"Do you guys have no shame?"
Merlin looked somewhat blankly at the red, green, and blue trio blocking his path.
"Uncle, we're siblings with Reiju. You can't give one to her and not us."
"Uncle, Father said he couldn't make the call on this, but as your nephew, I want one too."
"Uncle, just give us whatever you see fit!"
In the clearing before the West Castle, the corner of Merlin's mouth twitched as he looked at these three scoundrels.
At this moment, Reiju, who had been sparring with Baby 5 nearby, was already flushed with anger. She felt a sense of absurdity rising within her. Who gave these three bastards the nerve to come and demand Devil Fruits?
They were actually doing something even Father wouldn't dare to do?
"You three... do you want a beating?"
Reiju finally lost her patience.
She was terrified they would annoy Merlin, which would result in their father getting beaten up. Yes, their father. After all, the failures of the son are the sins of the father.
Ichiji glanced at her sideways, sneering, "Shut up, you lucky woman."
Niji turned his nose up to the sky. "Hmph!"
Yonji clenched his fists, his gaze turning unfriendly.
Merlin's gaze remained calm. Cyborgs who knew no fear were certainly purer, but they also lacked any sense of self-awareness.
Furthermore, the emotions they did retain didn't include things like empathy.
Getting angry at them would only lower his own standing.
This whole thing likely had Judge's tacit approval. If they managed to mooch a fruit off him, Judge wouldn't lose anything. Even if they couldn't, and Merlin got angry, he wouldn't kill the three brothers on a whim.
At most, they'd suffer a bit, and Judge would probably be happy to see that happen anyway.
No matter how you looked at it, Judge wouldn't lose.
Even if Merlin went to complain, Judge could just claim the children were being too mischievous.
Just then, Perona, standing beside Merlin with a dark expression, didn't say a word. She waved her hand, and three Negative Hollows emerged.
They phased right through the chests of the three brothers.
However, the brothers just looked blankly at the ghosts passing through their chests. Nothing happened. They looked at Perona strangely.
Ichiji scoffed. "Are you an ability user too? Doesn't seem to do anything though."
Niji looked disdainful. "Trash ability."
Yonji glared. "You looking for a beating?"
Perona tugged at Merlin's arm, looking confused. "Did my ability fail?"
Seeing her sister-in-arms getting bullied, Baby 5 wasn't having it.
Her right arm transformed completely into a cannon barrel. Bang, bang, bang!
Three shells exploded right in their faces in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three brothers cried out in pain as they were blasted away by the shells.
They tumbled across the ground before finally coming to a stop, face down.
Merlin looked at the brothers lying in the dirt and said, "They are missing certain emotions, such as fear. Your ability likely can't trigger negative emotions in them because the mechanism isn't there."
Perona's mouth fell open, and she said, utterly speechless, "Does that mean my Negative Hollows won't work on any of the clone soldiers here? The only thing that works is the ghost bomb?"
Merlin nodded. "Likely. Sometimes, science can be that magical."
Perona made a bitter face. "I hate science."
At this moment, the three brothers stood up, looking furiously at Baby 5. Just as they were about to make a move, Merlin split his shadow into three, connecting them to the brothers' shadows.
Calamity: Negativity.
In an instant, stored negative calamity flooded into their bodies.
Their eyes trembled.
Simultaneously, they dropped to their knees.
"I'm so sorry for being lawless. I'm truly a bastard. If there is a next life, I want to be a pile of dog crap!"
"I'm sorry for being so arrogant. I was wrong. I repent!"
"I just want to be a weed!"
Watching the three brothers kneeling and repenting one after another, Perona looked at Merlin in shock, stuttering, "Didn't you say they were immune to negative abilities? Why can you do it, but I can't?"
Beside them, Reiju covered her mouth with her hand, looking sideways at Merlin in disbelief. "What is happening?"
Merlin smiled and patted Perona's head. "Your ability currently works by drawing out the negative emotions already present within a biological entity. If you meet someone who is inherently devoid of those emotions, or extremely negative already, you're out of luck. Perhaps when you awaken your fruit later, you'll be able to do what I did."
Perona was curious. "What you did?"
Merlin smiled. "Think of it as a causal relationship. Your ability goes from the 'Cause' of inducing negativity to the 'Result' of them being negative. I, however, skip the process and directly impose the 'Result' of negativity onto their consciousness. Even if they don't have those emotions, I can force it upon them."
Understanding dawned on Perona, and she stared at Merlin with wide, envious eyes. "You mean, if I awaken, I can really do that? Skip the process and go straight to the finish line?"
"Perhaps. Devil Fruits can be developed endlessly. Your Hollow-Hollow Fruit has that potential. Whether you can achieve it depends on your own skill. Also, your fruit interferes with emotions of the soul, but it's not limited to just negativity. You can try developing other emotions. For example, Joy."
"Joy?" Perona was puzzled.
"Sometimes, laughing uncontrollably and non-stop can kill a person too," Merlin said with a light chuckle.
Perona blinked, her eyes gradually lighting up.
Merlin glanced at the three brothers, who were lifting their heads from the ground, panting and looking confused. Seeing them trying to stand, he released the Negative Calamity again.
They immediately dropped back to their knees.
Reiju still looked at Merlin with confusion. Merlin explained, "When your mother was pregnant with them, she took strong drugs to interfere with the Lineage Factor. Although only Sanji retained all his emotions, the others might still be influenced subconsciously. Tell me, if I keep stimulating them with emotions they don't have... will it awaken that missing part of them?"
"Similarly, although Sanji hasn't awakened his cyborg constitution yet, it doesn't mean his body doesn't possess that power. Perhaps Sanji's genetic modifications are just recessive right now, while theirs have been dominant since birth."
Reiju was intelligent and reacted instantly, looking at Merlin with shock. "Are you saying their emotional deficits can be cured?"
"Humans are wonderful creatures. They evolve with changes in their environment. My view might not be entirely correct, but it definitely isn't wrong."
In his Calamity Vision, he could see various calamities within the three of them. Although he couldn't analyze them yet, they existed.
That was the basis for Merlin's theory.
"Do you think... cyborgs can still be called human?" Reiju asked, sounding a bit lost.
Merlin glanced at her. "Are Devil Fruit users not human? Why can't cyborgs be human? 'Human' isn't as narrow a definition as you think."
Reiju paused. "Am I one?"
Merlin smiled. "You cry, you laugh, you get angry, you get dissatisfied, and you feel doubt. You tell me, are you?"
"Your mother carried you for ten months and went through the pain of birth. Do you think she would consider you a monster? If she heard you denying your own humanity like this, I think she'd hide away and cry."
Reiju stared blankly at Merlin, her lip quivering, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Mmh. I am human."
Merlin smiled. "Later, go find Judge and have him make some strong drugs that interfere with brain emotions. Feed it to the three of them every day. Under intense stimulation, they should see results. Don't worry about damaging their bodies; I can heal those negative side effects. As for Sanji, he can take some drugs that stimulate metabolic functions. With me here, he won't die. If his physique awakens afterward, it proves my guess was right."
Reiju nodded. Just then, Sanji, who was standing nearby, asked curiously, "Uncle, can I have a strong body like Reiju and the others too?"
Sanji noticed the unkind look in Reiju's eyes and quickly corrected himself. "Like my Big Sister."
Merlin nodded. "You might suffer a bit. You decide."
Sanji nodded earnestly. "I want to try. Without that kind of physique, Ichiji and the others will never acknowledge me."
Merlin glanced at him. Another kid with childhood trauma.
The type who craves acknowledgment?
Judge really was a piece of trash.
Merlin looked at Reiju, then at Baby 5. "Carry on with your sparring."
The two nodded and resumed fighting.
Merlin critiqued them while keeping an eye on the three brothers, constantly hitting them with Negative Calamity. He wouldn't beat them physically, but he would discipline them mentally.
Having no brains and no sense of hierarchy was incorrect behavior.
In the blink of an eye, it was 7:00 PM.
Merlin stopped releasing the negativity. The three brothers were curled up on the ground, kneeling motionless.
Merlin sensed that the bio-electric fields in their brains were fluctuating violently.
Next moment: Electric Paralysis.
Amidst a trembling spasm, the three brothers cried out in pain.
Their eyes instantly became clear.
They lay on the ground, looking confused.
"This... what happened to me?"
"What was that feeling we just went through?"
"I've never felt that before..."
The brothers looked at Merlin with incredibly strange eyes, as if seeing something impossible.
"Mr. Merlin, did it work on Ichiji and the others?" Reiju asked in surprise.
Merlin's eyes held a similar wonder. It seemed his guess was correct.
Just then, Monet came from the castle holding two Den Den Mushi. One was a white anti-eavesdropping model. "Merlin, it's a call from Law."
Merlin took the receiver Monet handed him, puzzled. "Law?"
On the other end of the line, in a small boat on the vast sea, Law looked excitedly at Rosinante, whose face was twisted and swollen sitting across from him. He spoke into the receiver, "Merlin, Rosinante and I have defected from the Donquixote Family. Where are you? We're coming to find you."
Merlin's gaze shifted, and a smile suddenly curled on his lips. "Give me the details."
Law spoke excitedly, "Rosinante suddenly kidnapped me today. He left a note for Doflamingo saying he was taking me to treat my Amber Lead Disease. And I discovered his secret—he's actually an undercover spy sent by the Marines into the Donquixote Family. However, I've already subdued him."
Hearing this, Merlin instantly understood. He felt amused and laughed. "Go to Swallow Island and wait for me. I'll arrive there in about a week. My home is in the villa district, house number . Yor and the others are there; once you get there, they'll know. Put Rosinante on."
Law looked at the sour-faced Rosinante and said speechlessly, "I've been in the Donquixote Family for almost two years. Tsuru and the others chase us from time to time. You taking me out this time... it probably won't be long before Doflamingo realizes Tsuru can't find the family, and he'll figure out your spy identity. You still have a choice. If you go back and continue your undercover work now, they probably won't suspect you yet. Make your choice."
Rosinante looked conflicted. He had just called Sengoku to say he was pausing his mission for a while. Doflamingo had likely already sensed something was wrong.
Going back now meant he probably couldn't continue the mission anyway.
He hesitated, looked at Law, took the Den Den Mushi, and said, "It's me, Rosinante."
Merlin looked at the snail, narrowing his eyes. "What's your choice? Coming to me with Law? Or reporting back to the Marines right now?"
Rosinante fell silent. A few seconds later: "You won't tell Doffy?"
"Ha! Why would I tell him?" Merlin chuckled lightly. "Forget it, can't explain it clearly over the phone. See you in a week. Think it over. Whether you stay or go, you decide then."
Click!
Watching the phone hang up, Rosinante felt lost. Suddenly, he felt that the sea was so vast, yet he was homeless.
He had betrayed his last relative to take Law for treatment, but Law had his own choices.
He felt his actions were just like the clown makeup on his face—laughable and ridiculous!
Looking at the excited Law in front of him, Rosinante asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you choose to go find a hospital for treatment with me?"
Law looked at Rosinante and suddenly fell silent. He could sense Rosinante's kindness toward him. "Why take me for treatment? You have your own mission. Interrupting it for me risks Doflamingo finding out. He isn't exactly kind!"
Rosinante looked desolate. "We are Celestial Dragons who gave up our status. After experiencing a series of tragedies... Doffy killed our father."
Rosinante recounted his past to Law. A moment later, Law looked at him with extreme shock and a hint of pity.
Rosinante said with a hoarse voice, "Your experience is very similar to ours. I don't want you following Doffy and being completely influenced by him to become a monster. Doffy treats me well, but I can never forgive him for Father's death. Yet, he really treats me well. On one hand, I want to send him to Impel Down, but on the other, I can't bear to watch him get caught. He's already been through enough misery; I don't want him to suffer a complete, irreversible betrayal again. So I want to escape. I want to stay away from him. That guy Merlin is strong, and not as evil as Doffy. Maybe following him, your future will be a bit better."
Law sighed and looked up at him. "Let's wait until we see Merlin in a week. If it's him, he should be able to give you a clear direction."
Seeing that Merlin continued to ignore the three of them, the brothers left in sullen silence.
Not long after, Judge arrived with a researcher, holding three design blueprints for the large ship. Merlin looked them over, was satisfied with one, and finalized the construction plan.
Delivery was set for one month later.
In a flash, seven days later. Riding the Vinsmoke snail fleet, they arrived near Bianqi Town, close to Swallow Island.
Pink went to find his Lucian.
Merlin switched to his own ship.
He sailed toward Swallow Island.
Before long, seeing the outline of Swallow Island on the distant sea, a smile curled on Merlin's lips.
Shortly after, at 10:00 AM.
He docked at the port.
Merlin saw Yor, the other two girls, and San Pao waiting at the port with large and small bags.
And, Law and Rosinante.
At the port.
Merlin smiled at Yor and the others. "Let's go, get on the boat!"
Soon, they boarded, and Merlin steered the ship toward the distance.
A short while later, at the railing.
Merlin looked at Rosinante beside him and laughed. "It seems you didn't notify Tsuru and the others to come cause trouble for me!"
Rosinante's face darkened. "Am I that much of a moron? Do I look like I have a death wish?"
"Let's hear it! Your specific thoughts for the future. You can't go back to the Donquixote Family."
"Will you take me in?"
"Defect from the Marines, get plastic surgery, and from now on your name is Rossi. Don't sell me out in the future. As long as you can do that, I'll take you in."
Rosinante was surprised. He looked at Merlin in disbelief. "That's it?"
"Mmh!" Merlin said. "You've always been good to Law and taken care of him, and you taught me navigation before. I owe you for that. You probably sold me out before, but I beat you up too, so let's call it even. I can give you a place to settle down. Whether you want to marry and have kids later, or mix it up with me, it's all fine."
Rosinante's eyes went wide, cold sweat dripping, but at the same time, he looked moved and conflicted.
However, just a few seconds later, he said, "Forget it. I am a Marine. But I beg you to help me with the plastic surgery. I'll contact the Marines afterward. I'll meet up with them myself."
Merlin's gaze was calm. "Okay, I agree. I'll personally send you to a Marine warship when the time comes."
"Then... thanks!"
Just then, Rosinante looked at Lami, who was staying with Law, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Law really loves his sister."
Merlin smiled. "Mmh. Lami is Law's lifeblood."
Time passed, and it was noon.
Looking at the snail fleet near the distant island and the giant Germa flags on the castle, Law was visibly shaken. "That is the evil Germa?"