Bab 54: Chapter 054: Marked for Death
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"Damn it!"
Rosh cursed internally, realizing his worst fear had come true. The Purple Man had indeed targeted him; as expected, he had fallen under Kilgrave's control.
'What now?'
For a brief, instinctual moment, Rosh's body tensed up, but an idea quickly formed in his mind. Kilgrave controlled people through a toxin—an incredible, almost magical toxin that defied the natural world. But still, at the end of the day, it was a toxin.
If it was a toxin… then there was a way to deal with it.
'Yes, this could work!'
Rosh's eyes lit up as he made a quick decision. He activated his elemental powers, and his body transformed into a glowing figure made of pure light.
Immediately, he felt his freedom restored.
'Yes, my theory had been correct!'
Kilgrave's method of control was through the toxins he released. But if there was no biological body for the toxins to affect, then what could they control?
In his light form, Rosh's body was composed entirely of photons—no cells, tissues, or biological structure for Kilgrave to manipulate.
The control was completely broken.
"What the hell?!"
Kilgrave was utterly shocked. One moment, a regular human stood before him, and the next, he was looking at a shimmering figure glowing with golden light. He blinked, his mind unable to process what he was seeing.
Kilgrave's disbelief was palpable. In this era of the Marvel universe, Tony Stark had yet to become Iron Man, and the only known superhero was Captain America. Before meeting Jessica Jones, Kilgrave had believed himself to be the only superhuman in the world.
So, encountering someone like Rosh—a man who could turn into light—was beyond shocking.
'Could he be a mutant?' But Kilgrave had never heard of any mutant like this before. He stood there, completely dumbfounded.
However, now wasn't the time for contemplation. The moment Kilgrave realized the magnitude of the danger, he made a quick decision. Without wasting a word, he turned and bolted. Sometimes, the best strategy is to run!
Unfortunately for Kilgrave, it wasn't that simple.
*Zap!*
Rosh casually sent out a photon blast, a small beam of light that invisibly entered Kilgrave's body, going unnoticed as the man fled. Kilgrave, unaware, escaped in a pitiful hurry. He flagged down a car and commanded the driver to speed away. He drove through several red lights before finally allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew! Who the hell was that guy?" Even now, Kilgrave still felt shaken. He couldn't be sure if his power would have worked on Rosh or not, but he hadn't dared to take the risk. That being was far too strange.
It wasn't unheard of for people to resist Kilgrave's control—Jessica Jones had broken free of his grip, though she didn't know it yet.
"Why was Jessica with that guy for so long? What were they talking about?" The more Kilgrave thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
He immediately decided to dig deeper into Rosh's background. He needed to know everything about this mysterious man. But first, it was time to retreat to the safety of his hideout in Hell's Kitchen. The city was too dangerous—better to lay low in his lair.
Little did Kilgrave know his every move was being tracked. The photon Rosh had sent into his body allowed him to keep tabs on Kilgrave no matter where he went. Since Kilgrave had dared to make a move on him, Rosh had no intention of letting him go. Killing him in the shop wasn't convenient, but Kilgrave was already marked for death.
A new customer entered the shop, interrupting Rosh's thoughts.
"Excuse me, what exactly is a Devil Fruit? Why is it called that?" the customer asked curiously.
Rosh shook off his musings and greeted the newcomer warmly, ready to explain. "Hello! Devil Fruits are extraordinary fruits that grant the person who eats them unique abilities."
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As if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Rosh continued to serve customers throughout the day, even indulging in some games and short videos during the quieter moments.
Yet today, the shop saw an unusual influx of visitors. On most weekdays, Rosh would typically see twenty or thirty customers at most, but today's number was noticeably higher. Rosh had a good guess about the extra guests. They were likely people Kilgrave had sent to investigate him.
He wasn't concerned. Let them look into his background—it wouldn't change a thing. Rosh had already locked onto Kilgrave's location, and tonight, when the time was right, he would collect his dues.
"Thank you for visiting!" Rosh cheerfully waved goodbye to the last customer. Checking the time, he decided it was about right. He quickly closed the shop and prepared to leave.
"Dinner first," he muttered to himself. "Then, after that... time to settle the score."
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In a luxurious suite in Hell's Kitchen
"Eating a fruit that gives you superpowers? How could something like that possibly exist?!" Kilgrave's face still showed traces of shock. He found it hard to believe even after sending his people to confirm it.
'Superpowers are obtainable so easily. Can they be achieved just by eating fruit? Devil Fruits. What kind of miraculous fruit was this?'
Kilgrave couldn't help but compare it to his own experience. He had spent his childhood enduring years of painful experiments, being subjected to agonizing treatments, and even wishing for death countless times.
Thinking about how he had suffered so terribly to gain his powers, only to learn that someone could achieve similar abilities by simply eating a fruit, filled him with a bitter sense of injustice.
'It wasn't fair! Why had his journey to superpowers been so torturous?'
Even though he was fascinated by the idea of the Devil Fruits, Kilgrave's twisted rage bubbled beneath the surface. If he could, he'd destroy that fruit shop and kill its young owner.
But Kilgrave knew better. The shopkeeper was no ordinary person. After all, that morning, he had seen Rosh transform into a being of pure light.
The memory alone was enough to send a chill down his spine.
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Next Chapter: The Locked Room Murder Case
Next Next Chapter: Bruce Banner's Surprise
Next Next Next Chapter: Hulk Is Not A Disease!
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