Stand In One Punch Man

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"So, Mr. Kaito, why do I have to pay?"

"Because my world doesn't use US dollars."

"..."

Kaito and Peter sat in a burger joint, a pile of food in front of them. Perhaps the distance of their spatial travel was too great; Kaito was indeed a bit hungry.

Peter had only been wearing a Spider suit he had sewn himself when he traveled through time, and now he was wearing a beige trench coat that Kaito had kindly provided.

Since it was clothing Kaito had prepared for himself, the trench coat looked a bit bulky on Peter, and he had to roll up the sleeves twice to barely reveal his wrists.

Through their conversation, Kaito learned from the other party's description of his experiences that the Peter Parker in front of him came from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At that time, he was preparing to deal with a confirmed criminal hideout, but unexpectedly, the wall he landed on suddenly transformed into chaotic spatiotemporal matter, and at the same time, a strong suction force came, and after struggling fruitlessly, he was forcibly pulled into this universe.

Connecting this to the recent death of Spider-Man in this world, Kaito couldn't help but fall into thought. It sounded like the plot from "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," but that animated movie didn't have a crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Could it be that his own intrusion caused the world line to shift? Given the nature of the Marvel multiverse, it wasn't impossible... No, it was very likely!

This young Spider-Man had experienced the Endgame, the death of Aunt May, and his best friends and comrades had forgotten his identity under the influence of Doctor Strange's spell. He was currently alone, having moved into a shabby, cheap apartment, and could be said to be a mature Spider Hero.

As everyone knows, among the many Spider-Men, except for a few, most have one common characteristic. That is, they are poor.

(At this moment, Saitama, who was out for a run, suddenly sneezed: "Achoo!! Who's talking about me?")

Because of this, Peter, sitting across from Kaito, looked aggrieved and muttered softly: "I saw the situation at the cashier. Although the currency used here is US dollars, the denominations are completely different from my world, which means the money I have might not be usable!"

"Oh."

"Oh... is that all?"

Peter covered his face. The tall man across from him, who didn't look much older than himself, was calmly eating fries, as if he wasn't worried about the bill at all.

Knowing he had no money to pay, he couldn't eat a single bite. Conversely, Kaito was in a rather good mood.

On the way to the burger joint, his Stand had picked up a Spider Superpower from Peter.

[Fantasy Cards: Spider Strength]

[Card Type: Ability Card]

[Rarity: SR]

[Description: Spider Superpower, the strength of a Super Spider scaled up proportionally when reaching human size.]

[Effect 1: Superpower]

[Superhuman level physical strength, capable of easily lifting objects weighing more than a hundred times one's own body weight.]

[Effect 2: Extraordinary Performance]

[Under special emotional states such as anger, determination, and focus, Spider-Man will exert several times the strength of his normal state.]

Under the continuous enhancement of his Stand ability, Kaito's own strength was not inferior to a Spider Hero, but this kind of Superpower that directly enhanced basic attributes was naturally the more the merrier.

After use, the genetic-level enhancement further optimized the human structure, increasing strength by nearly one-third, and this did not even account for the bonus after activating Effect 2.

During this meal, Kaito slowly digested the effects brought by the increase in strength, and he now possessed two types of Spider series Superpower. Hmm, he was just two web-shooters away from becoming Spider-Man.

"Let's not talk about that for now, Peter," Kaito finished his last fry and picked up the cheeseburger beside him. "We both know that no matter which world's Spider-Man, he couldn't simply die from an earthquake."

"Yeah, how could that be? So there's definitely someone behind this," Peter's expression grew serious as he spoke of the matter at hand. "Someone wants the public to accept this fact, thereby covering up some unspeakable secrets."

"Yes, so this matter needs to be investigated starting with two keywords." Kaito took a bite of his burger. "Brooklyn."

"The great earthquake!" Peter subconsciously interjected, then suddenly realized, "You mean, the great earthquake in Brooklyn was man-made!"

"Most likely." Kaito ate the burger in a few bites, wiped his hands, and stood up. "There's not much time, so from now on we need to split up."

Peter sat up straight: "Then, Mr. Kaito, what's the plan?"

"I'll investigate the cause of the earthquake, and you..."

Peter suddenly felt as if he was fighting alongside Captain America and Mr. Stark again, and his expression filled with anticipation.

"...have to stay and work to pay the bill."

Peter: "..."

The next morning.

The sun rose, and the sleepless city gradually recovered after a brief calm. Roadside shops began to open, traffic flowed heavily on all main avenues, and pedestrians on the streets hurried along.

New York, Brooklyn.

Kaito sat in a coffee shop called "Melody," looking out at the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Unlike the principled little Spider, Kaito was indeed a registered professional hero of the Hero Association, but his bottom line was very flexible.

As early as last night, he had already visited Brooklyn once.

"Hey, brother, first time in Brooklyn?"

"Look at him, is he lost?"

Seeing Kaito alone, a group of bad boys who had been high until dawn gathered around with friendly smiles. Asian face, tall build, well-dressed, alone.

And we have five guys, and the boss has a weapon tucked into his waistband. Good, the advantage is with me!

If they knew that the person in front of them had just flown over the East River and landed in the block around the corner, they might immediately run as far away as possible.

Unfortunately, there are no ifs. Kaito had long heard that New York had simple folk customs, but this was his first time truly experiencing it.

What a coincidence, isn't it? You're exactly who I was looking for!

Seeing their surrounded prey actively approach them to high-five and chest-bump, the few wild little dark ones looked bewildered. What's going on? Could the other party also be their own Gangster?

And they hadn't heard of the gang recently recruiting any Asian newcomers!

Hooking arms and shoulders, they arrived in an alley with no surveillance. The few little dark ones exchanged glances, their cheerful laughter gradually fading, and their friendly eyes slowly turning cold.

Seeing the atmosphere gradually building, Kaito stopped pretending and took the initiative to strike: "Hey, Negro."

"?? × 5"

"Hmm? You just said 'Negro,' didn't you?"

"Hey, what do you mean?"

One of them even pulled out a small knife: "If you don't explain yourself clearly, you'll have a hard time leaving here in one piece!"

"No other meaning," Kaito twisted his neck, his joints making a "crack" sound. "I just wanted to say, everyone here is trash."