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"Looks like I'll need to make this trip myself," Nick Fury said after a moment of quiet deliberation, his voice firm with resolve.
If he wanted real results, this wasn't something he could delegate. Deadpool, Kingpin, and Trish were all volatile personalities in their own ways. Fury knew that sitting down with them face-to-face would carry far more weight than sending intermediaries or messages through back channels.
Once he successfully pulled those three into his superpowered task force, recruiting others would become significantly easier.
Then another name surfaced in his mind.
"Oh, what about Bruce Banner?" Fury asked, lifting his gaze to Black Widow. "Any updates?"
Bruce Banner was already a confirmed superpowered individual. According to Fury's intelligence, Banner had been quietly stockpiling gold, clearly preparing to purchase a Devil Fruit from the Shopkeeper. And once that happened, his biggest weakness, the constant threat of losing control, would likely disappear.
If Fury was serious about assembling a team capable of standing against H.Y.D.R.A., there was no universe where he could afford to ignore someone like Bruce Banner.
"He's still overseas," Natasha answered without hesitation. "Gathering gold. We've kept him under continuous surveillance. No anomalies so far."
Hearing that, Fury finally allowed himself to ease up, just a little.
"Good. Then leave Banner for now," he said, nodding once. "I have another matter, something far more urgent, that I need you to handle."
The shift in his tone was immediate, sharp enough that Natasha straightened instinctively.
"I'm listening," she replied.
"I want you to investigate someone. Quietly," Fury said, his expression hardening. "I don't care how small the detail is; anything you find, you report directly to me. Immediately."
"I'll also allocate additional resources to support you," he added. "This isn't optional, and it isn't something we can delay. Time is critical. Do you understand?"
Natasha met his gaze calmly, her face unreadable.
"I understand," she said. "So… who am I investigating?"
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Malibu, Luxury Villa
"With a thunderous explosion, the terrorist base that has occupied Gulmira for the past five years has been completely destroyed. Local residents were seen kneeling in prayer, thanking God for their sudden liberation…"
"Following the incident in Kabul, this marks the third terrorist stronghold eliminated in recent weeks. While officials have yet to confirm whether these attacks are connected, they do share one striking similarity…"
The news anchor's voice continued steadily in the background, but Pepper Potts barely heard it.
She sat rigidly in front of the television, her brows drawn together so tightly they nearly formed wrinkles, like an old chrysanthemum blooming stubbornly in late autumn.
Tony Stark.
No one had officially identified the person responsible for wiping out those terrorist bases, but Pepper didn't need confirmation. Not for a second. She knew. Deep down, with absolute certainty.
Ever since Tony returned from the gala at the Disney Concert Hall, something in him had changed. Not gradually, suddenly. Sharply. It was as if a switch had been flipped. He'd thrown himself into action without restraint, striking terrorist groups again and again, with an intensity that bordered on obsession.
And that terrified her.
"Hey, Pepper!"
The sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She jolted slightly and looked up.
Rhodey was walking toward her, relaxed as ever.
Only then did she remember that Rhodey had an appointment with Tony today.
"Oh...hey, Rhodey," Pepper said quickly as she stood. "Tony's downstairs."
"Got it," Rhodey replied with an easy nod. He gave her a brief wave and headed straight for the basement.
Moments later, he keyed in the access code. The glass doors slid open with a soft hum, and Rhodey stepped inside.
The sight that greeted him made him freeze.
Tony Stark stood at the center of the room, hands slicing rapidly through the air. In front of him hovered a dense cluster of mechanical components, all suspended as glowing, three-dimensional holograms. Data streams, rotating models, and shifting blueprints overlapped in a dazzling display of controlled chaos.
Rhodey couldn't understand a single technical detail. But he didn't need to.
One look told him this wasn't just advanced technology, it was absurdly ahead of its time.
"Tony," Rhodey said, staring openly now, "let me guess… these are the so-called 'unidentified flying objects,' right?"
He wasn't an idiot. It didn't take a genius to connect the dots.
"Rhodey, you're here?" Tony replied casually, barely sparing him a glance. His hands never stopped moving as he spoke, fingers dancing through holographic menus like a conductor leading an orchestra. "Give me a sec."
And then he just… kept going.
No pause. No explanation. No acknowledgment that his best friend had just walked in.
Rhodey sighed inwardly. He was used to this.
Instead of complaining, he rolled up his sleeves and somehow found himself pulled into the workflow, assisting Tony for over ten straight minutes, adjusting projections, calling up data, handing over tools, before Tony finally stopped.
"Tony," Rhodey said firmly, locking eyes with him, "I've got twenty minutes total today. Thirteen of those are already gone. So are you planning to tell me what this whole 'Devil Fruit' thing is about, or did I come all this way just to be unpaid labor?"
Tony blinked. "Only thirteen minutes left?" he said lightly. "Perfect. Be my assistant for another ten. Explaining Devil Fruits only takes three."
Rhodey's expression darkened immediately.
Tony burst out laughing, clapped a hand on his shoulder, and grinned. "Relax, man. I'm kidding. Come on."
Only then did Rhodey's face ease as he followed Tony toward the lounge area, fully aware that whatever explanation he was about to hear would probably change everything.
After draining an entire glass of water and finally catching his breath, Tony leaned back against the counter. Only then did Rhodey speak again, his expression serious in a way that made it clear he wasn't joking around anymore.
"Tony," Rhodey said slowly, "the incident in Gulmira… that was you, too, wasn't it?" He raised a hand before Tony could respond. "No, don't answer that. I don't want details. I don't want to know what you did."
He exhaled sharply. "But you did cost me a fighter jet, and I still have to explain that to my superiors. So just tell me one thing, what exactly was that unidentified flying object?"
Earlier, Tony had casually mentioned Devil Fruits, but no matter how Rhodey tried to wrap his head around it, nothing clicked. Flying machines and fruits didn't belong in the same sentence.
The two things had absolutely nothing to do with each other.
"Well…" Tony suddenly grinned, his voice dropping as if he were about to share a dangerous secret. "Word of advice, Rhodey. You might want to steady yourself."
Rhodey frowned. "Why would I need to..."
"Because I'm pretty sure this is the part where you get so shocked you faceplant," Tony cut in smugly.
Before Rhodey could fire back, Tony didn't say another word. He simply focused and activated his ability.
*Whoosh!*
In a blink, Rhodey's vision warped. The air around Tony twisted violently as shadows rushed in from all directions, swallowing his figure whole.
Standing in his place was something else entirely.
A sleek, imposing suit of armor gleamed under the lights, its design both elegant and intimidating. It looked alive somehow, smooth metal plates seamlessly fitted together, radiating raw power and advanced technology far beyond anything Rhodey had ever seen.
It was breathtaking.
"Jesus Christ!" Rhodey shouted, stumbling back half a step. "What...what am I even looking at?!"
His eyes were wide, disbelief written all over his face. Almost without thinking, he reached out and touched the armor, half-expecting his hand to pass straight through.
It didn't.
The solid, cold weight beneath his fingers told him everything he needed to know.
It was real.
"Tony," Rhodey said hoarsely, staring up at the armored figure, "what the hell is going on?"
Then his shock flipped into pure excitement. "Did you seriously make something this insane?!"
He was fully hyped now, practically vibrating with awe. "This...this is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life."
"Obviously," Tony replied, his voice echoing slightly from within the armor.
With another thought, the suit dissolved away, metal vanishing as effortlessly as it had appeared. Tony Stark stood there once more, relaxed as ever.
"It is the coolest," Tony admitted. "But here's the thing, I didn't invent it."
Rhodey blinked. "Then… what is it?"
Tony met his gaze, expression calm but confident.
"This," he said simply, "is the superpower I gained from a Devil Fruit."
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Next Chapter: War Machine Goes Shopping
Next Next Chapter: War Machine's Best Match
Next Next Next Chapter: Ghost Soldier
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