1 OPJ Chapter 1 - First Encounter with Bandits

Heroes,

Are those who courageously step forward when people are oppressed and incapable of revolting against their miserable fate.

Suddenly, the door of a certain tavern creaked open as a bald-headed man wearing peculiar yellow clothes and red rubber gloves entered.

"Excuse me, could you please tell me something?" he asked.

As the bald-headed man entered the tavern, he couldn't help but take notice of the unusual decor. He approached the young proprietress, who was standing behind the wooden counter, and spoke in a monotone voice.

"Excuse me, could you tell me something? Genos and I were separated at sea. Do you happen to know how to get to Z-City?"

Makino, the proprietress, was taken aback by the strange appearance and demeanor of the man. She paused for a moment to process his request, then replied while wiping a cup,

"Z-City? Is it the correct location?"

She observed the man, who appeared to have an ordinary appearance but with a curious gaze since she had never seen him before. His eyes lacked any spirit, and his attire was strange, but he didn't seem to pose any danger to either humans or animals.

After considering for a moment, Makino responded, "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of that place. Are you lost?"

"It seems so," replied the bald man with disappointment.

"This is quite perplexing... I've asked several people before coming here, but they all gave me the same response. If I can't find my way back soon, I might miss out on tomorrow's special sale discounts..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low growl emanated from the bald man's stomach.

"Ah..."

He looked down, realizing, "I must have overslept today and forgotten to eat breakfast..."

Makino smiled softly at the bald man and felt a sudden affection for him.

She took a piece of bread from the counter and offered it to him politely.

"Here you go," she said.

"I think you might be from a town in the kingdom. This area is by the sea, and you don't seem to be from around here."

"Oh, I see," the man said, gratefully accepting the bread.

The bald man walked over to the bar, took a bite of the bread, and spoke while still chewing. "You've been very helpful. Although I don't think the town you mentioned is the same as the one I'm from, I'll still go and check it out. Thank you very much."

Makino smiled, squinting her eyes. "It wasn't much, but I've never seen anyone dressed like you before. By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Saitama," the man replied.

Saitama wiped his mouth and smiled, pointing at himself with his thumb. "Just a guy who's a hero for fun."

At that moment, Saitama's previously unremarkable face seemed to glow with an unexpected charm.

"Y..."

Before Makino could express her surprise, the tavern's wooden door was kicked open with a loud bang. A group of scruffy, disheveled men barged in.

"Excuse me!"

The leader of the group said insincerely as he walked up to the bar and plopped down on a stool. He kicked his feet up onto the table with a loud thud and spoke in a rude tone.

"Hey there, Miss. We're mountain bandits, but don't worry, we're not here to rob you. I just need to buy ten barrels of liquor with this Beri." He let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

Hearing this, the other bandits in the group began making a ruckus, and the tavern descended into chaos.

Makino's expression darkened. A single Beri wouldn't even buy a button, and now they were demanding ten barrels of liquor.

But she had no choice. If she didn't comply, both she and the innocent bystander named Saitama would suffer.

Makino nodded, forcing a smile. "Okay, just give me a moment, and I'll bring out the beer right away."

But before she could finish, Saitama, who had been silently observing the situation, spoke up.

"Hey, you," he said, pointing at the bandit chieftain. "You're causing problems for other people. Don't put your dirty shoes on the table. If you want to drink, sit down like a civilized person."

Saitama's words were delivered in a flat tone, but they carried the weight of thunder to those who heard them.

Makino stared at Saitama with wide eyes and quickly pulled him aside. She nervously told him, "Saitama, this isn't your problem. Don't provoke them. Please apologize quickly."

Meanwhile, the bandit chief sitting in the corner was also staring in disbelief.

"You're telling me to follow the rules?" he exclaimed with a laugh.

He turned to his men and yelled, "Hey, guys! This baldy thinks he can preach to me! Hahaha..."

The bandits whistled and the atmosphere became jovial.

However, in the next moment, the chieftain's face turned grim. His previously cheerful expression transformed into a fierce and fearsome one.

"You've made a big mistake, brat," he said, pulling out a wanted poster and grabbing Saitama's clothes.

"Take a good look! I'm the great Higuma, a mountain bandit with a bounty of 8 million berries. I'm one of the most wanted men in this country. I've killed about 56 self-righteous idiots like you."

Saitama responded with dead fish-like eyes, "Okay."

...

No one knew why, but the atmosphere at the tavern suddenly became tense. After what seemed like an eternity...

"Despicable!"

Higuma suddenly became breathless and drew his sword, pointing it towards Saitama's neck. He shouted angrily,

"You baldy, do you even understand how dangerous I can be when I'm angry?! If you dare provoke me, I'll kill you..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Saitama delivered a powerful punch that sent Higuma flying into the sky!

It took around 10 seconds for Higuma's bruised and battered body to plummet back down to the floor of the tavern.

Suddenly, there was complete silence, and even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

The bandits who witnessed this were completely stunned, unable to believe that their powerful leader would meet his end with a single, direct, and brutal punch!

The bloody scene before them frightened the mountain bandits who were outwardly fierce but inwardly timid, and they let out pitiful cries before fleeing from the tavern.

Once again, the small tavern returned to its peaceful tranquility.

"I'm sorry," Saitama said in a slightly apologetic tone as he retracted his fist.

Makino, who was already confused, heard him say, "I broke the roof and floor of your tavern. I'll work to make up for the damages."

"Oh..."

"That's not the point?!"

Makino finally recovered from her shock and said to Saitama in a somewhat incoherent manner, "He... He was a mountain bandit with an 8 million bounty, and yet you defeated him with a single punch..."

"Oh? Was he strong?"

Saitama froze for a moment, then scratched his head. "I couldn't really tell. As usual, I just used a single punch to defeat him," he contunued. "You said he had a bounty of 8 million. Can I use that to compensate for your losses?"

"That's more than enough," Makino replied.

Makino carefully sized up Saitama, but his unremarkable and sloppy appearance made it impossible for her to connect him with the strong guy who defeated the Chieftain with a single punch.

"Saitama..."

Makino's facial expression was somewhat complex. "Who are you... a marine? Or a pirate hunter?"

Waving his hand, Saitama walked outside the tavern.

"Neither of those. I am a Hero," he replied.

Saitama's face broke out into a smile once again as he faced the afternoon sun outside the tavern.

"Just someone who's a Hero for fun."

Formidable and unshakable.

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Thank you!