Chapter 105: Roy: Usopp, You Should Be The Number One In The World!
[Ding!]
[System Notification: After a brief separation and reunion, coupled with displaying reliability and strength during a crisis, Lufia's trust and dependence on you have further increased. Affection +10%]
[Current Affection Level: Close Friend Level 75%]
The notification ringing in his consciousness made Ralph's lips curl upward unconsciously.
10%
It increased again.
It seemed that tropes like "hero saving the beauty" or "reunion after long separation" were affection catalysts in any world.
But soon, Ralph shook his head inwardly.
"These kinds of tricks... can't be used too often."
He thought to himself, "At the very least, there needs to be a legitimate reason when we separate? I can't intentionally fall behind or get swatted away by Sea Kings every time."
"Besides, if I keep using these methods, it feels like I'm deliberately deceiving Lufia's affection..."
Occasionally creating some surprise scenarios artificially could be considered romantic.
But if "separation → danger → reunion → affection increase" becomes a fixed routine used repeatedly, it would appear insincere.
Like grinding for data.
Rather than nurturing genuine feelings.
"I still need to go through real experiences together; the affection developed that way will be more solid."
Ralph told himself inwardly, "Moreover, this way I'll feel more immersed in this world."
Fortunately, future adventures would never lack "events."
From Reverse Mountain to Whiskey Peak, from Little Garden to Drum Island, from Arabasta to Skypiea, from Water 7 to Enies Lobby, from Thriller Bark to Sabaody Archipelago, then the Summit War, two years later, Fish-Man Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou, Whole Cake Island, Wano Country...
The story was still long.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Rhythmic knocking sounds came from the deck of the Going Merry.
Usopp was squatting in a corner of the deck, holding a hammer and nails, repairing damage from the previous battle.
His movements were diligent, but his expression was gloomy.
"This kind of routine... can't be used all the time..."
Usopp muttered quietly while hammering nails,
"I want to get stronger too, I want to train too..."
Originally, with Ralph's help, the ship repairs would be much easier.
But Ralph had been dragged off by Lufia to be an instructor.
Thus, the heavy responsibility of repairing the ship fell solely on Usopp's shoulders.
But Usopp knew Ralph hadn't given up on him!
He had approached Ralph earlier, expressing his desire to become stronger.
"I want to get stronger too, could you... teach me as well?"
Ralph looked at him.
"What do you want to learn?"
"That!"
Usopp's eyes lit up, pointing at Ralph's feet,
"The ultimate skill of Sky Walk! Geppo! That's so cool! If I could do it, I could jump into the air to evade danger when encountering it, and even snipe enemies from the sky—"
"You can't learn it."
Ralph interrupted him.
Usopp's expression froze.
"W-why not?"
"Geppo requires a certain level of explosive power and speed in the legs. You need to reach at least Sanji's level to even start practicing."
Usopp's face fell.
"T-then what about the invulnerability technique?"
He refused to give up,
"That... Armament Haki! If I learn it, I won't have to fear bullets and swords anymore—"
"You can't learn that either."
Ralph shook his head again, "Armament Haki requires a foundation of strong muscle power and resilience to physical blows. At the very least, one must reach the level of Lufia and Zoro to begin sensing and guiding Haki..."
He looked Usopp up and down, taking in his lanky frame.
The implication was clear.
Usopp completely deflated.
He lowered his head, staring at his feet, feeling somewhat dejected:
"So... I just have no talent, right? No matter how much I train..."
"Wrong."
Usopp looked up to see Ralph gazing at him seriously.
"It's not about lacking talent."
He walked up to Usopp and pointed to the slingshot hanging at his waist.
"Your talent lies here."
Usopp was stunned.
"Who says a slingshot is inferior to a gun?"
Ralph continued, "Who says a sharpshooter is inferior to a swordsman?"
He looked into Usopp's eyes,
"Usopp, your confusion about getting stronger stems mainly from your timid nature. You've never established a proper role for yourself in combat."
Usopp opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out.
Because Ralph was right.
In the original storyline, he was always the one constantly running away, forced into fights, only discovering the enemy's weakness at the last moment, and then winning with a single decisive strike.
This led to him occasionally achieving "god-like" feats, but most of the time, he was the one holding the team back in direct confrontations.
It wasn't that he didn't want to get stronger.
He just didn't know how.
"Actually, the combat style of a sharpshooter boils down to just two approaches."
Ralph held up two fingers.
"First, rapid fire to clear out the mobs. Use dense firepower to suppress the enemy and keep them from getting close."
He put down one finger.
"Second, long-range sniping for a one-hit kill. Take out the key target with a single shot."
Usopp's eyes gradually began to shine.
"I... I can do that?"
"Of course you can."
Ralph patted his shoulder and pointed toward the distant sea, starting to paint a grand picture for Usopp.
"On these seas, the strong are obsessed with close-quarters combat. The World's Greatest Swordsman, the World's Strongest Man, the World's Strongest Creature... The role of a sharpshooter is greatly underestimated."
Ralph turned his head back to look at Usopp.
"But I look forward to it," he said very seriously, "to the day you become the World's Greatest Sharpshooter. Surpass your father Yasopp and become the pinnacle that all snipers on these seas look up to."
Usopp's breath hitched sharply.
World's Greatest... Sharpshooter?
That goal was far more daunting than his dream of "becoming a brave warrior of the sea."
Even Lufia, a girl, wants to become the Pirate King.
Why... shouldn't I dare to strive for it?
Especially since the plan Ralph laid out sounded like... it could actually succeed?
"And," Ralph continued, "I don't look down on you using a slingshot at all."
He picked up the slingshot from Usopp's waist, weighing it in his hand.
"On the contrary, I have high hopes for your weapon."
"Wh-why?"
Usopp asked.
"In the long run, if you want to imbue your weapon with Haki, it's much easier to imbue the projectiles of a slingshot with Haki than to imbue the bullets of a gun."
Ralph explained.
"The bullet of a gun is propelled by gunpowder. The propulsion force is limited by the gunpowder formula and the firearm's structure, making it difficult to improve. Moreover, once the bullet is fired, you can hardly control it anymore.
"But a slingshot is different."
He pulled back the slingshot's rubber band, "The speed and range of the projectile depend on your strength and the quality of the slingshot. Compared to gunpowder and firearms, these two factors are much easier to enhance!
"Imagine—"
Ralph's voice was enticing, "One day, when your body becomes 'black and hard,' and your slingshot also becomes 'black and hard,' and then you shoot a 'black and hard' projectile..."
He paused.
"Taking the enemy general's head from a thousand miles away."
Instantly, that scene appeared in Usopp's mind.
Sunshine, the sea, an enemy ship.
He stood on the lookout platform of the Going Merry, holding his breath, aiming, drawing the slingshot—
"Whoosh!"
A pitch-black projectile, like a dark meteor, cut through the sky, accurately hitting the captain giving orders at the bow of the enemy ship.
One shot, one kill.
"Hiss—"
Usopp gasped sharply.
Then, his entire body trembled with excitement.
"I—I want to train! I must train!!"
"Very good."
Ralph said with a smile, "But becoming stronger takes time; Haki cannot be mastered overnight. For now, let's start with the basics."
"Your first training goal: quick aiming, quick shooting."
"In the shortest time possible, hit the most targets with your slingshot. You need to be accurate, but also fast."
Usopp puffed out his chest, confidence reappearing on his face.
"Something like this is a piece of cake for the great Usopp!!"
He seemed to already see himself dominating the battlefield and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Just then—
"Buzz."
A mosquito flew past his ear.
Usopp subconsciously treated it as a "target."
He abruptly raised his hand, still holding the hammer he used for ship repairs.
"Take this!"
"Smack!"
The hammer swung out.
The mosquito was precisely squashed.
Usopp froze for a moment, then jumped up triumphantly.
"I can even hit a mosquito! I really am a natural-born sharpshooter!"
Just as he was about to continue praising himself, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot.
Looking down.
That swing hadn't just hit the mosquito.
It had also solidly...hit the box of nails.
"My—my foot—!!!"
Usopp's scream echoed across the entire beach.
...
On the distant shore.
Nami, wearing a cool bikini, lay on a beach chair, enjoying the afternoon sun.
On the small table beside her were fruits and snacks—a perfect vacation moment.
Then, she heard Usopp's scream.
Nami frowned, glancing in the direction of the Going Merry.
"Isn't he just working overtime to repair the ship during the vacation?"
She pursed her lips, "Does he have to howl so miserably?"
She took a sip of her juice, then called out to the side:
"Sanji—!"
"Coming! Miss Nami!"
Sanji appeared almost instantly beside the beach chair.
He was wearing a floral shirt and beach shorts, but he still held a tray with fresh juice and a towel.
"Miss Nami, what can I do for you?"
Sanji's eyes had already turned into heart shapes.
"Help me apply some sunscreen."
Nami turned over, lying face down on the beach chair, "I can't reach my back."
"Ap-applying sunscreen?!"
Sanji nearly dropped the tray in his hands.
He looked at Nami's smooth, bare back.
The bikini straps tied behind her neck and around her waist left large areas of fair skin exposed to the sunlight, the curves as elegant as a work of art.
Sanji felt his heart rate instantly spike to two hundred beats per minute.
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