Chapter 66: Poison Gas Is Too Cruel... It Has To Be Gunpowder!
Zoro charged toward Hachi.
Three swords against six.
Blades flashed like snowflakes, the clang of metal as dense as rainfall.
Sanji faced off against Kuroobi.
This brawny Fish-man with two small braids and dressed in martial arts attire assumed a karate stance.
"Fish-man Karate—Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Kuroobi's fist shot forward with a sharp whistle.
Sanji sidestepped, his right leg snapping out like a whip:
"Mouton Shot!"
Meanwhile, Chew, the kissing gourami Fish-man, had initially planned to observe or await Arlong's orders, preparing to launch a sneak attack with water bullets.
But the moment he lifted his head to watch the fight, something sticky and disgusting smacked against the back of his head.
Chew turned, wiping it off—it was a revolting mix of egg yolk and some pungent powder.
Looking further, he saw Usopp, who had somehow freed himself, standing not far away with a slingshot in hand and a provocative grin on his face.
"You ugly freak!" Usopp shouted, "Your opponent is me!"
Chew's eyes turned cold.
It was this long-nosed human who had ambushed Arlong with fire sparks last time.
And now he dared to provoke again?
"Inferior human..." Chew's long mouth twitched as he took a deep breath.
Then, spit—he fired a water bullet!
The projectile shot toward Usopp like a bullet!
But this time, Usopp had learned.
He'd been studying Chew's attack pattern: wind-up, inhale, then shoot.
So the moment Chew inhaled, Usopp was already moving.
"Whoosh!"
The water bullet grazed the edge of his clothes, striking the wall behind him and leaving a bowl-sized crater.
"Missed!" Usopp taunted while backing away, "Is that all? Is this the best you Fish-men can do?"
Chew was enraged.
He inhaled repeatedly, firing water bullets in rapid succession!
Spit-spit-spit-spit—!
Usopp darted left and right across the courtyard, remarkably agile.
He deliberately dodged behind cover—pillars, rubble, walls...
Each water bullet hit the barriers, always just barely missing Usopp.
"Damn it... Damn it!" Chew gave chase.
The two raced through Arlong Park's main courtyard and into the woods outside.
Usopp hid behind a large tree, panting heavily.
He could hear Chew's footsteps approaching.
His earlier fire sparks had hit Chew, but the Fish-man's tough physique made the attacks feel like mere tickles.
And Chew's water bullets...
Usopp glanced back at the tree behind him.
A bowl-sized crater, at least ten centimeters deep.
If that hit a person, it would shatter bones.
His opponent could afford countless mistakes.
But he... one mistake meant defeat.
No—death.
Gulp.
Usopp swallowed hard.
His hands were trembling.
But he took a deep breath and shouted:
"Poor fool! Just surrender already! In a contest between sharpshooters, you've already lost countless times!"
From a distance, Chew's voice rang out, dripping with sarcasm:
"You inferior humans always make excuses! Your pathetic weapons can't harm us! The innate gap between our races is an insurmountable chasm!"
Whoosh—!
Another water bullet.
The tree Usopp was hiding behind snapped in half.
Crack...
The trunk tilted slowly, then crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.
Usopp had long since leaped behind another tree.
He leaned against the trunk, his heart pounding like a drum.
Calm down... calm down...
Usopp closed his eyes and listened carefully.
Footsteps.
Breathing sounds.
And... the sound of sucking water?
Usopp quietly peeked out to look toward the source of the sound.
Under the moonlight, Chew was crouched by a small pond, sucking up water with his long snout.
So that's it.
Water bullets require a water source.
He had been attacking continuously earlier and now had no "ammunition" left.
A perfect opportunity.
Usopp put on the goggles from his forehead and pulled out a specially crafted pellet from his backpack.
The pellet was deep purple with eerie patterns on its surface.
This was his "Poison Smoke Star," made by carefully extracting a small portion of material from the MH5 poison gas bomb and mixing it with other ingredients.
He had never dared to use it before.
But now...
Usopp tightened his grip on the pellet.
"Human weapons can't harm you?" he muttered, as if talking to himself or perhaps to Chew. "Don't talk nonsense. If that were really true... this world wouldn't belong to humans!"
He took a deep breath and leaped out from behind the tree!
"Sure-Kill: Poison Smoke Star!"
But Chew wasn't stupid.
How could he come to suck water without staying alert?
The moment Usopp leaped out, Chew noticed.
He spun around sharply, aiming his long snout at Usopp—
"Pfft!"
A water bullet shot out!
Usopp had been prepared.
His earlier move was just a feint—he shouted but didn't actually launch the pellet.
The real attack came after he landed and rolled.
"Whoosh—!"
The deep purple pellet traced an arc through the air, accurately hitting Chew's face!
DIA!
Smoke exploded.
Chew froze for a moment, instinctively waving his hand to fan it away.
The smoke was faint and quickly dissipated.
"Heh..." Chew sneered, "Is that all? Your weapons really are—"
Before he could finish speaking,
He suddenly felt dizzy.
His throat itched.
Then—
"Cough! Cough, cough—!"
Violent coughing.
He couldn't stop coughing.
With each cough, large amounts of water mixed with traces of blood came out.
From a distance, Usopp's voice carried over, tinged with complex emotions:
"Don't underestimate humans. Sometimes... the weapons we design scare even ourselves."
As he said this, Usopp was genuinely afraid.
He had designed all kinds of pellets—gunpowder stars, chili stars, rotten egg stars...
But a "lethal" poison smoke? This was the first time.
It was made from materials extracted from the MH5 poison gas bomb, which could have poisoned an entire town.
Weren't Fish-men supposed to have ten times the vitality of humans?
Could this small puff of poison smoke... kill a Fish-man?
Usopp didn't know.
He could only keep watching.
Another water bullet shot over, hitting the tree Usopp was hiding behind.
But this time, the tree didn't break.
The force had clearly weakened.
Usopp changed positions and peeked out again.
Under the moonlight, Chew was in a terrible state.
He was bent over, coughing incessantly, spitting out blood-tinged water with each cough.
His already bluish complexion had turned blackish, and he was breathing rapidly.
...
He didn't seem like he was about to die.
"I can't afford to show any mercy..." Usopp whispered to himself. "They're planning to take over the entire East Blue and establish the Arlong Empire. Think of Syrup Village..."
"Think of Tamanegi, Piiman, Carrot... think of Kaya..."
He gritted his teeth and pulled out another Poison Smoke Star.
Drew his slingshot, took aim.
"Sure-Kill: Poison Smoke Star—Second Chain!"
"Whoosh—!"
The second Poison Smoke Star struck Chew square in the face.
"Pop!"
Smoke exploded.
This time, Chew couldn't even manage to fan away the smoke.
He fell backward, collapsing by the pond's edge, body convulsing.
His long mouth hung open, continuously vomiting blood.
Usopp cautiously approached.
He gripped his slingshot tightly, ready to deliver a finishing blow at any moment.
But watching Chew's agonized state... Usopp's hand began trembling again.
His heart couldn't bear it.
Just then, "Well done."
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Usopp whirled around.
Ralph had appeared behind him at some point, quietly observing the fallen Chew.
"Ralph!" Usopp exclaimed in surprise and delight, "How did you...?"
"I just heard about what happened in Cocoyasi Village," Ralph said, walking over to Usopp and patting his shoulder. "Came immediately."
He glanced down at Chew, then looked back at Usopp:
"If you think using poison gas is too cruel... then work on improving your gunpowder formula later."
"Make it powerful enough to blow heads off with one shot..."
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