As Wood saw the so-called "Staff of Destruction," Louise and the others behind him, including Saito, were shocked, although the reasons for their surprise were quite different.
Louise and the others were astonished simply because it was their first time seeing the legendary "Staff of Destruction."
Saito, however, was shocked because this so-called "Staff of Destruction" turned out to be a rocket launcher from their world!
Holding the "Staff of Destruction," Fouquet aimed it at Wood. Although she appeared calm on the surface, internally, she was panicking.
She had obtained the "Staff of Destruction" the previous night, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't figure out how to use it.
"If you are indeed students of the Magic Academy, you should have heard of the power of the 'Staff of Destruction.'
This weapon can destroy a dragon with a single blow. If you don't want to die, leave now and don't force me to use it!
After all, this is an item entrusted to me, and I don't want to reduce my reward by misusing it. So, if you leave now, I can still spare your lives."
Is Fouquet a soft-hearted person? Clearly not. The reason she said this was because she had no idea how to use the thing in her hands.
Seeing how young Wood and the others looked, she tried to use this bluff to scare them off.
Despite Fouquet's convincing act, she could deceive Louise and the others, but not Wood or Saito.
Fouquet was holding the weapon incorrectly—not only was she holding it backward, but she was also pointing the barrel at herself. If she actually knew how to use it, that would be unbelievable.
"It's powerful enough to destroy a dragon in one shot? That's quite impressive. Why don't you try it on me then?
Could it be that you don't know how to use it? If that's the case, I wouldn't mind telling you how."
"First, turn the weapon around, point the barrel at me, then pull out the internal tube, open the sight, release the safety, and press the trigger on the side of the barrel..."
"Wood, are you out of your mind?!"
When Wood started explaining how to use the rocket launcher, Saito initially thought he was just messing with Fouquet.
However, when he saw Fouquet hesitantly following Wood's instructions and aiming the barrel at them, Saito began to panic.
Wood wasn't joking—he was actually teaching her how to use the "Staff of Destruction"!
And Fouquet was indeed following Wood's instructions, completing each step, leaving only the final one: pressing the trigger.
The only reason she hadn't done so yet was that she feared Wood and Saito were trying to trick her into a trap.
However, Saito's terrified expression didn't seem fake to Fouquet, so she hesitated.
"What's the matter? I've told you how to use it, but you're still afraid to use the 'Staff of Destruction' in your hands?
Do you think I'm bluffing? Do you think you'll be able to escape without relying on the 'Staff of Destruction'?"
As soon as Wood finished speaking, he sprinted at high speed towards Fouquet.
Although Fouquet still had her doubts, the situation was just as Wood said—she had no other choice. So, in the end, she gritted her teeth and pressed the trigger.
"You little brat, you've got guts!"
The moment she pressed the trigger, Fouquet could feel the "Staff of Destruction" heating up in her hands. Then, a missile shot out with a long tail of flames, heading straight for Wood.
Wood didn't initially think much of this attack.
However, whether due to the rules of this world or some other reason, the destructive power of the "Staff of Destruction" far exceeded what Wood and Saito knew of rocket launchers!
A small mushroom cloud rose from the clearing, and choking smoke enveloped the area within tens of meters. Pieces of debris continuously fell from the sky following the explosion.
As she witnessed the power of the "Staff of Destruction," Fouquet couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at the heated metal barrel in her hands.
The rumored power to destroy a dragon in one shot was no exaggeration, and what was even more astonishing was that such a powerful attack required no chanting and traveled at incredible speed!
Fouquet changed her mind—she no longer planned to hand the "Staff of Destruction" over to her client.
Previously, she had no interest in the "Staff of Destruction" because she didn't know how to use it.
But now that she knew how to use it and had seen its earth-shattering power, what reason did she have to give it away?
With this in her possession, Fouquet could become the most powerful mage, and she wouldn't have to worry about anyone pursuing her.
As the thick smoke billowed, Saito and Louise were still in shock at the power of the "Staff of Destruction" and concerned for Wood's safety. Suddenly, a figure with two broken swords charged out of the smoke, with glowing silver runes shining on his chest.
Seeing Wood rushing towards her, Fouquet was shocked that he had survived such an attack. But she quickly regained her composure, aimed the barrel at Wood again, and pulled the trigger…
However, this time, no matter how hard she pressed, nothing happened. Before she knew it, Wood was upon her, and with one swift move, he knocked her out cold.
"Unfortunately, although the power of this thing is much greater than I expected, it seems it still operates on a single-shot mechanism."
Looking at the unconscious Fouquet and the "Staff of Destruction" lying beside her, Wood couldn't help but feel relieved.
Originally, he had planned to show off by catching the rocket bare-handed, but the power of this thing was on a whole different level from what he knew!
Could it be that this is a case of a magical world altering the rules of physics?
The area devastated by the "Staff of Destruction" left a crater nearly ten meters in diameter, making Saito and the others, who had followed him, gasp in awe.
Saito even exclaimed that the rocket launcher's power was on par with the latest weapons from their world.
"Maybe it's because the air in this world contains more elemental attributes, which further enhances the weapon's power?
But regardless, we've captured Fouquet, recovered the 'Staff of Destruction,' and our mission should be considered complete."
Looking at the "Staff of Destruction" on the ground, Wood hadn't paid it much attention at first. But now that he thought about it, the technology level in his main world of One Piece wasn't much better than this world's.
A rocket launcher might not be particularly impressive in his previous world, but in the world of One Piece, where the Navy was still using flintlock pistols, this thing could be quite formidable.