"Hey, hey, hey… no way…"
Staring at the massive cloud of smoke slowly dispersing in the sky, Mr. 9's face instantly turned deathly pale.
He hurriedly shouted at Usopp in panic:
"Why did you attack them?!"
The Unlucky Duo…
Don't be fooled by the fact that they were only ranked No. 13 among the officers. Anyone in Baroque Works knew that they were special members who could report directly to the boss!
If the boss found out that they had died right before his eyes, wouldn't that mean his own death sentence too?!
Just as Mr. 9 was spiraling in despair—
BOOM!!!
From the rolling sea, a violent explosion suddenly erupted.
Although nowhere near as massive as Usopp's Usoppgy Bomb, it was still powerful enough to blow apart a small sailboat with ease.
Usopp shrugged slightly at Mr. 9. He didn't say a word, but the gesture seemed to prove—
That his decision had been absolutely right.
"They were probably here to eliminate us,"
Vivi, who had already regained her composure as a princess, suddenly walked over with a frown.
"Huh?" Mr. 9 froze, utterly dumbfounded.
Vivi sighed and explained patiently to her clueless partner:
"Our mission."
"Don't forget—we haven't completed the mission to eliminate the whale yet, and now we've boarded another pirate crew's ship…"
"I think the two of us are already on Baroque Works' kill list."
"How can this be?!"Knowing all too well Baroque Works' cruel internal rules, Mr. 9's eyes instantly went dull as he collapsed to the ground in despair.
But human sorrow isn't shared equally.
Compared to Mr. 9's devastation, the Straw Hat crew was now gathered around Usopp in amazement.
Zoro clicked his tongue in admiration."That was impressive, Usopp. To think you could make ammo that terrifying."
Sanji nodded in agreement."Looks like we really can't underestimate you anymore."
The power displayed by the Usoppgy Bomb was already enough to threaten Marine vice admirals and pirates with bounties over a hundred million Beli.
Paired with Usopp's astonishing long-range sniping ability, the word 'weak' no longer had anything to do with him.
"Hahahaha~!"
"Oh come on, I'm still way behind you guys!"
Basking in his companions' praise, Usopp let out a smug, hollow laugh.
"Still, I've gotta thank Nami for approving such a big budget—that really let my research speed skyrocket!"
As he spoke, he opened his satchel again and put away the slingshot.
But in that fleeting instant, a jet-black gleam flashed from the gap in the bag.
Zoro and Sanji immediately noticed.
Inside Usopp's backpack—
It was packed full of pitch-black ammunition!
Every single one was identical to the Usoppgy Bomb from earlier!
"H—!"
Both Zoro and Sanji froze, their gazes toward Usopp instantly changing.
With that many Usoppgy Bombs, even the two of them wouldn't be able to handle it!
Since when had Usopp become this terrifying?!
Sure enough, on this ship… there really wasn't a single moment they could afford to slack off.
Influenced by Usopp's growth, both Zoro and Sanji immediately had the same thought—
Increase the intensity of training.
Just then, Luffy suddenly shouted excitedly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Hey! Looks like someone's coming out!"
"Hm?" Everyone turned to look ahead.
On both sides of the bay leading into Whiskey Peak, villagers had somehow already gathered in crowds, holding up banners and cheering loudly:
"Welcome to the Grand Line!!!"
"Pirates, welcome to Whiskey Peak!!!"
"..."
"..."
The residents wore smiles like those of a bountiful harvest, lining both sides of the harbor as they welcomed the Going Merry.
"Strange… are people on the Grand Line this friendly?"Nami voiced her doubts as she looked around.
Beside her, Red raised the corner of his mouth slightly."Obviously, someone's trying to treat us like suckers."
Who would have thought that these seemingly warm and hospitable villagers were all members of Baroque Works?
However, Red—who was focused solely on reaching Alabasta as soon as possible to conduct his experiments—had no intention of letting the Straw Hats get entangled with these people for long.
"Don't wave back, Luffy!"
Seeing Luffy at the bow still enthusiastically responding, Red sighed helplessly and shouted:
"Don't you sense it with Observation Haki…? Their eyes have been glued to your head worth over a hundred million Beli!"
"These guys are all bounty hunters from Baroque Works!"
"Huh?! Is that so?"Luffy blinked, looking utterly innocent.
"Um…" At that moment, Vivi stepped forward apologetically."I'm familiar with the person in charge here. I'll go talk to them."
"That'd be best," Red nodded.
A bunch of third-rate bounty hunters simply weren't worth wasting their time on.
Soon after, the Going Merry docked at the port of Whiskey Peak.
As soon as Luffy and the others got off the ship, a tall man with thick curly hair stepped forward and personally placed a flower garland around Luffy's neck.
Before he could even begin his prepared speech, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
This man was none other than the Alabasta Royal Guard captain who had infiltrated Baroque Works alongside Vivi and successfully risen to the officer position of Mr. 8—Igaram.
Noticing there were too many outsiders around, Vivi immediately signaled him with her eyes.
With confusion lingering on Igaram's face, the Straw Hats were guided into the town.
A grand "welcome" banquet was soon held at the town's tavern.
Amid clinking glasses and lively revelry, everyone quickly collapsed comfortably into drunken stupors.
Dim moonlight rippled faintly across the silent town.
Late at night.
All the bounty hunters gathered together.
But now, they no longer looked anything like the friendly villagers from daytime.
Every one of them held weapons, faces twisted with excitement and bloodthirst.
This was their true nature.
Whoosh!
The tavern doors were thrown open.
Under the moonlight, countless blades gleamed with chilling cold light.
Yet in the very next second—
"…Huh?"
The expressions of all the bounty hunters changed abruptly.
They stared in disbelief at the Straw Hat crew, who were calmly sitting inside the tavern, sipping their drinks.
"Y-you… why aren't you down?!"One of the bounty hunters at the front blurted out in shock.
To get this group drunk, they had sacrificed nearly all the food the town had left!
If even that hadn't worked, then the coming days would be nothing but starvation.
But hearing his question, Luffy—still shoveling food into his mouth—immediately frowned in annoyance.
"What the heck?! I thought you guys were good people!"
"So it really is like Red said… you had bad intentions all along?!"
"Then…"
"Don't blame us for being rough!"
Clang!
Zoro instantly drew his swords, surging battle intent radiating from him.
"So this is our first fight on the Grand Line?!"
"Perfect—today's training still isn't done…"
"I hope you guys can give me something worth looking forward to!"
"Why all the chatter!"
Nami swiftly assembled the Clima-Tact, brilliant lightning crackling around her as she reminded everyone:
"Don't forget to leave a few alive—we need to ask where the treasure room is!"
"Understood, Nami-swan!"
Click—
Sanji lit a cigarette.
Usopp quietly put on his goggles and retreated behind the group.
"Such lively energy,"Red remarked calmly from the rear, sipping a cocktail—the only one among the Straw Hats with no intention of joining the fight.
Crack!
Luffy clenched his fist, grinning wide."Let's go, guys!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
Like a lit firecracker thrown into water, chaos exploded forth.
At Luffy's signal, the Straw Hats transformed into ferocious beasts, charging straight into what looked like hunters—
But were, in truth, lambs awaiting slaughter.
The clashing of weapons and screams of pain echoed nonstop.
"No way! How are they this strong?!"
"Run! That lightning woman's coming!"
"Don't go that way—the perverted guy in the suit is there!"
"Wait! That long-nosed one looks weak—he's the breakthrough point!"
BOOM—!!!
A violent explosion instantly swallowing dozens of people made the bounty hunters who had been rushing toward Usopp stop dead in terror.
Nearly a thousand bounty hunters were surrounded by just a handful of Straw Hats, with nowhere left to run.
Half an hour later…
The bounty hunters—now as helpless as newborn babies—were completely wiped out.
Meanwhile—
Igaram, who hadn't joined the battle, looked down at the reinforcements Vivi had found to deal with Crocodile, his hands trembling as he held up their bounty posters.
"As expected of a man with a 180 million Beli bounty…"
"Their strength is truly incredible!"
"With their help… maybe Alabasta really can be saved!"
Hope flickered in Igaram's eyes.
But at that very moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him:
"Looks like the boss's intel was spot-on after all."
"So you really are spies planted in Baroque Works by the kingdom?"
"In that case… my apologies."
BOOM!!!
Just as Nami was sitting on someone, violently shaking him for the treasure room's location—
A thunderous explosion erupted from a tall tower at the edge of town.
Seeing this, Red slowly smiled, turning his gaze toward the blast, anticipation flashing across his face.
"So you've finally arrived…"
"My very first… collectible."
(End of Chapter)