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"Devil Fruits?"
Obadiah Stane's thick brows furrowed, his heavy features pulling into a scowl of pure disbelief. The name alone was ridiculous. 'Devil Fruits? What kind of marketing gimmick is that? Why drag fruits into the business of international arms deals and covert rescues? This is nonsense.'
"Sir," William, his most trusted aide, continued steadily, unfazed by his boss's expression. "According to my investigation, the real credit for Stark's rescue doesn't belong to that Strategic Homeland Division at all. It goes to Devil Fruit users."
He paused just long enough to let the words sink in before adding, "Pepper Potts hired a team of them. They eliminated Raza's men in one strike. The so-called Homeland Division only came in after the fact to collect what was left."
"…Is that so?"
Obadiah leaned back slowly in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight, fingers steepled before his mouth. The wheels in his mind began to turn with quiet intensity. If William's report was even half true, then these so-called Devil Fruit users were a factor he could no longer ignore. Which left a far more pressing question: 'Who were they? And what in hell is a Devil Fruit anyway?'
His eyes snapped to William. "Explain it. What exactly is this Devil Fruit?" The words came out low, hard, commanding.
"They're said to be fruits that grant powers to whoever eats them," William replied gravely, his tone the kind of serious that left no room for jokes. "Pepper Potts transferred over seven million dollars just days before the rescue. The timing lines up perfectly. I believe it was for a Devil Fruit."
Obadiah barked out a short, incredulous laugh.
"William, tell me you don't actually believe this. You're saying a person takes a bite of some exotic fruit, and what? Suddenly, they have superpowers? This is the real world, not a comic book."
He almost wanted to snap at the man, to tell him to stop wasting his time with fairy tales. If William weren't his most reliable aide, Obadiah might have thrown him out of the office on the spot. The idea was absurd, impossible, and even laughable.
And yet…
Pepper Potts had not only located Stark but also orchestrated a surgical extraction right under the nose of the Ten Rings. She had done what government agencies, military contractors, and even Stane himself had failed to do.
That was a fact Obadiah could not laugh off.
"You're certain it was her?" Obadiah's voice dropped to a darker register, every word laced with suspicion. "You're absolutely certain Pepper found where Tony was being held?"
"Yes, sir. Without a doubt." William didn't even blink as he answered. "Our intel confirms she tracked the location herself, hired those so-called 'Devil Fruit users,' and coordinated with the agency for backup. She even flew to Afghanistan in person and joined the operation."
Obadiah went very still, his gaze sliding past William to some distant point on the wall. 'Pepper…?'
A woman he had always written off as a glorified secretary, pleasant but ultimately irrelevant. Yet, somehow, she had become the pivot point for everything.
Under his breath, he murmured, "Pepper… just what game are you playing?"
That changed the board entirely. If Pepper Potts was more than she appeared, he needed to have a very different kind of conversation with her. And if he played it right, he might also get a measure of what Stark knew. Tony trusted her more than anyone else; if he had confided anything at all, it would be to her.
"I understand. You can go now," Obadiah said at last, flicking his hand in dismissal.
The door clicked shut. Alone, Stane wasted no time pulling out his phone and punching in her number. "Pepper? Are you free? We need to talk. It's about Tony."
Given Obadiah's status in the company, refusal wasn't an option. Within the hour, Pepper had cleared her schedule and was on her way to his office.
"Pepper," Obadiah greeted her warmly as she stepped inside, rising from behind his desk with practiced ease. His tone was honeyed, his smile paternal. "Tony is a lucky man to have you. Without your help, I honestly don't know if he'd still be alive."
"I was only doing my job as his assistant, Mr. Stane. You give me too much credit," Pepper replied politely, a faint smile on her lips.
"Don't be modest." He spread his hands, the picture of admiration. "Look at the chaos Stark left behind. Only you kept things from falling apart." After the small talk, the warmth in his voice faded. Obadiah leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes narrowing.
"Pepper, what I really want to know is this: what happened in that cave? Why is Tony so different now? Why shut down our core business overnight?" His voice hardened as he went on. "And why am I hearing you were part of the Afghanistan mission yourself? Pepper, what am I missing? Tell me everything."
Coming from a man of Obadiah's stature, the questions sounded natural, even expected. Pepper, trusting and composed, heard no malice in them. To her, they were simply reasonable concerns.
"Mr. Stane, I'm not entirely sure what Tony went through in that cave," she admitted softly. "He refuses to talk about it. Whatever it was, it must have been… something he'd rather never relive."
"I see…" Obadiah's brow lifted slightly as he studied her face, weighing every word. Then he pressed again.
"But why were you in Afghanistan ahead of the CIA and FBI? And why am I being told Tony was rescued by a group of mercenaries you assembled? Pepper, what's really going on? This is far beyond the duties of a personal assistant."
The disbelief in his tone was genuine, but Pepper, still unsuspecting, didn't hold back. She recounted the events plainly.
And throughout her story, one word surfaced again and again.
Devil Fruits.
Her story matched William's intelligence perfectly. She had, in fact, brought in a team of Devil Fruit users to rescue Tony. And more than that, Pepper herself was one of them.
Obadiah's expression never faltered, and his smile was as courteous as ever. But beneath that mask, his pulse thundered.
The ground beneath him had shifted.
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Next Chapter: A Deal Forged in Shadows
Next Next Chapter: We're the Best Superhero Duo!
Next Next Next Chapter: Another Hero Walks Through the Door
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