Chapter 58: Massive Strength Boost! Lightning Release: Chidori Arrives!
The "shima shima" bobbed with the waves on the azure sea, slowly making its way northwest.
Although the ship was shaped like a ridiculous duck, the atmosphere on board was exceptionally noisy and filled with the scent of gunpowder.
"Ah... my Nami-san..."
Sanji leaned against the edge of the duck ship, holding a plate of heart-shaped fruit salad he had meticulously prepared for Nami.
He looked at the group of sweaty men around him, his face written with utter disgust.
"Why?! Why do I have to be squeezed in with you guys!"
Sanji shouted in grief and indignation:
"It's bad enough that the beautiful Nami-san isn't here, but why do I have to deal with an extra half-dead moss-head covered in bandages!"
"Who are you calling a moss-head? Swirly-brow."
Zoro, who was recovering in the shadows of the cabin, may have been physically weak, but his tongue was as sharp as ever.
He opened one eye and shot a cold glance at Sanji.
"If you want to fight, I don't mind kicking you overboard to feed the fish."
"Ha? What big talk from a critically injured patient!"
The veins on Sanji's forehead bulged. "Believe it or not, I'll turn you into a seaweed salad right now!"
"Sanji! I want to eat that!"
Luffy completely ignored the tense atmosphere. He stretched his arm, snatched the fruit plate directly from Sanji's hand, opened his mouth wide, and took a huge bite, nearly swallowing the plate along with it.
"Mmm! Delicious! Delicious! Your cooking is great, Sanji!"
"You bastard!...Forget it, giving it to you beasts is just a waste anyway." Sanji covered his face in heartache.
"Caw caw! You're so noisy!"
Just then, a cry of dissatisfaction rang out.
Crow, who had been sleeping on Tatsuya's chest, was woken up by the noise.
It fluttered its wings and flew to the gunwale, tilting its head and looking at the bickering Zoro and Sanji with its beady eyes in contempt:
"You two idiots! You're noisier than a Crow in heat! Can't you let this Lord have a peaceful nap!"
"Hah?!!"
Sanji and Zoro's movements were perfectly synchronized as they both turned their heads and glared fiercely at Clay.
"What did you say, you fat bird? Believe it or not, I'll roast you!"
"I happen to be hungry; roasted bird meat doesn't sound bad." Zoro's hand also rested on his sword hilt.
Faced with the threats of the two main powerhouses, Clay didn't panic at all.
It puffed out its chest, pointed a wing at the two of them, and entered mockery mode:
"Come at me then! Come at me! A love-struck cook who only revolves around women, and a green-haired lost cause who can't even find his way! Why would this Lord be afraid of you?!"
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Usopp, who was nearby, and Luffy, whose mouth was full of fruit, burst out laughing upon hearing this, rolling around on the deck while clutching their stomachs.
"Hahahaha!"
"You damn Crow!!"
Zoro and Sanji's composure instantly shattered. They actually formed a rare united front and lunged at Clay from both sides.
"Caw caw! You can't catch me! Idiots! Blehh!"
The small cabin was suddenly thrown into chaos, with feathers flying everywhere.
At the stern, Johnny and Yosaku were sweating profusely, laboriously rowing the oars.
The two looked at each other, wanting to cry but having no tears:
"Big brothers... please stop messing around... the boat's going to flip..."
...
Amidst the clamor, Tatsuya appeared exceptionally quiet.
He sat with his arms crossed, leaning against the bow with his eyes closed to rest, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him.
In reality, his mind had already sunk into the system space within his head.
[Current Available Ninja Points: 3700.]
Looking at that string of numbers, Tatsuya felt a wave of satisfaction.
In addition to the rewards for defeating Fullbody and Don Krieg,
Adding the large reward from just now for changing the plot and Gin's fate, his assets had finally reached an unprecedented height.
"The next destination is Arlong Park, and the opponents are Fishmen."
The Fishman race naturally possesses ten times the physical strength of humans and is even more formidable in the water.
Fighting Fishmen at sea is a significant disadvantage for ability users.
Tatsuya scrolled quickly through the dazzling list of Ninjutsu.
Soon, his gaze locked onto a Ninjutsu he had long desired.
[Lightning Release: Chidori]: A-rank Ninjutsu. Price: 2000 Ninja Points.
Concentrates a large amount of lightning-attribute Chakra into the palm, forming high-intensity electrical currents with extreme piercing power and paralyzing effects.
The corner of Tatsuya's mouth curled slightly, and without any hesitation, he said, "Exchange!"
[Ding! Consumed 2000 Ninja Points. Congratulations to the host for learning the A-rank Ninjutsu: Lightning Release: Chidori.]
Tatsuya had no intention of saving the remaining 1500 points for a rainy day.
Facing the upcoming Grand Line, it was naturally better to have as many tricks as possible.
[Ding! Consumed 800 Ninja Points. Exchanged for Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique (B-rank).]
[Ding! Consumed 700 Ninja Points. Exchanged for Ninjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique (B-rank).]
This was a powerful control technique that could pull an enemy into an illusionary space through the Sharingan, depriving them of their mobility with the sensation of having stakes driven through their limbs.
It was one of Itachi's signature genjutsu (albeit a lower-tier version).
[Ding! Exchange successful. Current Ninja Points: 200.]
Seeing his balance instantly wiped out, Tatsuya felt a pang of heartache.
His consciousness returned to reality.
Tatsuya slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Clay's enlarged bird face.
This fat Crow had just won a resounding victory in the "shouting match" and was now standing triumphantly on Tatsuya's chest, laughing with its beak wide open.
"..."
Tatsuya's eye twitched.
Expressionlessly, he reached out and grabbed Clay's two feet.
"Caw?" Clay's laughter stopped abruptly, and it looked down at Tatsuya. "Lord? What's wrong?"
"Your laugh is too ugly."
Tatsuya said plainly, then with a swing of his arm, he held Clay upside down and dunked it into the seawater beside the boat.
"Glug glug glug!!"
"...Help!! Lord... glug... we're on the same side!!"
...
Several hours later.
The sea breeze brought with it a hint of land.
"I see it! There's an island ahead!"
Luffy, sitting on the duck's head, shouted excitedly.
Just then.
"Splash—!!"
The sea surface ahead suddenly exploded, sending up massive waves.
A sea beast as large as a small mountain burst out of the water, blocking everyone's path.
It had a head like a cow but a body like a giant sea serpent. It opened its bloody maw and let out a deafening roar at the small boat:
"Moo—!!!"
This was the combat sea beast raised by the Arlong Pirates—Momoo.
"Whoa!! A huge cow!!" Luffy's eyes instantly turned into the shape of meat, and he began to drool. "It looks delicious!!"
"Oh? That's a fine ingredient."
Sanji also rolled up his sleeves, his eyes sparkling with a chef's light. "With a size like that, it could be turned into enough roasted meat steaks to last a month."
"Meat!! Let me handle it!" Luffy rolled up his sleeves and was about to charge.
"Wait."
A hand blocked Luffy.
Tatsuya stood up from his seat and cracked his wrists, a smile of anticipation appearing on his face.
"Luffy, Sanji, don't be in such a hurry to eat this big guy."
He looked at the giant sea beast, a sharp glint in his eyes:
"I just bought a nice 'new sword,' and I was just worrying about where to test it out."
"New sword?" Hearing this, Zoro subconsciously glanced at the sword at Tatsuya's waist.
But he didn't draw his blade.
Tatsuya walked to the bow, facing the giant sea beast that was about to pounce, and took a slow, deep breath.
He gripped his right wrist with his left hand, his right palm facing downward.
The newly acquired lightning-attribute Chakra within his body began to surge wildly, flowing through his meridians and gathering in his palm.
"Zzt... zzt..."
Blue-white electric arcs began to dance at his fingertips as violent energy was compressed and condensed.
Immediately after.
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp—!!!"
A sharp and dense sound of birds chirping suddenly rang out over the sea. At first, it was just a few sounds, but it instantly transformed into the roar of tens of thousands of birds crying at once!
The piercing high-frequency noise made everyone on the boat cover their ears.
"Wh-What is that sound?!" Usopp screamed in terror.
"Lightning Release: Chidori."
Tatsuya murmured.
At this moment, his right hand was enveloped in a ball of blindingly bright blue-white lightning, as if he were holding a restless bolt of lightning in his hand!
"Moo?!"
The giant sea beast Momoo was also startled by the light and sound, its movements showing a hint of hesitation.
But it was in that very instant.
"Body Flicker Technique."
"Whoosh!"
Tatsuya's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
The next second, he appeared on the sea's surface, directly beneath Momoo's massive body.
With a burst of Chakra under his feet, Tatsuya shot forward like an arrow from a bow, his right hand carrying that ball of violent lightning as he thrust it fiercely into the seawater beneath Momoo!
"Go."
"Boom—!!!"
The lightning entered the water and exploded instantly.
The blue current followed the seawater—a natural conductor—spreading at a terrifying speed and completely enveloping Momoo's massive frame.
"Moooooo!!!!"
The sea beast let out an agonizingly shrill scream.
The powerful current instantly coursed through its entire body, paralyzing its nerves and scorching its skin.
Amidst the sounds of crackling explosions, the giant sea beast convulsed violently on the surface a few times.
Then its eyes rolled back, it spat out a puff of black smoke, and it floated belly-up on the water with its eyes white.
"Done."
Tatsuya shook off the residual electric arcs from his hand and, using Chakra to stand on the sea surface, nodded in satisfaction.
"Seems the effect was good. This is what you call—electro-fishing."
On the small boat.
There was a deathly silence.
Johnny and Yosaku's jaws had dropped, and they didn't even notice their oars falling into the sea.
The cigarette fell from Sanji's mouth as he stared dumbfoundedly at the fading glow of the lightning, muttering to himself:
"That red-eyed bastard... can actually release lightning?"
And inside the cabin, Zoro also stared fixedly at Tatsuya's back, a storm of shock brewing in his heart.
"That sound... that kind of piercing power..."
"And that lightning..."
Zoro tightened his grip on his sword hilt, a smirk forming on his lips:
"This guy... is truly an unfathomable monster."
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