I remember the day I met them clearly. Not because it was particularly special - just another rainy Tuesday in the warehouse district - but because it was the day my life changed forever.
I was nobody then. Takeo Fujimoto, thirty-two, with a wind quirk so weak it barely qualified as one.
Could ruffle papers, maybe cool your coffee if it was too hot. The kind of quirk that got you laughed at in middle school and overlooked for jobs later.
That day, I was working security for Viper - may he rest in pieces. Literal pieces, as it turned out. I was standing guard outside his office when they walked in like they owned the place.
The woman in black, face hidden behind a mask that seemed to drink in the light. The man in pristine white, tall and imposing, his presence filling the room before he'd even fully entered it.
War and Heisenberg.
I didn't know those names then. Didn't know that within hours, they'd own everything Viper had built.
Didn't know that the wet sounds and screams coming from inside would be Viper's last contribution to this world.
And I certainly didn't know that two months later, I'd be sitting in a penthouse overlooking Tokyo Bay, drinking thirty-year-old whiskey, counting more money than my parents made in their entire lives, all while waiting for my bosses to finish a meeting that could change Japan's underworld forever.
But that's getting ahead of myself.
"Fujimoto! Get in here."
Heisenberg's voice carries through the penthouse intercom system. I set down my glass and straighten my tie. Two months, and his voice still sends a chill down my spine.
The penthouse serves as their primary meeting location - neutral ground, owned through so many shell companies that even I don't know who officially holds the deed.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of Tokyo Bay, the city lights reflecting off the water like fallen stars.
I enter the conference room to find Heisenberg standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back.
War sits at the head of the table, her black mask in place as always. Neither of them acknowledge my entrance immediately.
"The shipment to Hosu arrived safely," I report, standing at attention. Old habits from my brief stint in the military.
"Distribution has begun through the new network. Profits are projected at thirty percent above last quarter."
Heisenberg doesn't turn from the window. "And our people?"
"Compensated according to the new scale. The healthcare program for their families has been implemented as well."
Now he turns, fixing me with that penetrating stare. "Good. Loyalty requires investment."
It's a phrase I've heard him repeat often. At first, I thought it was just a business philosophy. Now I understand it's something deeper - a fundamental truth they operate by.
War tilts her head slightly. When she speaks, her voice emerges through the mask's modulator, creating that eerie, mechanical tone that haunts my dreams sometimes.
"The Shie Hassaikai representatives... they were watching our distribution points again."
It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Yes. Three locations. We maintained protocol - no confrontation, no acknowledgment."
"They're growing desperate," Heisenberg observes. "Our product has made theirs obsolete."
This is an understatement. The quirk-enhancement drug they developed - they call it "Elevation" - has revolutionized the market.
Unlike Trigger or the Hassaikai's product, Elevation doesn't cause mental deterioration or physical side effects. The enhancement is clean, controlled, and in some cases, permanent.
Like mine.
I unconsciously flex my fingers, feeling the power that now flows through them. two weeks months ago, Heisenberg approached me with a small case containing a single vial.
"Your loyalty has been noted," he'd said. "This is the next generation of Elevation. Permanent enhancement. You've earned it."
That night, I stood on a deserted beach and created my first tornado - a small one, but real. Me, Takeo Fujimoto, with the quirk that couldn't blow out birthday candles, summoning the wind like some ancient god.
I cried. I'm not ashamed to admit it.
"Fujimoto." War's voice pulls me back to the present. "You seem distracted."
"Apologies," I say quickly. "I was thinking about the Hassaikai."
A lie, but a safe one. You don't tell War that you were daydreaming during a briefing. Not if you want to keep all your molecules in their current arrangement.
"The Hassaikai are a symptom, not the disease," Heisenberg says. "Their obsolescence was inevitable."
War rises from her chair with that eerie grace she possesses - like gravity affects her differently than the rest of us. "Tonight's meeting. The preparations?"
"Complete," I confirm. "The room is secure. No electronic surveillance possible. Physical security is in place - our best people, all enhanced. The guest will arrive through the private elevator."
"Good." Heisenberg turns back to the window. "This meeting has been a long time coming. We cannot afford mistakes."
I know better than to ask who this mysterious guest is. In the time I've served them I've learned the boundaries.
I know exactly how much curiosity is permitted before it becomes dangerous. The fact that I'm trusted with as much as I am is a privilege few in our organization enjoy.
War approaches me, and I fight the urge to step back. Her presence has that effect - like standing too close to a high-voltage line.
"You've done well, Fujimoto," she says, her modulated voice somehow softer than usual. "Your family - they are comfortable with the arrangements?"
This is another thing that took getting used to. Their interest in our families. Not as leverage - they've never once threatened a loved one since the first day they conquered - but as extensions of us.
My mother's medical bills, paid in full. My sister's children in private schools. All handled discreetly, legally, through channels that can never be traced back.
"They are well provided for," I answer. "My mother asked me to thank you again for the specialists."
War nods once. "Family matters," she says simply.
It's one of their core principles. Family matters. Loyalty requires investment. Power demands precision. These phrases, repeated like mantras, form the foundation of their operation.
"You may go," Heisenberg says. "Return at eight. Bring Tanaka and Yoshida as additional security. No one else."
I bow slightly - another habit I've developed around them - and exit the conference room.
--------------------------
The penthouse lobby gleams with understated luxury. Nothing ostentatious, nothing that screams "criminal enterprise." Just quiet elegance that whispers "old money."
Tanaka and Yoshida are already waiting, both dressed in impeccable suits. Like me, they've risen through the ranks quickly. Like me, they've been enhanced.
Tanaka can now generate heat intense enough to melt steel. Yoshida's reflexes are so fast he can dodge bullets - I've seen him do it during a territorial dispute with the remnants of Viper's old allies.
"Any idea who's coming?" Tanaka asks quietly.
I shake my head. "Above our pay grade."
"Must be someone important," Yoshida observes. "I've never seen the bosses this... focused."
Focused is a polite way of putting it. In the days leading up to this meeting, War has been more withdrawn than usual, spending hours in silent meditation.
Heisenberg has been reviewing contingency plans with an intensity that borders on obsession.
Whatever's happening tonight, it's big.
The private elevator chimes softly, and we immediately move into position. I take point, with Tanaka and Yoshida flanking the doors. Standard protocol for high-level visitors.
The doors slide open silently.
The man who steps out doesn't look impressive at first glance. Average height, well-dressed but not exceptionally so. Distinguished, with the bearing of someone accustomed to authority.
But then I feel it - a pressure in the air, like the atmosphere itself has grown heavier. My enhanced senses detect something wrong about him, as if he's not quite... complete. As if pieces of him have been replaced with something else.
His smile is pleasant, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Good evening. I believe I'm expected."
I nod, fighting the instinct to step back. "This way, sir."
As I lead him toward the conference room, I notice something strange. Tanaka and Yoshida, both hardened criminals who've seen the worst this city has to offer, are pale. Yoshida's hands are trembling slightly.
They feel it too. Whatever this man is, he's dangerous in a way that transcends physical threat.
Most prominently, his face. It feels... off. Like - when looking so closely - its not really there for some reason.
I knock once on the conference room door, then open it without waiting for a response. "Your guest has arrived," I announce, stepping aside.
The man walks past me, and for a brief moment, his eyes meet mine. There's something ancient in that gaze, something that makes me think of predators from those documentaries that are lost to time.
"Thank you, Fujimoto," Heisenberg says. "Wait outside."
I close the door, but not before I hear the visitor's first words.
"War and Heisenberg. Your reputation precedes you. I am All For One."
My blood runs cold. Every criminal in Japan knows that name - the boogeyman of the underworld, the shadow behind a hundred criminal empires.
A figure so powerful and elusive that most believe him to be a myth.
Apparently not.
Hours pass. Tanaka, Yoshida, and I maintain our positions outside the conference room, not speaking. The weight of what's happening behind that door is too heavy for casual conversation.
Finally, close to midnight, the door opens. All For One emerges first, his expression satisfied.
"Your employers are quite remarkable," he says to me as he passes. "Japan's underworld has needed new blood for some time. I look forward to our partnership."
Partnership? With All For One?
Once he's gone, Heisenberg calls us in. He and War are still seated at the conference table. Between them sits a small metal case that wasn't there before.
"The meeting was productive," Heisenberg states, his tone giving nothing away. "We will be expanding operations significantly in the coming months."
War's masked face turns toward me. "Fujimoto. You will oversee the new distribution network in the northern prefectures. Select your team carefully. This partnership requires our absolute best."
I bow, honored and terrified in equal measure. "I understand."
"All For One is... impressed with our operation," Heisenberg continues. "Particularly with Elevation. He believes it can be refined further for certain specialized applications."
War gestures to the metal case. "This contains samples of quirk-altering compounds from his personal collection. We will be integrating them into our research."
I try to keep my expression neutral, but inside, my mind is reeling. All For One - the All For One - is not only acknowledging our operation but actively partnering with it?
In just two months, we've risen from taking over a small-time drug operation to collaborating with the most notorious villain in Japan's history.
"There will be resistance," Heisenberg warns. "The Shie Hassaikai will not surrender their market share willingly. Other players will emerge, seeking to disrupt our expansion."
War's voice is cold and certain. "They will fail."
The conviction in those three words sends a chill down my spine. I've seen what happens to those who challenge War and Heisenberg. The lucky ones die quickly.
"Questions?" Heisenberg asks, looking at each of us in turn.
We shake our heads. Questions are dangerous things in this business. Better to wait and observe.
"Good. Fujimoto, remain. Tanaka, Yoshida, you're dismissed."
Once we're alone, the atmosphere shifts subtly. Not warmer, exactly, but less formal.
"You've been with us from the beginning," Heisenberg says, studying me with those penetrating eyes. "Your loyalty has been unwavering."
I straighten instinctively. "You gave me purpose. Power. Security for my family."
"And in return?" War asks, her mechanical voice somehow softer.
"Anything you require," I answer without hesitation. And I mean it. I would walk through fire for these two. Not just out of fear - though there's plenty of that - but out of genuine gratitude and respect.
Before them, I was nothing. Now, I command respect. My family wants for nothing. My quirk, once a source of shame, now makes me one of the most powerful wind-users in the country.
Heisenberg nods, satisfied. "The northern expansion will be challenging. All For One's interest in our operation brings opportunities, but also scrutiny. You will need to be vigilant."
"I understand."
War tilts her head slightly. "You wonder why we share our profits so generously. Why we provide for our people's families. Why we build schools and clinics in the neighborhoods we operate in."
I freeze. How did she-?
"Your thoughts are transparent," she continues. "You think it inefficient. Unnecessarily generous."
"I... I would never question-"
Heisenberg raises a hand, silencing me. "It's a reasonable curiosity. The answer is simple: true power isn't built on fear alone.
Fear creates enemies who wait for weakness. But combine fear with gratitude, with genuine improvement in people's lives..."
"And you create something unshakable," War finishes. "The people we help will never betray us, not because they fear us - though they do - but because their lives are better with us than without us."
It's so logical when they explain it. Not charity, not kindness - strategy. Long-term thinking that most criminals are too short-sighted to grasp.
"The partnership with All For One accelerates our timeline," Heisenberg continues. "He controls much of Japan's underworld, but his methods are... outdated. Too reliant on fear and manipulation. He sees in us a more efficient model."
War stands, moving to the window. "He believes he is using us. That is acceptable. For now."
The implication hangs in the air, so audacious it nearly stops my heart. They're planning to eventually outmaneuver All For One himself? The villain who's survived generations of heroes trying to bring him down?
"Your loyalty will be rewarded," Heisenberg says, apparently satisfied with whatever he sees in my expression. "Go. Prepare for the northern expansion. Select your team by the end of the week."
I bow deeply and turn to leave, my mind still processing everything I've heard.
"And Fujimoto?" War calls after me. Her voice, even through the modulator, carries an edge that freezes me in place. "Remember that while we value loyalty and reward it generously, betrayal is... unforgivable."
"I would never-"
"Of course not," she interrupts, her tone softening fractionally. "That's why you're still alive."
-----------------------
Back in my apartment - a modest place despite my wealth, nothing that would draw attention - I pour myself another whiskey and try to calm my racing thoughts.
All For One. The northern expansion. The implication that my bosses might eventually challenge the most powerful villain in Japan's history.
I move to the balcony, extending my hand. With barely a thought, the wind responds, swirling around my fingers like an affectionate pet. With a flick of my wrist, I create a miniature tornado that dances across my palm.
Such power, given to me by people who appeared out of nowhere and systematically took control of an entire criminal ecosystem.
Who are they really? Where did they come from? How did they develop Elevation when the other older groups, with all their resources and history, could only create an inferior product?
Questions I'll never ask aloud. Questions that would probably get me killed if I pursued them.
But tonight, with the whiskey warming my blood and the wind dancing at my command, I allow myself to wonder.
There are rumors, of course. Whispers among the higher-ranking members of our organization.
Some say War and Heisenberg aren't human at all, but something else wearing human form. Others claim they're the result of some government super-soldier program gone rogue.
My personal theory? They're exactly what they appear to be: apex predators who've found a hunting ground worthy of their talents.
I create another small tornado, watching it spin across my balcony. Two weeks ago, I couldn't have blown out a match. Now, if I wanted, I could level this building.
That's the thing about War and Heisenberg that truly terrifies me.
Not their cruelty to enemies - though I've seen War literally unmake a man molecule by molecule for betraying us.
Not their mysterious origins or their apparent fearlessness in the face of All For One himself.
No, what terrifies me is how they see potential in people that those people don't see in themselves. How they transform the weak into the strong, the insignificant into the essential.
Because it makes me wonder: what potential do they see in Japan's criminal underworld? In society itself?
And what will they transform it into?
The wind whips around me, responding to my unconscious agitation. I take a deep breath and calm myself, letting the miniature storm dissipate.
Whatever their ultimate goal, I'm committed now. They've given me everything - power, purpose, security for my family. In return, they have my absolute loyalty.
Even if that loyalty eventually leads me against All For One himself.
I drain my whiskey and head inside. Tomorrow will be busy. A new empire is rising, and somehow, incredibly, I'm helping to build it.
All because I was standing guard outside a door when War and Heisenberg decided to change the world.
---------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
So! All For One decided to make a move, and personally meet Samantha and Nolan. Now why is that?
Did he want to steal their quirks?
Does he know their real identities (and by real I don't mean otherworlder, but the whole being a family with UA students and Detective Patriarch?)
Also, All For One is still injured, he hid it and life support with illusionary quirks.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)