O.P.J Chapter 42: Goodbye Ace.

"Behold...his hand still clings to the meat, frozen in rigor mortis!" exclaimed a horrified diner.

"Perhaps he unwittingly consumed a 'Desert Strawberry,' succumbing to its fatal poison? Let us all stay clear, lest he be a carrier of the contagion..." Warned another.

"Was he a fellow traveler? He appeared so young and full of life..." Pondered a third.

"It is a pity that one so youthful should meet his end in such a desolate place..." lamented a fourth.

"Alas, ignorance can prove a deadly foe in the unforgiving terrain of the desert..." Sighed a fifth.

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Amidst the clamor of the bustling restaurant, Saitama eavesdropped on the conversations around him, piecing together that there was no foul play involved, only a case of food poisoning.

Disappointed that there was no opportunity for a hero to emerge, Saitama prepared to leave, but then, in an instant, he glimpsed something familiar in the limp form of the boy collapsed in his stir-fried noodles.

A tinge of recognition coursed through him. "Did I know him?"

Yet, no image surfaced in his mind.

"Perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity..."

Suddenly, another piercing scream erupted from within the restaurant.

Saitama raised his head to see that the supposedly dead man had inexplicably come back to life!

"Ha...huh?"

The young boy groggily opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. After a moment, he seemed to realize what had happened and awkwardly pulled the stir-fried noodles off his face, scratching his head.

"I fell asleep again, huh."

He chuckled, reaching over to lift up a nearby girl's skirt to use as a napkin.

But just as his hand was about to make contact, it was suddenly seized by a massive hand wearing a red glove. The crushing grip forced the boy to involuntarily release his hold.

"That's very impolite of you."

A voice, familiar yet tinged with a hint of unpleasant memories, rang in his ear.

Turning his head, he saw a bald man in a yellow bodysuit standing right beside him!

The boy looked down at his outfit with a frown, muttering to himself. "Ugh, this is so dull. And with this bald head, it look like a complete joke."

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he recognized the face of the person in front of him. "Wait a minute! I know you from somewhere... I just can't place it!"

The boy's heart skipped a beat as he pointed a trembling finger at the person. "It's you!... The freaky one! You're the bald sea monster!"

Saitama couldn't quite remember the boy's face, but he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

"Oh great! Just what I needed... one of those boys!" he muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Only the three brats from Foosha Village would dare to call him that.

With his eyes half-closed, Saitama punched the boy in the face, leaving a large bump on his forehead.

"Apologize to this young lady!" he ordered, pointing at the girl who was standing behind the boy.

"And why should I do that?" The boy, retorted defiantly.

"Because it's the right thing to do. Plus, I'm sure you wouldn't want me to involve your grandfather. He wouldn't be happy to hear about this," Saitama said in a flat tone.

"Ugh, that old man!" He grumbled, trying to break free from Saitama's grasp.

"Come on, apologize to her," Saitama said, making a funny face that resembled a fish.

"Damn it!" The teenager growled, his right arm bursting into flames as he broke free from Saitama's grasp.

As he took a few steps back, he finally got a good look at the person he was facing. "Tch... So it's really you, bald sea monster! I thought you were still serving in the Navy at Loguetown. What are you doing here?"

Saitama ignored him and noticed the boy's right hand, now empty. "Devil Fruit user... of the Logia type?"

The young man smirked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand before extending his right arm, each finger now ablaze with orange flames. "That's right. Soon after setting sail, I acquired the 'Mera Mera no Mi' and became the wielder of the 'Flame-Flame Fruit.' Now, I am the fearsome 'Fire Fist Ace' and have grown immensely stronger since our last encounter."

Saitama yawned, unimpressed. "Well, good for you then."

"Grr... Who do you think you are, looking down on me like that?" Ace snarled as flames enveloped his entire body. "I've fulfilled my promise and become a powerful pirate! You can't even touch me now, because fire is intangible...!"

But before Ace could finish his sentence, Saitama closed the distance between them and landed a powerful punch right on Ace's nose, sending him flying and leaving him with a bloody mess.

Ace lay on the ground, dazed and confused.

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As the atmosphere became awkward.

"That doesn't count!" Ace exclaimed, wiping the blood off his nose. "I haven't even activated my powers, you're just a dirty cheater!"

Saitama squinted his eyes and asked, "Are you ready now?"

Ace nodded, "I am rea--"

But before he could finish his sentence, Saitama landed another punch, sending him crashing through the floor, creating a gaping hole.

Robin, who had been watching in concern, finally let out a sigh of relief. She had been worrying about what would happen if Saitama's strength was ineffective against nature-based abilities.

As it turned out, her worries were needless. She had unexpectedly stumbled upon a strong and compassionate ally, one who would prove to be a great asset to her cause.

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Ace couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"This can't be happening!" he muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth as he climbed to his feet and massaged his throbbing head.

He gazed at the unremarkable bald man in front of him with a mix of uncertainty and suspicion.

As a child, Ace had thought Saitama's strength was impressive, but nothing extraordinary.

After all, his appearance hardly instilled confidence that he was a formidable opponent.

But after eating the Flame-Flame Fruit and obtaining invincible powers, Ace had felt unbeatable.

How could anyone defeat him when he was the very embodiment of fire? No punch could penetrate his fiery form.

Or so he had thought.

Now, he realized that he had underestimated Saitama's strength.

The man had easily pierced through Ace's fiery form, bypassing all his defenses and striking him at his core. And he had done it without any use of known abilities or powers.

Ace knew he had to retreat. He couldn't afford to continue tangling with a man who had surpassed all expectations of what was possible.

"Flame On!" he yelled, igniting his entire body in flames as he turned to flee.

With a resolute heart, Ace immediately released a massive wall of flames that separated him from Saitama without hesitation.

He then turned around, used a fiery punch to blast through the wall, and sprinted away.

But to his dismay...

A red glove tore through the wall of flames, and before Ace could escape, a hand grabbed him by the neck and yanked him back.

"I believe I've finally recollected which one of the three kids you are," Saitama said, holding Ace by the throat.

Despite Ace's struggles and attempts to turn into an elemental form, Saitama's grip was unbreakable.

"I remember telling you... it's wrong to eat without paying. You should pay first before attempting to run away from me."

"Damn it! I'm a pirate!" Ace shouted, throwing a punch at Saitama in frustration. "Have you ever seen a pirate pay for a meal?"

Saitama calmly countered with a single chop to Ace's neck, causing him to see stars and pass out.

"Don't use that arrogant tone when you're eating for free," Saitama said, dragging Ace back to the ship and locking him in seastone handcuffs.

"Since he doesn't have any money to pay, let him work here to repay his debt. I've restricted his abilities with these handcuffs, so he's just like an ordinary person now... He can wash dishes or clean floors."

The restaurant owner trembled in fear, shaking his head vehemently. "No, please don't. He's a pirate, if I force him to work here, he might seek revenge after you leave..."

"Don't worry, he's not the kind of irredeemable scum who would do that," reassured Saitama, as he let go of Ace and paid for the damaged floor.

"I have some things to take care of, but I'll be back in a few days. When he wakes up, tell him that if he works hard enough to compensate for all the damage before I return, I'll let him go. If he refuses to do so, I'll personally escort him to the prison."

"Everyone has to take responsibility for their actions... Freedom is not an excuse to cause harm to others." Added Saitama with a stern tone.

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