Chapter 109 – The Art of Disassembly
Qin Xiao introduced the Devil Fruits to Coulson. He knew exactly why the system matched these specific fruits to the agent; it was inextricably linked to the incident in his memories where Loki would skewer Coulson with his scepter. Because of that ambush, Coulson would spend months essentially "dead" before being resurrected through the project he himself oversaw—a process marked by the agonizing experience of being unable to die despite wanting to.
The fruits now offered to Coulson—the Chop-Chop Fruit, the Berry-Berry Fruit, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, and the Steel-Steel Fruit—all provided powerful survival or defensive capabilities. The Chop-Chop and Berry-Berry Fruits were the ultimate countermeasures against stabbing or slashing attacks. Imagine Loki thrusting his scepter at Coulson, only for Coulson's body to simply split into pieces. The blade would pierce nothing but air. Coulson could even perform feats like floating his severed head in mid-air and, as long as his feet remained grounded, soar around while calmly murmuring, "My dear, would you like to stab me again?" Loki's composure would likely shatter. Or, if Loki thrust his blade, Coulson could turn into a gleaming diamond—sparkling and impenetrable, causing sparks to fly off the blade uselessly.
However, these scenarios relied on Coulson actually consuming the fruit. Qin Xiao also harbored one lingering concern: would the Infinity Stones interfere with Devil Fruit powers? He had already verified in this world that magic could interact with Logia-type powers. Magic was energy from another realm, and natural energy flowed through Logia users; the two could "collide," allowing magic to inflict damage. The Infinity Stones, being the condensed remnants of the universe's primordial matter, contained infinite energy. Might they disrupt a fruit user's control? For instance, the Soul Stone could theoretically hard-counter the Revive-Revive, Soul-Soul, or Ghost-Ghost Fruits.
It was a valid worry, but Qin Xiao didn't lose sleep over it. Weaknesses were natural—if a Devil Fruit had no drawbacks, it wouldn't be realistic.
Coulson fell into a deep contemplation. Survival and defense—the Envoy's assessment suggested that Coulson's future held grave peril. Furthermore, Coulson realized he might hold some value to these "Eastern Devils." If he died, his soul would likely descend to the Western Hell; if the Eastern Devils couldn't collect it, that would explain their interest. He also noticed that four of the fruits matched to him were identical to those matched to Director Fury. This implied that Fury's future was equally precarious. Should he consult the Director, or act on his own to verify the fruit's efficacy? Coulson was a man of agency—the same man who had chosen to trust Nick Fury and help him release Carol Danvers years ago.
"So," Coulson finally asked, making his choice. "Which fruit do you think suits me best?" He wouldn't burden Fury with another choice; he would eat the fruit and head to the branch himself.
"The Chop-Chop Fruit. It is your number one match." Qin Xiao suppressed a chuckle, thinking, The Berry-Berry Fruit is too similar, but maybe I'll recommend that one to the 'Egg' (Fury) later. Watching a big egg split into tiny eggs would be hilarious.
"What is the price?" Coulson asked calmly, staring at the fruit. A Devil's offer always required a transaction.
"GH325."
Coulson's eyes sharpened. How does he know about that? GH325 was the serum from his resurrection project, derived from Kree physiology. It worked, but it carried a terrible side effect: the risk of the resurrected eventually spiraling out of control.
"That substance has significant side effects. Why would you want it?" Coulson asked, his tone as cool and detached as if he were discussing the weather.
"Research," Qin Xiao lied smoothly. "As devils of Hell, while we compete with Satan's envoys, we are still devils. When we decide to collect a soul, the person should stay dead. Your project prevents us from collecting what is ours. We want to see what makes this 'theft' possible."
It was a plausible excuse. Their business was being disrupted, and as any good capitalist—or devil—would do, they needed to study the competition.
"Very well. I will provide you with a sample of GH325 for your research." Coulson agreed. The project was classified, but as the director of the project, he had the authority. Besides, he had already suspended the experiment.
"Deal. The contract is sealed!" Qin Xiao handed the Chop-Chop Fruit to Coulson, who swallowed it without hesitation.
"This is even worse than the rations I had to eat during training," Coulson muttered with a rare complaint.
"Ding! Detected: Chop-Chop Fruit consumed by the matched user. Host has acquired the corresponding ability."
Qin Xiao smirked. "Logan, try stabbing him."
Logan, who had been watching the transaction quietly, was caught off guard. "You want me to stab him? Are you sure?"
"Wait, don't be reckless," Coulson added, feeling a bit jittery. I just ate the thing; can't I have a moment to digest?
"Do it," Qin Xiao commanded. "Just aim for a non-fatal spot if you're worried."
"Fine," Logan sighed. He lunged, his three Adamantium claws slashing toward Coulson.
Slash!
The scene that followed stunned everyone. Logan's claws effortlessly "shredded" Coulson's arm into four pieces. Yet, there was no blood, no mangled flesh. The arm simply floated in the air, disjointed, before Coulson willed it back together.
"Excellent. That is the power of the fruit. Logan, go all out now."
Logan was dumbfounded. His claws were useless? Even though he'd heard the explanation, seeing it was a different matter. Damn it! Another fruit that counters me!
Logan charged again, his claws blurring as he slashed repeatedly. Swish! Swish! Coulson's body was dismantled like a Lego set, piece by piece. Yet, Coulson felt no pain. His head floated in the air, watching in utter amazement as his own torso, limbs, and shoulders drifted around like fabric caught in the wind. All he needed was to keep his feet grounded, and his upper body could dance through the air at will. The Chop-Chop Fruit was absurdly powerful.
Logan retreated, feeling utterly defeated. Every attack was meaningless. He felt the world was maliciously targeting him. He couldn't handle Abomination—that was one thing—but now he couldn't even touch a guy who had eaten a fruit five minutes ago? His pride, his Adamantium blades, were being treated like a children's toy.
Logan stepped back, feeling dejected. Was choosing my own fruit a mistake? He fell into a trap of self-doubt, focusing on his own failures while failing to realize he was an immovable object himself. If he didn't believe it, he should ask Abomination—the monster had triggered earthquakes and tsunamis, and Logan hadn't even taken a scratch.
"It seems," Coulson said, standing before Qin Xiao again with a faint, satisfied smile, "this trade was well worth it."