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"Mr. Fisk, this is far enough. Please, you don't need to see me off any further."
"Dr. Cho, take care on your way back!"
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
After a satisfying evening for both host and guest, Fisk and Vanessa personally escorted Helen downstairs. Fisk even arranged for his most trusted aide, Wesley, to drive Helen home. After their farewells, her car disappeared into the night while Fisk and Vanessa returned to the hotel with Fisk's arm around her.
"Vanessa, do you think what Dr. Cho said about the Devil Fruit is true?" Fisk asked, his tone laced with doubt as he looked at Vanessa.
"I find it hard to believe that such a thing exists in this world. It sounds absurd," Vanessa shook her head but then hesitated. "But at the same time, Dr. Cho didn't seem to be joking."
When Helen spoke about the Devil Fruit, she had been serious and sincere, unlike someone making a joke. Vanessa and Fisk, both astute judges of character, couldn't ignore this.
"That's exactly what's puzzling me. Dr. Cho is a meticulous and serious person; she wouldn't joke about something like this. But if such a thing as a Devil Fruit really exists, it challenges everything I've ever known. And yet, Vanessa… I saw with my own eyes how Dr. Cho healed you in such an unusual way. It's hard to dismiss her words entirely," Fisk said, his brows furrowing in thought.
"Wilson, was I really that sick?" Vanessa asked, somewhat surprised. She had initially assumed she had simply passed out and would have eventually woken up on her own without Helen's intervention. She thought Fisk was just overreacting out of love. But now, the situation seemed more serious than she had realized.
"No, Vanessa, you were very ill. The best doctors I consulted were at a loss," Fisk said gravely.
Vanessa was taken aback by this revelation. "Could it be that… Dr. Cho was telling the truth about the Devil Fruit?" she wondered aloud, looking at Fisk in disbelief.
Fisk remained silent for a moment, then gently said, "Vanessa, it's getting late. Let me take you home to rest. I'll visit you again tomorrow."
Vanessa nodded understandingly. After taking Vanessa home, Fisk went to his office and immediately summoned Wesley, informing him about Helen Cho's mention of the Devil Fruit. He wanted Wesley to investigate this matter further. Despite how far-fetched it sounded, Fisk couldn't shake the impression Helen had made, especially after witnessing how she had healed Vanessa.
"Boss, did you just say Devil Fruit?" Wesley asked his expression one of surprise.
"What, Wesley, you've heard of this miraculous thing too?" Fisk was now the one surprised.
"Yes, I've heard of it," Wesley nodded. "Boss, you remember the mercenary Wade who killed Daredevil, right?"
Fisk, of course, remembered. The man had eliminated one of Fisk's long-time enemies and had been on his radar ever since. Fisk had even considered recruiting him.
"Wade had suffered severe burns before; his skin was completely destroyed, and his face was ruined. Injuries of that magnitude are impossible to fully heal with modern medicine; even skin grafts would leave scars. But when I saw Wade a month ago, his face was flawless, his skin even better than any woman I've ever seen. At the time, Wade mentioned that the Devil Fruit had healed his face."
"Wade said the Devil Fruit healed his face, not that Dr. Cho, a Devil Fruit user, did?" Fisk asked, thinking carefully.
"There's a difference between the two," Fisk noted.
"No, Wade specifically mentioned the Devil Fruit," Wesley confirmed after recalling the details. Wade hadn't mentioned anything about Dr. Cho.
"Could it be… that the Devil Fruit is real?" Fisk's doubts began to waver. So far, two different people have mentioned the Devil Fruit to him. He didn't believe in coincidences like this.
"Boss, there's one more thing. Wade said something else at the time," Wesley added, suddenly remembering. "He said that if you ate a Devil Fruit, you'd be able to kill Daredevil yourself."
Fisk could no longer remain calm.
"Wesley, go to that Devil Fruit shop tomorrow and find out if those fruits are really as miraculous as they say!" Fisk ordered firmly.
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At the Devil Fruit Shop.
"Can you really eat these colorful things?"
"Of course! We're an honest business with a good reputation. We even have samples you can try if you're interested."
"No thanks, I don't want to die!"
Another potential customer was "scared off" by the Devil Fruits. But at least they didn't curse or threaten to report the shop, so overall, their attitude was "polite."
"Have a nice day!"
Rosh had become quite used to this kind of reaction after running the shop for so long. He merely gave a casual farewell from behind the counter without trying to stop the customer. There was no point in convincing someone who wasn't meant to stay.
"Whoever's meant to come will come, and those who aren't will leave regardless of what you do," Rosh mused, his mindset having evolved to a new level. Besides, the last customer looked like a regular office worker and probably could not afford a Devil Fruit anyway. Rosh didn't waste time trying to showcase the wonders of the Glint-Glint Fruit to him.
"Never mind, I'll just play a few rounds of Mobile Legends," Rosh shrugged, quickly putting the last customer out of his mind and picking up his phone to dive into the game.
"Devil Fruits? So this shop really does exist."
A voice suddenly interrupted. A man wearing glasses, looking scholarly in a brand-name suit, walked into the shop.
"Welcome, sir! How can I help you today?" Rosh put down his phone and stepped out from behind the counter to greet the customer. As he approached, he couldn't help but think to himself,
'This guy looks familiar… Who could he be?'
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Next Chapter: A Big Client Arrives
Next Next Chapter: The Bullet-Bullet Fruit
Next Next Next Chapter: The Rise of the Ultimate Rookie Assassin
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