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"The fruits I sell here are… quite different from ordinary ones," Rosh explained calmly, his tone perfectly steady. "Each one carries its own unique value and its own unique price."
Colleen blinked, her brow furrowing slightly. "So… you sell your fruit individually?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief and maybe a trace of amusement.
It sounded ridiculous. Who in their right mind sold fruit by the piece? And these weren't even normal fruits. Some were enormous and misshapen, others curled into impossible patterns like something out of a surreal painting. None of them looked remotely edible.
'If he's not charging by weight, then how does he decide the price?' Colleen wondered. 'Does he just… make it up as he goes?'
Still, something about the man's composure stopped her from walking out. Curiosity, sharp as ever, got the better of her. Folding her arms, Colleen gave a resigned sigh. "Alright, Shopkeeper. Humor me. How much for one of these so-called 'Devil Fruits'?"
Part of her was genuinely intrigued, though she'd never admit it. Maybe this was some fancy marketing stunt, or a collector's item for eccentric billionaires. Either way, she could afford to play along. If it turned out to be nonsense, she'd at least get a funny story out of it to tell Danny later.
'Actually… considering how strange they looked, maybe buying one was the safest option.' Colleen said to herself as an afterthought.
Rosh smiled faintly, as if he'd been expecting her skepticism. "Before you decide, miss," he said smoothly, "why not take a look at our catalog first?" He turned and retrieved a thick, leather-bound volume from behind the counter, setting it before her like an artifact.
Colleen raised a brow and chuckled. "A catalog? For a fruit? You're really going all-in on this, huh?"
'It's just fruit,' she thought dryly. 'What's next, a PowerPoint presentation?' Still, she accepted the catalog out of politeness and flipped it open. Her amused smile faded almost instantly.
The pages were filled with intricate illustrations and detailed entries, each fruit paired with descriptions of bizarre abilities: transformation types, elemental control, supernatural enhancements. The level of detail was unsettling, far too convincing for a simple gimmick.
"…Shopkeeper," Colleen said finally, her tone slow and guarded, "Is this some kind of joke?"
Her patience was thinning, but beneath her disbelief was a flicker of unease. The names alone, Flame-Flame Fruit, Thunder-Thunder Fruit, Shining-Shining Fruit, sounded absurd.
'Was this guy for real?' Colleen thought, narrowing her eyes. 'Did I just walk into some eccentric's delusion?'
Rosh immediately caught that look, that familiar mix of disbelief and mild concern, and almost smiled. He'd seen it countless times before. Every first-timer reacted the same way.
And every time, he gave them the same answer.
"Let me show you," Rosh said quietly.
Before she could ask what he meant, a soft glow began to rise in his eyes, faint at first, like the shimmer of dawn. Then, in the next heartbeat, that glow exploded into blinding brilliance.
Colleen's breath hitched. 'His eyes… they're glowing.'
*Zzzzap!*
Twin beams of molten gold shot from his gaze, slicing clean through the air with a sound like tearing lightning.
*Thunk! Zhaapt!*
The beams hit the tree outside, punching two perfect, smoking holes straight through the trunk. The acrid scent of scorched wood drifted into the shop, curling through the warm air.
Colleen spun toward the window, disbelief written all over her face. The tree outside stood wounded, still steaming where the light had struck. For a moment, she could only stare. Her pulse hammered in her ears.
'Those beams… came from his eyes.'
When she finally turned back, Rosh stood exactly where he'd been, calm and unbothered as though shooting lasers from his face was an everyday occurrence.
"You...your eyes just..." She pointed, still trying to process what she'd seen. "Wait… are you...are you Superman or something?!"
Rosh's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "Do you still think this is a joke?"
Colleen opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her mind scrambled for logic, explanation, and anything that made sense. There wasn't one. What she'd seen was impossible… and yet, she couldn't deny it.
"How… how did you do that?" she finally asked, her voice trembling between awe and accusation.
"Just as it's written in the catalog," Rosh replied smoothly, as if explaining a basic rule of physics. "Devil Fruits grant their users supernatural powers. What you just saw was the ability of the Glint-Glint Fruit."
"Devil Fruits…" Colleen echoed, the words tasting foreign on her tongue.
It still sounded ridiculous, but she couldn't deny the evidence in front of her eyes, the lingering heat in the air, the smoke wafting in through the window. Rosh hadn't used a weapon or any kind of trick. He was the weapon.
Her mind raced. For one, she'd seen impossible things before, Danny's Iron Fist. Power that came from inner energy, from discipline, and chi. But this? This felt different. Wilder. Unrestrained.
"So things like this… actually exist?" she murmured, almost to herself. "Are you saying there are fruits out there that can give people superpowers?"
Rosh didn't answer right away. He simply leaned back in his chair, arms folded, watching her reaction. The golden shimmer in his eyes hadn't completely faded, giving him an almost divine air.
He didn't need to say a word. The seed had already been planted. And Rosh knew from experience that once that seed of curiosity took root, it was only a matter of time before it grew into something much bigger.
After a brief stretch of silence, Colleen finally lifted her gaze. Her voice, once uncertain, had turned calm and resolute. "How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know these fruits actually give powers like the one you just showed me?"
There was no trace of sarcasm now, only a quiet determination.
Because if what he said was real… this could change everything for her.
Not long ago, she had walked away from the Hand, the same organization she had once believed in with every fiber of her being. Learning the truth about their corruption had broken something inside her. She had sworn to make amends, to tear down what she had once helped uphold. But she and Danny… they were just two people standing against an empire built on blood and shadows. She could feel how powerless they were every time they fought.
And if these so-called "Devil Fruits" truly existed, if they could give her the strength to stand her ground, then she had no choice but to at least find out.
What she didn't know was that the Hand's empire was already crumbling from within. Four of its five leaders were gone, and the last, Alexandra, was barely clinging to life. But none of that mattered to Colleen right now. All she knew was the frustration that came from being too weak to make a difference.
Colleen crossed her arms, still skeptical. "Words are easy, Shopkeeper. Proof isn't."
Rosh chuckled softly, not offended in the slightest. "That's fair," he said with a nod. "Skepticism is healthy. But truly, miss, you're worrying more than you need to."
Then, with that ever-calm confidence of his, Rosh gestured toward the counter. "Here, we offer something rather convenient: a sample taste test. Think of it as a brief trial. You can borrow a fruit's power for five minutes before deciding whether it's worth buying."
Colleen blinked, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and intrigue. "You're serious? You actually let people sample superpowers?"
"Of course," Rosh replied with an easy smile, eyes glinting with amusement. "Browse through the catalog. If any fruit catches your interest, just tell me. I'll let you experience it for yourself."
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Next Chapter: The Day Colleen Wing Went Warp
Next Next Chapter: Forged from Genius, Fueled by Fantasy
Next Next Next Chapter: The Birth of Iron Man
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