Inside the same unmarked bar.
"Well?"
Shigaraki Tomura sat leisurely at the counter, sipping juice as he glanced toward the Sludge Villain, who was currently enveloping the man whose legs had been crushed.
The Sludge Villain paused his infiltration and replied respectfully,
"This man's Quirk… allows him to freely transform his limbs into blades. The hardness of those blades is comparable to top-tier commercial weapons."
"Oh? That's actually a pretty good Quirk." Shigaraki clicked his tongue. "And he used it for robbery? What a waste."
He genuinely meant it.
Ever since arriving in this world, he'd struggled to understand what some of these Villains were thinking.
Take the Sludge Villain. Or this blade-armed robber.
They possessed powerful Quirks—
Yet squandered them on petty crimes.
It was absurd.
If he had their abilities, there was no way he'd end up in such a pathetic state.
Even if he didn't become a billionaire, at the very least he wouldn't be reduced to risking his life daily just to rob people for pocket money.
As Shigaraki lamented the misuse of talent, Kurogiri—who had been searching the man's background—spoke up.
"Shigaraki-kun… this man is not merely a robber. If the information I just retrieved is accurate… he is a fugitive responsible for twenty-six murders."
Obviously
Shigaraki kept his expression neutral, though inwardly he curled his lip.
Only he knew that he had specifically chosen this target because of those twenty-six murders.
If not for that—
There was no way he would have deliberately gone to Kabukichō, flaunted money to bait him, and orchestrated the entire encounter.
He hadn't come all the way here just to mess around.
No way he'd waste it on hostesses.
…Though admittedly, some of those older sisters were quite attractive.
Anyway.
He couldn't let Kurogiri know he had premeditated this.
Nor could he reveal that he had already known about the man's crimes.
That would raise too many questions.
So outwardly, he widened his eye slightly in surprise.
"Twenty-six, huh… Makes someone like me look tame."
He chuckled faintly.
"But in that case, he might actually be useful."
With that, Shigaraki stood and walked toward the kneeling man, who was half-submerged in sludge.
He looked down at him with a faintly amused expression.
"Do you want to live?"
The Sludge Villain, catching on instantly, withdrew from the man's mouth so he could speak.
Shigaraki nodded slightly in approval.
A perceptive subordinate really was convenient.
Freed to speak, the blade-armed murderer immediately began pleading.
"P-Please don't kill me! I can't die! Y-You're Shigaraki Tomura, right? I know you! The Savior of Villains! My Quirk is useful! You'll need someone like me! I can help you!"
Even though Shigaraki's hair color differed from the video, the robber wasn't stupid.
The deference in Kurogiri's posture.
The Sludge Villain's submission.
It was obvious who the leader was.
In his mind, if someone like the Sludge Villain could be spared—
Then he could be spared too.
As long as he survived, he was willing to do anything.
Become a subordinate?
Fine.
If that's what it took to survive, he'd say anything.
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