Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"May I ask why the Sorcerer Supreme has come here this time?"

Odin immediately softened his stance on the matter and made no attempt to argue with the Ancient One.

"King Odin, I truly do have something to discuss.

As gods, your people should possess prophetic abilities capable of perceiving the future.

And the future of Asgard has already begun converging upon you.

Your sudden descent into the Odinsleep this time was merely the beginning.

Leaving aside how much danger your sons may bring to Earth in the future—this incident alone should have shown you that your children have already exceeded your expectations.

Earth is not Asgard's training ground.

Therefore, appropriate compensation is necessary."

The Ancient One went straight to the point.

Qin Xiao stood nearby, utterly dumbfounded.

Since when was the Ancient One this aggressive?

She had only just arrived and was already demanding compensation from Odin.

Was this Ancient One fake?

But then he remembered how she had "played" with Strange—throwing him into the multiverse without warning.

Honestly…this did fit her personality too.

If you offend me, suffer a little first.

What shocked Qin Xiao even more was that Odin didn't get angry.

Instead, he calmly nodded.

"That is only proper. Frigga, my queen, please retrieve those two items from the treasury."

Odin whispered a few words into Frigga's ear.

"Very well."

Frigga did not object.

She rose and headed toward the treasury.

A short while later, she returned carrying two objects.

"This is the Orb of Agamotto.

And this is the Eye of the Sorcerer.

Both once belonged to the lineage of the Sorcerer Supreme.

I suspect that reclaiming them was one of your reasons for coming here today.

These were spoils of war from my younger years.

Yet for centuries, they have merely gathered dust in Asgard's treasury.

Returning them to the Sorcerer Supreme today can also be considered the fulfillment of an old matter."

Odin introduced the treasures.

The Orb of Agamotto.

The Eye of the Sorcerer.

Both truly were treasures of the Sorcerer Supreme lineage.

The Orb of Agamotto could detect dangers and magical sources throughout the universe.

Just as Odin said, it had likely been taken as a war trophy in his youth and locked away afterward.

Without the Orb, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj had instead relied upon the Cauldron of the Cosmos to observe the world.

Meanwhile, the Eye of the Sorcerer was an equally powerful artifact.

It too possessed the ability to perceive the future.

In that regard, it resembled the Eye of Agamotto.

But it also possessed another ability—to dispel all illusions and false darkness.

A sacred weapon against the powers of the Dark Dimension.

Very few Sorcerer Supremes could truly wield the Time Stone.

But with the Eye of the Sorcerer restored, many more sorcerers could use its power.

For the Sorcerer Supreme lineage, this was an immense gain.

Qin Xiao stared at Odin in disbelief.

Odin was really just handing these treasures over?!

All because Thor and Loki caused chaos in a desert on Earth?

This entire situation felt wrong.

Yet the Ancient One showed no joy upon seeing the treasures.

Instead, her expression grew troubled.

"As expected of King Odin.

You immediately understood my intentions and even willingly returned these treasures to the Sorcerer Supreme lineage.

Your sons' actions are not enough to justify compensation of this magnitude.

If I accept these treasures today, then I owe you a favor.

Yet I cannot refuse them either, because recovering them is itself one of the duties of the Sorcerer Supreme.

Had I not seen them, that would be another matter.

But now that I have, I cannot pretend otherwise.

So then—King Odin, what assistance do you require from me?"

Only then did Qin Xiao finally understand.

So the Ancient One and Odin had been fencing verbally this entire time.

First, the Ancient One seized the moral high ground and criticized Odin.

Odin immediately accepted the criticism.

But—Odin was no easy opponent.

In the blink of an eye, he dug a trap for her.

He voluntarily returned two priceless treasures belonging to the Sorcerer Supreme lineage.

These artifacts carried immense significance and power.

For Kamar-Taj, they were priceless heirlooms.

Yet Thor and Loki's actions were nowhere near severe enough to justify compensation of this scale.

One artifact alone would already have been excessive.

And still Odin gave away both.

As Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One naturally could not simply take advantage of him.

Thus—the one now owing a favor was her.

That was why she asked what Odin wanted in return.

Damn.

Did all conversations between Skyfather-level beings involve this many hidden traps?

Qin Xiao was impressed.

Maybe he should negotiate Devil Fruit deals this way in the future.

Then again—what if people couldn't follow the subtext?

Forget it.

Better stick to his own style.

Odin's expression relaxed slightly after hearing the Ancient One acknowledge the favor.

Good.

She accepted it.

"For now, I do not have any major requests.

Only one thing—if my sons commit grave mistakes in the future, I hope the Sorcerer Supreme will spare their lives."

At last, Odin voiced his true request.

The Ancient One fell silent for a moment.

"Very well. I agree.

But I can only promise that I myself will not interfere."

Even in agreement, she imposed limits.

If Odin's sons fell into someone else's hands, she would not intervene.

"That is enough.

That alone may already save their lives.

If they continue causing trouble after that, then death would simply be of their own making."

Odin sighed deeply.

His parenting had failed.

Hela inherited his bloodthirsty nature and became the Goddess of Death.

Even after Odin himself changed, Hela never did.

In the end, he had no choice but to imprison her.

But once he died—Hela would inevitably bring catastrophe upon Asgard.

That was Ragnarok.

The Ancient One was right.

His unexpected Odinsleep had been the overture to Ragnarok.

A sign that Hela's prison was weakening.

Thor's upbringing had also gone terribly wrong.

He wasn't as bloodthirsty as Hela.

But he also wasn't nearly as intelligent.

Thor solved everything with brute force.

That mentality had deeply affected him.

This was why Odin originally wanted him to learn humility and sacrifice.

Unfortunately—whether Thor had learned either lesson remained uncertain.

What he had gained was even greater lightning power.

And who knew whether that would simply make him even more headstrong?

Then there was Loki.

Ah…

That child had envied Thor since youth.

Now he was lashing out because of his heritage.

This itself was already a disaster for Asgard.

Brother against brother.

Sister against brothers.

If Odin could secure even a single promise from the Ancient One to spare them—that alone was worthwhile.

"Then I shall accept these treasures."

The Ancient One took both the Orb of Agamotto and the Eye of the Sorcerer.

One of her objectives in Asgard was complete.

Neither she nor Odin had truly lost this exchange.

And both gained what they wanted.

A satisfactory outcome.

Once the matter was resolved, Odin turned his gaze toward Qin Xiao.

"Who are you?

Why do I see countless variables surrounding you?"

Odin's eyes were filled with confusion.

This Eastern man radiated uncertainty at every moment.

"He is the Demon Envoy from Midgard's East."

Thor introduced him immediately.

"A Demon Envoy from the East?

There is no demonic aura upon him.

He cannot truly be a demon's envoy."

Odin rejected the idea instantly.

Just as the Ancient One had failed to detect any demonic aura—so had he.

"I believe there is a dimensional entity behind him.

A being attempting to bring change and protection to Earth.

In fact, I suspect it may even be an abstract entity.

Because throughout countless futures, I have never seen the being behind him appear directly.

Only abstract entities that exist beyond personal desires fit such a description."

The Ancient One unexpectedly began explaining Qin Xiao's situation to Odin.

In truth, she herself remained deeply puzzled.

A power capable of restoring her youth through the Age-Age Fruit—yet entirely free of the whispers and corruption that dimensional entities always carried.

Pure.

Like blank paper.

"You cannot perceive the source behind him either?"

Even Odin looked surprised now.

"No. Which is why one of my purposes in coming to Asgard was to ask whether you knew the origin behind him."

The Ancient One's words nearly made Qin Xiao's heart stop.

So she had also come here to investigate him?!

For a moment, he nearly transformed into lightning and fled on the spot.

This world was way too dangerous.

One careless mistake—and two Skyfather-level beings were already plotting around him.

The Ancient One had looked harmless enough.

Yet behind the scenes, she came here specifically to investigate him alongside Odin.

Couldn't see the dimensional entity behind him?

Of course not.

There was no dimensional entity.

Only the system.

Everything else had merely been a bluff.

And somehow—that bluff had fooled even two Skyfather-level powerhouses.

Seeing Qin Xiao tense slightly, the Ancient One smiled gently.

"Demon Envoy, there is no need to worry.

We do not intend you harm.

In truth, when Odin said he saw endless variables surrounding you, I already understood there would be no result from this investigation.

I have seen the variables.

And the changes you bring do not appear to lead toward worse outcomes.

Therefore, we will not interfere with you."

She quickly reassured him.

Still—hearing such ancient-sounding words spoken from the face of a twenty-year-old woman felt incredibly strange.

Fortunately, her explanation did ease Qin Xiao somewhat.

Against two Skyfather-level beings, escaping would probably have been difficult.

The Ancient One's Mirror Dimension alone was enough to give him nightmares.

Meanwhile, Frigga and Thor looked utterly astonished.

This so-called Demon Envoy from the East was actually that mysterious?

Then suddenly, Thor remembered something.

"Father Odin!

I ate a Devil Fruit he gave me, and now I possess immense lightning power.

Does that mean I formed some kind of contract with a dimensional entity?

Father, can you remove it for me?"

Thor's words instantly stunned everyone present.