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"You're going to retaliate against them?"
"It's not retaliation. It's that they owe the people of Flevance an explanation."
"Fair enough. After all, what they did—abandoning their own subjects—was completely heartless. I'll help you track down exactly where they've settled in the East Blue."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it. We're on the same side now."
Merlin looked at Judge, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. As expected, this guy's hidden influence wasn't small at all.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the conference room door, followed by Reiju's voice: "Father, it's me."
Judge glanced at Merlin, a smile playing on his lips. "I have a gift for you." He then called out to the door, "Come in!"
Click. The handle turned, and Reiju walked in carrying a small wooden box, her eyes brimming with curiosity. She placed the box on the tea table in front of Judge and stood obediently by his side.
Judge smiled at Merlin and pushed the box toward him. "Merlin, you saved Sora. I can never truly repay that, but I think you'll like this. I've decided to give it to you. Open it."
Merlin felt a spark of curiosity. He had a hunch about what it might be. He opened it to find a small, peach-pink Devil Fruit covered in spiral patterns.
After a few seconds of observation, a look of surprise crossed his face. "A Butterfly-type fruit? Long-tailed Swallowtail model?"
Judge was taken aback. "You recognize it?"
"Mmh. I've read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. I recognize basically every fruit's appearance."
Judge's eyes flashed with a smile. "Though it's just a common species, this butterfly possesses decent toxins, and it can fly. That makes it quite useful."
"Toxins, huh?" Merlin glanced at Reiju. "I heard from this girl that her modifications allow her to release and absorb poison, and she has a special anti-toxin constitution. This fruit suits her perfectly. Why didn't you give it to her?"
An awkward look crossed Judge's face. The reason was obvious: a common-type fruit wasn't good enough for his standards. After his modifications, Reiju already possessed physical traits that rivaled or even surpassed common Zoan types.
Seeing Judge's expression, Merlin understood perfectly. He chuckled. "While it's not particularly useful to me, it's a nice toy. I can always give it to a subordinate later. Anyway, thanks!"
Judge's mouth twitched. "It's still a fruit that grants flight and toxins. Is there really a need to be that dismissive?"
Through their short time together, Judge had begun to understand Merlin's temperament. This blunt way of interacting actually worked well for both of them.
Merlin's eyes flashed, and shadows began to pool in his palm. In an instant, as the shadows vanished, a silver-white Devil Fruit appeared. He placed it gently on the table.
He looked at Judge calmly. "Now, if you had given me one like this, I might have actually laughed out loud."
Judge stared blankly. Reiju let out a soft gasp. "This... is the Logia-type Mercury Fruit?"
Judge's eyes widened in disbelief. "You even have something like this?"
He ran through the properties of mercury in his mind, instantly realizing the fruit's true value. Flight, potent toxicity, and terrifying offensive power. Most importantly, top-tier survivability.
Judge felt a pang of envy sharper than a lemon. He looked at Merlin expectantly. "Would you consider selling this fruit to me?"
"You want to eat it?" Merlin asked with a smile.
Judge pondered, instinctively looking toward Reiju. He saw the naked longing in her eyes. He sighed and looked back at Merlin. "What is the condition?"
He didn't believe Merlin would pull out such a treasure just to show off. He didn't seem that shallow.
"Judge, I think you'd much rather study biotechnology than fight. If you have a brain, you'd give this fruit to one of your children. Mercury's toxicity pairs perfectly with Reiju's abilities, so you'd likely give it to her. Though, I wouldn't rule out you eating it yourself; Logia survival is hard to pass up."
Judge's eye corner twitched. His mind had been read perfectly. Truth be told, he did want to eat it.
However, Merlin raised his hand. The shadow on the table suddenly solidified into a hand, gripped the fruit, and offered it to Reiju.
Reiju looked at Merlin in shock before taking it. Judge's eye twitched again.
"Reiju will eat the Mercury Fruit," Merlin said, smiling at Judge. "In exchange, she joins my Laplace Pirates as a combatant. Also, using Germa's technology, you will build me a top-tier flagship, accompanied by a clone shipwright with specialized genetic engineering and shipbuilding knowledge. The shipwright isn't urgent—give it five years? This deal is more than fair for you."
Judge's muscles tightened. "It is indeed fair. Since we are staunch allies, Reiju joining your crew is acceptable. But since you're taking one, you might as well take Sanji too. That boy loves cooking; he can serve as your head chef. With your guidance, I trust they won't be wasted. As for the ship, I'll have the blueprints drawn this afternoon. If you approve, it will be finished within a month."
Seeing Judge agree, Merlin's smile widened. "The keel should be made of a special alloy. Don't worry, I won't let you lose out. In Golden Lion's treasury, I left at least twenty billion worth of gold and jewelry, even after taking the Devil Fruits. I'll turn that entire fortune over to you to fund the research projects I assign you."
Judge's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you serious?"
Merlin laughed softly. "To me, wealth is just a tool to be used where it matters. Since we share technology, as long as you don't waste it, I'll provide even more funding. I imagine Germa's coffers aren't exactly overflowing?"
Judge felt a pang of bitterness. "Hardly. Why do you think Germa is known as a group of assassins in the underworld? It's because we lack the funds for research! We have to act as mercenaries just to pay the bills." He then looked at Merlin with shining eyes. "When do we move? When do we take down Golden Lion?"
Merlin narrowed his eyes, faintly sensing his shadow located far away. "In a while. Once I've picked up my people, we'll track him down. He has several resource-rich floating islands. I left a tracking method on him."
Merlin then looked at the dazed Reiju. "What are you waiting for? Eat up."
Reiju hesitated, looking at her father. Judge said, "Merlin named you for it. Eat it."
Reiju nodded heavily. Merlin added, "With Logia abilities, you won't have to fear your three bratty brothers anymore. If they try to bully Sanji again, you go up there and beat them senseless. As the big sister, how can you not discipline your brothers? Being afraid of them is simply unacceptable."
Reiju froze, remembering her conversation with Merlin earlier that morning. Emotion welled in her eyes. "You remembered?"
Merlin waved it off, then looked at Judge curiously. "I heard you were quite against Sanji becoming a lowly chef. Why the change of heart?"
Judge sighed. "As royalty, being a chef is beneath him. But Sora doesn't hate it. For her sake, I can yield a little. If it's just a hobby, I can accept it now."
Merlin smiled. Reiju took a big bite of the fruit, her eyes tearing up—though whether from the taste or the emotion was hard to say.
Merlin picked up the Swallowtail fruit from the table and pulled it into his equipment slot. He'd equip it for now to see if it yielded any interesting specialties, though he doubted its utility.
Having finished the fruit, Reiju had already gained the ability. Merlin watched as she turned into a pool of silver liquid, then vaporized, then solidified. "Mercury has three states—solid, liquid, gas. The vapor toxicity is quite useful. Later, I'll teach you the Navy Six Styles and Life Return; they'll help you develop your powers better. Combined with your modifications, your future is bright."
Reiju nodded firmly. Judge smiled; his daughter's path had widened significantly.
"Go outside and test your powers," Merlin suggested.
Reiju agreed. But as the three of them stepped outside the castle, they fell silent.
A hundred meters away, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji were surrounding Sanji and beating him.
"You've been acting a bit too arrogant today, Sanji!"
"Wait until I beat the life out of you!"
"You bastard, you actually sat next to Mom during the banquet! You took my spot!"
Judge's face went black, his beard twitching with rage. These unfilial sons!
Reiju's anger boiled over. Judge spoke up: "Reiju, go teach those three brats a lesson."
Reiju was about to move when Merlin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wait," he said.
Judge looked over. Merlin glanced at him. "This is on you. If you hadn't indulged them in the past, would they be doing this now?"
Judge looked embarrassed. Merlin chuckled. "This time, let Sanji do the hitting. He has trauma; he needs the release."
With that, a portion of Merlin's shadow split off, zipped across the ground, and merged into Sanji's body.
Instantly, Sanji, who was curled on the ground protecting his head, shuddered. His body swelled violently, and his skin turned a deep blue hue.
Thud, thud, thud... Bang!
The sounds of the beating changed from crisp slaps to heavy thuds, as if hitting thick leather.
Sanji's eyes rolled back to the whites, his mind overtaken by Merlin's will within the shadow. surging desire to resist erupted. As a fist swung toward him from behind, Sanji rolled away with preternatural speed, then pushed off the ground to spring back up.
The white-eyed Sanji stared directly at the three brothers.
Niji's face darkened. "You dare fight back?" He rushed Sanji with a punch, but Sanji was different now. Guided by the shadow's combat instinct, he tilted his head, dodged, and landed a heavy punch right in Niji's face.
Boom! Niji's teeth flew out, his nose collapsed, and he was sent crashing into a wall.
The next second, Sanji was in front of Ichiji like a ghost. He grabbed him by his red hair, swung him around to knock Yonji away, then flipped Ichiji and slammed him into the ground over and over. Bang, bang, bang!
The marble floor shattered under the impacts.
Noticing Niji and Yonji getting back up, Sanji grabbed Ichiji by the ankle and charged them. In a blink, the three brothers were being ruthlessly ravaged by the blue-skinned, muscle-bound Sanji.
Miserable screams echoed through the grounds.
The brothers roared, but Sanji's roar was louder. Driven by fury, the "Little Blue Giant" Sanji wasn't going to go easy on them.
Merlin watched with satisfaction. He turned to the wide-mouthed Reiju. "In the future, that's how you hit your brothers. They're built like tanks anyway; as long as you don't kill them, hit them as hard as you want. They need to know that you are the boss of the siblings."
Reiju hesitated but soon nodded firmly. Those three never held back when bullying Sanji. "I know what to do now."
Judge's eye twitched. "That's probably enough. Any more and they'll be crippled."
Merlin laughed. "It's fine. I can heal them. As long as they aren't dead, I can bring them back."
Judge looked pained but eventually sighed. "Do what you want. Just be careful. I'm going to check on Sora."
A moment later, Merlin recalled his shadow. Sanji collapsed from exhaustion, and the three brothers lay swollen and paralyzed on the ground. Merlin and Reiju walked over. Sanji stared blankly at his brothers and the blood on his hands.
Merlin spoke calmly from behind him: "How did it feel to hit them?"
Sanji struggled to stand, looking at Merlin with a hesitant expression. "I... I did that?"
"Had no awareness of it?" Merlin asked.
Sanji shook his head. "I guess I did. I thought I was dreaming."
Reiju felt a pang of pity seeing the three brothers in such a state. She tugged at Merlin's sleeve. "Mr. Merlin, can you heal them?"
The three brothers looked up, their eyes burning with anger toward Merlin. Ichiji spat, "You interfered?"
Bang!
Reiju stepped forward and stomped on his head, crushing his face into the dirt. "Use honorifics when speaking to Mr. Merlin, you bastard!" She stomped a few more times for good measure. She then looked at the other two, whose eyes were equally defiant, and promptly gave them each a few kicks as well.
Sanji shrank back, incredulous. "Is Reiju always this violent?"
Reiju whipped her head around, eyes fierce. "Call me 'Big Sister,' you brat!"
"Yes!" Sanji stood bolt upright. "Big Sister, I'm sorry!"
Merlin watched the scene with a smile, then let the black flames spread to absorb their calamities. They recovered quickly, though the three brothers remained wary of Merlin.
Reiju huffed. "Mr. Merlin healed you. Where is your gratitude?"
The three glared, making Reiju even more annoyed. She charged in and engaged them. Under her Logia powers and toxins, the three were poisoned and on the ground within rounds. They clutched their necks, groaning in pain as their skin turned blue-black. Once Merlin healed them again, they appeared much more obedient.
Under Reiju's stern gaze, they reluctantly bowed to Merlin and thanked him.
"Good job, Reiju," Merlin said. "Remember to discipline them often. It helps the memory."
The three brothers' faces went dark.
The interlude over, the three pirate-bound members left, leaving the three brothers pondering in the courtyard.
"How did Reiju get so strong all of a sudden? That ability to turn into silver liquid... that was a Devil Fruit, right?"
"Probably. Let's ask Father. He must know."
"Yeah, Father can't be that biased. If Reiju has one, we should too."
Soon, they left Judge's presence with their answers, looking grim.
"Reiju just got lucky."
"Lucky brat."
"Are we just going to let her bully us?"
"What if... we ask Uncle Merlin? Maybe he has fruits for us too?"
"Uncle Merlin? Would he give us any?"
"Let's just go ask!"
"Fine. Let's go together."
---
In the conference room, Judge nodded to Merlin.
"You're saying the royal family of Flevance fled to the East Blue?" Merlin asked.
Judge confirmed it. "Yes."