Chapter 183: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (Conclusion)

"Really?" Pietro's excitement was palpable upon hearing Daniel's words. It turned out that he was actually a fan of Captain America, which surprised Daniel.

Daniel vaguely remembered that Pietro once teased the Captain about his abilities.

Undoubtedly, Hydra had a hand in this. As Captain America's archenemy, Hydra certainly wouldn't speak highly of him.

"Of course," Daniel confirmed with a nod.

Strictly speaking, Pietro, or Quicksilver, was definitely stronger than Captain America. With his speed, if he wielded a knife or a gun, his destructive power would be immense.

There was also an agent in S.H.I.E.L.D. with speed-based powers, but compared to Quicksilver, the difference was substantial.

In the original story, if Quicksilver hadn't sacrificed himself to save others, he wouldn't have died. Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, his physical condition was only slightly better than an ordinary person.

If he had Daniel's current physical condition, or if Daniel arranged for him to learn the martial arts and Haki of the One Piece world, he would undoubtedly become a very powerful hero.

That's Quicksilver.

Western speed-based heroes often had weak abilities. Quicksilver was like that, the yo-yo guy was like that, and even the one who could run so fast he reversed time was the same.

Scarlet Witch was entirely different. Her chaos magic had the potential to enhance her physical attributes. Daniel envied Scarlet Witch a lot, as her chaos magic had an incredibly high ceiling.

A grown Scarlet Witch could easily take on the Four Emperors of the One Piece world.

Unfortunately, chaos magic was her innate ability and couldn't be learned. Otherwise, Daniel would love to study it with her.

"Who wants to go first?" Daniel asked the siblings after teleporting them to a secret laboratory.

"I'll go first," Wanda began, but Pietro jumped in eagerly.

"Let's hope nothing goes wrong," Daniel said as he double-checked the procedure and then activated Loki's scepter.

"What's happening?" Wanda's face turned pale as she watched Pietro scream in pain.

"This is a normal reaction to activating superpowers. Don't worry, he'll be fine," Daniel said calmly. With the Philosopher's Stone, even if something went wrong with Quicksilver, it would only result in a failed power activation. His life would still be saved.

In theory, if Daniel had enough Philosopher's Stones, he could grant abilities to anyone using the Mind Stone. The difference would be the amount of Philosopher's Stone consumed.

Of course, Daniel would never do such a thing. Ultron was a lesson learned. Creating a big problem would just mean more cleanup for him.

In most Marvel stories, a significant number of villains were created by the heroes themselves.

After going to the One Piece world, Daniel's interest in Skye's Inhuman abilities waned. Both she and Whitebeard had vibration-based powers, but Skye's were far inferior to Whitebeard's. However, their side effects were very similar.

With other ways to become stronger, Daniel no longer had much interest in abilities with side effects.

"What's this?" Quicksilver soon displayed signs of superpowers. However, because he was too fast, he couldn't react in time and crashed into a wall. Fortunately, the lab's walls were made of high-tech materials that absorbed impact, preventing Pietro from getting seriously hurt.

These materials were similar to those used in Coulson's bus to contain Inhumans.

"His power seems to be speed, but it's so fast that his reflexes can't keep up. It looks like he can't leave the lab for now," Daniel concluded.

"It's obvious that suddenly gaining power is a big control problem, unlike powers developed through consistent training," Daniel thought, then asked Wanda, "Do you want to activate your powers now, or wait for a while? Judging by his situation, you might face the same issue."

"Let's wait a few days," Wanda replied, wanting to take care of her brother. Daniel then set a requirement for Quicksilver: he had to move quickly in the lab for ten minutes without crashing before he could go outside.

Without such control, Quicksilver's speed could easily lead to accidents.

"Should I inject Quicksilver with the G-virus?" Daniel mused. With Quicksilver's speed and the virus's regenerative abilities, he would be almost impossible to kill.

Wanda, on the other hand, didn't need such enhancements.

Much like Daniel, the virus's slight body enhancement wasn't significant in the One Piece world, but the regeneration ability was invaluable.

"Where did you run off to, Pyramid? Oh well, suit yourself," Daniel thought, feeling exasperated after hanging up a call from Robin. Her love for archaeology persisted even in the Marvel world.

"The boundless universe offers plenty of archaeological opportunities. Speaking of which, I wonder when news about the pure gold from the One Piece world will surface?"

The pure gold in the One Piece world wasn't 100% gold but a magical substance that significantly extended lifespan—about a year for each day.

It was similar to the myth of one day in heaven equating to a year on earth.

A scientist in the Navy created it to save his daughter's life. Unfortunately, he leaked the information, leading to predictable consequences.

In any era, lifespan is the most coveted asset. In the Marvel world, vast amounts of money are spent annually on research into life extension, with little success. But that doesn't stop the wealthy from investing.

"I remember it was swallowed by a giant sea king, possibly an anglerfish," Daniel recalled. The pure gold's incredible properties made it memorable.

The island where the scientist lived was swallowed by a giant sea king, leading CP0 to find nothing when they arrived.

Had the island not been swallowed, the world government's power would be even greater if they had obtained the pure gold.

Pure gold was different from the Ope Ope no Mi's immortality surgery, which required a life in exchange for eternal life. Pure gold could extend the world government's 800-year rule to merely 800 days.

Because CP0 found nothing, the pure gold was considered a myth by most, with only the world government and a few others continuing the search.

Even with no results, the search never ceased, as the potential benefits outweighed the effort.

Daniel wasn't worried about his own lifespan. Kamar-Taj's magic extended life, and the Philosopher's Stone could be used for both magic and longevity.

But others, like Ada and Robin, would need it. What good is immortality if you're alone? Even the Ancient One grew weary after a thousand years.

However, Asgardians lived for five thousand years on average, with nobility and royalty living even longer. None seemed to tire of life.

The Ancient One was likely lonely, lacking companions. In a world without immortality, watching loved ones die would be unbearable. But in the Marvel world, many beings and races were immortal.

"I wonder if the Ancient One ever loved anyone," Daniel mused, curious but keeping it to himself.

"Have you solved the Extremis virus's side effects?" Daniel was surprised when Stark called.

Daniel was also researching the virus, but even with the Ope Ope no Mi, progress was slow. He had been distracted by finding Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, but he had the Ope Ope no Mi.

Stark solving the problem was surprising, considering his expertise was in mechanics, not biology.

"This is your solution? It renders the Extremis virus useless," Daniel thought, arriving at Stark's seaside villa. After resolving the Mandarin and Killian incidents, Stark and Pepper moved back in, despite the address being compromised.

With Stark Industries' security, no ordinary person could get close.

Daniel listened to Stark's solution and was speechless. Stark's solution removed the side effects but also the main benefits of the virus.

The Extremis virus's greatest feature was limb regeneration. Without that, it was useless. Daniel hadn't solved it for this reason.

For Daniel, the perfect solution was retaining regeneration and fire abilities without the explosive side effects.

At the very least, removing the side effects and retaining the regenerative ability, even if only once, would be a huge success.

A one-time regeneration could treat disabilities, which was Maya Hansen's ideal outcome. She hoped Stark could achieve this.

Maya didn't expect the virus to be like the Super Soldier Serum, providing permanent abilities with one injection.

Considering the number of disabled people in the world, achieving this effect would be immensely lucrative, no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, even Stark couldn't achieve this.

Maya was disappointed but had to accept it. The previous Extremis virus was a weapon.

"What about you?" Stark asked after explaining his results.

"Similar to yours. Keeping only the beneficial effects isn't easy." Despite the difficulty, Daniel hadn't given up. This kind of drug wasn't just useful in the Marvel world but in other worlds as well.

In the Attack on Titan world, the war might be ending, but the scars remained. The same applied to the Harry Potter world.

In the One Piece world, many powerful figures were disabled. Crocodile and Shanks were missing limbs, and a former admiral was also missing an arm.

Even in a world of immense power, missing limbs couldn't be easily replaced.

Daniel had considered restoring Shanks' arm or the former admiral's arm, which could yield significant rewards.

He even thought of injecting Whitebeard with the G-virus to alleviate his condition.

Given all this, even if Stark and Maya gave up on the Extremis virus, Daniel wouldn't. With the Ope Ope no Mi, he believed he would succeed eventually.

"Maya Hansen, would you be interested in working for my company?" Daniel offered. Maya's talent was on par with Helen Cho's.

Stark and Pepper couldn't hire her due to Stark's past relationship with her, but Daniel had no such concerns.

With her

, breakthroughs might not be frequent, but there would be significant achievements.

To be a successful superhero, the first requirement isn't power, but money. Without it, how can you focus on heroics?

The Avengers aren't unpaid; they receive salaries, and even after S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded, Stark Industries paid them.

Look at Spider-Man. His personal life is a mess due to his superhero duties. He sells photos to a newspaper or delivers pizzas to make ends meet.

Peter Parker's intelligence could land him a high-paying job, given his invention of the web fluid. If he sold the patent, he'd be wealthy.

But due to his erratic schedule, no company would hire someone who constantly takes leave.

If Peter had Stark's wealth, or even his friend's, he wouldn't struggle so much.

Daniel knew of Peter's issues but didn't help because Peter wasn't the chatty Spider-Man.

"Alright, let's start," Daniel said as Wanda finally began her activation process, with Quicksilver's condition stabilizing.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter