As Yamato and his crew kept walking, he raised a hand.
"Wait here, guys. I need to see someone at the car park."
Shingo frowned. "Eh? Why can't we just follow you?"
Yamato smiled with his eyes closed, calm as ever.
"It's… private matters."
"Umm… what?" Kate, Shingo, and Fate all exchanged confused faces as Yamato walked off.
After a while, he came out driving a sleek, expensive van, tilted-black body, sharp curves, glowing edges. Fate's jaw dropped.
"WHOA—! Captain, that's a good one! You bought it!?"
Yamato hopped out proudly. "Yep! This… ha ha… this is gonna be one of my best achievements!" He began slapping the van proudly over and over.
BAM!
A fist smashed into him, sending him flying across the ground.
"GAAAH—!!"
Kate marched forward, her face dark and irritated as she approached him. The wind even blew behind her like an ominous aura.
Then she smiled, a dangerous, mischievous smile.
"So, captain… how much did you get this for?"
Terrified, Yamato clutched his swollen cheek. "U-Um… s-seven… seven million dollars."
Kate leaned in, eyes narrowing.
"You used almost ALL the money… and now we're left with ONE million dollar. Care to explain?"
Their voices grew loud. Yamato panicked like a trapped animal.
Shingo whispered, shivering, "I've… I've never seen this side of her before."
"I agree…" Fate replied, trembling. "This is… yeah… this is unforgettable. I'm watching my mouth around her from now on."
They both closed their eyes, looking at Yamato with deep pity.
Kate took a breath, then pointed at Yamato sharply.
"From today onward, that account becomes a business account or a company account. And I'll be managing it. Clear?"
She slowly turned her head toward Shingo and Fate.
"Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am!!" they both snapped instantly, standing straight like soldiers.
"Good. Start the van. We're leaving."
Yamato stood up slowly, rubbing his cheek. Ugh…
In his mind he muttered, "I think… I think I made a mistake with the new recruit. I thought she was sweet but… hell no."
They all got into the van and drove through the night.
On another side of Japan — Osaka — a man in his early twenties staggered down the street, wobbling like he would collapse any second. People avoided him instantly. That only made him snap.
"Why… why… WHY!?"
He stumbled into a darker alley and brushed against an older man, falling to the ground. Tears spilled as he slammed his fists against the pavement.
"Why… why… WHY!? Curse them… curse them ALL!"
His body twitched violently.
Then — crack… crack… CRACK!
He transformed in an instant. Muscles bulged, skin twisted, two huge horns erupted from his skull. The monstrous form roared endlessly until the transformation was complete.
The Next Morning — Bounty Headquarters
Yamato and his crew arrived at the bounty headquarters' hidden location. They climbed out of the van. A few bounty hunters glanced over.
"Hey… isn't that the 50k-dollar kid?"
"Yeah… it's him."
Yamato stretched and took a deep breath.
"Feels good to be back after a couple weeks."
Fate inhaled deeply. "Ahh—new air. Nice."
Kate tilted her head. "So, captain… what are we doing here?"
"I'm here to register you guys as bounty hunters," Yamato replied casually.
Shingo looked around impressed. "I'm amazed at how well the headquarters hides itself. No wonder Koruzan can't detect it. They use their network to block all scanners… it's like this place doesn't even exist."
Fate pointed both fingers at Shingo like guns. "Oooh.... brains! That's what I'm talking about!"
But Yamato's voice cut through their energy—cold, sharp.
"Hey… guys."
Kate's heart tightened. She placed her hands on her chest. "Yamato… what's wrong?"
His eyes shined blue.
"From here on out… you need to reach my level of strength if you want to survive."
He walked forward silently. The three quickly followed.
Inside the hall, whispers rose immediately.
"That's the 50k-dollar kid… his aura is insane."
"He's completely different from two weeks ago… I heard he defeated Draken, destroyed an entire island, and freed the slaves."
"I heard he infiltrated the invincible North Korea and killed two Adams First Core members! That makes three major kills!"
"And he adopted two Super Tag Force members. They're with him right now."
The air was thick with murmurs as Yamato passed, hair covering his eyes. Shingo and Fate walked stiffly, uncomfortable under the pressure.
A man lifted his head and stared at Kate with disgusting intent. She froze in fear and grabbed Shingo tightly.
Finally, Yamato reached the registrar's desk.
Shion looked up. "Well, well… long time no see, Yamato Ishida. Your name's still cool."
"Hey," Yamato replied, leaning down to read her tag. "Umm… Lady Shion. How have you been?"
"I should ask you! Two weeks… and you already built a reputation."
"Heh… well, I was thinking about you during some of my adventures."
Shion blushed lightly and laughed. "Oh shut up—you flatter me, meat brain."
Shingo, Kate, and Fate stared blankly.
"Uh… are they flirting?" Fate whispered.
"I… I can't analyze this," Shingo muttered.
"Just how close are they…?" Kate wondered, watching them touch noses.
Shingo cleared his throat loudly. "Captain… umm… can you introduce us…?"
"Oh—right." Yamato stood straight. "Guys, this is Shion. She registered me last time. Shion, this is my crew."
"Ohh~ the ones you adopted," she said playfully.
"Alright then, let's get started," Shion said.
"Finally!" Shingo, Kate, and Fate echoed.
Shion smiled at Shingo. "What's your name, handsome?"
"My name is Fate Hisugaya!" Fate said loudly, striking a pose.
"Sorry. I wasn't talking to you."
Background turns dark.
Fate dropped to his knees, soul leaving his body.
Shingo answered, "Shingo Kageyoshi."
"Ooh, cool name," Shion said as she wrote it down.
She then glanced at Kate. Fate lifted his hand hopefully.
"Still not you," Shion said calmly.
His hand dropped again, despairing.
Kate said, "My name is Kate Henry."
"No wonder you look different," Shion smiled. "You're from abroad."
She finally wrote Fate's name, but paused. "Your parents… were they bounty hunters?"
Fate's face turned serious. "Yes. Both. And they were killed by the Koruzan."
"Then why did you stay so long with them?" Shion asked.
"Because they took me in… and I wanted the perfect moment to strike back. But… I couldn't do it."
"A dark past," Yamato said. "But that's nothing to be ashamed of."
"What matters is that you left the Koruzan," Shingo added.
Fate gave a small smile. "Thanks… guys."
Shion handed them slips. They filled them out and returned them.
Shion read aloud:
"Shingo Kageyoshi, 19 years old. Young but not too young… and an ex-Koruzan member."
"Kate Henry, 17 years old!? Hey, Yamato, are you trying to send her to her grave!?"
"It was her dad's wish…" Yamato said, raising a hand.
Shion sighed deeply as if trying to erase what she just heard.
"Fate Hisugaya, 18 years old, also an ex-Koruzan member."
She shut her pen and smiled.
"Well then, welcome to the world of bounty hunters, newbies."
She pointed at them dramatically.
"The rules are simple:
• Capture another bounty hunter → get his bounty as prize money.
• If his bounty is higher than yours → that becomes your new bounty.
• Every quest gives you money.
• Killing or capturing a Koruzan member gives huge reward.
• Strong Koruzan members have massive bounties on their heads.
After this final registration section, you'll get a magazine with more details."
She leaned back.
"Any questions?"
No one asked a question, so Shion continued.
"There's an orb at the end of the desk. Follow me, guys. Yamato, you too."
They all followed her to the orb. When they arrived, Shion began explaining:
"This is an ability-detecting orb. You'll place your hand on it, and it will show one of three distinct colors—green, blue, or red—depending on your power level.
• Green means your bounty ranges from 1,000 to 50,000 dollars.
• Blue means your bounty ranges from 50,000 to 500,000 dollars.
• Red means your bounty ranges from 500,000 to 10 million dollars.
So, Miss Kate Henry… I'll like to start with you."
"Sure," Kate said, stepping forward. She placed her hand on the orb.
The atmosphere shifted instantly as all eyes locked onto the rookies.
The orb glowed bright red.
Shion's jaw dropped. "H-How…?"
She measured the ability and screamed, "Wow! Kate, your bounty rating is 700,000 dollars!"
The entire hall erupted with shock.
"That little girl? Impossible!" someone shouted.
Shion quickly composed herself. "Fate, you're next. Place your hand on the orb."
"O-Okay," Fate said, nervous as he stepped forward. He placed his hand down.
The orb glowed red again.
The room exploded in disbelief.
"Twice in a row?!" someone yelled.
Shion stared at the orb, speechless. Then she gathered herself and forced the results out. "T-Two… two million…"
"What?!" the entire room roared.
Shion was sweating now, smiling in confusion. Her hands trembled as she said, "Shingo… you're next."
Shingo nodded and walked forward calmly.
In her mind, Shion panicked: Where did Yamato get these talents from?
Shingo placed his hand on the orb.
It glowed dark red—so deep it was almost black.
The hall went completely silent.
One bounty hunter whispered, "It can't be…"
Sweat rolled down Shion's cheek. "H-How is this possible…?"
Shingo looked confused. "What's my bounty count?"
Shion stammered, "F-Five million dollars…"
The room broke into chaos, gasps, shouts, disbelief. Words failed everyone.
As Shingo stepped back, Yamato raised his hand slightly.
"Umm, Shion… can I retake this test?"
"Yes, please…" she said quickly—then muttered under her breath, Like there's anything new you can show anyway, Yamato…
She smiled awkwardly.
Yamato climbed the small steps. He remembered the first time he took this test—how the orb showed nothing.
This time will be different, he thought. Back then I hid my strength because I was alone… and wasn't ready to fight any battles. But now… I have friends. I have my crew. There's nothing to fear anymore.
The moment he placed his hand on the orb—
It shattered into pieces.
Shingo, Fate, Kate, Shion—everyone stood frozen in shock.
Someone whispered, trembling, "…Don't tell me…"
Shion swallowed hard.
"S-Sorry about that, Yamato… please use this instead." She opened a screen panel on her desk. "Place your hand here."
Her voice trembled while she forced a smile.
Yamato didn't say a word. He placed his hand.
Shion checked the reading.
Her eyes widened.
"TEN MILLION DOLLARS BOUNTY!"
The hall exploded.
"Impossible!"
"He just outclassed Kara Michael and her entire group—The Lust!"
"Outclass? That's an understatement! He has all their bounties combined and more!"
"The 50k-dollar kid… always full of surprises…"
Shion handed them their bounty cards with trembling hands, then asked Yamato to place his hand on the screen again to upgrade his card.
As he did, Shion analyzed the reading more carefully. Yamato's strength had skyrocketed—not just raw power, but ability, speed, combat instinct… even his experience level.
"Umm… Yamato," she said quietly. "What exactly happened to you on your journey?"
Yamato smiled. "Well… a lot. But I'm alive. That's what matters, right?"
Shion stared at him, almost mesmerized. Then she snapped back. "R-Right!"