"I don't want to have to say this a second time."
Elric's voice was flat, cold, carrying the absolute certainty of someone who never made empty threats.
"You... you're hateful..." Erin Summers choked out, her face turning purple as Elric's iron grip compressed her throat. She glared at him with all the defiant anger she had left. "You're no different from that gangster Rick!"
"I never claimed to be a good person," Elric replied with brutal honesty, his tone completely emotionless and businesslike.
"Follow me and you receive my protection. Endless food, clean water, absolute safety in a dying world."
He paused deliberately.
"And you—just need to dedicate yourself to me. Your loyalty. Your service. Your body."
"Do the mathematical calculation. Decide if survival is worth the price."
His approach was purely transactional—no romance, no seduction, just cold cost-benefit analysis.
Every other woman he had taken in before this moment had agreed immediately—the promise of safety and abundant food was absolutely irresistible in the apocalypse where death lurked everywhere.
But Erin... Erin was fundamentally different from the others.
"I'm also a superpowered individual," she rasped through his crushing grip, each word a struggle. "I'm not as overwhelmingly strong as you, obviously, but I can protect myself adequately."
"And as for supplies—I can find and secure them on my own through scavenging and trading."
She forced out her refusal even while trembling with terror, defiant pride still burning despite everything.
Security, protection, abundant food—any other woman in the apocalypse would have agreed without hesitation.
But Erin Summers possessed supernatural powers in her own right. She had survived alone for over a week. She had her own strength.
And most critically—
She genuinely, exclusively liked women.
A man, regardless of how impossibly powerful or devastatingly handsome, simply didn't tempt her on any fundamental level.
Not at all. Not even slightly.
"Fine then," Elric said with chilling quietness. "Turn to ash."
His left hand suddenly shifted—transforming into a bubbling magma fist glowing with molten heat that radiated waves of blistering temperature.
If Erin Summers truly preferred death over submission to him—
Then Elric would accommodate that preference and kill her immediately.
He didn't particularly enjoy eliminating qualified high-value women who met the System's standards, but he absolutely would not tolerate open defiance or persistent resistance either.
Authority without enforcement was worthless.
The intense magma heat washed across Erin's face—close enough that she could feel her skin beginning to blister from mere proximity.
She froze completely, every muscle locking.
At the absolute boundary between life and death—when execution was literally one second away—everything became crystal clear with perfect focus.
"OKAY! I AGREE!" she screamed desperately, her voice cracking with terror. "I agree—okay?! I AGREE to everything!"
Her entire body trembled violently, tears streaming down her face.
Even if she genuinely disliked men on every level... she still valued her life infinitely more than her preferences.
And dead women couldn't chase pretty girls or enjoy anything ever again.
Survival trumped identity. Always.
"You're smart after all," Elric said with cold approval.
He released her throat immediately. The threatening magma fist faded smoothly back into a normal human hand.
Erin collapsed instantly to her knees on the pavement, gasping and coughing violently as oxygen flooded back into her starved lungs.
This woman shows intelligence when properly motivated, Elric assessed clinically. She's not completely hopeless. I really didn't want to waste her potential—unless absolutely necessary.
"Good decision. Now come home with me."
He gestured toward Building 9.
"Take a proper shower first and get yourself ready."
Erin froze mid-gasp, her brain processing the implication.
"...Get... ready?"
She understood immediately what he meant.
Her face twisted with horror and fresh despair.
"H-hey—don't you think we should take this more slowly—maybe build up emotional connection first—"
Then she caught sight of Elric's cold, utterly unyielding gaze.
Her resistance shattered like glass.
"S-sorry—okay, okay... we can... we can go at whatever pace you prefer... just please give me a little time to mentally prepare..."
Elric exhaled sharply with obvious impatience.
"Hm?"
That single questioning sound sent Erin into complete panic mode.
"SORRY!!" she blurted desperately, words tumbling over each other. "Y-yes—now is perfectly fine—whatever you want—however you want—just please don't kill me!"
Inside her heart, however, completely hidden from external view—
Erin Summers was screaming.
This man looks like a refined gentleman on the surface, but he's actually a terrifying pervert who demands it IMMEDIATELY with no buildup!
Mom, your daughter is about to be defiled by a MAN... can I even still chase pretty girls after this?!
What a hateful, hateful, HORRIBLE man...!
On the surface, she projected perfect obedience and compliance.
Inside, she raged with impotent fury and humiliation.
And Elric saw it all clearly.
Her emotional aura—normally displaying calm neutral blue when relaxed—now showed distinct streaks of black hostility mixed with red fear, visible only to his Emotion Perception ability.
This woman... he noted internally with cold calculation.
A superpowered woman who secretly hated him despite outward submission?
That represented genuine danger. Potential betrayal. Future problems.
He would observe her emotional state carefully for several days.
If her hostility didn't naturally fade and transform into genuine acceptance or at least neutral resignation—
Then after he collected her initial Devil Fruit Tree reward and extracted her monthly exchange rewards...
He would simply kill her and eliminate the threat.
A superpowered traitor with abilities and intelligence could cause catastrophic trouble if left alive with festering resentment.
Better to harvest her value and dispose of the liability.
Erin, completely oblivious to his lethal contingency planning, suddenly gasped as her vision warped unnaturally.
Spatial displacement. Teleportation.
Again. And again. And again.
Multiple rapid jumps covering vast distance in seconds.
Until finally—
She materialized inside a luxurious apartment.
Erin blinked rapidly, disoriented—
And then stared in absolute shock.
Five women were present in the spacious living room.
Four of them were absolutely, breathtakingly stunning—the kind of beauty that would have made them famous influencers or models even before the apocalypse.
Her jaw literally dropped open.
In the entire week-plus of apocalypse survival, I haven't encountered a single attractive woman. And now there are FOUR gorgeous women in one room?!
Who were they? What was their relationship to this terrifying man?
She didn't have to wait long for answers.
The women stepped forward gracefully, introduced themselves with varying degrees of politeness and warmth—
And Erin learned the crushing truth.
They were all Elric's women. Every single one.
Her eyes widened even further, threatening to pop from her skull.
This absolute bastard collects beautiful women like some kind of apocalypse Pokémon trainer...!
"Husband, you're back!"
"Husband, you've worked so hard today—your bath is already prepared! You can wash whenever you're ready!"
The moment Elric fully materialized in the apartment, Natasha, Jenna, Grace, Elsa, and even the masked Shay rushed around him enthusiastically, clinging to him affectionately and calling him "husband" with genuine warmth.
They were clearly, unmistakably all his women. A full harem operating with surprising harmony.
Erin Summers stood frozen in shock, her mind reeling.
"Oh my God... all of these women belong to you?"
"You have so many women—and they're all beautiful?!"
Her voice carried genuine awe rather than judgment.
Elric nodded calmly, completely matter-of-fact.
"Yes. I currently have multiple women."
He paused deliberately.
"And I will acquire even more qualified women in the future as opportunities arise."
He never bothered hiding his intentions or the reality of the System—because having many adopters wasn't just personal desire, but strategic necessity for power growth.
Most women fundamentally resented sharing their man, even if they grudgingly agreed for survival purposes. Jealousy, competition, resentment—all normal responses.
Erin's reaction, however, was completely different from expected.
"More women? You'll have even MORE later?!"
Instead of jealousy, shock, disgust, or competitive territoriality—
She was genuinely excited.
"That's absolutely GREAT!"
The black hostility aura floating above her head vanished completely like smoke.
A fresh, vibrant red goodwill aura appeared instead, glowing with genuine positive emotion.
Elric blinked in genuine surprise, momentarily thrown.
...This woman truly cannot be judged or predicted using normal human logic.
Her psychology operates on completely different principles.
He didn't waste time analyzing the bizarre reaction further.
He simply grabbed Erin's wrist firmly, pulled her away from the curious other women, and dragged her directly toward the master bathroom.
Shay had already meticulously prepared hot water and clean towels in advance, ever-efficient in her background support role.
And the "adoption" process began immediately without further delay.
[One hour later]
Right on schedule, the familiar mechanical System voice rang clearly in Elric's mind:
[DING! Successfully took in qualified adopter (Erin Summers).]
[Devil Fruit Tree Growth +1]
[DING! Previously developing fruit has reached full maturity.]
[The Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus (Ancient Zoan Type) is now fully ripened and ready for harvest.]
[Host may consume immediately or store for strategic distribution.]
[DING! Unlocked adopter exchange reward capability (Erin Summers).]
[First reward obtained: Twenty "Skyborne" brand amphibious all-terrain vehicles (Military Bulletproof Special Edition)]
[Remaining monthly exchange count for adopter Erin Summers: 24/25]
Elric's eyes widened with genuine surprise and satisfaction.
Twenty enormous military-grade off-road vehicles suddenly materialized in his dimensional System Space—sleek, heavily armored, genuinely amphibious with sealed cabins.
He had known of Skyborne vehicles before the apocalypse—popularly nicknamed "Land Tanks" in automotive enthusiast circles, capable of driving through deep swamps, lakes, and the roughest terrain imaginable.
He used to admire them in online videos and magazines, fantasizing about ownership.
But each vehicle cost several million dollars before the collapse—completely beyond his reach as a poor college student.
Now he possessed twenty of them simultaneously, all equipped with military-grade bulletproofing.
Extraordinary tactical mobility and protection.
But the true prize tonight wasn't the vehicles—
It was the Allosaurus Devil Fruit.
Elric materialized the ripened fruit in his hand, examining it carefully.
A gray, banana-shaped Devil Fruit covered in distinctive dinosaur scale patterns—exactly matching the descriptions from his System database.
The legendary Ancient Zoan that X-Drake wielded in One Piece—one of the Worst Generation Supernovas.
An absolute monster of physical resilience, raw power, and combat dominance.
Without hesitation, Elric raised the fruit to his mouth.
And swallowed it completely in one determined bite, ignoring the notoriously horrible taste.
BOOM—!!!
Overwhelming heat roared through his veins like a volcanic eruption from deep within the earth.
Every muscle in his body suddenly tightened and expanded simultaneously.
His bones strengthened dramatically, density increasing to superhuman levels.
His entire physical form felt like it could tear apart buildings and crush steel with bare hands.
The overwhelming surge of primal power gradually stabilized over the next several minutes—
Leaving his entire body humming with barely contained explosive force, like a coiled spring ready to unleash devastation.
The System chimed again with updated information:
[DING! Successfully consumed Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus (Ancient Zoan Type)]
[New transformation modes unlocked:]
Beast Form: Full Allosaurus transformation (12 meters length) Hybrid Form: Human-dinosaur combat form Human Form: Base appearance with enhanced physicals
[Permanent passive enhancements:]
Physical strength: +500% (Now 30x normal human baseline) Physical durability: +400% (Bone density, skin toughness) Healing factor: +300% (Accelerated recovery from injuries) Stamina capacity: +400% (Extended combat operations) Predatory instincts: Enhanced combat awareness
[Active abilities:]
Devastating bite force (10+ tons crushing pressure) Tail sweep attacks (building-destroying impact) Enhanced claw strikes Intimidation roar (psychological effect)
Elric flexed his hands experimentally, feeling the raw power coursing through every fiber.
Even in base human form, his physical capabilities had just increased by orders of magnitude.
In full Ancient Zoan transformation?
He would be an unstoppable prehistoric killing machine.
Perfect, he thought with cold satisfaction. The collection grows. Power accumulates.
Soon, nothing in this apocalyptic world will be able to threaten me.
There is 50 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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