'System, open the panel.'
Inside Frieza Tower, in the CEO's office that had just been renovated to be ten times more luxurious than the White House.
Frieza leaned lazily back in his executive chair, looking at the panel that only he could see.
[Fear Points: 251.2 billion / 10 trillion (0 growth)]
"Tch..."
Frieza curled his lip in distaste.
The red wine he was swirling in his hand no longer seemed appealing.
"The growth has hit zero?"
The Fear Points, which had previously scrolled across the screen like a waterfall, now wasn't even making a ripple.
What did this signify?
It meant that the seven billion people worldwide had completely accepted the fact that they were being ruled by him, the Emperor of the Universe.
Without the thought of resistance, there was no longer the fear of an unknown fate.
All that remained was numb obedience.
"Boring." Frieza sighed.
He casually tossed the priceless Mind Stone onto the desk as if it were a glass marble. It made a crisp "clack."
"However, I won't insist on tormenting my property for profit."
Since Earth had become his private property, there was no need to cause destruction every day. After all, damaging things cost money to repair, and that didn't align with a real estate developer's principle of maximizing profits.
"Maria!"
Frieza called out toward the door.
"Master, I'm here."
Maria pushed the door open and entered. She was still wearing her combat uniform. Although her face was still pale, her eyes had become vacant and submissive.
The former Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was now merely a high-level secretary on call.
"Send out a notice. Tell the Ginyu Force, who are still celebrating outside, to tone it down."
Frieza pointed to the smoking ruins outside the window, frowning slightly.
"The city is too dirty, it affects the aesthetic."
"Have Erik handle the infrastructure, Juggernaut move the bricks, and that Lizard Doctor unclog the sewers."
"Within three days, I want to see a brand new, orderly New York City..."
"Wait, no. This is my headquarters now. Notify everyone that from now on, this place will be called Frieza City, the capital of Planet 001."
"Also, if they fail to do it..."
A red light flashed in Frieza's eyes.
"I will embed them in cement and use them to build walls."
"Yes, Master." Maria trembled, quickly acknowledged the order, and withdrew.
Once the office quieted down, Frieza stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror.
In the mirror was a short figure, pure white, with purple crystals on its head and streamlined muscles across its body.
That's right, a short figure.
Although the Final Form was ridiculously strong, boasting a power level of 120 million, its height was only about 1.6 meters.
This was quite embarrassing.
Although his aura was terrifying, if he stood next to those American soldiers who were over 1.8 meters, he would have to look up to speak.
Where would the Emperor of the Universe put his dignity then?
"Damn this design." Frieza cursed.
Cancel transformation!
Vwoom—!
A flash of light passed.
The diminutive Emperor of the Universe disappeared.
In his place stood a handsome young noble, 1.85 meters tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a white suit.
"Hoo... that's much more comfortable."
Frieza adjusted his tie, looked at his handsome reflection in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Although my power level is suppressed back to 530,000, that's more than enough to crush the weaklings here on Planet 001, which is still just a beginner village like the Nine Realms."
"As for the height issue..."
Frieza stroked his chin, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Once I collect all six Infinity Stones, the first thing I'll wish for is to grow five centimeters taller... no, thirty centimeters."
"Now that is a goal worthy of an Overlord of the Universe. Oh ho ho ho..."
Just as Frieza was immersed in his pleasant fantasy about his future height—
Knock... Knock...
A rapid knocking sound rang out.
"Enter."
The door opened, and Natasha walked in.
The former Black Widow was holding a tablet computer, her expression grim.
"Master, we have a problem."
"A problem?"
Frieza sat back down, poured another glass of red wine, and looked completely unconcerned.
"The Avengers are all dead, and that bald sorcerer is gone. What kind of problem could there possibly be?"
"Did that purple potato (Thanos) show up early?"
"No, it's not an alien."
Natasha pulled up several satellite images and projected them into mid-air.
They were global ocean monitoring data. The formerly blue oceans were now incredibly violent, and countless massive red dots were flashing wildly along the coastal areas.
"It's a tsunami."
Natasha's voice was dry.
"Because... because you destroyed the moon earlier."
"Earth lost the moon's gravitational pull, and the tidal system has completely collapsed. Now, super tsunamis are forming globally."
Natasha pointed to the models of the colossal waves, hundreds of meters high, a trace of fear flashing in her eyes.
"It is estimated that in three hours, the first wave of massive tsunamis will strike coastal cities like Frieza City, Busan, and Mumbai."
"By then, more than half of the world's coastal regions will be submerged."
"Including your... Frieza Tower."
"Pfft—"
Frieza immediately spat out the red wine he had just taken a sip of.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
He shot up, staring at the tsunami prediction map, his eye twitching wildly.
Carelessness!
That was hasty!
No moon, tidal forces unbalanced—this is the rhythm of a massive flood.
"These damned laws of physics!"
Frieza slammed his hand onto the table, and the expensive solid wood desk instantly disintegrated into dust.
"My sea-view apartments! My private beaches! And all those CBD buildings I just acquired!"
"If all of this gets soaked, won't I, the Emperor of the Universe, just become a seafood magnate?!"
"Master... what should we do?" Natasha asked cautiously.
"Should we organize an evacuation?"
"Evacuation? Evacuate where? To Mars to grow potatoes?" Frieza glared at her irritably.
"That is the choice of the weak."
He paced back and forth in the office, his brain working at full speed.
Evaporate all the water? No, Earth would turn into a sauna, and everyone would be cooked.
Push the tsunami back? That's treating the symptom, not the cause. Without the moon's gravity, the waves would eventually return.
To solve the problem completely, he had to address the root cause.
"So, it needs a moon, huh..."
Frieza stopped pacing and looked toward the sky outside the window.
"Then why not just find it a new one?"
"Find one?" Natasha was stunned.
"Where would we find one?"
"The solar system is huge. Are we really short on some rocks?"
A confident smile appeared on Frieza's lips—the look of a capitalist eyeing undeveloped land.
"I recall Jupiter is a big shot, with plenty of subordinates—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and so on. Couldn't we just grab one of those and make do?"
"Gr-grab one?"
Natasha felt her brain struggling to process this.
Was he talking about borrowing a scallion from a neighbor?
That was a moon! That was a celestial body!
Yet, looking at the man who could crush the moon, she realized it might not be impossible after all.
"But still..."
Frieza rubbed his chin, looking slightly troubled.
"Although my power is unmatched, my knowledge of astrophysics is perhaps a bit rusty."
"If I grab one that's too big, it might smash Earth, which would be bad. If I grab one that's too small, it won't be able to suppress the waves."
This kind of delicate work required a professional.
A professional?
An image instantly surfaced in Frieza's mind.
The man whose body could stretch like noodles, known as the smartest brain on Marvel Earth.
"It seems I need to go meet our new employee."
Frieza straightened his suit and picked up the Space Stone from the table.
"Natasha, keep an eye on things. Don't let the floodwaters overwhelm us."
"I'll be back shortly."
Vwoom!
A spatial portal opened.
Frieza stepped through and vanished from the office.