Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"Oh my god!"

"We're not sure if Thor is real, but that demon might be."

"What is this? A gateway to hell?"

"No, this is where that fallen satellite landed—just… remodeled into this!"

"That wasn't a satellite? Then what, Thor's hammer?"

"No wonder we couldn't lift it—it belongs to a god."

"..."

Inside the restaurant, a crowd whispered in shock.

Thor's expression had already turned grave.

This kind of method was far beyond anything Midgard should possess.

A Demon Envoy.

It seemed the other party's identity was now certain.

"Thor, go take a look at your hammer. See if you can reclaim it."

After speaking, Qin Xiao took the lead and stepped through the portal.

The moment Thor saw Mjolnir on the other side, he walked forward without hesitation.

Jane Foster tried to rush in after him.

"What happens next isn't something you can be part of."

Qin Xiao stopped her directly.

Then he closed the portal.

At that moment, the people in the restaurant completely lost it.

A Demon Envoy!

A real Demon Envoy had descended upon their small town!

That meant the gaze of demons might already be fixed upon this place.

No one knew what kind of horrors would follow.

An invisible panic spread through the town, and many residents chose to leave immediately.

Unintentionally, this reduced the number of casualties among the townsfolk in the upcoming battle.

The moment Qin Xiao opened the portal, S.H.I.E.L.D. detected the anomaly.

A group of agents quickly moved toward it.

By the time Qin Xiao closed the portal, he, Logan, and Thor were completely surrounded.

"Need me to kill them?" Logan asked, looking at the agents without the slightest concern.

These people were no match for him.

"Not for now. Someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. will come to meet us."

As soon as Qin Xiao finished speaking, Nick Fury and Coulson appeared before them.

"Director Fury, didn't expect you to come in person."

Qin Xiao greeted him as if they were old acquaintances.

"This area is now under S.H.I.E.L.D. control. I hope you'll leave with your people."

Fury clearly wasn't pleased to see Qin Xiao.

His presence meant the demons had set their sights on this place again.

"I don't really want to say this, but I have to—this is now a conflict between gods and demons. Are you sure you want to get involved?"

"A conflict between gods and demons?"

"The one beside me is Thor, the God of Thunder, banished from Asgard by Odin. The hammer on the ground is his weapon, Mjolnir.

Yes, the very same Thor and hammer from your bedtime stories.

Right now, this exiled god refuses to believe Odin has abandoned him, so I brought him here to see for himself.

If you try to stop me, don't blame me for getting rough."

After speaking, Qin Xiao gestured to Logan.

"Figures. It always comes down to a fight."

Logan cracked his neck.

Shing—Clang—Three foot-long blades extended from each of his hands, while countless others pierced through his clothes.

At this moment, Logan looked like a machine built purely for combat.

He was ready.

A ripple of unease spread through the crowd at the sight.

Nick Fury glanced at Wolverine, who was fully prepared for slaughter.

His expression suddenly softened.

His initial probe had yielded results.

"Fine. Since this is between demons and gods, we won't interfere."

He waved his hand, and all the agents stepped aside, opening the encirclement.

In truth, everything just now had been an act.

The moment he learned Qin Xiao was here, he knew the man wouldn't leave empty-handed.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary base here had been set up partly to lure him out.

Fury wanted to know what could make a Demon Envoy value something this much.

Now, he had his answer.

This was a war between gods and demons.

And the battlefield… seemed to be Earth.

That realization sent a chill through him.

If gods and demons truly began appearing on Earth, the planet wouldn't withstand such a war.

The Avengers Initiative needed to accelerate.

Maybe… it was time to call Carol back.

Qin Xiao had no idea that in just a few moments, Fury had already played out an entire mental drama.

Meanwhile, as the others stepped aside, Thor rushed excitedly to where Mjolnir lay.

He grabbed the handle.

Applied a little force.

"Hm?"

"Mm—!"

"AH—!"

From a light pull to straining with all his strength—No matter what he did, Mjolnir didn't budge.

"No! Why? Father Odin, why?!"

Thor collapsed onto the ground in despair.

Though he had been exiled to Earth, he still believed himself a god.

Now, that belief had been completely shattered.

Odin had truly abandoned him.

An unprecedented sense of despair enveloped him, leaving him utterly helpless.

"Thor, do you still want to be the God of Thunder?"

At that moment, Qin Xiao's voice rang out again.

"I've been abandoned by Odin. How could I possibly become Thor again?"

Thor didn't believe him at all.

Qin Xiao stepped forward, his expression serious.

"Then let me formally introduce myself again.

I am a Demon Envoy. I can exchange for Devil Fruits from demons.

These fruits grant immense power.

For example, Logan ate the Slice-Slice Fruit.

As for you, as the God of Thunder, I can offer you the fruit most suited to you—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Eat it, and you'll regain the power of lightning."

As he spoke, a vividly colored Devil Fruit appeared in his hand.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

One of the most powerful Logia-type fruits.

Thor glanced at him with lifeless eyes.

"Hah. Demon Envoy, you underestimate the honor of an Asgardian god.

Do you really think I'd fall so low as to make a deal with demons just for power?"

His gaze was filled with mockery.

Qin Xiao didn't mind in the slightest. With a flick of his hand, the fruit vanished.

"Then when Asgard falls, when the Frost Giants storm the palace and your mother is in danger, I hope you won't regret this."

"You're lying! With Heimdall guarding it, how could the Frost Giants ever reach Asgard?"

"Oh? Then why did you attack them before? Wasn't it because they infiltrated your treasury?"

"You even know that?"

"I know many things. I even know that Odin has entered the Odinsleep.

Since you can't reclaim your identity as Thor, the throne naturally falls to Loki.

And Loki… is the son of Laufey, king of the Frost Giants."

"What?! Impossible! Loki can't be a Frost Giant's son!"

"Impossible? You just didn't know. I know you don't believe me—but when the Warriors Three come to find you, you'll understand."

After saying that, Qin Xiao stood up.

Then he walked over to Mjolnir.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, one of his arms transformed entirely into a swamp.

The swamp spread out and completely swallowed Mjolnir.

His arm remained in that swamp-like state.

The hammer that no one could move… vanished just like that.

Qin Xiao felt immensely satisfied.

Good thing he tested this beforehand—otherwise this act wouldn't have landed smoothly.

"No… impossible! How could you take Mjolnir?!"

Thor stared at the empty ground, eyes filled with horror.

As long as Mjolnir remained, he still had hope.

But now—it had been taken by the Demon Envoy.

His last hope was gone.

Was he supposed to retrieve it from hell?

"Why not? Mjolnir is just a weapon.

All it does is help you better control your power.

If it's just a weapon, why wouldn't I be able to take it?"

"It carries Odin's blessing! Not just anyone can wield it!"

Thor roared.

"I know. But like I said—Odin is in the Odinsleep.

If he can't personally sense it, then of course I can take it."

"Odinsleep… You're telling the truth? Father… why would he suddenly enter the Odinsleep?"

This revelation truly shook Thor.

At the very least, it proved Odin's attention wasn't on Midgard.

Otherwise, he would never allow a demon to defile a god's weapon.

Qin Xiao turned and walked toward Nick Fury.

At this moment, every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent present was deeply shaken.

Logan's claws had already unsettled them.

Now, this Demon Envoy had displayed the power to devour everything.

Was his body a gateway to hell?

Had Mjolnir been dragged into hell itself?

Nick Fury was even more shaken than the rest.

This demon… was plotting against gods themselves.

He even knew what was happening in Asgard!

And he had taken a god's weapon right in front of them!

Had demons become this terrifying?

If demons ultimately won this war against the gods, what would become of the world?

Eastern demons were already scheming against gods—so where were the Western demons?

Had they conceded defeat, surrendering territory?

The thought made Fury's heart skip a beat.

Qin Xiao had said S.H.I.E.L.D. would fall.

Was it because demons were simply too powerful to resist?

If even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't stand against them, who could?

One idea after another flashed through his mind.

Perhaps… they should infiltrate the enemy.

At the very least, they needed to understand how powerful Devil Fruit users really were.

Did they have weaknesses?

If so, could those weaknesses be exploited?

Up until now, Fury had firmly opposed having Devil Fruit users within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Now, he was considering the exact opposite.

They needed test subjects.

All of this… stemmed from witnessing the Demon Envoy "defeat" a god.

A grand mental narrative had formed in his mind.

Qin Xiao had no idea that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s future cooperation with Devil Fruits would stem entirely from this moment of overthinking.

"Director Fury, there may be a major battle coming. I don't recommend stationing too many agents here—it could lead to heavy casualties."

Qin Xiao glanced at Fury's grim expression and offered a rare piece of advice.

"Ah… understood."