While Derek walked back to the apartment with the girls, he had no idea that his little "lesson" to Jack would unleash a storm.
The night in Tokyo was unusually quiet, but at the top of a skyscraper, in a private bar where only the elite entered, the air was about to become unbreathable.
Yujiro Hanma, the strongest creature on the planet, was sitting in front of a bottle of whisky.
An informant entered the room. Despite being a professional of the underworld, his legs trembled as if he were standing in front of a volcano about to erupt.
"Mr. Hanma… there is something you might be interested in knowing," he said, trying to keep his voice from breaking.
Yujiro did not look at him. He took a sip from his glass and declared with terrifying calm: "Speak."
"Jack Hanma… had a fight today."
Yujiro did not even blink. Jack fought every day; it was not news. "Tch. Nothing special. If you interrupted me just to tell me that…" Yujiro glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The informant felt his heart stop.
"Jack lost!" the man blurted out. "Against a stranger. And it wasn't a fight… the opponent played with him. He didn't even get serious."
Yujiro's glass stopped halfway to his mouth. Time seemed to freeze.
Then the Ogre let out a laugh that made the glasses in the bar tremble. "Hahaha! Jack humiliated by a stranger?"
The informant handed him a photo. In it, Derek could be seen smiling, flanked by Karura and Hitomi. "His name is Derek," the man added.
Yujiro set the glass down. His eyes shone with a demonic light. "Interesting. Where is that bastard?"
"Still in Tokyo, sir."
Yujiro slowly stood up. The weight of his aura made the informant fall to his knees, suffocating. "Perfect. It's been a long time since I've found something fun to crush."
Meanwhile, in a small gym, the rhythmic sound of fists striking the bag set the tempo of Baki Hanma's training.
Sweat soaked his body when the door burst open. His friend, Tani Yuugo, rushed in, panting.
"Baki! Did you hear? Jack fought today… and he lost."
Baki stopped instantly. The bag stopped swinging. "Against who?"
"A guy named Derek."
Baki sat on the floor and placed a hand on his chin, thinking.
He tried to remember where he had heard that name before.
But nothing came to mind.
'Interesting... so Jack lost.'
Tani kept talking. "It's not strange for Jack to lose."
He smiled.
"But the interesting thing is who he lost to."
"Look at this." Tani handed him the same photo that was circulating through the underworld. "They say he beat the hell out of him without even trying."
But Baki didn't look at it immediately.
Instead, he asked suspiciously, "How do you have a photo of him?"
Tani shrugged. "I don't know, man. This photo started circulating everywhere along with the news that he beat Jack."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Who knows who leaked it."
Then he pushed the photo toward Baki.
"Don't worry about that. Just look at the picture and look at his face… who does he remind you of?"
Baki finally focused on the man in the photo.
He stared at it for a few seconds.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Derek's features, that wild spark that reminded him of a certain man from prehistory.
Tani chuckled. "He kind of looks like that caveman, doesn't he?"
Tani let out a nervous giggle. "Do you think he's a relative of that caveman?"
Baki ignored the stupid joke.
He looked at the image for a few more seconds.
Then he smiled.
A smile of pure warrior excitement lit up his face as he stretched his arms.
CRACK.
CRACK.
"I don't care where he comes from. If he beat Jack that easily, I have to meet him. Where is he?"
Tani shrugged. "If nothing has changed… he's still in Tokyo."
"Perfect," Baki murmured, his eyes burning.
"I was already getting bored of training alone."
Meanwhile, at Hitomi's apartment, the tension was of a very different nature.
Karura was sunk into the couch, frantically scrolling through her phone screen. As a member of the elite of the Kure Clan, her access to the information network surpassed any government firewall; she saw what the hidden world discussed in the shadows.
"Unbelievable!" Karura exclaimed, jumping from the seat like a spring. "Hitomi, look at this!"
Hitomi, who was in the kitchen finishing reheating the dinner Derek couldn't enjoy at the restaurant, turned around with an expression of domestic calm. "What is it now? Did you find some designer deal or something to buy?"
"Much better!" Karura shoved the phone inches from her face. "The news about Derek's fight against Jack leaked. It's on every underground arena forum. There are photos of us, details of the blows... they even say Derek is a lost relative of Pickle. The entire martial arts community in Tokyo knows you humiliated a Hanma! You're a celebrity, Derek!"
Derek took the phone lazily. He looked at his own image —a blurry but imposing shot— for a second and then set the device on the table with complete indifference. He had no interest in digital fame; he was only waiting for Hitomi to finish serving the food.
Hitomi blinked, surprised. "How the hell did it leak so fast?"
"Tsk, who cares?" Karura yawned, stretching like a feline. "Maybe it was that guy Ali Jr. He probably saw he couldn't handle our man, followed us like a stalker, and leaked everything hoping someone stronger would come give us trouble."
"You have too much imagination, Karura. It's a shame you're not a novelist," Hitomi replied, rolling her eyes.
Derek let out a small laugh. It wasn't a laugh of nervousness, but of pure anticipation. His eyes shone with a predatory confidence so intense that even Karura, accustomed to the monsters of her clan, felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine.
"It doesn't matter who it was," Derek declared. "Even if it's like Karura says, they're saving me the trouble of going out to look for them."
He stood up and walked toward the window, observing the endless lights of Tokyo as if he were a king watching over his hunting ground. He clenched his fist and a savage, almost inhuman smile crossed his face.
"I don't have to move a single finger. Now, the prey will come to my door on their own. And I hope... I really hope they have more endurance than that giant blond or the boring boxer from before."
Hitomi licked her lips and clung to his arm, fascinated by his power. "As expected of my man..."
"Heh," Karura laughed, hugging him from behind and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "You're a monster, Derek. My favorite monster."