Chapter 1: The String-String Fruit, The Bugged Skill: Sky Road Ascension!
America, New York, Queens.
Midtown High School.
A tall man in a white shirt, carrying a backpack and holding a phone, glanced at the time occasionally as he walked into the school.
It had rained in the early morning, and the ground was a bit slippery.
Eustass Mola walked on the campus road when his phone chimed with a message. He opened his phone and glanced at it.
It was a message from a schoolgirl, a dozen or so in total.
Eustass didn't reply to any of them.
He put his phone away, entered the corridor, found his locker, put his backpack inside, and only took out the textbooks he needed.
After being reborn and discovering the existence of Stark Industries in this World,
He understood that some things were unavoidable.
For example, the various battles between heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe. He might just be strolling down the street one day and see a super villain get hammered away.
Hide?
How could one hide from the probabilistic event of the Purple Sweet Potato Spirit's snap?
As someone unlucky in gacha games, he never believed in probabilistic events.
"He's so tall, it's a shame he's not on the basketball team."
"Yeah, yeah, so tall and imposing... I wish he was my boyfriend."
Not far away,
Several schoolgirls gathered, discussing Eustass.
Eustass was two meters and one centimeter tall, which was far from the tallest in the NBA.
But at Midtown High School, he was considered one of the most outstanding.
Best in studies, tallest, and quite handsome~
There were always girls wanting to replace his girlfriend.
There were always basketball coaches wanting to talk to him about his dreams.
If this were a normal World, Eustass felt that he had a perfect start.
He was in Midtown, with a promising future... Wait, this is Midtown High School?
Then everything is fine~
Although the future superheroes would save those who were snapped out of existence,
But the thought of having to gamble on survival, and possibly 'dying' for a while before being resurrected,
His house being auctioned off, his girlfriend being snatched away, and then returning to homelessness.
It was very unpleasant.
Resurrection after the Blip happened several years later, which would also cause countless unresolved conflicts.
[Dream Realization System Activated!]
[Initial Reward: String-String Fruit!]
[The String-String Fruit comes from the World of One Piece.]
[Dream Realization System: Sit idly by? Strike hard! Dreams are hammered out punch by punch. Pummel local transcendent beings to obtain Dream Realization Rewards!]
The teacher was explaining a formula on the stage.
Eustass, sitting below, jolted.
A cheat code.
Punching down transcendent beings one by one to get rewards, it really had that pirate vibe.
Eustass looked up at the formula the teacher wrote on the board.
Then, he reached out his hand on the desk, releasing silk threads to weave a formula.
Afterward, the silk threads changed, weaving into a very miniature small sword.
"Eustass, are you listening?"
Just then,
The white female teacher slowly walked over, waving her hand and speaking.
"Ah, yes, listening, listening..."
Eustass quickly nodded, retracted all the threads, looked up at the formula on the blackboard, and began to explain the solution.
Someone sitting behind him, Johnny, stretched out his leg and kicked the leg of his chair.
Eustass felt a void beneath him and almost fell to the ground.
He reacted quickly, bracing himself with his legs, then stood up, finished explaining the formula, and glared back at Johnny.
The other party smiled at him, a very smug and flippant smile:
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I was just stretching my legs, it wasn't intentional~"
After speaking, the other party even gave him a provocative smile.
"I believe you."
Eustass smiled and nodded.
After class.
The teacher packed her things and left.
Eustass stood up, turned around, and slapped Johnny.
The other party tried to dodge, but couldn't escape Eustass's long arm.
"Slap!"
It was crisp and loud, and people in the classroom whistled and cheered.
"If you have the guts, come out and fight, you idiot who only talks tough!"
Eustass pointed at the other party's head and cursed. The other party was about to stand up when a group of basketball players stood up.
They stared at his head like they were watching a basketball being bounced on a court.
The other party sat back down.
Eustass kicked over the table, knocking the other party down.
He gave a middle finger, grabbed his textbook, and left directly.
That kid's name was Johnny. Before, he had a crush on a white girl, but Eustass snatched the opportunity.
So, he had always held a grudge against him.
He's a dog.
It's normal to hold a grudge.
Eustass had already broken up with that girl, but this guy still held a grudge against him.
But it didn't matter~
Anyway, he also found Johnny annoying.
Honestly, even he, a top student at Midtown High School, if asked about Johnny's contributions to human history,
He would be stumped for a long time and unable to say anything.
If he searched online when he got home, the server would probably be cursing.
Isn't that just making things difficult for it?
Soon after,
Leaving school.
Eustass went out onto the street, wandering around, specifically looking for hidden corners.
He bought a drink along the way.
In the alley.
Eustass sipped his drink, standing there, ready to test the abilities of the String-String Fruit.
Donquixote Doflamingo's most basic move - Five-Color String.
On Eustass's broad palm, from his five long fingers, he created five almost transparent, thin but strong silk threads.
He formed his hands into claws and swung them sharply at a pile of cardboard boxes stacked in a corner nearby.
The piano wire-like threads cut through the air, whistling, directly slicing through the pile of cardboard. The threads hissed a few times, striking the wall and leaving several marks.
Actually, there's an even more powerful move.
Overheat!
In the original story, Doffy used this move to cut a tall building in half with one strike.
Not to mention the even more powerful Birdcage, Overheat, and 16 Holy Bullets that came later.
Because the location wasn't suitable, he didn't test these stronger moves here.
Eustass looked at the threads on his palm.
Since the previous String-String Fruit user, Donquixote Doflamingo, could create Thread Clones... The threads began to weave, forming a pink fluffy coat and red and white striped pants on Eustass.
A simulated mask was then woven onto his face.
It was a human-like mask with narrow, arrogant red glasses, a wide, evil grin, and a tongue hanging out, smiling mischievously.
To be fair,
His handsome face, which appealed to both Eastern and Western aesthetics, usually had a serious, gentle, and proper demeanor.
The mask bore Doffy's iconic smile.
No one who saw this would be able to connect it to him.
He touched his hair.
Eustass quickly used threads to weave a yellow wig onto his forehead.
Details were important.
Eustass grinned, his smile a little too arrogant, and the soft mask also grinned with him.
The Doffy costume was ready!
He raised his hand, pointing high into the sky.
A thread instantly shot into the sky.
Donquixote Doflamingo's most bugged move from the String-String Fruit was Sky Road!
By using threads so thin they were invisible to the naked eye, he would bind them to clouds in the sky, thereby achieving the effect of pulling the ability user, allowing them to 'fly' at high speed in mid-air.
After waiting for a while.
The next moment.
Eustass's smile froze.
"Whoosh!"
He shot straight up into the sky at incredible speed, disappearing from the alley in the blink of an eye, almost crashing into the clothesline upstairs.
This speed was even more outrageous than Initial D!
F*ck!
He definitely didn't tie himself to a cloud; it must have been an airplane!
Because he didn't even pull the thread, yet he suddenly flew off!
A homeless man just arrived in the alley, looked up, and cursed again.
"I must be hallucinating. Someone just flew into the sky right before my eyes. Motherf*cker, this World is too crazy!"
Chapter 2: 2. Newspaper Boss vs. Doffy Fan: Who's More Arrogant?
Above the sky.
An inconspicuous figure streaked through the air with a whoosh.
Eustass felt incredibly hyped!
Skyway + Airplane =???
Anyway, he felt that even the Moonwalks of people in the Pirate World weren't this fast.
Only the performing ape, Borsalino, could utterly crush this speed.
At a maximum speed of 0.9 Mach, he was being pulled from behind, swaying in the wind.
If not for the incredibly tough silk protective layer wrapped around him, his normal human physique wouldn't be able to handle flying around at this speed.
Most humans in the Marvel Universe still have normal physiques.
They're not as resilient as those in the Pirate World, who can keep 'doing sit-ups' and acting shamelessly even after losing.
Eustass felt the sensation of speeding through the air and quickly disconnected the Parasite Threads.
If he kept going, he didn't know if he'd be high.
He'd definitely freeze into an idiot.
This silk protective layer could be soft or hard, offering super strong protection.
It just wasn't insulated.
His body continuously fell downwards.
Eustass passed a tall building, still plummeting.
He quickly shot out a strand of Parasite Threads from his hand, transforming into a high-quality imitation Spider-Man, the Parasite Threads grabbing onto the rooftop of the building and embedding itself.
Eustass swung like a pendulum, flying towards another building in the distance.
Falling too fast, he narrowly grazed Queens Boulevard.
Numerous cars drove slowly, horns honking incessantly.
People on both sides of the street, rushing home from work, hurried along.
Everyone, who was busy with their own affairs, was suddenly startled by this powerful young man who shattered their everyday worldview.
Drivers craned their necks to look out.
Pedestrians, dumbfounded, looked up and followed the figure, their gaze constantly moving upwards until their necks ached from craning.
A brown-haired child looked up, his head constantly moving up and down with his gaze as the figure swung between the buildings.
So startled that the hamburger in his hand fell to the ground, he didn't even bother to pick it up.
"F*ck, I think I've got some material to shoot!"
A reporter quickly put away his camera and said with a smile.
At that moment, he was originally photographing a celebrity coming out.
But accidentally, he captured that transcendent being swinging between buildings.
He quickly took out the photo and was stunned.
A large patch of pink fluff blocked the lens.
In the corner, vaguely, a sexy butt was also vying for the shot.
"Oh, f*ck."
...In the city of towering skyscrapers, like a steel jungle settled on this land.
At this moment, Eustass finally understood that this place was simply his paradise.
The environment was extremely friendly to his abilities.
Moreover, the security was extremely poor, and problems were frequent, making it a good place to get rich~
Even Doffy would say it was good.
Eustass would have no guilt whatsoever using Parasite Threads on Mo and those gangsters~
Soon after.
Eustass landed on the top floor of a building.
He put away his camera and looked at the photos inside.
Emulating the old Spider-Man, he'd take photos of himself to earn a little money~
"These few are good."
Eustass selected a few well-taken photos.
While swinging, he suddenly remembered that since his transcendent identity was exposed, why not learn from the old Spider-Man and earn his own money?
Eustass then took the opportunity to take out the camera from the backpack hidden in his pink fluffy coat, placed it on the building, and set it up.
Then he casually passed by this building, slowed down, timed it right, and took photos of himself.
Of course, this was just for pocket money.
He wouldn't be willing to run around for a newspaper all day like a workhorse just for photos.
He had two ideas for coming to Marvel.
One was to enjoy life.
The other was to fight transcendent beings.
Working?
He'd never work in this lifetime~
Pirates should act like pirates.
The point is to be cheerful and happy normally, and then ignite the entire field during battle, smashing the enemy's dog heads.
Soon after.
Daily Bugle.
Compared to Spider-Man's Daily Bugle, different bosses, different appearances, but the same name, and the same arrogance and haughtiness.
"That transcendent kid who appeared on Queens Boulevard? He's a villain, a public menace!"
Slap!
The newspaper boss slammed the newspaper, immediately giving the mysterious figure who suddenly appeared on Queens Boulevard an attractive label.
"You guys only got a... perky butt? Damn it, get that poor kid out of here!"
I want that transcendent kid to be on the newspaper tomorrow, making me a lot of money!"
The newspaper boss said excitedly, speaking very fast, cursing, which made the young man taking photos opposite him stunned.
"Mr. J. Jonah Jameson, your wife wants to ask you, the red wine at home is gone, which one should she buy?"
The secretary came over and quickly asked.
"Whichever tastes good, get that one, don't just pick the expensive ones, you idiot."
Jameson quickly waved his hand, then looked at his employees, arranging matters.
In the newspaper office corridor.
Eustass followed the boss's secretary to the office.
He held several photos in his hand.
From time to time, he looked around.
Everyone around was busy, the sounds were noisy, a scene of bustling activity.
Just as he arrived at the office door.
The secretary knocked on the door, ready to lead him in.
Eustass heard a fierce exchange of voices.
It was the boss, Jameson, constantly discussing newspaper content with his employees.
As a boss, there were many things to arrange, but cursing must also feel great.
Cursing from beginning to end.
"Mr. J. Jonah Jameson, we can't possibly publish with these terrible photos..."
Content editor Gao Lang quickly said.
"Shapalah!"
Jameson pointed at the content editor and cursed, standing up, "Then offer a reward for his photos! We can even get celebrity nude photos, and we can't get his photos? Are our people too shy?"
Eustass had just entered, and after the secretary said a few words to Jameson, he looked at the boss and sat opposite him.
To be honest, having lived in America for so many years.
He had long been accustomed to such trash talk.
"Oh, Lishie!"
"You Orientals have a saying, what is it again?'Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.'"
Jameson said in broken Chinese at a rapid pace, quickly inviting Eustass to sit down and taking the photos from his hand.
The content editor and other editors all nervously watched the young man.
Worrying about his payment... Jameson's expression changed extremely quickly.
He was skilled at changing his expression.
One moment, a warm welcome.
The next, he would treat it as trash, changing tactics to drive down the price.
Jameson looked at the photos, rapidly flipping through them, looking at one, cursing once.
"Trash, trash, all trash!"
"I'll give you two hundred U.S. dollars."
Then, he immediately contentedly sorted the photos, but on the surface, he said with dissatisfaction.
"This is the biggest selling point since Captain Americadisappeared, how many years has it been without such a good selling point? Two hundred U.S. dollars? You can keep it to wipe your butt with."
Eustass snatched the photos from his hand, and with a 'pat' sound, he crossed his legs and placed them on the table.
The timeliness of these photos could make Jameson a fortune!
Two hundred U.S. dollars, was he trying to dismiss a homeless man?
Jameson was arrogant.
So, as Doffy's excellent junior, wouldn't Eustass being a little arrogant be not too much? He couldn't disgrace one of the most successful BOSSes created in the Pirate World~
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson was almost kicked in the chest by that long leg.
This kid was really tall.
He dodged back, about to curse him to get out.
But then he thought of the timeliness of the photos and his own interests, so he held back.
To deal with good boys, you have to be arrogant and drive down the price.
To deal with people with strange tempers, you have to change your approach.
Chapter 3: $6,000 in Pocket Money, Stark is Still Suffering~ (Please Collect and Read!)
"$500!"
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson spoke.
When he mentioned $200 just now, he was just trying to get the photos for free.
Eustass smiled, looking at Mr. J. Jonah Jameson.
This guy had a little conscience, but not much.
Since Captain America was frozen, the number of supernatural beings appearing openly in the World has been almost zero.
Suddenly, a supernatural being appeared swinging among the skyscrapers.
How much profit could such explosive news bring to the newspaper?
"$1,500!"
"Get out!"
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson was furious and slammed his hand on the desk.
Doesn't this kid even know how to bargain?
Eustass smiled, looking at Mr. J. Jonah Jameson.
"A thousand dollars at most!"
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson didn't care about this small amount of money at all; compared to what he earned from printing newspapers, this was a drop in the ocean.
But he insisted on lowering the price. Every extra dollar he could swindle was a dollar earned.
"OK!"
Eustass nodded. A thousand dollars it was.
It was barely enough for pocket money.
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson: "..."
Eustass handed over the photos. Mr. J. Jonah Jamesonangrily waved his hand, telling his Female Secretary to take him to the cashier to get the money.
Eustass left smiling. Mr. J. Jonah Jameson sat in his seat, fuming that he had been tricked by a young man.
Not long after.
Eustass took the money and left.
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson told his employee to edit the next edition of the newspaper.
The Content Editor quickly ran over and handed him the photos.
"F*ck!"
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson couldn't help but swear.
Eustass had provided the same number of photos.
But only one photo was of the best quality. The others had been swapped out—they were either blurry or only showed a tiny corner of a Pink Feathered Coat, failing to capture the main subject.
It also read:
"$1,000 per photo. Thank you very much, generous Mr. J. Jonah Jameson! The rest are complimentary!"
Mr. J. Jonah Jameson wanted someone to call the kid back.
The Female Secretary suppressed a laugh and said the other party had left long ago.
$1,000 per photo, he really had the nerve to ask for that!
As soon as the Female Secretary left the office, Mr. J. Jonah Jameson angrily cursed and threw files around.
On the other side.
As soon as Eustass left the Daily Bugle, he rushed toward the Wall Street Journal.
Newspapers, after all, prioritize timeliness.
He had to hurry if he wanted to earn multiple payments.
Otherwise, if others took too many photos of him later, it would be difficult to earn money from himself so easily~
Eustass was busy the entire day.
Busy fleecing himself.
Was this even a human thing to do?
Even consortium bosses would shed tears upon hearing this.
Twilight was approaching.
Eustass finally left a newspaper office.
He had taken quite a few photos of himself earlier.
He would use a different photo for each place he visited.
Even if his peers heard about it, they couldn't say he violated any principles.
He returned all the way to his apartment building.
Eustass glanced at the street corner not far away.
Several homeless people were lying motionless on the ground.
Eustass shook his head in disgust and went upstairs.
This was very common in America.
Some people on the street might be genuinely bankrupt vagrants.
But others might not be.
They might have ruined themselves by buying Drugs.
He just couldn't understand how heroes could be born in such a chaotic place.
Moreover, many future Superheroes would endure the abuse of these rotten people like saints, for no reason.
Like a complete fool... He went upstairs.
Eustass prepared to go home and make some delicious food to reward himself.
Just then.
Next door.
A brown-haired little boy stood in the hallway, looking up at Eustass in surprise.
"Wow, you're so tall."
"Read more, read the newspaper more, eat fewer snacks, and exercise more, and you will be too."
Eustass laughed, saying nonsense to trick the child, and rubbed the boy's head.
"Hello, my name is Peter Parker, I just moved in."
The child said with a smile.
"Hello, my name is Eustass Mola."
Eustass said with a smile, and just as he turned to leave, he suddenly looked back.
Huh?
Peter Parker?
A brat about ten years old was smiling up at him.
Was it a coincidence, or was this truly the future Little Spider?
Who cares!
The official birth of Little Spider would still take many years.
"Nice to meet you, bye~"
After Eustass finished speaking, he vigorously rubbed Little Spider's head again.
"Goodbye, Big Brother!"
Little Spider waved goodbye with a smile.
Back home.
Eustass sat on the sofa and counted the day's earnings.
$6,300.
It was 2008 now, and over $6,000 was definitely enough for him to use for a long time.
However, if he planned to go to college later, he would definitely need money... Studying abroad wasn't cheap.
Some people work for a long time while still carrying student loans.
Looking at the photos in his hand, Eustass had a sudden idea.
Should he register his fake identity as a trademark?
He appeared using Doflamingo's appearance. If he preemptively registered the trademark, when he became famous, he could manufacture and sell his own merchandise for profit.
If future Superheroes had this idea, everyone would probably be rich... The next day.
Midtown High School.
Eustass sat in the classroom, with several books on his desk and one in his hand, reading it.
A week ago.
The Peak Award ceremony had already been held in Las Vegas a week ago, presented to Tony Stark.
The media revealed that Tony Stark, the playboy, was busy borrowing "Fairy Energy" from beauties to play Dice, and had no time to accept the award... Eustass judged that Stark must have been kidnapped several days prior.
According to the movie plot, it takes three months for Stark to be kidnapped and then escape.
Therefore, there are still about three months until the Iron Monger battles Iron Man.
Eustass prepared to learn more methods.
Devil Fruit abilities rely on creativity and development.
What about adding knowledge?
In the Original Pirate Story, Doflamingo used threads to stitch and treat his severely injured body.
If he learned some Medical Knowledge, would treating himself be faster and more effective?
Furthermore, if he studied Materials Science.
Could it allow the bodysuit woven from threads to become more insulating?
If knowing more meant having more ways to save his life, he wouldn't mind the trouble.
Not long after.
Class dismissed.
Eustass left school directly with a few books and arrived once again at the familiar location.
He looked up, pointing a finger at the sky.
A thread instantly shot out, rushing towards the sky.
Then it passed through the clouds... Eustass understood.
The World views were different.
The skies of the Pirate World have numerous Island Clouds.
And Island Clouds are solid.
The clouds in the Marvel Universe are not solid and there are no Island Clouds, so they cannot be hooked onto.
This was probably why Doffy could use Sky Path in the Pirate World.
Fortunately, New York has many skyscrapers.
Not being able to hook onto clouds wasn't too big of a problem.
Eustass retracted his hand, left the alley, took out a Materials Science book from his backpack, and read as he walked.
At the same time.
"Ni-ni" was still suffering in a certain Cave... Obadiah was still praying for Stark to die quickly...
Chapter 4 – Fleece the Sheep: Stark's Heavenly Justice! (Please Add to Your Collection!)
Three months later.
Tony Stark had cobbled together a crude iron man armor, blasted his way out of the Terrorists' cave, linked up with the Military, hopped onto a plane, and flown back to New York.
The instant Stark landed he was munching a hamburger while ordering his assistant, Pepper, to call a press conference.
Not long after.
Midtown High School.
Eustass was just heading to the library when his phone rang.
"Who's this?"
He pulled the handset from his pocket and lifted it to his ear.
"It's me, Jameson. Where are you, brat? I've got an opportunity—don't say I never gave you anything. I'll text you an address; get over there and snap some shots!
Tony Stark is holding a press conference!"
"I'm not a reporter. Whatever. Bye."
Eustass killed the call.
Daily Bugle.
Jameson hung up with a string of curses.
Even though this Eustass kid was slippery and expensive,
he still cost less than several full-timers combined; what a whole team did, he handled solo—and his photos were top-tier. Great value… Jameson had planned to sweeten the pot a little.
Turns out the kid simply wasn't interested.
Meanwhile.
Eustass had already ended the call.
From the keywords—three months, Stark, press conference—
he knew exactly what was coming.
Stark announcing the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons division would indeed be explosive news,
but every reporter on site would be shooting the same footage; anything he took would be generic.
Jameson would never pay top dollar for that.
He'd just low-ball him.
So why bother going?
He still had school!
He wasn't some work-donkey punching a clock.
Money was meant to be enjoyed, not to make life miserable.
That was his life philosophy.
He left campus.
Eustass went home.
He switched on the TV; news filled the screen.
Settling onto the couch, he opened a book.
Threads kept forming between his fingers, weaving into different shapes.
Now a net,
now a long spear.
Next, several strands slipped into a newly bought plush doll on the table,
animating it to perform all sorts of motions.
On the television,
a live news scene was airing.
Stark, burger in hand, lounged casually in front of the podium, saying something.
Eustass glanced at the screen from the sofa.
Beside him, countless threads twisted and wove together like a 3-D printer, building a tall figure.
The man wore a fluffy pink coat, a burgundy suit, and equally red, arrogantly flamboyant sunglasses.
It was a Thread Clone in the likeness of Donquixote Doflamingo!
Whenever he went out, he used Doflamingo as his public face.
Back home, he simply lived as himself.
Even if someone got suspicious, the clone would dilute the suspicion.
"I finally woke up from that dream!
I realized I could do far more for this World—for society—
than just blow it up!
Therefore, effective immediately, I'm shutting down the weapons-manufacturing division of Stark International…"
On TV,
the moment Stark finished, the press pool erupted.
Eustass flicked his fingers; the puppet on the table tapped the laptop, pulling up Stark Industries' Stock chart.
He waited a bit.
The price started to drop.
That very day,
once Stark actually closed the weapons division, the Stock went off a cliff.
TV shows ran endless segments mocking Stark and his company… Eustass sipped a drink on the rooftop while watching the ticker.
Beside him, Little Peter rattled on like a chatterbox, newspaper in hand.
"Stop, stop—how many times are you gonna say that? Let me watch the Stocks in peace."
Eustass clapped a hand over Peter's mouth.
He didn't even need to meet Peter's hot Aunt Mei to be sure:
this newly moved-in kid was the future Little Spider.
All that talking made his head ache!
"He's so cool, swinging between buildings—awesome!"
Peter grinned, pointing at the paper.
Whoosh!
A strong gust swept through.
The newspaper flew away.
Peter scrambled after it; Eustass grabbed the kid mid-lunge, leaving him dangling and flailing in mid-air.
The pages fluttered, the wind died, and the paper drifted downward.
Slap—it smacked a young man in the face.
The guy lifted the paper and saw a picture: a blond, red-masked man grinning arrogantly.
The man's fluffy pink coat billowed as he loomed above the camera, looking down with disdain.
"Whoa, cool!"
the kid exclaimed.
Up on the rooftop,
"The paper says he's a scumbag, a villain,"
Eustass chuckled.
He couldn't care less.
If people called Doflamingo a bad guy, that suited him fine.
Without morals, no one could ever morally blackmail him.
Besides, they were bad-mouthing Doflamingo—what did that have to do with Eustass?
"No way, there's no way he's a villain!"
Peter protested.
The boy was still young and full of light,
which made Eustass pause.
He ruffled Peter's hair and said nothing more.
'Joker's no hero,'
he thought.
His plan was simple: beat people up, claim rewards, level up.
Several days later,
when Stark Industries' Stock hit rock-bottom,
Eustass dumped every dollar he had—plus the inheritance his parents left—
all into Stark Industries shares.
He didn't have enough capital to become a major shareholder,
but he could still make a killing.
Eustass Home.
Eustass set a cage and some glassware on the table.
He flipped through a medical textbook,
then lifted the Rabbit out of the cage.
Threads extended from his fingers and quietly slipped into the animal's body.
He puppeteered the Rabbit, making it hop around inside the beaker, banging against the walls.
After a long while,
he had essentially wrecked the Rabbit.
It lay in the beaker, nose and mouth bleeding,
legs twitching.
Eustass moved to step two.
Threads entered the body again, trying to stitch the damaged organs back together.
Turned out that was even harder than Parasite Threads.
The Rabbit died on the spot.
Animal-rights activists would be furious.
"Without Observation Haki I can't sense what's going on inside; perception is the key to this trick,"
he mused, then bagged the Rabbit—Rabbit stew tonight.
Rabbits are so cute… extra chili. A few days later,
Midtown High started summer break.
Nearly three whole months off.
California.
Los Angeles.
Among the skyscrapers,
Eustas wore a high-grade Doflamingo cosplay, firing threads that let him swing from building to building.
Vacation meant it was time to have some fun.
Catch a Lakers game,
blow off steam,
and while he was at it, show off his super persona for some easy cash.
Stark shares kept tumrolling downhill.
He'd earn a few more bucks and invest again.
Once Stark defeated Iron Monger, this chance would be gone.
His path to financial freedom was counting on Stark!
Just then,
a steel figure plummeted from the night sky and smashed toward the bustling city.
"Oh-oh-oh-oh, f***!"
Inside the frozen armor,
Stark, his vid feed just restored, saw a kid swinging between buildings—and screamed as he hurtled straight at him.
Chapter 5 – Humanoid Weapon vs. Mutant Blond Guy? (Please Add to Your Collection!)
Eustass was startled.
Stark had shown up at the worst possible moment—charging straight at him.
"Jarvis, dodge him!"
Inside the iron man armor.
Stark shouted.
The suit had only just returned to normal.
Jarvis executed an evasive program, steering the armor away from the guy swinging through the air.
Then a huge web shot in out of nowhere.
Spider Nest!
Eustass held a strand in his right hand to stay airborne, then flicked his left hand forward, firing dozens of threads that wove into a giant web.
The net was so large it wrapped the entire iron man armor inside.
The armor was yanked away, sent flying into the distance.
The silk was incredibly tough; Stark couldn't break free even as he fought the controls.
The web anchored to the building, its strands biting into the edge, pinning Iron Man fast.
Stark's happy test-flight was officially over.
Inside the suit.
Stark tilted his head, watching the guy in the pink fur coat swagger off, swinging between skyscrapers until he vanished from sight.
Down below.
People held up their phones, filming upward.
Everything had happened too fast.
No one had managed to capture the moment the two met.
Now they hurried to snap the iron man armor glued to the building by spider-silk.
That same day.
After returning to his cliff-side Villa, Stark hovered the armor overhead.
"Shutdown."
The suit lost power and dropped like a rock.
Instead of landing smoothly, it smashed through the roof, crushed the piano on the floor below, and finally totaled the super-car in the lab at the bottom.
Perched in the wrecked car, Stark sat covered in scorched silk while a dumb robotic arm sprayed him with fire-retardant foam.
He stared up at the huge hole above him, speechless.
Moments later.
Stark climbed out of the armor, an ice pack on his forehead, and said,
"Jarvis, pull every clip and file on that guy."
The TV lit up with footage, photos, and reports of Eustass's super-human feats.
Yet anything that could reveal his movements was blank.
Every surveillance camera along his route had been shredded in advance by Eustass's threads.
"Who is he, where did he come from, and what does he want?"
Stark mused. "A mutant, maybe? Jarvis, analyze the molecular structure of this web…"
"At once, sir."
Elsewhere.
In a Los Angeles motel.
Eustass lay on the bed; today had been unexpected.
But it told him one thing: the Iron Man-vs-Iron Mongershowdown was about to begin.
Early next morning.
He packed up and left L.A.
A flight later, he was back in New York.
The moment he stepped off the plane.
He bought a paper—and saw the story about him and Stark.
Of course, Stark wasn't being called "Iron Man" yet.
In the paper.
An unpainted silver armor hung webbed to a wall.
Spotlights glared on every side.
In another shot, a pink-fur-coated figure vanished between buildings.
The headline screamed:
"Top-Secret Base's Humanoid Weapon Ambushed by Mutant Blond!"
Eustass folded the paper, and once home.
he sank every dollar he'd made selling L.A. photos into Stark Industries stock.
One last score.
Free money if you grab it.
Meanwhile.
At the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
the place was in chaos.
Staff split into two busy teams.
One, led by Agent Coulson.
investigated Stark.
The other, headed by Hawkeye and Black Widow, hunted the mystery blond active in both New York and L.A.
"Sir, we ran every citizen's photo through facial rec—no match!"
An Agent at a monitor blurted, "alien, maybe?"
"Then filter by height, hair color, and travel logs—check everyone who's been to L.A. recently,"
Hawkeye ordered. alien? Not yet. Soon he'd believe Norse gods walked the earth… "Yes, sir!"
And so Eustass was screened out. At the same moment.
Obadiah boarded a plane to meet the Terrorists who'd kidnapped Stark and collect the Mark I.
In-flight.
Obadiah sneered at the newspaper:
"Find that guy. Pay him whatever it takes to kill Stark."
The instant he'd seen the armor in the photo, he knew Stark had built a new suit.
He wanted the armor, he wanted Stark Industries—and Stark himself dead.
…New York.
Eustass sank his last dime into Stark Industries shares.
Then he flopped on the couch, flicked on the TV—and heard a knock.
A coil of thread formed on his fingertip as he opened the door.
He glanced outside.
Looked down.
It was Peter Parker.
Only then did he retract the silk.
Had it been a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent outside.
he'd have greeted them with a Thread Bullet.
Thread Bullet—compressing threads onto his fingertip and firing them like a gun.
Strong enough to punch clean through bone.
Accurate even at long range.
Silent and lethal.
Way better than any pistol.
And it never needs reloading~
"Peter, what's up?"
Eustass crouched, ruffled the Holland-version Peter's hair, and grinned.
"Aunt May's out. I'm bored home alone, so I came to hang."
Peter beamed.
"Come in—want cookies? What'll you drink?"
Eustass ushered him inside and shut the door.
"Thanks, anything's fine."
Peter smiled.
Eustass fetched cookies and a big bottle of Cola~
Then he collapsed on the sofa in full "Ge You" recline, snacks in hand, eyes on the screen.
Peter munched cookies and sipped Cola beside him.
A variety show was on.
Several comedians were roasting the "mutant blond vs. humanoid steel weapon" fiasco.
"Look, whoever cooked up this dumb toy had it wrapped and pinned to the wall by that clown.
Hey, your shiny new weapon looks cool—until you breathe on it and it breaks~!"
The bald host swung a baseball bat, smashing a plastic doll on the wall.
It shattered to pieces.
The studio roared with laughter.
Even the brass were stumped.
They had no idea where the supposed mutant blond—or that steel armor—had come from.
Chapter 6 – Eustass Overwhelms Iron Monger! (Please Favorite!)
On TV, a comedian was roasting super-powered folks.
From this alone you could tell: the media in this Worldhad zero reverence for the extraordinary.
Bad guys show up, heroes step in.
Bad guys run off, heroes take the blame.
"He's not Joker, not Joker!"
Peter sat on the sofa, finished his Cola, and shouted hurriedly.
Eustass rubbed Peter's head.
The man himself wasn't even worried—why was Peter in such a rush?
Besides, his goal was to fight and reap rewards.
What he'd do later might not qualify him as a villain.
But it definitely wouldn't make him a hero.
He'd probably end up disappointing Peter.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected his first fan to be the future Spider-Man.
Several days later.
Stark Industrial Zone.
Not far away.
Eustass sat in a milk-tea shop.
A cup of bubble tea in one hand, a burger in the other.
He munched and sipped while flipping through a book on the table.
These past days.
He'd swing by the area whenever he had time.
He didn't want to miss the Iron Man vs. Iron Mongershowdown.
Suddenly.
In the night.
A gold-and-red armored figure streaked in, shattering the calm.
He tore across the sky, slammed into the industrial park, and smashed a massive silver armor that had burst from the ground.
The two plowed straight through the factory wall.
A sharp metallic shriek rang out.
Together they bent the gun barrel of a parked tank inside the complex.
In a flash they were on the street, ripping through a truck and carving a furrow in the asphalt.
Cars screeched to a halt, piling into one another.
The commotion was deafening.
Even Eustass in the milk-tea shop heard it.
He snapped his book shut.
While dashing outside, he drained his drink and wolfed down the burger in one bite.
He glanced at the two armored figures on the road.
Feigning panic like the rest of the fleeing crowd, he ran along.
Eustass ducked into an alley.
Threads spun rapidly, weaving into a Doflamingo Disguise.
Eustass aimed a hand at a high-rise.
Strings latched onto the rooftop, snapped taut, and yanked him skyward.
Time to fight, time to fight!
He'd waited ages for this.
On the street.
The huge silver armor rose; Obadiah spread its arms and lifted a car in front of him.
He prepared to hurl it at Stark.
Inside the sedan.
The woman at the wheel screamed at the top of her lungs.
Paralyzed with terror, the kids in the seats shrieked just as hard.
"You're finished, Tony!"
As Obadiah hoisted the car high, a figure in a fluffy pink coat came swinging in fast.
Countless threads wrapped his feet, stacking into shock-absorbing layers.
Eustass slammed a kick into the side of Iron Monger's helmet.
Iron Monger toppled sideways.
The car crashed toward the road.
Stark quickly maneuvered the mark iii to catch the sedan.
Eustass landed and flexed his toes.
The cushioning layers weren't bad.
Kicking steel left his leg tingling, nothing serious.
Obadiah felt like a chunk of metal had fallen from the sky onto him.
His head buzzed… Eustess kept stamping, his foot a bit numb.
He glanced back.
The sedan's driver floored the accelerator in panic.
Stark kept yelling at her to stop.
But the frantic woman wasn't listening.
She floored it.
The Audi ran right over the mark iii and sped off.
The mark iii rolled down the road, sparks flying.
Obadiah snatched a speeding motorcycle and flung it straight at Eustass.
Super Torsion Whip!
Eustass reached back; dozens of near-invisible thick threads shot from his palm.
The strands braided into a rope-thick column of string.
It lashed backward, then snapped forward, striking Iron Monger hard.
Whoosh!
The whip's shadow flashed, slammed the steel frame, scattering sparks and leaving a long slash across the armor.
Iron Monger was sent flying into the distance.
The motorcycle clattered to the ground.
Iron Monger smashed through a shopfront wall.
Tables and chairs inside exploded; he slammed into the rear wall, sending spider-web cracks across it.
"Hey, it's you again."
Stark got up and hurried toward Eustass. "How about we team up?"
Next instant.
Both pointed at each other.
"You've got red dots on you."
Stark said.
Eustass pointed at Stark—clearly, you've got them too.
They checked themselves, then looked toward the shop.
In the smoke.
Two small missiles burst through, one streaking at Stark.
One at Eustass.
Stark blasted his thrusters.
Eustass fired threads at a building; both lifted off in turn.
The missiles shot under them and pounded the opposite building.
Flames erupted, debris flying.
The fireball lit up the whole block.
People panicked, abandoning cars and running the other way.
In the distance.
Agent Coulson led a group of Agents, surveying the scene, then glancing at the small pistol in his hand.
Powerless… those little "pew-pews" couldn't join this battle.
"Iron armor? I've got that too!"
"Trashy mutated bug—die!"
A roar came from inside the shop.
The huge armor's feet blasted massive jets of flame as it rocketed out, racing after mark iii and Eustass.
Stark looked quickly at Eustass.
Eustass stared down at Iron Monger chasing him.
Swings and webs couldn't match thrusters for speed.
He swept an arm downward, releasing hundreds of invisible threads that wove into a gigantic web spreading flat.
Every strand anchored deep into the nearby buildings, hooking rebar and concrete.
The huge web stretched taut.
Iron Monger smashed into the web wall with a boom.
It felt like colliding with a net woven from countless alloy cables.
The web kept springing upward.
Next instant.
The colossal rebound hurled Iron Monger back down, blasting a crater into the road.
Like a cannon shell fired at the ground.
Eustass dropped fast.
Countless threads extended from his hands, twisting into one thick cord.
He launched it straight at Iron Monger below.
Surpassing Strangling Whip!
Inside Iron Monger.
Virtual screens flashed red, marking the incoming cord; Obadiah, gritting through pain, dodged frantically.
Crack-crack-crack… boom!
Iron Monger failed to evade in time.
The thick cord shattered the armor's shell—and the shell was the toughest part.
Once the shell broke, it was over.
Surpassing Strangling Whip packed even more power than Super Torsion Whip!
It pierced one of Iron Monger's arms and nailed it to the pavement.
Obadiah endured the agony, raising the other arm as the rotary cannon spun up.
Next instant.
Surpassing Strangling Whip lashed again, tearing off the armor's arm—and Obadiah's arm with it.
Bullets sprayed skyward.
To be safe, Eustass wrapped extra layers of thread outside his disguise.
The Gatling rounds struck but failed to break through.
Chapter 7 – Zoro's Physique, Defeating Iron Man! (Please bookmark! Keep reading!)
Obadiah's arm was severed at the elbow.
The pain was unbearable; after a brief burst of wild gunfire he stopped, howling inside the armor.
Eustass gathered countless threads into one thick cable of string.
He was about to lash out with Surpassing Strangling Whip at Obadiah.
mark iii swooped in, palm leveled at Eustass.
"Whoa, whoa—stand down, pal. He's out of the fight; let's keep him breathing, huh?"
Eustass eyed Stark.
Stark hadn't been beaten half to death by Obadiah, so now he felt sorry for him?
Eustass dangled in mid-air, one hand gripping a strand.
The cable in his other hand vanished.
Stark lowered his arm, the repulsor glow fading.
Countless Parasite Threads wormed through the gaps of Iron Monger's severed arm and into the armor.
The next instant—
Iron Monger lurched upright, raising one arm skyward. The Gatling spun, spraying bullets at Stark.
Stark jinked through the air—then a missile streaked toward him.
He dodged aside.
Eustass swung quickly to Stark's flank; eight near-invisible filaments shot from his foot.
Leg Thread!
With one kick he sent mark iii flying; eight cracks webbed across the armor.
Stark yelped and tumbled—straight into the missile's blast.
Boom—!
A fireball bloomed overhead; the armored figure fell trailing black smoke.
Eustass dropped back to the highway and landed.
Iron Monger stood motionless.
As Eustass approached, the armor's plating opened.
One-armed Obadiah tumbled out, shrieking.
Eustas planted a foot on him, threads condensing on his fingertip like a gun barrel. He snapped the string—
Pfft!
The Bullet Thread punched through Obadiah's skull.
Obadiah was dead.
[host has defeated Iron Monger!]
[Reward gained: Armament Haki!]
Eustass felt a surge of joy.
Armament Haki—one of the three Haki types, a power every person in the Pirate World carries within.
It boosts defense and offense like an invisible suit of armor.
Eustass glanced at Iron Monger.
He'd just used Parasite Threads to puppet the armor and attack Stark.
Lacking Observation Haki only made it awkward to stitch wounded organs; it didn't stop Parasite Threads.
Not one bit.
Not far away—
Stark flew back, smoke still wisping from his suit.
He sighed at the sight of Obadiah's corpse.
"Honestly, I wasn't blaming you—sorry.
Thanks for taking care of the problem."
He figured clearing the air was best.
Ever since meeting this mysterious blond, misunderstandings had piled up… Eustass turned.
He wondered: if he beat Stark too, would the system reward him?
A mass of threads condensed into a white spike in his hand.
Armament Haki wrapped the spike; Stark's gut clenched.
This guy wasn't here to help—
His hunch proved right the next second.
The white spike shot forward; Stark snapped up a palm and fired a repulsor blast.
Thrusters roared as he rocketed away; the spike skewered the asphalt.
The onlookers gasped.
Eustass snagged a line anchored to a skyscraper and soared upward.
The repulsor left a crater in the road.
An instant later—
The white whip lashed at mark iii.
The suit dodged; red warnings flashed, mapping invisible strings between buildings.
Stark banked hard, weaving through the web.
"Damn—this guy's a battle freak!"
he yelled inside the helmet.
Fleeing, he carved scorch marks across tower walls.
Below—
Coulson clutched his head. This was bad.
The blond wasn't friendly at all.
He'd offed Iron Monger and was now hunting Stark.
"Get units here—stop him!"
Coulson barked into his radio.
Stark streaked over the Stark Industries yard, skimming an empty truck.
The white line fell like a cleaver.
Stark swerved; the truck was sliced clean in two.
Coulson stared, horrified.
What were those threads made of—ridiculous tensile strength!
"Stand down—let's talk!"
Coulson waved frantically.
High above, Eustass swung between towers, Haki-whip cracking at Stark.
Ignoring Coulson, he flung a web skyward.
Spiderweb Net bloomed; Stark dodged.
Too vast—
the net snagged his boot and anchored to a building.
Stark shot forward, only to be yanked back.
He spun, palm glowing, and fired an energy beam.
Eustass flicked his white thread; Armament Haki batted the blast aside.
Shattered glass rained from a nearby facade.
A whip-strike slammed mark iii; thrusters failed and Starkplummeted.
Dozens of cables—each wrapped in Armament Haki—speared down, pinning the suit's limbs to the ground.
More threads cocooned the arc reactor in his chest.
Stark paled.
Channeling a repulsor into the mini-arc core now would backfire—
the Haki threads would trap the energy and tear him apart.
Eustass landed.
Pepper sprinted over, screaming "No!"
"Please—don't kill him! Take anything you want!"
she begged.
"Sir, let's negotiate—release Mr. Stark!"
Coulson arrived with Agents.
Helicopters thundered in, spotlights blazing, Gatlings and mini-missiles locked on Eustass.
Instead—
Eustass, Armament-clad fingers prying, stripped the armor piece by piece.
Like shaving a kitten—until nothing remained.
He studied Stark a moment, clapped his shoulder, then vaulted away on threads.
Pepper exhaled in relief.
Coulson barked into his radio: do NOT pursue—they'd only add casualties.
Stark: "???"—feeling thoroughly mocked.
Moments earlier—
Eustass had stared down at Stark.
[host has defeated Iron Man!]
[Reward gained: Roronoa Zoro's physique!]
Same physique as Zoro—he grinned, patted Stark, and left.
He'd only wanted to see if beating "Stark" paid off; killing wasn't on the menu—
his future fortune still depended on Stark.
Chapter 8 – I Am Iron Man! Reporters: We Only Care About Who Joker Is!
"Damn it, you bunch of morons!"
At the industrial park, Coulson watched a helicopter tail the target and couldn't help cursing.
No skill to keep him, yet still trying to follow—what is that if not brain-dead?
The next instant—
the helicopter chased straight after.
After weaving past several skyscrapers, the figure in the fluffy pink coat was still swinging about.
Elsewhere,
on the street,
Eustass looked around.
Seeing no one, he pocketed the book and stepped out of the alley.
He walked into an ice-cream shop and asked the pretty cashier for a cold drink.
Humming a tune, he strolled off sipping it.
Meanwhile, up in the sky, the helicopter dogged his Thread Clone… tailing thin air. All the way back to Queens and the apartment he called home.
Upstairs, Eustass glanced at Peter's door.
He wouldn't disturb Little Peter for now.
The kid was probably still questioning life.
He'd once seen Eustass's super-powered self as a hero,
but within days that fantasy had shattered.
Little Peter must be disappointed, right?
Whatever—the reward smelled sweet enough to him.
Eustass shook his head, unlocked his door, and went in.
Cook, eat.
After a short rest,
he grabbed a dumbbell and worked out hard.
Since he'd scored Zoro's constitution, slacking off would be a crime.
With Zoro's build came limitless potential in hand-to-hand and swordsmanship.
If he lazed around, he'd waste that priceless gift.
If rewards had tiers,
Zoro's physique had to be a golden legend.
The TV replayed tonight's events.
Eustass listened while he trained.
He kept at it till midnight, then showered and slept.
Zoro's body was insane—hours of nonstop exercise and he still wasn't exhausted.
Dawn the next day:
the sky wasn't even light yet
when Eustass rose early to pump iron,
then jogged downstairs.
By the time the sky turned pale
he was back, showered,
and sat in the outer room to push his Devil-Fruit powers further.
Threads spun from his palms—first into a white whip, then a spear, then woven into a giant hammer.
Weaponizing threads wasn't his invention.
In the Akame ga Kill World, the Imperial Arms UserLubbock had done the same.
He'd even braided his Imperial Arms into steel armor for defense,
or wrapped threads round blood vessels to fake death.
But his nastiest trick was turning threads into a spear; once it stabbed someone, the spear burst into countless wires that shredded the insides.
That move was the deadliest.
A single breach meant a death sentence.
Eustass drilled the ability over and over.
The String-String Fruit's strongest techniques require awakening.
Only after awakening—turning surroundings into white threads—can you use Overheat, Shield Threads, Break White, Sea of White, Thousand Arrows: Feather Strike, or God Thread: Judgment.
Meanwhile,
at the press-conference site,
in the greenroom,
Stark read the note Agent Coulson handed him and found it absurd.
"You're sure… you want me to say I wasn't there yesterday?"
Stark said, deadpan.
"Yesterday a certain Donnie Eston was disguised as you, stole your weapon, and when Obadiah tried to stop him, the guy and a mysterious blond took him out,"
Coulson explained, tossing Stark a photo.
The man in the picture looked seventy percent like him.
"Whoa—"
Stark exclaimed. "So any day you guys don't need me, you can off me and swap in a double?"
"No one can replace your genius."
Coulson left after saying it.
"Then I'd better count my blessings—you actually used your heads; that's rare."
Stark snarked.
Coulson stumbled at the door.
A short while later,
Stark rambled on,
prompted by his buddy Colonel James Rhodes to stick to the script.
"Fine."
Stark nodded, skimmed the page, tossed it aside, and faced the cameras.
"The truth is… I am Iron Man!"
Instantly,
James slapped his forehead, thinking, We're doomed.
Reporters jumped up and surged forward for interviews.
The scene turned chaotic.
The pretty reporter who'd "befriended" Stark stayed seated and fired the question that whipped the room into an even bigger frenzy:
"Mr. Iron Man, who's the handsome blond who beat you?"
Stark's face darkened.
This was supposed to be his show, his moment to shine.
The blond hadn't even shown up, yet he'd stolen the spotlight.
Reporters smelled a headline and shoved mics at Stark:
"Mr. Stark, why didn't the mystery blond kill you?"
"Mr. Stark, what's your feud with him?"
"Colonel Rhodes, is the blond an out-of-control secret bio-weapon of yours?"
"Colonel Rhodes, what do you have to say?"
"Mr. Stark—"
They fired loaded questions, chasing clicks and buzz.
"One at a time, one at a time!"
Rhodes ordered security to haul a few reporters off the podium.
Stark watched the chaos, silent for a long while.
Having survived an assassination attempt, he knew
the guy had had zero intent to kill him.
But he still couldn't fathom why he'd been beaten up for no reason.
"Listen up, you flamingo-dressed clown—one day I'll find you and spank you till you can't sit."
Stark glared at the cameras and snarled.
Iron Man, Iron Monger, and the mysterious blond in a three-way brawl—
the story exploded.
That very day the media ran Stark's words.
Papers dubbed him Iron Man,
and the whole U.S. buzzed.
Yet the front-page banners showed Doflamingo:
the tall figure stood hand in pocket, wearing crimson, Belial-like shades, looking down at the fallen Stark.
"Joker vs. Iron Man!"
"Flamingo Obliterates Iron Monger!"
"Who Is Joker?"
"Stark? Too Weak!"
Extra editions rolled off the presses overnight and sold like crazy.
Some called Eustass's super-identity Joker,
others called him Flamingo,
since his outfit while swinging through the sky looked just like one.
Iron Man had just debuted, yet Eustass stole every scrap of limelight.
Chapter 9: Dr. Helen Cho in Her Student Days! (Please Collect!)
Los Angeles.
Inside Stark's cliffside Villa.
Stark was analyzing the composition of those threads.
"Sir, there's one substance in here that's very odd—I can't determine its structure…"
Jarvis's voice sounded.
"But you're sure it's not Nanotechnology or any mutation, right?"
Stark asked, looking at the data.
"Correct, sir."
Jarvis replied.
Stark stared at the thread remnants on the table, lost in thought.
He figured whoever stripped his armor must be a top-tier scientist.
He never imagined the other party was only a high-school kid about to start college… New York.
Queens.
Eustass admired the custom-made weighted clothes, utterly satisfied.
He'd paid to have a full set of weighted garments tailored.
The top could hold a dozen iron plates inside.
The bottoms could hang another dozen plates.
He'd trained hard these past days, and the results were clear: his physique had skyrocketed, letting him handle far heavier workloads.
He now had the constitution of someone from the Pirate World.
He could call himself a true cockroach.
Dressed in the weights, Eustass left home and jogged downstairs.
Then he kept running through Queens.
All day long he trained nonstop.
He didn't know the meaning of fatigue.
Early morning.
Helen Cho left the hotel bright and early.
A Korean-American with U.S. citizenship, she'd come to New York for fun after finishing her exams.
While out for a jog she saw a familiar-looking Asian boy run past.
She quickly waved hello.
"Hey! I'm Helen Cho. I might attend college here in New York—if I get accepted, haha."
"Hi, I'm Eustass; you can also call me Moira."
Eustass smiled. Helen blinked—what was the difference?
Eustass chuckled.
Eustass Moira sounds like a normal Western name.
But his parents had taken a lazy shortcut.
Back home his surname is Mo—Mo Yan's Mo.
Drop the first half and it's an Eastern name.
Put them together and you get a Western one.
After the explanation Helen nodded.
"Are you aiming for the NBA?"
Walking through the park, Helen asked curiously.
"Not a chance."
Eustass shook his head.
Before crossing over he'd read plenty of NBA fan-fics.
The brutal schedule—constant flights, no rest.
He just wanted a comfy life; no point wearing himself out.
"Still, you're really tall."
Helen laughed… On the verge of college, Helen had met a very interesting guy that day.
Both had Eastern faces, so conversation flowed easily.
At noon they grabbed lunch together.
Afterward Helen said goodbye and went back to her books.
Eustass returned to the park, circling the lake in an endless run.
Once that was done, he started on other training drills.
Devil Fruit abilities consume stamina.
Early on, dealing with a chump like Iron Monger was fine.
But against tougher foes, a long fight could exhaust him.
So lately he'd focused hard on building endurance.
Evening.
Having finished studying, Helen came out for dinner.
She happened to see Eustass, drenched in sweat, passing by.
"Have you been running all day?"
Helen greeted him with a smile.
"Yep. Maybe I'll get picked as a marathon runner someday."
Eustass joked with a grin.
"Then keep at it. Want to grab dinner together?"
Helen pointed to a nearby restaurant.
"Sure."
Eustass nodded.
A short while later.
Inside a Chinese restaurant.
Eustass frowned while ordering; many so-called Chinese places here were frauds.
They served "Chinese" dishes so tweaked they tasted weird.
Savory turned sweet; sweet became cloying.
It was like copying a recipe but swapping bean sauce for saccharin… They chatted and learned both would start college next year.
"Waiting for your admission letter?"
Eustass asked her.
"Exactly."
Helen nodded.
"What major are you thinking?"
Eustass asked curiously.
"Medicine or materials science."
Helen pondered, then answered.
"Planning to launch a revolutionary medical-device company?"
Eustass looked up from his food.
"That would be perfect. I'm working hard to become a female scientist."
Helen nodded emphatically.
"Oh…"
Eustass suddenly wondered: could this be the Dr. Helen Cho from Age of Ultron?
The one who invented the regeneration cradle using Nanotechnology.
He'd assumed it was just a common name—there are tons of Helen Chos.
Plus, for personal reasons, Korean beauties all looked alike to him… so he'd dismissed her as an ordinary Korean girl.
Never expected this was the future creator of the regeneration cradle, the genius scientist.
Eustass's own "genius" only meant he was good at exams.
Compared with a future scientific titan like Helen, he was miles behind.
Eustass stared for a moment, then looked at Helen.
Why not win Helen over and have her tackle the headaches of research?
Then he'd have a female science powerhouse backing him while he focused on training.
"W-what is it?"
Helen asked, cheeks flushing under his gaze.
A student-age girl can't help feeling shy when a tall, handsome guy stares like that.
"Nothing—just think your goal is awesome."
Eustass smiled.
"It's no big deal. I spend most of my time studying; knowledge comes pretty easily to me, not hard at all."
Helen laughed.
Eustass: … Then again, Helen was the future scientist who'd invent the regeneration cradle.
Some even suspect her IQ rivals Stark's.
A person born to learn and create knowledge.
"Got free time lately? Let's hang out together.
After all, life isn't only studying—you need to relax sometimes."
Eustass grinned.
Stark Industries stock has been soaring.
Ever since he trademarked names like "Flamingo," "Joker," and Doflamingo's likeness.
Countless companies have asked what it would cost to cooperate or buy merchandising rights.
Money troubles were now history for Eustass.
How much could a simple outing cost?
Besides, if he and Helen became an item, he'd have a top-tier scientist backing him.
That would be incredible!
Chapter 10 – Reward: Rokushiki! Life Return! (Please add to your library!)
"Great!" in every sense of the word…
Helen Cho nodded happily.
She'd originally come to New York just to have some fun.
Only to find she had no friends… and her hotel was booked for another ten-odd days.
Leaving so soon felt like a waste, so she'd been holed up in her room reading.
When the book was finished, she'd wander around aimlessly.
But she wasn't a local and didn't know her way around.
Random strolling felt kind of dangerous.
New York's homeless, gangs, and junkies aren't to be trifled with.
It's seriously sketchy~
So Helen Cho kept to the blocks around her hotel; the whole trip felt depressing.
Then today a friend she'd just made asked her out.
Helen Cho was over the moon.
The next day.
Eustass borrowed an SUV from a classmate and drove straight to the entrance of Helen Cho's hotel.
He picked her up and began cruising through every borough of New York, showing her the sights.
For the next ten-plus days.
He took her all over the city, then out to the countryside for a spin.
His classmate started to think Eustass had skipped town… until he realized the guy had simply scored a new girlfriend.
Several days later.
Eustass Family home.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening the room.
Eustass, arm around Helen Cho, fumbled for his phone and glanced at the time.
After eight… Damn. Ever since Helen Cho agreed to be his girlfriend yesterday,
he'd been a little too "happy".
And ended up oversleeping today.
He usually trained from the crack of dawn.
Slacking, slacking… "Where are you going?"
Helen Cho saw him getting dressed and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Making breakfast. After that I'll swap cars, then train."
Eustass said.
Part of the reason he'd chased her was that she was gorgeous—exactly his type.
The other part was he wanted her research skills for technical support.
With Helen Cho backing him, he could free up more time for training.
Getting stronger—he wasn't stopping that.
"I'll do it."
Helen Cho jumped up, threw on some clothes, and hurried to the kitchen.
Eustass didn't overthink it and went to shower.
After the shower,
he stepped out in a bathrobe.
A voice suddenly rang out.
[host and Helen Cho have become lovers, preventing Ultron's original birth arc!]
[Reward: Full Rokushiki set! Life Return!]
Eustass froze.
Seriously? The system's rewards don't follow the script—wasn't it supposed to be after pummeling enemies?
He hadn't even smashed Ultron yet, right?
But derailing the plot also counts?
Whatever—if it hands out rewards, the system's a keeper.
Better than some stingy system full of limits.
Standing there in his bathrobe, Eustass wondered what else he could pull off.
"What are you spacing out for? Food's ready."
Helen Cho came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and set them on the table, smiling.
"Just thinking how great you'll look in a white lab coat once you're a scientist."
Eustass grinned.
Helen Cho's face flushed.
"Be serious…"
"I am serious. I'll be proud when you become a scientist."
Eustass chuckled.
Helen Cho relaxed—so he hadn't meant anything else.
"But you can wear it at home~"
"???"
After breakfast,
Helen Cho left with Eustass. They drove to his classmate's place first to return the SUV.
"Dude, your new girl's gorgeous—way prettier than your exes. Good taste."
Silva gave a thumbs-up and whistled.
"Ex…es?"
Helen Cho stared at Eustass in shock and twisted his kidney 360 degrees.
"Just one or two, I swear…"
Eustass yelped.
Silva just grinned, not ratting him out further.
Helen Cho kept pinching as they walked off.
Honestly, it was maddening.
She'd always thought Asians here had tiny social circles and stayed reserved—she certainly did.
All her life she'd stayed home reading.
Rarely showed up at class parties.
Yet Eustass had exes, and judging by Silva's face, plenty of them.
"I'm telling the truth, don't you believe me?
Look, I'm either lifting or lifting—when would I mess around?"
Eustass smiled; Helen Cho looked up, dazed.
Seemed true… before meeting her, Eustass trained nonstop; people thought he was gunning for the Olympics.
He even wore weighted clothes so heavy it was ridiculous.
He'd just landed her and already he was back to talking iron and training.
"I believe you."
Helen Cho nodded with a smile, went on tiptoe to kiss him.
Eustass quickly bent down.
She pecked him, then hugged his long arm as they walked off together.
Truthfully, she didn't want to dig into his past.
Everyone has secrets.
Prying too much only hurts the bond.
As long as he doesn't wrong her while they're together, she's happy.
A two-meter-tall Asian boyfriend who treats her well,
doesn't smoke or drink, and is loaded.
Where else could she find a catch like that?
Days passed.
Helen Cho checked out of her hotel and moved into Eustass's place.
Eustass trained during the day,
played poker with Helen Cho at night,
discussing card skills.
Time slipped by.
Until their college acceptance letters arrived—and a major incident happened in Virginia.
New York.
Night.
"A local university?"
"Me too."
They sat on the sofa, comparing letters and chatting happily.
A gentle breeze drifted in.
Helen Cho leaned against Eustass on the couch.
Her white gauze top fluttered.
Eustass held her hand,
about to start some wholesome entertainment—
when the TV cut to breaking news:
"We interrupt with urgent news. From reliable sources, yesterday a mysterious accident occurred on the campus of Carver University, Virginia.
Let's go live to General Ross."
"Yesterday's lab accident was tragic. Operator error caused an explosion that killed and injured several researchers. My daughter Elizabeth was among the injured…"
"General Ross, eyewitnesses report a giant green foot. Is that true?"
"False, all rumors. Citizens, please trust us to handle this incident properly…"
On TV, reporters questioned General Ross.
Ross described his daughter's injuries to win sympathy and shift focus.
Helen Cho gasped at the casualty photos on screen.
Eustass stared at the images, silent.
An explosion?
Who's he kidding!
It's clearly the covered-up accident that kicks off the Hulk storyline.