Chapter 256: Allen Encounters a Fellow Earthling
"Purple Potato Freak, don't go!"
In the middle of a crowded square, Allen clung to Thanos' leg, sprawled flat on the ground while being dragged along. He babbled shamelessly, "Please, you must join the Guardians of the Galaxy! Let's conquer the stars and seas together!"
And who is Thanos?
Naturally, the future Mad Titan himself.
Right now, Thanos was still in his youth—likely having been exiled from Titan and wandering by chance into Knowhere.
Following Yondu's suggestion, he was recruiting freelance bounty hunters near a tavern.
Unfortunately, Thanos had the bad luck of catching Allen's eye.
"Find someone else. I'm not interested," Thanos said, clearly annoyed.
"Don't be like that! Wouldn't it be fun if we hung out?"
Allen pressed his face against Thanos' boot, tempting him in that same shameless tone, "Purple Potato Freak, how about I help you find the Infinity Stones, and we carry out a little population control together?"
Thanos halted mid-step, eyes blazing with fury. "If you want to recruit me, you'll have to defeat me first."
"Damn! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Allen instantly dropped his pathetic act, sprang up, and assumed a martial arts stance, declaring solemnly, "Wing Chun—Ip Man style."
"…"
Thanos raised his fist and barked, "Get lost."
Boom!
Fist met fist.
Crack…
Aargh!!!
Big fist versus small fist. After a single clash, Thanos clutched his own hand in pain.
"Let me introduce myself," Allen said, eyebrows raised in pride. "The most flamboyant man in the galaxy—me, Captain Allen of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Welcome to the team."
Thanos hadn't yet matured into the bulkier, middle-aged version we know. His frame was still tall and lean, and though "handsome" wouldn't be the word, his purple skin definitely stood out.
Of course, no other Eternal on Titan had purple skin. It was clear he was a genetic anomaly—likely the result of some irregular hybridization.
So he grew up marginalized, ostracized by his own people, which shaped his withdrawn personality. He preferred solitude and research.
And when he proposed that Titan's resources were running out and needed to be redistributed rationally to stave off crisis—
That struck a nerve with the ruling class, and he was summarily exiled.
"You want me to join, fine. But don't call me Purple Potato Freak," Thanos said, standing up and cradling his right hand with all seriousness. "Call me Thanos."
"Got it. Mad Titan."
"…"
At that moment, Yondu walked over with a massive man by his side.
Thanos stood at least two meters tall, but this guy was easily 2.3 meters. His grayish skin stretched tight over hulking muscles.
"Boss, Uxas is looking to join a crew. I think he's pretty solid, so I brought him over to introduce," Yondu said, gesturing toward the giant.
Allen's eyes went wide in disbelief, his nostrils even flaring.
Uxas—the future ruler of Apokolips, better known as the infamous villain Darkseid.
The reason Allen was pestering Thanos so persistently was because Hela had once casually dropped a hint about him.
But Darkseid? He hadn't even considered that possibility.
"Captain, I'm a bounty hunter from a remote star system. I just want to earn enough energy credits to buy a large water purifier for my homeworld," Uxas said sincerely.
Come on, Uncle Dark—drop the act.
People on Apokolips don't drink water.
"Welcome aboard. Let me introduce my newest recruit, the Purple Potato Freak—Thanos," Allen said, without missing a beat.
There was no way he was going to expose him to his face. That would ruin the fun.
As for how Darkseid ended up here? There had to be a story. Probably some melodramatic exile after losing a power struggle. Classic stuff.
Thanos and Darkseid locked eyes—kindred spirits recognizing each other.
No words were exchanged, but the atmosphere was charged.
"Hisss… I think I'm witnessing two cosmic titans clashing across time and space," Allen muttered to himself, imagining Thanos wearing the Infinity Gauntlet and Darkseid wielding the Omega Effect as they shook hands in a silent truce.
"Nice to meet you, Thanos."
"Nice to meet you, Uxas."
And with that, the two of them smiled faintly and officially joined Allen's team.
Only now did Allen begin to understand the true strength of the teammates Hela had hinted at.
If peak-form Thanos and Darkseid joined forces to invade Asgard, not even the All-Father Odin would dare withhold Allen.
Rolling up his sleeves, Allen glanced at his non-existent watch and suggested, "Let's go have a drink to celebrate the two-hour anniversary of the Guardians of the Galaxy."
The captain had spoken—of course, everyone agreed.
Once inside the tavern, the place reeked of alcohol and smoke. The foul air was thick with tension, and numerous bounty hunters eyed the group warily, hands twitching near a cleaver-like weapon on a nearby table.
But upon seeing the sheer size of Thanos and Uxas, they quickly averted their eyes, choosing not to provoke them.
Knowhere did have rules—fighting was allowed, but no weapons. That would break the Collector's laws.
Allen's eyes scanned the crowd, clearly looking for someone.
At the entrance of the bar was a Harley-Davidson motorcycle—an oddity that piqued his interest.
Six hundred years ago, Earth was still in ancient times—long before the First Industrial Revolution. How the hell did a Harley get here?
Eventually, Allen's gaze locked on a bearded, scruffy man sitting alone in a corner booth.
Frank?!
The man wore a black T-shirt with a white skull emblazoned on the chest. There was no mistaking it—that was the mark of the Punisher, a mortal who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with gods.
But what was the Punisher doing here?
The timeline didn't make sense.
Allen wracked his brain—and suddenly realized with a jolt that in the future timeline, there was no sign of Frank Castle at all.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked.
"Suit yourself."
Frank lifted his eyes briefly, drained his glass, and moved as if to leave.
"Frank Castle?" Allen asked, testing him.
The Punisher froze mid-reach for his jacket. His eyes turned cold and guarded as he replied, "I'm on vacation. I'm not accepting bounty contracts."
"Come on, I'm from Earth too," Allen said bluntly. "That skull on your chest is the Punisher's symbol, and that Harley outside is obviously yours."
Frank gave a slight shake of the head. "You've got the wrong guy. They call me the Cosmic Ghost Rider."
"…"
Now it was Allen's turn to be dumbfounded.
Come to think of it, the Punisher didn't really ride motorcycles.
Apparently, the identities of Punisher and Ghost Rider had merged.
Thinking back, there was no real Ghost Rider in the original timeline either.
"You're from the multiverse, aren't you?" Allen asked cautiously.
For a split second, a flash of killing intent flickered in Frank's eyes.
Allen had nailed it. Frank really was from another universe—one that was destroyed, and he had barely escaped, living a wandering, interstellar life ever since.
"No need to be so tense," Allen said casually. "In this world, there's not just a multiverse—there are multidimensional realms too. Nothing worth bragging about."
After all, Allen had seen enough to be unfazed by someone's origins. He was just focused on recruiting Frank to the team.