73rd Street, New York.
"Devil Fruits? What a strange name."
"I wonder what they're actually selling."
"Let's go in and take a look!"
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Hearing this, Rosh's spirits lifted.
He instinctively straightened his posture, eager to present his best side to the incoming customer.
As the sound of silver bells rang, a stylishly dressed blonde with an excellent figure walked into Rosh's little shop.
"Welcome."
Rosh greeted the customer with a warm smile, approaching her proactively.
"Who would've thought the shopkeeper would be a handsome guy." The blonde, outgoing and passionate, flirtatiously winked at Rosh as soon as they met.
"Thank you for the compliment, beautiful lady. Your beauty adds a touch of color to this humble shop." Having seen scenes like this many times, Rosh responded with a calm and confident smile, effortlessly returning the wink.
The blonde accepted the playful exchange and then focused her attention on the colorful fruits displayed in the showcase.
"Handsome guy, what are these fruits?"
The blonde examined the fruits with surprise, finally realizing, "Are these the Devil Fruits?"
"That's right. These are Devil Fruits. Though the name might sound a bit scary, they're actually very magical fruits," Rosh explained to the blonde.
The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Magical? Do you mean they're delicious?"
She looked at the colorful fruits with suspicion. Could these really be edible?
And there was even a black one.
So exaggerated!
They looked frightening, let alone the thought of eating them.
"No, I mean, you can gain exceptional abilities by eating these Devil Fruits... I know it sounds unbelievable, but I swear to God, it's true!" Rosh said sincerely, his face full of honesty.
"Wow, so these fruits are enchanted by a demon?" The blonde couldn't help but chuckle, looking at Rosh as if he were an idiot.
This handsome guy might look good, but he seemed a bit out of touch with reality. Otherwise, why would he treat people like fools?
Gaining special abilities by eating fruit? Why not say they'll take you to the sky?
"The origin of Devil Fruits is a mystery, but your understanding... isn't entirely wrong. So, beautiful lady, may I introduce you to some of our fruits?" Rosh thickened his skin, ignoring the blonde's skeptical look, and made a suggestion.
The blonde, having nothing else to do, didn't refuse, "Of course!"
She was curious to see if Rosh could make up some convincing stories.
"Please take a look, miss. This fruit is called the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. If you eat it, it will make your skin incredibly smooth."
"This one is the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. After eating it, you'll gain the ability to control your own weight, even floating with just an umbrella."
"And this fruit..."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"I didn't mean that, miss. I know this might sound a bit far-fetched, but... all our fruits have samples for tasting. Just try one, and you'll see," Rosh said, offering the blonde a chance to test the fruit's effects for five minutes.
"Am I crazy?"
With that, the blonde turned and left without looking back, her disdainful voice echoing as she walked away.
"Sigh, just as expected," Rosh sighed, smiling bitterly as he watched her leave.
He had experienced this kind of situation countless times in the past month.
Many people were scared off just by sighting the strange-looking fruits meant to be eaten.
Although Rosh offered samples for tasting, few dared to put such strange things in their mouths.
And even if some did, they were usually defeated by the disgusting taste of the Devil Fruits, spitting them out before swallowing, which meant they didn't gain the corresponding abilities.
In other words, Rosh had to first convince them to the point where they were willing to try the sample. Just offering a sample upfront wasn't enough.
But who in their right mind would believe in gaining superpowers by eating a fruit?
Even in a world with Captain America!
And there's another crucial point: initially, Devil Fruits were sold using money, but after a while, they'd be sold using gold instead.
At that point, even if you had money, you couldn't buy them!
You'd have to exchange your money for gold first, adding another barrier.
"If this continues, who knows when I'll complete the beginner's task?" Rosh started to feel a bit anxious.
Earlier this morning, all the media outlets heavily reported on Stark Industries' new Jericho missile. Yes, this "death missile" had already been born.
So, how far off could the day be when Tony Stark is kidnapped by the Ten Rings and eventually becomes Iron Man?
At that point, the era of Marvel's superheroes would officially begin, and Earth would be subjected to various alien invasions, robotic armies, dimensional demons, and extra-dimensional robots.
As an ordinary person, your only choice would be to become cannon fodder!
You wouldn't even know how you died.
Rosh's only hope was the system's beginner's task.
That's right, Rosh wasn't originally from this world; he was a transmigrant from another universe.
In his previous life, he actually had a pretty good life.
After graduating from college, unlike many of his peers who struggled through "the toughest job market in history," competing with millions in the brutal job market, Rosh returned home to take over his father's optical shop.
Though it didn't make him rich, it was certainly better than the average office job.
Six months after graduating, he smoothly found a great girlfriend in many ways, and they were planning to get engaged by the end of the year.
Everything seemed to be going well, but who would've thought that he would die from food poisoning while celebrating the Qixi Festival with her.
When he opened his eyes again, Rosh was reborn in the Marvel universe, bound to a system called the "Devil Fruit Supplier."
He would receive corresponding rewards if he successfully sold Devil Fruits and met specific sales targets.
And the system's beginner's task for Rosh was to successfully sell one Devil Fruit!
It seemed simple, but Rosh had yet to manage to sell one in a whole month.
This was harder than he had imagined.
But then again, an average person wouldn't buy a Devil Fruit. Someone with a screw loose might, though.
Rosh couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Author's Note: *P.S.: Initially, transactions will be made with money. After the system upgrade, gold will be used. The issues you're worried about won't exist, so feel free to enjoy.*
Translator's Note: Yeah what they said, so seat back, relax and enjoy ;) Also, the original translated name of the MC is Rorschach; however, it didn't really roll off the tongue that much, so I changed it to Rosh. It's shorter and simpler, making it easier to remember and pronounce.