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When Rosh's entire body began to shine, Hope was left speechless. Earlier, when his eyes had glowed, she could still speculate that maybe he was using some kind of light-emitting prosthetics. But for his entire body to emit light? That was beyond explanation.
There was no way this was a robot standing before her. Modern technology wasn't advanced enough to create a robot that realistic, and even if it were, who would make a robot to be a shopkeeper? It was just absurd.
"So, you're telling me these Devil Fruits… are real?" Hope asked, after a long internal debate, arriving at the only conclusion she could think of, as crazy as it sounded. If these fruits were fake, there was no point in Rosh going to such extreme lengths just to fool her. That would be madness.
"Why not find out for yourself?" Rosh smiled, sensing that the time was right. "Every fruit here has a sample for customers to try. When you eat one, you'll gain its ability for five minutes. You can experience it first-hand."
Although Hope still found the idea of Devil Fruits hard to believe, the sight of Rosh glowing from head to toe remained etched in her mind. It was something she couldn't easily dismiss. After a few moments of hesitation, she made up her mind.
"Can I take a closer look at the catalog first?" Hope asked seriously.
"Of course, take your time!" Rosh gestured for her to proceed.
Hope began to carefully browse the catalog, still finding the descriptions outlandish despite momentarily convincing herself to trust the shopkeeper. Fruits that could turn someone into an animal, fruits that could make all sound disappear, or even fruits that could turn a person's body into jelly… it all seemed too fantastical.
But then, something caught her eye, the Liquid-Liquid Fruit.
This fruit could turn surrounding objects into a liquid, much like water. If this fruit were real, it would make retrieving the Yellowjacket suit a breeze. Her father's lifelong goal—completing the Yellowjacket suit—could finally be fulfilled.
"Shopkeeper, can I try the Liquid-Liquid Fruit?" she asked, pointing eagerly at the fruit in the catalog, her voice filled with anticipation.
Though still skeptical, the possibility that this fruit could solve her problems was too tempting to ignore.
"Of course!" Rosh replied cheerfully. Without further ado, he retrieved a sample of the Liquid-Liquid Fruit and handed it to Hope.
Hope examined the fruit briefly, hesitating for only a moment, and then took a bite.
"Ugh!"
The taste hit her like a freight train. She nearly spat it out. 'What on earth is this flavor?' Hope swore she'd never eaten anything so foul in her life.
But ironically, the foul taste only made her believe in the fruit's authenticity more. After all, if these fruits were fake, wouldn't such a repulsive flavor just scare customers away?
With great effort, she forced herself to swallow the sample of the Liquid-Liquid Fruit, and her eyes immediately widened. Because at that moment, she could feel a change occurring in her body—something that defied description yet was undeniably real.
"This feeling… it's incredible." Hope murmured, awestruck.
Instinctively, she crouched down and reached out her hand to touch the floor. As her fingers made contact, the solid ground beneath them liquefied, offering no resistance as her hand submerged into it like water.
"What…? How is this possible?" Hope was utterly dumbfounded. The floor had really turned into liquid! She would never have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. This wasn't something out of a fantasy novel—this was real, right in front of her. Even now, despite witnessing it, it all felt so surreal.
"The Devil Fruits… they're real!" she exclaimed, staring at her hand in disbelief. "These incredible things actually exist."
After experimenting a few more times, Hope stood up, utterly amazed, her face full of wonder. "This is unbelievable."
"As you can see, it's very real," Rosh said with a casual shrug, smiling at her reaction.
"This is beyond amazing!" Even after witnessing everything, Hope still couldn't fully wrap her head around what she had just experienced. It was at that moment that her entire view of Rosh shifted. Previously, she had seen him as just an ordinary shopkeeper, perhaps even a scammer. But now, she saw him as a mysterious and powerful figure—someone who existed beyond the mundane world.
"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Shopkeeper. It seems I was terribly short-sighted earlier, doubting something so extraordinary. Thinking back now, I'm truly ashamed," Hope said sincerely, apologizing for her earlier suspicions.
Rosh waved it off with a smile. "No need to apologize. So, are you set on the Liquid-Liquid Fruit, or would you like to look at the others?"
"I'll take the Liquid-Liquid Fruit!" Hope responded without hesitation.
"For the Liquid-Liquid Fruit… that'll be three million dollars," Rosh said without missing a beat.
"Charge my card!" Hope quickly handed over her credit card without a second thought.
*Beep!*
The transaction was completed in no time. Rosh handed over a blue Devil Fruit adorned with wave patterns to Hope.
"Thank you, Mr. Shopkeeper!" Hope carefully took the Liquid-Liquid Fruit with both hands, then took a deep breath and immediately consumed it, acquiring the power permanently.
'Now, retrieving the Yellowjacket Suit would be a piece of cake!' Hope could hardly contain her excitement.
"Oh, by the way," Rosh added, "I've created a special group for Devil Fruit users. Would you like to join?"
As always, he made his signature post-sale offer.
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Next Chapter: Hank Pym's Disbelief
Next Next Chapter: Was the Yellowjacket Suit Really That Easy to Get?
Next Next Next Chapter: The Imminent Crisis
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