"Burp~"
In the Pokémon world, right in that patch of grass where Red and Nami had just finished battling…
As the sound of a satisfied belch escaped, a faint, almost imperceptible sacred glow quietly washed over Luffy's body.
In the blink of an eye, the drowsiness that had clung to him from being dragged out in the middle of the night vanished. His eyes suddenly became bright and clear.
"Red!"
Still exhilarated from leveling up, Luffy shouted his name.
But in the very next second, a flash of white light engulfed him—and once again, he found himself back in his own room.
Staring at the pitch-black surroundings, Luffy scratched his head in confusion.
"Huh? That was weird… was it a dream?"
"Why would I randomly dream about Red giving me candy?"
The thought flickered through his mind, but his simple, carefree nature immediately crushed it flat.
"Ah, whatever. Better sleep."
"I've got to train Armament Haki tomorrow!"
A few seconds later.
The familiar sound of steady breathing echoed through the dark room.
Sleep quality so good it was honestly enviable.
The night passed without incident.
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived.
A gentle breeze swept across Syrup Village, bringing refreshing cool air to the peaceful town.
Today, Usopp did not run around with the villagers like usual in their "friendly long-distance chase exercises."
Now a pirate, he packed all of his possessions into a bag overnight and set foot on the road leading up to the hilltop mansion.
According to Vice Captain Red's arrangement, for the next few days he would be staying at Kaya's estate together with the Straw Hat crew, training alongside Luffy and the others!
"From today onward, I—Great Captain Usopp—am a true pirate now!!!"
Brimming with excitement, Usopp strode into Kaya's estate.
And then…
His jaw dropped so hard it nearly hit the ground!!!
"Two hundred eighty-seven… two hundred eighty-eight…"
"Left!"
Bang!!!
"Right!"
Bang!!!
"Buzzy Buzz! Zippy Zap! ..."
Inside the estate courtyard, a green-haired swordsman with his upper body bare was carrying an enormous metal cube—about the size of a small hill—across his broad, sharply defined shoulders, squatting repeatedly while drenched in sweat.
Nearby, Red held an exquisitely crafted firearm, standing behind Luffy, whose eyes were blindfolded. He fired endlessly at every part of Luffy's body—yet every single shot was dodged.
The only one who looked remotely normal might have been Nami, darting back and forth among wooden training dummies, swinging a metal staff and striking them repeatedly.
But judging by the flashes of intense lightning crackling along the staff from time to time, that clearly wasn't "normal" training either.
Thud…
Usopp's pack slipped from his shoulders and hit the ground, perfectly matching the blank expression on his face.
At that moment, he finally understood why this group was so terrifyingly strong.
And at the same time, a deep anxiety about his own future quietly surfaced.
"Oh? That you, Usopp?"
The sound of the bag hitting the ground caught Red's attention. He stopped shooting and spoke to Luffy in front of him.
"That's enough warm-up for today, Luffy."
"You can head to the spot I marked in the back hills."
"Merry said we'll be staying here three more days. During that time, your task is simple—punch that mountain flat."
"Remember! Every punch must be coated in Armament Haki!!!"
"Aye~! Got it!"
Luffy nodded seriously in response.
He extended his arm, and a jet-black metallic sheen instantly covered his entire fist.
After eating the Rare Candy Red gave him last night and leveling up, Luffy—just as Red expected—had gained even better control over Armament Haki!
This only strengthened Red's previous theory…
Even if the relationship wasn't direct, improving the body and vitality absolutely played a massive role in Armament Haki training!!!
With today's training plan in hand, Luffy didn't say much. He waved at Usopp and immediately took off toward the back hills.
Red had already given Merry a sum of money in advance, arranging for enough food there—and even hired a cook skilled in outdoor grilling and campfire cooking. Even if Luffy didn't return for an entire day, there would be no problem.
Zoro was still working on the most fundamental physical training, while Nami was testing how to incorporate combat techniques into actual battle scenarios, conducting comprehensive drills.
Everything was developing beautifully.
After admiring the scene he had carefully put together, Red smiled faintly and walked over to Usopp.
"So then, allow me to properly introduce myself…"
"Red. Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates—and also a Pokémon Trainer!"
"Welcome, future Sniper King—Usopp!"
"Sniper King?!"
Still shocked by the training methods of Luffy and the others, Usopp instantly straightened up at that title.
His eyes sparkled brightly.
"Wahahaha~!"
"I never thought someone would discover my deeply hidden talent! Red, you really are something else!"
Usopp returned the flattery enthusiastically.
He was clearly delighted to no end by being called "Sniper King."
People in the pirate world really were that straightforward—and easy to hype.
"Alright then, future Sniper King. Time isn't on your side!"
"As I said, I'm a Trainer. My ability is to train people into powerful warriors of the sea!"
"So… in order to adapt to life on the ocean, starting now—you'll undergo special training!"
"Eh… special training?! W-wait! Hold on!"
Completely caught off guard, Usopp raised his hands in panic, trying to refuse.
He had absolutely no courage to challenge suicidal training like Luffy or Zoro's—heck, even Nami's training looked overwhelming to him!
But under Red's pull, he was dragged into an open clearing within the estate grounds.
On both sides of the clearing stood rows of empty wine bottles, clearly prepared in advance.
Red smiled.
"Usopp, you've more or less seen Luffy and Zoro's strength."
"As you can tell, our crew doesn't lack frontal combat power."
"No matter how strong the enemy is, we can safely leave them to Luffy and Zoro."
"But…"
"On the sea, direct confrontations are often limited by all kinds of factors!"
"That's when we need the ability to suppress enemies from long range!"
"And your arrival perfectly fills that gap in the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"You are an essential piece of the puzzle!"
"We need your power!"
"So, Usopp—fully unleash your strengths and talents!"
"Become world-class! Become the strongest sniper!"
"Become the man whose name alone strikes fear into all enemies—The Sniper King!!!"
Each word struck straight into Usopp's heart, igniting the long-dormant chūnibyō soul within him!
No passionate young man could possibly resist encouragement like this!
More importantly, in Red's eyes he saw something genuine.
Absolute trust—and expectation!
As if Red firmly believed that Usopp would one day become that Sniper King he spoke of!
He… was being acknowledged!!!
Overcome with emotion, Usopp forcefully held back the tears threatening to surface, then shouted with trembling excitement:
"Vice Captain! Please train me as hard as you can!!!"
"Oh, I fully intend to," Red replied with a grin, pointing toward the distant targets and the wine bottles beside them.
"Your task for the next few days is to increase your effective shooting range as much as possible!"
"Whether that means altering ammunition formulas or modifying your slingshot…"
"The requirement is simple: hit a bottle one kilometer away—accurately—ten times in a row."
"Once you succeed, increase the distance by another hundred meters. Repeat the process."
"Oh—and I also have a special shell blueprint here. Take a look."
"Try to make it into a weapon that truly belongs to you."
Red handed over a prepared blueprint for the Buggy Bomb.
He strongly believed that someone capable of crafting specialized ammo and the Clima-Tact like Usopp would put this design to excellent use.
Perhaps…
He might even create a portable modified Buggy Bomb before Buggy himself did!
(End of Chapter)