Shin had been basking in the sun for half a month now, and he could sense that his physical growth was starting to slow down.
During this period, his physical attributes had increased nearly tenfold. Strength, endurance, reaction speed, stamina, and even cognitive processing had all skyrocketed. With his combined mastery of Haki, Devil Fruits, and ninjutsu, he was now unmatched on Earth—except for Superman.
However, while his raw physical power had grown immensely, none of the traditional Kryptonian abilities had awakened.
Heat vision?
X-ray vision?
Super breath?
Super hearing?
Flight?
Nothing.
It seemed that with only one-quarter of Kryptonian blood, he simply couldn't unlock those abilities.
But Shin didn't particularly care. Between his chakra-based techniques and Devil Fruit abilities, he already had more versatility than Superman.
As he continued to soak up the sun, he suddenly heard the familiar purring of a Den-Den Mushi.
"Huh? I only handed out three of these..." Shin muttered, pulling out the bat-shaped phone bug. Immediately, he knew who was calling.
"Yo, Batman! Let me guess—you want to ask how to lift the curse?" he said casually.
"What curse?" Bruce asked, his tone neutral. Then, after a pause, he seemed to put the pieces together. "...Wait. Do you mean turning into a bat? Are there side effects? Will I completely transform one day?"
Shin blinked. "Uh… isn't the whole 'turning into a bat when splashed with cold water' thing already the curse?"
Judging from Bruce's tone, he didn't see it as a bad thing. That was… unexpected.
But after thinking about it, it wasn't too strange. Not everyone from Ranma ½ hated their transformations.
Some, like Pantyhose Taro, actually liked their transformed state. And even characters like Genma Saotome and Mousse were fairly indifferent about their animal forms.
Unlike a slapstick anime, Batman wasn't going to be randomly splashed with cold water everywhere he went.
In fact, having the ability to turn into a bat at will could be incredibly useful for him.
Hearing Shin's response, Batman snorted coldly.
"As long as there are no long-term side effects, I don't care," he said dismissively. "That's not why I called."
"Oh? Then what is it?"
For a moment, Shin wondered if Batman had somehow figured out his involvement in dealing with Lex Luthor.
Impossible.
He had been meticulous—using his clone to establish an alibi and erasing any insider memories with Genjutsu. Even Batman shouldn't have been able to trace it back to him.
"Strange creatures are appearing in Gotham. I need you to check them out," Batman finally said.
Shin frowned.
"Strange creatures? What kind?"
"You'll have to see for yourself."
"And why call me? What about Superman or Wonder Woman?"
"I can't reach them. Even the phone bugs aren't getting through."
That made Shin sit up.
"What? That's impossible. Did something happen to them?"
"Not sure about Wonder Woman," Batman admitted. "But Superman? He left Earth."
Shin's eyes widened.
"Left Earth!? Seriously?"
Activating his space-time sensing, Shin tried to locate the Flying Thunder God markers he had placed on both of them.
Nothing.
That confirmed it.
"Superman's got a wife now—why the hell would he just leave Lois behind?" Shin muttered.
"He didn't go far," Batman replied. "He built an orbiting space station—the 'Fortress of Solitude.' Probably because of what happened with Doomsday. Maybe he didn't want to stay in Metropolis anymore."
"This was on the news, by the way," Batman added dryly. "Didn't you see it?"
Shin sighed.
"Man, I've been busy with experiments. I don't have time to watch TV."
"Then are you coming or not?"
Shin rolled his eyes.
"Oh, so now that your first choices are gone, you come crawling to me?"
"...Are you coming or not?" Batman repeated, his tone flat.
"Fine, fine. I'll be there soon."
Shin was not Superman—he couldn't zip across the planet instantly. It took him over ten minutes to reach Gotham.
As always, Gotham City radiated gloom.
Even in broad daylight, the city was shrouded in a perpetual layer of clouds, casting a bleak and oppressive atmosphere over its streets.
The towering Gothic architecture made everything feel heavy, its looming structures amplifying the city's natural sense of paranoia and decay.
Just being here felt like a drain on one's spirit.
And yet, Gotham was one of the most important cities in America. A major port city with immense economic and political significance.
In fact, during Batman's early comic appearances, Gotham was originally just another version of New York City. It was only when the larger DC Universe was established that it became its own distinct location.
But its wealth and power had a dark side.
Because, in reality—Gotham wasn't just a city. It was a criminal empire.
If you traced the origins of smuggling, illegal arms dealing, and black-market activity across America, you'd find most of them led straight back to Gotham.
No wonder Batman couldn't clean it up. Even if he arrested the top criminals, the city's entire economy was built on corruption. Throwing crime lords in prison? That just left power vacuums, which led to infighting and chaos. And when the big bosses were gone, their crazy lieutenants stepped in to take over.
That's why Gotham was home to so many lunatics. Joker. The Riddler. Penguin. Two-Face.
Gotham wasn't just full of criminals—it was full of psychos.
And after years of Batman's crusade, the city had morphed into something even worse.
At some point, it stopped being a place of organized crime and became a breeding ground for pure madness.
Even with over a decade of effort, Batman's actions had transformed Gotham into something... unstable.
A City of Lunatics.
And now?
Something even stranger was happening.
Shin had no idea what Batman had found, but considering how messed up Gotham already was...
It had to be bad.
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