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"Then, Shopkeeper, please give me a moment."
Colleen Wing lifted her hand slightly, her calm demeanor barely masking the spark of focus in her eyes. She reached for the thick catalog resting on the counter and began turning its pages carefully, her gaze sweeping across each one with patient attention.
Every page was filled with strange and vivid illustrations, each depicting a fruit more bizarre and colorful than the last, accompanied by descriptions of powers so extraordinary they felt like something pulled straight from a comic book.
As she read, a quiet awe took hold of her. The deeper she went, the more she realized that this wasn't just a catalog, it was a window into a world that shattered everything she thought she knew about what was possible.
If what Rosh had said was true, if these "Devil Fruits" could really grant the powers written on these pages… then her entire life up until now had been like living at the bottom of a well, mistaking the patch of sky above for the whole of the world.
Still, whether these fruits were genuine miracles or nothing more than a clever con, Colleen intended to uncover the truth with her own eyes. Her sharp gaze darted across the lines, analyzing every detail like a seasoned martial artist studying an opponent's form.
Finally, she stopped halfway through the catalog. "Shopkeeper," she said, tapping a finger on one of the entries. "This one here, the Warp-Warp Fruit. It says the user can teleport?"
"That's right," Rosh replied with a nod of approval. "As the name implies, the Warp-Warp Fruit allows its user to move instantaneously from one point to another."
Colleen's brow lifted, her curiosity piqued. "Instantly? You mean like the Flash?"
A faint smile tugged at Rosh's lips. "In a way, yes. The principle is similar. The Warp-Warp Fruit's 'teleportation' works through extreme super speed, so fast that it appears as if you're vanishing and reappearing elsewhere. However, how close you can get to the Flash's level depends entirely on how far you push your abilities."
Colleen caught on immediately, her expression thoughtful. "So what you're saying is… the fruit's potential doesn't really have a ceiling?"
"Exactly." Rosh's grin widened. "There's no fixed limit—only what the user can imagine and master. Develop it far enough, and who knows? You might end up becoming this world's Flash."
Colleen let out a quiet, skeptical laugh. "Sounds like that kind of development won't come easy."
"Not necessarily," Rosh replied casually, waving a hand. "It depends. Some people have to train endlessly to grow stronger. Others, those with sharp instincts or a creative mind, tend to advance faster. Sure, Hard work matters, but imagination truly unlocks potential."
"I see," Colleen murmured, nodding slowly as her eyes returned to the catalog, the gears in her mind already turning.
"There's one more thing," Rosh continued, his tone thoughtful but confident. "The Warp-Warp Fruit doesn't just make you faster; it enhances everything tied to your speed. Movement, reaction time, even the velocity of your attacks."
He leaned forward slightly, resting an elbow on the counter, his voice dropping into something more conversational. "I once heard about a sniper who ate this fruit. The guy could close the distance to his targets before they even realized they'd been spotted. His draw speed, trigger pull, everything became so fast that no one could even react. It was practically instantaneous."
Colleen's eyes flickered with excitement. That was exactly what she'd been looking for. Not just raw movement, but speed that could change the tempo of a fight. The thought of her swordsmanship boosted to that level, her strikes becoming blurs of motion too fast for the human eye, was almost intoxicating.
"In that case," she said decisively, snapping the catalog shut, "I'll try this one, the Warp-Warp Fruit."
"As you wish," Rosh replied smoothly.
He reached under the counter and retrieved a fruit that looked as if it had been sculpted from a storm cloud, a small, swirling sphere of purple with faint electric patterns rippling across its surface. Its strange beauty seemed almost alive.
Colleen accepted it with both hands and gave a respectful nod. "Thank you, Shopkeeper."
Without hesitation, she took a deep breath and sank her teeth into it.
Her face twisted almost immediately. "...What is this taste?" she muttered, grimacing. The bitterness hit like a wave of rotten seawater mixed with rust.
'Did this thing go bad?' she thought, frowning.
"I know what you're thinking," Rosh said, half-amused. "But no, that's exactly how Devil Fruits taste. Power doesn't come cheap. A little suffering's part of the deal, isn't it?"
Colleen paused, then gave a small, knowing nod. He wasn't wrong. In a strange way, that awful taste made him more believable. A scammer wouldn't make his product less appealing.
With a determined breath, she swallowed the bitter pulp and set the half-eaten fruit down on the counter.
"So… that's it?" she asked uncertainly. "Now I'm supposed to have superpowers?"
Before Rosh could even answer, her expression changed.
A sudden surge of energy raced through her veins, electric and alive. Every nerve in her body lit up like a circuit being powered for the first time. She could feel it, a rush of vitality so intense it made her heart pound faster, her senses sharpened, and her world expanded.
"This feeling…" Colleen whispered, flexing her fingers. She couldn't help it; her body moved on instinct.
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, she vanished from her spot and reappeared a meter away, her movement smooth and fluid, like reality itself had blurred around her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Incredible…" she breathed. "This is unreal!"
The world around her seemed to slow, every motion and sound stretching out as her perception accelerated. She clenched her fists, exhilarated, feeling pure speed coursing through every muscle.
The next second, she struck out rapid punches, slicing through the air with thunderous speed.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Each strike cut through the air with explosive force, faster than her own eyes could fully track.
"It's real," Colleen gasped, a bright, breathless smile spreading across her face. "It's all real! These fruits… they actually work!"
Colleen finally stopped, her chest rising and falling with exhilaration. The room still seemed to hum faintly from the energy she'd unleashed, the air trembling in her wake. She turned back to Rosh, eyes shining with awe and a touch of disbelief.
"This is… amazing," she said, her voice low but full of wonder. "I can hardly believe something like this could even exist in our world."
Rosh chuckled softly, giving a light shrug as if her astonishment were the most natural thing in the world. "So," he said with that familiar teasing glint in his eyes, "does the customer intend to make a purchase?"
"Of course—" Colleen started automatically. But as her gaze drifted back down to the catalog still lying open on the counter, her words caught in her throat.
Her eyes zeroed in on the fine print beneath the fruit's name.
Warp-Warp Fruit – Price: 500 kilograms of gold.
Colleen blinked. Then blinked again. "Five hundred what!?"
Her jaw nearly dropped. She was a martial arts instructor, not a Wall Street investor. Her little dojo barely kept itself afloat most months, let alone produced that kind of money. Five hundred kilograms of gold? That wasn't a price but a declaration of war on her bank account.
She did a quick mental conversion and winced. "That's… what, tens of millions of dollars?!" she muttered. Even selling her entire academy, every piece of training equipment, and her old motorbike wouldn't cover a fraction of it.
For a moment, her excitement faltered. But then her expression shifted.
'Wait a second…Danny.'
Her mind flashed to a familiar face, Danny Rand, the billionaire heir of Rand Enterprises. Her friend. Her partner. Someone who, conveniently, had more money than he'd ever need in a dozen lifetimes.
Slowly, a knowing smile spread across Colleen's lips. If she couldn't afford it… well, she happened to know someone who could.
She closed the catalog gently and looked up at Rosh, a new determination burning in her eyes.
She'd made up her mind.
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Next Chapter: Forged from Genius, Fueled by Fantasy
Next Next Chapter: The Birth of Iron Man
Next Next Next Chapter: A First Test of the Arms-Arms Fruit
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