One-Punch Man (ワンパンマン)

We thought damage to the city would be inevitable,

but a powerful attack pulverized that giant creature.

And you're telling us that Centichoro disappeared

without a trace?

It's hard to believe,

but this is a feat only King could pull off.

We're most fortunate to have him as our ally.

I'm told that Silver Fang

wasn't able to capture the Hero Hunter after all.

Well, Sitch, what will you do?

If he keeps taking down heroes,

then the Hero Association is finished.

As of right now,

we must no longer regard Garou as a human, but as a monster.

The next time he appears,

he will be categorized as threat level Dragon,

initiating an emergency alert.

In reality, he's still a human, isn't he?

Although, how could a normal person

stand up to our Class S heroes like that?

It doesn't make any sense.

Could be a strategy issue.

"Our" S-Class heroes?

He's treating this like it's a business.

Silver Fang failing to destroy Garou

was decidedly unexpected,

but he did manage to leave him with severe injuries,

so it's unlikely that Garou will bolster

the Monster Association's forces.

If nothing else, we'll count that as a win.

Get Blast out here right away!

He's the top-ranked hero,

but he still hasn't done a thing.

Attempting to give Blast an order would be impossible.

He's made it very clear

that he only operates as a hero voluntarily.

He refuses to be bound by anyone and dislikes drawing attention.

Even his identity is undisclosed,

but that's because we think he's someone who's worthy

of receiving special treatment.

However, if humanity truly needs his help,

I feel confident he'll take action.

What do you mean, "if"?!

Now is the time.

As you well know, a monster abducted my son!

24 hours have passed since he's been gone.

Why have you not begun your attack?!

On my word, we will rescue him.

Hmm. You are?

I am the one who is in charge of commanding this operation.

You may call me Sekingar.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

Huh?

What do you mean there's an operation?

I can just sweep in and take care of things

before those bozos even know what hit 'em.

Do we know where this hideout is yet?

Child Emperor's working on that

at this very moment.

I have multiple surveillance robots

probing Centichoro's underground route,

but the area is huge.

- We have three days? - Two, actually.

Ugh. No sleep then.

The monsters' hideout is somewhere

in City Z's ghost town, right?

You want me to go down there and wipe it out?

Because there is a hostage involved,

we all need to tread carefully.

They sure went and made things obnoxious for us.

But if they didn't pull that, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Seems like these monsters are terrified of me.

We'd best not underestimate them.

Yeah, whatever.

So what else did you wanna tell us about

besides that lame-ass warning?

Yesterday,

Drive Knight continued investigating on his own.

He ignored our constant warnings and entered the ghost town

before the rest of us.

He went by himself?

He did, knowing he's never lost in battle once.

But since last evening,

we've lost communication

and haven't even picked up any signals from his transmitter.

I believe it's safe to assume

Drive Knight has been defeated.

None of that makes a difference to me,

but it sounds like you better hurry up and assemble your team.

Who have you got left?

In their message,

the monsters gave us an ultimatum of three days.

So there's time.

As soon as the other heroes are ready to go,

they'll be here.

Just as you are.

Still on standby?

Why is that?

And there's a child held... hostage?

Surprised you didn't already know, Atomic Samurai.

Also, why do you smell like blood?

Since yesterday, I've been searching mountains and caves.

When I found the monsters I was looking for,

I was slashing them all up left and right.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find

the Monster Association's hideout, though.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I hear they've gathered far away from the rest of us

in the ghost town.

What? We know that much?!

Well, fighting them head on at the hideout

ought to be easy enough for us.

I suggest we all get some rest until then.

- Right. - I'm taking a shower.

Oh, my.

I heard this team would be comprised of an elite few,

but some here just don't fit the bill.

This is no picnic.

Perhaps we need to refrain from bringing our fun friends along,

Atomic Samurai.

Small fry should stick to fighting small fries.

You got that?

It wouldn't be quite as bad if they simply died.

But what if they're taken or used as shields?

That would be one more headache.

Make sure to tell them to off themselves

if they're about to put us through that, okay?

Hey, come on. Just calm down.

So, Amai Mask, are you on the team?

Naturally.

Those disgraceful monsters had the gall

to interrupt my concert.

Ah, yes, I see.

Well, my disciples are pretty tough, you know.

And when the little pretty boy idol

gets into trouble out on the battlefield,

don't worry, they'll save you.

So you can just relax.

Oh, please.

I can't believe there are some

who still doubt my combat abilities.

In Class A, it's much easier to oversee things,

but I could move up to Class S at any time.

Hmm, let's see now.

To put it so even a moron understands,

I'm much stronger than you are.

Hmm. Oh, yeah?

You think so, do ya?

Come on, Master, keep your cool!

Warden, are you positive that I can simply waltz

right out of the front door?

That's right. This is an extra legal measure.

Let me remind you

that every time you've broken out of prison

to go off and do your hero work, it was still illegal activity.

I hate how the Hero Association

gives you such special treatment.

But I have to admit, we need it.

Hmm.

Recently, there was a cat-like monster

who turned some of the prisoners into monsters

and then took them away from here.

Many officers who fought back have lost their lives.

You're a hero out there, aren't you,

boss of the prisoners?

So leave here

and avenge us all.

Consider it done.

I will make them pay dearly

for wrecking this place while I was gone.

Hang on, boss!

I went and knit this sweater just for you.

I hope that you'll wear it.

Oh, thank you. This sweater will give me courage.

Hey, would you guys mind leaving the room?

I can't focus with you staring.

Hey, Metal Knight, I know you're really out there.

Say something.

What is it?

I feel like I've been wasting

a lot of time and effort on this.

I'm sure you've discovered where the hideout is, right?

Come on, tell me! We're running out of time!

You can't just let the hostage die.

By not telling you,

the hostage may well die.

But if I do tell you,

I bring death to the hostage and everyone.

I will make a rational choice

that's based on what I think is right.

There's also another option.

Becoming a part of the operation.

What is it that has you so afraid?

What's the state of your machine body right now?

If it's destroyed,

which monster did that to you and how?

Monster King Orochi.

With just one strike,

the arm I used to guard myself

was utterly demolished.