Chương 10: The Second Fruit Sold

'All living beings.'

'All diseases.' Those words bounced around the inside of Helen Cho's brilliant mind like a pair of high-velocity particles. As a world-class scientist, she understood better than almost anyone on the planet just how heavy, and frankly terrifying, the world truly was. In the scientific community, you quickly learn that reality is rarely dealt in absolutes. There was no miracle drug that worked for 100% of patients. There was no treatment that perfectly cured every single variation of an illness.

Every medical solution had a ceiling, a bottleneck, or a list of catastrophic side effects. Yet, this bizarre, swirling fruit sitting casually on a velvet cushion seemed to look at the entire rulebook of modern physics and biology and just completely ignore it. Fixing the tissue of any living creature was wild, sure, but she could stretch her mind to somewhat rationalize it. Humans and animals shared a massive amount of genetic overlap, after all. But curing every single disease in existence?

That crossed the line from cutting-edge biology straight into the realm of gods. If a power like that were actually real... it wouldn't just advance medicine. It would rewrite the history of human civilization forever. Helen took a slow, deliberate breath, forcing her racing thoughts to settle. She locked her gaze directly onto Rosh, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp, completely serious tone.

"Shopkeeper," she began, her sharp eyes pinning him down.

"When you say all diseases... I need you to be completely literal with me. Are we talking actual absolutes here?" She leaned forward, the intensity in her eyes growing with every syllable.

"What about advanced stage-four cancer? What about leukemia? Parkinson's? What about the genetic conditions and neurodegenerative illnesses that modern science currently classifies as entirely incurable?" Rosh didn't blink at her question. He didn't even hesitate to reply.

"Of course," his answer came instantly, wrapped in an easygoing, unshakable confidence.

"For the Heal-Heal Fruit, the universe doesn't care about medical jargon or complexity. It only recognizes one simple, binary distinction." He held up two fingers.

"Is it a disease, or is it not a disease? That's it. In the presence of this fruit's power, the concept of an 'incurable illness' simply ceases to exist." Total, heavy silence filled the store. Helen felt her pulse quicken against her ribs. Even though she had just spent the last ten minutes watching him phase his own finger through his hand, hearing him casually dismiss the greatest medical hurdles in human history sent a genuine shiver straight down her spine.

"That is..." She swallowed hard, her logical brain practically short-circuiting.

"That is completely unbelievable."

"Maybe to a scientist," Rosh shrugged with a light, conversational grin.

"But that doesn't make it any less true." Then, leaning casually against the counter, he dropped another casual bombshell into the conversation.

"And honestly, wiping out chronic illness is only the first half of what this little beauty can do." Helen snapped her head up, her analytical mind instantly catching the bait.

"What else?"

"Trauma recovery," Rosh explained, counting the points off on his fingers.

"It heals physical injuries with the exact same efficiency. We're talking shattered bones, severe internal hemorrhaging, catastrophic organ trauma, acute poisoning... practically anything that falls under the umbrella of biological harm." The more he spoke, the more stunned Helen became. A power that could effortlessly wipe out cancer would already be a world-altering breakthrough. Adding instant, perfect trauma recovery on top of that just felt entirely unfair.

A sudden, highly specific medical thought crossed her mind. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

"Wait. If it perfectly regenerates traumatic injuries... what happens to the scar tissue?"

"Scars?" Rosh asked.

"Yes," Helen nodded quickly, her doctor instincts taking the wheel.

"In my line of work, I've treated countless patients whose lives were saved, but their bodies were left permanently altered, tight, and damaged by thick keloids and scar tissue. Does the Heal-Heal Fruit leave any physical reminders behind?"

"Not a single cell," Rosh answered without a fraction of a second's doubt.

"The recovery process isn't a patch job. It's perfect cellular restoration."

"Perfect?"

"Zero scars. Zero defects. Zero biological complications, and absolutely zero side effects." Helen just stared at him. She was completely out of counter-arguments. Even the most advanced cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries on the planet couldn't achieve that level of flawless molecular perfection. She knew for a fact that the world's elite would gladly part with entire fortunes just for a fraction of that result. And yet, according to the proud look on Rosh's face, he was still hiding the headline feature.

"The Heal-Heal Fruit holds one final, ultimate power," Rosh teased, letting a dramatic pause stretch between them. Helen blinked, utterly fascinated.

"Another one? What could possibly top perfect healing?"

"Yes, though unlocking it requires an immense amount of natural talent and grueling training," Rosh said, his expression turning respectful as he leaned back.

"It is widely considered the fruit's absolute peak technique."

"What's it called?"

"Restoration." The word left Helen momentarily, throwing a blank.

"Restoration? Forgive me, Shopkeeper, but isn't basic healing already a form of cellular restoration?"

"Not quite," Rosh smiled, a sharp, brilliant glint in his eyes.

"Ordinary healing repairs active damage to a biological system. But Restoration? Restoration literally reverses the timeline of the target." Helen's brow furrowed deeper.

"I don't follow. What exactly does that mean in a practical sense?" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"It means returning a target to its absolute original, flawless state," Rosh explained, his voice dropping into a low, confidential rhythm.

"And the real kicker? The power doesn't care whether that target is alive or dead." For the very first time since she had walked into the boutique, a look of pure, unadulterated shock slammed across Helen's face.

"Wait," she gasped, her voice catching in her throat.

"Not alive?"

"Correct," Rosh nodded proudly.

"The technique isn't bound by biological limitations. It can restore inanimate objects just as easily as living cells." Helen's eyes went completely wide.

'Objects?'

"Think of it this way," Rosh illustrated, gesturing with his hands.

"Imagine you accidentally drop your smartphone on the concrete, and it shatters into a million pieces. A flash of Restoration restores it to the exact molecular condition it had before it ever fell. Now scale that concept up. Destroyed high-tech machinery. Damaged laboratory equipment. Collapsed structural buildings. All of it can be completely restored with a single touch." Helen sucked in a sharp, breathless gasp.

For several long, agonizing seconds, she just stood there in the center of the room, completely speechless. The terrifying industrial implications of what he was describing were running rampant through her mind. This wasn't just a localized medical miracle anymore. This was a power that could completely disrupt and reshape every single manufacturing, engineering, and tech industry on the planet. The potential applications were literally limitless.

"This is..." She struggled to find her footing, shaking her head.

"It's just impossible." Rosh let out a bright, amused laugh.

"Careful, Doctor. That's quickly becoming your favorite word today." Helen couldn't even fire back a witty retort. Her entire logical worldview had been broken into so many pieces over the last hour that she had completely lost count of the shards.

"However," Rosh's playful expression suddenly vanished, replaced by a stern, grounded seriousness.

"There is one massive, highly critical warning you need to understand before we proceed." Helen's focus locked onto him instantly. She could tell by his shift in energy that this wasn't a sales gimmick.

"What is it?"

"The ultimate technique, Restoration, consumes the user's literal lifespan." Helen's chest tightened slightly.

"Lifespan?"

"Yes," Rosh nodded grimly.

"The more extensive and massive the structural turnaround, the higher the toll on your own remaining years. It is a power that demands a literal blood tax, which is why a master should never, ever utilize it recklessly. Fortunately, the standard biological healing and disease eradication have absolutely no drawbacks. That part is entirely free of charge." Helen gave a slow, understanding nod, a wave of relief washing over her.

Honestly, that massive limitation actually made perfect, comforting sense to her logical mind. A reality-bending power that is absurdly strong needed a cosmic equalizer. Otherwise, the person wielding it wouldn't just be a doctor anymore; they would be a god. Several quiet moments passed as she looked back toward the soft, elegant curves of the Heal-Heal Fruit resting on its display cushion. This time, there was no more internal debate. No lingering skepticism. No defensive scientific armor.

There was only absolute, crystal-clear certainty.

"Shopkeeper," she said, a beautiful, confident smile gracing her face.

"I've officially made my decision. I want this fruit." Rosh's professional smile instantly transformed into a bright, mega-watt grin.

"An absolutely spectacular choice, Dr. Cho. Now, the standard retail price for a top-tier Logia or high-end Paramecia like the Heal-Heal Fruit is normally set at five million dollars." Helen didn't even flinch.

"However," Rosh continued smoothly, "thanks to our ongoing grand opening promotion, you'll be receiving our standard thirty percent discount. So, your final total today comes out to exactly three million, five hundred thousand dollars." Helen blinked once, then let out a soft, genuinely amused laugh.

"Wow," she murmured, pulling a sleek designer wallet from her purse.

"That is actually surprisingly cheap." Rosh nearly choked on his own saliva.

'Cheap?' He internally shook his head in absolute awe. Only a high-society, world-renowned tech billionaire like Helen Cho could casually drop three and a half million dollars on a piece of fruit and call it a bargain with a completely straight face. Still, he definitely wasn't about to complain. Rich, decisive customers were an absolute dream.

"The sheer humanitarian and scientific value this anomaly provides is entirely immeasurable," Helen explained, shaking her head as she slid her premium black card across the wooden counter.

"Honestly, Rosh, even if you had asked for thirty million dollars, I wouldn't have considered it unreasonable."

'Note to self: raise prices later,' Rosh thought hilariously. He accepted the card, swiped it through the system terminal, and listened to the satisfying, authorized beep that officially cleared his second massive transaction. Turning around, he carefully lifted the velvet casing, retrieved the Heal-Heal Fruit with practiced care, and presented it to her.

"Just one quick piece of logistical advice before you dive in, Doctor," Rosh noted as she accepted the heavy fruit. Helen paused, holding the swirling produce up to the light.

"Yes?"

"You only need to take a single bite."

"A single bite?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Exactly. The system transfer of the superpower occurs entirely through the very first swallow," Rosh explained, leaning against the counter.

"The exact second you ingest that first piece, the remaining fruit loses all of its cosmic properties and becomes completely ordinary material." Helen looked pleasantly surprised. That was definitely a detail Wade had left out of his manic story. But to be completely honest, she felt a massive wave of relief washing over her.

Having experienced the nightmarish, soul-crushing flavor profile of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit sample just a few minutes ago, she had been dreading the idea of having to chew through an entire piece of large produce. One single bite was a mercy. Still... the elite, calculating scientist inside her immediately spotted a massive research opportunity.

"Shopkeeper," she said, holding the fruit up between them, a sharp glint in her eyes.

"If the remaining material becomes biologically inert after the first bite... do you mind if I keep the rest for my private collection?" Rosh already knew exactly what she was planning. She wanted to take it straight to her multi-million-dollar lab, slice it into petri dishes, run advanced genetic sequencing on the cells, and try to reverse-engineer the superpower code. Very typical scientist behavior.

"Of course," Rosh nodded with an easygoing wave.

"You bought the asset, Doctor. What you do with the leftovers is entirely your business."

"Wonderful," a genuine, excited smile lit up Helen's face. Without wasting another single second of her valuable time, she turned slightly away from the counter, pinched her eyes shut, and took a decisive, sharp bite out of the fruit. The result was immediate. And it was absolutely, unmitigatedly horrific. For a wild, deeply regular three seconds, Helen Cho actively questioned every single academic and life choice that had eventually led her to stand in a boutique shop on 73rd Street.

It tasted like absolute misery. But then, the cosmic transition hit. The agonizing aftertaste instantly evaporated as a profound warmth erupted from her core, flooding her vascular system. It was entirely different from the light, gravity-defying weightlessness of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. This sensation felt deeply grounding, ancient, and incredibly vast. It felt as though a beautifully intricate, flawless new network of healing energy had instantly woven itself directly into her own DNA.

An instinctive, deep understanding of human anatomy and every other biological structure in existence flooded her mind. She didn't just have a superpower. She understood the blueprint of life. The sheer scope of the realization left her entirely breathless.

"Remarkable..." she whispered, staring down at her hands as if she were looking at them for the first time.

"By the way, Dr. Cho," Rosh's smooth voice casually broke through her trance, drawing her attention back to the counter. He was tapping away at his smartphone screen with a relaxed grin.

"I actually set up a secure, private digital network for verified Devil Fruit users. It's a dedicated space where our small community can exchange tactical data, trade tips, and discuss their growing abilities." Helen looked up, her professional composure instantly sliding back into place.

"An exclusive underground support network?"

"More or less," Rosh nodded.

"Would you be interested in an invitation?" The answer didn't even require thought.

"Of course. Sign me up." After everything she had witnessed and physically experienced today, there was absolutely zero chance she was walking away from the source of this data. Ping! A second later, her phone vibrated in her coat pocket. She pulled it open, accepting the secure link, and watched the interface load up the group profile. A tiny, amused smile tugged at her lips as she read the member count. Total Members: 3. And just like that...

the exclusive Devil Fruit Family had officially acquired its third, and arguably one of the most brilliant, members. The gears of the new world were turning, and Rosh's small shop was right at the center of the wheel.