"A-City, Hero Association Headquarters Building, Sitch receiving... Yes, select cash on delivery."
Aokiji handed the Sky King ice sculpture over to the courier company employee.
The courier employee stared silently at the lifelike, angry, and hideous Sky King within the ice, falling into a deep contemplation.
This thing...
...Is it really just a work of art?
As a souvenir of Aokiji's first time resolving a Monster incident,
the Sky King ice sculpture was barely adequate.
Frozen at the moment of 'The King Descends from Heaven, Angry and Hideous,' it still possessed a decent sense of oppression.
Aokiji took out his Association phone and sent a message to Sitch, reminding him that he had sent a figure over and not to refuse the delivery.
Only then did Aokiji see that while he was uploading the record of defeating the Sky Tribe, Sitch had sent several consecutive messages, urgently asking what the situation was.
Having just finished the Hero Exam and immediately resolving a Monster attack incident, this was an efficiency the Association had never even dreamed of.
He had even perfectly protected all the passengers on a plane flying at high altitude.
The promotional news that the Hero Association had just prepared with the media had to be prepared all over again.
However, all sorts of news regarding the Hero Association were already flying all over the internet.
As an unprecedentedly large charitable organization with the goal of recruiting the strong to protect the people, everyone was watching to see what kind of results the Hero Association could deliver.
Compared to the police and military, who were becoming increasingly powerless against Monsters,
could the Hero Association do better?
Amidst the lively discussions and analyses online, a few videos quickly gained a massive number of views.
The scenes in the videos were all from the same plane.
Beside the fierce and hideous Monster ice sculpture, a man wearing an eye mask slept lazily and soundly.
————
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist Dojo.
Its location fit the stereotype perfectly.
Dojos with genuine skill were always built on mountaintops.
After climbing the long staircase, Aokiji and Bang reached the dojo's main gate.
"Climbing these stairs up and down the mountain every day, don't you find it troublesome?" Aokiji offered a suggestion. "Why not dig a slide next to the stairs? It'd be convenient for going down, and you could even use it as a tourist attraction to earn some income."
Bang: "..."
This is a serious dojo I'm running, and to install a slide... More than seventy of his Disciples didn't live within the dojo.
Bang imagined the scene of over seventy exhausted, burly men lying on a slide and sliding all the way to the foot of the mountain after every day's practice.
Water Stream Rock Smashing ×
Water Stream Somen ✓
Bang quickly shook his head, clearing the image away.
"No, no, these stairs are also a form of training for them."
The main gate was pushed open.
Kushang, with his butt-chin, poked his head out: "Master, you're back!"
"The grill and ingredients are all ready. This must be..."
Kushang blinked twice.
This person next to him was the friend Master mentioned?
So young?
He froze for two seconds before reacting: "Hello, I am Kushang, the second Disciple of Master Bang. Please guide me."
Aokiji didn't have a deep impression of this burly man with the butt-chin.
He only remembered that after being beaten away by Garou later on, he founded a martial art style himself.
Was it called something like Cola Carbonated Fist?
Aokiji followed behind the two, walking through the dojo.
The simple and ancient style had a sense of tranquility and peace.
As they approached the dojo's backyard, faint sounds of boisterous noise could be heard.
Over a hundred people were in the backyard, where they usually practiced together, making it incredibly lively.
Only in the corner of the yard, under a tree, did Garou sit alone on the ground.
"Master."
"Master, you're back."
"Greetings, Master."
The Disciples greeted Bang respectfully while inevitably sizing up Aokiji with curiosity.
Bang raised his hand with a smile: "We're hosting a guest today, so you all can relax for the day too."
"Aokiji, a highly talented young man I met at the Hero Association. He's about your age, but his strength is quite astonishing. Learn well from him."
"Yes!" the Disciples all responded.
Only one discordant voice spoke up: "Old man, I want to learn a bit right now. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Everyone's gaze shifted.
Garou, under the tree, slowly stood up, staring at Aokiji, who was standing in a relaxed posture.
Bang frowned. He had indeed mentioned to Aokiji that he had a somewhat disobedient Disciple and wanted him to help temper the boy's personality.
But that was supposed to be after the meal.
He hadn't expected this kid to jump out on his own.
Garou curled the corner of his mouth into a smirk: "Since we're going to have a martial arts exchange anyway, it should be fine to do it a little earlier, right, old man?"
Bang: "Don't mess around, stay quiet!"
"It's fine."
Aokiji stepped forward.
Since he had already promised Bang, it really didn't matter if it was a bit earlier or later.
The Disciples made way one after another, curious in their hearts how this guest, who was about the same age as them, would handle Garou, the strongest Disciple in the dojo.
Kushang quietly leaned into Bang's ear:
"Master, can this guy handle Garou? Recently, several of us older ones sparred with Garou together and couldn't do a thing against him."
If Aokiji were an old man around his master's age, Kushang wouldn't have this concern.
He had seen plenty of the power displayed by Bang, the white-haired old man.
Kushang guessed inwardly that Aokiji might be the successor of some martial arts school.
But against Garou, did he really have full confidence?
Kushang knew all too well how crazy that kid could be.
"Hehe," Bang chuckled softly. "Instead of worrying about that, you'd be better off going to start grilling the meat first."
"Ah? Oh."
Kushang didn't understand, but Kushang did as he was told.
Bang continued to look toward the center of the field, thinking to himself that even he felt a sense of palpitations standing next to Aokiji. What kind of waves could a kid like Garou possibly kick up?
"You're also one of those who wants to become a hero, right?" Garou assumed a starting stance, crouching low, his arms moving slowly like flowing water.
"Let me see what qualifications you have to be called a hero!"
Aokiji did not respond to him.
Knowing the plot, Aokiji understood very well.
No matter how he answered, it was destined not to convince Garou.
He shouted all day about becoming a Monster, hunting heroes, and such.
But deep down in Garou's heart, there was a perfect hero image that he admired.
No matter the kind of evil, no matter the scale of evil,
the true hero in his mind was an existence that could eliminate all the evil in the world!
However, this goal was so grand it was almost impossible to achieve.
So Garou compromised.
He chose to become Absolute Evil!
To leave humanity with no room to do anything other than survive.
He believed that only then would humanity unite for the sake of survival, indirectly eliminating all other evil acts.
Whether it was exploitation in the workplace, bullying in schools, or the differences and injustices between classes, all would cease to exist before Absolute Evil!
Villains who clamor about destroying the world aren't scary at all.
Villains whose goal is to change the world and save humanity are the truly scary ones.
But it didn't matter.
Garou's current strength could at most be called a hungry dog.
He'd figure it out after a few more beatings.
Highly refined Armament Haki coiled and attached itself to his fist.
What kind of evil did you want to become again?
Garou's gaze sharpened as he instinctively sensed something wrong!
The sense of oppression was almost tangible!
Garou's hair stood on end. In just an instant, the shift in the lazy man's aura made him sense extreme danger!
"However," Garou charged forward at high speed, his eyes blazing with Battle Intent, "that's exactly what I want!"
With his fingers pressed together, he swept out a strike like a whip!
Aokiji had already sensed the landing point of the attack with Observation Haki.
He raised his arm and casually blocked the strike.
A crisp, metallic ringing sound echoed.
The muscles on Garou's face twitched.
How is this man so hard??