Frank Castle, better known as The Punisher, is the embodiment of the classic Western tough guy.
His trademark appearance is unmistakable: a rugged face with sharp features, a neatly trimmed beard, and a black tactical suit emblazoned with a large white skull across the chest.
Before becoming the Punisher, Frank served in the United States Marine Corps.
Thanks to his exceptional combat abilities and outstanding service record, he earned numerous military honors and was regarded as a model soldier.
However, after retiring from the military, tragedy struck.
While enjoying a picnic in the park with his wife and children, they accidentally witnessed a gang carrying out a criminal transaction.
To silence any witnesses, the gang attempted to kill them all.
Frank survived only because of his extraordinary combat instincts and military training.
His wife and children weren’t so fortunate.
Driven by grief, Frank gathered evidence and tracked down everyone responsible for murdering his family.
But when he finally brought them before the law, the criminals exploited legal loopholes, bribed officials, and manipulated the justice system until they walked free.
That day, Frank Castle lost all faith in the law.
Consumed by hatred for a corrupt system that protected criminals instead of innocent people, he chose to deliver justice with his own hands.
Thus, The Punisher was born.
But what exactly is an anti-hero?
Heroes are often portrayed as handsome, powerful, morally upright individuals who always do the right thing.
They represent hope, justice, and society’s ideal image of goodness.
Anti-heroes are different.
They strip away the glamorous image of heroism and expose the cruel, bloody reality hidden beneath it.
They are flawed.
Some have questionable morals.
Others carry ugly scars, tragic pasts, or miserable lives.
Yet despite all their imperfections, they aren’t evil.
They simply follow a different code.
Their own justice.
Their own principles.
They are heroes made of flesh and blood—far more human than the flawless ideals people worship.
And Frank Castle…
He was one of the finest examples of an anti-hero.
He believed in justice through violence.
Blood for blood.
A tooth for a tooth.
Mercy was something he never showed to criminals.
To be honest, Lorde preferred people like Frank.
Compared to superheroes who constantly preached forgiveness and morality, anti-heroes felt far more genuine.
Of course, whether someone was a hero or an anti-hero didn’t really matter to Lorde.
He was simply a shopkeeper.
After stopping Frank’s bleeding with Kaidō, Lorde managed to stabilize his condition just enough to keep him alive.
Then he grabbed Frank by one arm and dragged him back into the shop like a sack of potatoes.
Frank, naturally, didn’t complain.
That was…
Mainly because he was unconscious.
In fact, Frank was practically a regular customer.
To some extent, he could even be considered one of the shop’s biggest financial supporters.
Without Frank’s generous spending over the years, there was no way Lorde could have afforded such a respectable storefront in the expensive borough of Queens.
Because of that, if it had been anyone else lying outside, Lorde would have happily let them die on the sidewalk.
Frank was the exception.
“…Whoa.”
As Lorde lifted Frank’s torn shirt, he couldn’t help frowning.
There were bullet wounds scattered across his abdomen and shoulders.
His left leg had been ripped clean off at the hip, leaving only shredded muscle and torn flesh behind.
The bones in his right arm had snapped in multiple places, protruding unnaturally beneath the skin.
After examining the injuries, Lorde couldn’t help muttering,
“Uncle Frank’s life force is absolutely insane…”
Anyone else would have died several times over from blood loss and shock alone.
The only reason Frank was still breathing was partly because of his monstrous physique and iron will…
…and partly because of one of Lorde’s products.
Although the Jingling Pavilion specialized in treating injuries, Lorde occasionally sold miscellaneous items obtained from the System—things that were practically useless to him.
One of those “useless” items was currently keeping Frank alive.
A Healing Amulet created by the Fourth Division.
By infusing it with Spiritual Power, the amulet continuously cast Kaidō, providing long-term healing for its wearer.
It had saved Frank’s life…
But only barely.
“Tsk…”
Lorde clicked his tongue as he examined the wounds.
“These injuries…”
“He’s practically beyond saving.”
At this point, ordinary healing methods were completely useless.
There were only two ways left to save Frank.
Either a Fourth Division Lieutenant skilled in advanced Kaidō appeared immediately…
Or Lorde somehow obtained Minazuki, the legendary Zanpakutō.
Unfortunately…
He had neither.
Kaidō belonged to the Kidō arts, but unlike Hadō and Bakudō, which were designed for combat, Kaidō specialized entirely in healing.
Lorde had never devoted much time to studying it, so his proficiency was only at the beginner level.
As for Minazuki…
That was even less likely.
He had just spent all of his Souls on a ten-pull.
There wasn’t a chance he’d be summoning again anytime soon.
Lorde turned toward Nemu.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
The little girl had another idea.
“Nemu.”
He gently rubbed her head.
“Can you think of any way to save him?”
She bit her finger thoughtfully before shaking her head.
“Not unless someone can use high-level Kaidō.”
After a brief pause, she added,
“Or…
if we had a laboratory, I might be able to save him through modification.”
A laboratory…
As in Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s Research and Development Institute?
That idea was somehow even less realistic than obtaining Minazuki.
He was completely broke.
Where was he supposed to find a laboratory?
Lorde sighed helplessly.
“Well…”
“It’s not that I don’t want to save you.”
“I just don’t have the ability.”
It seemed…
Frank Castle’s story truly ended here.
“Brother…”
Nemu gently tugged on Lorde’s sleeve.
Looking up at him with innocent eyes, she asked, This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Do you really want to save him?”
“Yeah.”
Lorde nodded with a sigh.
“But we can’t.”
“That’s not true.”
Nemu suddenly giggled.
“Brother is being silly.”
She smiled brightly.
“Isn’t there still one more way?”
Lorde blinked.
“Another way?”
“Of course.”
“What is it?”
Nemu puffed out her chest proudly.
“Brother…”
“Have you forgotten what you are?”
Lorde froze.
“…A God of Death?”
“Exactly!”
Nemu nodded happily.
“A God of Death governs souls and death itself.”
“The death of the physical body isn’t true death.”
Lorde’s eyes widened.
That’s right!
How had he overlooked something so obvious?
Overjoyed, he picked Nemu up and kissed her on the forehead.
“Hahaha!”
“Nemu, you’re a genius!”
She was absolutely right.
There was still one way to save Frank.
He could turn him into a Soul Reaper.
Not only would Frank survive, but Lorde would also gain a powerful subordinate.
Two birds.
One stone.
As for the possibility of Frank betraying him after becoming a Soul Reaper…
Lorde wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Would the strong ever fear the weak?
Of course not.
The Espada were arrogant monsters who looked down on every Soul Reaper.
Yet every one of them obeyed Aizen.
Why?
Because the gap in power was so overwhelming that resistance was meaningless.
As long as Lorde remained stronger than Frank…
Everything else would fall into place.
With the System as his greatest advantage, if he couldn’t even maintain that much confidence, then he might as well give up now.
After all…
One day he intended to stand against Death itself.
And even Mephisto.
Thinking about it…
Lorde couldn’t help smiling.
He genuinely looked forward to seeing what kind of Soul Reaper The Punisher would become…
And what kind of changes Frank Castle would bring to this chaotic world.