"My lord, Germa 66 is willing to submit to you!"
Reiju knelt on one knee before Malverick, lowering her head in a gesture of surrender.
Malverick turned his gaze toward the man in his grip—Vinsmoke Judge.
"Well, would you look at that. Your daughter seems to understand the situation far better than you do."
At the same time, Malverick had already decided on his next move.
"System, give me another contract—same type as the one I used with Tesoro."
He'd lost all patience.
He'd given Judge chance after chance, but the man only responded to force.
Fine then—if words didn't work, he'd make him submit by other means.
Simple, efficient, and satisfying.
Tch, I even tried being polite for once. What a waste of time.
[Ding! Contract generated. 500 Supreme Points deducted!]
[Reminder: Host currently has only 100 Supreme Points remaining.]
"That's fine," Malverick muttered. "Wasn't like I had that many left anyway—and Judge already gave me two thousand points last year."
A while ago, his total points had been 3,200, and a full 2,000 of them had come from Judge himself.
It was poetic, really—
he'd sheared the sheep, then used the wool money to buy a knife to slaughter it.
Moments later, a glowing parchment identical to Tesoro's contract materialized in the air.
Malverick released Judge, tossing the document at his feet.
"Sign it. Or I'll kill you right here."
He grinned faintly. "My pet's been starving for days. I think you'd make a fine meal."
ROAR!
The moment he finished speaking, Xiaobi transformed into his monstrous form—
fangs bared, maw wide enough to swallow a man whole.
Judge's pupils contracted as he glanced at the strange runes on the parchment.
He couldn't read a single one.
"Father, just sign it!" Reiju pleaded desperately.
She didn't want to watch him die—especially not here, right in front of her.
It was just a signature, she thought. Nothing worth dying over.
Judge looked from the contract, to Malverick, to the hulking beast behind him.
Finally, jaw clenched, he pressed his hand against the paper—leaving a bloody handprint behind.
Malverick smiled faintly. "Good."
Then, without warning, he stepped forward and slammed his fist into Judge's head.
THUD!
Judge collapsed instantly, unconscious.
"Father!" Reiju caught him, glaring up at Malverick with fury.
"He already submitted to you! Why would you still do that?"
He'd already signed—how could Malverick still strike him down?
Malverick chuckled dismissively.
"Little girl, I never claimed to be a good man."
He reached out and ruffled her hair casually.
"Your father may be my subordinate now, but his behavior earlier annoyed me.
If I didn't kill him outright, that's me being generous."
"So don't test my patience."
He turned his sharp gaze toward Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji.
"The same goes for you three—don't do anything stupid. You'll only end up dead."
After that warning, Malverick walked toward a nearby fortress.
"When he wakes up, tell him to come find me."
–––
[Ding! You have defeated Star Glory-level opponent: Vinsmoke Judge. 1,000 Supreme Points acquired.]
[Current total: 1,100 Supreme Points.]
Since he'd already beaten Judge once before, the reward was halved again—but Malverick didn't mind.
Germa 66 was now under his control. His growing empire had finally begun to take shape.
Next, he had only one goal—to grow even stronger.
He was already at Star Glory level, but that still wasn't enough.
Against Bogard, he'd been clearly outmatched in pure power.
Not that he was weak—it was just that his Dark-Dark Fruit couldn't show its full potential against non-Devil Fruit users.
Neither Garp nor Bogard had eaten a fruit, and Malverick's greatest power was most effective against ability users.
Unfortunately, Devil Fruit wielders weren't exactly common—they weren't cabbages you could just pick off the street.
"Yeah… in the end, strength is all that matters."
He made up his mind: he wouldn't step foot into the Grand Line again until he reached King-tier.
And when he did return—
the world would remember his name.
–––
The next morning, Judge appeared before him again—awake, calm, and accompanied by Reiju.
Thanks to the contract, all resistance in his heart was gone.
Now, Judge looked at Malverick the way a soldier looked at his commander.
"Alright," Malverick said. "Take me to your lab. I want to see how far your research has come."
Within the MADS research group, Caesar had focused on artificial Devil Fruits,
Queen specialized in body modification and viruses,
and Judge had perfected cloning—second only to Vegapunk himself.
His four sons were living proof of that, each one born with unique genetic abilities—
flames, lightning, poison resistance, and armor-like durability.
And his obsession with the Raid Suits was evident from Germa 66's entire army.
"Yes, my lord. This way, please."
As they walked, Reiju followed behind, stunned.
Her father—who had once been so proud and defiant—was now treating Malverick with respectful deference.
When they entered the lab, Malverick's eyes widened slightly.
Thousands of clones floated in glass pods filled with nutrient fluid.
Each one, once awakened, would be a soldier capable of fighting a hundred men.
"Not bad," he said with a nod.
"Continue your research. Whatever you need, tell me directly.
I'll assign someone to assist you soon."
Satisfied, Malverick left the laboratory.
Cloning, artificial fruits, and body modification—
Vegapunk had combined all three to create the pinnacle of pirate-world science:
the Seraphim.
That was a power Malverick intended to grasp for himself.
"Vegapunk…" he murmured, eyes glinting.
"I look forward to meeting you."
–––
Back in his quarters, Malverick looked at Reiju, who stood quietly before him.
Of all Judge's children, she was the one worth cultivating.
"From now on, you'll be under my direct command," he said.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any spare Devil Fruits right now."
He'd once possessed several—
the Gold-Gold Fruit, Weapon-Weapon Fruit, Explosive Fruit, and Tiger Fruit.
But the Gold and Explosive fruits had gone to Tesoro,
and the Weapon Fruit had been given to Alice.
Reiju shook her head.
"It's fine. I can grow stronger on my own."
Her tone was firm, eyes steady.
Malverick blinked, then smiled faintly.
"Didn't expect you to have that kind of resolve."
Yes, Haki and combat skill defined a true warrior—
but the truth remained that a Devil Fruit did make people much stronger.
"Alright, suit yourself. We'll revisit that later."
"For now, I have your first assignment."
He called for Alice, then gestured toward Reiju.
"Your job is to teach Alice some proper values—
make sure she stops trusting everyone she meets so easily."
He sighed. "That girl's too soft-hearted for her own good."
Maybe a little guidance from someone her own age would help.
~~--------------------------
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