Just then, a crisp ding echoed in Qin Xiao's mind—the familiar tone of the system notification.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Frank," Qin Xiao said casually, "keep an eye on Tony. And… pay some attention to Obadiah."
"I understand," Frank replied, his tone low and dangerous. "But are you sure you don't want me to take him out right now?"
There was a raw killing intent in his voice.
Ever since that mission in the desert, he'd been aching for a real fight.
Now that he had the Swamp Fruit's power—and more weapons than he could carry—
killing someone like Obadiah would be effortless.
"When he poses a real threat to Tony or Pepper, you can act," Qin Xiao said with a faint, meaningful smile. "At Stark Industries, we still need to make things look… reasonable."
Frank immediately caught the hidden meaning behind those words.
Reasonable and justified.
In other words—kill him, but make it look legitimate.
"So… Obadiah still has to die."
"That's right," Qin Xiao said with a light chuckle. "If he doesn't die, Tony might never hand over that five percent. And sure, money's not the most important thing—but if there's a chance to make some, why would I walk away?"
Qin Xiao had a plan.
This was the perfect moment to secure a stake in Stark Industries.
Once Tony completed his energy transition, the company's future would skyrocket.
Right now, Tony hadn't shown it openly,
but in this storm of chaos, he'd already consolidated all the power in his hands.
If the board could still "recommend" Tony to take a break now,
then soon, Stark Industries would become a one-man empire—
Tony's word would be law.
Qin Xiao had to make his move before that happened.
After finishing his instructions to Frank, he got into his car and drove away from Stark Tower.
Inside the vehicle, he opened his System Interface.
[Devil Fruit Transaction System]
Consume fruit yourself — personally develop its abilities. (Limited number)
Have others consume — siphon off their abilities. (No limit)
Consumed Fruits and Users:
Swamp Fruit — The Punisher, Frank Castle
Bomb Fruit — Kingpin, Wilson Fisk
Yomi Fruit — Iron Man, Tony Stark
Abilities Acquired:
Swamp Fruit; Punisher's Weapon Mastery
Bomb Fruit
Yomi Fruit
Current Ability Amplification: 0%
The names Tony Stark and Yomi Fruit glowed faintly on the list.
"Looks like even the great Tony Stark can't resist the temptation," Qin Xiao murmured, smirking. "He said no earlier, but the moment I left, he gave in. The smell of 'true fragrance theory' never changes."
Honestly, it was the best outcome.
Now, with three fruits' worth of power under his belt,
he finally had some measure of safety in this dangerous Marvel world.
The Swamp Fruit gave him near-total immunity to physical damage,
though its offensive potential was still lacking.
Frank's approach wasn't elegant,
but it was undeniably effective.
After all—
there's no problem too big for superior firepower.
And if there is?
Then you simply don't have enough firepower.
By expanding the swamp's internal space, he could store larger and more destructive weapons.
Firepower is justice!
That was one of the main reasons Qin Xiao had sent Frank to rescue Tony.
Those terrorist bases were overflowing with weapons.
As for the Bomb Fruit—
it opened endless possibilities for future combat.
Kingpin's intellect far surpassed that of Mr. 5,
so under his development, the Bomb Fruit's power would only keep growing.
Eventually, Qin Xiao could literally become a walking arsenal of living bombs.
And Tony's Yomi Fruit?
That gave him something even more precious—
a second life.
He'd been in this world for a year now, always cautious, always on edge.
But with this, he could finally breathe a little easier.
For a long time, he'd worried the Ancient One might come knocking one day.
But now, it seemed she either hadn't noticed him—or simply didn't care.
Still, he wasn't going to wait around.
"Since you haven't come for me," Qin Xiao muttered, turning the steering wheel sharply,
"then I'll come find you."
His car sped toward 177A Bleecker Street.
He was going to meet the Ancient One—in person.
Stark Tower.
Not long after Qin Xiao's departure, a visitor arrived.
Obadiah Stane.
"Tony! Just look at what you've done!"
His tone was filled with feigned exasperation.
"Do you have any idea how much effort it took to smooth things over after your little announcement? Tomorrow, you're going to hold another press conference. You'll tell them you were joking."
He spoke like a weary father scolding a rebellious son,
with not a trace of the treachery hidden behind his calm facade.
Tony stared at him, his eyes cold.
This man—
his father's old friend, the partner who helped build Stark Industries to what it was—
had tried to have him killed.
"Obie," Tony said flatly, "I'm not changing my mind."
It was a direct refusal, his tone sharp, his face openly hostile.
Obadiah's eyelid twitched.
He knows.
"Tony…" he said slowly, watching the younger man's expression.
"Did you find something out?"