Read down to the end for the afterword of Book 2: Waves of Justice
If you need context go to the fanfic or just read the other version on this site.
"Puh!"
Bell nearly spat out his drink. "Where did you come from!?"
Saitama replied, puzzled, "I was eavesdropping on the side."
"..."
Bell's mouth twitched. "When you show up, my nerves go numb..."
"Since you heard, that makes things easier."
Bell put on a serious face, saying, "Listen, I'm being honest. I know you're a Marine Major General, and you're young, not aware of how high up this goes. Even if you're strong, you can't get involved in this, trust me. To those people, a Marine Major General is nothing…"
Saitama nodded, but not very sincerely. "Yeah, I know."
Bell, half-convinced, eyed him. "Do you really understand?"
"Of course."
Saitama kept nodding. "I'm going to the World Government to check the facts."
Wait—
Bell smacked his thigh. "You didn't get it at all! The ones behind this are World Government dogs—most likely someone at the top! You're young, but you have no idea…"
"But I'm also a hero,"
Saitama said calmly as he stood up.
Under the moonlight, the lazy expression faded from his face, turning deeply earnest.
"Being a hero doesn't depend on status, bird-man."
"...It's 'falcon.'"
The next day, the group arrived in the port city, Nanohana.
Bell gathered his former guards and explained everything, while Saitama visited the restaurant from a few days earlier.
It was as lively as ever.
Voices rose everywhere.
"You brat! Dare insult my father!"
A shout erupted amid clattering tables—Ace.
The boss, clearly familiar with Ace, rushed over, clutching his head.
"Fighting with another guest again, Ace?"
Saitama, curious, pushed through the crowd and saw Ace, lying on the floor, beaten up by customers.
Yes, you read that right—Ace was the one getting beaten.
"They insulted my father!" Ace shouted, still trying to kick at the two big guys beating him, but with the Sea Prism Stone cuffs on, he was powerless and quickly got thrashed.
Ace shouted, "Stupid bald sea monster! If I didn't have this Sea Prism Stone on, I could wipe the floor with these guys!"
"Big talk for a shrimp,"
The two men tossed a bag of money to the boss. "This covers the damages and medical fees. Next time, tell this brat to see a doctor—and don't let him run his mouth about pirates!"
The boss smiled in relief, bowing as he took the money.
Ace, bruised and indignant, argued, "Pirate!? My father, Whitebeard, saved many! You don't know anything!"
One man clapped sarcastically. "Oh, so Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, is a good guy now?"
The place erupted in laughter.
Despite his bruised face, Ace kept trying to fight back, only to be held down again.
"Kid, you don't get it,"
The big guy shook his head.
"Everyone was innocent once. But with Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom running wild, even if they're not bad themselves, their presence brings chaos. Roger wasn't a monster, maybe, but his very existence was still a crime."
With a final shove, he spit, "To hell with the Pirate Era!"
"Well said, brothers!"
Someone else added,
"There's more pirates than ever, our business is ruined!"
"Pirates never pay their bills!"
"Screw the Shichibukai and the Emperors!"
"Shhh—this is still Crocodile's territory, you know!"
"Forget I said anything…"
...
Nanohana bustled, but compared to the Grand Line it was a small world.
Here, people vented their frustrations in quarrels or chats—sometimes that was all they had.
...
As mealtime passed, the restaurant emptied.
Saitama approached the boss, glancing at Ace sulking in the corner.
"So, was that money enough for his meal—or is he still working it off?"
"It's you!"
Recognizing Saitama, the boss hurried over, speaking in a low voice,
"He's not a bad kid, but he's wrecked a lot of trays—and always fighting; actually, now he owes me a fair bit..."
"Ugh…"
Saitama shook his head. "No survival skills at all…"
"Actually, that's not quite true…"
The boss broke into a grin. "He's been beaten up plenty, but now the damages and fees are covered, and after buying some medicine and bandages, there's even a little extra... Wait, I'll give him the rest—no need to press charges!"
...
Saitama was stunned.
Was money really that easy to make these days?
He went over to Ace, who immediately noticed but stayed silent.
"How does it feel?"
Saitama crouched beside him. "Earning your keep tastes better, right?"
"Mind your business…"
Ace shot Saitama a glare.
"Now hurry up and unlock this! I've got important things to do!"
"I just hope someday—nobody has to be forced into my business..."
With that, Saitama handed over the key.
"There was a deal, so you're free now. Next time we meet, try being a little different, yeah?"
Saitama headed out, meeting up with Tashigi to begin the journey to Mary Geoise.
But just after leaving Nanohana, the two men who beat up Ace were seen on the wharf, using a Den Den Mushi to contact someone…
"The target's alive…"
"The corpse commander's body wasn't found…"
"Fire Fist Ace has been released. Should we go after him?"
"Understood… keep tracking them…"
Hi everyone! S here, just wanted to say this is the end of Book 2: Waves of Justice
What a ride it has been! Thank you for the constant support from 2 specific people (no hate just love and thanks)
The next part of this story is Book 3: Gods and Lions
Hope yall will stick around because this story does not end for a long time to come.
Listed below is characters mentioned.
Characters
Pirates
Portgas D. Ace
Status: Alive (recently powerless, released from Sea Prism Stone cuffs)
Bounty: 550,000,000 berries (~5,913,978 USD)
Crocodile
Status: Dead (killed and reanimated as a puppet by Corpse Commander)
Bounty: 81,000,000 berries (~870,967 USD)
Whitebeard (Edward Newgate)
Status: Alive (off-screen, referenced as "Four Emperors")
Bounty: Unknown (canon: 5,046,000,000 berries which is *about* 54,258,064 USD)
Doflamingo
Status: Alive (off-screen, mentioned by WG/CP0 as lawbreaker)
Bounty: 340,000,000 berries (~3,655,914 USD)
Buggy
Status: Alive (minor appearances in earlier chapters, fate not confirmed in current arc)
Bounty: 15,000,000 berries (~161,290 USD)
World Government
Corpse Commander
Status: Dead (defeated and killed by Saitama)
Five Elders (Gorosei)
Status: Alive (behind-the-scenes)
CP0
Status: Alive (agents behind the scenes, indirect role)
Kingdom/Alabasta
King Nefertari Cobra
Status: Dead (killed and reanimated as puppet)
Princess Vivi
Status: Alive
Bell
Status: Alive (wounded, survived battle)
Chaka
Status: Alive (appears briefly, possibly wounded)