There was a world of difference between a steel fist and a red-hot steel fist.
With an ordinary steel fist, Kingpin could punch through a wall.
But if he hit a steel plate, at most he'd leave a deep dent in it.
A red-hot fist, though?
Punching straight through steel wouldn't be a problem.
That was a completely different level.
And you had to remember—Tony Stark still hadn't become Iron Man yet.
The age of Marvel's superheroes hadn't officially begun.
At this point in time, aside from mutants, there really weren't many supernatural beings walking around.
And mutants were a different matter altogether. They rarely lived in the same circles as ordinary people. The odds of a normal person actually crossing paths with one weren't that high.
Under those circumstances, possessing the power to punch through steel with a single blow...
The sheer shock value of that was obvious.
Rorschach could clearly hear Kingpin's breathing grow heavier.
Even a man like him was struggling to stay calm.
"A high-temperature state?" Kingpin's voice was low, but the excitement inside it was impossible to hide. "That's beyond astonishing."
"And that's not all, Mr. Fisk."
Rorschach smiled and kept going.
"The highest level of the Steel Fruit isn't limited to turning your own body into steel. It can also turn other objects you touch into steel."
If it truly developed that far, Kingpin would practically become Colossus 2.0.
Kingpin's eyes widened on the spot.
"You can... do that too?"
His worldview had officially exploded.
Altering your own body was already ridiculous enough. It was unbelievable, yes, but at least it still barely fell within the realm of bodily transformation.
After all, your body had already been changed by the Devil Fruit.
But changing things outside your own body?
That was just straight-up magic.
Kingpin was genuinely shaken.
"In any case, the Steel Fruit is absolutely an excellent Paramecia fruit," Rorschach said with a smile. "Are you satisfied, Mr. Fisk?"
"Satisfied?"
Kingpin let out a low laugh.
"I'm more than satisfied."
Then he made his decision without the slightest hesitation.
"Boss, I want this Steel Fruit."
"You don't want to keep looking at the others first?" Rorschach asked with a smile.
"Of course I do."
Kingpin answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
How could he possibly stop at buying only one fruit after encountering something this heaven-defying?
A smile immediately appeared on Rorschach's face.
As expected.
Kingpin really was a premium customer.
Excellent.
"But first, I want to eat the Steel Fruit." Kingpin added, his tone carrying a rare hint of impatience. "My apologies, Boss, but I truly can't wait to experience it."
"That's not a problem at all." Rorschach nodded. "Also, this shop offers sample tasting. Would you like to try it first, Mr. Fisk?"
"There's no need." Kingpin waved the offer away. "I trust you, Boss."
"In that case... the Steel Fruit is three million dollars. However, the shop's discount period is still active, so you only need to pay two million one hundred thousand."
The moment Rorschach named the price, Wesley immediately pulled out a bank card and handed it to Kingpin.
Kingpin took it, then respectfully offered it to Rorschach with both hands.
That alone said everything about his attitude.
Rorschach looked like a university student at first glance—young, clean, harmless.
But anyone who could casually sell something as absurd as Devil Fruits?
There was no way such a person was ordinary.
Kingpin held a great deal of awe toward him.
Rorschach quickly ran the card, then took out the Steel Fruit and handed it to Kingpin. As a friendly reminder, he also explained the one-bite rule.
Kingpin looked down at the fruit in his hand, its strange patterns giving it an eerie, almost artistic beauty.
Then, with boundless anticipation, he bit into it.
The next second, his expression twisted violently as he forced himself to swallow.
The taste of a Devil Fruit was so appalling that even a man like Kingpin couldn't keep a straight face through it.
But very soon, he no longer had the luxury of caring about that taste, because he clearly felt the change inside his body.
"Wesley... this feeling..." Kingpin's eyes widened in excitement. "So this is what a Devil Fruit is?"
Then he raised his fist and, following pure instinct, directed the strange new power into it.
In the next instant—
His fist turned into steel.
"It changed! My fist really turned into steel!" Kingpin's voice shook with excitement. "Unbelievable... absolutely unbelievable! This is a miracle!"
He looked like he might actually jump on the spot.
But then he quickly realized he had lost composure and immediately turned back to Rorschach.
"My apologies, Boss. I made a fool of myself. I was simply too excited. It's difficult to remain calm after witnessing something this impossible."
Rorschach understood completely and didn't laugh at him in the slightest.
Truthfully, Kingpin's self-control was already terrifyingly good.
By normal standards, he had been remarkably restrained.
"Mr. Fisk—"
"Boss, just call me Fisk. No need to be so formal."
"Alright then, Fisk." Rorschach smiled. "Congratulations on obtaining the power of steel transformation and becoming one of the Devil Fruit users."
"Thank you, Boss. It's all thanks to you for giving me this opportunity."
Kingpin spoke from the heart.
"You're too serious. The fact that you found your way to this shop means we were meant to meet."
Rorschach waved it off with a smile.
"You're right. It does feel like fate."
Kingpin nodded, then continued, "Boss, I'd like to purchase more Devil Fruits."
Rorschach looked at him.
"Fisk, one person can only eat one Devil Fruit. If someone eats a second, their body will explode and they'll die. Are you sure you still want to buy more?"
That news caught Kingpin slightly off guard.
But it didn't change his mind at all.
He had never intended to keep buying Devil Fruits for himself anyway.
He understood the truth that biting off more than you could chew only led to ruin. Until he fully developed the Steel Fruit, he had no plans to touch anything else.
The extra fruits were for other people.
"Yes, Boss. I still want to continue buying."
He nodded firmly.
"That's fine," Rorschach said. "But Fisk, Devil Fruits are limited-purchase items. Each person can buy at most three. So think carefully about what you choose."
Kingpin immediately felt a wave of disappointment.
But after thinking about it, he understood.
If Devil Fruits weren't purchase-limited, he alone could empty the entire store.
Then he could go back and build an army of Devil Fruit users.
At that point, taking over all of New York would become laughably easy.
Things in this world were never that simple.