One Punch of Justice

“He’s in bad shape,” Saitama said as he grabbed the injured man’s neck.

“But I think he’ll be okay. He woke up briefly and muttered something about contacting the Marine headquarters…”

Garp chuckled. “He thinks we need backup, so he wants you to call them.”

As Garp continued to laugh, he rose to his feet. His eyes glinted with excitement as he clapped his hands together. “I know what to do!” he declared.

Saitama raised an eyebrow in confusion as he surveyed the injured soldiers and Smoker’s wounds. Suddenly, Garp’s booming voice shattered the silence.

“Kid, you need to stay put in Loguetown Base for now,” he declared.

“Your bravery in fighting the Red Count was exemplary, and you deserve to be promoted to captain. But this town cannot be left defenseless. Until Smoker has recovered, we must fortify our garrison and protect the East Blue Sea. Our actions here will have an impact on the entire world!”

Saitama smirked mischievously, unable to resist teasing the older man. “What are you talking about, old man?” he asked.

“Am I stuck here?”

“Stop calling me old man!” Garp barked, his face reddening.

“Sure, wiping out all the pirates in the New World sounds good, but it’s not that simple. Killing the Four Emperors won’t solve everything. It’ll just create more chaos and fear. We need time to prepare our forces properly.”

Saitama scratched his head, listening to Garp’s words. “You sure do talk a lot, old man,” he said with a shrug.

Garp slapped his own face in frustration. “What am I going to do with this guy?” he muttered under his breath.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Saitama asked, ignoring the older man’s outburst.

Garp stood up, donning his coat with a serious expression. “Yes, you’re the one who can clean up this world,” he declared. “If you happen to come across those two troublemakers, Ace and Luffy, when they set out to sea as pirates, make sure to give them a good beating! Break a few bones if you have to. That way, they won’t be a match for anyone! Ha ha ha!”

—————————————-

There was a brief moment of silence as Garp reveled in the excitement of recent events, while Saitama looked on with his usual blank expression.

After more than 20 seconds, Garp was the first to react.

“Cough… Cough….”

He feigned a cough before putting on a weak expression. “Ah… this battle has left Smoker seriously injured…Cough… we must take him to the nearest hospital. He is in great pain…”

Despite his feigned demeanor, Smoker’s injuries were real.

Following Garp’s instructions, Saitama contacted the medical team in Loguetown and arranged for Smoker and the marine soldiers to be transported to the military hospital.

Loguetown’s forces had all fallen to the Red-Count, except for Smoker.

With recruitment or transfer of new forces taking a considerable amount of time, Saitama stepped in to temporarily take responsibility for protecting and eradicating pirates from Loguetown.

“It’s justice time,” he proclaimed.

After several days, Marine warships arrived to transport the wounded, accompanied by a detachment of elite Marines led by Lieutenant Bulin, dispatched from Marine Headquarters to take control of the town. However, they were surprised to find that Saitama had already taken care of everything. The town was now completely purged of any pirate activity, and order had been restored.

As Bulin gave orders, he expected Saitama to comply and move away due to his higher rank. However, being a Hero, Saitama did not want to accept the idea of subservience to a superior. Thus, he defied Momonga’s command and refused to obey.

Upon hearing about the new reinforcement, Garp suddenly realized that there had been no announcement regarding Saitama’s participation, and he knew that the new naval elite would not be able to follow Saitama’s commands. Fearing the situation might escalate, he jumped out of his hospital bed and hurried to the warship.

Fortunately, Garp appeared just in time to prevent any further mayhem. He swiftly seized Bulin by the collar and sternly cautioned him against picking a fight with Saitama. “Stand down, soldier,” he ordered with authority.

“Listen to me,” Garp bellowed as he seized Bulin and strode to the bow of the warship.

There, he shouted to the soldiers below, “Effective immediately, all of you must follow Saitama’s orders! An official announcement will be forthcoming, and no one is authorized to disobey him.” He then turned to the Lieutenant and added, “Do you understand?”

The prestige of the Marine commanders was evident even without their uttering a word.

At times, the Lieutenant’s words were not as authoritative as Garp’s.

So when Garp departed, approximately two hundred Marine soldiers formed a tidy line before Saitama and chanted in unison, “Your orders, sir!”

Saitama was taken aback. He was not accustomed to giving orders, and so he stammered, “What!? Uh…”

Saitama felt uneasy about the situation and muttered to himself, “I’m not the right person to handle this… I need to say something to keep them occupied…”

Observing Saitama’s awkwardness, Bulin stepped out of the line and whispered, “Sir, in case there are no orders, I’ll take them to Town to maintain public order. You can wander around, and I’ll keep you informed of any news through the Den Den Mushi.”

“The what?!” Saitama exclaimed, incredulous. “The talking snail? Is that possible?”

Saitama’s eyes lit up, and he patted the Lieutenant’s shoulder. “You’re very considerate! What’s your name?”

The Lieutenant snapped to attention and declared, “Reporting, Officer! I am your subordinate, the Second Lieutenant of the Marine Headquarters, named Bulin. I am also a student of Lieutenant Onigumo.”

“Ahh!” Saitama groaned. “You talk too much, and why do you have so many names? Just give me one.”

“It’s Bulin, sir!” he replied, a hint of frustration in his voice.

“Ah, that’s easy to remember. You should… hey!” Saitama turned to the soldiers and whispered to Bulin, “What are they waiting for? Do I have to say something!?”

“No, sir! We’ll go right away.” Bulin saluted Saitama and directed the soldiers to maintain public order.

And so, Saitama began his first day as a Marine commander. The soldiers dispatched from headquarters were all new recruits, freshly qualified.

As the marines were absent from Loguetown, several pirates saw it as an opportunity to plunder the town.

However, their nefarious plans were soon thwarted by the mighty Saitama, whose heroic actions instilled a newfound sense of courage and tranquility within the hearts of the town’s citizens.

With Saitama’s intervention, everything was swiftly brought under control, despite the marines’ absence.

—————————————-

A month had passed since the incident in Loguetown, and Garp, still nursing his injuries, made his way to the town square.

As he emerged from the shadows, he produced an appointment letter and a crisp, new coat.

Casting his gaze towards Saitama, he spoke with a sense of formality and gravitas: “Saitama! It is my honor to inform you that you have been appointed as Lieutenant General Saitama, in recognition of your valor and unwavering dedication to protecting the citizens of Loguetown.”

Garp handed the coat over to Saitama with a solemn expression, his voice tinged with regret. “You have proven your worth beyond a shadow of a doubt, Saitama. Your defeat of the Red Count was nothing short of remarkable. However, due to the dangers that lurk in the treacherous waters of the New World, we cannot risk exposing you to the prying eyes of those monsters, at least not yet.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “I underestimated your abilities. For that, I apologize. It is a great loss for justice that we cannot utilize your talents to their fullest potential at this time.”

Saitama remained unfazed by the news, responding with his usual blank expression.

“No problem,” he said simply.

Saitama carelessly took the coat from Garp’s outstretched hand and examined it with disinterest. “It was merely a hobby of mine. If I had accepted your offer, it would have brought unnecessary trouble to this town.”

Garp’s expression softened slightly, relieved that Saitama didn’t seem too affected by his earlier apology.

“I’m glad to hear that. But rest assured, you will still be recommended to the marine headquarters for a promotion to Captain.”

“Very well,” Saitama replied nonchalantly as he slid the coat onto his broad shoulders. With a sudden gust of wind, the coat billowed dramatically, imbuing him with an air of heroic grandeur. The sight was so magnificent that even Garp was moved to tears.

“Saitama… My boy!” he muttered through a grin, wiping his eyes.

“You and the word ‘justice’ on that coat are a perfect match! Ha ha ha ha…”

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!

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