Three days later, the once-destroyed Germa 66 castle stood tall again—completely restored.
All thanks to Susanoo, who was basically a one-man construction crew.
In just a few hours, he'd rebuilt the entire fortress. One word—fast.
That afternoon, Reiju approached Malverick, holding a sealed envelope.
"What's wrong, Reiju? Something happen?" Malverick asked curiously.
Reiju nodded and handed over the letter.
As the most elite of all assassin families, the Vinsmokes possessed an incredibly powerful intelligence network—
they often learned of information long before it hit the newspapers.
"My lord, something major just happened in the North Blue," she said seriously.
"The World Government is offering five billion Berries to buy a Devil Fruit from a pirate crew."
"The name of that fruit is…"
Before she could finish, Malverick interrupted, his tone sharp.
"The Ope-Ope no Mi—the Operation Fruit!"
Reiju blinked, surprised. "You… already knew?"
He just smiled faintly.
"Yes, that's the one. But I don't understand—why would it be worth fifty billion?"
After all, even Whitebeard, the man with the highest bounty in the world, was worth only slightly more than that.
A single Devil Fruit worth as much as the world's strongest man? The government had to be insane.
But Malverick shook his head. "No, the World Government isn't crazy."
He rose to his feet, eyes glinting. "Where's the trade taking place? Which direction?"
Reiju hesitated. "Wait, you're not thinking of getting involved, are you?"
"Of course I am," Malverick said with a grin. "You think I can just sit around doing nothing?"
He knew exactly what this "deal" really was.
The Operation Fruit exchange would involve the Donquixote Family, Marine Vice Admiral Tsuru, Corazon, and Law.
There was no way he was going to miss a show like that—especially when it was happening right here in the North Blue.
"The trade's happening three days from now, on Rubeck Island," Reiju replied.
"Got it. Keep training while I'm gone," Malverick said, already walking out.
To most people, the Ope-Ope Fruit was just another Paramecia-type Devil Fruit—powerful, yes, but not world-shaking.
However, those in the know understood its true potential.
Once fully awakened, the Ope-Ope Fruit granted its user the ability to perform the Perennial Youth Operation—
an operation that could grant eternal life to another… at the cost of the user's own.
One life for another's eternity.
To most, that was a fair exchange.
But Malverick wasn't interested in immortality.
He already had something far more terrifying—Dragon Essence.
The Ope-Ope Fruit could only make someone live forever.
The Dragon Essence, however, could make someone ageless, immortal, and indestructible.
It was the Ope-Ope Fruit Plus—a true divine power.
So no, immortality didn't interest him.
What did interest him was the chaos surrounding it—Law, Corazon, Doflamingo, the Marines.
It was going to be fun.
–––
Somewhere in the North Blue…
A pirate ship sailed steadily toward Rubeck Island.
On the deck sat a tall man with blond hair, a pink feather coat, pointed shoes, and a wide, unsettling grin—
Donquixote Doflamingo.
He was silent, face unreadable. Maybe he was both angry and amused.
Happy—because he'd finally found the Ope-Ope Fruit.
After all, who didn't crave eternal life?
But also furious—because he had begun to suspect that his younger brother, Corazon, might be a traitor.
Corazon had been missing for a year now.
During that time, the Marines—especially Tsuru—had stopped hounding the Donquixote Family.
A coincidence? Hardly.
In truth, Doflamingo was right—Corazon was a Marine spy,
and not just any spy, but the adopted son of Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself.
"Fufufufufufu…"
Doflamingo's laughter echoed darkly, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Corazon… you're not really a Marine spy, right?"
He didn't want it to be true.
He didn't want to have to kill his only remaining family again.
Soon, the ship reached Rubeck Island.
"Trebol," Doflamingo said, frowning. "What's going on here?"
The island was a mess—thick smoke, gunfire, chaos everywhere.
Something had clearly gone wrong.
–––
An hour earlier.
After a brief journey, Malverick arrived on Rubeck Island.
"Five-Sense Omniscience—Clairvoyance!"
Activating one of his unique perception abilities, he immediately scanned the island—
and quickly locked onto the presence of Corazon and Law.
His Observation Haki was already strong enough to cover the entire island,
but Corazon's Devil Fruit ability made him undetectable through normal means.
The Calm-Calm Fruit—a perfect tool for infiltration.
Since he was there to steal the Ope-Ope Fruit, Corazon had immediately activated his soundproof field upon landing.
He made no noise at all.
Corazon had hidden Law somewhere safe, then gone alone to retrieve the fruit.
But Law's condition had worsened—his body weak, his mind fading from the disease's torment.
When Malverick approached, the boy could barely lift his head.
He saw only a vague silhouette and murmured weakly,
"Corazon… you're back already?"
Malverick looked down at him silently.
"System," he said in his mind. "How many points would it take to cure him?"
If it was possible to heal Law with points, Malverick wouldn't hesitate.
He'd take the Ope-Ope Fruit himself and call it a fair trade.
[Ding! Scanning target…]
[Scan complete. Curing Law requires 5,000 Supreme Points.]
"…Yeah, never mind."
He had only 1,100 left—far from enough.
"Looks like fate ties you too deeply to that fruit, kid," Malverick murmured.
"In that case, I won't steal it from you."
He gently placed Law inside his dark space, keeping him safe,
then flew toward Corazon's position.
By the time he arrived, Corazon had already obtained the Ope-Ope Fruit—
but true to his clumsy nature, he'd tripped on his way out.
Now he was surrounded by angry pirates—
after all, this wasn't just any fruit, it was worth five billion Berries.
Gunfire erupted.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Corazon staggered back, blood blooming across his coat.
He limped away, barely escaping, leaving dozens of dead pirates behind.
Despite his wounds, he smiled down at the fruit in his hands.
"Law… you're saved now."
"Yeah," a calm voice replied behind him,
"he's saved—but what about you?"
Corazon froze.
A shadow dropped from above, landing directly in his path.
He spun around and drew his weapon, eyes wide.
Standing before him, expression unreadable, was a young man in black.
"…You're… the Dark King—Malverick!"
Recognition hit him instantly.
The stories about Malverick had spread across the world—
a rising monster whose power even the World Government feared.
And now, here he was, standing right in front of him.
~~--------------------------
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