"So, Mr. Josen, why do I have to pay?"
"Because my world doesn't use dollars."
"..."
Josen and Peter sat in a burger joint, with food piled high in front of them.
Perhaps the journey through spacetime had been too long. Josen really was a little hungry.
Peter had been wearing nothing but his homemade Spider-Suit when he crossed over. Now he had put on a beige trench coat kindly provided by Josen.
Since Josen had bought the coat for himself, it looked rather baggy on Peter. He had to roll the sleeves up twice just to expose his wrists.
Through their conversation, Josen learned from Peter Parker's account that he came from Marvel Universe 199999, otherwise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU for short.
He had been about to take down a criminal hideout he had already tracked down when the wall beneath his feet suddenly turned into chaotic spacetime matter. A powerful suction followed, and after struggling in vain, he was forcibly dragged into this universe.
Thinking of Spider-Man's recent death in this world, Josen fell into thought.
It sounded like the plot of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but that animated movie hadn't crossed over with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Could his own intrusion have altered the timeline?
Given how the Marvel Multiverse worked, it wasn't impossible... no, it was actually very likely!
This young Spider-Man had lived through the final battle and Aunt May's death. His best friends and comrades had all forgotten his identity under the influence of Doctor Strange's spell. Now he had moved into a shabby, bare-bones, cheap apartment all alone. He could already be considered a mature spider hero.
As everyone knew, aside from a handful of exceptions like Otto Parker, the vast majority of Spider-Men shared one trait.
They were broke.
(At that very moment, Saitama, who was out running, suddenly sneezed: "Achoo!!" Who's talking about me?)
Precisely for that reason, Peter sat across from Josen looking aggrieved, muttering, "I checked things out at the register. The bills people use here are dollars, but the denominations are completely different from the ones in my world. That means there's a good chance I can't spend the money I have!"
"Oh."
"Oh... that's all you have to say?"
Peter covered his face. Across from him, the tall man who looked only a few years older than him calmly ate his fries, seemingly unconcerned about the bill.
Knowing he couldn't afford to pay, Peter couldn't bring himself to eat a thing.
Josen, on the other hand, was in a very good mood.
On their way to the burger joint, Element Pickup had picked up one of Peter's spider Psychic Powers.
[Fantasy Card: Spider-Strength] [Card Type: Ability Card] [Rarity: SR] [Description: A spider power. The proportionally scaled-up strength of a super spider enlarged to human size.] [Effect 1: Super Strength] [Superhuman physical strength, allowing the user to easily lift objects more than a hundred times their own body weight.] [Effect 2: Going Beyond] [In special emotional states such as anger, determination, or intense focus, Spider-Man can unleash strength several times greater than normal.]
With the continuous enhancements from his Stand Ability, Josen's strength was already on par with a spider hero's. Still, he could never have too many Psychic Powers that directly boosted his base attributes.
After he used it, the genetic enhancement further optimized his body's structure, increasing his strength by nearly a third. That didn't even include the bonus from activating Effect 2.
Over the course of the meal, Josen slowly adjusted to the effects of his increased strength. He now possessed two spider-related Psychic Powers.
Hmm, just two web-shooters away from becoming Spider-Man.
"Let's put that aside for now, Peter." Josen ate his last fry and picked up the cheeseburger beside him. "We both know that no world's Spider-Man would simply die in an earthquake."
"Yeah, how could he? Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes." Turning to serious business, Peter's expression grew solemn. "Someone wants the public to accept that story so they can cover up some dirty secrets."
"Exactly. So we need to start investigating with two keywords." Josen took a bite of his burger. "Brooklyn."
"A major earthquake!" Peter supplied instinctively, then realization dawned. "You're saying the big earthquake in Brooklyn was man-made!"
"Most likely." Josen finished his burger in a few bites, wiped his hands, and stood up. "We don't have much time, so from now on, we'll have to split up."
Peter sat up straight. "Then what's the plan, Mr. Josen?"
"I'll investigate what caused the earthquake, while you..."
For a moment, Peter felt as though he were fighting alongside Captain America and Mr. Stark again. Anticipation crept onto his face.
"...will have to stay here and work off the bill."
Peter: "..."
Dawn broke the next day.
The sun rose, and after a brief lull, the city that never slept gradually came back to life.
Shops along the roads opened for business, traffic streamed along the avenues, and pedestrians hurried through the streets.
Brooklyn, New York.
Josen sat in a coffee shop called Melody, looking out at the street through its floor-to-ceiling windows.
Unlike the principled Spider-Man, Josen might have been a professional hero registered with the Hero Association, but his moral boundaries were very flexible.
He had already made a trip to Brooklyn the previous night.
"Hey, brother, first time in Brooklyn?"
"Look at him. You think he's lost?"
Seeing Josen alone, a group of troublemakers who had been partying into the early hours approached him with friendly smiles.
Asian face, tall, well-dressed, alone.
And there are five of us, with a piece tucked into the boss's waistband.
Perfect. We've got the advantage!
If they had known that the man before them had just flown across the East River and landed on the next block around the corner, they might have immediately run as far away as they could.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Josen had long heard about New York's warm, welcoming locals, but this was his first time experiencing them firsthand.
What a coincidence. You're exactly who I'm looking for!
When their surrounded prey willingly approached to exchange high fives and chest bumps, the young Black street thugs were all bewildered.
What's going on? Is he one of our gangsters too?
We haven't heard about any new Asian recruits lately!
With their arms around one another's shoulders, they entered an alley without surveillance cameras. The young Black men exchanged glances. The laughter gradually faded, and their friendly gazes slowly turned cold.
Seeing that the mood was just right, Josen dropped the act and struck first. "Hey, Negro."
?? × 5
"Huh? You just said 'Negro,' didn't you?"
"Hey, what the hell do you mean by that?"
One of them even pulled out a knife. "You'd better explain yourself, or you're not walking out of here in one piece!"
"Nothing special." Josen rolled his neck, his joints giving a sharp crack. "I just wanted to say that every last one of you here is trash."
Before you continue