One Piece:The Merchant King of Grand Line

The Merchant King of the Grand Line

Chapter 10: A Deal with a Beast

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Target: Kaido's Army

Kaido wasn't just a Yonko. He was a warlord obsessed with one thing—building an army of Devil Fruit users.

His Beast Pirates were already filled with Zoan users, but the problem?

Zoan Fruits were rare.

Most of his men were stuck using SMILEs—imperfect failures from Doflamingo's old operation.

Kaido still wanted more.

If I could offer guaranteed, functional Zoan Fruits—ones that actually worked?

I wouldn't just be a supplier.

I'd become the foundation of Kaido's war machine.

Of course, getting in touch with one of the strongest pirates in the world wasn't exactly easy.

Which was why I wasn't aiming for Kaido directly.

I was aiming for his right-hand man—King the Wildfire.

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Setting the Bait

Kaido's forces never bought weak Devil Fruits.

If I wanted them to take my products seriously, I needed a demonstration.

Which was why I had a special batch prepared:

Five artificial Zoan Fruits.

Each based on a high-tier predator.

Fully functional—with none of the SMILE drawbacks.

I sent word through underworld channels, letting it leak that a new, perfected artificial Zoan technology was up for sale.

Then, I waited.

Three days later, I got my answer.

King himself wanted to meet.

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A Meeting in the New World

The location was set—a neutral island in the New World, far from Marine interference.

When I arrived, King was already waiting.

He was imposing—a massive, dark-winged Lunarian, standing over seven feet tall, arms crossed as he watched me approach.

Behind him stood a small squad of Beast Pirates—brutish, savage, but disciplined.

I walked up with my own guards, carrying a sealed case of Devil Fruits.

King didn't waste time.

"You claim to have perfected artificial Zoans," he said, voice sharp. "If you're lying, you'll regret coming here."

I smirked. "Then let's test them."

I turned to one of my men—an expendable grunt I'd recruited just for this moment.

I tossed him a Tiger-Tiger Fruit (Model: Siberian).

"Eat it."

The man hesitated for a second, then bit into the disgusting fruit.

A moment later—his body exploded with change.

Muscles thickened. His skin shifted to fur. His hands became razor-sharp claws.

Within seconds, he had transformed into a full, perfect tiger-human hybrid.

No failures. No drawbacks.

King's eyes narrowed. "...Interesting."

One of his men, an unimpressed brute, scoffed. "A single working fruit doesn't mean—"

I cut him off by throwing a second fruit to another one of my men.

This time, the transformation was into a Direwolf hybrid.

Then a third—a Grizzly Bear.

One by one, I proved that my fruits worked.

King watched in silence, but I could see the gears turning in his head.

Finally, he spoke.

"How many can you produce?"

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The Negotiation

This was where I had to be careful.

Kaido's crew didn't buy things. They took them.

Which meant if I wasn't valuable enough, they'd just try to steal my operation.

I had to frame the deal correctly.

I crossed my arms. "I can produce fifty per month. But if I expand operations, I can push it to one hundred."

King stared at me. "And your price?"

I smiled. "Nothing outrageous. Just… territory."

That got his attention. "Territory?"

I nodded. "I don't need gold or beri. I need a protected base of operations in the New World. A place where I can mass-produce without worrying about Marines, rivals, or interruptions."

I leaned forward. "Give me that, and I'll turn Kaido's army into something unstoppable."

King didn't respond right away. He was thinking—calculating.

Finally, he said, "You'll answer to Kaido directly."

I smirked. "I'm fine with that. As long as my business runs uninterrupted."

King stared at me for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"Welcome to the Beast Pirates."

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Securing the Future

With that deal, I had just secured a protected manufacturing hub in the New World.

This wasn't just about supplying Kaido.

With a stable base, I could:

Expand research on artificial Devil Fruits.

Start producing Paramecia prototypes.

Develop even rarer Mythical Zoans.

This was the foundation for my empire.

And Kaido?

He wasn't my end goal.

He was just a stepping stone.

Because once I had perfected artificial Mythical Zoans…

Even the Yonko would be buying from me.

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Next Chapter: The Mythical Project Begins

(Victor expands research into Mythical Zoan prototypes, but the project attracts the attention of unexpected forces.)