Chapter 338: Chapter 39: Try Throwing a Punch
Before long,
the incident in City A gradually settled down.
People returned to their daily routines,
even though monsters and disasters kept appearing across the city.
Heroes continued to do their part in handling them.
Now promoted to B-Class,
Saitama often brought Genos along as they patrolled together on hero duty.
Ever since Ron moved into Fubuki’s home,
a lot had happened.
For example, one night—
Fubuki came home very late.
She had spent several consecutive days leading the Blizzard Group on missions,
and her body was completely worn out.
Her eyes were so heavy with sleep she could barely keep them open.
All she wanted was a hot bath and a good night’s rest.
But just as she stripped down and stepped into the bathroom,
already halfway through her shower—
she suddenly realized...
Ron was soaking in the tub.
When she stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief,
Ron opened his eyes,
and casually asked,
"Wanna join me?"
And then—
The bathroom was... destroyed.
Incidents like that?
Yeah, they happened more than once.
Fubuki, who was initially flustered and embarrassed,
eventually grew somewhat used to it.
But Ron’s teasing remarks still often left her blushing furiously and heart pounding like a drum.
That said, there was one very important perk to having Ron around:
she’d eaten more delicious things in the past month than she had her entire life.
For instance—
the meat of some enormous unknown sea creature,
sparkling wines that bubbled like jewels,
exotic fruits that looked almost magical... and much more.
Ron’s cooking skills had completely conquered her taste buds.
His grilled meats, in particular,
were even more mouthwatering than the ones served at top-tier restaurants.
After every meal Ron prepared,
Fubuki would always wear a faintly... indecent expression on her face.
Because of that,
she stopped visiting expensive restaurants altogether.
Now, whenever she finished leading the Blizzard Group in their hero activities,
she’d return home straight away.
Oddly enough, this shift saved a lot on the group’s operating budget,
which both surprised and delighted many of the members.
As for Tatsumaki—
she dropped by every two or three days,
usually staying for a day or two, sometimes longer.
Every time she came back,
she’d end up bickering with Ron at the dinner table.
Their arguments were so fierce that Tatsumaki often looked like she was on the verge of using her psychic powers
to pull a meteor out of orbit just to smash it down on him.
They did actually fight a few times—
but only in secret, without Fubuki knowing.
Their battlefield?
Ron’s Infinite Fortress.
And as for the outcome?
Well, Ron won. Every single time.
Which... only made Tatsumaki even more infuriated with him.
———
As for Ron himself,
when he wasn’t lounging around in the villa,
he was out wandering the streets,
sometimes visiting Saitama,
sometimes heading over to King’s place to play video games.
One event worth mentioning:
The first time Ron showed up at King’s apartment,
King opened the door, saw who it was—
and fainted right then and there.
Later,
Ron explained with a grin that what King had seen before was just an illusion.
He’d only appeared that day to test the so-called "strongest man on Earth."
After hearing that, King let out a sigh of relief—
but the fear in his eyes remained,
as if carved deep into his soul.
From that day on,
his fear of Ron became bone-deep.
Occasionally, Ron would also lend Fubuki a hand during missions,
dealing with particularly troublesome monsters—
and, of course, visiting certain locations to collect system check-ins.
His check-in points continued to accumulate.
Once his total reached 20,
he would be able to activate the system’s teleport function,
and return to the world of One Piece.
———
Time passed quickly.
A whole month had gone by.
On this particular day—
Saitama and Genos were out shopping.
Suddenly,
a massive explosion rocked the street ahead, sending people into a panic.
"What the heck was that?"
Saitama scratched his cheek in confusion.
Genos’s mechanical eyes scanned through the flames,
analyzing the scene.
"Sensei, it’s a robot."
"A monster?"
"Most likely."
As the explosion faded,
a massive metal robot appeared in the middle of the road.
Its body bristled with weaponized cannons and cold steel edges.
It looked like a weapon built for one thing—mass slaughter.
"Ahhh! Somebody help!"
Screams erupted as civilians scattered.
But the robot ignored them.
Its mechanical gaze locked onto a lone figure standing in the middle of the street—
a tall man with a game console in hand.
"You... are you King?"
King froze,
the new gaming console he’d just purchased hanging limply from his hand.
His eyes widened in terror.
"...Huh?"
Even Genos hesitated to act, clearly surprised.
"That’s King? S-Class Rank 7?"
"He’s strong?"
Saitama asked, intrigued.
Genos nodded.
"Very. They call him the ’Strongest Man on Earth.’
He’s single-handedly defeated numerous powerful monsters."
"Oh..."
Saitama’s interest piqued.
"I will defeat you, King!"
The robot drew a giant steel greatsword from its back,
pointing it straight at King.
"This is a performance test for my combat AI.
To collect accurate data—fight me with everything you’ve got!"
King didn’t say a word.
His face was unreadable.
And then—
the King Engine began to rumble.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
"What’s that sound?"
Saitama tilted his head.
"That’s the King Engine,"
Genos replied,
"a sign that King has entered battle mode."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes."
Genos stared intently at the still-expressionless King.
"To remain so calm before such a foe... he truly is formidable."
But in truth—
King was on the verge of collapsing from terror.
I’m dead.
This is it. This time I’m really going to die!
Despair flooded his mind.
His legs trembled so badly he couldn’t move.
Please... someone... anyone... save me!
"Die!"
The robot raised its massive blade and brought it down toward King.
I’m done for!
King shut his eyes in pure despair.
"Come now, King. Dying like this would be too anticlimactic."
A soft chuckle echoed in his mind.
King’s eyes flew open.
That voice...
Him?!
"Try throwing a punch forward."
That divine-sounding voice in his head—
it was like a prophecy.
With no other options left,
King clung to it like a drowning man grabbing at a straw.
He clenched his trembling fist,
and threw a full-powered punch forward.
If I die, so be it.
———
At that exact moment—
In a quiet coffee shop nearby,
a silver-haired youth sat by the window,
resting his chin on one hand.
He lazily snapped his fingers.
And then—
The towering metal robot exploded into scrap
right in front of King.