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"I told you guys before, didn't I?"
Onboard the Going Merry, Bai Ye looked at the crew sitting neatly in a row on the deck and said:
"I'm a Taoist. I can provide support for the crew."
After seeing everyone nod, Bai Ye went on:
"I'm not just saying that—I really do have methods that can support everyone in battle."
With a flick of his wrist, a few talismans appeared in his hand.
"First up is the art of talismans—it's one of the most practical and versatile techniques in Taoism."
Bai Ye picked one up and flung it toward the sea:
[Freezing Talisman—Activate!]
The spot where it landed burst with cold energy, instantly freezing a patch of the ocean.
Still, compared to the Qimen techniques Bai Ye used before, this was a lot less powerful.
"That was an offensive-type talisman."
Then Bai Ye picked up another talisman and tossed it at Luffy:
[Body Armor Talisman—Activate!]
This time, the reaction was much calmer, but still magical—a faint golden light enveloped Luffy.
"This one's for defense," Bai Ye explained.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Luffy looked at the glow around him, super excited.
"Hey Zoro, come cut me real quick!"
Zoro smirked. "I've been waiting for this day, Captain."
CLANG CLANG CLANG!!!
For a while, the ship rang with Luffy's loud laughter and Zoro's frustrated yells.
[Paralysis Talisman—Activate!]
Bai Ye calmly threw two more talismans at Luffy and Zoro.
In the blink of an eye, both of them froze in place.
Though it only lasted about thirty seconds, they were totally immobilized.
"These are support-type talismans."
After the demo, Bai Ye took out organized stacks of talismans and handed them out to the crew.
"These are the most commonly used ones. Keep them with you—used right in battle, they might give you a real edge."
No one hesitated to accept them. They weren't going to say no to awesome gear from their own vice-captain.
Luffy, of course, was all fired up and ready to try them all at once—until Nami stopped him cold with a classic Love Punch™.
Then Bai Ye spoke again:
"Based on the nature of these talismans, I've also prepared some special gifts for Nami and Usopp."
"Eh?!!" x2
Nami and Usopp both froze in shock.
Even though Bai Ye had mentioned boosting everyone's combat skills, they figured he meant the main fighters like Luffy and Zoro.
After all, those guys were the real heavy-hitters on the crew—Nami and Usopp weren't expecting anything for themselves.
"Nami," Bai Ye called out, flipping his wrist. A rod appeared in his hand.
"Wait, that's... my three-section staff?" Nami said instinctively when she saw it.
In the original story, Nami's weapon was a three-section staff, which Usopp later upgraded into the first version of the Clima-Tact during the Alabasta arc.
"Yep. But I've inscribed a few talismans on it."
"Specifically: Ice, Fire, Lightning, and Wind."
As Bai Ye spoke, he began explaining how to use it.
"As the crew's navigator, using these elemental powers to manipulate the weather in battle should be perfect for you."
He handed the new Clima-Tact to Nami.
"This is amazing, Bai Ye! It's exactly what I wanted!"
Nami said excitedly, eyes gleaming.
Watching Bai Ye give Nami such an awesome weapon, Usopp couldn't help getting nervous. What could his gift possibly be?
"Usopp."
Bai Ye turned to him, and with a flick of his wrist, two sleek handguns appeared in his hand.
That's right—actual handguns. Not the steampunk-style weapons from the One Piece world, but real pistols from Bai Ye's past life on Earth.
Of course, back then, Bai Ye was a Taoist, not a gun expert.
All he knew was that there was this one gun that showed up in a ton of movies—the Desert Eagle.
So, he modeled these after that iconic gun—but made them elemental versions.
"Huh? These are... for me?"
The second Usopp laid eyes on the guns, he was completely mesmerized.
Just the cool design alone had him totally hooked.
Sure, he normally used a slingshot—but...
But come on!
Usopp suddenly wanted to scream:
Guns like these are the ultimate dream for any man!!
Seeing Usopp practically drooling, Bai Ye chuckled and said:
"You're the crew's only sniper. Who else would I give them to?"
Then he started explaining:
"These guns work just like regular firearms—you just pull the trigger to shoot."
"But there's one big difference—there's no ammo."
"Or rather, they don't need ammo."
Bai Ye explained the concept:
"I engraved five elemental runes into the grips: Wind, Ice, Water, Lightning, and Fire."
"As long as you activate the right rune before firing, the gun will shoot that element's bullet."
"The power and combinations of the elements? That's all up to you to experiment with."
After listening to the explanation, Usopp felt like the soul of a true gunman had finally awakened inside him.
He already had ideas swirling in his head.
Like—what if he combined Lightning and Fire? Would that cause an explosion?
"Nami, Usopp."
Bai Ye continued:
"These gifts will massively boost your combat power, but when it comes to fighting really strong opponents, they're still not enough."
"That's why you have to keep training your Haki. At the very least, you need to awaken one type."
The two of them, who had just been thrilled about their presents, immediately deflated like balloons.
But Bai Ye didn't care in the slightest.
"Next up—pills."
"For now, the ones I can make mostly help with healing and restoring energy."
"Like the healing pills Zoro took, the blood-replenishing ones, and the recovery pill I gave Kaya."
This time, Bai Ye didn't hand out a bunch of pills for people to test on the spot.
What would be the point of that? That's just dumb.
So instead, he just declared confidently:
"When we run into tough enemies—there'll be more than enough pills to go around!"
Luffy and Zoro both grinned at that, probably imagining something chaotic.
Then Bai Ye turned to Zoro. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out the Tai Chi Sword he'd used back in the fight with Mihawk.
"Zoro, take a look at this sword."
He handed it over.
The moment Zoro grabbed the sword, his keen sense for blades kicked in—he could tell right away this sword was no ordinary weapon.
He immediately began testing it, even pulling out his Wado Ichimonji to compare.
"It's way sturdier and sharper than it looks."
"Exactly," Bai Ye nodded, taking the sword back.
"This is something I can offer you—part of a unique Taoist technique: Weapon Refining."
"....."