Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"The Return-Return Fruit, then? Very well, I'll choose this fruit. What do you want in exchange for the trade?"

Frigga made her decision.

As expected of a queen, she directly asked Qin Xiao what he desired.

Because she clearly understood what this so-called Demon Envoy wanted.

Demons.

Only transactions.

And for rulers who stood at the pinnacle of the universe like kings and queens—they only ever bestowed favors upon others. They never owed anyone.

If they ever did owe someone something, it meant they had conquered that person.

Only conquest created debts.

Because conquest was always soaked in blood.

This immediately put Qin Xiao in a difficult position.

He had never actually thought about it.

That he would come to Asgard and receive a trade proposal from the queen herself—that was far beyond his expectations.

"I came to Asgard because Thor promised to help me create clothes that can change with my body size.

But I suspect he was lying to me. Asgard might not even possess such technology.

So if you ask me what I want most right now…

it's still clothing like that."

In the end, Qin Xiao decided to prioritize that request.

Though honestly, he suspected Asgard couldn't fully achieve it either.

Otherwise, Thor probably would've already gifted something similar to Hulk.

Frigga's expression turned serious after hearing this.

"How large do you need these clothes to expand?"

"The upper limit is currently unknown. During this battle, my transformed height reached four and a half meters. It can likely become even larger."

Qin Xiao gave the minimum estimate.

The moment "four and a half meters" was mentioned, Thor's face twitched repeatedly.

That scene—he would never forget it.

It lingered in his mind like a curse.

"This kind of transformation can actually be temporarily handled with robes.

Robes are naturally loose-fitting.

Combined with certain special materials, the problem can be solved.

The only issue is whether such attire would suit Midgard."

Frigga offered her suggestion.

Robes.

Normal clothing in ordinary situations.

A giant scarf when enlarged.

That really would solve most problems.

And with Asgardian materials added, it would become even more practical.

At the very least, it would stop Qin Xiao from running around naked.

As for whether it suited Earth fashion—the answer was obviously no.

But Qin Xiao had his swamp storage space anyway, so that issue wasn't important.

"Then robes it is. Even solving the awkwardness temporarily would be good enough."

Qin Xiao accepted Frigga's proposal.

"Thor, contact the royal craftsmen and have them tailor robes for the Demon Envoy."

Frigga directly sent Thor off as a messenger.

Thor didn't complain and immediately left.

"That was merely Thor's promise to you. You have yet to receive anything from the queen's trade.

I sensed it earlier—the remains of the Destroyer armor are in your possession, aren't they?"

At that moment, Odin suddenly spoke.

The Destroyer's remains were indeed inside Qin Xiao's body.

After using it as a shield, he had stored it inside his swamp space.

"That's right. Here it is."

Qin Xiao's body transformed into swamp matter.

Then, the massive remains of the Destroyer armor appeared before everyone.

Seeing Qin Xiao's transformation, curiosity flickered in Odin's eyes.

This was an entirely new kind of power.

Devil Fruit abilities looked astonishingly unique.

But moments later, Odin suppressed his curiosity.

His body could barely sustain even his own divine power anymore.

Other powers were little more than things to observe.

"The Destroyer armor is Asgard's ultimate weapon.

But at the same time, it is still armor.

I once wore it into battle. It allowed me to accomplish far more.

Even someone with my physique could wear it because it possesses a certain elasticity.

I can have the royal blacksmiths forge armor for you based on the Destroyer's structure.

A suit with no head, hands, or feet—only the torso section.

All of its flexibility can be concentrated into that area.

It won't protect your whole body, but it will cover the important parts.

Your ability allows you to store objects within yourself.

You can simply wear it whenever necessary."

Odin offered another option.

Armor modeled after the Destroyer.

Though from the description, it sounded more like an absurdly high-waisted bodysuit.

Still, it was sturdier than robes.

Qin Xiao nodded.

"That works too."

He hadn't really decided what he wanted anyway.

After speaking, ripples spread across his hand.

Then, a brightly colored fruit appeared.

The Return-Return Fruit.

"This fruit also has a flaw.

First, the user must remain conscious.

If the user is knocked unconscious during an attack, the ability will stop functioning.

Meaning the target will revert to their original state."

Qin Xiao casually explained.

"That is not a problem for us. Who in Asgard could possibly attack us directly?"

Odin spoke confidently.

Hearing that, Qin Xiao's eyelids twitched.

Heh.

Careful what you say.

Frigga took the Return-Return Fruit and used a simple spell to cleanse and inspect it.

Then—she bit into it.

Crunch—

"Mmm—"

"Urgh—!"

"Gulp—"

Frigga's expression changed dramatically as she swallowed the fruit.

"This thing tastes horrible. Is that why it's called a Devil Fruit?"

She seemed to believe she had discovered the reason behind the name.

Because it tasted demonic.

Qin Xiao probably should have warned them earlier.

"There's no fixing the taste. Saying it beforehand wouldn't change anything."

Qin Xiao casually explained.

His attention had already shifted to the system notification.

Ding. Compatible user has consumed the Return-Return Fruit. Host has extracted the target's fruit ability.

Qin Xiao subconsciously glanced at the system.

[Devil Fruit Trade System]

[Consumed Fruits & Users]

…

[8. Return-Return Fruit: Queen Frigga of Asgard]

[Extracted Abilities]

…

[8. Return-Return Fruit]

[Fruit Ability Amplification: 5%]

Aside from granting the Return-Return Fruit's power, there was no additional feedback.

A bit disappointing.

But understandable.

Frigga carefully sensed the strange energy inside her body.

"The fruit's energy truly is balanced and pure. I can sense no interference from another will."

Then she gently touched Odin.

Immediately, some of the exhaustion on Odin's face faded.

He—had been rewound by several years.

But then Frigga seemed to realize something.

"What you said about this fruit rewinding twelve years per cycle was incorrect."

She looked at Qin Xiao.

"Incorrect? Then how does it actually work?"

Qin Xiao himself was curious.

After all, the previous user's demonstrations had only shown that much.

"This fruit's ability depends on several factors.

First, the strength of the user.

Second, the strength of the target.

Third, the level of mastery over the fruit itself.

Odin's divine power is far too immense. Even I can only rewind him by a limited amount each time.

But if I strengthen this ability further—perhaps I could rewind him by decades or even centuries in a single use.

This power, which reverses time within a target's body, already touches upon the laws of time.

By the same logic, the Sorcerer Supreme's fruit likely also involves temporal laws.

Now I'm even more curious about the dimensional entity behind you.

Any random Devil Fruit already contains the power of laws.

Could it truly be some abstract entity?"

Frigga's attention once again turned toward the mysterious being behind Qin Xiao.

The answer remained elusive.

Meanwhile, Odin had remained silent throughout.

He was quietly sensing the changes within his body.

Each time Frigga touched him, his body became a few years younger.

And with every few years restored, his condition improved significantly.

Because his body had only truly begun failing within the last few decades.

The flesh inevitably decayed.

But divine power endured.

That was his problem.

Yet now—an entirely different power system had unexpectedly solved it.

The uniqueness of this power had reached astonishing levels.

Frigga continued touching him repeatedly.

By now, he had clearly become twenty to thirty years younger.

Meaning his body had literally been rewound by decades.

"That is enough, my queen."

Odin gently held Frigga's hand.

Stopping her from continuing.

At this moment, Odin's voice rang like thunder.

Though his appearance remained elderly, his spirit had become incomparably vigorous.

Qin Xiao could even vaguely sense the terrifying power hidden beneath that aged body.

Frigga stopped using the ability.

Then suddenly, she seemed to understand something.

"I finally understand why this fruit suits me best.

At first glance, it seems because it can restore Odin's youth.

But as I said, if I continue strengthening this ability, I could rewind someone by centuries in a single use.

That means it would also work extremely well on my children.

If they misbehave, I can simply rewind them into children again.

Without their power, they would naturally have no choice but to behave."

Frigga had discovered another use for the fruit.

Though it wasn't as direct as the Wash-Wash Fruit's cleansing abilities—weren't her troublesome children causing chaos precisely because of their overwhelming power?

Once she mastered this fruit more deeply—those little brats of Asgard would never misbehave again.

The older Asgardians grew, the stronger they became.

Then she would simply keep them permanently at the equivalent of childhood.

Like Asgardian adolescents.

Frigga could even already see Ragnarok fading away.

As long as her power became strong enough—she could rewind Hela back to the age of one or two hundred.

At that point, even the Goddess of Death would become nothing more than an obedient little girl.

For Asgardians, one or two hundred years old was basically still a child.

This—was the true reason the Return-Return Fruit suited Frigga best.

Husband.

Children.

These were the people she wanted to protect.

She did not fight for the world.

She fought for her family.

Even Jane Foster, Thor's girlfriend, would be someone she'd risk her life to protect.

To Frigga—family mattered most.

And the Return-Return Fruit allowed her to protect it all.

As long as she lived—Ragnarok itself might never arrive.

After hearing Frigga's reasoning, even Qin Xiao—the so-called Demon Envoy—was stunned.

So the system's compatibility calculations involved this many hidden layers?

His own guesses had overlooked so many details.

"Now that we've finished discussing these matters…

Sorcerer Supreme, could you perhaps release Loki now?"