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"Yes. Run the upgrade!"
There wasn't a single shred of hesitation in Rosh's mind. He made the selection instantly, his heart hammering against his ribs in a rapid, expectant rhythm.
[System Upgrade in progress...]
[Upgrade Complete!]
[The latest version has been successfully loaded. Would the Host like to view the changelog?]
"Show me the changelog!" Rosh commanded.
In an instant, the old, minimalist interface shattered, replaced by a sleek, cascading holographic display that painted his entire office in a cool, sci-fi blue glow.
The very first thing that caught his eye was the shop's inventory tab. It had completely expanded, overflowing with hundreds of new, vibrant icons. The system had just dumped an absolute treasure trove of legendary Devil Fruits into his catalog, weapons of mass destruction that, until now, had been completely locked away.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit... the Op-Op Fruit... the String-String Fruit... even the Hollow-Hollow Fruit..." Rosh murmured, his eyes darting hungrily across the screen. "The absolute pinnacle of the Paramecia class is finally on the shelves."
But the system wasn't done showing off.
"The Logias got an evolutionary leap, too. The Flame-Flame and Sand-Sand Fruits are unlocked. And..." Rosh's breath caught in his throat as his eyes landed on two specific, glowing icons. "No way. The Mag-Mag Fruit and the Ice-Ice Fruit are here?!"
For a second, Rosh's usual cool, professional composure completely cracked, replaced by a surge of pure, unfiltered adrenaline.
This update was absurdly, terrifyingly generous. The powerhouse abilities the system had guarded like sacred relics were suddenly up for grabs. We are talking about the signature, world-shaking powers of the Seven Warlords, the Three Marine Admirals, and the Four Emperors of the Sea.
Even the Zoan section had undergone a massive, monstrous overhaul. The standard predatory models were now flanked by ancient prehistoric beasts and soaring Dragon-type models. But the crown jewel of the entire catalog was the newly unlocked sub-category: Mythical Zoans.
Staring at the glittering array of god-tier powers, a fleeting, incredibly tempting thought crossed Rosh's mind: 'What if I just shut down the shop, locked the doors, and ate every single one of these myself?' He'd be an absolute god.
However, as the initial rush of greed faded, Rosh forced himself to take a slow, grounding breath, regaining his characteristic calmness.
The Marvel Universe was not the grand line of One Piece. Even if he handed these legendary fruits to the most capable people on Earth, the average Marvel inhabitant would struggle to reach the earth-shattering heights of the original users. The fundamental laws of physical training, haki, and biological limits were entirely different here. Reaching the peak of a fruit's power, let alone achieving a true "Awakening," was a mountain most people in this universe simply wouldn't have the lifetime, or the biology, to climb.
Rosh smiled, a quiet, confident expression settling back onto his face. He was the only exception to that rule. Thanks to the system, his growth wasn't bound by the laws of this universe, or any other.
Having spent so much time dissecting the original lore and serving as the bridge between two entirely different worlds, Rosh had developed a deep, almost philosophical understanding of these powers. No matter how flashy, destructive, or fundamentally "broken" a Devil Fruit seemed on paper, its true value always depended entirely on the soul of the person who consumed it.
A fruit was a tool, an incredible, reality-warping tool, but a tool nonetheless. In a universe as chaotic as Marvel's, there would always be cosmic entities, ancient sorcerers, or sheer forces of nature capable of crushing a reckless Devil Fruit user through brute strength or superior force of will.
Which was exactly why Rosh wasn't worried about accidentally creating a rival.
As long as he kept refining his own baseline physical abilities, he would remain completely untouchable. Even right now, if he chose to completely suppress the light-speed, destructive powers of his Glint-Glint Fruit, his raw, unyielding physical strength alone was enough to comfortably handle the Avengers in a straight-up brawl. The moment he factored his Logia elements back into the equation, he easily ranked among the premier powerhouses of the cosmos.
Secured by his own absolute power, Rosh swept a hand across the holographic screen, moving past the inventory to examine the structural changes to the system.
First up: the long-awaited Membership System was finally active.
To his surprise, becoming a registered VIP member of the Home of the Devil Fruits was remarkably straightforward, mirroring the classic, high-end corporate loyalty programs of the mundane world. It all boiled down to a simple concept: store credit.
But the barrier to entry was steep. To earn the basic title of "Member," a customer had to deposit a staggering one ton of gold into the shop's accounts.
At current market rates, that translates to a jaw-dropping five billion dollars. Of course, that was just a direct paper conversion. When you factored in the black-market logistics, shipping, and the geopolitical nightmare of acquiring a literal metric ton of physical gold, the actual cost was astronomically higher.
It was a sum no ordinary civilian, or even a typical billionaire, could ever hope to amass. This was a playground strictly for sovereign nations, hidden kingdoms, and global organizations.
And the perk of this multi-billion-dollar club?
A member's lifetime purchase limit officially increased from three fruits to five. It sounded like a modest bump, but for governments or shadow factions looking to build an elite, specialized strike team, those extra two slots were absolutely life-changing. As for higher, even more lucrative membership tiers? The system indicated those would remain locked until the next major upgrade.
While the VIP module was a nice touch, Rosh found himself far more drawn to the second major overhaul: The New Settlement Method.
The system had transitioned away from crude, physical transactions and adopted an incredibly advanced new currency: Origin Points.
"Origin Points?" Rosh's eyebrows shot up as he leaned closer to the blue-lit screen.
Origin Points were the ultimate lifeblood of his system. If he wanted to roll the high-tier gacha or directly upgrade his own stats, he needed those points. If the shop were now generating them directly from sales...
'That means every single transaction gives me a direct cut of Origin Points,' Rosh realized, a slow, dangerous grin spreading across his face. 'I don't have to wait for milestone rewards, system achievements, or rare mission completions anymore. I get paid in absolute power every single time a customer walks out my front door.'
Now, that was a game-changer.
But it raised a massive question: how were the customers supposed to acquire these points in the first place? Rosh didn't exactly expect them to have an Origin Point wallet on their phones.
He swiped to the next page of the system guide and read through the fine print. Fortunately, the system had kept things incredibly flexible.
There were two primary avenues for payment. The first was the classic, reliable baseline: the Gold Exchange. One kilogram of gold was officially pegged to exactly one Origin Point. This meant his traditional, metal-based payment method remained completely intact; it was simply automatically converted and routed through the system's new, digitized currency backend.
But beyond basic gold conversion, the system had introduced a second, far more revolutionary option: the Special Value Exchange.
"System," Rosh murmured, narrowing his eyes as he studied the holographic text. "Define 'Special Value.' What exactly qualifies?"
[Special Value refers to the intrinsic attributes, traits, or metaphysical assets possessed by a customer.]
[This includes, but is not limited to: unique specialized knowledge, advanced combat skills, magical reserves, divine energy, life force/lifespan, or personal luck and cosmic providence.]
[When a consumer chooses to pay using Special Value, the Host may choose to receive the equivalent amount in raw Origin Points, OR directly acquire the specific 'Value' offered by the consumer.]
Hearing the system's cold, mechanical explanation, Rosh's eyes practically flashed with dollar signs, or rather, pure, unfiltered power symbols.
This transaction model was absolutely mind-blowing. It meant that instead of relying solely on slow, incremental system upgrades to grow stronger, he could directly "harvest" the unique, god-like capabilities of the Marvel Universe's most legendary figures.
If Thor ever came knocking, wanting a fruit to power up, Rosh didn't just have to settle for Asgardian gold. He could demand a portion of the Prince's Godhood or a spark of his raw, primordial Divine Lightning. If Wanda Maximoff walked through his doors desperately seeking a shortcut to control her destiny, he could trade a fruit for a slice of her reality-warping Chaos Magic.
He wasn't just a shopkeeper anymore. He was a cosmic merchant trading in the very essence of what made heroes gods.
"Well," Rosh chuckled, leaning back in his chair and interlacing his fingers. "The path to absolute godhood just got a whole lot wider."
He was beyond satisfied with the update. But as the sheer scale of the new mechanics sank in, he slowly drifted into a deep, calculating silence.
Originally, back when the Ancient Zoans and basic Logias were first unlocked, he had planned to host a grand, high-profile auction to sell off his rarest fruits to the highest bidder. He'd been waiting for the perfect moment to pull the trigger, and with the grand opening of his glittering Manhattan headquarters, he'd figured the time was finally ripe.
But now, with "Special Value" officially on the table, a simple, gold-based auction suddenly felt incredibly primitive. Bidding with mere metal was child's play.
He needed to completely rewrite his strategy. If he played his cards right, his next grand event wouldn't just make him the richest man on Earth, it would elevate him into a realm of power the universe had never seen before.
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Next Chapter: Gold is Boring, Let's Harvest Fate!
Next Next Chapter: The Soldier's Anchor and the Agent's Duty
Next Next Next Chapter: Reversing Time by Twelve Years
Visit my P@tr3on or K0‑fi ''Isopuff'' page and unlock +20 extra chapters and daily updates!