All Might was on active hero duty when the message came through.
A confirmed location.
One of All For One's operational bases.
The information had come directly from Nezu.
All Might stood atop a nearby building, the city lights stretching endlessly below him. His jaw tightened as he reread the details. Every line, every coordinate, felt like another weight added to his chest.
All For One.
His blood boiled at the thought of him. The man who had ruined lives without hesitation. The man who had taken his master from him. The man who treated people as nothing more than tools.
His fists clenched.
"Easy there."
The voice came from behind him.
All Might turned his head to see Gran Torino standing a short distance away, hands tucked into his jacket. Despite his age, the old hero's posture was straight, his sharp brown eyes missing nothing.
"I'm sorry," All Might said, forcing his hands to relax.
Gran Torino sighed. "You are thinking too loudly again, Toshinori."
All Might looked down. "I just... every time his name comes up..."
"That is exactly why you need to calm down," Gran Torino cut in. "Anger is how he gets inside your head. Nana would not have wanted you charging in blind."
All Might inhaled slowly, then exhaled.
"...Yes, sensei."
Gran Torino gave a small nod. "Good. Now let us end this quickly."
The villain hideout was loud.
Laughter echoed through the concrete halls, mixed with the smell of cheap alcohol and something far worse. Crates were stacked carelessly against the walls, and groups of villains crowded around tables, celebrating like they had already won.
"Pretty soon it will be us running things!"
"Yeah!" someone shouted, raising a bottle. "The strong will rule under All For One!"
Cheers followed.
In the corner, a man sat apart from the rest.
Giran sighed, rubbing his temple. "Idiots..."
He had been around long enough to know better. Power never came without consequences. And All For One always collected his debts.
Giran's phone buzzed in his pocket. He did not bother checking it.
Recently, his assignments had shifted. Gathering information. Identifying "potential Nomu material."
Although he didn't know what a Nomu was, he knew exactly what that implied.
Human experimentation.
He grimaced but said nothing. Coin was coin, and asking questions only got people killed.
Then the building shook.
BOOM.
A thunderous crash tore through the far wall.
"TEXAS SMASH!"
Concrete exploded inward as a violent gust of wind tore through the room. Tables flipped, bottles shattered, and villains were sent flying like ragdolls.
Giran slammed into a wall, the air knocked clean out of his lungs.
"What the hell—"
"Oh shit, it's All Might!" someone screamed.
Dust settled just enough for the towering figure to be seen.
All Might stood at the breach, cape snapping behind him, eyes sharp and blazing.
"Villains," he said calmly, "this operation ends now."
A handful of villains rushed him, quirks activating in panic.
Too slow.
All Might sidestepped one swing and grabbed the attacker by the head, slamming him into the concrete hard enough to crack it. He spun, caught another mid leap, and hurled him across the room into a support beam.
Before anyone else could react, the air cracked.
WHOOSH.
Gran Torino shot through the room like a missile.
"Move it, you brats!"
He rebounded off a wall, slammed both feet into a villain's chest, and rocketed away before the body even hit the ground. Another tried to aim a weapon, only for Gran Torino to appear behind him.
THUD.
Pinned face first into the floor.
"Stay down," Gran Torino snapped.
He zipped across the ceiling, rebounded off a beam, and clipped three villains in rapid succession, each impact precise and brutal. One was pinned to the wall by his own jacket. Another was knocked unconscious mid shout.
"Where did he even come from?!" a villain cried.
"Everywhere," Gran Torino answered, slamming into him from above.
All Might moved through the chaos like a force of nature. Every strike was controlled, deliberate. He disarmed a quirk user with a twist of the wrist, dropped another with a palm strike, and shattered restraints holding stolen equipment.
Giran struggled to his feet, coughing. "Damn it... I knew this was a bad idea."
He turned and froze.
All Might was standing in front of him.
"...Well," Giran muttered weakly, hands slowly raising. "This is awkward."
All Might looked down at him, expression unreadable. "Giran. Information broker. Human trafficking. Experiment procurement."
Gran Torino skidded to a stop beside them. "And a pain in my back for years."
Giran forced a grin. "You make it sound worse than it is."
Gran Torino leaned closer. "It is worse."
Sirens echoed in the distance as backup heroes flooded the complex, restraining the remaining villains.
All Might exhaled, tension finally easing from his shoulders.
One base down.
...
Hours later, the noise and chaos of the raid had been replaced by something far quieter.
The interrogation room was small, sterile, and brightly lit. A single metal table sat in the center, bolted to the floor. Giran was seated on one side, wrists cuffed, posture stiff but defiant despite the bruises beginning to bloom across his body.
He smirked faintly. "You heroes really know how to roll out the red carpet."
Across from him sat Principal Nezu, paws folded neatly atop the table, eyes sharp with intelligence. Gran Torino leaned against the far wall, arms crossed. All Might stood behind Nezu, filling the room without saying a word.
The silence stretched.
Giran shifted in his chair. "No introductions? Kinda rude."
Nezu smiled politely. "We already know who you are, Giran. An information broker with a long history of cooperating with All For One. You value profit and survival above all else."
"Sounds flattering when you say it like that," Giran replied.
Gran Torino snorted. "Spare us the charm. Where is he?"
Giran laughed, short and humorless. "You really think I know where the big bad hides? If I did, I would not be sitting here."
Nezu tilted his head. "That is incorrect."
Giran's smile twitched.
"You were present at three separate transfers in the last six months," Nezu continued calmly. "Each one tied to mass human transportation. Each one routed through temporary staging areas. You do not deal in small fry."
Giran leaned back as far as the cuffs allowed. "Even if that were true, why would I tell you anything? All For One finds out I talked, I am dead."
Gran Torino pushed off the wall and stepped closer. "You are already dead if you stay loyal to him."
All Might finally spoke. His voice was quiet, controlled. "He will discard you the moment you are inconvenient."
Giran looked up at him. For just a second, the bravado cracked.
Then he scoffed. "Easy for the Symbol of Peace to say."
Nezu tapped the table once. "You misunderstand the situation. This is not about convincing you with threats."
Giran raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Nezu's smile sharpened. "It is about incentives."
He slid a tablet across the table. On the screen were files, timestamps, and familiar names.
"Your accounts," Nezu said. "Your off shore holdings. Your contacts. We have already frozen half of them."
Giran's jaw tightened.
"And," Nezu continued, "we have also uncovered evidence that would place you directly in the center of human experimentation rings. The kind that guarantees life imprisonment."
Gran Torino leaned in. "Or worse."
Giran exhaled slowly through his nose. "You play dirty for heroes."
All Might's eyes hardened. "People were hurt because of you."
Silence settled again.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Giran laughed quietly. "You really think giving him up will save me?"
Nezu met his gaze. "No. But it gives you a chance."
Giran closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the defiance was gone, replaced by exhaustion.
"...Shinjuku," he muttered.
Gran Torino stiffened. "Where in Shinjuku?"
Giran looked away. "A warehouse near the old rail yards. Looks abandoned. It is not."
Nezu's ears twitched. "How certain are you?"
"I delivered equipment there two weeks ago," Giran said. "Heavy stuff. Medical. Security was insane."
All Might clenched his fists. "Is he there now?"
Giran hesitated. "I do not know. He moves when he wants. But if he is planning something big..."
He trailed off.
"That is where it starts," Nezu finished.
Gran Torino straightened. "That is enough."
Nezu stood. "Thank you for your cooperation, Giran."
Giran laughed weakly. "Do not thank me. I just chose the lesser hell."
As the heroes turned to leave, Giran spoke again.
"Hey... All Might."
All Might paused.
"If you are going after him," Giran said quietly, "do not underestimate him."
All Might did not turn around.
"I never have."
The door closed behind them.