighting up.
The Boa sisters.
Boa Hancock—the future Pirate Empress herself.
And if his memory was right, Shakky (Aunt Shaki) was the former ruler of Amazon Lily.
That meant Hancock was destined to become the next queen.
"How interesting."
Malverick walked toward them.
The three sisters tensed immediately, fear flashing in their eyes.
After what they'd just seen him do, who wouldn't be terrified?
Malverick's gaze settled on Boa Hancock.
Even covered in grime and wearing tattered clothes, she still radiated a natural allure—
a faint, almost magical charm that seemed to draw the eye.
It had to be the innate effect of her Love-Love Fruit.
In truth, that fruit didn't inherently grant petrification powers.
It was Hancock's overwhelming beauty that allowed it to manifest in that unique way.
Of course, she hadn't learned to use it yet.
After being sold to the Celestial Dragons and force-fed the fruit, she'd never had a chance to develop her ability.
"Why didn't you leave with the others?" Malverick asked.
At his question, Hancock gathered her courage and stepped forward.
"Great benefactor," she said softly, "my little sister is injured.
Could you please help us?"
Malverick glanced at the youngest—Marigold.
Her face was pale, and a deep gash ran down her left leg.
Without hesitation, Malverick reached into the swirling void of darkness at his side and pulled out clean towels, water, and bandages.
He'd long since mastered storing supplies—and even people—inside his Dark Space.
It was how he had transported Fisher Tiger up the Red Line earlier.
He crouched beside Marigold and quickly cleaned and dressed her wound.
"You're from Amazon Lily, aren't you?" he asked while working.
At the mention of their homeland, the sisters' eyes widened.
"Yes!" Hancock said, excitement trembling in her voice.
"We're from Amazon Lily.
We were captured by slavers during a voyage and brought here…"
Her voice grew faint and bitter near the end.
She had been taken as a child, branded with the Celestial Dragons' Hoof of the Soaring Dragon.
Malverick wet a towel with clean water, then gently wiped the dirt from her face.
~~--------------------------
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