"Nonsense! I picked them up by the roadside!"
Nami shot back without the slightest hint of guilt. Her face did not redden, her heart did not race, and her tone was righteous and confident.
"You say they belong to you, but do they respond when you call them? When I call them, they listen!"
She raised her voice and called out toward the bundled gold ornaments behind her.
"Hey, little guys!"
At her command, the scattered gold truly responded. One by one, the ornaments trembled, lifted themselves into the air, and gently floated toward Nami.
A sharp grin spread across her face.
"Good babies. Go show that guy what real power looks like!"
She pointed decisively at Gecko Moria.
"Huh? What is this?"
Moria stared in disbelief as the gold drifted closer, his expression twisting in confusion.
Before he could react, the floating gold suddenly converged. The ornaments fused together midair, reshaping themselves into several razor sharp golden spears.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The spears plunged mercilessly into Moria's massive body.
In an instant, he resembled a grotesque porcupine, his frame riddled with shining golden weapons.
"It worked!"
Nami jumped in place, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
This was her first real battle.
Although she had spent a long period training in the sealed space Shirogai prepared for her, only moments had passed in the outside world. During that time, Shirogai had focused solely on letting her understand and master the Gold Gold Fruit on her own.
He had never deliberately thrown her into combat.
Nami was never a fighter who relied on brute force.
She was a strategist, someone who thrived on calculation, intuition, and control. Forcing her into repeated duels would have dulled her greatest strength rather than sharpened it.
And she did not disappoint.
Through experimentation alone, Nami had developed a unique combat style, seamlessly combining her Weather Staff with the Gold Gold Fruit into a single flowing system.
The only thing she lacked was confidence.
She was already powerful, yet she still viewed herself as fragile.
"Wow!!! Nami, you're incredible!"
From a distant hiding spot, Usopp stared with his mouth hanging open, eyes bulging in disbelief as he watched Moria fall in a single exchange.
"That training space is insane! I want to go in too!"
Back on the ship, Shirogai had once invited Usopp to train alongside them. But after hearing about the risks, Usopp hesitated and ultimately declined, fearing his willpower might not be enough.
Shirogai had only sighed at the time.
Usopp truly underestimated himself.
Among the crew, only Luffy and Zoro possessed willpower comparable to Shirogai's. Even Sanji's mental resilience fell slightly short.
"Hehe. I told you," Nami said proudly, turning back with a playful laugh. "I'm terrifyingly strong now."
"Kishishishi…"
A distorted laugh echoed.
The Moria pierced by golden spears suddenly dissolved into darkness, his body collapsing into a pitch black shadow.
"What?"
Nami froze.
"He's still alive? Is that a Devil Fruit ability?"
The shadow reformed, its grin twisted and malicious.
"Kishishishi…"
Swoosh!
At the same moment, the shadow beneath Nami's feet stretched unnaturally and lunged upward.
"Nami! Watch your shadow!"
Usopp shouted in panic.
"Hmph."
A sulky, irritated voice interrupted from the side.
"Kid, don't ruin Master's fun. I finally thought I could enjoy myself with that pretty fairy."
Something struck Usopp's face without warning.
Smack!
He was sent flying backward before he even understood what happened.
Puff!
His cheek immediately swelled.
"What just hit me?"
Usopp lay sprawled on the ground, dizzy and rubbing his face.
"Who did that?!"
A strange lion like roar echoed nearby.
"My opponent is trash like you? What a disappointment."
Smack!
Usopp was kicked again, sent crashing into a tree with a dull thud.
His body trembled as he scrambled to his feet, frantically scanning his surroundings.
"Who is it?! Come out if you dare! I've got over three thousand subordinates hiding in this forest! Attack me again and I'll unleash them all!"
The forest fell silent.
For a moment, it seemed the threat had worked.
Usopp swallowed nervously.
"Did it scare him off?"
Smack!
A brutal kick slammed into his stomach, sending him flying once more.
"Gah! Cough…!"
He rolled across the dirt, spitting bitter fluid as panic spread across his face.
An invisible enemy was toying with him.
"Sure Kill, Triple Explosive Star!"
"Sure Kill, Six Shot Viper Star!"
"Sure Kill, Swallowtail Star!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions erupted around him as Usopp fired wildly, saturating the area with ammunition in hopes of landing a lucky hit.
"Long nosed bastard! You almost got me!"
A hoarse voice roared in fury.
"I'm angry now!"
Boom!
An invisible cannonball detonated in front of Usopp.
He was engulfed in the blast and thrown backward.
"Pfft!"
Luckily, Usopp had sensed danger at the last moment and rolled behind a tree, reducing the impact. Even so, blood spilled from his mouth as he struggled to breathe.
"So weak," the unseen enemy sneered. "And you're worth one hundred million Berries?"
An invisible foot pressed down heavily on Usopp's chest.
"Now die."
In that instant, Usopp's eyes snapped open.
"Now!"
He yanked his slingshot upward and fired without hesitation.
"Sure Kill, Super Stink Egg Star!"
Bang!
The projectile burst midair, releasing an unbearable stench that flooded the area.
"Cough! Cough! What is this?!"
Absalom, still invisible, stumbled back in horror.
"It's disgusting! Damn it! I deal with zombies every day and I've never smelled anything this foul!"
He gagged violently.
"Are you throwing poop?!"
"Hmph!"
Usopp wiped the ketchup from his mouth and stood proudly.
"I am Sniper King Usopp of the Straw Hat Pirates! What you just inhaled was my specially fermented fertilizer projectile!"
"Fermented fertilizer?! That's still poop!"
Absalom nearly broke down.
"It's extracted from bird droppings!"
Usopp corrected smugly.
"That's still poop! Get lost!"
Absalom fled in despair.
…
High above the battlefield, Shirogai floated calmly, biting into an apple.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"That ability truly suits Usopp's fighting style."
With proper support, it provided endless plant based ammunition, enhanced recovery, increased battlefield survivability, and enough close range pressure to keep enemies cautious.
A perfect match.
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