“Who told you all this?”
Fury’s single eye locked onto Shaun Vance like a searchlight.
Shaun blew a whistle.
“Just wild guesses on my part.”
The air froze for about three seconds.
Then the Director of SHIELD slowly leaned back, his leather coat emitting a faint rustle against the chair.
He didn’t fly into a rage, didn’t press further, nor did he let any more emotion show.
As the king of spymasters, he expertly concealed the churning tempest in his heart.
“Interesting,” Fury finally spoke, his voice lower and deeper than before.
“Very interesting.”
Sitting next to Shaun, Carl felt her palms slick with cold sweat.
She didn’t understand words like “Hydra” or “Project Insight,” but she could read the room.
This one-eyed man had tried to overpower Shaun a moment ago, only to be completely turned back on his heels.
“So…”
Fury interlaced his fingers and set them on the table.
“Let’s skip the probing.
Mr.
Vance, I want to buy a Devil Fruit.”
Shaun smiled.
He looked entirely relaxed, even pouring himself a glass of water.
“How many do you want?”
The counterquestion made Fury pause.
“You have many?” The director’s gaze sharpened, as if evaluating an untapped gold mine.
“Ample stock?”
Shaun sneered inwardly.
This black egghead was definitely contemplating a double-cross or taking it by force.
“The fruits don’t exist in the physical world.”
Shaun took a sip of water, his tone casual as if chatting about the weather.
“I’m…
a distributor.
If I die, not a single new Devil Fruit will ever appear in this world.”
He looked up at Fury.
“I accept US dollars.
Cash, bank transfers, gold, jewels—heck, even payment in Vibranium is fine!”
Fury was silent for a moment.
To SHIELD, or rather to the people who controlled SHIELD, US dollars were truly just numbers.
Turn on the printing presses, and they could have as much as they wanted.
“One to start with,” Fury made his decision.
“Name your price.”
Shaun put down his glass, reached smoothly under the table with his right hand, and brought out a fruit.
It had a coffee-purple rind covered in swirling patterns, shaped like a misshapen pineapple with a matte finish on its surface.
“The Chop-Chop Fruit.”
Shaun introduced it:
“The ability is simple.
It allows the user’s body to split and reassemble at will, making them completely immune to all slashes and sharp attacks.
Once awakened, it can even split objects it touches…
or chop anything else to pieces.”
A remarkably practical power…
Fury stared at the fruit.
“How much?”
Shaun raised a single index finger.
“Ten million?” Fury recalled the price Tony paid for the Revive-Revive Fruit.
“One hundred million.”
Carl almost slid right out of her chair.
Fury didn’t even blink his single eye.
He neatly pulled out his phone.
Tapped a few keys.
Thirty seconds later.
The phone in Shaun’s pocket vibrated.
He pulled it out and lit up the screen.
A bank notification: [Account credited: $100,000,000.00 USD]
Balance: $149,736,521.37 USD.
[Basic Reward for Selling Devil Fruit: Complete Training Method for Six Powers: Shave.]
“Pleasure doing business.” Shaun pushed the Chop-Chop Fruit forward.
“Looking forward to your next visit, Director.”
Fury took the fruit, weighed it in his hand, and slipped it into the inner pocket of his black tactical jacket.
He didn’t say goodbye, merely giving Shaun a deep, penetrating look before turning and pushing through the door.
The bell above the glass door chimed once.
Then, only Shaun and a dazed Carl remained in the diner.
“Phew—”
Carl exhaled a long breath, collapsing limply into her chair.
She clutched her chest, her full bosom heaving beneath her black dress.
“My god…
Who was that man?
His aura was terrifying!
I’ve met so many CEOs and hedge fund titans at Morgan Stanley, but none of them were anything like him…”
“Nick Fury,” Shaun said.
“The head of an intelligence agency.
You’ll learn more in time.”
He turned to Carl, his gaze turning serious.
“Welcome to the other side of this world, Miss Miller.”
Carl’s eyes lit up.
As fear faded, a surge of intense curiosity and excitement took its place.
Her cheeks flushed, and her breathing quickened slightly.
Not from fear, but from exhilaration.
“Devil Fruits…
Mr.
Stark bought one too?”
“Yes,” Shaun nodded.
“Eat it and you gain superpowers, though an ordinary person can only eat one in their lifetime.”
“Then…
can I buy one?” After asking, Carl embarrassedly added, “I mean…
if I wanted one too…”
Shaun smiled.
“Friendship price: ten million.”
Carl’s face instantly crumpled.
“I…
I only have a little over a million saved up,” she whispered, her fingers twisting together.
“And I have mortgage and car payments…”
“I can lend it to you.”
Carl’s head snapped up.
Shaun’s expression was utterly casual.
“Nine million—I’ll lend it to you.
You gather the ten million to buy the fruit, and you can just pay me back over time.”
In his mind, his math was crystal clear:
The money would go from his left pocket to his right pocket, Carl eating the fruit would give him her power for free, and he’d also become her creditor.
Talk about an absolute win.
“Really?!”
Overjoyed, Carl stood up and impulsively leaned in to kiss Shaun on the cheek.
“Thank you, Shaun!”
The soft touch was fleeting, leaving behind the faint scent of perfume.
Shaun touched his cheek, his smile broadening.
“Though even between friends, business is business.
We still need to follow formal procedure for the loan.”
He got up, walked behind the counter, and turned on an old printer.
The machine hummed and sputtered out a sheet of A4 paper.
Shaun returned with the paper and a pen, placing them in front of Carl.
“Loan agreement.
Take a look, and if everything’s good, sign it.”
Carl took the paper and read it carefully.
Then, bit by bit, her expression changed.
“Nine-out-thirteen-return loan sharking…
monthly interest paid before principal…
if monthly payment is insufficient, unpaid interest compounds into principal for the next month…”
As she read the clauses aloud, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
If this contract were placed before a legitimate financial institution, regulatory authorities would fine the issuer into bankruptcy.
The interest rate was absurdly predatory, and the terms were as harsh as an indenture agreement.
Carl looked up at Shaun.
Shaun simply met her gaze calmly, offering neither pressure nor explanation.
Three minutes of silence passed.
Carl bit her lower lip.
She thought back to Nick Fury’s overwhelming aura, to the incredible rumors surrounding Tony Stark, and to Shaun casually sealing a hundred-million-dollar deal…
The gateway to an extraordinary world stood right in front of her.
The cost was an indenture.
“I’ll sign.”
Carl grabbed the pen and hastily wrote her full name on the Party B line: Carl Miller.
She pressed down so hard the tip nearly tore through the paper.
Shaun took the contract and tapped away on his phone.
A few minutes later, Carl’s phone buzzed with a text notification: [Account credited: $9,000,000.00 USD]
She took a deep breath and transferred $10,000,000 back to Shaun.
Settled in full.
“Now,” Shaun said, closing his eyes to rummage through his system storage, “I’ll pick a good one for you.”
Soon, a fruit appeared in his hand.
It had pale golden skin, smooth as glass, shaped like an elongated apple that cast delicate speckles of reflected light under the lamps.
“The Mirror-Mirror Fruit.”
Shaun set it on the table.
“Its power is the manipulation of the mirror world.
It can create a mirror space on any reflective surface, allowing you to travel, trap, and duplicate objects—or even powers.
Once awakened, it’s said to create an entire world inside mirrors, making you the absolute ruler of the mirror realm!”
Carl’s eyes widened.
“This…
this is way better than that Chop-Chop Fruit…”
“Much stronger,” Shaun nodded.
“The Chop-Chop Fruit went for a hundred million, but I sold this to you for ten.
See?
I didn’t let you get shortchanged.”
Carl nodded profusely, her hands trembling with excitement.
She accepted the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, hesitated for a second, then closed her eyes and took a big bite.
“Gag—!”
The moment the flesh entered her mouth, Carl’s expression twisted in horror.
She forced down the nausea, her entire face crumpling.
“The taste…
it’s like spoiled milk mixed with rusty nails…”
“They all taste like that,” Shaun chuckled.
“Bear with it—as long as you get the power, it’s worth it.”
Carl forced down a few more bites until she finally finished the last piece.
She opened her palm.
A pale gold halo emerged from her palm, spreading outward like ripples on water.
The reflection of the cutlery on the tabletop suddenly distorted and stretched, forming a miniature mirror vortex.
“I…
I can feel it…” Carl whispered.
“So many ‘mirrors’…
the windows, the water glasses, even the reflections in your eyes…”
Shaun’s system notifications sounded simultaneously:
[New Ability Holder Detected: Carl Miller (Mirror-Mirror Fruit)]
[Synchronization Rate: 0.1%]
[Power Branch Unlock Preview: Mirror Travel (0%), Mirror Cage (0%), Mirror Duplication (0%)]
[Basic Reward for Selling Devil Fruit: Complete Training Method for Six Powers: Moonwalk.]
Excellent.
Another ability pool acquired.
Shaun stood up and walked over to Carl’s side.
He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.
The fabric of her black dress was thin, allowing him to feel her body heat and curves beneath.
Carl’s body tensed slightly before relaxing into him.
“The contract is signed, and the fruit is eaten,” Shaun whispered into her ear.
“Now, it’s time to pay today’s ‘interest.'”
Carl’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
Yet she didn’t push him away.
Instead, she turned around and wound both arms around Shaun’s neck.
“My room is upstairs…” she murmured.
“The contract…
didn’t say interest had to be paid like this…”
“Adding the clause now.”
Shaun scooped her up into his arms.
Carl gasped, instinctively clinging tightly to his neck.
Her long legs, wrapped in black stockings, dangled in the air.
Up the stairs, into the bedroom, door closed.
Shaun laid Carl on the bed and leaned down over her.
Moonlight streamed through the window, coating Carl’s exposed skin in a soft silver sheen.
Her newly acquired Mirror-Mirror power unconsciously activated, giving her skin a subtle reflection like fine porcelain.
“Your body…” Carl panted, her fingers tracing over Shaun’s abs, “is so cold…”
“Side effect of the Revive-Revive Fruit,” Shaun kissed her neck.
“Low temperature, faint glow.
Scared?”
“No,” Carl shook her head, her gaze hazy.
“It’s cool…
and thrilling!”
She leaned up and kissed him back.
Shaun’s hands roamed over her, exploring every curve.
Carl’s body grew increasingly warm, her skin turning a soft pink that intertwined with the pale gold mirror glow into an eerie aura.
The mattress creaked.
The power of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit leaked out sub-consciously amidst the passion.
Ripples washed over the full-length mirror in the bedroom, as the reflected images twisted and overlapped like a dazzling kaleidoscope.
The glass door of the wardrobe, the reflections on the window pane, and even her phone screen briefly became portals connecting to the mirror space.
If anyone had been watching from outside right now, they would have thought a light show was taking place inside the bedroom.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Shaun held her in his arms, feeling the sync rate of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability growing within him.
Though it was only 0.1%, he could already vaguely sense reflective objects around them, as if he had gained countless extra eyes.
“Get some sleep,” he patted Carl’s back.
“I’ll teach you how to use your power tomorrow.”
Carl mumbled an assent and fell asleep almost instantly.
Shaun looked at her sleeping face, then turned his gaze toward the window.
The lights of Stark Tower burned bright against the night sky.
Now that Nick Fury had obtained the Chop-Chop Fruit, who would he give it to?
A SHIELD agent?
Or keep it as a strategic reserve?
Tony was probably working on his Mark II right about now.
Pepper was studying hard on surgery.
And in his own arms lay a newly minted Mirror-Mirror Fruit user who had just signed away her life.
“The Marvel world…” Shaun murmured to himself.
“It’s getting more and more interesting.”
He closed his eyes and brought up his system interface.
[Current Ability Sync]
Revive-Revive Fruit (Tony Stark): 42%
Op-Op Fruit (Pepper Potts): 1%
Mirror-Mirror Fruit (Carl Miller): 0.1%
Very good.
Everything was moving according to plan.