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"Clint!"
Natasha's voice crackled through the comms. "What's the situation?"
Clint took a quick look at Lucien, who was sprawled unconscious on the ground. Without hesitation, he retrieved a specialized restraint device, efficiently binding the man's wrists and ankles to ensure there was no chance of escape.
He smirked, adjusting his grip on the restrained target. "Come on, Nat. Take a wild guess."
With an easy motion, Clint hoisted Lucien over his shoulder, his tone laced with amusement as he continued, "If I couldn't handle an oversized bat, what kind of falcon would I be?"
A brief pause, and then Natasha huffed. "Yeah, okay. Fair point. That was a dumb question."
"Damn right, it was."
Their usual back-and-forth lasted only a moment before they refocused on the mission. With their rendezvous point confirmed, Clint spread his wings and launched into the air, cutting through the sky with practiced ease while keeping a firm grip on his captive.
The wind rushed past as he navigated swiftly toward a secluded intersection, where Natasha was already waiting beside a transport truck, its engine idling softly.
Without a word, the two worked in perfect sync, hauling Lucien into the reinforced containment unit inside the vehicle. Once the restraints were double-checked, Clint slammed the door shut, and Natasha slid into the driver's seat.
With a smooth turn of the key, the truck rumbled to life, and just like that, they were on the move—mission accomplished.
"Director, we've secured the target. Where do you want us to take him?" Natasha asked over the comms, keeping her focus on the road as she maneuvered through the dimly lit streets.
Nick Fury's response was instant, his voice as sharp as ever. "Head to the 'Red Horn' safe house. Sending coordinates now."
'The Red Horn safe house?'
Fantastic. Another one of Fury's countless hidden bases that she hadn't even known existed. Just how many secret facilities and off-the-books operations did he have running behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s back?
Then again, she wasn't exactly surprised. If anything, she'd be more shocked if Fury didn't have a few hidden resources tucked away. The man thrived on secrecy, and she had long since stopped trying to keep track of his web of classified intel.
However, what raised her suspicion was his choice to use one of his personal safe houses instead of one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s established bases. Fury was the kind of leader who leveraged every asset at his disposal—so why the sudden need for this extra layer of secrecy?
Unbeknownst to her, the answer was watching from the shadows.
Perched atop a distant rooftop, Crossbones adjusted his binoculars, keeping Natasha's vehicle in sight. His voice was calm and professional as he relayed intel through a secure channel.
"Commander, the Zoan-type Devil Fruit user has been captured and is en route to an undisclosed location."
A pause. Then, with an air of certainty, he added, "We've also confirmed Clint Barton's abilities. Like Lucien Crown, he's a Zoan-type user."
"We're still working to identify exactly which fruit he consumed, but we can confirm this—he has the ability to transform into a falcon."
"A falcon transformation?" On the other end of the line, Marco's expression darkened.
Even if he wasn't familiar with every Devil Fruit out there, just hearing about the ability to turn into a falcon was enough to know it was a powerful transformation.
And the fact that Clint Barton, one of Fury's most trusted operatives alongside Black Widow, possessed that power? That only made things even more complicated.
Which meant their real prize here wasn't Barton. It was Lucien.
Crossbones, ever the disciplined soldier, waited precisely three seconds after finishing his report before asking, "Commander, what are your orders?"
Marco didn't hesitate. His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable weight of authority.
"No action is needed for now. Just keep an eye on them."
Then, a sharper edge crept into his tone. "And whatever you do, don't tip them off."
It wasn't necessary to make a move—at least, not yet. Nearly all of S.H.I.E.L.D. was already rotting from the inside, its ranks riddled with HYDRA operatives. If Fury had gone through the trouble of capturing someone, it would have only been a matter of time before HYDRA got their hands on them, too.
Sure, they'd been a step too slow and let Fury take the lead on this one, but that wasn't a big deal.
Wherever Fury chose to lock Lucien up, HYDRA's spies would be there. Or, even better, the facility might already be entirely under HYDRA's control.
With their vast infiltration network, getting to Lucien would be effortless.
"Understood, sir," Crossbones responded crisply.
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Home of the Devil Fruits
"…It has now been a full week since the ambush on Tony Stark. Despite extensive investigations by multiple agencies, including the military, FBI, and CIA, no official findings have been released."
"While Stark's body has yet to be recovered, most mainstream media outlets are already treating his death as a near certainty."
"Authorities continue their search, but with each passing day, the chances of uncovering anything significant grow slimmer."
"Now, let's take the next five minutes to reflect on the extraordinary and unparalleled life of Tony Stark…"
Watching the live news broadcast on the television, Rosh couldn't help but smirk. 'So, it's finally happening.'
For the past few days, the media had been in an absolute frenzy over Tony Stark's disappearance in Afghanistan. It was impossible to escape—every news station, every major website, every newspaper had Stark's name plastered across the headlines.
And honestly, it wasn't surprising.
Tony Stark wasn't just rich; he was Tony Stark—one of the most influential, controversial, and larger-than-life figures of the modern era. His presence in the world was as impactful as that of the biggest celebrities, if not greater.
Initially, Rosh had considered the possibility that Stark's fate might have taken a different turn.
After all, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan had already approached him to purchase Devil Fruits—well, Happy was still scrambling to gather the gold necessary for the transaction, but he had at least witnessed their power firsthand.
So logically, that meant Stark had to be aware of their existence by now, right?
Wouldn't that mean he'd be intrigued enough to seek one out for himself?
Wouldn't that mean his destiny had been altered?
Rosh had been curious. How would things play out if Stark never endured those grueling three months in a cave? Would the legend of Iron Man even exist?
But apparently, fate had other plans.
Tony Stark still ended up in Afghanistan.
Which meant Iron Man was still going to be born.
And honestly? That was probably for the best.
Because without Iron Man, wouldn't the Marvel Universe be painfully dull?
As for whether Rosh had any intention of stepping in to save Stark?
Not a fucking chance.
For one, Stark wasn't actually going to die.
And more importantly, why should Rosh even care? It wasn't like they were friends. It wasn't like Stark's survival affected him in any way.
Why the hell would he go out of his way to save someone he had no connection to?
No, this whole thing was just one giant, juicy spectacle.
And all Rosh had to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
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Next Chapter: Pepper Potts – Only a Devil Fruit User Can Save Stark
Next Next Chapter: The Formation of the Devil Fruit Task Force
Next Next Next Chapter: S.H.I.E.L.D. Has No Authority in the Face of Devil Fruit Users
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