Chapter 15: The Pursuit
They didn't talk for long. The underling who checked the cash nodded at his boss. The boss stood up and shook the merchant's hand with a smile. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Pleasure doing business with you."
Watching the two groups walk off in different directions, Yoshikage Kira remained still, hiding himself even deeper. He was only here to watch the show and had no intention of stopping them. Besides, he couldn't do much on his own anyway.
The merchant and his men, dressed in sharp black suits, boarded a speedboat, seemingly heading out to sea. The boss, who looked like a typical gangster, led his underlings toward the park entrance.
I just wanted to go for a walk. I didn't expect to witness a deal like this.
Kira warily glanced behind him, half-expecting some men in black to appear and drug him. Seeing no one, he emerged from behind the pillar and ran quickly toward the shore.
The speedboat's engine hadn't started yet. The man in the black suit was busy starting the boat while the merchant stood on the shore, holding the open box and examining its contents. "To think this stuff can actually enhance Quirks... But why sell it to those insurgents? Wouldn't the Americans be better off using it themselves?"
Kira enhanced his hearing with Hamon and barely managed to catch his words. A thought stirred within him.
So, America is supporting insurgents now? Strengthening their forces while also using them to test their drugs... That's quite a clever plan.
In a world with the hero profession, there were naturally criminals who used their Quirks to oppose them. In the wars raging over holy lands in Central Asia, the importance of Quirks had become increasingly prominent. People there believed Quirks were a gift from God, and their desire for the holy land only grew stronger, leading to constant regional conflicts.
However, that was all beside the point. Kira didn't care about wars in faraway places; he was only interested in the drug that supposedly enhanced Quirks.
If my Quirk were enhanced, could I finally control this bloodlust that appears from time to time?
The coastline was long, and both men were focused on the task at hand, failing to notice Kira slip silently into the water.
Hearing his subordinate call out, the merchant placed the drug back in the box, boarded the boat, and deliberately placed it in front of him where he could see it.
Vroom, vroom, vroom~
The engine roared to life, and the speedboat began to move, slowly pulling away from the shore.
Kira poked his head out of the water, took a large gulp of air, and then took a deep breath. He infused Hamon into a fish he had caught while submerged. The fish's streamlined body instantly went rigid, like a piece of dried fish.
Quirk—Killer Queen activated. The fish in Kira's hand became a bomb that could be detonated at any moment. He released it, and the fish shot forward like an arrow, heading straight for the speedboat.
Water acted as a conductor for Hamon, allowing Kira to anticipate the speedboat's speed. The literal fish-torpedo slammed into the side of the boat in an instant!
The speedboat suddenly lurched, catching the merchant off guard. He stumbled and nearly fell into the sea. The man in the black suit quickly stabilized the boat. The merchant, annoyed, snapped at him, "Drive more steadily! Don't you know I can't swim?!"
"Yes, boss." The man in black nodded calmly. "We probably just hit something. It shouldn't be a major problem."
Hearing this, Kira gave a silent thumbs-up. After commending him for his flagrant death flag, he quietly detonated the bomb.
The power of a Killer Queen bomb was related to the volume and mass of the object it was placed on. The fish wasn't large, but it was enough to blast a hole in the metal hull, just like the crows had.
"Why are we suddenly taking on water?!" The merchant felt the boat sinking and jumped to his feet in a panic. The roar of the engine had completely masked the sound of the underwater explosion; he had no idea a hole had been blown in the hull.
"Boss, I don't know why, but the hull seems to be breached. We have to abandon the boat," the man in black said, looking at the malfunctioning dashboard. "We're not far from the shore. We can swim there quickly."
"I told you I can't swim!" the merchant yelled, clutching the box tightly. "And there are no life jackets here!"
The man in black was silent for a moment. His body suddenly grew a meter taller, tearing his shirt and revealing fin-like organs.
"So your Quirk is fish-related! It's like a miracle!" the merchant exclaimed with delight. "Hurry up and get me to shore!"
The man in black looked around, then ripped a plank from the boat and threw it into the sea. He jumped in after it and pushed the plank toward the merchant. "Boss, get on."
"My life is in your hands." After making his decision, the merchant tossed the box to the man in black and jumped decisively. However, he missed the plank and flailed in the water for a few moments before finally grabbing its edge.
"I hate water!" he gasped as he climbed onto the plank, collapsing weakly. He spat out a mouthful of water. "I feel like Rose from Titanic in this position. Right, Jack?" he said weakly.
The man in black—oh, wait, he'd already burst out of his suit, his lower half now resembling the Incredible Hulk's giant shorts—seemed much more agile in the water. He played along with a witty remark. "Boss, I don't think I'm going to be the one to die."
They weren't far from the shore, and it didn't take long for him to get the merchant to the beach.
The merchant crawled weakly onto the sand, coughed a few times on his knees, and complained to his subordinate, "I'm never taking a job like this again. It was pure torture!"
"Next time? There won't be a next time for you!" A cold voice rang out. A flashlight beam shone on the merchant's face, making him instinctively lower his head.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "I'm just a drowning tourist!"
"Scorbo. You've been a middleman for underground organizations for years, transporting goods, smuggling, and trafficking illegal substances. Am I wrong?" Police officers in uniform suddenly emerged from all sides, surrounding him with their guns raised.
"We were originally just trying to take down a local gang. We didn't expect to catch a big fish like you this time," a police officer said with a gesture. The thugs from the earlier deal were led out from the shadows in handcuffs. "Don't bother denying it. We caught you red-handed."
"You!" the merchant cried out, trying to stand up, but two officers restrained him, forcing him to his knees.
"Hey, man, we had no choice!" the gang leader shouted, proclaiming his innocence. "We're just trying to make a living, and we want to stay alive! Besides... he was there!"
He? As if to let him die knowing the truth, the police loosened their grip on his neck. Scorbo stiffly turned his head. His pupils contracted violently, and he forced the terrifying name from his lips: "All... Might!"
His subordinate, the seemingly powerful man in the black shorts, had been knocked unconscious at some point. And standing right beside him, wearing a simple t-shirt, was All Might, flashing a triumphant smile at Scorbo.
"I... lose." Scorbo lowered his head. Just as the police relaxed their guard and reached for their handcuffs, he suddenly shouted, "But you'll never get the goods from me!"
With a slight twitch of his fingers, the box on the ground suddenly exploded. Raging flames instantly incinerated its contents!
"Haha!" he laughed weakly. "My Quirk, Shadow Hand, can move unnoticed in the dark! You were destined never to get it!"
"..." The police captain was silent for a moment, then ordered his team, "Take him away."
Just as quietly as they had arrived, they departed with equal speed. The police quickly wrapped up their work and left the former criminal paradise.
No doubt, this place would become a quiet, peaceful spot for dates in the future.
All Might walked at the very back of the group. He suddenly stopped, looked deeply out at the boundless sea for a moment, and smiled.