Chapter 156: A Duel Between Men! Luffy vs. Usopp
Night fell.
Inside the cabin of the going merry, it was dinner time.
The dining table, which was usually chaotic with people fighting over meat, was suffocatingly quiet today.
Although Sanji had prepared a meal as delicious as ever, almost no one touched the food on their plates.
Luffy sat at the head of the table, his head bowed.
After a long time, he put down the meat in his hand, his voice low and raspy, breaking the dead silence:
"We've decided."
"We're going to buy a new ship on this island."
Luffy looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally resting on the empty chair:
"And then... we say goodbye to the going merry."
Slap!
Usopp suddenly slammed his hands on the table and stood up. The sound of the chair falling over was exceptionally clear in the silent cabin.
"Don't joke around! Luffy!"
Usopp was trembling all over, out of anger, and even more so out of fear:
"The money is right here! You heard it just now too, it can be fixed!"
"Why change ships? The going merry is our comrade!"
"It carried us ten thousand meters into the sky and brought us back safely... How can you just replace it like that!"
"It can't be fixed!" Luffy roared back; this was the fact he was most unwilling to accept.
"That old man said the keel is broken! If we keep sailing, the ship will sink, and everyone will die!"
"That's just because their skills aren't good enough! I don't believe it!"
Usopp shouted hysterically, tears streaming from his eyes:
"Is it really because it can't be fixed? Luffy?"
"Or is it... because it's old? Because it's not strong enough anymore?"
Usopp pointed to his chest, which was still wrapped in bandages from the injuries he sustained while protecting the Berries:
"Just like me... always dragging everyone down, always getting hurt, always needing you guys to save me..."
"If I hadn't been saved by you today, if I hadn't been frozen in fear when facing Aokiji..."
"Would I be considered 'useless' just like this ship, and then be abandoned by you?!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!!!"
Luffy was completely enraged. He jumped up, grabbed Usopp by the collar, his eyes bloodshot:
"This has nothing to do with your strength! It has nothing to do with whether you're useful! This is the Captain's decision! I'm doing this for everyone's lives!"
"Don't lump the going merry together with yourself!"
"So those are your true feelings?!"
Usopp didn't back down; instead, he became even more agitated. "You think I'm a burden too, don't you! Just like this broken ship!"
"You bastard... I'm hurting too!!"
Luffy was shaking with rage. His reason snapped at that moment, and he shouted without thinking:
"Since you're so dissatisfied with my decision... since you don't want to listen to me so much..."
"Then get off this ship—"
Thump!!!
A dull thud sounded.
In the instant before that decisive word could escape his lips.
Sanji, who had been silently smoking on the side, suddenly lunged forward and kicked Luffy hard in the face, sending him flying into the wall.
"Hey! Luffy!"
Sanji retracted his leg, his face grim and his eyes full of fury:
"Even if it's out of anger... there are some things you absolutely cannot say! Wake up!"
Luffy clutched his face. In that moment, he was also stunned.
He looked at his hand, realizing he had almost made an irreparable mistake.
"Sorry... I..."
"No need to say it."
A desolate voice interrupted Luffy's apology.
Usopp stood up with a tragic smile. He stiffly removed his goggles and bandana from his head and placed them on the table.
"That kick might have cut off your words... but I already understood."
"You've actually been thinking this for a long time, haven't you? Monkey D. Luffy."
Usopp turned around, his back to everyone, his shoulders shaking violently:
"People with different paths cannot walk together. Since I can't keep up with you monsters... then I'll go my own way."
"I'm quitting."
"But! You can't have the going merry!"
Usopp suddenly looked back, a flame of determination burning in his eyes:
"Monkey D. Luffy! I'm challenging you to a duel!!!"
"Tonight at ten, right here on this coast. If I win... the going merry belongs to me!!"
With that, Usopp grabbed his bag and rushed out of the cabin without looking back.
He left the room full of people in a suffocating silence, listening to his retreating footsteps.
...
At night, the sea breeze howled.
Moonlight spilled over the coast of Scrap Island, casting long shadows of the two figures facing each other.
Luffy and Usopp stood face to face, separated by a distance of over ten meters.
The waves lapped against the hull of the going merry, making a mournful sound.
"Tatsuya!!"
Nami was crying hysterically, clutching Tatsuya's arm and shaking it desperately:
"Go stop them! I'm begging you... everyone is a comrade, why do they have to fight?"
"You're the Vice Captain, they'll definitely listen to you! If you just say something..."
"Waaaaah... Tatsuya..." Chopper also hugged Tatsuya's leg, crying with a face full of snot and tears, "Don't let them fight..."
Zoro stood to the side with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed solemnly on the field, saying nothing.
Sanji stood away from the group, smoking continuously.
Tatsuya. Looking at those two idiots about to clash, a flicker of pain crossed Tatsuya's eyes.
But he didn't move.
"Nami, Chopper."
Tatsuya reached out. He didn't go to stop the fight; instead, he placed a hand on Nami's shoulder, stopping her from trying to rush into the field.
"I'm not going."
Tatsuya shook his head, his voice low:
"This is a duel between men."
"It's a challenge Usopp issued by betting his dignity, and it's also a trial for Luffy's caliber as a Captain."
"Since both sides have already accepted the duel... then, no matter the outcome, whether it's life or death."
"No one can interfere... including me."
Nami was stunned. She looked at Tatsuya's cold face, feeling for the first time that this man, who always pampered her, was so strange.
Tatsuya knew better than anyone.
Usopp's heart was already filled with self-doubt.
If he didn't go through this pain, if he didn't vent all the resentment, fear, and pride in his heart.
He would always be that "coward" hiding behind others.
Only by overcoming this hurdle could he transform into the true "Sniper King."
This was the price of growth.
"Watch closely," Tatsuya said softly. "Don't look away."
...
"Let's begin." Luffy pulled down his straw hat.
"I'm the man who's been with you the longest... I know all your moves and all your weaknesses!"
Usopp let out a roar and initiated the attack.
"Special Attack: Rotten Egg Star!"
Splat!
A foul-smelling egg exploded on Luffy's face, instantly interfering with his sense of smell and vision.
"So stinky!!" Luffy covered his nose.
"Special Attack: Pepper Star!"
Immediately following was a cloud of red pepper powder.
Usopp displayed incredible combat intelligence.
He knew he was no match for Luffy in terms of strength and speed.
So he utilized every available tool, trap, and psychological tactic.
He scattered caltrops on the ground, used a breath dial to move at high speeds in the air, and even set traps by exploiting Luffy's straightforward personality.
"Waaaaah!!"
Luffy stepped into thin air and fell into a pit Usopp had dug beforehand.
"Take this! Shuriken Meteor Shower!"
This time, Usopp didn't hold back at all.
Countless sharp shuriken rained down on Luffy.
Luffy scrambled out of the pit, several bloody gashes already visible on his body.
"It's not over yet!!"
Usopp was panting heavily, his eyes looking frantic.
He suddenly pulled a strange shell from his bag.
It was something Tatsuya had specifically given him when distributing the spoils on Skypiea—
A Gas Dial.
"Cough, cough..."
A cloud of flammable gas instantly surrounded Luffy.
"Special Attack: Fire Star!!!"
BOOM!!!!
A massive fireball swallowed Luffy's figure.
"Luffy!!" Chopper screamed.
As the smoke cleared, Luffy rushed out, charred all over. He gritted his teeth, clearly getting serious: "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
"I was waiting for that!"
Usopp didn't dodge; instead, he charged toward Luffy's fist. In his hand, he held the most dangerous, forbidden weapon.
The impact dial.
"Even if this arm breaks, I don't care..."
With tears in his eyes, Usopp aimed the impact dial at Luffy's defenseless abdomen:
"This is the proof that I fought with everything I had for you on Skypiea!!!!"
"Impact!!"
THUD!!!
A dull sound, powerful enough to shatter internal organs.
A powerful shockwave exploded at point-blank range against Luffy's abdomen.
"Pugh-ha—!!!"
Luffy's mouth hung open as he sprayed a mouthful of blood, falling painfully to his knees.
Usopp, meanwhile, felt the bones in his entire right arm make a sickening cracking sound from the massive recoil. He screamed as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Luffy!!"
Seeing Luffy collapse and cough up blood, Zoro gripped his sword hilt with a grim expression.
Nami covered her mouth, unable to believe that Usopp had actually pushed Luffy into such a desperate situation.
"Ha... ha..."
Usopp clutched his useless right arm, struggling to crawl back up:
"How's that... Luffy... this is... the fighting style of a 'weakling' like me..."
Luffy lay on the ground, his body trembling violently.
The power of the impact dial had shifted his internal organs.
But he slowly pushed himself up with both hands and stood.
His gaze was no longer the confusion of facing a comrade, but the respect of facing an opponent.
"Gomu Gomu..."
Luffy took a deep breath, simply extending his arm backward.
"...Bullet."
Bang!
A swift, accurate, and ruthless strike.
The moment his fist made contact with Usopp's abdomen, a massive amount of kinetic energy exploded.
"Ugh..."
Usopp's eyes rolled back, his body curled like a shrimp, and all consciousness was cut off in an instant.
Like a withered leaf, he fell powerlessly onto the coast where he had laughed countless times before.
The match was decided.
Luffy retracted his fist and stood in place, not moving for a long time.
The night wind blew, kicking up dust from the ground.
Luffy slowly bent over, picked up his fallen straw hat, brushed off the dust, and placed it back on his head.
The brim was pulled very low, hiding his expression. Only large tears could be seen sliding down his cheeks, dripping onto the deck with a "patter" sound.
"Idiot..."
Luffy's voice was choked with endless sorrow:
"Could you... ever beat me..."
"We... clearly walked this path together..."
Luffy turned around, his back to the unconscious Usopp, and announced the result with a trembling voice:
"The going merry... is yours."
"Fix it however you want."
"Let's go!"
With that, Luffy took heavy steps, walking away from the going merry.
With every step, his shoulders shook violently, and his suppressed sobs broke in the wind.
Zoro followed silently. Sanji extinguished his cigarette and didn't look back. Nami ran away crying with her hand over her mouth.
Tatsuya remained until the end.
He walked over to the unconscious Usopp, looking at this man covered in wounds who had fought to the very end for his dignity.
"Mystical Palm Technique."
Tatsuya knelt down, his hands glowing with green light as he healed Usopp's arm.
After a long while.
He pulled a first-aid kit from his coat and placed it gently beside Usopp.
"You're amazing, Sniper King."
Tatsuya whispered, reaching out to pat Usopp's dust-covered shoulder.
Then, he stood up.
Tatsuya didn't look back as he followed Luffy with great strides.
Behind them, only that worn-out little boat called the Going Merry silently accompanied the fallen warrior in the moonlight, as if saying a final goodbye.
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