"Mr. Fisk, this is far enough. Please, stay here."
"Dr. Cho, travel safely."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
…
After a thoroughly pleasant meal, Wilson Fisk and Vanessa personally escorted Helen Cho downstairs, then arranged for Wesley—Fisk's most trusted subordinate—to drive her back himself.
After they exchanged their farewells, Helen's car disappeared into the night.
Fisk, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around Vanessa and walked back into the hotel.
"Vanessa, do you think Dr. Cho was telling the truth about these Devil Fruits?"
Fisk asked in a deeply puzzled tone.
"I don't believe something like that exists in this world. It sounds absurd."
Vanessa shook her head at once.
But then she paused and added, "At the same time... Dr. Cho didn't seem like she was joking."
When Helen had spoken about Devil Fruits earlier, her expression had been serious and sincere. She hadn't looked like she was making things up at all.
People as sharp as Fisk and Vanessa could naturally tell the difference.
"That's exactly what I find strange." Fisk frowned slightly. "Dr. Cho is a careful, serious person. She wouldn't joke with us about something like this."
"But if Devil Fruits really do exist... then everything I've believed for all these years would be shaken."
He paused before continuing.
"And yet, Vanessa... I saw with my own eyes how she healed you. It was... unusual."
"That makes it impossible for me to completely dismiss what she said."
No matter how he thought about it, the whole thing refused to make sense.
"Wilson, was I really that sick?"
Vanessa looked a little surprised.
Until now, she had assumed she had simply fainted. Even without Helen's treatment, she thought she probably would have woken up on her own sooner or later.
She had assumed Fisk was making a fuss only because he loved her too much.
But now, it seemed the truth was much more serious than that.
"No, Vanessa. The truth is, you were in very bad shape." Fisk's expression turned grave. "At the very least, the specialists I brought in were all helpless."
Only then did Vanessa truly realize how serious it had been.
"Then... was Dr. Cho telling the truth? Are Devil Fruits actually real?"
After a long pause, she looked at Fisk in disbelief.
Fisk fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject instead.
"It's getting late, Vanessa. Let me take you back to rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Vanessa nodded sensibly.
After sending her back, Fisk returned to his office and immediately summoned Wesley.
He told him everything Helen Cho had said about Devil Fruits and instructed him to investigate the matter.
As ridiculous as it sounded, Helen had spoken with too much confidence, and Fisk had personally seen her heal Vanessa.
That was enough to make him take it seriously.
"Boss... did you just say Devil Fruits?"
To Fisk's surprise, Wesley looked genuinely shocked after hearing it.
He even repeated the words back to him.
"What? Wesley, you've heard of those things too?"
Now it was Fisk's turn to be surprised.
"I have," Wesley replied with a nod. "Boss, do you remember the mercenary Wade? The one who killed Daredevil?"
Of course Fisk remembered him.
That man had eliminated one of his greatest long-term problems, and he had already placed Wade on his list of people worth watching.
He had even considered recruiting him.
"Wade used to look like he had suffered severe burns. His skin was ruined. His entire face was ruined."
"With injuries like that, modern medicine shouldn't have been able to fully restore him. Even skin grafts would have left obvious traces."
"But when I saw Wade again about a month ago, his face was flawless."
"His skin was better than any woman's skin I've ever seen."
"At the time, Wade told me it was a Devil Fruit that healed his face."
"A Devil Fruit healed his face?" Fisk narrowed his eyes. "Not Dr. Cho, who has the power of a Devil Fruit?"
Those were two very different things.
"No. He said it was the Devil Fruit itself."
Wesley thought back carefully, then nodded with certainty.
From beginning to end, Wade had never mentioned Dr. Cho or anyone else. Even though some time had passed, Wesley still remembered that clearly.
"Could it be... Devil Fruits really are real?"
Fisk found himself wavering more and more.
At this point, two different people had mentioned Devil Fruits to him.
He didn't believe in coincidences like that.
"Oh, right, boss. Wade said something else too."
Wesley suddenly remembered another detail and looked up.
"He said that if you ate a Devil Fruit, you could kill Daredevil yourself."
That finally shattered whatever calm Fisk still had left.
"Wesley, go to that Devil Fruit shop tomorrow. Immediately."
He spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"Find out whether those fruits are really as miraculous as they say."
…
Devil Fruit Shop.
"These colorful things are actually edible?"
"Of course. My shop runs on honesty. No tricks, no scams. We even have sample portions for tasting. Would you like to try one?"
"No thanks. I'm not looking to die."
And just like that, another customer was scared off by the Devil Fruits.
Still, compared to some others, this one had been relatively polite.
At least he hadn't started yelling, threatening to report the shop, or making a scene.
"Take care. I won't see you out."
By now, Rorschach had long since grown used to this sort of thing. He only called that much from behind the counter and didn't bother trying to stop the man.
The ones who were meant to buy would buy.
The ones who were meant to leave could never be kept.
Without realizing it, Rorschach's mindset had already reached a higher level.
Besides, that last guy had obviously been an ordinary office worker. There was a very high chance he couldn't afford a Devil Fruit anyway, so Rorschach didn't feel like wasting time showing him the "miracle" of the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Forget it. Might as well play a couple rounds."
There was no point dwelling on it.
Rorschach quickly pushed the matter from his mind, picked up his phone, and smoothly tapped his way back into the game.
"Devil Fruits? So this store really does exist."
A voice suddenly rang out.
Then a man in glasses walked into the shop.
He looked refined and well-mannered, dressed in an expensive designer suit.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to the shop."
Rorschach immediately put down his phone and stepped out from behind the counter to greet the customer.
At the same time, he couldn't help thinking to himself—
This guy looks familiar.
But who exactly is he?