Marvel: Sign-In System – Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

"Don't look at me. I'm just an ordinary person."

Under Natasha's charming emerald-like gaze, Johnny quickly waved his hands, looking completely harmless as if he posed no threat at all.

Johnny had never been the type to stay quiet or behave himself.

As a famous stunt motorcyclist, he had spent a long time drowning himself in alcohol and women. If he hadn't recently run into Roxanne, his childhood sweetheart, and then gotten caught up in all of this, he definitely would've flirted shamelessly with Natasha already.

But right now, he didn't have the courage.

Wasn't Blackheart already being beaten badly enough to scream nonstop?

Johnny didn't want to get beaten too.

After all, with the way he understood things now, he truly believed he was just a normal human. There was no way he could survive even a casual punch from Natasha.

He was still young. He didn't want to meet God that early.

"Ordinary?" Neagley turned around and glanced at him with amusement. "I really can't see what part of you is ordinary."

"Or maybe you haven't realized it yourself yet?"

"Ladies, this boy is still young. He hasn't adjusted to reality," old Carter interrupted with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, we don't have much interest in you," Neagley reassured him casually.

While they were talking, the commotion at the cemetery finally began to settle down.

As the dust slowly dispersed, the entire cemetery had already been completely flattened.

Every plant, gravestone, and tomb had vanished without a trace.

All that remained was a massive crack stretching thousands of meters across the ground and a gigantic crater nearly a kilometer wide. The earth was covered in scars, riddled with fractures and countless pits of varying sizes.

It looked as though the area had been bombarded by missiles.

Matthew stood high in the sky, the crimson glow in his eyes gradually fading away as the overwhelming pressure of his Conqueror's Haki slowly receded. Everything finally returned to silence.

He looked down at the ruined land beneath him.

Within his consciousness, he could already "see" the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia absorbing Mephisto's soul. A high-quality demonic soul like that was enough to illuminate a top-tier Devil Fruit.

The boiling blood coursing through his body gradually cooled.

Matthew's burning fighting spirit faded as well. He let out a soft breath, and Mephisto's cold warning before his death echoed in his ears once more. A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

"Insignificant human, you will learn the price of completely enraging me."

The sentence was simple and short, yet it revealed Mephisto's truest attitude more clearly than anything else.

The two sides had now become true enemies.

But Matthew didn't care.

Compared to what he had gained, Mephisto's hostility was nothing worth worrying about.

As long as he grew fast enough, by the time Mephisto came looking for him, he would probably have already gone to Hell himself to find Mephisto first.

That old monster, who had lived for who knew how many years, possessed far too many valuable things.

Matthew's future development was inevitable, and growth always required enormous amounts of precious resources. When it came to obtaining resources, taking them by force was naturally the best method.

His battle with Mephisto tonight had not only earned him a powerful soul, but had also greatly improved his own strength.

Again and again, the pressure of that intense fight had pushed Matthew to his limits, forcing him to adapt little by little. That process of adaptation was growth itself.

Mephisto had been like a Yonko-level Kaido serving as a personal instructor.

Through actual combat, he had truly taught Matthew how to control energy, handle combat details, and apply his abilities in battle.

Even the slightest error in judgment could become a deadly trap. Those split-second details flashing by during combat were not things that could be learned through simple training alone.

Only real battle could teach them.

After returning, Matthew would need to carefully review everything and fully digest the experience he had gained from tonight's fight.

But for now…

Matthew turned his head toward Reacher and the others' direction—or more accurately, toward Blackheart.

The sudden glance nearly startled Blackheart out of his skin. Almost instinctively, fear rose within him, and he quickly averted his gaze, turning his head away rather than meeting Matthew's eyes.

But immediately afterward, humiliation flooded his heart once again.

He hated this feeling of fear.

He was destined to become the future ruler of Hell, yet he had actually become afraid of a mere human. Gritting his teeth, Blackheart abruptly turned back around.

But the moment he did, his body jolted, and a chill shot down his spine. That familiar sense of fear surged through him once again.

Matthew was standing right in front of him, looking at him calmly.

That interested, almost amused look in his eyes felt like countless sharp needles piercing into Blackheart's heart.

Just moments ago, Matthew had still been hovering above the cemetery thousands of meters away, yet in the blink of an eye he had crossed the distance and appeared before him.

That kind of speed…

Blackheart secretly clenched his teeth, though outwardly he still maintained an arrogant expression and stubbornly met Matthew's gaze without backing down.

Unfortunately, with an Astartes soldier's hand still impaled through his chest and his bruised, swollen face, the sight of him looked more ridiculous than intimidating.

Matthew couldn't help but curl his lips into a faint smile.

Only then did the Astartes and Raven warbands around them react. One after another, they dropped to one knee. Even the soldier whose hand was still piercing Blackheart's chest lowered his head, placing his clenched right fist against his chest in salute.

They had never practiced such etiquette before.

But after tonight's battle, every one of them performed it almost instinctively.

There was no reason for it, nor had anyone forced them to do it. Their instincts alone told them this was what they should do.

"Rise," Matthew said softly, somewhat surprised himself, though he did not stop them.

"Yes!!"

The soldiers stood back up immediately, their backs straight and their eyes filled with fervent devotion.

Looks like tonight brought more gains than expected. Matthew nodded inwardly.

"Human…" Blackheart finally spoke.

The series of blows he had suffered had already crushed his imposing aura to the point that he could barely breathe. He knew he couldn't let things continue like this, so he tried to regain some initiative.

Unfortunately, Matthew gave him no chance at all.

He simply raised a finger and lightly pointed at Blackheart.

Buzz!

A brilliant golden magic circle instantly appeared at his fingertip. It rapidly shrank until it became a compressed cross-shaped mark that shot directly into Blackheart's forehead.

Blackheart had no time to react before a terrifying heat and pain swept through his entire body.

The agony made his whole body tremble uncontrollably.

In the end, he could no longer endure it and collapsed to his knees before Matthew.

"Aghhh—"

The pain continued intensifying, forcing low groans from Blackheart's throat while Matthew merely looked down at him coldly from above.

Only after a long while did the pain finally begin to fade.

But what replaced it was weakness—an unprecedented weakness.

"You…" Blackheart raised his head from the ground, staring at Matthew in shock and fury.

"Many times, death is a form of release. Living without being able to die is the true torment."

Matthew crouched down until he was level with Blackheart and calmly explained, "You have no soul, which is indeed troublesome. But that doesn't mean it can't be handled."

"Your power has already been sealed away. It won't kill you, but it will continuously drain your strength and turn it into something that causes you pain."

"Congratulations. You've become my prisoner."

Matthew stood back up and nodded toward one of the nearby Astartes soldier. Then, with a wave of his hand, a circular portal crackling with sparks appeared on an open patch of ground not far away.

The other soldiers immediately understood and escorted Blackheart into the portal under heavy restraint.