One Punch of Justice

A large ship, with a fish head as its figurehead, was anchored on the vast sea.

“This is the Baratie, the finest ocean-going restaurant in the world,” the captain boasted.

Thanks to Saitama’s efforts, the number of pirates in the East Blue had drastically decreased. Even the notorious Buggy was only an occasional blip on the radar. The seas were becoming safer.

Tourist and merchant ships passing by often made a stop at the Baratie to indulge in the rare delicacies of the sea.

“It’s quite crowded with so many people here…” Saitama remarked.

Inside the dining room, Saitama and Fullbody sat at a table, while the marine soldiers from Saitama’s ship occupied three full tables nearby.

Fullbody looked over at Saitama’s crew and wiped the sweat from his forehead, laughing heartily to himself.

“Good thing I brought enough money today,” he thought. “I was originally planning to spend it on my girl, but my plans changed when I met you. Oh well, I’ll just have to explain it to her when I get back… Ha-Ha-Ha!”

As Saitama perused the menu, he asked Fullbody casually, “Aren’t you going to invite your crew to join us?”

“I’ve already ordered seven servings of food to be sent to the warship,” Fullbody replied, shaking his head. “But they can’t leave without permission. We have a dangerous prisoner on board and we have to keep an eye on him.”

“Ah, I see,” Saitama said nonchalantly.

Saitama usually orders pizza and cola, but since he’s in a different world, he knows that these items may not be available. He decides to go for some familiar seafood, but he really wants a special order. So, he approaches the blond waiter with distinctive curly eyebrows, who was busy charming the female customers, and says, “Hey there, I didn’t see fries on the menu, but this is a western restaurant, so I’m sure you have them, right?”

“Fries?” The curly eyebrow man looks back at Saitama and says, “What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”

Saitama’s face falls. He can’t believe that the man has never heard of fries. “You know, fries! Thin, crispy potatoes that are deep-fried and salted.”

The waiter scratches his head. “Sorry, man. Still doesn’t ring a bell. Are you sure it’s not some kind of fish or seafood?”

Saitama shakes his head in disbelief. “No, it’s definitely not seafood!”

Saitama drew a line in the air, trying to explain how fries are made.

“Well, you start by cutting the potato into even strips, then you wipe off or soak them in cold water to remove the surface starch, and then you thoroughly dry them. Finally, you fry them until they turn golden. They taste amazing, especially with ketchup. It’s like an indescribable sense of satisfaction.”

The Curly Eyebrow waiter looked furious. “Ketchup?! What are you talking about?” He took a cigarette and whispered, “But food made from cutting potatoes… It sounds a lot like potato cakes. Even if they’re not on the menu, as long as I know the recipe, there shouldn’t be a problem. Just give me a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Saitama nodded, feeling a bit guilty. “Did I bother him?” he wondered aloud.

When the curly eyebrows waiter left, Fullbody, who had been eavesdropping, approached Saitama curiously. “Hey, I heard you talking about fries earlier. Is it true that they’re from your world?”

Saitama leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. “Yeah, they are. In my world, we have a lot of strange things, like talking snails that act like phones and TVs. But we also have entertainment magazines, snack foods, manga, game consoles, cars, and a lot of other high-tech stuff.”

Fullbody looked amazed. “Wow, that sounds incredible. Why don’t they have those things here?”

Saitama shrugged. “I think it’s because this world is dominated by pirates, and people are more focused on survival than anything else. They don’t have the luxury of studying these things or developing advanced technology.”

Fullbody nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense. But who knows, maybe someday someone will discover your world and bring some of those things back here.”

Saitama smiled. “Who knows? Maybe they will. But for now…”

As the conversation reached its peak, the door of the dining room swung open with a loud bang. A blood-soaked marine soldier barged in, gasping for breath.

“Ca- Captain Fullbody!!” he wheezed, struggling to catch his breath.

“Th- The Pirate Armada’s feared ‘Man-Demon’ Gin has… Has escaped from our custody!! We tried to stop him, but he knocked us out before we could react…”

“What?!” Fullbody exclaimed in terror as he leapt up from his seat. “H-h-how is this possible?! He was on death’s door when we caught him! How could he have possibly broken free and attacked you?!”

Saitama seized the moment to ask, “Uh, excuse me, I didn’t catch his name, but do you need any help?”

“Don’t bother yourself, Commodore…” Fullbody replied, clenching his fists as he prepared to set out and capture Gin. “Although Gin is notorious for being cold-blooded and cruel, and has killed countless civilians and soldiers, he’s been locked up for a while. He’s probably weaker now. I can handle him alone.”

But before Fullbody could take a step, a gunshot rang out at the restaurant’s entrance, and the marine soldier who had just entered fell to the ground, covered in blood. The sudden turn of events stunned everyone into a deafening silence.

“Ah, so it seems this guy survived my attack after all. I must have hit him when I was still too weak… But I’ll make up for it now,” A thin, scruffy-haired young man with a scraggly beard and a faint mustache stepped out from behind the fallen soldier, glaring darkly at Fullbody.  “Thanks for the water and food you sent to the ship,” he sneered. “After eating it, I feel like I’ve been resurrected. Damn you, marines! Ha-ha-ha…”

Fullbody knew that the odds were not in his favor, but he couldn’t just abandon the civilians cowering behind him. As a lieutenant, it was his duty to protect them. He turned to the frightened onlookers and barked, “Everyone, move out of this area immediately! It’s not safe here!”

With a sudden surge of courage, Fullbody raised his hand and roared at Gin, “I caught you once, and I can do it again! Justice can never be defeated by a damn pirate!”

Gin sneered, unsheathing a pair of menacing melee weapons that were weighted down with metal spheres.

“Is that so?” he taunted. “Well, I’ve got news for you. I’ve already contacted Don Krieg, who’s been hiding nearby in East Blue. He’s on his way here to plunder this place and leave no survivors! Ha-Ha-Ha! But first, let’s see if you’re even capable of stopping me! Ha-H…!”

Before Gin could finish his menacing laughter, there was a deafening explosion that echoed through the air.

-BAM!-

The sound reverberated across the area, causing everyone to flinch.  To everyone’s shock, the upper half of Gin’s body had exploded in a burst of blood and guts. Nobody knew what had happened or who had caused it.

Suddenly, Fullbody felt a mysterious force and spun around. It was none other than Saitama’s iconic punch! “It’s him!” Fullbody cried, “He’s the one who did it! The rumors are true! Commodore Saitama, protector of Loguetown, can defeat any enemy with a single punch!”

Even from ten meters away, the sheer power of Saitama’s punch tore through the air and obliterated his opponent without even touching them.

“How can one punch be so devastating?” someone screamed in disbelief.

As the commotion died down, the head chef and owner of Baratie rushed out to see what had happened.

The marine soldiers brought by Saitama quickly sprang into action to calm the frightened patrons.

Saitama stood up from his seat and strode toward the door, ignoring Gin’s bloody handiwork. He checked on the wounded soldier, relieved to find him still breathing. Turning to Fullbody, he barked, “Get this man to your medical department, now!”

“Ah, yes!” Fullbody exclaimed as he snapped out of his shock.

He rushed over to the wounded soldier and hoisted him onto his back, apologizing profusely to Saitama.

“I’m so sorry, I never expected this to happen during our dinner invitation,” Fullbody said.

Saitama shrugged it off, saying, “Don’t worry about it. We can finish our meal later.”

“Later?” Fullbody was taken aback. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

Saitama shook his head. “No, I have to wait for someone else. You go ahead and take care of the injured soldier. We can catch up later.”

With that, Saitama found a seat near the gate and settled in to wait, confident that his friend would arrive soon enough.

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a great time reading this chapter!

I’m really excited to hear your thoughts and get your feedback. Don’t forget to drop a comment and let me know what you think!

Looking forward to catching you in the next chapter!

Patreon page: www.patreon.com/Otaku_TNN

Thanks for your support