Chapter 20 Usopp's Clown PerformanceOne afternoon during the second week of training, the tranquil air of the village was shattered by a slightly comical shout.
"Luffy—!"
"You come out here! I challenge you—!"
The voice came from outside the villa gate, carrying a do-or-die determination, and a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.
On the lawn, Luffy was watching Kaya identify several acupoints on his body using a physiognomy chart; Nami was a little further away, trying to sense the swaying of leaves in the wind with her eyes closed; and Nojiko was practicing basic sword-wielding movements.
Hearing the shout, all four of them paused.
Nami was the first to open her eyes, pouting, "That long-nosed guy, still not given up?"
Kaya put down the chart, her face paling, a flicker of worry and guilt crossing her eyes.
Nojiko sheathed her sword and stood looking at Luffy.
Luffy's face remained expressionless, only nodding slightly to Nochi: "You go."
Nochi nodded, sheathed her wooden sword, and strode towards the villa's gate.
Nami's eyes darted around, and she followed, a look of anticipation on her face.
Kaya hesitated for a moment, then followed cautiously, glancing instinctively at Luffy.
Luffy didn't move, remaining rooted to the spot, his gaze calmly fixed on the gate.
Outside the villa's iron gate, Usopp, wearing his homemade captain's cloak and a bandana with the word "LIE" on it, stood tall and proud, trying to appear imposing.
However, his slightly trembling legs and the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner tension.
Usopp, seeing only Nojiko, Nami, and Kaya emerge, and Luffy absent, initially breathed a sigh of relief, then grew annoyed:
"Hey! Let Luffy out! I want to challenge him, not a woman!"
Nojiko stopped five steps away, her hand on the hilt of her wooden sword: "Beat me first."
Usopp was taken aback, his face flushing:
"You…you look down on me? I'm Captain Usopp! A brave sea warrior with eight thousand men under my command!"
Usopp raised his slingshot, aiming at Nojiko: "Let Luffy out now! Otherwise, my Powder Star won't have eyes!"
Nami, arms crossed, spoke coolly:
"Eight thousand men? Where are they? I only see three brats you tricked into watching the show hiding in those bushes over there?"
Nami gestured towards a distance, and sure enough, three small heads peeked out from behind the bushes.
Usopp's momentum faltered, a surge of anger rising within him: "Enough talk! Take this—Gunpowder Star!"
He abruptly pulled back his slingshot, sending a small pellet coated with a small amount of gunpowder and pebbles hurtling towards Nojiko's face!
The speed wasn't slow, the accuracy was decent, and combined with his exaggerated pose, it did have a certain imposing presence.
However, to Nojiko, who had endured Luffy's brutal training, this attack was riddled with flaws.
Nojiko didn't even draw her sword; she merely shifted her stance, her body slightly tilting to the side.
Whoosh!
The gunpowder star grazed her hair, striking the grass behind her with a soft "poof," releasing a small cloud of smoke and dirt—its power negligible.
Usopp was stunned, not expecting his opponent to dodge so easily.
He gritted his teeth, quickly reloaded, preparing to fire a second shot.
But Nojiko didn't give him the chance.
The instant his fingers touched the next slingshot, Nojiko moved.
Her movements were swift and silent, like a hunting leopard, covering five meters in a few strides. Her wooden sword, seemingly unseen, was already drawn, whistling through the air, and swiftly slashed at Usopp's wrist, the one holding the slingshot!
Usopp was startled and hastily retreated, simultaneously using the slingshot to block.
*Snap!*
The wooden sword struck the Y-shaped support of the slingshot precisely.
Nojiko's strength, honed through training, far surpassed that of an ordinary girl. Although she held back her force, the strike still sent a jolt through Usopp's wrist, nearly causing him to drop the slingshot.
Usopp staggered backward, and Nojiko followed closely, her wooden sword flashing as she slashed and thrust. Her moves were simple and direct, yet they completely shut down any space for Usopp to dodge.
Usopp dodged awkwardly, his fighting skills, built on boasting and bluffing, utterly ineffective against Nojiko's solid swordsmanship.
In less than ten rounds, Nojiko's wooden sword flashed, striking Usopp's wrist joint with pinpoint accuracy.
"Ah!" Usopp cried out in pain, his slingshot flying from his hand.
Immediately afterward, Nojiko slipped, a simple trip sending Usopp off balance, screaming and crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The battle was over, decisively and cleanly.
Nojiko sheathed her sword and stepped back, slightly out of breath, beads of sweat on her forehead, but her breathing steady.
She looked at the dusty, disheveled Usopp on the ground, her eyes calm and unwavering.
"Usopp!" Kaya couldn't help but exclaim, stepping forward, her eyes filled with worry.
Just then, Luffy leisurely emerged from the villa, stopping on the steps and looking down at Usopp sprawled on the ground.
Usopp struggled to his feet, ignoring the dust, his eyes red as he glared at Luffy, hissing,
"You...you let a woman fight for you! What kind of skill is that! If you're so capable, fight me yourself!"
Luffy's gaze fell on him: "What do you have to fight me with? Your slingshot? Or those eight thousand fictitious subordinates you mentioned?"
Usopp choked, his face flushing crimson.
Luffy took a step forward, and that single step alone exerted an oppressive force that made Usopp involuntarily retreat.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Usopp could no longer withstand the pressure, turning and fleeing in a disheveled state, leaving his slingshot behind.
Kaya hesitated, a look of sadness on her face.
Luffy walked to Kaya's side, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close.
Kaya leaned against Luffy's shoulder, feeling his firmness, and the initial pang of pain in her heart was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.
Yes, Usopp was a good person, but he couldn't protect her, nor could he give her the future she wanted.
But Luffy could, even if his methods were so domineering, so…inhuman.
Kaya closed her eyes and whispered, "I will become stronger."
It wasn't out of spite, but a firm resolve.
Luffy looked down at her slightly trembling eyelashes, raised his hand, and somewhat awkwardly ruffled her blonde hair.
"Mm."
The setting sun cast long, intertwined shadows of them.
Nami watched this scene, pursed her lips, but said nothing, turning and returning to the villa.
Nojiko silently picked up Usopp's slingshot from the ground, looked at it, and gently placed it on the stone stool by the door.
After that day, Usopp disappeared for several days.
Some villagers said they saw him sitting on the rocks near the village entrance, lost in thought, sometimes for an entire day.
Others said he locked himself in his house, fiddling with something.
Kaya, hearing this, secretly sent some food and clean bandages with her maid, but she herself didn't go to see him.
Usopp accepted the things, but left no word.
Usopp never appeared near the villa again, only occasionally, in the quiet of the night, standing by the window of his small house, gazing at the brightly lit villa on the hillside, his fists clenched.
He knew that some things were lost forever.
And the reason for that loss wasn't because others were too strong, but because he himself… was too weak.