I'm eating it. I'm eating it right now!"
"I'm going to become a superhero!"
Kamala could no longer contain herself, shouting excitedly at her parents.
Her parents, of course, had no objections.
The fruit had been brought by Alex himself. If it was going to be eaten, it was best done in front of him.
After all, it was something unknown that was about to go into their daughter's stomach.
Even if they trusted Alex completely, caution was natural.
And so—
The Phoenix Fruit rested in Kamala's eager hands.
"By the way, Kamala," Alex reminded her calmly before she took a bite, "I should warn you. This fruit tastes terrible."
"So terrible it might make you want to throw up."
"You should prepare yourself."
"Power has never come easily. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Pfft, I've eaten bad-tasting stuff before."
"Don't worry!"
Kamala puffed out her chest confidently.
But she very quickly realized—
Her definition of "bad" and Alex's definition of "bad" were not the same thing.
"Pffft!"
She spat the first bite straight out.
"This is bad?! This is torture!"
Her eyes watered instantly.
"It's that awful?"
Alex only smiled faintly.
"That's the price of power."
"Kamala, what are you thinking?" her brother immediately protested. "It's superpowers! Who cares if it tastes bad? How bad could it be? If you can't handle it, I'll eat it!"
"No way!"
Kamala clutched the fruit protectively.
She took several deep breaths, gathered her courage, and with tremendous willpower forced herself to swallow it.
"Oh my God… that was a nightmare."
"I swear I'll never eat something like that again—even for powers."
Her face twisted from the lingering taste.
Then suddenly—
She froze.
Her expression changed.
She could feel it.
Something inside her body had awakened.
"T-this feeling…"
"Alex… is this what having superpowers feels like?"
Her voice trembled between disbelief and excitement.
"That's right," Alex nodded with a smile. "Congratulations, Kamala. You have powers now."
"This is amazing! This is amazing!"
She focused instinctively—
Whoosh!
Blue flames ignited in her hands.
They shimmered brilliantly, almost forming the shape of wings.
Her family gasped.
Kamala nearly screamed with joy as she experimented, flames flickering and dancing.
"By the way," Alex added after watching her for a moment, "you should test something later."
"You may become… allergic to seawater."
"It's one of the possible side effects."
"In that world, the ocean suppresses Devil Fruit users. But here? It might not. You'll need to test it carefully."
Kamala blinked.
"Seawater allergy? That's random."
"Still worth checking," Alex replied calmly.
In the One Piece world, seawater contained Seastone particles.
Whether Marvel's oceans had anything similar was uncertain.
Better safe than sorry.
"Well," Alex said at last, "I should be going."
He said his goodbyes and returned to Krakoa.
---
The news of his appearance had already spread.
By the time he arrived, Krakoa's core leadership was gathered.
"Alex," Mystique asked curiously, "what kind of power did you give that girl?"
He gave them a summary of the Phoenix Fruit's abilities.
Regeneration.
Immortality.
Transformation into a phoenix of blue flames.
Even Emma Frost looked impressed.
"A very fine ability."
"So," Beast adjusted his glasses, "what universe did you visit this time?"
Charles, Erik, and the others all leaned forward with interest.
Alex briefly described the world of endless seas, pirates, Emperors, and ancient weapons.
The room filled with amazement.
"A world like that actually exists…" Charles murmured.
"Can I visit another universe someday?" America Chavez asked half-jokingly, half-hopeful.
She knew she wasn't strong enough yet.
Alex's journeys looked effortless only because of his overwhelming power.
Without that, it would be suicide tourism.
"Lunch is ready," Mystique interrupted at last.
They enjoyed a grand banquet together.
And so—
Alex settled once more into his leisurely "emperor" life in Krakoa.
He did little governing.
Mostly traveling.
Relaxing.
Observing.
A true hands-off ruler.
If T'Challa saw his lifestyle, he would be speechless with envy.
Yet Alex was never truly idle.
He was always listening.
Always watching.
Searching for new worlds.
And he found them.
Many interesting ones.
A year later—
He stood alone once more.
The Infinity Gauntlet appeared in his hand.
Light gathered.
Space distorted.
A new journey awaited.
And Alex stepped forward without hesitation.
—The End—