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"Shopkeeper… can I test the Heat-Heat Fruit?"
Danny Rand spoke before he could overthink it, excitement barely contained behind his calm, rich-guy exterior. His eyes stayed locked on the catalog page like it was a doorway to the version of himself he'd been chasing for years.
"Of course."
It was a reasonable request, a standard procedure, even. Without fuss, Rosh reached under the counter and produced a sample of the Heat-Heat Fruit, placing it into Danny's hands like he was handing over a live ember.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper!"
Danny took it carefully, like the fruit might explode if he treated it casually. For a brief moment, the shop noise faded for him. The crowd, the chatter, the tension of being watched, none of it mattered.
He bit down.
''…?!''
The taste hit first, an immediate, brutal assault of bitterness and something vaguely metallic, like chewing on scorched citrus and regret. His face tightened on instinct, jaw working like he was forcing down the world's worst medicine.
Then the second wave came, and it wiped the disgust right off his expression.
Shock flared in his eyes, followed by a rush of exhilaration so sudden it looked like someone had turned on a light inside him. He froze, not out of fear, but because his body had just become louder.
Not in sound, in sensation.
A strange warmth spread from his stomach outward, threading into his muscles, his blood, the spaces between his bones, like heat seeping into steel. It wasn't pain. It wasn't sickness. It was… new. Like he'd discovered an extra organ that only existed for power.
He swallowed, breath hitching once.
"Danny, how does it feel?"
Colleen moved in close, eyes wide with curiosity and worry and excitement tangled together. She looked him over like she expected something to burst into flames at any second.
Danny turned his head toward her and grinned real and bright, the kind of grin that only showed up when he felt alive.
"Just watch."
He lifted his right hand slowly, then closed it into a fist. He drew in a breath and centered himself the way he'd been trained, with his mind settling, muscles aligning, and control locking into place. Then he pushed and heat answered.
It started subtle, like a warmth under the skin. Then it climbed, fast.
The air around his knuckles began to shimmer, bending light in faint ripples like summer heat off asphalt. A dry, sharp scent rose like warm metal and heated stone. Even standing beside him, Colleen felt it immediately, heat radiating off his hand in steady waves.
Danny's fist reddened, not like a blush but rather like iron in a forge, a deep, living glow that crept across his knuckles until they looked freshly pulled from fire. The color was so vivid it seemed to throb with energy.
Visually, it was almost identical to the Iron Fist, with that iconic, blazing strike powered by chi. Except this wasn't chi, this was heat. And somehow… it fit him perfectly.
Colleen stared, stunned. The glow reflected in her eyes. Meanwhile, Danny looked like he could hardly sit still.
"Colleen, do you see this?!" he said, voice tight with excitement. "This is fate. This fruit was really meant for me!"
And it wasn't just because it looked cool, though it absolutely did.
The compatibility went deeper than aesthetics.
Danny had always fought by channeling chi, that internal energy cultivated through discipline, pain, and relentless training. When he focused it, he could turn a regular punch into a blow that shattered steel and cracked the impossible. Theoretically, chi could even be projected outward, strikes that traveled beyond the body, the way masters did in stories… the way Madame Gao had demonstrated.
Danny hadn't fully reached that level yet, but he was on the path.
Of course, the compatibility between the Heat-Heat Fruit and the Iron Fist went far beyond mere visual similarity.
And now, now he had something terrifying to pair with it.
If he infused his chi with the Heat-Heat Fruit's output…Or released that heat through his chi as a medium…
Then his attacks wouldn't just hit harder, they'd hit different.
A punch wouldn't only carry impact. It would carry thermal violence, a searing force layered over kinetic power, the kind of strike that didn't just break an opponent's guard but punished them for having one.
And the Heat-Heat Fruit patched one of Danny's biggest weaknesses in the cleanest way possible: His chi reserves.
The Iron Fist had always been explosive but costly, with a high output and limited fuel. When he pushed too hard, he burned out. That was the ugly truth behind the legend: sometimes he felt like a "three-minute Iron Fist," brilliant in bursts, dangerous… but not sustainable.
This fruit changed the equation because heat was a form of energy. And energy could be properly controlled and maintained.
With the Heat-Heat Fruit, Danny could keep a baseline of Iron Fist-level threat without draining himself into emptiness. Then, when he did actively channel chi on top of that baseline, he could spike his power even higher, multiplying the force the way Rosh had explained, turning his signature strike into something that felt like it belonged in a different tier entirely.
Danny stared at his glowing fist, as if he were looking at a future that finally made sense.
If this wasn't destiny…Then what was?
Because at this point, nobody would be able to dismiss him as "the weakest" ever again.
Not when his power could burn.
Not when it could last.
Not when it could evolve.
"What's going on?"
"It's so hot, don't you feel it?"
"Look! That guy's fist is glowing!"
The shop buzzed like someone had kicked a hornet's nest.
Murmurs spread through Home of the Devil Fruits, rippling across the packed room in excited waves. Customers craned their necks. Phones rose into the air. People leaned over one another's shoulders, trying to get a clear view of Danny, as if he were a live exhibit.
Whispers collided into frantic chatter.
"Which fruit is that?"
"Is he… burning his hand?!"
Danny stood at the center of it all, heat shimmering around his knuckles, the glow painting the nearby faces in warm red light. It wasn't just flashy, it was intimidating, the kind of power display that made people instinctively step back even if they didn't want to.
His eyes flicked toward the tree near the entrance, thick trunk, sturdy branches, the perfect target.
For a second, his body wanted to move on its own.
He'd originally planned to test the Heat-Heat Fruit on that tree. One punch. One clean impact. A simple demonstration to confirm what his instincts were already screaming at him.
But the shop was packed, way too packed.
And Danny wasn't just a fighter, he was a hero, even if he didn't always feel like one. He knew what happened when superhuman force met crowded spaces. The smallest mistake could turn excitement into a tragedy.
So he looked away, reluctantly.
Suppressing the urge took effort, like forcing himself to lower a weapon when every nerve in his body wanted to swing it. Even then, he could feel it, the immense power coiled inside his heated fist. The heat wasn't just warmth anymore. It was stored violence, waiting to be released.
He hadn't even thrown a punch yet, but Danny was already sure of one thing: If he hit something solid right now… a large boulder would crack like cheap concrete.
As for the more advanced idea, like projecting heat through chi for ranged attacks, he could feel the path in his mind, the "what if" Rosh had described. But that would require time. Practice. Experimentation in a place where he wouldn't accidentally roast a bystander.
For now, he forced his breathing steady, tightened his control, and let the heat bleed away. His fist cooled, returning to normal skin tone as if nothing had happened, though the feeling of power still lingered in his bones.
Then Danny looked straight at Rosh, eyes bright with decision.
"Shopkeeper," he said, voice eager, "I've decided. I want this Heat-Heat Fruit!"
Rosh's mouth curved with faint amusement, like he'd been expecting this outcome the moment Danny's eyes lit up earlier.
"Not interested in looking at other fruits?" Rosh asked.
"No need," Danny said firmly. "This fruit is my destiny."
He checked the price listed in the catalog and saw that the Heat-Heat Fruit cost the same as the Warp-Warp Fruit:
Five hundred kilograms of gold.
Seeing that number didn't scare him. If anything, it strengthened his resolve. It wasn't pocket change, but for Danny Rand, a major shareholder of Rand Enterprises, it was absolutely within reach.
Danny lifted his gaze again, businesslike now.
"Shopkeeper, I didn't bring the gold with me today. I'll deliver it another day." He paused, then added clearly, "I'd like to reserve the Heat-Heat Fruit first."
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he continued:
"Oh, and the Warp-Warp Fruit as well."
Colleen's expression tightened immediately. Her brows drew together, annoyance and concern mixing into something sharper.
"Danny…" Colleen said, voice low but edged. "I've told you many times. I don't need your help."
"No, Colleen. You misunderstand," he said, calm but unshakable. "I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself."
Colleen's eyes narrowed.
However, Danny kept going, his voice steady, "Whether you admit it or not," he said, "we're already in this together."
"If the Hand ever captures you, I won't stand by and do nothing." His jaw tightened slightly. "I'll come for you. You know that."
Colleen's lips parted. For a moment, it looked like she was about to fire back, about to tell him that if that day ever came, he shouldn't come. That he should save himself. That he shouldn't throw his life into the grinder for her.
But the words didn't make it out. In the end, she said nothing.
Colleen had known Danny long enough to recognize that look in his eyes, the calm certainty that meant he'd already decided, and the only thing left was how politely he was going to ignore her objections.
Whatever she said, it wouldn't change his mind.
And the worst part?
She also knew she wouldn't abandon him either. Not if it ever came down to it. Not if the world turned ugly and the odds turned cruel. Danny might be stubborn, but so was she.
"So," Danny continued, as if presenting a perfectly logical conclusion, "I'm only making sure you won't get captured and force me into taking unnecessary risks, okay?"
Infuriatingly, he even sounded reasonable, the kind of reasonable that made you want to argue harder just to prove you weren't being manipulated.
Colleen's jaw tightened. "But—"
"There are so many people here," Danny cut in smoothly, eyes flicking toward the packed shop like he'd just found the perfect shield. "Are you really going to keep arguing with me about this right now?"
Colleen opened her mouth, then closed it again. The crowd noise felt louder all of a sudden, dozens of curious strangers pressing in close, listening, watching, waiting.
Danny didn't give her another second to regain momentum. He turned away from her like the matter was already settled and looked at Rosh, making the decision for both of them with that maddening, effortless confidence.
"Shopkeeper," Danny said firmly, "I'll reserve those two fruits."
Rosh's expression didn't change much, but there was a faint hint of amusement in his eyes, like he'd seen this exact dynamic play out a thousand times between partners who pretended they weren't partners.
"Of course," Rosh said, nodding once. "But to reserve a fruit, you'll need to pay a deposit, one million dollars per fruit." He lifted two fingers calmly.
"Two fruits means two million dollars."
Danny didn't even blink.
"No problem." He reached for his card like he was paying for a coffee, then swiped it on the spot with a casual flick of his wrist.
"No problem." Danny didn't hesitate for a second. He waved his hand and swiped his card on the spot.
Two million dollars, gone in a second.
For Danny Rand, it was pocket change, an amount that wouldn't even register as a bruise on his bank account.
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Next Chapter: Perhaps I Can Call Myself a God
Next Next Chapter: Natasha's Report
Next Next Next Chapter: Super-Soldier vs. Superpower
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