"You… you're not a hero?"
Sato Haruko stared straight at Kai, her eyes brimming with expectation.
"That's right. I just arrived in this city — I don't even have a residence registered yet. Where would I even go to become a hero?"
Kai answered casually, popping the last piece of fried chicken into his mouth, fully satisfied.
"That's perfect!"
Haruko leapt up in excitement, nearly shouting.
"...Hm?"
Kai raised an eyebrow, slightly displeased.
So she's actually happy that I'm a nobody with no ID? This girl is thrilled about something like that?
"Oh! no no — that's not what I meant!"
Haruko's face turned red and she quickly explained: "Since you're not a hero yet, why not consider joining Z City's Hero Association? With your level of strength, you'd absolutely get an A-Class rating or higher."
"No thanks, not interested."
Kai gave a casual wave and turned her down flat.
He had no interest in chasing fame in the One Piece world — let alone in the far more dangerous One Punch Man world.
The power ceiling and floor in this world were both extreme.
At the top, someone like the Cosmic Ruler Boros could traverse galaxies and level continents.
At the bottom, someone like Haruko right in front of him couldn't even fight off a chicken.
Still, as long as that one abnormally bald guy sat at the top, no person, monster, alien, or outside threat could ever truly destroy this world.
"How can you… you're this strong, and you clearly have a sense of justice — why aren't you interested in being a hero?"
Haruko asked, genuinely puzzled.
"How do I explain this… It's like how some people just don't like spicy food, or some people don't enjoy showing off. It's a personal preference."
Kai scratched the back of his head and took a long moment to come up with that strange explanation.
"But… A-Class heroes rarely have to go out on missions. There's also a monthly allowance of one million yen, a private villa, a personal chef providing gourmet meals — I honestly can't think of why anyone would refuse."
Haruko softly listed off the benefits, watching Kai carefully.
"What?"
Kai's eyes snapped wide open instantly.
"One million yen a month. A private villa. A personal chef and gourmet food."
"That's right. The Hero Association's investor is the world's wealthiest man. Every year he donates massively to the Association to thank the hero who once saved his son's life. Most of it goes to S-Class heroes, but even as a mid-tier A-Class hero, the treatment is completely comparable to upper management at a major corporation."
Haruko explained calmly, watching the light in Kai's eyes grow brighter and brighter.
Just need to complete a minimal number of missions at specific times, and enjoy treatment on par with top corporate executives.
Private villa. Gourmet food. Giant screen TV. Full-immersion VR setup.
None of that is a problem!
"Ahem. So, Haruko — where does your Hero Association accept registrations? Can you hand me a form to fill out?"
Kai cleared his throat twice and asked in a perfectly serious tone.
"But didn't you just say you weren't interested in heroes — you don't like showing off…"
"Haruko, everyone has different tastes and preferences. But let me remind you of one thing."
Kai cut her off abruptly, his expression turning serious.
"What?"
"This world runs on money."
With that, Kai strolled off coolly, leaving behind a single, speechless figure.
"I, Kai — a hero driven entirely by money, reporting for duty!"
...
Z City Hero Association, Testing Division.
"Haruko, this is the hero you're recommending?"
The head of Z City's Hero Association — a sharp-looking middle-aged man in black, with the air of someone who could cut through anything — flipped through a file, his expression grave.
"Yes. He one-shotted a demon-level monster. His sense of justice and commitment are both outstanding. I'm recommending him to join our Z City Hero Association."
Sato Haruko tapped away at her screen as she spoke.
"He does sound talented. Monster appearances in Z City have been increasing a lot lately — we really do need more strong people."
The man in black nodded, then spoke into his earpiece: "Testing Division — you can skip the written exam for the hero candidate 'Thunder God Kai.' Proceed directly to the physical assessment."
"Understood."
Across the room, the testing division supervisor gave a nod, then looked over at Kai: "Congratulations — you've passed the written portion of the hero exam. Please follow me to the physical testing area."
Kai was confused, but nodded anyways and followed the testing staff to the physical assessment zone.
The moment he arrived, two familiar figures caught his eye.
Genos and Sonic.
So the story has already reached this point? Looks like he's missed quite a bit.
He refocused his attention on the test ahead.
The pressure here is something else.
In a normal assessment, he'd lock in S-Class without breaking a sweat.
Even setting aside the Rumble-Rumble Fruit entirely, his raw physical strength alone was immense — easily on par with an S-Class hero in terms of pure body.
But compared to the others here…
It was like studying under Zoro and picking up Observation Haki, getting blessed by Audie Murphy with Armament Haki, getting your face smashed in by old man Garp… Even then, standing next to someone like Genos — an absolute outlier who defied all normal scales — he'd still look pretty small.
"Whatever. Even if S-Class is out of reach, A-Class is fine. Might as well check and see just how strong Genos actually is."
He shrugged it off, and walked straight into the testing area.