Spytand Malice glared, as his fur-clad subordinates hurried about their duties.

"Keep it moving!" he barked. "Lord Kaido wants these stores stowed by nightfall!"

The pirates did as they were told. Malice watched them as they scurried along the wide corridors, lugging wooden boxes between them. The boxes were open, leaving their contents visible as they passed. Bags of rice, ginger roots, enormous daikon radishes, fresh fruits; ice boxes full of fresh fish and meat, whole squid, enormous crabs and lobsters. Bottles of vinegar, soy sauce, fine wine and a dozen things he didn't recognise.

Food. Not the usual faire, which would be stored down in the basement for the rank and file. No, this was the finest food; the best that Wano had to offer. It would be stored in pantries and cold rooms inside the castle, to be inspected by the chefs, and then prepared for the highest of the Beast Pirates. The All-Stars, his fellow Flying Six, their various hangers-on, and Kaido himself. All would feast on this food and drink, amid the merrymaking of the Fire Festival.

And it was his job to make sure it got stowed safely.

He watched in silence, the minutes ticking by. On and on the pirates scurried, lugging their loads, or scurrying back for more.

He hated this job.

He knew that it was technically an honour, and he was in no position to refuse anyway. But that didn't make it anything less than a chore, and a stressful one at that. Every creak of wood, every clink of bottle-on-bottle, made his teeth clench. Any bottle dropped and broken was one less for his fellows and superiors to drink; not to mention a mess needing cleaning up. And mess was not tolerated, not in the cavernous corridors of the inner castle.

They wouldn't drop anything. They knew where they were, and what would happen to them if they did. But that didn't make it any less annoying.

Malice seethed. He should have been out on the sea, with the wind in his face and ships at his command. He should have been bringing in more loot, getting himself noticed.

But he couldn't. Kaido had called a halt to the raids, and ordered all warships to be repaired and restocked. More weapons and supplies were being brought in from Wano; cannon, shells, muskets, bullets, gunpowder, even timber and parts. All that, on top of the festival preparations. His fellow Flying Six had been run ragged, with Queen and Jack breathing down their necks all the while.

And King, of all people, had been sent out on a special mission. A mission that had the lower ranks abuzz with gossip. King the Wildfire, the longest-serving of the three All-Stars, and many reckoned the strongest. Malice had never seen his face, let alone knew where he came from, or what he was truly capable of. But according to rumour – whispered or drunkenly blathered – Kaido had found him in a World Government laboratory.

Regardless, for him to be sent out at a time like this, it had to be something important. And the gossips were all whispering the same thing.

Devil Fruit.

The thought of it made him shiver. Devil Fruit, the mysterious fruits found all around the world. One single bite granted a wondrous power, some commonplace and some terrifying, but each one unique. Some merely altered the consumer's body, while others let them transform into animals or mythical creatures; and a rare few allowed control of an element. The price in every case was the same. Those who ate a Devil Fruit would never again be able to swim. No one knew how or why, it was what it was.

Devil Fruit. Was it possible?

A flicker of movement drew him from his thoughts. He looked along the line, half-expected to see someone struggling, or something about to fall. But there was nothing to see. The line was moving along, just as it was supposed to.

No, the movement was on the other side of the wide corridor. Malice looked, and saw a pirate hurrying along, eyes straight ahead, seemingly heedless of what was going on around him.

Malice regarded him for a moment. It was a young man, not much more than a boy, with curly green hair and a round, soft-looking face. Not the sort of person he would have expected to see in the horns and cape of the Beast Pirates. Even as the youth drew closer, and Malice saw hard muscle and scars, he seemed very young.

Were the Beast Pirates letting children join now? Ulti and Page One May have joined as children but they have been the exceptions and more than proven themselves, despite Ulti's boorish personality and Page One being her doormat.

A clatter brought his head snapping round. Two pirates carrying a box had stumbled, the sake bottles within it clattering around inside. Fortunately none of them had been damaged.

"Careful with that!" he snapped, looming over the luckless pair. "That sake is for Lord Kaido and the All-Stars! For every bottle broken, a broken bone! Understand!?"

"Yes Lord Malice!" babbled the pair. "Sorry Lord Malice!"

"Get on with you!"

Malice glared after the pair as they hurried away, their fellows scurrying along behind them, heads down, not daring to meet his gaze.

It felt good to be so feared. It felt good to have such power.

Then he remembered. He looked round, but there was no sign of the green-haired youth from a moment ago.

Malice's lip curled. He was annoyed, and he wasn't quite sure why. He hadn't seen that boy before, but it wasn't like he actually recognised any of the pirates. There were too many of them for that. It wasn't even particularly suspicious that he was there; there were plenty of other pirates running around running any number of errands. To have stopped him, even just to ask him, was more trouble than it was worth.

He knew why. It was because of her. Yamato.

He glowered at the scurrying pirates, venting a little of his frustration. It had been days since he had seen Yamato making off with that tuna, and still he didn't know what she was up to. Still she was hiding in her room, only coming out to meditate on the beach or to get more food; and always it was enough food for two.

And still she hadn't challenged her father!

His fellow Flying Six had been of no help. None of them took him seriously; at least not over this. They all thought she was just taking her time getting ready for her next bout with Kaido.
Malice supposed that was the most likely explanation. But what if it wasn't? What if something else was going on? Did she have someone in her room after all? If so, who or what was it?

He shook his head, and glanced down the corridor. He could see the end of the line, moving slowly towards him. His task was just about complete. Once everything was stowed, and the pirates were dismissed, he could do a little snooping.

Except he couldn't. He would have to go and find Queen and Jack, the other two All-Stars, and see if they needed anything done. With Onigashima in chaos as it was, slacking off would not look good. The last thing he wanted was any of the All-Stars after his blood.

Especially if he was to take one of their places sometime soon.

So he waited, forcing himself not to tap his foot, until the last of the boxes had been lugged along the corridor, and the last empty-handed pirate had scuttled past him. He sighed, then strode down the corridor, and down the stairs. He knew where Queen would be.

His journey took him out of the castle, and onto what the island's inhabitants called the Live Floor. The floor itself was on the Skull Dome's ground level, and was in effect a town in its own right. The buildings were in the Wano style, with white walls buttressed in oak, and wide pagoda roofs. The street itself was paved in wooden planks, and soribashi bridges led away to other streets. It was mostly deserted, but for lines of pirates scurrying back and forth with their heavy loads. During the Fire Festival it would be swarming with pirates; some enjoying themselves out in the streets, others inside the buildings, and the private rooms within.

And upon the balcony where he stood, he would perform; for the adoring crowds below.

Malice looked around. It did not take him long to find the one he was looking for.

"Keep those crates moving! Drop one and you won't be around to complain!"

Malice steeled himself, then headed for the nearest stairs. By the time he reached floor level, he was still there.

"Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom…ohhhhhhh…"

Queen the Plague turned slowly to face him; his obese form creaking as he moved. He loomed over Malice like the living nightmare he was, his tiny eyes staring out from the flesh of his swollen head, sitting atop rolls of fat that had long since taken the place of his neck; if he ever had one.

It was all Malice could do not to shudder. In a world full of bizarre things, just looking at Queen made his stomach churn. That enormous figure, its bulk partly concealed by black and white striped overalls, the scarred torso heavy with muscle, the legs tiny, almost stick-like. One arm was mechanical, a memento of a battle Malice had never seen, and the other was long and fat, reaching down to his tiny legs. Upon its fleshy should was emblazoned a Jolly Roger in black, with the word QUEEN emblazoned under it; in case there was any doubt as to who it belonged to.

"Ohhhh…" cooed the thick, purple-painted lips, between which a smouldering cigar was perched. "It's Spytand Malice…come with spite and malice aforethought. What's up with a malicious marine? You come to challenge me?"

The painted lips split into a smirk, followed by a shriek of laughter; the fat wobbling, the blonde top-knot and moustaches bouncing as Queen guffawed at his own joke. Around them, the pirates continued with their lugging, not daring to look.

"The upper kitchen supplies are stowed, Lord Queen," replied Malice, with all the dignity and respect he could muster. "The upper kitchens have everything they need."

"Do they now?" Queen leered down at him, making him want to run and hide. "I sure do hope so, Mister Spiteful Malice. You know how Kaido likes his sake."

Malice knew better than to correct the mispronunciation of his name. Survive long enough in the upper ranks of the Marines, and you had a fighting chance of surviving on Onigashima.

"And you know, Mister Spiteful Malicious, how I like my oshiruko," declared Queen. "Methinks they'd better not run out on the night, or tonight, or in the next hour. 'Cause we all know whose fault it'll be."

"I saw it all go in, Lord Queen," Malice replied. "And I saw it all stowed. The cooks know how you like it."

And they did. Just as they knew what would happen to them if Queen had to go without his favourite food for more than ten minutes.

"Funny, 'cause you're the one fulla beans these days!" quipped Queen with a laugh. "Sneaking around the place, stalking Yamato. What's wrong, Spiteful Malicious? You taken a shine to Princess Oden?"

He struck a pose, bringing his mechanical hand to his ear to 'listen'. The pirates paused, for what felt like forever, and then started laughing. Malice knew it was as forced as it sounded, but it still made him want to kill something.

"Lord Queen, she's acting strangely!" he insisted. "She keeps taking food for two people, but she never leaves her room! And she hasn't challenged Lord Kaido in days!"

"Oh, now that is just so strange, and so suspicious!" drawled Queen. "Maybe somebody ought to do something about it?"

He paused. The air around them was icy cold. Malice knew what was coming.

"Bzzzt! Wrong! Get outta here Spiteful Malicious the princess stalker! You're as bad as King!" roared Queen, amid the cheers of the pirates. "Why don't you try talking to her! If you think you'll survive!"

Malice turned on his heel and stormed away, teeth gritted, ignoring the hoots of laughter, and Queen joining them.

"Marines! Ever the dickless stiffs ey boys!" He mocked with his fellows as he laughed. "Now get back to work!" The obese giant then barked, humming off as Malice marched away, his teeth sharpening into canines, his gripped hands feeling the claws forming at his fingertips.

…

He would kill that one. Yes, for sure. King was someone he respected. Sure, Jack was weaker, but he would not enjoy killing any of them like he would enjoy killing Queen the Plague.

When the time was right.

And once he had figured out what on earth Yamato was up to.

So we see more of Malice, and some of Izuku adventuring around!

Next stop up, will be Izuku's foray into the Fire Festival, and that one will be big and fun to write.