Selling Devil Fruits in the Marvel Universe

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''The Sparkling Human who consumed the Glint-Glint Fruit?" Pepper Potts repeated silently, the phrase rolling awkwardly through her mind. It sounded almost comically exaggerated, like something straight out of a fantasy novel. 'Sparkling Human? Really?'

What Pepper didn't realize was that what she had seen was only a glimpse of what Rosh's powers could truly do. Shooting beams of light from his fingertips was a mere party trick compared to his full potential. If he wanted, Rosh could make his entire body glow like a miniature sun, flooding everything around him with blinding radiance.

Despite the theatrical name, the sheer power he demonstrated had shaken her to the core.

"So, these Devil Fruits of yours… they really give people superpowers?" Pepper asked, her voice betraying her disbelief even as she struggled to regain her composure. Her mind raced to find a logical explanation, but her eyes betrayed the question in her heart: 'Could this be real?'

"Well, didn't you just see it for yourself?" Rosh replied with a casual shrug as though what he'd just done was the most ordinary thing in the world.

'True enough,' she admitted internally. As absurd as it all sounded—borderline ridiculous, even—what other explanation could there be? She had seen it with her own eyes: light emanating from his fingers, a concentrated beam piercing a tree trunk like it was paper.

"Shopkeeper, I know this might sound rude—perhaps even presumptuous—but... may I take a closer look at your hand?" Pepper Potts asked, her tone careful yet inquisitive. Years of navigating corporate intrigue had honed her skepticism, and she wasn't the type to accept extraordinary claims without hard evidence.

"By all means, go ahead," Rosh replied calmly, extending his hand. His relaxed demeanor suggested he had nothing to hide.

"Thank you. My apologies for the intrusion," Pepper said, offering a polite smile before taking his hand.

She examined it meticulously, turning it over and inspecting every detail. His fingers, his palms, his knuckles—everything looked utterly ordinary. His skin was warm, and his touch felt human. There was no hint of anything unusual about him, no trace of the power she had just witnessed.

'Strange,' Pepper thought, her brow furrowing as she released his hand. 'Could it be true? Could those abilities really come from a Devil Fruit? There's no other explanation...'

Breaking her silence, Pepper looked up, her expression thoughtful. "Shopkeeper, could you show me that Devil Fruit catalog again? The one you mentioned earlier?" Her tone was different now—more serious, more invested.

"Certainly," Rosh said, gesturing for her to follow him back inside. Retrieving the catalog from its spot behind the counter, he handed it to her with a faint smile. "Take your time. Everything you need to know is in there."

This time, Pepper didn't dismiss the catalog as a gimmick. Instead, she accepted it carefully and began flipping through its pages, her eyes scanning the intricate illustrations and descriptions.

'What exactly are Devil Fruits? How are they categorized? What kind of powers do they grant?' She absorbed every detail, her expression growing increasingly complex with each passage.

Even though she had just witnessed Rosh's abilities firsthand, the concepts outlined in the catalog were difficult to reconcile with her understanding of the world. The idea of fruits bestowing supernatural powers sounded like something out of a fairy tale, yet the evidence she had seen suggested otherwise.

For someone like Pepper, who operated in a world driven by science, logic, and material realities, encountering the extraordinary for the first time was profoundly unsettling. It wasn't just the power of the Devil Fruits that challenged her worldview—it was the realization that there might be forces at play far beyond human comprehension.

"Wow… This is… unbelievable." 

"No, it's downright… insane," Pepper muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The world is far more fascinating than you can imagine," Rosh remarked, a cryptic smile curling his lips as he observed her astonished expression.

"Fascinating enough to completely shatter one's worldview," Pepper replied, her gaze drifting toward the Bubble-Bubble Fruit Rosh had recommended earlier. Something about it tugged at her curiosity. She studied its vibrant, whimsical design and read through its description in the catalog, hoping to uncover its secret.

But what she found left her more puzzled than intrigued.

"Upon consumption, the user can produce bubbles capable of cleansing anything and making objects they touch incredibly slippery."

'A fruit that created soap bubbles? That was it?' Pepper's brow furrowed as she tried to decipher its utility. 'Was this supposed to replace household cleaning supplies?'

Still, she wasn't so quick to dismiss it entirely. After witnessing Rosh's otherworldly light powers, she was certain the Shopkeeper wouldn't recommend something so mundane without reason. There had to be more to this fruit than its simplistic description implied.

"Shopkeeper," she asked, lifting her eyes from the page, "could you elaborate on the Bubble-Bubble Fruit? Why did you recommend this one to me?"

Rosh's mysterious smile widened slightly, pleased by her willingness to dig deeper. "Of course," he said with a nod.

"As the description suggests, the Bubble-Bubble Fruit grants the ability to cleanse anything. But the real question is—what does 'anything' include?" He paused, letting his words hang in the air, his gaze fixed on hers.

Pepper tilted her head, considering his words. "Dirt and grime?" she ventured hesitantly, though her tone made it clear she didn't believe that could be the full answer.

Rosh couldn't help but chuckle softly at her guess. 'She really thinks it's just a glorified cleaning product? Good grief.'

"Miss Potts," he began with a faintly amused tone, "expand your perspective a little. The Bubble-Bubble Fruit doesn't just wash away physical dirt—it cleanses far more abstract things."

He leaned in slightly, his voice low but brimming with intrigue. "For instance, it can wash away the fatigue you feel after a grueling day at work. Or the lingering pain from a burn—like the one you experienced earlier."

"And if used in combat," Rosh continued, his smile taking on a sharper edge, "it can strip away an opponent's strength, leaving them utterly powerless. Imagine disarming someone without lifting a finger, all because they can no longer grip their weapon or stand on their feet. That's the true potential of the Bubble-Bubble Fruit."

'Wash away fatigue? Ease pain? Erase strength?' The very idea seemed so fantastical, so utterly absurd, that Pepper's rational mind struggled to accept it.

Fatigue, pain, and strength weren't tangible things you could see or touch. They were abstract, invisible concepts that science had yet to fully decode. And yet, here was the Shopkeeper claiming they could be cleansed—erased—by mere bubbles.

If she hadn't already witnessed Rosh shoot a beam of concentrated light from his fingertips, Pepper might have walked out of the shop right then, dismissing him as a delusional lunatic.

'However...What if it was true?'

She glanced at the Bubble-Bubble Fruit again, its vibrant and otherworldly appearance sparking a glimmer of curiosity she couldn't quite suppress. If this fruit could deliver on even half of Rosh's claims, it would be nothing short of extraordinary.

Pepper's thoughts turned to her own life. Working for Tony Stark—a man whose brilliance was matched only by his chaos—was nothing short of exhausting. Between managing his packed schedule, cleaning up his messes, and putting out metaphorical (and sometimes literal) fires, Pepper often collapsed into bed at night, too drained to even think straight.

If this fruit could truly erase fatigue, she'd have the energy to keep up with Tony's breakneck pace. She'd be unstoppable—a one-woman powerhouse capable of juggling any crisis Stark Industries threw her way.

It was tempting.

No, it was more than tempting—it was irresistible.

And yet, a part of her remained skeptical. As extraordinary as Rosh's earlier demonstration had been, it wasn't enough to convince her entirely. She needed more proof, more clarity before she could even consider taking such a leap.

This wasn't just a whimsical purchase—it was a decision that could potentially upend everything she thought she knew about the world. And Pepper Potts wasn't one to dive in without answers.

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Next Chapter: Pepper Potts in Shock

Next Next Chapter: Iron Man on the Horizon, the Dawn of the Superhero Era 

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