Chapter 32 - Yamanashi Prefecture

IZUKU MIDORIYA - HERO OR VILLAIN?

Written by Taneo Tokuda

Izuku Midoriya, also known by his alias 'Deku', is a figure who has sparked massive controversy since he debuted as not a hero, but a vigilante.

Originally, he was no more than a promising talent who attended U.A. Academy, but all of that changed when a bounty of 91,000,000 berries (equivalent to about 101 million yen) was placed on his head. People have speculated what the cause of Deku's extremely high bounty was, whether it's because of his insane strength he showcased at the First Year Stage of U.A's 22XX Sports Festival being granted to him through illegal methods, or if he was a part of a dangerous criminal family back on the Grand Line.

Most of these rumors sparked due to Izuku Midoriya's lack of showings before he made his presence known at U.A. Academy. Interviews with Deku's old school classmates have even shown that Deku was known as 'quirkless' at his old middle school.

However, the true nature of Deku has been called into dispute ever since he turned to vigilantism. Experts cite that the appearance of Deku has kept crime rates down from what they otherwise would be due to the fact that he took All Might's place as a Symbol of Strength, as well as because his bounty is a lucrative prize for those who would otherwise engage in criminal behaviors since they could earn more cash just by capturing Deku.

That's not to mention the number of criminals Deku has taken out since his appearance as a vigilante. Most recently, Deku has gone so far as to take out the esteemed Hero Killer Stain, also known as Chizome Akaguro.

Before he adopted his moniker, Stain was originally a promising youth who attended an unknown private hero academy. Growing angry with the state of hero society, he took to the streets as an activist, calling for a 'hero revival' where heroes would not accept money or any selfish rewards for their duties.

Shortly after, Stain lost his parents in a tragic accident (read "A Retrospective on Eshua City's Hero Gambling Ring" for more information), and became impoverished. Eventually, he was taken in by the Kiryuin conglomerate, who offered him an unknown position to let him escape from his homelessness.

On February XX, 22XX, Chizome Akaguro would later return as the Hero Killer, and begin his 'purge' of modern society.

By all means, Deku was the very man that Stain seemingly idolized, a hero who decided to be one without any benefit for themselves. As a vigilante, he held no benefit for taking down Stain, but he did anyway.

We still can't exactly be sure how Deku got his bounty, but one thing should be known for those who are skeptical of Deku: the world may very well be safer with his protection than without it.

The newspaper that you just read was left across the floor of the residence of none other than Sorahiko Torino, also known by his hero alias 'Gran Torino'. The man was currently making dinner for himself, and grumbling about something when suddenly, his doorbell rang.

"A visitor?" Gran Torino questioned in a serious tone, afterwards instantly switching to a lighter one, "Oh, wow! Maybe it's one of those amerzerns!"

Getting up with jump off of the stool he previously sat on, Gran Torino made his way to the door. Once he reached it, Gran Torino stuck his hand up, twisted his doorknob, and opened the door.

"Hm?" Torino let out, "You're not the delivery guy."

"...No." the green-haired hero, Deku, said, too tired to say anything more.

Gran Torino and Deku both stared at each other for a moment somewhat awkwardly. Gran Torino then took in a big breath of air.

"YOU IDIOT!" Gran Torino shouted, leaping up into the air to kick Deku directly in the side of the face as he said this.

"W-what?!" Deku thought, questioning what Gran Torino had just done.

Quickly maneuvering his way to Deku's back using his Jet quirk, Gran Torino kicked the vigilante with full power, knocking Deku into his house.

"You smell like a turd! What were you thinking going out and doing that vigilantism thing all on your own?!" Gran Torino shouted, afterwards leaping into the air and shutting his door with a fierce roundhouse kick.

"W-well… I-"

"Oh, Toshi! You just can't stop yourself from rushing into danger, can you?" Torino said in a more whimsical tone.

"Toshi?" Deku questioned, "That's… All Might-"

"I know who All Might is, you little brat!"

In what seemed like an instant, Deku was kicked into the washroom.

"Wash up!" Gran Torino ordered, "There are some clothes on the side of the sink for you."

"But I-"

"We aren't talking until you don't smell like an asswipe!" Gran Torino shouted, as he slammed the door behind Deku.

Completely flabbergasted by the interaction that had just occurred, Deku looked over at the sink to see what clothes Gran Torino had bought him, and to the vigilante's surprise, the clothes were perfect. They were clean and recently washed, they looked like they would fit, and they matched Izuku's sense of style perfectly, as the shirt was pretty plain with a bit of kanji which read 'fish' on it.

It appeared to Deku that Gran Torino had put a lot of effort into choosing clothes for him, and not only that, he already had them set up here in the washroom… did Gran Torino know he was coming?

Whatever the case, Deku had to set his clothes down for a moment in order to wipe the tears that had begun to form on his face.

"Ah, it smells like oranges in here." Torino stated.

After Deku had showered, Gran Torino had insisted that Deku eat dinner with him. Taking a break from eating his nearly finished oshiruko, Deku responded.

"Yeah… that was the only shampoo you had. Sorry if it was-"

"You don't have to apologize, kid." Gran Torino interjected, "You've had a rough time out there, I could tell from just the picture that Tokuda snapped of you."

Caught off guard by the sudden kindness of Gran Torino, Deku was unable to respond for a moment. He sighed.

"...Thank you for your patronage, Gran Torino." Deku said, almost whispering, as he put his bowl on the table in front of him, "But, I have to go now."

"Go where?" Gran Torino questioned, "Don't tell me you're thinking of going out in the state you're in."

Deku said nothing, as he continued walking towards the door.

"You need to rest." Gran Torino stated.

"I don't have time to rest." Deku shot back.

"Time… what a cruel mistress she is!" Torino replied.

Making his way to the doorknob, Deku put his hand down onto it.

"What are you going to do if you find yourself face to face with All for One?"

This question caused Deku's fingers to twitch, unable to seize what was directly in front of him. He had… nearly forgotten the purpose of One for All.

"What kind of a shitty successor am I…" Deku thought to himself, turning back to Gran Torino with a blank stare on his face, "I'll win."

Deku turned back towards the door, and went to exit out of it… but before he could…

"A kick straight to the head!"

Swerving his body to the right in order to dodge, the yellow and white blur that was Gran Torino had just lunged at Deku. Not so intent to give up just yet, Gran Torino rebounded off of the door he had landed on, quickly kicking the vigilante in the face before he could dodge.

"If you can say that… then you'll have no trouble beating an old man like me, right?" Gran Torino surmised, "After all, I'm nowhere near as strong as All for One."

Brushing off his face, Deku looked coldly at Gran Torino. Before another instant could pass, Deku activated fifteen percent of One for All, and seemingly teleported to Gran Torino, launching a kick straight at the old man. Seemingly predicting this, Gran Torino launched himself into the air, as he aimed to launch a kick straight to Deku's chin. Seemingly predicting this, Deku dodged backwards.

"Gum Gum…" Deku began, stretching his tendril of Blackwhip backwards, "PISTOL!"

Rebounding it at supersonic speeds, the tendril of Blackwhip would've hit Gran Torino if not for the fact that he dodged backwards with his Jet quirk, as the tendril instead left a hole in Gran Torino's wall.

"That attack was strong and fast, but it had quite the obvious startup." Gran Torino noted, leaping off of the wall behind him, afterwards dashing straight towards Deku and hitting him in the face with the same kick from before, "Against a fast opponent like myself, that's a poor move to use."

His head pounding from headaches brought on from exhaustion, leaving Deku was unable to formulate a response, as his thoughts raced around him… but Gran Torino was right, wasn't he?

"...Doesn't matter." Deku muttered, shooting a wimpy punch straight to Gran Torino, which the hero effortlessly dodged.

"It does." Gran Torino stated, "You think you're being selfless by going out there again? You think that's what All Might would do?"

"...It's what I have to do." Deku muttered.

"Wrong answer!" Gran Torino stated, kicking Deku in the face a third time, "Your reactions, your judgement, your speed, with every second you're out there fighting that decreases."

"So what?" Deku questioned, as he shot yet another wimpy punch at Gran Torino.

"The fact that you can't beat an old man like me shows that it's getting to you." Gran Torino stated, dodging out of the way of Deku's punch, ceasing to throw an attack of his own afterwards, "You need to take a break, kid."

"Then what happens to everyone who'll die because I wasn't there to protect them?" Deku said in a raised voice that wasn't quite a shout, "I know I can't replace All Might… I know I'm too weak to be able to… but… the fact that he's gone means that someone else needs to step up."

Gran Torino paused for a moment, realizing that this was the first moment that Deku had opened up to him at all throughout their fight.

"Kid… just because you aren't an adult at fifteen, that doesn't mean you're weak." Gran Torino argued.

"My age doesn't matter." Deku stated, "All Might gave me this power… I have to use it just like he would've."

"And you think you're good enough to?" Gran Torino questioned.

"No… every time I go back out there, I'm reminded of what I'm not." Deku replied, "I can't always smile like he can…"

"Of course you can't." Gran Torino scoffed, "Toshi couldn't either at the start… not since his mentor was killed by All for One."

Deku paused… only now being able to begin to process that just like him, All Might was human; someone quirkless who was given One for All, just like he was.

"How did he die?" Deku questioned.

Gran Torino took a deep breath in, then a breath out.

"A long time ago, All for One ruled the Seven Continents, predominantly Japan, from the shadows." Gran Torino began to explain, "He was powerful beyond any other individual… made more so by the fact that he had allies from not just the Seven Continents, but the Grand Line as well."

Deku froze, "The… Grand Line?"

"Pirates, bounty hunters… you name it, any kind of scum who All for One could buy would be right by his side… whether he actually paid or killed them was a different story, though." Gran Torino elaborated, "And I don't know exactly why, but the World Government had a problem with this… and decided to attack All for One's group."

"That… makes perfect sense." Deku noted, "The World Government will kill any Seven Continents who so much as goes to the Grand Line, officially sanctioned by law… I take it All for One's recruitment of men from the Grand Line didn't sit well with them."

"Is that how you got your bounty then?"

Deku paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should tell Gran Torino… he supposed that his classmates already knew, but-

"I'll take that as a yes." Gran Torino inquired.

Deku opened his mouth for a moment, but decided not to say anything more.

"Because of this attack, All for One's forces were more scattered than ever… and we assumed he was stretched thin as well." Gran Torino explained, "And because of that assumption, we launched an attack on All for One which ended in a total loss, the death of Nana Shimura, and the reveal to All for One that Toshi was the eighth wielder of One for All."

"Then… All Might's mentor was Ms. Shimura?" Deku questioned, "If she was a hero… how come I never heard of her?"

"Because Nana was never interested in becoming a pro hero." Gran Torino explained, "Her entire life, she wanted to become a Marine before she saw the corrupt nature of them first hand."

"But that means…"

"Yes." Gran Torino stated, "Nana was born and raised in the East Blue. It was only due to her mentor that she ever came to Japan in the first place."

"Then why didn't she warn us?" Deku questioned, donning an aggressive tone as he did so, "The Grand Line, the World Government… everything that's happened could've been avoided if she had just… if you had just-"

"Nana had her own battles to fight. When she left the East Blue, she left her family behind, all to face and stop All for One." Gran Torino stated, "She made a choice. A choice to hide whatever corruption you're speaking of so that myself and Toshinori wouldn't be overwhelmed… I take it that was her reasoning."

Deku looked down at the ground for a moment.

"I'm… sorry…"

"You better be." Gran Torino swiftly responded.

Deku continued to look down at the ground, cursing himself for not thinking things through… cursing himself for insinuating that All Might's departed mentor hadn't done enough.

Gran Torino let out a sigh, and continued.

"So what's your story, kid?" Gran Torino asked, "I didn't know there was anything that could get you that worked up."

Yet again, Deku questioned whether or not he should tell Gran Torino everything, unsure if it was okay for him to let someone else bear his load even a little… but… as much as his body screamed out for him to not, Izuku admitted to himself that he needed someone to talk to; someone to tell everything.

And so he did. Starting from his meeting with Luffy in Elementary School, Izuku then told Gran Torino the tales of his life. From the tales of the Sabaody Archipelago and the horrible truths he learnt there, to the Pacifista's attack on All Might in Fajesta, all the way to his latest battle against Stain… and Gran Torino listened intently to Izuku's words the entire time.

When Izuku finished his tale, he breathed in, unsure of where to go from here… but before he could attempt to fix the awkward silence, he was wrapped in a sudden embrace by Gran Torino.

"Izuku…" Gran Torino stated, "It'll all be okay."

And from this brief moment of comfort, Izuku Midoriya's head was straightened out, as he truly believed those words that Gran Torino muttered… and because of that… he allowed himself to cry yet again.

After their conversation, Gran Torino gave Izuku a brief bit of time to rest. Gran Torino got Izuku to use his bath instead of just taking a quick shower like he had the first time, and he uncharacteristically gave Izuku some fish cakes upon Izuku's request for more food. Once Izuku was relaxed, the conversation between the two continued.

"There's a lot we don't know about the World Government's plan… that's the biggest issue here." Gran Torino noted.

"At the very least, we know they want to kill me." Izuku said, "The real question is… why didn't they do so already? Why go through all the trouble of giving me a bounty instead of just killing me outright?"

"Yeah… if those Pacifista are only mid-level fighters, there's no reason they couldn't have." Gran Torino agreed, "Maybe they want to be friends!"

"Friends? Be serious…"

"You never know! Maybe they want to get you on their side!" Torino noted.

"I highly doubt that, considering the fact that they probably killed All Might…" Izuku admitted.

"Yeah, well, whatever the case, one of those unknowns is in regards to your bounty." Gran Torino stated, "We don't know whether or not those on the Grand Line have access to it."

"Eh? Why would that change things?" Izuku questioned.

"Well… let me ask you: what's preventing most people from the Grand Line from going to the Seven Continents, and vice versa?" Gran Torino asked.

Considering it for a moment, Izuku realized what Gran Torino was implying. Well, he knew that for people from the Seven Continents, it was because they didn't know about the Seven Continents, and the same would apply for those from the Grand Line... but wait, if his bounty was out in the Grand Line...

"You don't mean…"

"Yeah." Gran Torino said, "Pirates, bounty hunters, you name it… if your name's out there in the Grand Line, they have a reason to come here for the first time since All for One."

And… wouldn't you know it, Gran Torino wasn't wrong in his assumption, as of all the pirates in the Grand Line, one especially dangerous one had now set his sights on the Seven Continents after hearing the news of Izuku's bounty.

"Kishishishi… I can't believe we didn't think of that before!" an outlandishly tall, pale skinned, and devil-like man laughed, "The Seven Continents… that's the perfect place to hide!"

"I hear the corpses there are more accessible than anywhere else in the world… it'll be perfect for our plans!" a plump man with a long and sharp nose noted.

"And of course… if we're able to capture Izuku Midoriya, you'll be able to regain your title as Warlord of the Sea." a man with a muzzle of a lion stitched onto his face noted.

"Ah yes, my title… well, those fools were lucky to have kept it from me so long anyways." the pale skinned man noted, "But what are we waiting for... boys! Let's set sail for Japan!"

Because of his final words, cheers erupted from the ship they stood on… but not from people, but zombies; corpses who had their bodies stuffed with 'shadows', giving them new life.

"I'll make the zombies get to it right away," the man with the muzzle of a lion stated, "Master Moria."

End of Chapter Notes

So Izuku has found his first ally after becoming a vigilante in Gran Torino. Don't worry, I'm not intent to abandon the reasons that Izuku went out and became a vigilante in the first place. All the self-deprecation and that is still in Izuku, and it's only because of Gran Torino's guidance that he's been able to even mildly tame that. Izuku will be tested, especially by the newfound reveal that Gecko Moria, the primary antagonist in One Piece's Thriller Bark arc, is now heading for the Seven Continents.

I've been planning out Gecko Moria's arc for a while. It won't happen right away in the story, as I still have to go through the rest of the Pop Quiz arc first, but when Gecko Moria shows up, expect quite a few parallels to the Thriller Bark arc, sort of like how Egghead paralleled Sabaody.

Whatever the case, I hope this chapter has left you excited for the future of Izuku's journey, even if it's not gonna be delivered on until the Pop Quiz arc ends.