"Kid, you're dead!"
A pirate, barely missing a plunge into the sea after being struck by a lead bullet, charged at Usopp with a long knife, his face twisted in rage. How dare this brat shoot him on his jewel with a bullet?! If he had been any bigger, he would've toppled overboard like the others!
His fury boiled over as he thought about how close he came to losing his manhood.
But just as the pirate closed in, Usopp's gaze sharpened, locking onto the horde of pirates behind him. An inexplicable thrill coursed through him as he loaded a glowing green projectile onto his slingshot, completely ignoring the pirate who was about to strike.
After all…
No crowd control skill can resist the allure of taking down a mob.
"Take this! Energen Star!"
Whoosh!
A green streak flew over the pirate's head, aimed directly at the clustered group behind him. The pirate, at first startled by the incoming projectile, felt a breeze as it whizzed past and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This kid's so scared he can't even aim properly when I'm right in front of him!"
But their laughter died in his throat.
The green marble erupted mid-air, releasing a fragrant, grass-like aroma. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of razor-sharp blades shot out, spinning like a tornado, cutting through the pirates.
The blades sliced through flesh with ease, their sharpness merciless.
Screams erupted all around.
"Ahhh!!!"
The leaves, once embedded in flesh, gradually dissolved into natural energy, leaving deep wounds. Blood gushed out, turning the once-clean deck into a scene from a nightmare, with pirates writhing in agony.
"W-What is this power?!"
The pirates untouched by the leaves stood frozen in terror, unable to comprehend the carnage before them.
High above, Buggy noticed the chaos below but, being well-versed in battle, he showed no sign of fear. Instead, he was puzzled. When did someone this strong emerge in the East Blue?
Having spent months perfecting his Buggy Bombs, Buggy had only heard snippets about dimensional merchants and Pokémon, dismissing them as mere rumors, much like Whitebeard had.
But now, seeing his crew in shambles, Buggy bellowed, "You brat! How dare you harm my crew?!"
He had poured his heart and soul into building his circus-like pirate crew. He wasn't about to let them be humiliated like this.
Whoosh!
Buggy's disembodied hand, still lodged in the deck, flew up and lunged at Usopp once more.
Just as the hand took flight, it was pinned down by a set of sharp talons.
"Grr!"
Rowlet's large, cute eyes narrowed in anger. How dare this red-nosed fool ignore it!
Rowlet spread its wings wide, green light dancing around them, ready to unleash its power.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless blades shot from Rowlet's wings, a barrage of scimitars aimed at Buggy's hovering upper body.
The Flying Leaf Blade—a staple move among grass-type Pokémon. With Rowlet's mastery over grass-type energy, it could easily cleave through stone, let alone flesh.
However...
Rowlet underestimated the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit.
"What the—?!"
Cold sweat trickled down Buggy's forehead as he saw the blades coming. But instinctively, his body split into dozens of pieces, each dodging the deadly leaves with precision.
It was as if...
He could sense the trajectory of every single blade.
"Grr?"
Rowlet, stunned by its missed attack, couldn't believe that its full-powered strike had been evaded so easily.
Refusing to give up, it unleashed another flurry of Flying Leaf Blades.
But Buggy dodged them all.
"Damn it! Did this bird eat a Devil Fruit?"
Buggy yelled in confusion, his absurd red nose trembling as fear began to creep into his eyes.
Below, Usopp loaded another Energen Star into his slingshot and let it fly toward the remaining pirates.
The blade storm descended once more, wiping out another dozen pirates.
"Something's off, way off!"
A kid with special ammunition, and an owl that looked like it had eaten a Devil Fruit…
Even Buggy, with all his arrogance, knew he had hit a wall this time.
And he wasted no time showing off the survival skills he had honed over the years.
"Retreat!" Buggy ordered his men. "Forget the loot, just save yourselves!"
The remaining pirates, terrified and desperate, obeyed instantly, fleeing faster than they had charged.
"Run!!!"
"Help!!!"
"Mom, I want my mom!!!"
The pirates scrambled back onto Buggy's ship as quickly as they had attacked, abandoning the merchant vessel to its fate.
The clown's sail unfurled, oars rowing frantically. Before Usopp could even react, Buggy's pirate ship was already pulling away.
Usopp stood there, bewildered.
What just happened?
Though he was the victor, Usopp felt a strange unease. What if a Sea King suddenly emerged from the depths to devour him whole?
But as he watched the enemy flee, relief washed over him.
His first battle on the high seas was over, and he had come out on top, but the experience had left him wary.
Yet...
Rowlet seemed to have other thoughts.
Hey, hey, hey?
Is that it?
This was its grand debut, and its opponents just up and left? How was it supposed to brag about this later?
Frustrated, Rowlet flew into the sky, its voice echoing in protest:
"Grr, grr, grr!? (You're just gonna run away after getting me all fired up? Come back here!)"
Shadow Sneak!
Rowlet's shadow suddenly stretched across the sea, rising behind Buggy like a specter. Two glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.
"Huh?"
Buggy, sensing something amiss, turned and froze in terror at the sight of the massive shadow looming over him.
But before he could react, the shadow's wing lashed out, slamming him to the ground.
Buggy tried to block the attack with his arms, but the force sent him tumbling, disrupting his escape.
"Grr!"
Seizing the moment, Rowlet dove from the sky, energy crackling around it as it zeroed in on Buggy.
Move—Smack Down!
Boom!
The impact struck Buggy with overwhelming force, nullifying his Devil Fruit ability and sending him crashing to the deck below.
"Ah!"
Buggy howled in pain, trying to rise, but a black, round-toe shoe suddenly stomped on his hand.
Usopp, slingshot aimed at Buggy's head, nervously warned:
"Don't move! Or else... I'll shoot!"
(End of this chapter)