Chapter 108: Nami: I'm Not Just Some Damsel In Distress!
"Slingshot Rapid Fire!"
Usopp drew his slingshot from his waist, his other hand grabbing a handful of pellets from his ammunition pouch.
Draw, aim, fire.
His movements were so fast they left afterimages.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
The pellets shot out like a torrential downpour.
Each one accurately struck a grunt.
"Ah! My eyes!"
"My hand! My hand!"
"This kid's slingshot is so fast!"
"What? He's using a slingshot?"
The grunts screamed in pain, but there were too many of them.
For every one taken down, two more came forward.
Gritting his teeth, Usopp pulled out a special pellet from his ammunition pouch.
It was larger than regular pellets and colored red.
"Kosho Boshi—"
He drew his slingshot, aiming at the center of the deck.
"Bang!"
The pellet exploded.
Red, pungent smoke instantly filled the entire deck.
"Cough cough cough—!!!"
"What the hell is this?!"
"My eyes! My throat! It's so spicy!"
The grunts screamed, rolled around, tears and snot flowing freely.
The smoke bomb made from super-spicy chili powder was exceptionally effective.
Usopp, however, was prepared—he had somehow already put on a gas mask.
He stood in the smoke like a grim reaper.
"Come on!"
Usopp shouted, "Anyone who dares board my ship will taste Master Usopp's special ammunition!"
But just then—
"Cough! Usopp, you bastard—!!!"
Two familiar voices came from the ship's side.
It was Sanji and Nami.
They had barely broken through the grunts' encirclement and jumped onto the Going Merry when they were immediately hit by the chili smoke.
"Cough cough cough! My eyes!"
"Wh-what the hell is this?!"
Sanji and Nami were also choking, tears and snot streaming down their faces as they crouched on the deck, coughing desperately.
Only then did Usopp realize.
"Ah! Sorry! I forgot you were coming back!"
He quickly ran over and pulled two spare gas masks from his chest.
"Put these on!"
Sanji and Nami fumbled to put on the masks, finally catching their breath.
But both their faces were as dark as a pot bottom.
"U...sopp—"
Nami's voice came from behind the mask, "When did you... create such a pepper bomb?!"
Sanji was furious too, "You almost choked us to death!!"
"But..."
Usopp retorted:
"It's you two who weren't prepared for battle at any moment."
He pointed at Nami's bikini, then at Sanji's bare feet.
"Ralph said, at sea, you can encounter enemies at any time. Weapons should be carried at all times, and equipment should be ready for battle. The way you two are... aren't you just serving yourselves up to the enemy?"
Sanji and Nami were left speechless.
They were actually being lectured by Usopp, and... they couldn't refute it.
They thought they could relax and enjoy a vacation in such a remote place.
But the enemies really came, and they hadn't even brought their weapons or worn shoes.
Forget it! Now wasn't the time to dwell on this!
Nami took a golden staff from Usopp.
"..."
Nami gripped the staff tightly, "Let's clear out these grunts first."
"Agreed."
Sanji also stood up and, in his anger, jumped off the ship without even wearing shoes!
Meanwhile, Nami, holding the golden staff, and Usopp guarded the Going Merry together.
In an instant, the peaceful beach turned into a battlefield.
Swords clashed, guns fired, and flames lit up the sky.
Lufia charged through the crowd of underlings, her rubber fists sending people flying wherever they struck.
Zoro's three swords moved like a meat grinder, each swing drawing sprays of blood.
Ralph bombarded from above with Rankyaku, each kick clearing a whole area.
Sanji joined the battle, his bare feet executing powerful kicks fueled by a spark of anger.
How dare I show such disgrace in front of Miss Nami!
His Diable Jambe wreaked havoc, even faintly touching the threshold of Armament Haki!
For a moment, the two to three hundred underlings of the Trump Pirates were actually suppressed by the seven members of the Straw Hat crew.
...
On the main ship.
Honey Queen and Boo Jack watched this scene, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
"These useless trash..."
Honey Queen gritted her teeth, "Eight whole ships of underlings, yet they can't even handle one small boat and a few people."
"If the underlings can't do it, then we'll handle it ourselves."
Through their earlier observation, they had identified the weakest point of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Compared to the other formidable fighters, the two guarding the ship were completely unremarkable.
The long-nosed one using a slingshot, and the orange-haired woman wielding a long staff.
"Leaving two such weaklings to guard your ship..."
Honey Queen sneered, "That will be your greatest mistake."
She and Boo Jack leaped simultaneously.
From the main ship, they jumped directly toward the Going Merry.
"Boo Jack Missile!"
Mid-air, Boo Jack pulled two metal-spiked spheres gleaming with metallic luster from his chest.
He threw them with force.
The two spiked bombs spun through the air toward the Going Merry's deck.
But Usopp reacted faster.
He raised his slingshot almost the instant Boo Jack threw the bombs.
"Pellet Double Shot!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two pellets accurately struck the spiked bombs in mid-air.
"Boom! Boom!"
The bombs exploded in the sky.
"What?!"
Boo Jack's eyes widened, "H-how did he react so fast?!"
"Damn it..."
Boo Jack landed heavily on the Going Merry's deck, causing the ship to shake once more.
Meanwhile, Honey Queen had also landed.
But her landing method... was quite special.
She didn't land directly on the deck.
Instead, she transformed into a puddle of pink, sticky liquid, splattering onto the deck like jelly.
Then, the liquid began to flow.
Silently creeping along the gaps between the planks toward Nami's feet.
Toro Toro no Mi user.
Could transform into liquid, immune to physical attacks.
Honey Queen had taken a liking to Nami's beauty from the start, planning to capture her alive and present her to their leader, Bear King.
The liquid reached Nami's feet.
Then, suddenly surged upward!
Like a pink net, wrapping around Nami's legs.
"Got her—"
Honey Queen thought excitedly.
But the next moment—
Nami's golden staff came down hard on the liquid at her feet.
A scream echoed.
The pink liquid rapidly contracted, reforming into a human shape.
Honey Queen collapsed on the deck, her face still wearing an expression of disbelief.
"W-why..."
She trembled as she spoke, "My liquid form... should be immune to physical attacks..."
"Because this isn't just a physical attack."
Nami looked down at her from above, "This is Seastone."
She shook the golden staff in her hand, sizing up Honey Queen's body, a smirk curling at the corner of her lips.
"Brainless bimbo with big boobs!!"
Almost simultaneously, Usopp and Nami both recalled Ralph's voice in their minds—
"Our enemies from now on will be formidable. When you strike, never let your guard down."
"Attack three times in succession to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"Don't give the opponent any chance to counterattack if possible."
"Triple Kaen Boshi!"
Usopp drew his slingshot, firing three gunpowder pellets consecutively within half a second.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!!!"
All three struck Boo Jack.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three consecutive explosions hit him right in the head.
When power isn't enough, quantity makes up for it.
Three successive gunpowder explosions—even the sturdiest body couldn't withstand such shockwaves to the brain!
Boo Jack was knocked out on the spot!
Meanwhile, on Nami's side————
"Golden Staff: Triple Strike!"
Nami's golden staff transformed into three afterimages.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Three strikes in one second.
All landed squarely on Honey Queen's head.
With huge bumps swelling on her head, Honey Queen completely lost consciousness.
Nami retracted her staff, standing in place while breathing slightly heavily.
Then, she smiled.
A brilliant, triumphant smile, carrying a hint of... vindication.
"Honey Queen with a 7.8 million Berry bounty..."
Nami lifted her foot and gently kicked Honey Queen's face.
"Taken down by me, an unknown Cat Burglar..."
She raised her head, looking toward her still-fighting companions in the distance, "I'm not just some damsel in distress who needs saving all the time!"