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Chapter 28: Melee
Nami and Usopp witnessed the arrow pierce the sky, pass over Luffy and Zoro who had attacked earlier, and land precisely in the charging pirate group.
Boom!
The arrow exploded the moment it touched the first pirate. Frost spread outwards like a tide, covering an area of ten meters in the blink of an eye.
All the pirates touched by the cold air instantly turned into ice sculptures, frozen in place in their forward-charging posture.
In moments, as the number of ice sculptures continued to increase, the earth was covered with a layer of frost, and the temperature of the surrounding air dropped by several degrees.
"A... Amazing...!"
Usopp was completely stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at the girl beside him.
She managed to incapacitate nearly half of the pirates with just one arrow!
Usopp gripped the slingshot in his hand, his eyes filled with both amazement and envy.
How awesome would it be if one day I could unleash such a powerful attack with my slingshot?
"This is 'Frostflake Arrow' Ganyu, with a bounty of ten million Berries, the strongest archer in our Straw Hat Pirates!"
Seeing Usopp so shocked, Nami couldn't help but recall the first time she witnessed Ganyu's attack, a scene that was even more terrifying than this.
"You have no idea. Back when they were fighting the Buggy Pirates, Ganyu single-handedly froze an entire street of pirates..."
"An entire street... Is she... even human...?" As expected, Usopp was once again so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
He was already amazed by the power Luffy and Zoro unleashed, but the visual effect of Ganyu's arrow was even more stunning, a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
With these three monsters helping him guard Syrup Village, it seemed he wouldn't have to do anything.
And yet.
"Usopp, Nami, what are you waiting for!"
Luffy suddenly shouted in their direction.
"You're the only ones who haven't made a move yet. The remaining dozen or so pirates are up to you!"
"Huh? Us?" The two of them were stunned at the same time.
Before they could react, Luffy charged forward, leaping over the ten remaining pirates on the slope and charging towards Jango below.
As if they had planned it in advance, Zoro and Ganyu also leaped out at the same time, following Luffy's figure as they jumped downwards.
"Keep it up!"
As Ganyu passed by them, she winked playfully, leaving behind an encouraging smile, before disappearing from their increasingly despairing gazes.
"No... no way, they just... left like that?"
Usopp's voice trembled as he looked at the ten pirates who were gradually turning their attention to them.
Let him and Nami fight ten pirates?
Are you kidding me!
"At present, it seems... that's the case."
Nami was also trembling with fear.
"Could it be... that you're actually quite strong too?" Usopp suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
"I... I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Nami turned and ran away at an astonishing speed, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye.
"What?! You ran away without telling me?!"
Upon seeing this, Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock!
He wanted to run away with Nami, but before he could even lift his leg, several pirates rushed towards him!
Swish!
A large sword came crashing down on his head. Terrified, Usopp barely managed to dodge the blow, and then a pirate punched him in the face.
"Ah!"
Usopp let out a scream, spitting out blood. One of his teeth was knocked out, and he crashed into a tree, suffering serious injuries.
"Die!"
Several pirates, who were in a daze after being hypnotized by Jango, pounced on Usopp again and beat him up.
"He won't just get beaten to death like that, will he?" Not far away, Nami, hiding in a clump of trees, watched this scene with a hint of pity.
She couldn't help but feel resentful towards Luffy. Why did that guy insist on making her and Usopp deal with so many pirates?
She has absolutely no fighting ability; Usopp, who only knows how to lie and is also a coward, is even weaker than her.
"No, we can't just watch him die here!"
Seeing that the pirates showed no sign of stopping, Nami finally overcame her fear and gripped her iron rod, preparing to rush out to rescue them.
Just then.
"Special Attack: Gunpowder Star!"
A burst of flame suddenly erupted, and the pirates who were ganging up on Usopp were sent flying backward with screams.
Usopp struggled to his feet, clutching a slingshot, his body trembling.
"Eh, what's this...?" Nami's eyes flashed with surprise, and she froze in place, her hand still holding the stick.
Usopp is actually pretty good?
Suddenly, Usopp fixed his gaze on Nami's back, his eyes filled with calmness, and raised his slingshot, shooting a pebble behind Nami.
Thwack!
A pirate who was about to pounce on Nami was hit in the eye by a pebble, blood spurting out. The intense pain jolted him out of his hypnotic state, and he clutched his eye and howled in agony.
"Phew..." Usopp breathed a sigh of relief, his calmness vanished, and as he looked at the five remaining pirates around him, his expression became tense and helpless again.
He managed to solve five of them with all his might, but what about the remaining five?
...
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the beach was equally tense.
Six figures stood facing each other.
On one side were the original three members of the Straw Hat Pirates, who were currently forming a triangle with Luffy at the front.
On the other side were Jango, the acting captain of the Black Cat Pirates, and the Nyaban Brothers: Sham and Buchi.
At this moment, the two Nyaban brothers were staring at Jango with questioning eyes.
You didn't mention there were three such powerful monsters here before we came!
Jango stared at the three people in front of him with a chill running down his spine, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.
"Pirate Hunter" and "Frostflake Arrow" were both monster rookie pirates who had recently become well-known in the East Blue.
The Straw Hat boy standing in front of "Pirate Hunter" and "Frostflake Arrow" was no pushover either; he was also a rare Devil Fruit user in the East Blue, just like "Frostflake Arrow."
How could they possibly fight against such three monsters?
However, fighting these three monsters might result in death, but if they deserted, Kuro will certainly kill them without mercy.
The Nyaban brothers were naturally aware of this as well. They exchanged a glance, a fierce glint in their eyes.
"Captain Jango, please hypnotize us, otherwise we will definitely not be a match for these three!"
Jango glanced at Luffy and his two companions, then without hesitation, shook the pendant at the Nyaban brothers. "After you hear 'One, two, Jango,' you will become..."
"Luffy, aren't you going to interrupt him?" Zoro glanced at them and looked at Luffy at the front.
"No need."
Luffy shook his head slightly and smiled. "Isn't it more interesting the stronger they are?" That's true.
Zoro nodded approvingly, then turned his head to look at the blue-haired girl standing at the very back, seemingly deliberately trying to minimize her presence.
"Hey, Luffy and I will each take on one of those two Nyaban brothers, and you can play with that hypnotist captain for a bit, okay?"
Ganyu blinked and nodded gently, "Okay."
This guy assigned her to deal with the weakest hypnotist because he was afraid she would freeze everyone as soon as she made a move, leaving him with no chance to fight.
However, she wasn't really keen on fighting anyway, so this was to her liking.
The battle was imminent!
After being hypnotized and enhanced, the Nyaban brothers' strength surged, and they transformed into two afterimages, rushing towards Luffy and Zoro respectively.
"So fast!"
In the initial clash, the two, caught off guard, were forced to retreat steadily and could only barely defend themselves.
Ganyu was already used to this.
She knew very well that the reason they were being suppressed was because Luffy and Zoro weren't using their full strength.
Their fighting style often involves first observing the enemy and familiarizing themselves with their attack methods before launching a counterattack.
Of course, there is another reason that cannot be ignored: Luffy and Zoro's current strength is not much stronger than these pirates, even in the East Blue.
But Jango didn't think so. Seeing the Nyaban brothers suppressing Luffy and his companion, the confidence in his eyes returned.
He also wanted to contribute something to the team.
"Hey! Woman, look here!"
Jango shouted loudly while rapidly shaking the pendant in his hand.
To his surprise, Ganyu turned her head very cooperatively, her gaze fixed on the pendant.
Suppressing his overwhelming joy, Jango chanted the incantation:
"After I say 'One, two, awesome!' you will immediately fall asleep."
"One, two, awesome!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly pulled out a small knife from his pocket, preparing to take Ganyu hostage after she fell into a deep sleep.
Time passed by, second by second.
"Why... why haven't you fainted yet?" Jango's expression gradually stiffened.
Ganyu shook her head gently, a hint of confusion flashing in her beautiful eyes. "I don't know either."
She did want to experience being hypnotized, but even though she cooperated by staring at the pendant the whole time, she couldn't fall asleep at all.
Perhaps this body has too high magic resistance?
"D*mn it, I refuse to believe my hypnosis will fail!"
Jango was emotional and unable to accept this fact. After thinking it over for a while, he decided to lower the difficulty of the hypnosis.
"Come on! Look at the pendant in my hand. After I say 'One, two, awesome!', you will take off one of your clothes." "One, two, awesome!"
Time passed once more.
Ganyu looked at him calmly, but there was a hint of obvious contempt in her indifferent eyes, as if she were looking at a disgusting insect.
That old scoundrel actually wanted her to take off her clothes.
She was a little annoyed, pursed her lips, and slowly raised the ice bow in her hand.
"Wait! I surrender, please don't lay a hand on me!"
Upon seeing this, Jango immediately raised both hands.
He had just witnessed the power of that arrow firsthand and didn't want to turn into an ice sculpture.
Upon hearing this, Ganyu put down her bow.
Compared to Luffy and Zoro, she really doesn't have much of a fighting spirit.
But it's also possible that the enemies she's currently facing are too weak for her to be of any interest.
Unexpectedly, Jango took this opportunity to shake the pendant again.
"Haha! How naive! Listen, after I say 'One, two, awesome!' you'll immediately blush with embarrassment!"
"One, two, awesome!"
If the hypnosis effect is reduced again, he won't even bother washing, and it still won't work!
Jango's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, gradually lit up with joy. He had succeeded... he had succeeded!
The blue-haired girl finally blushed under his hypnosis; such an expression on such a pure and innocent face was truly...
Jango was filled with awe, and a line of red liquid flowed respectfully from the tip of his nose.
"What kind of hypnosis is this?!"
Ganyu did blush, but not in the way Jango had imagined. She wasn't shy; her face was flushed with rage!
For once, a fierce glint appeared in those gentle, watery eyes.
"Subduing the masses..."
She stretched out one hand, and in an instant, frost from all directions gathered in her palm, condensing and compressing into a frost bead the size of a basketball.
The spirit pearl detached itself from her palm and continued to rise in the direction of the sky. Before long, it replaced the original position of the sun dozens of meters above the ground, emitting a chilling aura.
"...Celestial Shower."
As Ganyu uttered her final whisper, the Spirit Pearl burst forth with dazzling brilliance, and countless ice spikes shot out from within it, hurtling downwards! These ice spikes shimmered in the sunlight, yet carried a deadly chill.
"This is..."
Jango stared at the sky in terror, sensing danger and trying to run away, but found himself completely unable to move.
Startled, he lowered his head and saw that his legs had been frozen solid, firmly stuck to the sand!
At this time.
Dozens of ice spikes were plummeting down from the sky, each one gleaming with a cold, knife-like glint, looking incredibly sharp and seemingly capable of easily piercing a skull. "Ahhh—"
Not long after.
A suppressed wail, filled with fear and pain, echoed across the entire beach! "Did you faint from fright?"
Ganyu stared speechlessly at the unconscious Jango.
The ice spikes that fell from the sky actually grazed his body and landed on the ground, without causing him any real harm.
But this useless guy actually fainted from fright.
"This is boring. Let's watch Luffy and Zoro fight instead."
Meanwhile, the battle between Luffy and Zoro was nearing its end.
Compared to them, the Nyaban Brothers were still somewhat lacking in strength. After about several dozen rounds of fighting, they gradually fell into a disadvantageous position and their defeat became obvious.
After observing for dozens more rounds, Ganyu discovered that the two had finally reached their physical limits.
"Gum-Gum Machine Gun!"
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Luffy and Zoro seized the opportunity and each used their signature moves, ending the battle that hadn't lasted too long.
The Nyaban brothers fell to the ground and could not get up again.
After the battle ended, they immediately looked at Ganyu and asked in unison:
"Who was faster?"
A look of helplessness flashed in Ganyu's eyes as she rubbed her forehead and said, "Exactly the same."
Honestly, Luffy was actually one second faster.
But Ganyu didn't want to get into trouble because of this, so she ignored the two of them and turned around to check on Usopp and Nami.
But the moment she turned around, her gaze gradually darkened.
"Thank you for letting me enjoy such a wonderful battle."
A man in a black suit walked slowly towards them.
He was carrying two people: a long-nosed boy covered in wounds, and an orange-haired girl who was deathly pale with fear.
His identity was self-evident: the mastermind behind this incident, "Hundred Plans" Kuro, with a bounty of 16 million Berries.
"Usopp! Nami!" Luffy and Zoro's expressions darkened.
Luffy roared, "D*mn it, how dare you beat Usopp like this!"
"I didn't lay a hand on them."
Kuro chuckled coldly, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. "On the contrary, they should be thanking me for my help."
"Huh?"
Luffy was stunned when he heard this, and Zoro's expression was also a little surprised. Could it be that they had misunderstood?