Chapter 9: Usopp Joins the Crew! The Gunner's Debut"So beautiful!"
Nami's eyes lit up as she stared at the Going Merry. She'd had enough of Luffy and Zoro, those two life-idiots, drifting aimlessly in that dilapidated little boat all day.
She still couldn't understand how those two dared to sail on the open sea in a tiny, coffin-sized vessel.
"We've packed you all the supplies and provisions you need for the voyage,"
Kaya said to Luffy with a gentle smile.
"I'm so sorry, you've even covered my food and drink."
Luffy said he was sorry, but his body language betrayed him as he looked around, a satisfied expression on his face.
Zoro and Nami: "We didn't see you being embarrassed at all!"
Just then, a rumbling sound came from the hillside.
Usopp, carrying a huge backpack even bigger than himself, rolled down the slope like a ball of flesh.
"Brake! I can't stop!"
Usopp screamed, spinning like a top out of control, hurtling straight toward the Going Merry.
"Usopp?!"
Kaya gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
"What is that guy doing?! Make him stop! He'll wreck our new ship!"
Nami yelled anxiously.
"Leave it to me!"
Luffy and Zoro, perfectly in sync, simultaneously raised their feet, each delivering a precise kick to Usopp's face.
Bang!
Usopp, who had been spinning like a ball, came to an abrupt halt, his face contorted from the impact.
"Th-uh...thank you..."
Usopp lay sprawled on the ground, mumbling incoherently.
"Are you planning to run away from home with that huge bag?"
Zoro looked at Usopp with surprise. Back at the villa, this guy hadn't backed down even when he was scared to death protecting Kaya, which made Zoro think more highly of him.
"Hmph! Of course I'm going to sea!"
Usopp struggled to his feet, raised his head, and announced loudly.
"So you really decided to leave after all, Usopp?"
Kaya's eyes showed a hint of reluctance and sadness.
"Ah, before my insignificant resolve wavers, I must set off quickly."
Usopp gazed at the vast sea, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "Don't anyone stop me."
Kaya, though saddened, still smiled and said, "I won't stop you, because I've long foreseen this day."
"Don't worry! Next time I return to the village, I'll definitely bring back an adventure ten thousand times more exciting than any story I could make up!"
Usopp patted his chest, making a solemn promise.
"Speaking of which, you don't even have a boat. How are you planning to set sail? Swim across?"
Zoro delivered a scathing remark without hesitation.
Usopp glanced awkwardly at the group. Seeing no one respond, he quickly puffed out his chest and shouted defiantly, "I am the captain of the infamous Usopp Pirates! We'll definitely meet again on the high seas, and don't blame me for being impolite then!"
"So-de-sama!"
Before he finished speaking, Luffy and Zoro appeared on either side of Usopp as if by teleportation.
Luffy grabbed Usopp by the neck, and Zoro's scabbard was pressed against his throat.
Luffy nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, very spirited. Now, I hereby declare you under arrest."
"Huh? Huh?!"
Usopp looked completely bewildered, snot running down his face: "Wait, what's going on! Aren't we friends?!"
Nami looked at Usopp like he was an idiot: "Shouting you want to be a pirate in front of a Marine Headquarters captain and a pirate hunter, aren't you just asking for trouble?"
Usopp: "..."
How could he have forgotten that!
"To prevent you from harming the people later, I think it's safer to cut off your head now and collect the bounty," Zoro threatened menacingly.
"Hey, don't be so gory. Let's pack him up with the Black Cat Pirates and send him to Impel Down, let him go to that hell for a good lesson."
Luffy chimed in, adding fuel to the fire with a wicked grin.
Usopp was instantly terrified, his legs went weak, and he burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably:
"Waaah, I'm not going to be a pirate anymore! Never again! I was wrong, guys!"
Luffy and Zoro exchanged a glance and laughed heartily: "So, do you still want to go to sea?"
Usopp secretly glanced at Kaya, remembering his helplessness in the villa earlier.
He gritted his teeth and nodded firmly: "I must go to sea! I want to become a truly brave warrior of the sea, only then can I protect Kaya!"
Kaya's cheeks instantly flushed red upon hearing this.
Luffy spat in disgust: "Damn it, I got a mouthful of dog food before leaving, what bad luck!"
Zoro pointed to the Going Merry: "Our warship happens to need a cleaning worker, are you interested in applying?"
"Huh?"
Usopp was completely stunned. He never dreamed that Zoro and the others would proactively invite a weakling like him who could only brag.
After all, in his eyes, Luffy was practically a monster; the terrifying Kuro was like a toy in Luffy's hands, easily manipulated and flattened.
You have to understand, in the original story, Luffy fought tooth and nail to win, while the current Luffy was completely dominating Kuro.
"Here's a chance to get a permanent position after my internship,"
Luffy lightly leaped onto the bow of the ram's head, looking down at Usopp with a smile, "Consider it payment for Kaya's fare."
Usopp's eyes turned red with excitement, and he jumped up, shouting excitedly, "Awesome! I'm going to be the captain!"
Luffy slammed his rubber fist into Usopp's head: "Idiot! We're the Marines! What captain? Call me 'Commander'!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at the large bump on Usopp's head.
Just then, a long, drawn-out ship's horn sounded from the sea.
A majestic naval warship cleaved through the waves, its massive sails emblazoned with the naval insignia.
"Yo, the ones in charge of cleaning up are here."
Luffy shielded his eyes with his hand as he looked over.
Soon the warship docked, and a sullen-looking Joyce disembarked with a squad of marines.
"Young Master Luffy..."
"What's with that expression? We just asked you to escort a few pirates along the way. This is called making good use of resources."
Luffy gave Joyce, who looked like he was constipated, a look of disgust.
"No problem, absolutely no problem, it's my honor to serve you."
Joyce quickly smiled ingratiatingly, but inwardly he was weeping.
Usopp stared at the massive steel warship, his eyes gleaming, drool practically dripping from his mouth.
"Um...why does Luffy, who clearly has such a huge warship, still use the small boat Kaya gave him?"
Usopp secretly leaned close to Zoro and whispered.
Zoro stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Probably because he got in through connections, not through official channels? He's more low-key?"
Joyce swiftly brought all the Black Cat Pirates' henchmen aboard, and incidentally delivered the 16 million Berry bounty on Kuro to Luffy.
"Young Master Luffy, you've turned all your merits into money. This means your military achievements are ruined."
Joyce truly couldn't understand this young master's thought process; these were genuine achievements.
"What can a few measly military merits do? Once I reach the Grand Line, will I be short of money? Pah! Short of military merits? Get on with it!"
Luffy waved his hand impatiently. He was joking; he was almost a Commodore, and catching a few petty thieves from the East Blue wouldn't get him promoted.
As for Arlong, as a former officer of the Sun Pirates, his fish-man identity might be worth some military merits; he could consider it later.
Under the azure sea and sky, several seagulls circled above the Going Merry, emitting clear cries.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the ram-headed prow, eyes closed, meditating.
He was practicing a cultivation technique called "Nameless Sword Art," designed to complement the unparalleled swordsmanship inherent in the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing" archetype.
Although it sounded fantastical, this thing undeniably enhanced the archetype's portrayal and integration.
On deck, Zoro was huffing and puffing, lifting a massive barbell that weighed at least a ton, his muscles bulging with sweat.
Nami, meanwhile, was humming a tune in the wheelhouse, cheerfully steering the ship.
Usopp, arms crossed, a worn-out mop in hand, stood on the deck striking a lookout's pose.
Suddenly, he swung the mop forward with a vengeance, completely absorbed in his theatrics!
"Enemy sights ahead! Foolish pirates! You know perfectly well that the Going Merry is commanded by the invincible fleet led by the great Captain Usopp, yet you still dare to come and die?"
"Ya Lu! All hands on deck! Charge!"
Usopp yelled and waved the mop wildly, like a shaman performing a ritual.
"Is this guy seriously mentally ill?"
Zoro, watching Usopp's delusional antics, couldn't help but yawn.
"Are you sure bringing this clown on board is really good for us?"
Nami poked her head out of the cabin, looking helpless.
Luffy opened his eyes, stretched lazily, and said meaningfully, "You guys don't understand, this is called tactical complementarity. When things are going well, rely on the cook; when things are going badly, rely on Zoro; in dire situations… well, we'll rely on this archer's shrewd moves."
"Huh?"
Zoro looked completely bewildered, utterly confused by Luffy's slang.
"Hey, hey, I have to say, you guys are way too indifferent! Give us at least some reaction!"
Usopp, observing the three men's lackluster expressions, grew bored. "We're supposed to be on a thrilling sea adventure! Can't we have a little more excitement?!"
However, aside from Luffy, the other two on board were seasoned veterans. Nami, in particular, had been making a living on the seas alone for eight years and was long immune to this kind of so-called adventure.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't we paint a flag and hang it up? A sea adventure without a flag, no prestige at all!"
Usopp looked at the bare mast, feeling utterly uncomfortable.
"Ah, well, we're part of the Marines. We can just pick up a few seagull flags from whichever Marine base we pass by and hang them up."
Luffy yawned dismissively; he genuinely had no craving for those skull and crossbones flags.
"What?! Marine flags are all the same, so ugly!"
Usopp was utterly disappointed.
"Anyway, those regular Marines probably wouldn't even recognize this little wreck as a warship, would they?"
Zoro, lying on the deck enjoying the sea breeze, added the perfect finishing touch.
"Huh? Why?"
Usopp asked, puzzled.
"Probably because someone got into the Marines through connections with a vice admiral, right?"
Nami came out with a sea chart, casually chiming in.
"Huh?!?!?!"
Usopp was struck dumb. "What happened to the regular crew?! So I'm on a smuggled ship?!"
Luffy chuckled, patting Usopp on the shoulder: "Don't worry about the details. I made that up myself. For now, you guys are temporary workers, scapegoats, you know?"
Usopp: "..."
Wow! He's on a pirate ship!
After sailing for about half a day, a gentle sea breeze was blowing.
Usopp, bored out of his mind, jumped around on the Going Merry like a hyperactive monkey.
A little while later, he laboriously crawled out from under the hold carrying a wooden crate with a large "Danger" printed on it.
"What's this good stuff?"
Luffy curiously leaned closer, having forgotten exactly how much dowry Kaya had stuffed into the ship's hold.
Usopp shook his head. "It's unopened. Looks like something special. Let's take a look."
The two of them pried open the box together, revealing neatly stacked, dark, solid cannonballs, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
"Wow! This is a weapon of mass destruction!"
Usopp's eyes lit up as he lovingly touched the cannonballs.
"Eh? There are these things too? I remember when we rescued Nami, that fat Alvida seemed to have bombarded us with cannons too."
Usopp immediately looked around and quickly spotted a protruding reef in the southern sea, perfect as a target.
"Come on, let me show you what I've got, fire a shot to liven things up!"
Usopp grabbed the cannonballs and started stuffing them into what looked like a small, decorative cannon at the bow of the ship.
"This looks interesting,"
Luffy stroked his chin, intrigued. "Zoro, can I borrow your sword to play with?"
"Huh?! Don't even think about it! A sword is a swordsman's wife, never to be lent out!"
Zoro, who was sleeping, instantly woke up and righteously refused.
"Stingy as ever, don't you want to witness the legendary swordsmanship?"
Luffy coaxed patiently from the side, smiling like a little fox.
Swish!
A long, sheathed sword was embedded deep into the deck beside Usopp's feet.
Usopp jumped in fright, roaring, "Hey! Zoro! You almost chopped my foot off!"
Luffy casually pulled out an ordinary katana, scoffing, "Tch, stingy guy, won't even let me touch your Wado Ichimonji."
"Shut up! It's good enough that it's usable! Use it or not!"
Zoro yelled in frustration.
"Come on, Usopp, stop dawdling, fire!"
Luffy brandished his sword a couple of times, gesturing to Usopp.
"Hehe, watch closely! Back when I was three, I was the man who rode a cannonball around the world!"
Usopp, his face flushed with excitement at handling a real weapon for the first time, quickly adjusted the cannon's angle. "The legendary 'God Gunner Usopp' is none other than myself! And that's no bragging!"