"Let me think… Oh, right! Flashy Flash, wasn't it? I remember you once trained at some kind of ninja village?"
Kizaru wasn't trying to dump the problem on someone else—mostly, he was just too lazy to train anyone one-on-one. But just as he was starting to feel stuck, a sudden idea lit up in his mind—a perfect solution.
The existence of the Dimensional Chat Group had made it clear to Kizaru and the other members that there were many paths to becoming stronger.
Li had received a Devil Fruit from Kizaru, passed the martial arts exam, and though still a low-ranked warrior, he'd made a name for himself.
Esdeath got her hands on Haki from Kizaru. She still couldn't beat him, but she gained power on par with, or even surpassing, some top-tier fighters.
As for Kizaru himself, he was easily the one who'd benefited most from the chat group.
Even setting aside the Stand that let him go toe-to-toe with Saitama, just the chakra system he got from Orochimaru was enough to stir chaos in the world of One Piece.
"Yes, though during my final exam, I wiped out the entire village's instructors and staff. That corrupt place didn't deserve to exist."
Flashy Flash spoke calmly, without trying to hide anything about his past.
To be fair, much of his strength came from that ninja village, but a system so rotten had no place continuing in the world.
"Tch. That story's got a weirdly familiar ring to it… Anyway, since you're a ninja, it only makes sense for you to learn chakra and ninjutsu, right?"
Kizaru casually pulled out the chakra refining scroll he had gotten from Orochimaru. Though a Navy Admiral, even he had to admit the chakra system from the Naruto world was far superior to the Navy's Rokushiki techniques.
Of course, the comparison was unfair. The chakra system had been refined over a thousand years of constant bloodshed by generations of ninja. Rokushiki, by contrast, was barely a century old and limited to the Navy and CP organizations.
But if there was anything Kizaru could give Flashy Flash to "pawn him off" without feeling guilty, it was the chakra system.
"What's this?"
Flashy Flash frowned slightly as he took the scroll from Kizaru, unsettled by its unfamiliar appearance.
"It's a chakra refining method. Just read it and figure it out yourself."
Kizaru wasn't worried about him messing it up. The basics of chakra refining were pretty simple—especially for someone as strong as Flashy Flash. Saying he could get the hang of it just by reading wasn't far off.
The real challenge was that chakra was easy to learn but hard to master. Without a huge reserve of chakra or access to a wide variety of jutsu, it was just another small tool in battle.
But to Flashy Flash, the chakra system already had his full attention. One glance at the scroll, and he couldn't tear his eyes away.
The concept of fusing physical and spiritual energy to create a unique force called chakra was so novel that his breathing quickened just reading about it.
"Alright then, if you guys want to look around, go ahead. Just don't bother anyone."
With Flashy Flash successfully distracted, Kizaru finally felt a bit of relief.
But the moment his eyes landed on Saitama, standing there like a clueless duck, his expression turned sour again.
Unless the day came when he could beat Saitama into the ground, their relationship was unlikely to improve.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
Genos nodded politely. Even though Kizaru had made it clear he wouldn't be helping him grow stronger, Genos still wanted to see the training camp that had convinced someone like Flashy Flash to stay.
"Then we'll… Wait—what's that smell…? Genos, you go ahead. I'm not gonna look anymore… hold up, wait for me…"
Saitama had planned to join Genos for a look around—but right then, the smell of grilled meat in the air made him change course immediately.
The members of the Blizzard Group, just like yesterday, had already prepared the barbecue ingredients for Kizaru in advance.
And because Kizaru had gone off to entertain a "guest," the group had thoughtfully even grilled some of the food ahead of time for him.
Barbecue was just a hobby for Kizaru—but for Saitama, who was often strapped for cash and only shopped during supermarket discount hours, this was practically a feast delivered to his door.
Kizaru had been planning to avoid Saitama, but unexpectedly, the bald guy had followed him here.
Resigned, Kizaru threw on his sunglasses, laid down on a beach chair, closed his eyes, and logged into the Dimensional Chat Group to pass the time.
---
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Whoa, things are moving this fast already? I was planning to wait until Zhang Cuishan raised his army to help out—are we already storming cities?!
[Kobayashi]: So cool! The old master's disciples are amazing too!
[Zhang Sanfeng]: Wudang has sealed its mountain and closed its gates. Except for the elderly, women, and children, the entire sect has joined the resistance. That's how we achieved this victory today…
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: You're incredible, Master Zhang! If you need help later, don't hesitate to call me—I'm totally in!
[Zhang Sanfeng]: The old Daoist thanks you in advance, young friend.
[Ai Haibara]: Tch, my antibiotics and aspirin aren't fully prepped yet. I'll trade over what I've got now…
[Zhang Sanfeng]: Much thanks to young friend Haibara as well.
[Tony Stark]: Hey, aren't you all moving a bit too fast? What's a war without Stark Industries weapons?!
[Orochimaru]: If you don't have time to prep new gear, there's a stash of post-war weapons in the village. We can trade them for resources—no dimensional currency needed.
[Kizaru]: Hmm? Has Master Zhang already made his move?
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Whoa, Kizaru-sama! Are you still in the One Punch Man world? Have you seen Saitama? Do you know what Blast looks like?
[Kizaru]: You mean that endlessly annoying bald guy? Yeah, he's right next to me. As for Blast—that's S-Class Rank 1, right? Haven't seen him.
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Damn! You've actually seen Saitama?! Is it true he just did 10 km runs every day, no air conditioning in the summer, and became super strong?!
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Have you ever fought him? Is Saitama really that strong?!
[Kizaru]: …Don't get so worked up. I don't know how he got that strong either. But yeah, I have felt a pretty terrifying presence from him.
[Kizaru]: How should I put it…? It kind of feels like I've run into my natural predator. At least judging from my Observation Haki, that bald guy might be the strongest I've ever seen.
While chatting and killing time in the group, Kizaru spared a bit of attention and opened his eyes to glance at the bald guy stuffing his face beside him.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—Saitama existed just to show people what despair meant. A walking cheat code like him really shouldn't exist in any world.
But what Kizaru conveniently ignored was that his own existence wasn't all that different from Saitama's—both of them existed to make other people feel despair.
They were both "cheat builds," really. Saitama had the GM-level instant-kill hack, while Kizaru was running an infinite stat-boosting exploit.
---
[Esdeath]: This Saitama guy… is he really that powerful?
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: It's not about being powerful—he's… just broken. Like a bug in the system. No matter who he fights, it's always a one-punch KO.
[Esdeath]: That strong? Sounds interesting…
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: No, no, no—calm down, big sis. Saitama isn't your usual powerhouse. Fighting him is pointless. He doesn't fight—he just ends things in one hit!
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: You and Kizaru-sama are both "special effects" types—maybe even "rule-breaking" level. But Saitama? He's already halfway into gag character territory. You can't even play the same game with him!
[Kizaru]: Not necessarily. If I went all out right now, I think I'd have a 30% chance of winning.
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: WHAT!? Kizaru-sama, did you start hacking too?!
[Esdeath]: Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. Darling, I have to see for myself just how strong this Saitama really is!
[Passerby Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: You're not listening at all, are you?!
[Kizaru: No need. The gap between you is far too great—beyond what skill, experience, or willpower could ever make up for.]
[Kizaru: Li had a point—challenging someone like that is just a waste of time. You're gambling with your life.]
[Esdeath: I see. Understood. But I'll keep growing stronger—when I'm ready, I will go see what that level of strength looks like!]
[Kizaru: Hm. Having a goal isn't bad. But before you go, you'll need to get my approval first.]
[Random Guy Who Wants to Cling to Luo Feng's Leg: Uh… Kizaru-bro, actually I kinda wanna see One Punch Man in person too… Mind bringing me along when you go?]
[Orochimaru: Hmph. A being even stronger than Kizaru-kun? Hard to believe…]
[Ding! Welcome Hermione Granger to the Dimensional Chat Group!]
[Kobayashi: Waaah! It's been ages since we had a newbie! Welcome, welcome! Confetti~]
[Ai Haibara: Another new one? Let's hope this one's a normal person…]
[Random Guy Who Wants to Cling to Luo Feng's Leg: Hermione?! No way—is this the "elementary schooler" version? Or the grown-up one??]
[Orochimaru: Heh. Seems like you know her too, Random Guy.]
[Tony Stark: Hey, is the newbie a girl? How old are you? Interested in a chat?]
[Kizaru: Oh, welcome to the group~]
[Xiao Mei: W-Welcome to the group…]
[Kobayashi: Ehe~ so Mei-chan's online too!]
[Random Guy Who Wants to Cling to Luo Feng's Leg: Hermione? Miss Granger? You there?]
[Ai Haibara: Tch. Another lurker, huh.]
[Kobayashi: Is your name really Hermione? Come chat! Don't be shy~]
---
Harry Potter World
In the Hogwarts Library in Britain, a frizzy-haired girl stared in shock at the thick book in her hands.
Just moments ago, while reading a Transfiguration textbook, she had suddenly heard a strange voice in her head—an invitation of some sort.
Hermione, not quite sure what was happening, reflexively accepted.
At first, she thought she'd just been reading too long and her mind was playing tricks on her—until a blank page suddenly appeared in the book she was holding.
Before the curious Hermione Granger could process what was going on, lines of text began appearing on the page, as if people were having a conversation.
At first it was just some strange dialogue. But then—her name showed up. And the scariest part? The words on the page were talking to her.
Though this was Hermione's first year at Hogwarts, she had already read countless books about the magical world. She remembered a rule—one that came up in multiple books and in more than one professor's lecture.
Never trust anything that can think for itself, unless you can see where it keeps its brain.
The frightened girl almost instinctively called for Madam Pince, the school librarian.
But Hermione was a true Gryffindor at heart—curious and brave to a fault. In the end, she held back and didn't report the book right away.
Of course, a big part of that was her faith in Hogwarts. This was the Hogwarts library, after all. Even if the book was weird, it probably wouldn't go wrong that quickly… right?
[Hermione Granger: Is this some kind of spell? Or a magical artifact?]
[Hermione Granger: What's happening? Why are my thoughts showing up on the page?!]
[Random Guy Who Wants to Cling to Luo Feng's Leg: Uh… okay, looks like our Miss Granger is still a little kid right now.]
[Random Guy Who Wants to Cling to Luo Feng's Leg: Lemme give you a quick rundown of what's going on…]
°°°
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