Usopp fell silent.
The trembling in his body stopped, and the sweat on his face slowly disappeared.
“I understand now.” Usopp wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and looked at Daddy seriously.
“Mister… thank you.”
In his mind, this man had intentionally shared such an embarrassing story just to help him regain his courage.
After all, admitting defeat to someone else was humiliating for any man.
At that moment, Usopp felt nothing but gratitude toward him.
“Mister, please give me one more chance!” Usopp bowed deeply.
“A real duel, one where I stake my life on it!”
“This time, I won’t cheat!”
“Huh?!” Nami stepped forward in shock, ready to stop him.
“This is already over!
What are you trying to do now?!”
“Are you tired of living or something?!”
But Kai gently held her back.
“Men need moments like this to grow,” he said calmly.
“Especially someone like Usopp.
If he keeps running from fear, he’ll never gain confidence.”
Usopp shot Kai a grateful look.
As expected, only another man could truly understand a man’s pride.
“I know.” Daddy nodded at the determined expression on Usopp’s face.
“This time, use the weapon you’re best with.”
Of course, he had no intention of actually killing the kid.
If word got out that he lost to the father and then took revenge on the son, it would be downright pathetic.
He still had his pride.
Daddy looked around before pointing toward a weather vane perched high in the distance.
“Hit that weathercock.”
Then he raised his flintlock pistol and aimed it directly at Usopp’s head.
“If you miss, my bullet goes through your skull.”
He wanted to see whether the boy could bring out his true skill under pressure.
“I understand.”
Usopp nodded and pulled out his slingshot, slowly aiming at the distant target.
“Kai…” Nami tightly grabbed Kai’s hand, clearly nervous.
“Don’t worry.” Kai smiled reassuringly.
“I trust Usopp.”
At the same time, he quietly raised a finger and narrowed his eyes at Daddy’s trigger hand.
Usopp stared at the target, sweat dripping down his face.
The pressure was crushing.
But then he remembered that his friends were standing beside him, believing in him.
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He still had a dream to become a brave warrior of the sea.
How could he stop here?!
Usopp’s eyes sharpened instantly.
He fired.
The lead pellet shot through the crown of the weathercock with perfect precision.
Daddy’s eyes widened in shock.
“He actually did it…”
“Well, of course he did.” Kai walked over and threw an arm around Usopp’s shoulders proudly.
“He’s the sniper of our crew.
A shot like that is only natural.”
“You’ve got yourself some good companions,” Daddy said with admiration.
Like father, like son.
“This duel is your victory.”
“Let’s go, Carol.”
“Okay!”
But before leaving, Carol ran over and handed her goggles to Usopp.
Only then did she follow her father away.
Watching Usopp wave at them with a grin, Kai’s expression turned strangely amused.
This guy really was a natural lady-killer.
The moment Daddy disappeared from sight, Usopp suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Kai by the neck.
“You jerk!
You were there the whole time?!”
“Then why didn’t you help me?!”
“Well…” Kai shrugged innocently.
“You’re supposed to be a brave warrior of the sea.
How could I interfere with your duel?”
“Hmph!”
Usopp snorted.
Truthfully, he knew Kai was right.
A duel between men wasn’t something others should interfere with.
Still, he had been terrified.
Forget it.
It was over now.
And today, he had finally taken another step toward becoming a brave warrior of the sea.
“Feels good to win, doesn’t it?” Kai teased.
“You bet it does!” Usopp proudly lifted his chin.
“From now on, call me the Great Warrior of the Sea, Captain Usopp!”
“Hahaha!”
Meanwhile, after leaving the area, Daddy looked down at his pistol thoughtfully.
“That feeling earlier…”
He recalled the young man standing beside Nami. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
For some reason, at that moment, he had felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
As if the instant he pulled the trigger, he would die first.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” Carol tilted her head curiously.
“Nothing.” Daddy smiled gently before crouching down to pick her up.
“Come on, let’s head home.”
“Okay!”
“Dad, I want ice cream!”
“Haha, alright.
Dad’ll buy you some.”
The scene felt warm and peaceful.
…
“I wonder if everyone else finished shopping yet.” Usopp looked toward the busy streets ahead.
“Looks like there’s some kind of event over there.”
“A cooking competition,” Kai replied casually.
“And the winner’s already been decided.
Sanji.”
“Sanji?” Usopp blinked, then nodded as if it were obvious.
“Well, if it’s him, that makes sense.”
In his opinion, Sanji’s cooking was the best in the world.
After all, Sanji made the most delicious food he had ever eaten.
“You guys finally showed up!” Sanji called out while carrying his prizes on his shoulder.
“Get over here and help me carry this stuff!”
“No need.” Kai walked over.
“Leave it to me.”
With a flick of his hand, he casually stuffed the enormous fish into his pocket like a magic trick.
The storage space inside was separated anyway, so there was no risk of things getting crushed together.
“A magic trick?!” Sanji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, looking exactly like Usopp earlier.
“Well…” Kai waved him off.
“I’ll explain back on the ship.”
Then he smirked.
“More importantly, aren’t you going to say goodbye to that lady?”
He pointed toward Carmen, who was standing in the distance watching them.
The moment Sanji looked over, Carmen huffed proudly, turned around, and walked away.
“No need.” Sanji smiled faintly.
“We already said our goodbyes earlier.”
Though honestly, he never expected a woman would chase after him for ten whole years.
“In that case, let’s head back to the ship.” Nami glanced up at the darkening sky, her brows slowly knitting together.
“This feeling in the air…”
“It’s going to rain.”
And she knew she wasn’t wrong.