Chương 1: The Devil Fruit Shop on 73rd Street

73rd Street, New York.

"Devil Fruits? Okay, that has got to be the weirdest name for a shop I've ever heard."

"Right? What do you think they actually sell in there? Exotic smoothies?"

"There's only one way to find out. Come on, let's check it out!" The moment those curious voices drifted through the front glass, a sudden spark of excitement flared up in Rosh's chest. To say business had been painfully slow would be a massive understatement. It had been completely dead. So, hearing actual, living, breathing human beings showing an interest in his shop was enough to instantly turn his whole mood around. He didn't waste a second.

Rosh sat up straight in his chair, squaring his shoulders and quickly smoothing down his clothes. He pasted on his best, most reliable professional smile. First impressions were everything in retail, but they were especially crucial when your storefront sign practically screamed 'shady occult scam.' The name Devil Fruits tended to make people put their guards up, and he needed to break that ice immediately. A beat later, the familiar chime of the bell above the door echoed through the quiet space.

The door swung wide, and a tall blonde woman stepped inside, practically bringing the vibrant energy of the bustling New York streets with her. She looked like she had just walked off the set of a high-end fashion shoot, effortlessly stylish, completely confident, and carrying herself with an air that demanded attention. Her presence instantly made Rosh's small, minimalist shop feel a whole lot less empty.

"Welcome to the Home of the Devil Fruits," Rosh said, stepping out from behind the counter with a warm, easygoing smile. The woman paused, her gaze shifting from the empty counter straight to Rosh. She looked him up and down, a slow, playful smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Well, look at that," she teased, leaning slightly against the doorframe.

"I definitely wasn't expecting the shop owner to be this handsome." She capped off the compliment with a bold, playful wink. Rosh didn't even blink. He had dealt with all kinds of customers before, and a little harmless flirting was practically part of the job description.

"Thank you for the kind words, my lady," he replied smoothly, tilting his head and returning the wink with a charming grin of his own.

"Though I have to admit, your beauty has already made my humble little store look a thousand times better." The blonde let out a soft, genuine laugh, clearly loving the banter.

"Careful now," she teased, crossing her arms.

"You sound a little too experienced at this."

"Let's just call it an occupational hazard," Rosh joked back, his tone light and effortless. Her laughter melted into an amused hum as her attention finally drifted away from him, her eyes scanning the shop. That's when she noticed the display shelves lining the walls. Rows upon rows of uniquely shaped, brightly colored fruits sat neatly arranged throughout the room. But these weren't your average supermarket apples and oranges.

Every single piece was covered in bizarre, swirling patterns that seemed to shift slightly if you stared too hard. Each one looked weirder and more mesmerizing than the last.

"Hey, handsome," she called out, walking closer to one of the displays and pointing a manicured finger at it.

"What exactly are these supposed to be?" She leaned in, her curiosity overriding her playful attitude as she examined the strange designs. Then, a look of sudden realization washed over her face.

"Wait a minute..." Her eyes widened slightly.

"Don't tell me these are the actual Devil Fruits from the sign outside?"

"The one and only," Rosh said with a proud nod, stepping up to stand a polite distance beside her.

"They might have a slightly intimidating name, but I assure you, every single one of them holds an extraordinary power."

"Extraordinary?" She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, shooting him a look of pure disbelief.

"What, like they taste amazing or something?" Her gaze drifted lower, locking onto a cluster of darker fruits near the bottom shelf, specifically a few pitch-black ones that looked almost shadow-like. The skepticism on her face was loud and clear. Honestly, Rosh couldn't even blame her. To anyone else, those black fruits didn't look like gourmet snacks; they looked like a one-way ticket to a poison control center.

"No, not that kind of extraordinary," Rosh clarified quickly, shaking his head with a light chuckle. He leaned in just a fraction, dropping his voice to a tone that felt confidential yet completely grounded.

"I mean literal supernatural abilities. You eat one of these, and you gain powers that defy everything ordinary people think is possible. Real-life superpowers." The blonde blinked. Once. Twice. She just stood there, staring at him. The whole claim sounded completely ridiculous, like a bad line from a superhero comic or a cheap marketing gimmick. And yet, as she looked into Rosh's eyes, she couldn't find a single trace of hesitation. There was no smirk, no nervous twitch, no sign that he was pulling her leg.

His voice was laced with a deep, magnetic sincerity that made it impossible to just laugh and walk away.

'He genuinely, completely believed every single word he was saying.'

"So what you're saying is... they're like magical fruits created by literal demons?" The blonde couldn't even choke back her laughter anymore. At this point, she wasn't even trying to hide how hilarious she found the whole situation. She looked at Rosh with a mix of absolute entertainment and genuine concern, like she couldn't decide if he was a brilliant performance artist or if he had just completely lost his grip on reality.

'Sure, the guy was a total ten. But let's be real: no sane person in New York City believed you could get superpowers from a piece of fruit. What was next? An apple that made you invisible? A banana that lets you shoot lasers from your eyes?'

"The true origins of the Devil Fruits are a bit of a mystery," Rosh replied, his voice completely calm and even.

"But if you want to think of them as gifts or maybe curses, from demons, well, that interpretation isn't entirely wrong." His face stayed perfectly serious. There wasn't a single hint of a smirk. Instead, he gave her a courteous, old-school bow of his head and gestured toward the shelves with a charming smile. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Now, my lovely lady, if you'll give me a moment, I'd love to introduce you to some of our stock." The blonde stared at him for a beat, trying to read his expression, before giving a casual shrug.

"Sure. Why not?" She crossed her arms and leaned back against one of the display shelves.

"I've got some time to kill." Honestly, she didn't care about the fruit. She just wanted to see exactly how far this bizarre, unhinged sales pitch would go. It was better than scrolling through social media, anyway.

"For starters," Rosh began, carefully picking up a pale, cream-colored fruit covered in intricate, swirling waves, "this right here is the Slip-Slip Fruit. Some people call it the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. Once you take a bite, your body becomes incredibly slick. Frictional force basically drops to zero, making it impossible for anything to grab or touch you." He set it down gently and picked up another one from a higher shelf.

"And this one is the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. It allows the user to completely manipulate their own body weight at will. If you practice with it enough, you could make yourself light enough to float away on a gust of wind, using nothing but a regular umbrella." The blonde just blinked at him, her jaw slightly slack. Rosh didn't miss a beat, reaching for a third option.

"And this fruit here—""Shopkeeper." Her voice cut through the air like a knife, instantly killing the lighthearted vibe. The playful, flirty smile she'd been wearing this whole time vanished in a split second.

"Do you honestly think I'm stupid?" The atmosphere in the little shop turned freezing cold and incredibly awkward. Any normal salesperson would have broken a sweat, but Rosh just paused. He let out a soft, understanding breath and shook his head.

"Not at all, miss." His answer was instant, with zero hesitation.

"I get it. I know exactly how crazy this sounds. To be honest, almost everyone who walks through that door has the exact same reaction." He tilted his chin toward a neat little sign resting on the wooden counter.

"Which is exactly why I offer free samples." The blonde's eyebrows knitted together.

"Samples?"

"Just a single bite," Rosh explained, holding up one finger.

"It gives you the fruit's power for exactly five minutes. Just long enough for you to experience the effects firsthand and see that I'm telling the truth." Total, heavy silence filled the store. The woman just stood there, staring at him, waiting for the punchline.

'A single bite? Temporary superpowers for five minutes?' It was just too much. A look of genuine disbelief washed over her face.

"You are actually insane," she muttered. Without waiting for him to reply, she spun on her heel and marched straight for the exit.

"Get real." The little bell above the door rang out with a sharp, angry jingle as she pushed it open and vanished into the crowded New York streets. Just like that, the shop dropped back into a heavy, suffocating silence.

"... Well." Rosh watched the empty doorway for a long moment before letting out a slow, exhausted sigh. A bitter, tired smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He couldn't even blame her. This exact scene had played out like a broken record over the past month. People would wander in out of curiosity, listen to his pitch, think he was a lunatic, and walk right back out. It happened almost every single time. Most customers lost all interest the second they realized the fruits were actually meant to be eaten.

And the real tragedy? Even the incredibly rare, brave souls who actually agreed to try a sample never made it past the first chew. Because the taste of a Devil Fruit wasn't just bad. It wasn't just bitter, or sour, or rotten. It was something entirely next-level, a flavor so foul, so profoundly horrific, that human instinct practically forced you to spit it out immediately. But to actually unlock the power, you had to swallow it.

And if his customers couldn't even manage to gulp down a single bite, Rosh stood absolutely zero chance of proving his store was the real deal. Timing in the retail game was everything. If Rosh offered a free sample too early, people immediately got defensive, assuming it was some kind of trap or a hidden-camera prank. But trying to logically convince them first? That wasn't working out any better.

After all, who in their right mind would actually believe that taking a bite out of a weirdly patterned fruit would grant them reality-bending superpowers? Sure, this world already had its fair share of weirdness. People grew up on historical legends about Captain America punching Nazis in World War II. But a super-soldier serum from the 1940s was one thing; magical fruit sitting on a shelf in New York was a completely different level of absurd.

And as if his current sales pitch wasn't hard enough, Rosh knew a massive roadblock was waiting for him down the line. According to the fine print, once his shop advanced to the next level, its currency rules would change completely. He wouldn't be allowed to accept ordinary cash anymore. Only gold. That meant future customers wouldn't just have to believe his crazy superpower pitch; they'd also have to go out of their way to exchange their hard-earned dollars for literal precious metals just to buy from him.

Just thinking about the logistical nightmare gave him a massive headache.

"If things keep going at this rate," Rosh muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he stared at his pristine, untouched shelves, "who knows how long it'll take me to finish this stupid beginner mission." A familiar, heavy knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach. Earlier that morning, Rosh had turned on the news, only to find every single major network broadcasting the exact same broadcast. Stark Industries had officially unveiled the Jericho Missile.

To the rest of the world, it was just another groundbreaking military tech demonstration by the world's most famous billionaire playboy. But to Rosh? It was a literal countdown timer to the end of the world as they knew it. Because he knew the exact sequence of events that was about to unfold next. One: Tony Stark's upcoming weapons demonstration trip to Afghanistan. Two, the brutal roadside ambush. Three, the kidnapping by the Ten Rings terrorist group. And very shortly after... the historic birth of Iron Man.

Once Tony built that suit, the floodgates would open. The age of superheroes would officially begin, and with it, an endless parade of absolute chaos. We are talking about alien armadas raining down from the sky, rogue artificial intelligences trying to wipe out humanity, dimensional rifts tearing through reality, and ancient, godlike evils waking from centuries of slumber. It was going to be one world-ending catastrophe after another, with barely enough time for anyone to catch their breath.

For the heavy-hitting heroes, those events would be legendary battles. But for the ordinary citizens walking the streets of New York? They would just be collateral damage. Statistics. In the Marvel universe, you could lose your life without ever understanding what hit you. One second, you're grabbing a morning coffee, and the next, an entire city block is leveled by a giant flying space whale. That thought terrified Rosh more than he cared to admit. Unlike everyone else living their normal lives on 73rd.

This wasn't a movie to him anymore; it was his actual reality. And he knew exactly how helpless an ordinary guy would be when the real madness started. Fortunately, he wasn't completely defenseless. Rosh wasn't originally from this universe. He had transmigrated from another Earth and had woken up in this chaotic reality a month ago. Thankfully, he didn't arrive empty-handed. Shortly after arriving, he had awakened a cheat code: the Devil Fruit Supplier System.

The premise was simple enough: sell Devil Fruits to the residents of this world, hit sales targets to unlock higher-tier inventory, and earn massive power-ups and abilities for himself. It sounded like an easy ticket to becoming overpowered. But his very first quest proved that the universe had a seriously twisted sense of humor. 【Beginner Mission: Sell One Devil Fruit. 】 【Current Progress: 0/1】 Just one. A single, solitary fruit. Anyone looking at that objective would think it was a total breeze.

You could probably clear it in a day, maybe a weekend at most, right? Yet, an entire month had flown by, and Rosh's progress bar was stuck at an absolute, mocking zero. Not a single sale. Not a single customer is willing to take a chance.

"... Honestly, I can't even blame them," Rosh chuckled to himself, the sound echoing a bit lonely against the walls of his empty store.

"Anyone who actually buys a fruit from me right now would probably need to have a few screws loose." Still, despite the month of constant rejection, he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Deep down, he knew how these stories went. Success didn't mean he had to convince the entire population of New York City. He didn't need a crowd. He just needed to find the right person. The perfect catalyst to blow this whole operation wide open.

Rosh slowly raised his eyes, looking past the rows of vibrant, swirling fruits and locking his gaze onto the front entrance. The glass door sat completely still under the warm afternoon sunlight, casting long shadows across the floorboards. He was waiting. And the shop was waiting with him. Suddenly, a strange, electric feeling stirred deep in his chest, a sudden flash of pure intuition that he couldn't quite explain. Soon. Very soon.

Someone was going to walk through that door, and when they did, the entire world wasn't going to know what hit it. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ Author's Note: P. S.: For now, fruits are sold for money. Once the system upgrades, it'll switch to gold. Rest assured, this won't be a problem later on! Translator's Note: Yeah what the Author said, so seat back, relax and enjoy;)