บท 86: Chapter 086: Targeted by The Hand
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"Apologies, sir. Our shop only serves internal members and does not provide services to non-members, so I must ask you to leave."
Knowing the true identity of this man named Klein, Rosh didn't bother with pleasantries. He quickly made up an excuse and issued a polite but firm order for him to leave.
Klein was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting such a response.
Rosh wasn't sure whether Klein had randomly walked into the store or if The Hand had specifically sent him after targeting the shop. Either way, directly kicking the man out certainly caught him off guard.
"Is that so?" After a brief pause, Klein didn't get angry. Instead, he maintained his polite tone and asked, "Then, may I ask how one becomes a member of your establishment?"
"Our shop has its own set of rules, which I cannot disclose," Rosh responded coolly. "But if you haven't received an invitation, it means you don't meet the membership criteria. I'm sorry."
"Please, leave." With those words, Rosh once again made a gesture indicating it was time for Klein to depart.
Realizing further discussion would be futile, Klein nodded at Rosh and turned to leave the shop. Rosh, meanwhile, entered the system once more. Up until this point, he hadn't been aware that the system had a blacklist feature.
"System, what qualifies someone to be put on the blacklist?" Rosh asked, curious about the criteria.
[Those who have caused significant harm to human society, or have a strong inclination to do so, and possess extremely dark and evil intentions, such individuals or organizations will be added to the system's blacklist.]
The system's explanation was concise. In short, it referred to very, very bad people. In other words, people worse than Kingpin, Wesley, or Elektra are those with hearts "filled with darkness and evil." That gave Rosh a good understanding.
"System, aside from The Hand, are there any other individuals or organizations on the blacklist??"
[Hydra, Kaecilius...]
The system casually listed two examples, both of which perfectly fit its prior description.
There was no need to elaborate on Hydra. It was a long-standing evil organization. Just the atrocities committed by Red Skull alone were enough to classify them as "heinous." Then there was their Project Insight, designed to kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in one sweeping move. It made perfect sense for such an organization to be blacklisted by the system.
Kaecilius, too, was no saint. His attempt to destroy the sanctums and bring the Dark Dimension's ruler to Earth was arguably even worse than Hydra's schemes. Selling Devil Fruits to these entities would be a true crime; even without the system's prohibition, Rosh would have felt morally conflicted.
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Hell's Kitchen.
Inside Madame Gao's secret hideout, two figures were deep in thought. One, Murakami, stood leaning on a cane, while the other, Madame Gao, lounged casually on a sofa. Their postures might have differed, but the frowns on their faces were identical.
In front of them was a man in a well-tailored suit, the same man who had just attempted to purchase a Devil Fruit from Rosh's shop.
"The young man was very firm in his stance. Just as he said, he offered me no services. In less than two minutes, he had issued multiple requests for me to leave."
"However, I did catch sight of several strange, brightly-colored fruits on display. Those must be the Devil Fruits." Klein respectfully reported to Murakami and Madame Gao.
Indeed, Klein hadn't visited Rosh's shop on his own initiative; he had been sent there by Madame Gao and Murakami. After the recent battle with Kingpin, they had come to realize that Kingpin wasn't the actual Iron Fist. Curious about the abilities displayed by Kingpin, Vanessa, and Bullseye, they had conducted a thorough investigation.
At first, they suspected Kingpin and his associates were mutants. But as their investigation deepened, they realized they were mistaken. These individuals weren't mutants; they were ordinary people. What granted them such extraordinary abilities was a mysterious item known as a "Devil Fruit," a fruit that could bestow superhuman powers.
This revelation left Madame Gao and her associates both shocked and excited. They had lived for centuries without ever encountering anything like the Devil Fruits. The excitement came from the realization that if Devil Fruits could grant such powers, they could be the key to strengthening The Hand's forces. Thus, Madame Gao and Murakami sent Klein to gather more information. But things didn't go as planned. Contrary to their expectations, Devil Fruits weren't something one could simply buy on demand.
"So, these Devil Fruits are only sold to people they choose to sell to. If they don't want to sell to someone, no matter what, that person can't buy one, correct?" Madame Gao summarized Klein's report and glanced at him for confirmation.
"That's right," Klein nodded. "And they refuse to disclose the criteria for selecting buyers."
Madame Gao nodded thoughtfully.
"Kingpin, Vanessa, the deceased Wesley, the renowned Helen Cho, and that mercenary who killed Daredevil—all of them have bought Devil Fruits. What makes them different from us?" Murakami muttered thoughtfully.
These individuals were from entirely different walks of life—there was no common thread linking them. Murakami couldn't understand why they qualified to buy the fruits, but The Hand did not.
"I understand. You may go now," Madame Gao waved a hand, dismissing Klein.
After he left, Murakami slowly stood up and, with a meaningful tone, said to Madame Gao, "Kingpin, a low-level criminal, managed to embarrass us. And now, even a mere fruit vendor dares to look down on us."
"Has The Hand really fallen this far?"
Madame Gao, however, remained calm. "A temporary setback means nothing. No one in this world is invincible."
She smiled slightly, adding, "We should be grateful for this defeat. At the very least, it has shown us that there are even more wondrous and powerful forces in the world, hasn't it?"
"But those forces have shut us out," Murakami countered.
Madame Gao smiled faintly. "The Hand has never been denied anything it truly desired. Not even once."
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Next Chapter: Illegally Infiltrating the Devil Fruit Shop
Next Next Chapter: He Becomes Light!
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