Chapter 39: He Is Not Fighting Alone!
Usopp was alone on the empty Going Merry, fear seeping into his bones like icy seawater.
The unfamiliar jungle of the island surrounded him, its silence seemingly concealing countless watching eyes.
No... I can't keep hiding here...
A voice screamed within him—I am Captain Usopp! The man who will become a brave warrior of the sea!
Sometimes, courage is forged in the crucible of extreme fear.
He abruptly stood up, took several deep breaths, grabbed his beloved slingshot, mustered all the courage he had in his lifetime, and tremblingly stepped off the Going Merry into this unknown land.
Yet, this hard-won courage proved fragile in the face of reality.
Not long after venturing into the jungle, he was discovered by a group of menacing Pirates—Eldoraggo's underlings!
When Eldoraggo himself appeared before him—with wild red hair, golden armor, and lion-like fangs bared—Usopp felt his legs turn to noodles, nearly buckling on the spot.
Driven by survival instinct, Usopp's innate "talent" erupted to its fullest.
Lies poured out like a breached flood:
"You... you ignorant Pirates! Do you know who I am? I am the great Usopp—the 'Strongest Treasure Hunter on the Seas,' undefeated across the four oceans!"
"Woonan's treasure? Hah! I've seen it long ago! Mountains of gold so bright they blind your eyes! If you dare lay a finger on me, you'll never find the exact location of the treasure!"
"Only I! Only the great Usopp can decipher the true secrets of the treasure map!"
He grew more fluent as he spoke, and through glib talk and masterful acting, he actually managed to bluff and swindle the skeptical Eldoraggo into "lending" him the crucial Woonan treasure map!
Following the map's vague directions under Usopp's guidance, Eldoraggo's crew miraculously found a massive whale statue on one of the island's hills!
A key line on the map was blurred: "Where the whale's head faces west, the treasure lies at its tail."
Usopp instinctively assumed the tail would be to the east.
Eldoraggo and his crew were convinced by this seemingly logical deduction, and they immediately turned to search the eastern area.
Miraculously, they discovered a majestic, though clearly ancient, abandoned castle in the east!
"Alright, 'Treasure Hunter'," Eldoraggo's greedy eyes fixed on Usopp, his voice grating like sandpaper. "Where exactly in the castle is the treasure? Speak!"
Usopp was instantly dumbstruck.
His lies hadn't included detailed treasure locations.
As Eldoraggo's gaze grew increasingly dangerous, murderous intent filling the air, Usopp broke out in a cold sweat, feeling his head might roll at any second.
At this critical moment!
"Stop!"
A clear, familiar female voice rang out. Nami emerged from behind a large boulder, forcing composure as she wore an enigmatic expression.
She claimed to be Woonan's granddaughter, spinning a flimsy lie that the gold was buried directly beneath the castle, but at an extreme depth—requiring three full days and nights of digging to reach.
Such a clumsy stalling tactic should hardly have deceived the cunning old pirate. Yet, with Usopp's perfectly timed support, Eldoraggo—blinded by greed for gold—actually... believed it!
Just as Nami and Usopp secretly high-fived, thinking their plan had succeeded and would buy at least three days, a sudden change occurred!
Eldoraggo lost his patience, or rather, he decided to "accelerate" the process in his own way.
"Hmph! Why wait three days?!" He abruptly opened his lion-like maw, a low hum rumbling from deep in his throat!
"Ultrasonic Destruction Cannon!"
A terrifying shockwave, visible to the naked eye like an invisible giant pestle, roared out from his mouth!
"BOOM—!!!"
The deafening blast not only sent several of his slow-to-dodge henchmen scrambling in panic but also slammed violently into the ancient castle walls. The sturdy stone walls, as fragile as paper, were instantly blown apart, leaving half in ruins amidst flying debris and billowing dust!
A few more attacks like this would reduce the entire castle and its foundations to rubble! Nami and Usopp's lie was about to be torn to shreds in the face of absolute power!
"Oh no! Run!" Nami reacted swiftly, grabbing the still-dazed Usopp and fleeing into the dense jungle depths amid the chaos and dust-obscured vision.
"After them! Catch those two liars! I'll tear them to pieces!"
Eldoraggo soon spotted their escape, his furious roar echoing over the ruins as he led his men in a frenzied pursuit.
Nami and Usopp desperately weaved through the complex woodland, the shouts and footsteps behind them growing closer.
Just as they were on the verge of being caught, facing certain doom, Lady Luck seemed to smile upon them once more.
In a relatively open clearing ahead stood a familiar figure—three swords at his waist, looking utterly bewildered as if pondering the mysteries of the universe.
"Zoro! Save us!!" Nami and Usopp cried out as if seeing their savior, mustering their last strength to sprint toward him.
Zoro, lost in his "stroll," was jolted awake by their shouts. He looked up to see the disheveled Nami and Usopp, along with the murderous pursuers hot on their heels.
"Tch, trouble." Zoro clicked his tongue but moved without hesitation.
"Shing! Shing! Shing!"
Three blades flashed out instantly! Like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep, his sword gleams danced—a few swift strikes, and the leading pirates screamed as they fell, instantly neutralized.
This fierce display stunned the remaining pursuers, creating a brief standoff in the clearing.
Then, Zoro's gaze shifted past the grunts, settling on a peculiarly dressed man beside Eldoraggo.
The man sported a headdress of colorful feathers, wore exotic attire, and carried a broad, ancient-style greatsword on his back. A unique swordsman's aura emanated from him.
"Golass!"
Eldoraggo clearly understood that his underlings were no match for Zoro. With a grim expression, he pulled nine gold coins from his chest and casually tossed them to the ground, producing crisp clinking sounds. "Kill them!"
The foreign swordsman known as Golass silently bent down, picking up the coins one by one.
When he raised his head again, his gaze toward Zoro, Nami, and Usopp had turned as cold as the frigid seas of the West.
Three coins per head.
This was the simple yet brutal arrangement between Eldoraggo and this wandering swordsman.
Watching Golass grip his greatsword and advance step by step, Usopp urgently warned Zoro: "Zoro! Be careful! Don't underestimate him! I saw it with my own eyes earlier—he casually swung his sword and flattened a mound over ten meters high!!"
Hearing this, Zoro's eyebrows lifted slightly. Instead of fear, his face revealed a hint of... disappointment?
"Hmph," he sneered, staring intently at Golass. "A swordsman of your caliber, wielding your blade for mere coins? Your sword lacks purity. You must hesitate when you swing it, don't you? Someone like you... won't be my match."
His words pierced Golass's heart like invisible needles.
The duel between swordsmen was imminent!
Golass remained silent, drawing the massive blade from his back—a weapon nearly as tall as himself. Without any flashy techniques, he simply brought it down toward Zoro with mountain-splitting force!
Battle intent blazing in his eyes, Zoro crossed his three swords above his head, firmly blocking the devastating strike!
"CLANG—!!"
A deafening crash erupted alongside sparks flying in all directions!
Golass's strength surpassed Zoro's expectations. The immense pressure forced Zoro's feet to plow two deep furrows in the ground as he slid back several meters before barely halting his retreat!
Yet, strangely, Golass—who currently held the advantage—wore an expression even more tense and strained than Zoro, who was defending with all his might.
Sensing the power transmitted through their blades and observing his opponent's expression, Zoro suddenly spoke: "Your expression... why does it look so awful?"
"You don't actually want to kill for someone like that, do you?"
"Swinging your sword for money... even you feel your swordsmanship is being insulted, right?"
Three sentences, like three blades, stabbed deep into Golass's heart.
His eyes flickered violently, and the hand gripping his sword trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Grahhh!!" Golass roared as if his inner turmoil had been exposed. He and Zoro pushed against each other simultaneously, separating and retreating several steps before reassuming their stances, preparing for the next, even fiercer clash!
Just as Zoro had anticipated—when one's inner conviction wavers, the sword in hand falters.
In their second exchange, Golass's sword speed noticeably slowed. Seizing the opening, Zoro landed a precise slash on his chest, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground.
Sheathing his blades, Zoro looked down at Golass struggling to rise and said gravely: "I showed mercy. Come challenge me again when you've rediscovered the heart of a true swordsman!"
He tried to save this fellow practitioner who had gone astray.
However, when he shifted his attention away from Golass, he realized something was wrong—Nami, Usopp, Eldoraggo, and most of his underlings had disappeared!
As it turned out, while Zoro was engaged in his swordsman duel with Golass, the cunning Eldoraggo had taken his remaining men, bypassed the battlefield, and continued pursuing the fleeing Nami and Usopp!
...
In the dense jungle, a new round of desperate chase unfolded once more.
Nami and Usopp gasped for breath, their stamina nearly depleted.
As the pursuers closed in, Usopp's mind flashed with Kaya's worried face, the vow he made when boarding the Going Merry, and the retreating figure of his father, Yasopp...
In this moment, he was not fighting alone!
The brave warrior of the sea...
An inexplicable strength surged from the depths of his heart!
"Nami! Cover me!"
Usopp spun around abruptly, raising his slingshot!
His eyes no longer held only fear—more than that, there was now a desperate resolve!
Ferocity!
"Rotten Egg Star!"
"Gunpowder Star!"
"Lead Pellet Star!"
Specially crafted ammunition shot out in rapid succession!
Even while sprinting at high speed, Usopp's shots displayed astonishing accuracy!
Each projectile skillfully struck the pursuers, sending Eldoraggo's men scattering in panic, howling in pain. Their pursuit immediately slowed.
However, attacks of this level were nothing more than a minor irritation to the thick-skinned and enraged Eldoraggo—they only served to fuel his fury further.
"You two damn flies!!" Eldoraggo flew into a complete rage, once again opening his bloody maw!
"Ultrasonic Destruction Cannon!"
Another devastating shockwave roared forth, sweeping through the dense forest!
Where it passed, trees as thick as a man's embrace were easily sliced and destroyed like wheat stalks, clearing a messy, fan-shaped open space!
Nami and Usopp were sent flying by the explosive blast, tumbling awkwardly to the ground. Staring at the terrifying scene of instant devastation behind them, their faces filled with despair.
Could it be... they were really going to die here?
Just at this moment of despair, a spirited yet furious voice echoed from the other end of the forest, growing louder like a war drum:
"Hey!!! You noisy bastard!!! What are you trying to do to our Navigator and sniper?!"
The owner of the voice—Lufia, wearing her straw hat, stood with hands on her hips, glaring furiously at Eldoraggo in the distance.
And beside her, Ralph's figure quietly appeared.
One hand rested casually on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his gaze calm yet profound as the sea. Like a lurking leopard, he locked onto the most dangerous enemy on the field, ready at any moment to deliver a fatal strike.
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