Luffy stood in the middle of the dojo, his face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to make his rubber body stay solid. Every time he managed Iron Body, his skin got this cool metallic shine to it. The afternoon sun coming through the windows made his skin glitter when he got it right.
"Again!" Luffy grinned, even though his legs were shaking a bit from trying so hard.
On the other side of the dojo, Usopp was practicing his Finger Pistol. Each time he jabbed his finger forward, the air around it got all wavy, like when you look at something through hot air rising from the road. His legs were shaking way more than Luffy's, but he kept at it.
"Time to test what you've learned," Lucius announced, making everyone stop what they were doing. "Luffy, Usopp - let's see how you do against each other."
The rest of the crew gathered around to watch. Even Zoro, who'd been cutting through metal dummies with his new sword technique, turned to see what would happen.
"Finally! A real fight!" Luffy bounced up and down excitedly.
"W-wait a minute!" Usopp's knees started knocking together. "Maybe we should practice more basic moves first? The Great Captain Usopp once trained ten thousand men in the art of—"
"Don't worry," Lucius cut in with a smile. "Luffy will go easy on you. This is just practice."
"Oh! Well in that case..." Usopp puffed out his chest, though his legs were still shaking. "The Great Captain Usopp accepts this challenge!"
They moved to the center of the dojo while all the training equipment slid away by itself. Usopp kept inching backward until he was almost against the wall.
"Begin!" Lucius called out.
"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy's arm shot out like a rocket, stretching across the dojo. The usual rubbery wobble was replaced by something different - his arm maintained the metallic sheen of Iron Body all the way through the stretch.
"WAHHHH!" Usopp dove to the side, rolling behind one of the training dummies. "That's not fair! You're supposed to go easy on me!"
"But I am!" Luffy grinned, retracting his arm. "See? I didn't even try to hit you that hard!"
Usopp peeked out from behind the dummy, his slingshot already loaded. "The Great Captain Usopp won't fall for such obvious attacks! Take this - Lead Star!"
The projectile whistled through the air, but when it hit Luffy's chest, it just bounced off with a metallic 'ping'. Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Did you see that? It didn't hurt at all!" He patted his chest proudly. "Iron Body is amazing!"
"Oh yeah?" Usopp tried to sound brave, though he was still mostly hidden behind the dummy. "Well, wait until you see my new special attack! The technique I used to defeat ten thousand—"
"Gum Gum Whip!" Luffy's hardened leg swept toward Usopp, forcing him to abandon his hiding spot.
"That's definitely not going easy!" Usopp scrambled away, but then remembered his training. Taking a stance like Lucius had taught him, he pointed his finger at Luffy. "F-Finger Pistol!"
The compressed air actually caught Luffy in the shoulder, breaking through his Iron Body for just a moment. Instead of showing pain, Luffy's face lit up even more.
"Whoa! That actually worked! Do it again, Usopp!"
"Of course it worked!" Usopp's confidence grew slightly, though he maintained a safe distance. "After all, I once trained with the legendary finger warriors of the—"
"Gum Gum Gatling!"
"WAIT I WASN'T FINISHED WITH MY STORY!" Usopp ran in circles as Luffy's rapid-fire punches chased him around the dojo. Each hardened fist left small dents in the floor where they struck.
"Come on, Usopp! Fight back!" Luffy laughed, clearly having the time of his life. "Your Finger Pistol thing was cool!"
"The Great Captain Usopp doesn't take orders from anyone!" But Usopp was already reaching for his ammunition pouch. "Special Attack: Explosive Star!"
He combined the shot with another Finger Pistol, creating a blast that actually made Luffy step back. The explosion lit up the entire dojo for a moment.
When Usopp combined his Finger Pistol with his special ammunition, Lucius's eyes widened in surprise. Like when Zoro had merged Path of Severance with his Three Sword Style, Usopp had found a way to adapt the technique to his own fighting style.
=======================
[Training Achievement Unlocked!]
[Student: Usopp]
[Finger Pistol: Advanced Variation Developed]
[Note: Student has created original combination technique]
=======================
[System Reward]
[Potential Bonus: 100 SP]
[Current SP Total: 775]
=======================
'Interesting,' Lucius thought as he watched Usopp's triangle-shaped attack collide with Luffy's Gum Gum Bazooka. 'He's using the compressed air principle of Finger Pistol to enhance his ammunition's power. Not just copying the technique, but adapting it to work with his existing skills.'
The explosion that lit up the dojo showed just how effective the combination was. While a normal Explosive Star might not have been enough to counter Luffy's attack, the added force from multiple Finger Pistols had created something new entirely.
"That was awesome!" Luffy's eyes turned to stars. "Hey, hey, can you do that again but bigger?"
"Naturally! Though perhaps we should take a break first..." Usopp tried to catch his breath, but Luffy was already charging forward.
"Gum Gum Bullet!" This time Luffy's punch stayed completely rigid through the stretch, like a metal pole extending at high speed.
Usopp yelped and dropped flat to the floor, the attack passing over him. "That's not what going easy means!"
"But you're doing great!" Luffy retracted his arm, bouncing excitedly. "Your dodging is getting better!"
"That's because I've had years of experience dodging dangerous—" Usopp began another tale, but had to cut it short to avoid another attack. This time he managed to fire off three quick Finger Pistols while diving away.
Two of them actually hit Luffy, making small ripples in his Iron Body defense. "See? You're getting stronger!"
"Well, of course! After all, I..." Usopp paused, realizing something. Despite his fear at the start, he was actually landing hits on Luffy. His Finger Pistol was working. "I am the Great Captain Usopp!"
This time when he took aim, his hand wasn't shaking. "Finger Pistol: Rapid Fire!"
Multiple compressed air shots hit Luffy in quick succession. While they didn't do much damage through the Iron Body, they still made Luffy laugh with excitement.
"Now you're getting serious!" Luffy pulled both arms back. "Gum Gum Bazooka!"
"Special Technique: Triple Threat!" Usopp combined another Explosive Star with two Finger Pistols, creating a triangle-shaped blast that met Luffy's attack head-on.
"That's quite clever," Lucius muttered to himself. "Using precise Finger Pistol strikes to create a triangular impact pattern, then using that to focus the explosive force into a single point."
Even more impressive was how Usopp had overcome his initial fear to develop this variation. Unlike Zoro's purely combat-focused innovation, Usopp had found a way to enhance his support role while still maintaining distance - perfectly suited to his fighting style.
The system's bonus points reflected just how significant this development was. Creating new applications of these techniques wasn't just about raw power, but about understanding the core principles well enough to adapt them.
'First Zoro with his spiral cutting technique, now Usopp with this enhanced ammunition,' Lucius smiled as he called an end to the sparring match. 'They're not just learning the techniques, they're making them their own.'
It reminded him of his farming students back home - how the best ones wouldn't just memorize the methods he taught, but would find ways to improve them based on their specific needs. Usopp might be timid compared to his crewmates, but his creative thinking had led to something truly unique.
"That's enough for now," Lucius called out, hiding a smile. What had started as a terrified Usopp trying to avoid sparring had turned into a genuine training session. Both of them had made progress - Luffy with maintaining Iron Body while stretching, and Usopp with actually landing effective hits despite his fear.
"Aww, but we were just getting started!" Luffy pouted.
"The Great Captain Usopp agrees that proper training requires careful pacing," Usopp quickly backed toward the edge of the training area. "Perhaps we can continue another time, after I've prepared more special ammunition..."
"Tomorrow then!" Luffy decided with a grin. "And you have to show me that triangle explosion again!"
"Maybe next time you could try going a little easier..." Usopp muttered, but he was smiling too. Despite his fears, he'd actually held his own in a spar against Luffy. Even if Luffy had been holding back, it was still more than he could have managed before the training.
As he watched Usopp try to gracefully escape Luffy's demands for more training, Lucius made a mental note to encourage this kind of innovation from his other students. If they could all find ways to adapt these techniques to their individual fighting styles, they'd be much better prepared for whatever awaited them in Alabasta.