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'If the ability to control plants could be wielded freely, it would offer tremendous advantages in battle. Not only could it be used to attack enemies, but also to restrain them, and even to defend oneself. From a tactical perspective, it had far more versatility than the Slow-Slow Fruit.'
'Furthermore, there was another key advantage the Grow-Grow Fruit had over the Slow-Slow Fruit—it could be used for large-scale attacks. The ability to control plants meant the potential for mass assaults!'
So, despite the remarkable Slow-Slow Fruit, Stick found himself equally drawn to the Grow-Grow Fruit. After all, he wasn't just purchasing a fruit for himself—he needed it to take on the Hand. And the Hand's ninjas always came in groups.
"Rosh, could you give me a detailed explanation of the Grow-Grow Fruit?" Stick couldn't resist asking.
"Certainly!" Rosh replied. "As the catalog describes, this fruit grants the user the ability to control plants. This control includes making them grow rapidly, move, entangle, lash out, and perform various other actions."
"In essence, after consuming this fruit, plants become an extension of your body. You can command them to do whatever you can imagine," Rosh explained.
Stick nodded, satisfied with what he was hearing so far.
"What about the strength of the plants?" Elektra asked. She knew that Stick wasn't interested in gardening—he needed something for battle. So, the durability of the plants was a critical factor.
"Don't worry, Elektra, the plants created by the Grow-Grow Fruit are incredibly tough. They can easily withstand bullets and even take hits from artillery shells," Rosh assured them with a smile.
Stick couldn't hide his surprise. 'Blocking bullets was one thing, but artillery shells? That was almost unbelievable.' His opinion of the Grow-Grow Fruit rose considerably.
"However, these plants do retain some typical plant weaknesses, such as vulnerability to fire," Rosh added.
Stick wasn't particularly concerned about that. In his view, it wasn't a major issue. Fire, after all, could be avoided or countered.
"But there is one more thing I should mention. The control of plants by the Grow-Grow Fruit user is achieved through the movement of the user's body," Rosh said, his tone becoming more serious.
"Movement?" Elektra blinked, feeling slightly baffled. 'Wasn't that a bit... embarrassing? Especially for someone like Stick, an elderly man.'
"Movement is just a metaphor. Simply put, the user needs to sway their body at a certain frequency and amplitude to control the plants. The effectiveness of the control depends directly on how well the user moves," Rosh elaborated.
"So, in other words, to control plants, Stick got to bust out some moves on the spot, huh? HAHAHA," Elektra laughed at the thought, unable to contain herself.
Rosh also found the idea amusing. It seemed like Stick had a strange curse—the fruits that caught his eye required either delicate gestures or ridiculous movements. Both were rather... unusual.
Stick: "..."
He had no words.
To be honest, even Stick was tempted to complain a bit. What kind of connection was there between specific "dance moves" and controlling plants? Why tie them together at all?
It made no sense.
And considering his age, while killing enemies was no problem, making him wiggle and dance around was... well, somewhat humiliating.
But Stick's irritation lasted only a second before he dismissed it entirely. As long as it helped him destroy the Hand, nothing else mattered.
"Elektra, are you done laughing? If so, keep going," Stick said calmly, urging her to continue.
But even after Elektra had finished going through the entire catalog, Stick found no other fruits more appealing than the Slow-Slow Fruit and the Grow-Grow Fruit.
'Which one was better, though?' Stick fell deep into thought.
"Stick, stop overthinking it. Just go with the Grow-Grow Fruit! I can't wait to see you show off your dance moves! It's going to be amazing!" Elektra teased, grinning with excitement.
Stick: "..."
He couldn't be bothered to respond to his cheeky student anymore.
"Rosh, I've made my decision. I'll take the Slow-Slow Fruit," Stick finally said after careful consideration.
While the Grow-Grow Fruit certainly had more tactical potential, the Slow-Slow Fruit had one key advantage that the Grow-Grow Fruit couldn't match—lethality.
Once someone was hit by the Slow-Slow Fruit's wave and slowed down, it could very well be a death sentence. This was especially true regarding the Hand's five fingers and their elite warriors. These individuals were immensely powerful, and controlling plants might not be enough to effectively restrain or defeat them. After all, they weren't idiots. The moment they saw plants attacking, they'd fight back immediately.
But with the slowness wave, it was a different story. It was much harder to defend against. And once they were hit, there was almost no chance of recovery. It was the perfect weapon for dealing with high-level opponents.
"The Slow-Slow Fruit costs five million dollars," Rosh informed Stick.
'Five million?' Stick sighed in relief.
Although he led the Chaste, an organization primarily focused on combating the Hand rather than making money, they had managed to scrape together a little over seven million dollars before this purchase. If the fruit had cost more than that, Stick would've had to come up with a new plan.
Luckily, five million was within his budget.
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Next Chapter: Deadpool's Crisis
Next Next Chapter: Doctor Morbius' Nightfall Crisis
Next Next Next Chapter: Am I Really Cured Just Like That?
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