"You bastard, even in this state, you still dare to disrespect Zuke...?"
The moment Garou finished speaking, Tatsumaki frowned and glared at him, clearly itching to teach him a lesson.
Her heart was already completely devoted to Zuke, so she couldn't stand anyone showing him such rudeness—especially not someone who seemed so weak.
Tatsumaki could still show a certain degree of respect to true powerhouses, like how she occasionally acknowledged King's "heroic activities."
But if Garou could be injured by Fubuki, that just proved his level wasn't anything special. She couldn't even fathom why Zuke would care about such a minor character.
Of course, Tatsumaki didn't know the future plot. She probably couldn't imagine that Garou would eventually undergo monstrous transformations and grow strong enough to defeat multiple Dragon-level threats.
"Don't worry about it. This guy's personality is just like this... If he's still talking tough, it just means you haven't broken him enough."
Zuke raised a hand to stop Tatsumaki, smiling as he spoke.
Garou was indeed the type who refused to admit defeat, but he wasn't invincible to mental breakdowns.
Whether in the original story or the remake, he had been utterly crushed by Saitama—after realizing Saitama's overwhelming and unbeatable strength, he had spiraled into self-doubt.
The fact that he was still mouthing off in front of Fubuki and Tatsumaki just meant they hadn't pushed him to that point of despair. Garou still believed he had a chance to win.
Even against Tatsumaki, Garou probably thought that with enough growth, he could eventually triumph—after all, in the original story, he had repeatedly expressed disdain for S-Class heroes.
"Fubuki, release your Stand ability."
Zuke turned to Fubuki and ordered her to restore Garou's strength—he planned to use Garou as a test subject for the "King's Army", so there was no need to keep him weakened.
Besides, he also wanted to give Garou a little Saiyan-style shock treatment. Keeping him in this state wouldn't have the same impact.
"Understood~"
Without hesitation, Fubuki obeyed Zuke's command and deactivated her Stand ability, restoring Garou's mobility.
Though she was well aware that Garou's true strength far surpassed what she had seen—she had only captured him thanks to a sneak attack with her Stand—she wasn't worried.
With Zuke present, even if Garou regained his strength, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. If he dared to offend Zuke, he'd be taking an impromptu trip to outer space before he could blink.
Right now, Garou hadn't undergone his monstrous transformation, hadn't received power from "God," and certainly didn't possess Zuke's immortality or Majin Buu-like regeneration.
If Zuke decided to toss him into space, suffocation would be the least of his worries.
"Huh?"
Garou had only been talking big, but to his surprise, Fubuki actually disabled her Stand ability.
In an instant, he felt his strength surging back through his body, returning him to peak condition—just like when he had first fought Fubuki.
He glanced down at his arm—where Fubuki's psychic blade had left a small cut, now only a scab remained.
But Garou didn't care about that. The moment he realized his power was back, he immediately launched an attack at Zuke.
Despite Tatsumaki and Fubuki's obvious reverence and affection for Zuke, Garou couldn't sense any extraordinary strength from him. To his perception, Zuke seemed like an ordinary guy—just a bit more handsome than most.
But what good was looks? It only made him a bigger target.
Garou's plan was simple: capture Zuke, use him as leverage, and force Tatsumaki and Fubuki to back off. Once he escaped, he'd refine his combat skills and come back for revenge against Fubuki!
BAM!!!
Garou's elbow strike slammed straight into Zuke's face—an attack that would shatter the bones of even a B-Class hero if taken head-on.
Since Tatsumaki and Fubuki were present, even if Zuke was critically injured, the Hero Association could save him. So Garou held nothing back.
But the moment his elbow connected, Garou realized something was wrong.
It felt like he had struck something impossibly hard—his elbow didn't break Zuke's face. Instead, his own bones cracked from the impact.
Garou's expression twisted. This sensation reminded him of his early days training at Bang's dojo.
Back then, his body was still like an ordinary human's, and he had foolishly tried punching reinforced steel plates—only to fracture his own fist and spend weeks recovering.
But now, even with his current strength, Zuke's face gave him the same feeling as those steel plates back then.
Just how durable was this guy?!
"What made you think attacking me was a good idea?"
Zuke was almost amused—Garou knew Fubuki's Stand ability came from him, yet he still dared to strike.
Ignoring the elbow strike to his face, Zuke casually reached out, grabbing Garou by the throat and lifting him off the ground with ease.
"Ghk—!"
Garou's breath was instantly cut off. His hands clawed at Zuke's arm, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't budge Zuke's grip.
"Listen well, Garou. I'll give you a chance to grow stronger... Weren't you attacking heroes nonstop just to push your limits?"
Zuke held him in the air, speaking calmly.
"Next, I'll take you somewhere. There are many people there—you can challenge any of them. If you can defeat even one, I'll awaken a Stand for you."
"Wha—... You're serious?!"
Garou, who had been struggling, froze at Zuke's words, his voice hoarse but unmistakably intrigued.
He still didn't fully understand what a "Stand" was, but if it allowed Fubuki to capture him, its combat potential had to be immense.
"I keep my promises. So? Want to give it a shot?"
A faint, sinister smile curled on Zuke's lips.
If Garou actually managed to fulfill his condition, then granting him a Stand wouldn't be a problem...
To be continued…
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