Chapter 1: The Monster of USJ
The Unforeseen Simulation Joint was no longer a training facility.
It was a battlefield.
Concrete lay shattered in massive slabs. Steel beams jutted from the ground like broken ribs. Smoke drifted lazily beneath the artificial sky dome as fires crackled in scattered pockets.
At the center of the devastation stood a towering figure stitched together from muscle and malice.
The Nomu.
And facing it—alone—was Monkey D. Luffy.
His U.A. uniform jacket hung in tatters, sleeves ripped clean off. Dust clung to his face. Blood traced a thin line from his mouth. Yet his grin remained.
"Man," Luffy muttered, rolling his shoulders. "You're huge."
The Nomu vanished.
The air detonated.
A fist crashed into Luffy's ribs before he could react. He rocketed across the plaza, carving a trench through concrete before flipping midair and landing in a crouch.
Above the battlefield, perched atop a mountain of rubble, Tomura Shigaraki watched with mild curiosity.
"…He's not using a quirk like the others," he murmured, fingers lightly scratching at his neck. "His body just becomes that way."
Beside him, Kurogiri's mist coiled calmly.
"The student's physiology is unusual. However, the Nomu was engineered for physical confrontation."
"Then crush him," Shigaraki replied flatly.
The Nomu appeared again—slamming Luffy through the ground into the lower level.
Dust swallowed them.
Below, Luffy pushed debris off himself, coughing.
Heavy footsteps approached.
The Nomu dropped into the crater.
Luffy bit his thumb.
"Gear… Third!"
His arm ballooned grotesquely large, bones inflating like artillery primed to fire.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
The Nomu intercepted the strike mid-swing.
The collision split the air.
Shockwaves blasted outward as muscle met inflated bone. The Nomu grabbed the enlarged limb and swung Luffy overhead, smashing him into the floor again and again until the ground cratered completely.
Luffy shrank back to normal size, breathing hard.
The Nomu lifted him by the throat.
And slammed him down.
Again.
Again.
A weak voice cut through the smoke.
"Luffy…!"
Aizawa lay broken nearby, half-buried under rubble, one arm bent unnaturally. Blood streaked his face, but his eyes were open.
Focused.
The Nomu's movements faltered slightly.
Eraser Head's quirk activated.
"Tch," Shigaraki muttered. "Persistent."
A thin portal opened behind the Nomu.
Kurogiri's assistance was subtle—a chunk of reinforced steel redirected through space, slamming into Luffy mid-charge and disrupting his attack.
"I will offer limited support," Kurogiri stated evenly. "My priority remains your safety."
Below, Luffy staggered upright.
Steam began rising from his skin.
"Gear… Second."
His body flushed red. Veins bulged. His heartbeat thundered.
He vanished.
"Jet Gatling!"
His fists became a blur of blazing impacts, each punch detonating like cannon fire. The Nomu skidded backward under the assault—but endured.
Its hand shot out.
It grabbed him.
CRACK.
The counter-slam shattered the plaza further.
Luffy's vision blurred.
The Nomu lifted him again, spinning before hurling him skyward through the dome ceiling.
High above, tumbling helplessly, Luffy saw the battlefield shrinking below.
He saw Aizawa collapsing.
He saw the Nomu crouching to leap after him.
And something inside him refused to fall.
Steam erupted violently.
"Gear… Second."
His skin burned red.
He bit down again.
"Gear… Third!"
Both arms inflated massively—yet this time they pulsed with explosive speed, compressed by Gear Second's acceleration. Steam spiraled outward in violent torrents.
Below, the Nomu leapt—
But Aizawa forced his eyes open one last time.
For one second—
Its quirks vanished.
That single hesitation altered its trajectory.
Luffy disappeared midair.
Reappearing directly in front of the destabilized monster.
"GOMU GOMU NO—"
Twin colossal fists drew back, veins bulging under red steam.
"JET GIGANT—"
The air warped around his arms.
"BAZOOKA!!!"
Impact.
The sky itself seemed to split.
A pillar of compressed force erupted downward, imploding the ground beneath the Nomu. Shock absorption cracked under the compounded strain. Regeneration tore itself apart trying to compensate.
A second surge followed.
Then a third.
The Nomu launched skyward like a broken missile.
And exploded midair.
Fragments rained down.
Silence fell over the ruined USJ.
Luffy landed heavily, arms deflating violently.
He swayed.
But he remained standing.
For a moment.
---
Chapter 2: The Symbol Arrives
Smoke drifted lazily over the destroyed plaza.
Luffy's breathing was shallow now. His body trembled violently from the strain of combining both Gears.
Aizawa lay unconscious nearby.
From the rubble mound above, Shigaraki stared at the empty sky where his Nomu had vanished.
His fingers began scratching.
Slow.
Then faster.
"…You broke it," he muttered.
He stepped forward—and jumped down into the shattered plaza.
Dust burst outward as he landed.
Luffy squinted at him through blurred vision.
"Another one…?"
Shigaraki walked toward him calmly, fingers spreading.
"No. I'll do it myself."
His red eyes glowed with thinly restrained fury.
"If I touch you with all five fingers… you'll crumble."
Luffy tried to lift his arms.
They wouldn't move.
Shigaraki lunged—
"UNITED STATES OF—!"
A thunderclap split the battlefield.
A shockwave blasted Shigaraki backward across the plaza.
A massive figure landed between them, cape snapping violently in the wind.
All Might.
For a brief instant, his eyes softened as he looked at Luffy.
Relief.
Then resolve.
"I am terribly sorry," he said, voice booming across the ruins. "Young heroes… I was delayed."
He lifted Luffy in one arm and Aizawa in the other with effortless care.
Luffy blinked faintly.
"Big guy… you're late."
All Might's smile widened.
"Yes. I am."
He stepped forward once.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
Shigaraki trembled—not from fear, but from rage.
"Always… you show up at the end," he hissed. "You steal everything."
All Might's presence felt overwhelming. Absolute.
"Have no fear," he declared. "Because I am here!"
Shigaraki's teeth ground audibly.
"Kurogiri," he snapped. "Summon another Nomu. Now."
Mist swirled beside him.
"That is not advisable."
"Do it!"
"We cannot reveal additional assets at this stage. The deployed Nomu was calibrated specifically for All Might. Further exposure would compromise our long-term strategy."
All Might stepped forward again.
The pressure in the air intensified.
Shigaraki shook with frustration.
"…This isn't over."
"No," All Might replied calmly. "It isn't."
Kurogiri's mist swallowed Shigaraki as a portal opened beneath them.
"You will have another opportunity," Kurogiri's voice echoed.
And they were gone.
Sirens wailed in the distance as U.A. staff rushed into the ruined USJ.
All Might stood tall amid the devastation, holding two battered heroes.
"You did well," he murmured quietly to Luffy. "You protected your classmates."
Luffy's lips curled faintly.
"Guess… I gotta train more."
Above them, smoke parted.
But far below the city, frustration was still burning.
---
Chapter 3: Lessons in the Dark
Deep underground, machines hummed softly.
Monitors flickered against steel walls.
Tomura Shigaraki paced.
"He ruined it," he snapped. "The Nomu was tuned for All Might. Shock absorption. Regeneration. Everything."
At the center of the chamber sat All For One, composed and silent within his web of machinery.
"And instead?" he asked gently.
"Some rubber brat destroyed it before All Might even had to fight."
Shigaraki scratched harder.
"And then he shows up. Smiling."
Silence lingered.
"You are frustrated," All For One observed.
"I'm irritated."
"Was Kurogiri wrong to withdraw?"
Shigaraki opened his mouth.
Paused.
"If we revealed more… they'd prepare."
"And preparation is the enemy of surprise."
Shigaraki's pacing slowed.
"That boy," All For One continued softly. "What did you learn?"
Shigaraki thought.
"He pushes past his limits. Damages himself to win."
"Yes."
"He charges forward without hesitation."
"Yes."
"And All Might protected him immediately."
A subtle hum of approval.
"Interesting."
Shigaraki's scratching stopped.
"If he's important… he's leverage."
"Perhaps."
"And next time… I don't rush," Shigaraki muttered. "I let them struggle. I target what they protect."
"Now you are thinking beyond destruction."
Shigaraki's breathing steadied.
"The boy surpassed his limits once," he said quietly. "Let's see what happens when surpassing them isn't enough."
All For One leaned back slightly.
"Very good, Tomura."
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
Above ground, heroes believed they had won a battle.
Below ground, the game had only just begun.
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Author note
Tell me if y'all liked it or not
If you didn't like it, tell me where i messed up at and how i can make it better
If you did tell me what you liked in general or what parts