Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"Attention all units: Agent Barton is heading for the bridge. Can anyone intercept him?"

Natasha Romanoff, already mid-sprint, halted. "This is Romanoff. I'll stop him."

She had been monitoring the comms throughout the chaos of the Hulk's rampage. While Thor had contained the monster, allowing Betty to finally neutralize him, Natasha had been waiting for her moment. Barton had helped her defect to S.H.I.E.L.D. years ago, guaranteeing her safety with his own reputation. Now that he was brainwashed, it was her duty to bring him home.

Barton moved with terrifying efficiency. His arrows struck home every time; if the corridors weren't so cramped, he would have been an unstoppable sniper. Even so, the Pop-Pop Fruit was proving deadlier than anticipated. He had discovered a new application: by applying the fruit's power to his own body, he could amplify his own speed. Though he could only sustain it for short bursts, it made him nearly untouchable. He could dodge gunfire and counter-attack before his opponent even blinked.

"Mission accomplished," Barton muttered, hearing the fighting die down. "Time to go."

Fwip!

A sharp hiss cut through the air near his ear. Barton dodged, moving with unnatural velocity. Natasha stood before him, her Widow's Bite glowing with electric potential. She had fired a tranquilizer, but he hadn't even hesitated.

Barton immediately drew his bow. Twang!

The arrow flew with such speed it was invisible to the naked eye. Clang! It embedded itself deep into the bulkhead where Natasha had been standing just a microsecond prior. Her heart hammered in her chest—she had timed her ambush perfectly, yet he had reacted in the impossible sliver of time between her strike and his movement.

I have to go all in, she decided. Her physical skills were equal to Barton's, but the Pop-Pop Fruit gave him a massive edge.

Natasha dashed forward, ignoring the danger, and grabbed Barton's bow. With a surge of focus, she poured her life force into the weapon.

Soul-Soul Fruit: Homie Creation.

She had been perfecting the ability to inject souls into inanimate objects quickly, a process that cost her own lifespan.

Barton pulled the string back to fire, but as he released it, the bowstring spoke. "Let go! I can't hold this!"

The string refused to snap back. Barton stared, dumbfounded. He knew Natasha had the Soul-Soul Fruit, but she had never demonstrated this level of control before. How did she infuse it with consciousness so instantly?

The bow was useless, but Barton's physical conditioning, boosted by the fruit, was superior. He dropped the bow and launched a brutal kick, then followed up with a punch that landed square on Natasha's body.

"Ow! That hurts!"

Barton froze. The voice hadn't come from Natasha—it had come from her clothes!

"You turned your uniform into a Homie?" Barton gasped.

"The Devil Fruits are versatile," Natasha grunted, sweeping his leg. "You haven't mastered your fruit yet, Barton. If you had, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Barton rose, accelerating his speed threefold. "Even so, I'm several times stronger than I was before!"

"I know," Natasha smiled, stepping back. "That's why I distracted you."

Suddenly, the fabric of Barton's own shirt tightened around his throat, choking the life out of him. He clawed at his neck, his vision darkening, until he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Natasha slumped to the floor, panting. "I turned your clothes into Homies. That stunt just cost me at least a year of my life."

As Barton came to, bound and defeated, Natasha laid out the grim reality of the ship. Engine Three was destroyed, Engine One was down, and the ship was a wreck. Hulk had trashed three decks, Pepper and Betty were injured, and Coulson had only survived a direct stab from Loki because of his own "Divide-Divide Fruit." The team was shattered.

"Loki," Barton growled, his face twisted in fury. "I'm going to hit him with an explosive arrow when I get out of this."

"You won't have to wait long," Natasha said, looking toward the bridge. "Tony and Banner found the location of the Tesseract."

Just then, the ship's alarm blared.

"All combat personnel, attention: Tesseract location confirmed. Prepare for battle!"