"Seriously? At a time like this?"
The moment the heavy pounding rattled the door, Wade's face completely darkened. His flawless, Disney-prince mood evaporated in a fraction of a second.
"Babe, do not stop me," he said, cracking his knuckles one by one with dramatic intensity. "If this is someone trying to ruin our overpriced celebration dinner, I am legally and morally obligated to murder them."
Vanessa rolled her eyes, completely used to the theatrics. "Wade, for the hundredth time, not everyone who minorly inconveniences us deserves to be murdered."
"That is a very narrow-minded, anti-mercenary opinion."
"Stay here," Vanessa ordered, totally ignoring him as she stood up from the couch and walked into the hallway to open the front door.
When the deadbolt clicked open, Vanessa found herself staring at an incredibly elegant Asian woman standing out in the dim hallway light. The woman was tall, poised, and dressed in an impeccably tailored business suit. Everything about her, from her perfect posture to the subtle glint of her designer watch, practically screamed old money, elite education, and high social status.
Compared to Wade and Vanessa's cramped, chaotic apartment, this woman looked like she belonged in a million-dollar glass penthouse overlooking Central Park.
Vanessa recognized her instantly. "Dr. Cho?" A flash of genuine surprise crossed her face, quickly followed by a protective frown. "Look, I'm sorry, but I thought we already made our position completely clear."
The woman standing outside was none other than Dr. Helen Cho, one of the world's most brilliant minds in advanced biotechnology.
"Miss Vanessa," Helen offered a soft, deeply apologetic smile. "Please forgive me for showing up unannounced like this again." She spoke with absolute sincerity, completely devoid of the usual arrogance you'd expect from a world-class scientist. "I just felt like I didn't explain things properly during my last visit. I think there might have been some unfortunate misunderstandings between Mr. Wilson and me."
Vanessa remained quiet, holding the door firmly.
Helen pressed on, her expression turning deeply serious. "Please, just give me five more minutes of your time. I truly believe that once you fully understand the scope of the Regeneration Cradle project, you'll see why this opportunity is so incredibly important. This might very well be Mr. Wilson's only chance at a normal life." She added softly, "And if you still want me to leave after that, I promise I will never trouble either of you again."
Vanessa hesitated; she could tell Helen genuinely cared. The truth was, the Regeneration Cradle project was already entering its human testing phase. The animal trials had been a flawless success. The groundbreaking cellular regeneration technology was fully developed, and from Helen's scientific perspective, Wade's unique mutant biology made him the ideal candidate.
She had run into him by pure coincidence three months ago and had been trying to recruit him ever since. Unfortunately, Wade had rejected her with all the subtlety of a live grenade. After everything he'd already been through in that Weapon X lab, he had zero interest in becoming someone else's science experiment.
But Helen wasn't the type to give up easily. Which was exactly why she was standing on his doormat for a second time.
"Dr. Cho!" a loud, overly familiar voice suddenly cut through the heavy conversation. "Look, I'm sorry to break it to you, doc, but this little road trip was totally doomed from the start."
Wade suddenly materialized right behind Vanessa, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Then, he flashed a dazzling, mega-watt smile. "Because as you can see, I am just way too ridiculously handsome to be a lab rat now."
Helen barely even registered the joke. The exact millisecond her eyes locked onto his face, her scientific brain completely short-circuited. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in absolute, unadulterated shock.
"...Mr. Wilson?"
The sheer disbelief in her voice was a perfect mirror of Vanessa's earlier reaction. For a wild second, Helen genuinely wondered if she had walked into the wrong apartment building entirely.
"See?" Wade wrapped a casual arm around Vanessa's shoulder, pointing a triumphant finger at the doctor. "Exactly the same reaction! Oh, I love this part. I'm never wearing a mask again."
Realizing she had completely lost her professional composure, Helen quickly cleared her throat and forced herself to snap out of it. But the underlying shock didn't go away. Even as a world-renowned geneticist, she could barely process what she was looking at.
The severe scar tissue was gone. The horrific burn marks were gone. The cellular disfigurement she had spent the last three months analyzing on paper had completely vanished, replaced by flawless, radiant skin. According to every single textbook on modern medicine, this was scientifically impossible.
"Mr. Wilson..." Helen whispered, staring at his jawline. "How... how is any of this possible?"
"Hey, trust me, if you asked me yesterday, I would've told you it was a magic trick," Wade grinned, waving a dismissive hand. "Turns out, all I needed to fix my existential crisis was a magical fruit and a slightly shady, incredibly attractive fruit salesman down on 73rd Street."
Helen blinked, her logical brain violently rejecting the sentence. "A magical... fruit?"
"Yep."
"Mr. Wilson, that is not a scientific explanation."
"That's because the real explanation is totally insane, doc!"
Without asking for permission, Wade launched right into the entire narrative for the third time that day, complete with over-the-top hand gestures, simulated explosion noises, and a brief reenactment of his frictionless sliding experience.
By the time he finally finished his monologue, Helen looked completely bewildered. "Devil Fruits? A fruit that alters human DNA instantly upon consumption?"
Every single bit of her scientific training screamed that this was a hoax. And yet, the living, breathing, perfect evidence was standing six inches away from her. There was no denying the physical data.
"Anyway," Wade suddenly snapped his fingers loudly, a lightbulb going off over his head. "I almost forgot! The handsomest shopkeeper in New York asked me to recommend some premium customers." He pointed a dramatic finger straight at Helen's face. "And you, Dr. Cho, are filthy, stinking rich."
Helen's brow furrowed. "What does my financial status have to do with anything?"
"It means you can actually afford the merchandise!" Wade nodded with absolute confidence. "Congratulations, doc. You've been officially selected. Power up time."
Helen stared at him for several long, quiet seconds, weighing the absolute absurdity of the situation against the literal miracle standing in front of her.
Slowly, she asked, "Where exactly did you say this store was?"
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
The following morning, back at the shop on 73rd Street.
Business was dead. Like, painfully, tragically dead. Not a single living soul had stepped foot inside the boutique all morning.
With absolutely nothing better to do, Rosh was slumped behind the wooden counter, mindlessly tapping away at a mobile game on his phone. Unfortunately, the international localized version of the game felt completely wrong. The character models looked clunky, the skill balancing was totally off, and the touch controls were lagging. After losing his third-ranked match in a row, he was seriously about to uninstall the whole thing.
Then..
*Buzz!*
A distinctive group chat notification popped up at the top of his screen.
[Group Chat: Devil Fruit Family]
Wade Wilson: Boss! Big boss! Pop the champagne!
Rosh immediately exited the game. Honestly, anything was more entertaining than watching his rank drop.
Rosh: What's up, Wade? Did you accidentally slide into traffic?
Wade: Rude. But no! Boss, I have monumental, earth-shattering news. I just successfully acquired your very first official customer referral.
Wade: And let me tell you, she is a very, very reliable customer.
Rosh raised an eyebrow, leaning over the counter.
Rosh: Define "reliable."
The text messages started flooding his screen like machine-gun fire.
Wade: Rich.
Wade: Beautiful.
Wade: Legs for days.
Wade: Hair like a silk waterfall.
Wade: Scary smart.
Wade: Honestly, probably 100% your type.
Wade: Plus, she's Korean.
Rosh stared blankly at the screen, a deadpan expression taking over his face. Was this guy actually trying to bring in a customer, or was he running a sketchy, back-alley matchmaking service?
Wade: Oh, and did I mention she's a scientist? Like, the elite, mega-genius kind.
Wade: She literally hangs out and talks shop with Tony Stark.
That single sentence instantly made Rosh sit up straight, his relaxed posture vanishing.
Someone who personally knew Tony Stark wasn't just a random elite customer. In the Marvel universe, that meant she was a major player connected directly to the core timeline. Now, his genuine curiosity was piqued.
Rosh: Alright, drop the jokes, Wade. Who is she?
A second later, Wade's reply flashed on the screen.
Wade: Dr. Helen Cho.
Rosh completely froze.
'Helen Cho?' The name echoed in his brain, instantly bringing up a flood of memories from his past life. She wasn't just wealthy, she was the undisputed pioneer of advanced genetic engineering and organic biotechnology. And judging from what Rosh knew about the future MCU timeline, her connections to the Avengers ran incredibly deep.
Wade: She looked totally obsessed when I flexed my new, flawless skin in front of her yesterday. If this sale goes through, boss, you definitely owe me a massive discount. I'm talking friends-and-family pricing.
Rosh: You are a customer, Wade. You are definitely not family.
Wade: Emotional family counts! Don't push me away, Rosh!
Rosh couldn't help but chuckle out loud at his phone. But as the laughter faded, a sudden realization hit him. How on earth had a street-level mercenary like Deadpool ended up crossing paths with a high-society biotech genius like Helen Cho? Their social circles shouldn't even be in the same atmosphere.
Curious, he texted back, asking for a quick summary. Wade dropped a brief, highly stylized explanation of their history and the whole Rebirth Cradle recruitment situation.
By the time Rosh finished reading the text, he just shook his head in absolute wonder. "What a ridiculous coincidence..."
Only someone like Wade Wilson could accidentally bridge the gap between an underground fruit shop and the upper echelons of Marvel's scientific elite.
"Home of the Devil Fruits?"
A calm, crisp, incredibly poised female voice suddenly echoed through the quiet store, accompanied by the gentle, familiar chime of the front doorbell. "Is this the place?"
Rosh snapped his head up immediately. Standing right near the entrance was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in elegant, high-end professional attire. She carried herself with an unmistakable air of grace, confidence, and immense intelligence. It was a face he had seen on movie screens before, but seeing it in person was entirely different.
Dr. Helen Cho had officially arrived.
Rosh quickly tapped his phone screen, sending one final text.
Rosh: Gotta go, Wade. She's here.
Wade: Secure the bag, boss! Don't mess this up!
Ignoring the mercenary's final frantic message, Rosh smoothly slid his phone into his pocket and stood up from behind the counter. He smoothed out his shirt, plastering on his most welcoming, effortlessly charming professional smile as he stepped out into the showroom.
"Dr. Cho," Rosh said, his voice warm and grounded as his eyes met hers. "Welcome to the Home of the Devil Fruits. I've been expecting you."
And just like that... the second major catalyst of the new age had walked through his door.