As Tony had boasted, once he contacted Stark Industries, it didn't take long for the nearest U.S. military base to dispatch an armed helicopter to pick him up.
And considering Kizaru's height, they sent a large helicopter capable of transporting armored vehicles. Updates are released by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
The base commander clearly wanted to curry favor with Tony, but Tony, eager to return home, directly ordered the pilot to take him to the airport so he could board his private jet back to the U.S.
"Finally, I'm leaving this godforsaken place! Hello, Pepper, it's Tony. Yes, I'm on my way back to New York. Don't worry, the only thing you need to do now is call the party company and tell them I need the most extravagant pool party ever! Just like we've done before!"
Tony couldn't wait to make his calls, starting with his ever-reliable assistant, Pepper Potts, followed by Stark Industries' top executives and those annoying folks at the Pentagon.
There was still much to do, such as dealing with the plummeting stock price of Stark Industries and the loss of many contracts caused by his disappearance.
The former wasn't a huge issue. Stark Industries was essentially a family business, and for a genius like Tony, fixing the stock price was as simple as releasing a few pieces of good news.
The real trouble was the lost contracts. While Tony had already decided, thanks to Yinsen's advice, to stop manufacturing weapons, many of the canceled orders were for legitimate industrial products.
Still, none of this could dampen Tony's spirits.
He even had time to brag to Kizaru about his escapades, claiming he could handle three women in one night. The veteran of Pleasure Districts, Kizaru, merely smiled without saying a word.
Even someone like Nami—who looked like a fragile porcelain doll in Kizaru's eyes—was far from the physical capabilities of ordinary people in the Marvel universe. If Tony, with his frail physique, ended up in the hands of those wild women, he probably wouldn't last two rounds.
What Kizaru didn't know was that while he was accompanying Tony back to the U.S., all information about him had already been delivered to a certain bald man with one eye.
Tony wasn't just the U.S. military's top weapons supplier; he was also the son of Howard Stark, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Anything unusual involving Tony was of interest to Nick Fury, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
When Fury first heard about Tony's disappearance, he was already preparing to rescue him. However, before he could act, he received news that Tony had been saved—and by a mysterious three-meter-tall man.
The first thing Nick Fury thought of was either a cyborg or an alien. As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director, he was no stranger to either.
But the appearance of an unknown cyborg or alien around Tony Stark was something worth serious attention.
Tony Stark? Stark Industries? Or Howard Stark, the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"Notify Agent Romanoff to come over," Nick Fury instructed Phil Coulson after a moment of thought.
Even if it was just out of respect for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founder, Fury needed to uncover the identity of the man accompanying Tony Stark.
Given Fury's understanding of Tony, the best candidate for this job was Agent Natasha Romanoff.
While Fury was preparing to dispatch someone to investigate Kizaru's background, Kizaru himself was at one of Stark Industries' villas, experiencing the pool party that Tony had so enthusiastically recommended.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's welcome my new friend, Kizaru!"
Wearing a Hawaiian shirt and swim trunks, Tony stood at the highest point of the pool and shouted to the crowd.
Surrounding the pool were countless glamorous poolside women and various celebrities and business moguls invited to the party.
As Tony's voice faded, Kizaru, also dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and swim trunks, stepped out of the villa. His towering three-meter height stunned everyone present.
Even the typically bold poolside women, who would normally swarm any guest of honor, hesitated—not because Kizaru wasn't attractive, but because his three-meter frame was intimidating in a world where most people didn't even reach two meters.
"Wow, he's so tall! Is it even possible for someone to grow that tall?"
"Hey, aren't you going to try your luck? He's Stark's new friend!"
"No way, he looks terrifying! You'd get skewered!"
Although the party's music didn't stop, Kizaru's appearance caused a momentary silence in the crowd, followed by hushed whispers.
"This man saved my life from those damned terrorists," Tony announced loudly, his tone playful yet sincere. "While the friendship between us is priceless, I can't let him leave without some kind of gesture... So here's a welcome gift for Kizaru, now that he's here in New York!"
As a seasoned party animal and a renowned playboy across New York and the entire United States, Tony was well-prepared for situations where the atmosphere grew a little cold.
With a clap of his hands, six servers rolled out a series of luggage racks covered by black cloth, bringing them to Kizaru and gesturing for him to unveil the "wrapping" of his gift himself.
Already guessing what it might be, Kizaru obligingly lifted the cloth, revealing stacks upon stacks of cash filling one of the luggage racks to the brim.
There were six luggage racks in total, each carrying over 100 kilograms of cash, adding up to a total of 1,050 kilograms.
One hundred million dollars!
The moment this mountain of cash appeared, everyone except Tony and Kizaru collectively held their breath.
Even wealthy businessmen with net worths over $100 million had rarely, if ever, seen this much cash in one place. The sight left the poolside women breathless, and even the celebrities invited to the party were no exception.
You think a three-meter-tall giant looks intimidating?
Well, with $100 million on the table, the poolside women didn't care if he was three meters tall—or three meters long. They were fearless.
The women swarmed around Kizaru at lightning speed, each one desperate to attach themselves to him.
"In addition, I'm personally offering 5% of Stark Industries' shares and officially hiring Kizaru as Stark Industries' security consultant!"
Seeing even the women who had been surrounding him begin to flock to Kizaru, Tony remained unbothered and casually dropped another bombshell announcement.
This declaration sent the entire party into a frenzy!
A 5% stake in Stark Industries was enough to make Kizaru the largest individual shareholder after Tony himself.
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