Seeing Maguire walking toward them, Garfield, Holland, and Harry could barely contain their excitement.
Ever since yesterday, when Maguire handed them three Devil Fruits, they'd been completely captivated by the power of those fruits.
Maguire stopped in front of them and said, "So—you've had time to get familiar with them?"
"I have!" Garfield blurted, thrilled. "These Devil Fruits are insane—I almost feel like my spider powers don't even matter anymore."
Maguire nodded. "Then today I'll give you a primer on how to develop them."
He turned to Garfield. "Magma Fruit—you can launch pillars of magma straight into the sky, then guide those pillars back down to strike the ground. With friction and gravity both working for you, the destructive force is way bigger. That move is called Meteor Volcano."
"The Magma Fruit can be used like this, too…"
Maguire went on, outlining the broad development directions for all three fruits.
The three listened, feeling they'd learned a ton.
"Once you develop your fruits far enough," Maguire continued, "you'll gain something called elementalization. You can turn your whole body into your element—not only to unleash terrifying attacks, but to become immune to almost all attacks. Of course, counters can still hurt you. Magma and ice, for example, directly oppose each other."
"What? We can elementalize—turn our whole bodies into elements?" one of them gasped. "Maguire, when you turn into that giant of thunder, is that elementalization too?"
Seeing their excitement, Maguire nodded. "If you push your Devil Fruits hard enough, even transforming into a giant isn't out of the question."
"Haha, that's awesome. Becoming a giant would be epic!"
"I'm thinking your 'Spider Duo' title won't really fit anymore," Maguire added. "How about… Lava Spider and Flash Spider?"
"Since we've got new powers anyway, the 'Spider-Man' label doesn't matter so much," Harry said. "I'm thinking… I'll call myself the Ice Hellblood Demon. Kinda fitting, right?"
Yeah—Harry had clearly been infected by the legend of the Hellblood Demon.
"Magma Hellblood Demon and Light Hellblood Demon wouldn't be bad names either!" someone laughed.
Just then, Maguire's phone rang. It was Natasha.
Natasha hadn't reached out in a long time; why now?
He picked up. Her familiar voice came through. "Got time? I'm in New York. Can we meet?"
"No problem. I'll come get you," Maguire said, then turned to the trio. "Don't rush off to play hero. Focus on developing your Devil Fruits."
The three nodded, and Maguire headed out.
Soon he reached the spot he and Natasha had agreed on: the pizzeria where he'd once run into the Hulk.
He walked in. Natasha was at a table by the window.
Grinning, he strolled over. "What's this? Missed me after so long?"
Natasha, unfazed by his clowning, spoke seriously. "We've known each other a while, Maguire. I have a question, and I want a straight answer."
Seeing her uncharacteristically earnest face, Maguire nodded. "Ask. You and I aren't exactly strangers—if you want to know, I'll tell you."
Of course, if she asked where his superpowers came from, he'd have to dodge it. Being a Devil Fruit user and all—that wasn't exactly a small problem.
"Alright," Natasha said. "Then tell me—why are your powers so overwhelming? Or rather… how do you intend to treat this world?"
Maguire smiled. From that, he understood what she meant.
Looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. is on guard because of me. That's why she's asking.
He sipped his coffee and said slowly, "Me? I don't have some grand dream. No interest in ruling the world. I just want to live how I want and be happy every day. As for 'great ambitions'—they can take a hike. Carpe diem—that's my attitude."
"Got it," Natasha said, and stood as if to leave.
"Since you've come all this way," Maguire said with a wicked smile, "don't go just yet."
She shot him a long, slow side-eye.
The next morning, sunlight spilled across the wide bed. Natasha's silhouette was already gone.
Maguire looked out toward the sky. "If I'm this strong already… what should I be aiming for?"
A thought flashed across his mind.
I could conquer the vast ocean of stars.
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