Tony's calm expression was completely captured by Qin Xiao's sharp eyes.
"That's right. It can't grant immortality—once your soul dies a second time, it will still return to hell."
Qin Xiao admitted openly, without hesitation.
In truth, the Devil Fruits had nothing to do with the demons of hell.
But Qin Xiao deliberately linked the two.
Claiming to be backed by the powers of hell would save him a great deal of trouble—
especially when facing massive forces like the Mutants or S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future.
After all, the abilities granted by the Devil Fruits were too similar to mutant powers.
Without a "reasonable origin," they would only be seen as unstable threats.
And S.H.I.E.L.D.—
the organization that claims to protect global peace—
wouldn't hesitate to eliminate the "source of instability," meaning him.
But if he were the messenger of an Eastern Hell Demon,
then they'd have to think twice before taking action.
The Hell Lord, Mephisto, had created the Ghost Rider.
That fact alone proved the existence of demons to some in this world—
and showed how troublesome their agents could be.
Tony listened to Qin Xiao's explanation and shook his head.
"Even though I'm not exactly religious… I'd still rather not go to hell,"
he said with a tone full of regret.
Qin Xiao smiled faintly. A ripple spread across his palm—
and the Yomi Fruit (Yellow Spring Fruit) vanished from his hand.
Tony had refused him.
Refused the chance to live again.
Yet instead of anger, Qin Xiao's lips curled into an amused smile.
"God, huh? Maybe in a few months, you'll realize that gods aren't nearly as mysterious as you think."
Gods?
A few months?
When Thor descends to Earth, Qin Xiao thought, I'd like to see how you all deal with your 'legends.'
Tony's pupils contracted sharply.
Qin Xiao had once again pointed toward "a few months later."
That meant Tony couldn't verify his words immediately.
But Qin Xiao's previous prediction—that Tony would be betrayed and gravely injured—had already come true.
Three months ago, he had indeed been captured in Afghanistan.
So… could it really be that a god would appear in a few months?
"And Tony," Qin Xiao added suddenly, "in a few months, you might just come to me and beg to buy the Yomi Fruit yourself."
Tony froze mid-thought, his heart skipping a beat.
"I'll come to you? To buy the Yomi Fruit? Did the demon of hell tell you that?"
His tone turned serious.
Qin Xiao chuckled. "I don't need a demon to tell me that.
The arc reactor in your chest runs on palladium, doesn't it?
And palladium will slowly poison your body.
In other words, Tony, every time you use that reactor,
you're killing yourself—slowly but surely.
Stop using it, and you die instantly.
Either way, your life won't last much longer.
You've got maybe half a year—
unless you can find a substitute for palladium.
If not, then the only thing that can save you is right here, in my hand.
When that time comes, whether you choose God or the Devil
will depend entirely on you.
Besides… you've sold countless weapons,
caused countless deaths.
Do you really think Heaven would still welcome you?"
His words dripped with mockery.
Heaven?
Could anyone here even dream of entering Heaven?
Certainly not Tony—not yet.
Qin Xiao was exploiting Tony's lack of information, manipulating him with knowledge from the future.
Tony Stark was destined to become Iron Man,
and palladium poisoning was a hurdle he could never escape.
Qin Xiao already knew the solution,
but before revealing it, why not try to make Tony eat the Yomi Fruit first?
If Tony consumed it, he could truly live again—
even if he died, he would resurrect once more.
Qin Xiao now understood why the system had matched Tony with the Yomi Fruit.
It was likely because of the Snap event in the future.
That realization sent chills through him.
Did this mean the system had already confirmed that the Snap would inevitably happen?
If so, then for his own survival, Qin Xiao had to make Tony eat the fruit.
If he vanished in the Snap, who would bring him back?
If Tony ate the Yomi Fruit,
the system could absorb its power—
and Qin Xiao himself would essentially gain another life.
The Yomi Fruit didn't even need to be trained or mastered.
Its power would awaken naturally upon death.
Only after dying and returning from the underworld
would its true potential—
the chill of the Yellow Springs, the separation of soul from body—
begin to manifest.
Tony's disbelief grew deeper with every word.
Palladium poisoning?
Could his arc reactor really be killing him?
He hadn't known that at all.
But everything Qin Xiao said made unnerving sense.
The arc reactor held the shrapnel in his chest in place,
and palladium as an energy source had to be toxic.
Palladium poisoning… it was likely unavoidable.
And Qin Xiao's last remark struck straight into his soul—
You've sold countless weapons. Caused countless deaths.
And you still dream of Heaven?
How ridiculous.
"Fine," Tony finally said after a long silence.
"Here's the deal—one hundred million. Keep that fruit for me.
If anyone offers more, tell me first, and I'll outbid them."
He wasn't ready to eat it.
But he also wasn't ready to lose the chance to live.
So he wanted Qin Xiao to hold onto it for now—
since he didn't even know how to preserve a "Devil Fruit" properly.
"One hundred million?" Qin Xiao sneered.
"How naive.
If I so much as whispered the Yomi Fruit's ability to the public,
how many people do you think would line up to buy it?
One hundred million… do you really think that's enough?"