With Ope Ope no Mi in Marvel (Resident Evil, Marvel, Harry Potter)

Hydra's growth into such a formidable organization was largely due to the expertise of its leaders. Both Baron Strucker and Whitehall sought to create superhumans, known as Inhumans, but they took different approaches.

Whitehall had developed an Ion Generator in his early years, well before the Gravity Worm was discovered. Initially, it was a mere whim, but after numerous failed experiments, he abandoned the project.

"Who are you?" Ian Quinn, recently rescued from the Icebox, looked at Daniel Davis with suspicion. Daniel, dressed in special forces gear, had his face obscured.

"Who I am is not important. What matters is where you found the Gravity Worm," Daniel asked.

"Do you think I'd tell you?" Ian felt a bit relieved upon hearing Daniel's question, realizing that his life was valuable. His biggest fear was being killed without a chance to explain.

"I'm just asking as a formality. Whether you tell me or not doesn't really matter," Daniel said, grabbing Ian's head to read his memories using Legilimency, a technique from the Harry Potter world.

Ian was a billionaire, but his resolve was not particularly strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his fortune to follow Garrett.

"Hmph, just a second-generation rich kid. No wonder he was so easily fooled," Daniel thought, learning that Ian's wealth came from inheritance. While Ian had a good education, as was typical for someone of his status, he wasn't as talented as Tony Stark.

The Gravity Worm wasn't discovered by Ian but by Dr. Franklin Hall, who was collaborating with Ian on a project when they stumbled upon it.

Their collaboration was mostly Ian funding the project while Dr. Hall did the work. Dr. Hall recognized the dangers of the Gravity Worm and decided to seal the element and leak the information to get himself arrested.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop the project, as Ian saw the potential for profit, despite Dr. Hall's warnings about its side effects.

For capitalists like Ian, profit came first, and other considerations could wait.

The Gravity Worm is essentially the source of Earth's gravity. Excessive extraction could cause Earth's crust to collapse. Such elements are typically found in planetary cores and are hard to locate or extract.

Dr. Hall likely never imagined that by leaking the information to SHIELD, Hydra would continue the research, given their different priorities.

"You could have enjoyed a wealthy life, but it's too late for regrets now." Ian, much like Stark, enjoyed all the luxuries money could buy. But unlike Stark, Ian was easily swayed by the allure of the unknown, which Garrett exploited.

Realizing Garrett's true nature, Ian regretted his choices, but by then, it was too late. SHIELD wouldn't spare him.

"Goodbye." After extracting the information he needed from Ian's memories, Daniel shot him. Despite Ian being merely a pawn, Daniel felt no sympathy for him. Ian, a disgraced second-generation rich kid, paled in comparison to Stark.

"I wonder if Malick will show up. If he does, Hydra's leadership could be wiped out in one go."

Hydra had long been dominated by Malick's faction, known for their cunning. They always stayed behind the scenes, collecting the spoils while using other Hydra branches to grow their power.

Malick's family profited from every major conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the World Wars. If Hydra's other leaders were eliminated, Malick's family was responsible for Hydra's rebirth.

"You were too slow," Alexander Pierce, who had been rescued by Hydra's strike team, scolded Whitehall angrily in a luxurious villa atop a mountain.

Years of painstaking infiltration had crumbled in an instant, just when they were close to controlling the world. The frustration made Pierce nearly spit blood.

"Don't be so upset. We can start over. Fury might have guts, but he doesn't know Hydra's true strength," Whitehall said, motioning for an attendant to pour Pierce a glass of wine. "This is a rare vintage."

"Pierce, your actions cost us dearly," an elderly man accompanied by a young man in a black suit entered the room.

"Mr. Malick." Seeing the newcomers, both Pierce and Whitehall stood up.

"A lot of people are looking for you. Stay here for now and rebuild when things settle," Malick said, indicating they should sit while he took a seat behind the desk.

Hydra, despite its name, no longer had nine leaders. The original nine families had dwindled over time, and internal power struggles were inevitable. The most powerful faction always led, like when Red Skull was in charge.

Red Skull's downfall was partly due to Hydra's internal divisions, especially Malick's faction. If Hydra had fully supported Red Skull, the war's outcome might have been different. A Red Skull victory would have been a disaster for other Hydra branches, particularly Malick's.

Malick's family played a pivotal role in erasing Erskine, who created Captain America. The assassin was from Hydra but not under Red Skull's orders. The timing of Erskine's assassination, post-Captain America's creation, was strategic to undermine Red Skull while preventing the Allies from creating more super-soldiers.

Even the Insight Project was sabotaged by Malick's family, much like their sabotage of Red Skull. Had Hydra fully supported Pierce, the Insight Project might have succeeded, especially without Daniel's interference.

Hydra's deep infiltration into government and military meant they could mobilize considerable force for Pierce.

For Malick, Hydra ruling the world was fine, but only if his faction led, not any other.

"I understand," Pierce muttered, his attitude a stark contrast to his previous confidence. Before his fall, Pierce was the strongest Hydra leader, speaking with authority. Now, facing Malick, he was subdued.

Pierce viewed Malick's family as regressive, focused solely on reviving an ancient being, Hive. He saw this reliance on an external savior as ludicrous, believing power should be seized, not granted.

Whitehall and others shared Pierce's disdain for Malick's family. If they gained power, Malick's family would be the first purged.

However, in their current weakened state, they had no choice but to comply with Malick's directives.

"So lively here," Daniel suddenly appeared, stepping through a golden portal into the study.

He had held off attacking Hydra to lure out Malick, fearing he might go into hiding like Muzan from "Demon Slayer." Modern technology made it challenging to locate a well-hidden wealthy individual.

Daniel's sudden appearance shocked Malick's bodyguard, who quickly drew his gun, only to be knocked out by Daniel before he could fire. Malick's bodyguard, Giyera, was an Inhuman with telekinetic abilities. Though not exceptionally powerful, Daniel found him interesting and spared him for study.

"It's you," Malick, Whitehall, and Pierce finally reacted, stunned that someone had found them in such a secretive location outside the USA.

"Of course it's me, Mr. Pierce. It seems you didn't heed my warning. You're a wanted man."

Daniel's words made Pierce's face turn grim.

Malick, seeing his bodyguard incapacitated, discreetly activated an alarm on his person, knowing his villa was well-guarded.

"You're trying to call your guards? There's no need for that," Daniel said, smiling at Malick. His Observation Haki made it impossible for Malick's actions to go unnoticed.

"Sorcerer, I didn't expect you to find this place. What do you want?" Malick asked after a moment, realizing the situation was dire. As a former World Security Council member and a top Hydra leader, Malick was well aware of Daniel's true identity.

"What do I want? You can't give me what I desire. With Hydra's leaders gathered here, killing you all would ensure Hydra can't rise again."

"There's no issue that can't be negotiated. If you know about us, you must know our resources."

Malick was referring to money. With enough money, even Hydra could do business openly, as evidenced by Pym Technologies trying to sell the Ant-Man suit to Hydra after SHIELD's dissolution. Even the US President couldn't openly pursue Malick, relying instead on agents like Coulson.

"A group fixated on reviving an alien slave, talking about resources? That's laughable."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple," Daniel said, opening a golden portal and gesturing for the three to enter.

Seeing no other option, Malick, Whitehall, and Pierce stepped through the portal.

"Where is this?" They found themselves in a barren wasteland, sand blowing in the wind.

"This is an alien planet, where your leader, Hive, was exiled. The planet was destroyed by his actions. I came here and killed him, so now it's mine."

"What did you say?" Malick was incredulous, unable to believe that after sending countless people to this planet, including his brother, Daniel was now telling him Hive was dead, making Hydra's millennium of efforts seem like a joke.

"Don't believe me? Didn't Hydra record Hive's origins? Your bodyguard is an Inhuman. Hive was just a Kree bio-experiment, an Inhuman slave. And you made him your supreme leader."

Daniel explained the origins of Inhumans, Hive, and the Kree, watching Malick's disbelief with satisfaction.

"How absurd," Pierce laughed, no longer needing to cater to Malick's whims in this desolate place.

"Actually, the Kree left a contingency among the Inhumans. If Hive returns to Earth, a specific Inhuman will emerge to kill him," Daniel continued, mixing truth with deception.

"Now that you've seen this place, it's time to end this." Daniel had never intended to recruit Hydra.

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