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Devil Fruit Shop.
"Shopkeeper, this is my fiancée, Vanessa!"
Dressed in a white suit, Kingpin entered Rosh's shop with a refined woman in a black dress by his side. He introduced the lady next to him with utmost courtesy.
A few days ago, Kingpin mentioned he would bring his fiancée to visit again, and now he had fulfilled his "promise." However, Rosh couldn't help but notice that Kingpin seemed physically and mentally tired. It looked like something troubling had happened. Considering the chaos in Hell's Kitchen, Rosh could understand that there were bound to be countless issues every day.
"Hello, Shopkeeper. I've been constantly hearing Wilson praise you these past few days, and today, I finally got to meet you in person. Indeed, you're a remarkable young man, full of spirit." Vanessa said with a polite smile and complimented him.
"Vanessa, you flatter me. Please, both of you, come in," Rosh replied with a smile, ushering Vanessa and Kingpin into the shop.
"Fisk, how's your fruit development going these days?" Rosh asked casually.
"I'm not one to boast, but I have undergone a significant amount of training these days, so... there have been some results," Kingpin said modestly.
Vanessa, however, flashed a look of concern in her eyes. Only she knew how intense the "significant amount of training" had been. After Wesley's death, Fisk had thrown himself into training like a madman, scaring even Vanessa. So, Vanessa quickly canceled all her appointments to free up time to visit the Devil Fruit Shop, just to drag Kingpin out of his intense training.
"Just for your commitment, I believe the Steel-Steel Fruit will be well developed in your hands," Rosh nodded in approval.
"I hope so," Kingpin replied, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. He would make those people pay once he fully developed his fruit's potential.
"I'm here mainly to accompany Vanessa, who wants to purchase a fruit. Shopkeeper, could you please bring out the catalog for her to browse?" Kingpin stated his purpose after a bit of small talk.
"Of course." Rosh promptly handed over the catalog to Vanessa.
Vanessa glanced at it and immediately showed a look of amazement. As Kingpin had mentioned, the fruits listed in the catalog were indeed bizarre, opening up a whole new world for her. Unlike others, Vanessa had seen Fisk's Steel-Steel Fruit in action, so she knew the catalog's seemingly fantastical descriptions were real.
"Incredible!" Vanessa exclaimed unconsciously, then turned to Rosh with a polite nod. "Pardon me, Shopkeeper. I'd like to go through this with Fisk first."
"Please, go ahead, Ms. Vanessa," Rosh smiled.
Vanessa and Kingpin then carefully examined the catalog to decide which fruit would be the best choice. However, after about fifteen minutes, both still looked uncertain.
"Shopkeeper, we're having trouble deciding which fruit to choose. Could you recommend one for us?" Kingpin asked Rosh.
Although the catalog had descriptions of the fruits, they were brief and general. Kingpin knew that as the shop owner, Rosh had a deeper understanding of each fruit's potential and development path. Therefore, the catalog mainly served as an index or a reference guide. To find the right fruit, consulting Rosh was necessary.
"What kind of fruit are you looking for? Tell me, and I'll see if there's something suitable," Rosh nodded, ready to help.
Answering customers' questions and providing consultation services was precisely what he, as the Shopkeeper, was here for.
"To be honest, Shopkeeper, Vanessa was poisoned some time ago, and this has been weighing heavily on my mind," Kingpin explained, a look of lingering fear on his face. "If not for Dr. Cho, the consequences would have been unimaginable. So, I wonder if you have a fruit that can prevent such a thing from happening again?"
Given Kingpin's influence, arranging a large number of people to protect Vanessa was easy, and he wasn't worried about ordinary assassinations. Those with ill intentions toward Vanessa wouldn't even be able to get close to her.
But poisoning was a different story—a sinister move that's impossible to guard against. No, more accurately, it was something impossible to prevent.
After all, you can't have every meal tested for poison before letting Vanessa eat, right? That wouldn't be practical.
Thus, the best solution was to eliminate the possibility of poisoning altogether. This would be impossible in normal circumstances, but with the magical Devil Fruits, it might be achievable. Though the catalog didn't list a "Poison-Prevention Fruit," it also didn't mention that the Steel-Steel Fruit could make one's fists glow. These things were best asked of the shopkeeper.
"So, Fisk, Vanessa, your main concern is immunity to poisoning?" Rosh asked to confirm
"Yes, Shopkeeper, that's precisely what we hope for," Vanessa and Kingpin nodded in unison.
"If it's immunity to poisoning, I do have a suggestion," Rosh pondered for a moment and soon thought of a suitable fruit.
"Please, go ahead, Shopkeeper," Vanessa urged eagerly.
"I recommend the Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit." Rosh pointed to a fruit in the catalog in front of them.
Indeed, the fruit he suggested was not the Venom-Venom Fruit. That fruit might work well in the world of pirates, but it would be unsuitable in modern society. Plus, Vanessa was a lady; constantly dealing with the effects of poison would be quite troublesome. The issue of stock availability wasn't even a problem. They could wait if they liked the fruit, and the higher price wouldn't be a problem either.
"Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit?" Kingpin and Vanessa exchanged confused glances. They had seen this fruit but hadn't paid much attention to it. Wasn't it just a fruit for squeezing juice? How did it relate to immunity to poisoning?
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Next Chapter: The Abilities of Squeeze
Next Next Chapter: A Forbidden Order
Next Next Next Chapter: Rules for Purchasing Devil Fruits
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