Tony's calm expression didn't escape Qin Xiao's notice.
"That's right. It doesn't grant immortality. The soul will return to hell the second time."
Qin Xiao admitted it openly.
In truth, Devil Fruits had nothing to do with hell.
But Qin Xiao deliberately tied them to demons.
With "hell" as his backing, he could avoid a lot of trouble—
especially when dealing with powerful organizations in the future.
Groups like mutants or S.H.I.E.L.D.
Devil Fruit users were too similar to mutants.
Without a reasonable origin, it would invite endless danger.
S.H.I.E.L.D., which claimed to protect world peace, would undoubtedly eliminate someone like him—
a source of constant "instability."
But if he were the "envoy of an Eastern hellish demon"…
Then they would have to think twice before acting.
After all, Mephisto—the lord of hell—had already created the Ghost Rider.
That alone proved demons were real.
And their agents… were not easy to deal with.
Tony shook his head after hearing Qin Xiao's answer.
"Even if I'm not particularly religious… I still don't want to go to hell."
There was clear regret in his voice.
Qin Xiao's hand rippled again.
The Revive-Revive Fruit disappeared.
Tony had refused.
Refused a second chance at life.
Yet Qin Xiao wasn't angry—instead, he smiled.
"God? Maybe in a few months, you'll realize that gods aren't as mysterious as you think."
God?
Tony's pupils contracted.
Again, Qin Xiao mentioned "a few months later."
Just like before.
Months ago, Qin Xiao had predicted his betrayal and injury.
And it had come true.
Three months ago, he had indeed nearly died in Afghanistan.
So… in a few months, would gods really appear?
"And Tony—when that time comes, you might personally come to me to buy this fruit."
Tony's heart skipped a beat.
"I'll come to you for it? Did some devil tell you that?"
His expression turned serious.
Qin Xiao chuckled.
"I don't need a devil to tell me.
The arc reactor in your chest uses palladium as its energy source.
And palladium is poisoning your body.
In other words—using the reactor is slow suicide.
But if you stop using it, that's immediate death.
Your life doesn't have much time left.
At most, half a year.
That depends on whether you can find a substitute for palladium.
If you can't… then the only thing that can save you will be in my hands.
When that time comes, whether you choose God or a devil—
will be up to you.
And besides…"
Qin Xiao's tone turned mocking.
"You've sold so many weapons and caused countless deaths.
Do you really think you're going to heaven?"
Tony froze.
That last sentence hit him like a hammer.
He had caused countless deaths through his weapons.
And yet…
he had just refused the fruit because he didn't want to go to hell.
The irony was almost laughable.
Qin Xiao, meanwhile, was simply taking advantage of information asymmetry.
Tony Stark was destined to become Iron Man.
And palladium poisoning was an unavoidable crisis.
Qin Xiao already knew the solution—
but before that, convincing Tony to eat the Revive-Revive Fruit would be far more valuable.
Once Tony ate it, he would gain a second life.
Even death wouldn't be the end.
Qin Xiao also understood why the system matched this fruit with Tony.
Most likely… it was for the Snap.
That thought sent a chill through him.
Did the system assume the Snap was inevitable?
If so…
then for his own survival, Tony had to eat this fruit.
What if he himself disappeared in the Snap?
Would he have to rely on those so-called heroes to bring him back?
If Tony consumed the fruit, the system would extract its power.
That would effectively grant Qin Xiao an extra life.
The Revive-Revive Fruit didn't even need development at first.
Its power would activate automatically upon death.
Only after revival would its true potential emerge—
the chill of the underworld,
out-of-body soul projection…
abilities that only manifested after returning from death.
Tony, meanwhile, was shaken.
Palladium poisoning?
He had no idea.
But the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
The arc reactor was holding the shrapnel in place.
And palladium, as its energy source, would inevitably affect his body.
Poisoning…
felt unavoidable.
And that final remark—
about heaven—
echoed in his mind.
In the end, Tony spoke.
"I'll give you 100 million.
Keep that fruit for me.
If someone offers more, tell me—I'll outbid them."
He compromised.
He didn't want to eat it now—
but he also didn't want to lose his chance at survival.
So he chose to reserve it.
After all, he didn't even know if Devil Fruits required special storage.
"100 million?" Qin Xiao scoffed.
"You're too naive.
If I quietly leak the ability of this fruit…
how many people do you think would bid for it?
100 million?
Is that really enough?"