"What is this?"
Tony stared at the oddly shaped, brightly colored object in Qin Xiao's hand, his face full of confusion.
"This is a Devil Fruit.
Anyone who eats one becomes a Devil Fruit user.
The abilities I possess… come from a Devil Fruit."
Frank spoke up first, explaining from experience.
"You're not a naturally born mutant?"
Tony looked genuinely surprised.
"No. I'm a Devil Fruit user," Frank replied firmly.
Hearing this, Tony looked at the fruit in Qin Xiao's hand with disbelief.
"You're telling me… a single fruit can turn your body into something like mud?
You can pull endless weapons out of your body—
and even bullets and shells can't hurt you?"
His voice was filled with astonishment.
He had seen Frank's abilities with his own eyes.
Back when he was still building the Iron Man suit, Frank had stormed straight into the cave.
What happened next had completely shocked him.
Frank alone blocked the cave entrance, forcing all the terrorists back.
Bullets fired at him sank into his body like they were hitting sludge—completely ineffective.
Meanwhile, every time Frank paused his fire, he would pull out new weapons and ammunition from his mud-like body.
He could even produce rockets from within himself!
With that combination of near-immortality and endless firepower, Frank single-handedly wiped out the entire terrorist base.
Tony and Yinsen were rescued just like that.
Even the armor Tony had built became unnecessary.
Later, Tony contacted Colonel Rhodes for extraction.
While waiting, Tony and Yinsen witnessed something even more unbelievable.
In the middle of the desert, Frank transformed into a vast mass of swamp-like sludge—
which writhed and swallowed up all the weapons in the base.
Just thinking about the arsenal Frank now carried inside his body made Tony's eyelids twitch.
With the weapons he had collected alone, Frank could unleash an armed storm in New York.
Tony had originally assumed Frank was a mutant.
But now, that assumption had been completely overturned.
Frank's power came from this so-called Devil Fruit.
Seeing Tony's shock, Qin Xiao smiled slightly.
Just as expected—Tony was hooked.
Now came the moment to "sell" the fruit.
"Each Devil Fruit grants a different ability.
Frank is a highly trained Marine and a master of weaponry.
The fruit he matched with is called the Swamp-Swamp Fruit.
It allows him to create a swamp that can swallow countless objects.
What you called 'mud'—that's not mud at all.
This fruit solved Frank's biggest limitation: ammunition supply."
Qin Xiao explained calmly.
"The Swamp-Swamp Fruit… the name fits," Tony nodded.
"Then what about the one in your hand?"
"The fruit I'm holding… is called the Revive-Revive Fruit."
"The Revive-Revive Fruit? That doesn't sound very pleasant."
Qin Xiao let out a faint scoff.
"Not pleasant?
This fruit allows a dead person to return to life.
Even if their body has decayed into a skeleton, they can still be forcibly revived.
Do you still think the name is bad?"
He deliberately left out one detail—
If revived as a skeleton, the user would remain in that state permanently.
However, that form also seemed to grant a kind of pseudo-immortality.
After all, Brook had lived for decades as a skeleton without aging.
Even broken bones could be restored… with milk.
"Return to life?"
"Return to life?!"
Both Tony and Frank exclaimed at the same time.
Tony's voice carried doubt.
Frank's carried certainty.
He believed Qin Xiao completely.
"This fruit gives the user a chance for their soul to avoid going to hell.
As long as the soul returns to the body… they live again."
Qin Xiao continued his explanation, weaving the narrative skillfully.
The name "Devil Fruit" alone was enough to mislead people.
Whether it was Kingpin, Frank, or Tony—
they all instinctively associated him with an envoy of Eastern devils.
A being spreading power across the Western world.
That alone inspired fear.
But at the same time, they didn't doubt the power these fruits offered.
After all—
If a devil grants you power, there must be a price.
For example… being abandoned by heaven.
Eating a Devil Fruit was like signing a contract with a devil.
Devout believers would reject such power outright.
They wouldn't risk losing their place in heaven.
But people like Frank and Kingpin didn't care.
Based on what they had done in life, hell was already their destination.
That's why they accepted the fruits without hesitation.
As for Tony…
Even Qin Xiao wasn't sure if he could convince him.
"One chance for the soul to avoid hell, huh?"
Tony spoke calmly.
"In other words… the second time, the soul definitely goes to hell."