Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"In fact, there really is a way to help the Hulk."

Betty had only asked the question casually, but she never expected to actually get an answer.

"Then hurry up and help him!"

She grabbed Qin Xiao's arm immediately.

But Qin Xiao still wore that same smiling expression.

"I'm the Devil's Herald. Helping him is possible, but what do I get in return? What are you willing to trade?"

The moment those words were spoken, Betty froze.

At that moment, General Ross stepped forward with an angry expression.

"Devil's Herald, don't push your luck! Getting Abomination is already beyond the limit of our tolerance.

"If you keep this up, I'll mobilize every force available to hunt you down. Think carefully about this!

"If you step in now, you'll earn our friendship.

"But if you continue acting like this, then Abomination will be the last thing you ever get!"

Qin Xiao didn't care in the slightest after hearing Ross's threat.

"Really? Then let me tell you another identity of mine.

"I'm a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Devil Fruit Research Department.

"In other words, I have an official position, one recognized by the World Security Council.

"Are you sure that after causing a disaster of this scale—destroying multiple districts of New York—you'll still have the authority to come after me?"

He directly revealed his S.H.I.E.L.D. identity.

Ross immediately stiffened.

S.H.I.E.L.D. itself operated above ordinary governmental structures.

After this incident, Ross's position within the military was bound to collapse.

At that point, he'd be lucky just to protect himself.

Trying to arrest another officially recognized operative?

Dream on.

But how had the Devil's Herald become an official member of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

That was simply unbelievable.

And this was exactly how Qin Xiao intended to use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reputation.

Give S.H.I.E.L.D. a Devil Fruit, and in return he gained an official identity—one that made many future actions far easier.

A perfect layer of protection.

Or rather, a convenient "official explanation" when dealing with certain people.

Sure, he was the Devil's Herald.

But he was also a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant.

And what did that imply?

That even the authorities acknowledged his existence.

Borrowing a tiger's skin to wave the banner.

Qin Xiao was extremely proficient at this kind of Eastern-style manipulation.

And just like that, Ross was completely intimidated.

Seeing Ross lose ground in the exchange, Betty grabbed Qin Xiao again.

"Then tell me what you want! As long as Bruce and I can agree to it, we'll agree!"

Betty directly accepted the idea of a deal.

As for the terms?

Nothing could possibly be more urgent than what was happening below.

If Hulk and Abomination continued escalating their battle, the destruction would only worsen.

And afterward, Bruce would face endless blame.

He might even lose his freedom entirely.

That was not what she wanted.

"Very well. Then after this is over, I want Dr. Banner to help me research Hulk's blood serum and see whether it can be compatible with Devil Fruit users."

Qin Xiao stated his condition.

Research Hulk's serum.

Betty was stunned.

"I agree! Absolutely no problem!"

She agreed immediately.

After all, once today was over, Banner would definitely continue researching Hulk's condition anyway.

He wanted to become normal again.

Qin Xiao's request was practically free.

As for compatibility with Devil Fruit users?

She had no idea what that even meant.

That could wait until later.

"Excellent. Contract established."

A wild smile spread across Qin Xiao's face once more.

Hulk's serum wasn't especially useful to him directly.

But it was a very useful bargaining chip.

If the research succeeded, great.

If not, no loss.

But Betty believed him.

Another one successfully led into the fold.

"Then hurry and help him already!"

Betty urged anxiously.

"No. In fact, this matter still depends on you."

As he spoke, five Devil Fruits slowly emerged from his body.

Hollow-Hollow Fruit.

Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

Pet-Pet Fruit.

Cage-Cage Fruit.

Slow-Slow Fruit.

"What does that mean?"

Betty looked completely confused.

"Banner only listens to you.

"So the only one truly capable of controlling him has always been you.

"If you don't want Dr. Banner to get hurt, then you should think about how to properly stabilize his emotions.

"And I just happen to be able to provide you with such an opportunity.

"I am the Devil's Herald. I can offer you a Devil Fruit.

"These fruits can grant you the power to control and calm Dr. Banner."

After hearing that, Betty was completely stunned.

"You mean… I can control Bruce using these fruits?"

"That's right. You only need to choose one and eat it."

"Fine. Tell me which one I should eat."

Betty agreed immediately.

"No! You cannot eat that!"

General Ross interrupted once again.

"These are Devil Fruits! Eating one means signing a contract with the devil!"

There was no way he would allow his daughter to become a servant of the devil.

"So what can you do instead?

"Keep creating monsters like the yellow creature down there?

"You can't solve anything, and now you still want to stop me from helping Bruce?"

Betty was utterly disappointed in her father.

One Hulk wasn't enough for him.

He had to create another monster too.

And now he still wanted to stop her.

Ross was rendered speechless.

But he still refused to let his daughter become the devil's apostle.

He signaled to the soldiers behind him.

Several immediately raised their guns and aimed at Qin Xiao.

"Stop your tricks right now, or I'll open fire."

Ross finally regained a bit of confidence.

"Really? Then go ahead and try."

Qin Xiao remained completely unconcerned.

"Fire!"

Ross gave the order decisively.

Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong target.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted wildly.

Bullets tore toward Qin Xiao.

Yet he didn't even bother dodging.

The bullets simply passed straight into his body.

"No! Are you okay?!"

Betty panicked instantly.

If Qin Xiao died, how was she supposed to save Bruce?

"You think this is enough to deal with the Devil's Herald?"

Lightning crackled in Qin Xiao's hand.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

Electric arcs exploded outward.

Every soldier who had fired collapsed to the ground instantly.

"No… how is this possible?!"

Ross could hardly believe what he was seeing.

Gunfire was ineffective?

Did that mean the military was completely powerless against the Devil's Herald?

"No. You must believe it."

A thicker bolt of lightning flashed from Qin Xiao's hand.

Ross convulsed and dropped to the floor.

"Father!"

Betty cried out in alarm.

"Relax. He won't die.

"He's just learned a small lesson."

Qin Xiao then began introducing the fruits one by one.

"These are the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, the Pet-Pet Fruit, the Cage-Cage Fruit, and the Slow-Slow Fruit…"

He carefully explained the abilities of all five fruits.

By the end, Betty was completely stunned.

Devil Fruits actually possessed powers like these?

No wonder everyone feared the Devil's Herald so much.

"So… which one should I eat?"

Betty asked.

"This one."

Qin Xiao handed her the fruit in his hand.

The Hollow-Hollow Fruit.

The fruit with the highest compatibility for Betty.

Without hesitation, Betty accepted it.

"This fruit tastes terrible," Qin Xiao warned.

"For Bruce."

Betty's voice was firm.

Crunch—Urgh—Crunch—Blegh—Betty finally understood what

"terrible" truly meant.

Nothing she had ever eaten before could compare.

But she still forced herself to swallow the entire fruit.

"Haa…"

She let out a long breath.

"What do I do now?"

At that moment, Qin Xiao clearly heard the system notification in his mind.

Ding! Detected that the Hollow-Hollow Fruit has been consumed by a compatible host. Host has acquired the corresponding ability.

Devil Fruit Trading System

Consumed Fruits & Hosts

10. Soul-Soul Fruit: Black Widow — Natasha

Hollow-Hollow Fruit: Banner's girlfriend — Betty

Acquired Abilities

10. Soul-Soul Fruit

Hollow-Hollow Fruit

Fruit Ability Amplification: 5%

After Natasha's Soul-Soul Fruit, Qin Xiao had now obtained another new Devil Fruit ability.

The more abilities, the better.

That phrase perfectly described the situation.

"Next, you'll be able to sense the power within your body.

"You can easily create Negative Hollows.

"Control them and let them pass through Hulk and Abomination."

Qin Xiao explained how to use the fruit.

Betty closed her eyes and felt the changes in her body.

Moments later, four translucent white ghost-like figures floated out of her body.

Opening her eyes, she stared at them in astonishment.

"These are Negative Hollows?"

"That's right."

"Go. Pass through those two fighting monsters below."

The four ghosts immediately flew downward.

Meanwhile, the battle below continued raging.

Hulk and Abomination clashed with primitive brutality.

Punch after punch landed with explosive force.

Blonsky's Abomination retained all of his combat experience and fighting techniques.

Hulk, on the other hand, fought almost entirely on instinct.

Whenever they engaged directly, Hulk was easily thrown around.

It was a complete skill gap.

But Hulk possessed one thing Abomination didn't.

The angrier he became—The stronger he became.

Without limit.

After being blasted away again, Hulk roared furiously and charged back like a raging beast, slamming Abomination across the street.

The two giant monsters tumbled violently through the city.

Bang!

Abomination kicked Hulk away once more.

"Hulk! I never thought you'd be this weak!

"I underestimated you!

"I want you to become stronger!"

Abomination roared while advancing.

"ROARRR!"

Hulk's furious howl echoed from the ruined building.

A massive chunk of concrete suddenly smashed toward Abomination.

Hulk lunged out again in rage.

Neither monster cared about the destruction surrounding them.

Then—Four translucent figures descended from the sky.

Pinned beneath Abomination, Hulk immediately noticed them.

"ROARRR!"

He didn't know what they were, but something was interfering with the battle.

And that made him furious.

He kicked Abomination away again.

Then he noticed two ghosts splitting off while the remaining two rushed directly toward him.

"ROARRR!!"

Hulk wildly swatted at them.

But the first ghost passed straight through his body.

His overwhelming fury suddenly faded.

Why… was he angry?

Before he could react, the second ghost passed through him as well.

DUANG!

Hulk dropped to his knees.

"I'm trash…"

Meanwhile, Abomination had no idea what had happened.

After being blasted away, he charged toward Hulk again—Only to see Hulk kneeling there, rapidly shrinking back into Bruce Banner.

"No! You can't turn back!

"We're not done fighting!"

He roared furiously.

Then—A translucent ghost passed through his chest.

His bloodthirsty fighting spirit suddenly weakened.

Why… was he fighting?

The second ghost passed through him as well.

Abomination slowly knelt to the ground.

"I should never have been born into this world…"