"Very good. From this moment on, you're my third subordinate."
Malverick nodded in satisfaction.
With the binding contract in place, he could finally rest easy.
Then, he took out a strange, shimmering fruit covered in golden patterns and placed it in front of Tesoro.
"Eat it. This power belongs to you now."
"Thank you, my lord!" Tesoro didn't hesitate—he grabbed the fruit and swallowed it whole.
"That is the Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit," Malverick explained. "As the name implies, it gives you the ability to control gold itself."
"From today onward, your mission is simple: use that power to amass as much wealth as possible—for me."
The fire in Tesoro's eyes burned brighter at those words.
He had suffered enough in life to know exactly what it meant to be powerless and poor.
Malverick smiled faintly and then reached into his coat, tossing over several heavy cases filled with treasure.
"Take these—ten billion berries. Use them as seed money to make more."
Over the years, Malverick had raided royal treasuries and plundered pirate fleets, so he had quite the fortune piled up.
"And take these two Devil Fruits as well. You'll need bodyguards."
He handed Tesoro the Tiger-Tiger Fruit and the Explode-Explode Fruit.
In the original story, Tesoro's men were practically useless. Malverick wasn't about to let that happen.
With his orders clear, Tesoro bowed deeply and set off on his mission.
Malverick watched him leave, a confident smile on his face.
The Golden Emperor… with him at my side, the world's wealth will one day be mine.
After spending half a day resting at Sabaody, Malverick prepared to depart.
"Oh right… I almost forgot about this little toy."
"Ten-Thousand-Mile Flight — Mostima!"
Whoosh!
A burst of light erupted behind him, and a massive pair of black wings unfolded from his back.
Each feather gleamed like a blade, sharp enough to cut steel.
"Let's see how well you fly."
He flapped once—and in an instant, his body shot into the sky like a golden comet, soaring toward the North Blue.
Below, bystanders only felt a sudden gale tear past them before he vanished.
Among the four seas—East, West, North, and South—the North Blue was the second most chaotic.
The South Blue held first place, West Blue third, and East Blue was the most peaceful.
East Blue wasn't weak—it was, after all, the birthplace of Gol D. Roger—but Garp's constant visits kept pirates in check.
After three days of nonstop flight, Malverick crossed the Calm Belt and entered the North Blue.
"Alright, I admit it," he said to himself, glancing at the glowing wings behind him. "I seriously underestimated this thing before."
The Mostima wings were incredible—not only could they fly faster than his Dark-Dark Fruit could transport him, but their offensive ability was terrifying.
Their skill, "Feathers of God," unleashed volleys of light-like blades, much like Admiral Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama.
Overall, while not quite at Susanoo's level, the Mostima wings were on par with Xiaobi's strength—an elite tool indeed.
Satisfied, Malverick pulled out a small strip of paper from his pocket.
A Vivre Card.
The name written on it marked the purpose of his trip to the North Blue.
Somewhere within a mysterious stretch of the North Blue, an enormous moving fortress crawled slowly across the sea.
Looking closer, one would see that it wasn't a ship—it was being carried by a legion of gigantic snails.
This was the Kingdom of Germa 66, the infamous nation of assassins feared across the seas.
They were so famous that even comic books in the North Blue told tales of their exploits.
At that very moment, the kingdom's king, Vinsmoke Judge, stood atop the fortress, a newspaper in hand.
On the front page was a photo of Malverick.
Judge's eyes narrowed. He remembered vividly—over a year ago, a mysterious man had infiltrated his domain.
Back then, Judge had been training his clone soldiers when that stranger appeared silently behind him.
They had fought… and he had lost.
The man never gave his name, but the strange powers he'd used were unforgettable.
After his defeat, the intruder had said something shocking—he wanted to recruit Judge.
Judge refused immediately.
But the man hadn't been angry; he simply smiled and said, "I'll be back."
Now, seeing the name "Silvers Malverick" on the paper, Judge's expression hardened.
"Father, what are you thinking about?" a gentle voice asked behind him.
Judge turned to see his eldest daughter—Vinsmoke Reiju.
He had five children in total, all genetically modified superhumans created from his own lineage:
Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji… and of course, Sanji.
Sanji, who was now far away in the East Blue, training as a cook at the Baratie.
Reiju looked at the paper curiously. "Are you thinking about that man from a year ago?"
Judge said nothing. He simply handed her the paper and walked toward his laboratory.
Aside from being king, Judge was a brilliant scientist—once a colleague of Vegapunk himself.
His army of clone soldiers—genetically enhanced, fearless, and absolutely obedient—were all products of his genius.
"Silvers Malverick…" Judge muttered, gripping the paper tightly.
"If you wish to recruit me, you'll have to prove your strength once again."
Meanwhile — on a small island in the West Sea.
Malverick sat beside a campfire, watching with amusement as a little girl peeked nervously at him from behind a tree.
He had just stumbled upon her while passing through.
[Target: Baby-5. Strength Level — Bronze. Defeating her grants no points.]
That's right — Baby-5, the girl who would one day become Donquixote Doflamingo's loyal, weaponized maid.
But thanks to Malverick's actions, the butterfly effect was already in motion.
The Weapon-Weapon Fruit she was destined to eat… was currently in his possession.
"Come here," Malverick said gently, extending his right hand toward her.
The girl hesitated, clutching her ragged dress, fear in her wide eyes.
Seeing this, Malverick smiled knowingly.
He remembered exactly how to unlock this girl's heart.
"Come on," he said softly. "I… need you to come here. Okay?"
Her eyes widened.
Need…?
I'm… needed?
~~--------------------------
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