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The sudden revelation of the Return-Return Fruit's fatal flaw took Coulson completely by surprise.
If the temporal reversal was permanently tethered to his active consciousness, wouldn't that mean the absolute second he swallowed this fruit, he would effectively be relegated to the status of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most heavily guarded, untouchable mascot?
But Coulson was no fool. He was a veteran spy, and he had long since deciphered the hidden, complex motives driving Nick Fury's instructions. The very instant he acquired this reality-warping power, the Director would undoubtedly order him straight to that high-end nursing home to completely restore Peggy Carter's youth.
Given Captain America's fragile, isolated psychological state right now, if Fury handed him a literal, breathing miracle like that, it would secure an immeasurable, lifelong debt of gratitude from the super-soldier. From that point forward, Fury's chances of bringing the living legend completely under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control wouldn't just be a high-stakes gamble anymore; it would be a near absolute certainty.
Beyond the play for Captain America, Coulson's mind raced as he recalled another of Fury's deeply buried secrets. The Director wasn't exactly a "normal" aging human; he was a variant of sorts, his vitality artificially sustained for decades by a highly classified anti-aging compound known as the Infinity Serum.
Though Coulson didn't know the exact chemical blueprint of the serum Fury routinely injected, he knew enough about modern science to know that creating a flawless fountain of youth in a lab was virtually impossible. The compound Fury relied on likely came with severe, toxic, and hidden side effects.
Which meant one inevitable thing.
Fury would absolutely demand that Coulson use the Return-Return Fruit on him as well, purging those biological side effects. In fact, knowing the Director's obsession with control, he might even use Coulson's new power to aggressively pursue true, unyielding immortality for himself.
Under these extreme circumstances, with the physical youth of Captain America's soulmate and the Director's very survival permanently tied to Coulson's ongoing heart rate, his personal security detail would instantly skyrocket. To ensure the absolute safety of his prized investments, Fury would explicitly, legally ban Coulson from ever stepping foot near a live combat zone again for the rest of his natural life.
'Then again... that doesn't exactly sound like a terrible pension plan,' Coulson mused internally, a small, amused smile playing at the corners of his lips. He had spent his entire adult life running into gunfire, bleeding out on cold floors, and sacrificing his mental health for Nick Fury. Maybe it was finally time to step back, let the younger agents take the heat, and enjoy the ultra-protected quiet life.
"So, Manager," Coulson spoke up, snapping back to the present and locking his eyes onto Rosh. "Aside from this specific consciousness condition, are there any other hidden drawbacks to the fruit that I should be aware of?"
Rosh spread his hands open in a relaxed, casual gesture. "None at all. So, Coulson, does this power meet your demanding standards?"
"It doesn't just meet them, Manager, it more than satisfies them," Coulson answered, his voice ringing with absolute truth.
While the Return-Return Fruit carried a massive, exploitative vulnerability, it was a completely negligible price to pay compared to the absolute, god-like miracle of turning back the clock.
"In that case, Manager, would it be possible for me to utilize the sampling service before we finalize everything?" Coulson asked, his voice laced with a rare, eager expectation.
"Of course. Follow me, Coulson."
Rosh gestured smoothly for him to follow and led the veteran agent back into the sleek, heavily reinforced Devil Fruit Testing Room. With a brief, practiced nod to a nearby staff member, a perfectly sliced sample portion of the Return-Return Fruit was brought out on a sterile tray and presented directly to Coulson.
"Thank you." Coulson politely accepted the slice from the clerk and, without a single moment's hesitation, tossed it into his mouth.
Even though he had heard endless, vivid horror stories from Natasha and Clint about the absolutely vile, putrid taste of a Devil Fruit, his mind still wasn't remotely prepared for the wave of complete garbage that washed over his taste buds.
It tasted like absolute shit. However, with his newly envisioned, bulletproof retirement plan on the line, he clamped his jaw shut, barely holding back a violent urge to vomit, and forced himself to chew and swallow the sample.
A heartbeat later, the disgust vanished, and his eyes lit up with pure wonder. He could literally feel the fruit's mystical essence aggressively rewiring his baseline biology, granting his soul a direct connection to a reality-bending power he had only ever dreamed of possessing.
"So... this is the power of a Devil Fruit," Coulson muttered, his gaze burning with a sudden, intense focus. He raised his right hand, cautiously focusing his willpower to manifest the newly awakened ability.
*Fwoosh!*
A cluster of vibrant, ethereal pink flames erupted from his palm, dancing gracefully over his skin without burning it. The temporal fire possessed a strange, mesmerizing, and cinematic beauty.
"Manager, I assume I'm permitted to test this on the equipment here?" Coulson glanced over his shoulder toward the array of experimental targets and training materials arranged around the room.
Receiving a welcoming, encouraging nod from Rosh, Coulson bypassed the heavy steel targets and instead walked over to a small display table holding a potted lily in full, majestic bloom. He reached out, gently touching the dancing pink flame to the delicate white petals.
*Shhh!*
The exact second the pink fire brushed the petals, it was drawn inward instantly, like water sinking into a dry sponge. For a fleeting, breathless second, the entire lily flared with a brilliant, cinematic pink luminescence that illuminated the entire room. The light held suspended for a few heartbeats before fading into absolute nothingness.
Along with the light, the fully bloomed lily had vanished entirely from the rich soil, leaving behind a clean, empty pot where its roots had just been.
"It's completely gone..." Coulson breathed, his voice finally cracking, tinged with a wild, youthful excitement. "I've regressed its timeline by twelve full years. It's essentially returned to a state before it was ever even planted as a seed." Even a seasoned, world-weary veteran like Coulson couldn't hope to stay composed in the face of such a terrifying miracle.
"Exactly. It ceased to exist in our present," Rosh confirmed from the sidelines, leaning against the doorframe with a knowing, confident smile.
"Manager, let's finalize the transaction immediately," Coulson said, his voice dropping all remaining hesitation.
He wasted no more time on professional pleasantries, making his final decision on the spot. The backend logistics were handled with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s signature clinical efficiency, and within minutes, the digital paperwork was finalized. The authentic, swirling Paramecia known as the Return-Return Fruit was officially, legally in Coulson's possession.
Right there in front of Rosh, without giving himself a second to overthink the incoming assault on his taste buds, Coulson bit into the real fruit, chewed aggressively through the putrid taste, and swallowed it whole. After a brief, deeply respectful farewell nod, the freshly minted immortal agent turned on his heel and exited the sweeping office.
Throughout the entirety of the transaction, Rosh had never once dropped a single hint about the system's alternative payment method of trading via "Special Value." There was simply no logical need to bring it up. Coulson, despite being a beloved and incredibly reliable guy, was never on Rosh's personal target list for harvesting.
Still, out of sheer curiosity, Rosh had quietly used the system interface to scan the agent's metaphysical profile right before he walked out the door. The numbers on the floating screen confirmed his suspicions: Coulson's personal "Special Value" was pitifully low, a meager, baseline score of just 200 Origin Points.
But when you truly analyzed his trajectory in the broader tapestry of the Marvel Universe, that low number made complete sense. The man was ultimately a dedicated background player, a tragic catalyst who barely enjoyed any real narrative focus before being unceremoniously, brutally run through the chest by Loki on the helicarrier. A character with that specific level of narrative weight was never going to yield a massive, god-tier hoard of Origin Points.
And the Return-Return Fruit itself? Its pristine catalog price tag was a staggering 2,800 Origin Points, the precise equivalent of 2,800 kilograms of solid, physical gold. If Rosh had tried to barter for it using Coulson's soul, the agent's entire life force wouldn't have even covered the local sales tax.
"Boss."
After Rosh had spent the next couple of hours personally tending to a few more standard, high-paying clients, the double doors clicked open. His head manager and assistant, Elizabeth, stepped into the quiet office to deliver her final evening report.
"The tree has officially arrived from the old property," Elizabeth reported, checking her tablet. "If it fits your current schedule, I can have the heavy engineering crew begin the indoor transplantation process immediately."
Rosh looked up from his monitors, a rare, soft hint of pure nostalgia warming his eyes. The tree Elizabeth was referring to was none other than the old, weathered, and long-suffering tree that had stood guard outside the humble entrance of the original, cramped Home of the Devil Fruits shop.
At the end of the day, Rosh was a fiercely sentimental man. Though they had successfully transitioned into a brand-new, multi-billion-dollar corporate headquarters in the absolute heart of Midtown, he still held a deep, profound attachment to the modest little shop where he had first started his business. It was where his entire journey had begun.
Because of that core sentimentality, he had explicitly ordered his logistical staff to salvage absolutely everything from the old office, from the custom furniture down to the basic, unbranded office supplies. And over the past few days of sitting in this massive, sterile skyscraper, he realized he genuinely, deeply missed looking out the window and seeing that familiar old tree standing outside.
Since the new 23rd-floor facility was absolutely massive and featured a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled indoor botanical sector, planting it right in the center of the floor was a simple engineering matter. If they were going to grow luxury flora inside the corporate lounge anyway, it might as well be the loyal old tree from back home.
"Go ahead," Rosh said, checking his digital calendar and seeing no further client appointments for the night. "Get it settled into its new home."
As Elizabeth nodded and stepped out to coordinate the crew, Rosh leaned all the way back in his plush executive chair, silently watching the golden-orange sun set behind the sprawling Manhattan skyline.
The pieces were finally moving across the board exactly how he wanted. Captain America was back on the grid, an "immortal" S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had just been born, and the true, premium harvest of this universe was only just beginning.
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Next Chapter: Captain America, Have You Heard of Devil Fruits?
Next Next Chapter: The Soldier Whose Worldview Shattered
Next Next Next Chapter: The Captain's Choice and the Scientist's Betrayal
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