"Dr. Cho, please don't try to understand Devil Fruits from a scientific perspective."
Seeing the dazed look on Helen's face, Rorschach smiled.
"I already told you—Devil Fruits aren't something science can explain."
"But… but this sounds way too unbelievable."
She understood the logic of what he was saying, but changing the way she thought so quickly was easier said than done.
"Dr. Cho, we have sample pieces here for tasting. If you want to know what it's really like, you can experience it for yourself."
Rorschach made the suggestion casually.
"There are samples?"
Helen looked genuinely surprised.
She had assumed something this extraordinary wouldn't come with any sort of trial option.
"Of course."
Rorschach smiled, then took out a sample of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit and held it out to her.
Helen stared at that small pink piece of fruit and fell into thought.
This thing…
Was it really edible?
But then she remembered the impossible things she had already witnessed in Rorschach's shop.
On that point, he was right.
Everything she had seen today had already gone beyond her usual understanding of the world.
Maybe she really did need to change the way she looked at things.
After hesitating for a while, Helen finally made up her mind and took the sample from his hand.
"Dr. Cho, one friendly warning—the taste of Devil Fruits isn't exactly pleasant." Rorschach paused, then corrected himself seriously. "Actually, it's extremely awful. You should prepare yourself."
"Thank you for the warning, but taste is irrelevant to me."
Helen looked unconcerned and bit into the sample without another thought.
The next second—
"Mmph!"
Her entire face twisted instantly.
She nearly spat it out on reflex, but thankfully reacted fast enough to clamp both hands over her mouth.
This was what he called bad?
This wasn't bad.
This was lethal.
For something to count as merely unpleasant, it had to stay within the limits of what human taste buds could endure.
This thing had clearly crossed the line.
Still, Helen Cho was no ordinary woman. Through sheer willpower, she forced herself to swallow the sample.
Gulp.
The moment the fruit went down, surprise flashed across her face.
Because she instantly felt a change in her body.
She didn't understand the mechanism behind it, but somehow…
She could sense her own weight.
And more than that—
She could control it.
That invisible, untouchable thing that had always existed beyond direct human perception now felt as if someone had placed a switch right in her hand, allowing her to manipulate it as naturally as lifting an arm.
"This… this feeling…"
Helen's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"You can feel it now, can't you, Dr. Cho?"
Rorschach smiled, then suddenly seemed to think of something.
"Wait a moment."
He quickly took out an umbrella and handed it to her.
"Dr. Cho, try gradually lowering your body weight. See how light you can make yourself."
Helen accepted the umbrella, confused.
She didn't understand what he meant at first.
But with her exceptional intelligence, she figured it out almost instantly.
If her body became light enough, then the buoyant resistance created by an umbrella would be enough to keep her floating in the air—
Just like a parachute.
Excitement immediately appeared on her face.
Helen opened the umbrella and began trying to control her weight.
Since she had only just eaten the fruit, her control was still clumsy and unfamiliar. It took her a full five minutes before she finally managed to reduce her weight to nearly one kilogram.
Then she jumped lightly.
Her body shot upward as if gravity had vanished, and she rose straight to the ceiling.
And that wasn't all.
She didn't immediately fall back down.
Instead, supported by the drag of the umbrella, she drifted downward at an incredibly slow pace.
"Unbelievable…"
"This is a miracle."
By the time Helen stood in front of Rorschach again, her worldview had been completely shattered.
The Devil Fruits were real.
These miraculous things actually existed.
At that moment, all her doubts vanished completely.
"Shop owner, I sincerely apologize. Before this, I truly never imagined something so miraculous could exist in this world."
"I'm deeply sorry for ever doubting you."
She lowered her head slightly and apologized with genuine sincerity.
What a remarkable woman.
Beautiful, brilliant, accomplished—and still this humble and polite in the way she treated others.
Rorschach silently nodded to himself, finding her even more impressive now.
"It's alright, Dr. Cho. I completely understand."
He waved it off, unconcerned.
"Thank you for understanding. In that case, could you continue introducing the other Devil Fruits to me?"
"Of course."
Rorschach smiled and began introducing the rest of the fruits in order.
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
The Candy-Candy Fruit.
The Wheel-Wheel Fruit.
One after another, all kinds of bizarre and miraculous fruits opened the door to a completely new world for Helen.
A human body could create barriers.
Turn into candy.
Become a wheel.
The sheer absurdity of it all left her stunned.
It was far beyond anything she had ever imagined.
"Shop owner, these fruits are all extraordinary. Every single one of them is worthy of being called a miracle. But…" Helen paused, then looked at him seriously. "Do you have a fruit that can help other people?"
"One that helps others?" Rorschach repeated. "Dr. Cho, could you be a little more specific?"
"I don't know enough about Devil Fruits yet, so I can't explain it too precisely. But the reason I created the Regeneration Cradle was to heal the wounded, save lives, break the limits of medicine, and free more people from suffering."
She met his gaze, her voice calm but earnest.
"I want to become someone who can help others and benefit society. Do you understand what I mean, shop owner?"
"I do," Rorschach said after a moment's thought. "And if that's what you mean, then I actually have a fruit I'd recommend."
He had already figured out the kind of answer she was looking for.
"This Devil Fruit is called the Healing Fruit. Just from the name alone, you can probably guess what it does. If you eat it, you gain the power to heal others."
As he spoke, he pointed to the Healing Fruit inside the display case.
"Heal others…"
Helen's eyes lit up immediately.
That was exactly the kind of fruit she would be interested in.
"Shop owner, could you tell me more about this Devil Fruit?"
"Of course. Just like its name suggests, the Healing Fruit has the power to treat biological injuries."
"Wait," Helen interrupted at once. "You said biological injuries. Does that mean the Healing Fruit's targets aren't limited to humans?"
"Of course not."
Rorschach smiled.
"The Healing Fruit can heal any illness afflicting any living organism."