AN:
Not much from me this time, other than I hope you enjoy this one and I appreciate all the feedback from you guys!
As always, lemme know what you think! The good, the bad, and the ugly... The whole nine yards.
Chapter 40: The Longest of Barrels
"OH GOD!… OH GOD! MY ARM!… WE GOTTA GO BACK!… MY ARM'S STILL ON THE BEACH!".
"WALLEN! STAY WITH ME!… SOMEONE! HURRY! WALLEN'S BLEEDIN' OUT!".
"HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE!… SOMEONE HELP ME CARRY SHAM INSIDE! HE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MORE BLOOD!".
"WAKE UP, RITTER!… DON'T YOU DIE ON ME!".
"BUCHI'S NOT LOOKIN' GOOD EITHER! TAKE HIM IN THERE TOO!".
"SAME WITH SHAM!".
"THERE'S NO MORE ROOM, DAMN IT! KEEP THE BASTARDS OUTSIDE, I'LL GET TO THEM IN A MINUTE! I'VE GOT OTHERS KNOCKING AT DEATH'S DOOR! THEY'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR NOW!".
"OH GOD! WHY?!… WHY US?!… DAMN YOU, LONG-BARREL!… DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARD!".
Luffy watched the large pirate ship sail past them in bewilderment, light laughter beginning to sound from his lips… He'd forgotten about his sniper's funny name back from their days as bounty hunters… He really couldn't help it... It was just far too on the nose not to laugh… Heh… Nose…
"What the hell's going on out here?", asked Nami as she exited the storeroom. Her head shifted in the direction of the large ship while she approached the front deck, listening to the moans and screams coming from the vessel in morbid fascination… What the hell had happened to them?…
"I have no idea…", the straw-hatted teen answered blankly, his eyes staying glued to the retreating craft for another moment before once again facing their destination. A smile suddenly rose to his lips and he turned to face his navigator, "But we're definitely gonna find out!".
A stray thought hit the girl and she turned her gaze past Luffy, stepping up to the front railing to get a look at Gekko Island still a ways off in the distance… Had that been where the pirate ship had come from?… And if so… What the hell had Usopp done to make them sound like that?…
"Alright, Levi! You can stop here!", Luffy yelled down to the water, dropping the reins held in his hands, "Go have some fun! But don't go too far! We won't be here long!". He smiled at his friend's rumbling response, hopping off the figurehead of the Merry, and made his way down the stairs, quickly running into the storage room underneath the front deck.
Nami followed her captain down the steps, heading for the railing facing Gekko while he dropped the anchor. She froze when her vision met the beach, eyes widening. "What the hell?…", she whispered to herself... A splash from below brought her out of her paralyzed state and she turned to find Luffy exiting the storage room with a big smile on his face.
"Let's go, Nami! I wanna go see Usopp!", the straw-hatted pirate captain exclaimed, quickly approaching the side railing. Almost as soon as he made it, his legs halted and bewilderment overtook him, eyes widening at the state of the shore.
Small craters littered the beach's surface along with a multitude of large red spots where the sand had been stained with blood. The dirt ramp leading up to the forest above was covered in some sort of black liquid and Luffy wasn't really sure what it was… Had Usopp done all this?… Speaking of his sniper… Where the heck was he?… His eyes continued to shift across the destruction and they eventually landed on a prone figure lying face down at the bottom of the ramp.
The sight almost immediately shocked the boy back into action. "Usopp!", he exclaimed worriedly, making to hop the rail and dive into the water. However, he was halted by a hand grabbing his arm.
"You are INJURED.", Nami chastised, leading him to the rope ladder on the side of the boat… Don't get her wrong, she was also worried, but the last thing she needed was the idiot hurting himself even more… Although… Now that she thought about it… She probably wouldn't mind redoing his bandages… She quickly shook the thought away before her blush could make it to her face… Bad Nami…
"Finnneee.", Luffy acquiesced with a pout before immediately perking back up, worry taking over his face once again, "But we gotta hurry! I think Usopp might be hurt!".
The orangette nodded her head in the direction of the ladder and released the hold she had on her captain's arm. As much as it might not seem, she really was worried… Her eyes scanned the beach again and she shook her head, making to follow Luffy into the water. A splash echoed up to her as she stepped over the railing and she looked down with a frown… Had he even used the ladder?… She scoffed in irritation and slowly made her way down the side of the ship, "Swim SLOWLY, Luff-".
Before the words had the chance to make it down to him, the pirate captain was speeding his way to the shore, "I'm coming, Usopp!".
Nami sighed to herself as she watched him swim away much faster than she would have liked, and dropped into the ocean, shivering momentarily while she got used to the temperature. She looked down when her shakes stopped and groaned… Why the hell had she chosen to wear a white shirt?... She wished she'd at least decided to wear a bra… What?... They were restricting!...
The orange-haired girl shook her irritation away with another small sigh and made to follow in her captain's wake. She could worry about her see-through clothing later... Right now she just wanted to know what the hell had happened to the beach…
The water began to shallow out and, as soon as they were able, Luffy's feet found the sand underneath. "Usopp!", he shouted, rushing out of the ocean in his friend's direction.
One moment Usopp was dreaming of long locks of blonde hair, and the next, he was almost fully conscious, his head snapping up along with his slingshot as he quickly turned over to face the voice that had awoken him... Panic shot through him... He couldn't see... Without even taking a moment to realize he knew the voice of the person who'd called his name, the pouch of his weapon was loaded and he pulled back on it with all the strength he could, releasing the projectile within the blink of an eye, "LEAD STAR!".
Luffy's eyes widened when the hair on his neck rose and he shifted his body to the right, a small lead ball zooming past his cheek. He stood still for a moment before turning back to his friend, unable to help the irritation in his voice, "What the hell, Usopp?!".
The long-nosed teen let his slingshot drop to his side at the words, shock taking over his features when he finally realized who was standing in front of him. He furiously rubbed at his eyes with the corner of his shirt and sighed in relief when light hit them. He squinted for a moment, blinking away the blurriness from his vision, and, when it had cleared enough, let his gaze settle on the figure facing him. "Luffy?…", he questioned in shock.
The pirate captain's irritation almost immediately faded and a wide smile rose to his lips as he rushed in his friend's direction, "Usopp!". He tackled the other boy to the ground and grunts of pain left both of their mouths… Oh yeah… He was still recovering…
Usopp smiled through the pain of his back slamming into the hard sand and wrapped his arms around his soon-to-be captain, "Good to see you too, Luffy."… Although… He wouldn't have hated it if he'd gotten there a little earlier…
Luffy loosened his grasp and stood back to his feet while dusting the sand from his clothes. His eyes widened when he realized his front was almost completely painted black... What the hell was this stuff?... He lifted his head to look down at his friend, offering a hand to help him stand. "What the hell Usopp? Why the heck are you covered in black stuff?!", he asked in irritation, lifting the other boy to his feet. How in the world was he supposed to get this off?...
Nervous laughter began to leave the sniper's lips at the question and he looked back up the ramp, a small red blush spreading across his cheeks... "Uhh...", he started, scrambling to come up with an excuse less embarrassing than the truth, "I- I... Uhh-". The splashing of water saved him from the peril he was in, grabbing both of the boys' attentions, and they turned to see Nami making her way out of the ocean, her eyes shifting over the beach.
Now that she had a closer look, the orange-haired girl could really see the damage scarring the area... It wasn't the most widespread destruction she'd ever seen... Definitely not after the battle she'd witnessed at Arlong Park... But, it still looked like quite the fight had taken place... She shook her head and made her way in the direction of the two standing at the bottom of the ramp opposite of her.
"Uhhh, Nami…", Luffy said, blankly watching the girl's approach... That was a lot of jiggle... He pointed at her chest before his eyes lifted to meet hers, "Your boobs are showing…".
The orangette stepped beside the boy and almost immediately brought her fist down on his head, "I know that you idiot… And the peepshow is gonna cost you.". She smirked at her captain holding his head in pain and strode past him, a smile rising to her lips, "Hey there, Usopp. Long time no see.". She stepped toward him to give a hug before almost immediately halting in place. "What the hell happened to you?...", she asked in curiosity, eyes roaming over his front... What the hell was that?... Was it... Oil?...
Usopp somehow managed to pull his eyes away from the girl's generous bust on full display and sucked up the blood trying to leak from his nose. He laughed nervously at the question, a blush beginning to return to his tan cheeks.
"Hey, Nami!... Y- Yeah... It's been a while... Goo- good to see you!", the long-nosed teen replied nervously, anxiously waiting for the blood flow in his body to normalize... Maybe it was a good thing he was covered in oil... He decided to ignore her query in hopes that she would move away from the line of questioning ... He really didn't think he could take the embarrassment of having to explain...
Nami stared at him for a moment, his behavior seeming slightly strange, before eventually waving the question away and making to once again look over the battle-scarred area… Was… Was that an arm?… She immediately tore her eyes away from the bloody appendage with no small amount of disgust and turned back in shock, "What exactly happened here, Usopp?".
Luffy perked up at the question, his curiosity causing him to almost completely forget about the ache coming from the top of his head, "Yeah! We passed those pirates leaving the island! Did you guys fight or something?".
The words made the sniper pause, relief spreading through him at the change of topic, and he thought on the events that had occurred before their arrival. "Yeah…", he eventually answered after a long moment of silence. He looked at the two and could see they expected more, so he took a deep breath and decided to start from the beginning.
Usopp set the two large tankards down as quietly as he could, making sure they were just out of sight of the group of pirates on the beach before slowly making his way back to the cliff, once again lying prone to crawl to its edge. He had no idea if things were going to go as planned but with the barrels in place… It was now or never…
The long-nosed teen took a deep breath to steady his nerves before clearing his throat, "WHO DARES TRESPASS ON THE ISLAND OF CAPTAIN USOPP?!". The heads of every pirate below turned toward the cliff and he ducked down even further, a gulp leaving his mouth… As scary as it was, it was okay if they knew where his voice was coming from. The crux of his plan only really relied on them not being able to see him.
Usopp backed away from the edge and lay on his back, a deep breath filling his lungs. "ONLY PAIN AND DEATH AWAIT YOU HERE!… JUST LIKE YOUR CAPTAIN BEFORE YOU!", he yelled while trying to make his voice sound as deep and menacing as possible, "I SUGGEST YOU BOARD YOUR SHIP AND LEAVE THIS ISLAND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MEET THE SAME FATE AS THE ONE WHO PREVIOUSLY LED YOU!".
Whispers broke out among the members of the Black Cat Pirates, the same thoughts drifting through all of their heads… What did the words mean?… Had something happened to Captain Kuro?…
"IF YOU REFUSE, MY CREW OF A THOUSAND MEN AND I WILL REMOVE YOU BY FORCE!", the soon-to-be pirate threatened, rotating and beginning to back away from the edge of the cliff.
It took Jango a moment to quiet the rising whispers of the crew, but silence soon rolled over the beach at his command and he looked back up to the cliff. "What do you know of our captain?…", he asked carefully, eyes searching the dense forest lining the cliffs above… Captain Kuro was supposed to have been there by then… It'd been at least a few hours since they landed and he was sure it was the right day… So… Where was he?…
"THE MAN YOU ONCE KNEW AS KURO IS DEAD… SLAIN RIGHT HERE, ON THIS VERY ISLAND!… THE ISLAND OF CAPTAIN USOPP!…", Usopp stood to his feet, slipping back into the treeline, and stuck his hand into his pouch, his hand gripping a few of his newest developments... He called them Kin Stars... He slotted one of the experimental balls of lead into the pouch of his slingshot and let it fly, crossing his fingers that he'd managed to fire it correctly, "… IF THAT'S NOT A NAME YOU RECOGNIZE, THEN MAYBE YOU'LL KNOW THIS ONE!…".
When the air stayed quiet after he watched the bullet impact, the sniper sighed in relief… It had taken a long time and a ton of practice to be able to shoot them like that… And even then, he still got misfire from time to time…
Usopp pulled more of the special ammo from his pouch and began to fire it into various places around both sides of the cliffs surrounding the beach, his confidence growing with every silent impact of the modified projectiles, "IT'S THE NAME OF A GREAT AND MIGHTY BOUNTY HUNTER… ONE OF THE THREE DEMONS OF MERRY'S TERRIBLE TRIO!… TREMBLE AT THE NAME OF YOUR FOE… LONG-BARREL USOPP!".
A long moment of silence accompanied the proclamation and the soon-to-be pirate paused in the shooting of his slingshot, sweat dripping down his forehead… Had that been too much?…
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, 'THE CAPTAIN'S DEAD'?".
"YOU LIAR, CAPTAIN KURO IS WAY TOO STRONG TO DIE!".
"LONG-BARREL USOPP?… I NEVER HEARD A YOU!".
"NO WAY THE CAPTAIN WOULD LOSE! YOU'RE LYING!".
"YEAH! CAPTAIN KURO COULD NEVER GET KILLED BY SOMEONE ON A DINKY ISLAND LIKE THIS!".
"MERRY'S TERRIBLE TRIO?… I'VE HEARD OF EM' BUT… WEREN'T YOU GUYS, SUPPOSEDLY… LIKE… TERRIBLE AT YOUR JOBS?!".
"THAT'S RIGHT!… AND EVEN IF YOU WERE LONG-BARREL, WE KNOW IT'S JUST YOU UP THERE! NO WAY YOU'VE GOT A THOUSAND GUYS WITH YOU!".
Jango watched his men shout in the direction the voice was coming from and couldn't help but agree with their sentiment… However, the fact that this person knew their captain's name at all gave his words some amount of veracity… Still… A part of him just couldn't believe the man he followed had died in a place like this… There was also the fact that this person was obviously lying about the amount of men he had with him… A thousand was way too many to be believable…
Just as the man went to silence his crew mates, he noticed something strange and stopped himself… All throughout the crowd, small thumps began to hit the sand, almost silent amongst the screaming of the Black Cat Pirates. The only thing that alerted him to the peculiarity was the small tufts of sand each one sent into the air… Another thump sounded at his feet and he looked down to the ground, his confusion growing at what met his sight.
Buried halfway into the sand was a small grouping of lead balls that looked to be melded together by small tubes, holding them together in the shape of a triangle. Two of the bullets looked to be rather ordinary, however, as Jango looked closer he realized both had a tiny circular area at the top that looked like it had been drilled out and replaced… He reached down and picked up the projectile, closely examining the last piece of metal in the grouping.
As the man turned the strange object over in his hand he couldn't help but wonder… What exactly was the thing?… If the strange amalgamation hadn't already been confusing enough, the final bullet had its top cut clean off and had been completely replaced by a small piece of bark… He went to see if he could remove the thin piece of wood but stopped when the loud voice of the person on the cliffs silenced the roars of his crew mates.
"IF YOU REFUSE TO BOARD YOUR SHIP AND RETREAT…", Usopp took another deep breath… He'd used up almost all of his new ammo, and most of his Kin Bombs too, but he didn't mind. If it protected the island, it was worth it… He couldn't help but still be slightly nervous though… The safety of his home was at stake after all… It was the most he'd ever had riding on his shoulders…
However, he was PREPARED… And a prepared sniper…
A smile rose to the boy's lips and he grabbed two regular lead rounds from his pouch, letting their familiar weight settle in his palm…
A prepared sniper was a very dangerous sniper…
"I WILL BE FORCED TO MAKE YOU RETREAT INSTEAD!", the long-nosed teen yelled, placing one of the projectiles into the pouch of his slingshot. He held the other at the ready to be loaded directly after the first and took aim at the cliff across from him… He had all the spots he needed to hit memorized… He just had to make sure he didn't miss.
"UNIT ONE!", Usopp shouted as he pulled his weapon taught. His sharp eyes found their target and he glanced down below, vision landing the spot he'd need to hit almost directly after… He'd need to be quick if he wanted to make it seem believable… He took a deep breath, gaze shifting back to his aiming point, "TAKE AIM!". No less than a split second before he released his slingshot's pouch, his loud voice rang out into the air again, "FIRE!".
As soon as he'd released the muscles in his fingers, the sniper began rotating in the direction of his second target while his other hand simultaneously loaded the other bullet into his weapon. Within what seemed like a split second, he was already loosing the second bullet, the name of his attack sounding loudly through his mind, 'KIN STAR: IMPOSTER CANNON!'.
Jango whipped his head around wildly when the words erupted into the air and, suddenly, a small explosion erupted from the darkness of the trees resting atop the cliff opposite the voice. He didn't even have time to fully turn in the direction the sound had come from before a large explosion erupted from behind him, sand flying into the air as he was forced to his knees.
The screams of the pirates caught in the explosion echoed over the area and the man watched wide-eyed from the ground while they flew in multiple different directions. Suddenly, something landed in front of him and he almost immediately scrambled away when he saw what it was, his stomach roiling at the gruesome sight.
In but a moment, the beach was in pandemonium.
"MY ARM! OH GOD MY ARM! SOMEONE! SOMEONE HELP ME FIND MY ARM! IT'S GONE!".
"IT CAME FROM OVER THERE!".
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!… DOES HE ACTUALLY HAVE A THOUSAND MEN SURROUNDING US?!".
"FIRE AT WHERE IT CAME FROM! HE'S OBVIOUSLY GOT HELP!".
"UNIT TWO!", Usopp screamed over the sound of gunshots cracking through the sky. He pulled another two lead balls from his pouch and took aim at the second spot in his line of targets, "FIRE!".
Jango had only just barely recovered from the shock of the first explosion when a second one sent sand and men flying through the air once again. He watched the forms of his crew mates land on the ground and paled at the blood flowing from the injuries covering a few of their prone bodies.
What the hell was going on?… Those looked like shrapnel wounds… But… From what?… The man suddenly remembered he was still holding onto the projectile he'd picked up and brought it into his vision, eyes widening…
Jango dropped the strange bullet almost immediately upon the realization of what it was… They were where the explosions were coming from… He suddenly looked up and his loud voice sounded over the chaos unfolding around him, "MEN! MOVE TO THE RAMP! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS JUST GO!"… The faster they got away from the area, the better… It was only now as his eyes scanned the beach that he understood just how much danger they were in… It didn't take long for the words to take effect and he immediately stood to follow all the pirates that could still move.
"UNITS THREE, FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX!… FIRE!".
Before Jango had taken his first step, four more explosions ripped through the crowded men and multiple bodies were sent careening backward. He narrowly dodged one of his crew members flying past him and when he turned, his eyes caught sight of two figures stepping onto the beach at his back, one large and the other thin… His eyes widened and he reached out to them in distress… They were serving themselves up on a platter… "SHAM! BUCHI!", he shouted in their direction, "GET BACK ON THE SH-".
A crunch so small he almost wasn't even sure he heard it stopped the words from leaving the man's lips and an explosion suddenly consumed the two men caught in his sight. "SHAM! BUCHI!", he screamed in distress, uncaring of the bodies roughly shouldering past him. He watched their two forms hit the ground and, when they didn't move, he wasn't sure if it was because they were dead or just unconscious… He ripped his head away from the two prone figures and glared past the backs of his sprinting crew mates, "AIM TOWARD THE VOICE IF YOU'RE GONNA SHOOT WHILE RUNNING! HE'S THE ONE GIVING THE ORDERS!", he roared, a part of him still unsure if those orders were actually being given to anyone…
"... Welp… Time to move.", Usopp said to himself, nervously watching the pirates approach. His initial attack had gone way better than expected, even though he'd been unable to detonate all of his Kin Bombs… Looked like he'd overestimated his ability by a tiny bit… He'd have to go recover the ones still intact… Those were hard to make… He shook his head and continued to move in the direction of the path… He still had to win first…
Gunfire echoed from behind him and he ducked his head in fright, the whizzing of a multitude of bullets consuming the surrounding area. The boy screamed as he ran, shattered wood bursting into the air all around him, and didn't look back for even a moment, his will to live pushing his legs to move faster than ever before. After what felt like a lifetime of running due to his fear of death, he eventually escaped his attackers' cone of fire and skid to a stop, dust from the dirt path swirling around his feet.
Usopp lifted his head from its tucked position and turned in the direction of the rumbling quickly growing louder, wide eyes moving to the barrels he'd set up earlier. Without another moment of thought, he whipped his slingshot forward and loaded it, sights set on the tankards. He immediately let the projectile fly and by the time it connected with its target, he'd already fired a second at the one standing across from it.
The sheering of metal sounded into the air followed by the glug of a thick liquid, black leaking from new holes on the bottom sides of both barrels. The long-nosed teen dumbly eyed the growing black puddle BEHIND the barrels… That hadn't been a part of the plan… He shook his head and rushed across the path to the opposite cliff, throwing himself to the ground when gunshots began to whizz over his head… What the hell?!… Had they seen him?!…
"OVER THERE! I SAW HIM! IT'S JUST ONE GUY! KEEP FIRING IN THAT DIRECTION!".
… Guess that answered that… Usopp berated himself as he crawled backward as fast as his body would allow… He'd almost forgotten how much he disliked being shot at… When he felt he'd made it far enough, he cautiously stood to his feet before taking off in the direction he'd come from… He just needed an opening and he could probably end it… The oil was moving slow enough to where they hadn't begun retreating back down the ramp, leaving them close enough for a large, widespread attack… One he'd gotten pretty good at during his time bounty hunting.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS THIS STUFF!".
Other various shouts of a similar vein followed, and the sniper almost immediately halted his steps, a gulp sounding from his throat… If he was going to act it had to be then… If he waited too long, they would be too far to take down all at once... And that was something he wasn't sure his heart could take... It couldn't have been more than ten minutes since the battle began but, to him, it felt like a lifetime... Fighting by himself was scary... Before he could let his nerves get the best of him, he reached into his satchel and pulled out a small bag of lead bullets, emptying them into his slingshot's pouch while his unsteady steps began to increase in speed… If he attacked fast enough, they wouldn't have time to react…
With his mind set, the sniper grit his teeth and sprinted his way past the oil spilling down the dirt path leading to town, his eyes set on the right wall of the ramp. Without giving himself any more time to think about it, he rushed into the light and up the incline until he was almost directly over the men finally beginning to retreat back down to the beach.
"HEY! THERE HE HIS!".
"EVERYBODY! KILL THAT BRAT!".
"SHOOT THAT BASTARD DOWN!".
"LEAD STAR:", Usopp shouted, loosing the volley of projectiles held in the pouch of his slingshot. Before the returning gunfire could even start, he'd already loaded his second shot, the thick rubber bands of his weapon snapping forward with a thwack, "SCATTERSHOT!".
Just as the first pirate fell victim to the oil flowing down the ramp, the pinging of metal on metal erupted into the air and a bloody mist painted the group of men red. Moans of pain echoed through the area along with the sound of bodies dropping to the ground while the slick black liquid at their front unwillingly forced them back down the ramp, bloodied and thrashing in pain. When they eventually stopped at the bottom, no more words came from the group of pirates, only groans of agony and indecipherable curses.
Jango held his arm in pain and crawled his way out of the mound of injured forms, his slick oil-covered body slipping through the large bodies with ease. The only thing he could hear were groans and he couldn't help the widening of his eyes… Maybe… Maybe it was time to call for a retreat…
With enough wiggling, the man eventually freed himself and slipped back out into the open air, gasps leaving his lips… He slowly turned to look once more at the pile of moaning men at his back and sighed… Almost the entire crew was incapacitated… The only ones still left standing were the ones just waking up from the first attacks… He turned away and looked up to the cliff above in defeat… Kuro be damned… He was starting to think the kid wasn't lying about him being dead…
"LISTEN WELL… FOR IT'S THE LAST CHANCE YOU'LL GET!", Usopp yelled between his panicked breaths, trying to force himself as deeply into the ground as he could… He'd thought for sure he was gonna die… He shook the frightening thought away and continued, "LEAVE THIS ISLAND AND NEVER RETURN! THERE IS NOTHING FOR YOU HERE!"… He prayed to all that was holy that they would just listen… He hadn't had a chance to see the damage he'd done with his attack but he hoped it was enough to make them leave… He didn't know if his heart could take something like that again…
Jango turned away from the voice and slowly stood to his feet… "Is he really dead?…", he asked over his shoulder, his eyes once again landing on his injured crew mates.
The sniper scrambled to answer, not quite expecting the question, "Yes… I watched him die with my own eyes…".
Another sigh left the man's mouth before he walked past the groaning pile of men… He'd heard no lie in the words… "ANYONE THAT CAN CARRY SOMEONE, GET THE INJURED BACK ON THE SHIP!", he screamed in the direction of the pirates closer to the water, "WE'RE GETTIN' THE HELL OUTTA HERE.".
Jango's eyes shifted across the destruction littering the beach and he shook his head, taking one last look up at the cliff before making his way toward the ship, "AND WITH THE CAPTAIN DEAD, YOU CAN SURE AS HELL BET WE'RE NEVER COMIN' BACK!".
"And that was about it.", Usopp said, finishing up his story, "I stayed until they left and then, not long after, you guys showed up.".
Nami glanced down at the boy's oil-covered body and sent him a strange look. "So… How the hell did this happen?…", she asked in confusion, pointing to his slippery form. She knew the story was probably mostly true due to the screams of the retreating pirate ship they passed on the way in and she was honestly really impressed. When they'd first met, she thought Usopp wouldn't amount to much in a fight and she was happily surprised at being wrong… But, it still didn't explain why he was at the bottom of the ramp covered in oil…
"Ohhh! Is this one of those bombs you used in your story?!", Luffy exclaimed, lifting one of the strange projectiles from the yellow satchel in curiosity… The story had been so cool!… He couldn't lie though he kinda wished he could have watched the fight in person…
"Be careful with that, Luffy!", Usopp shouted in panic, reaching to grab the explosive from his captain's hands, "Yes, it is! And it's very dangerous so give it back to me!". As soon as he made to move in the pirate captain's direction, his feet slipped out from under him and he crashed into the sand.
Laughter burst from Luffy's lips, along with a few slight giggles coming from the orange-haired navigator at his side, while he watched his friend scramble to stand back to his feet, eventually offering his hand in support. When it was taken, he lifted his crew member up and handed his metal thingy back to him, his laughter beginning to peter out. "… So what exactly are those things?", he asked curiously, small giggles still leaving his throat.
As much as she wanted the answer to her original question, Nami couldn't help but be a little bit interested as well… Going off of Usopp's story, those things were essentially small bombs… But the way they were used left her drawing a blank… Just how did they work?…
The long-nosed teen held up his creation proudly for the two to see, "This… Is what I call a Kin Bomb!"… It was something he'd only recently developed after finally finishing the makeshift forge in his house… He'd have to give Saul his thanks for the idea if he ever saw him again… He smiled at the short time he'd spent at Brewer's Blades… He'd been able to learn quite a bit while he was there…
Usopp shook his head and pointed to the two lead balls with small discolored circular patches in their tops. "These two bullets have been drilled into, hollowed out, and filled with gunpowder and a few other things that help with ignition.", he explained, shifting their attentions to the third bullet, "And something similar was done to this one, but just slightly more complicated."… He thought about going into more detail, but he could already tell he was losing them so decided to try and paraphrase it.
"Essentially, this one has a small flint and steel set up inside of it so when the small piece of bark breaks, it forces it to strike and ignite the gunpowder.", the long-nosed teen said, staring down at the small cylindrical pieces of metal connecting the lead balls, "The resulting explosion sends heat shooting through the small tubes connecting it to the other two and ignites those.". He looked up from his creation to see drool beginning to fall from Luffy's mouth and turned to find Nami staring at him blankly... He sighed, carefully placing the projectile back into his satchel, "Basically it means if I hit the wood with another bullet there's a big boom… I call em' Kin Bombs because they need some sort of kinetic force to break the wood and activate them.".
"… Yeah… I don't know what any of that really means…", Luffy replied perking up from his boredom-induced haze with a smile, "But I'm sure it's really cool, Usopp! I can't wait to see it in action!".
Nami met the sniper's defeated eyes and nodded in Luffy's direction, "What he said.".
Usopp groaned in exasperation and began to pout… He should have known giving an explanation would be pointless…
The orange-haired girl giggled at the reaction, her mind coming back to her original question when she focused back on the oil covering the sniper's body. "So…", she began, sending him an expectant eye, "How exactly did you end up like this?". She watched in confusion as his cheeks turned a vibrant red and she only became more curious.
Small unintelligible mumbles were her answer and Nami cupped her hand around her ear. "… What was that?", she asked, growing irritated at the mumbles continuing to leave his mouth, "Speak up Usopp, I can't hear anything you're saying."
"I SLIPPED AT THE TOP OF THE HILL AND KNOCKED MYSELF OUT!", Usopp suddenly shouted in irritation, his hands immediately covering his mouth… He hadn't meant for it to come out like that… He dropped his hands and looked down embarrassedly when laughter once again began to leave his friends' mouths, "... I was trying to clean up and I slipped... I must have slid down the ramp while I was unconscious…".
The cackles of the long-nosed teen's companions filled the air for far longer than appropriate before it began to settle, and he sighed, turning away with small giggles still sounding at his back. He peered up at the black ramp in front of him and couldn't help the groan that left his lips... As funny as they might find his situation… It did leave them in quite a bind…
Just how the hell were they supposed to get back to town?…
End Note:
It was my first time writing Usopp in detail so there might be some small changes to the chapter in the coming days, but overall, I'm happy with where it ended up. My goal was to show some growth and ingenuity gained from his time as a bounty hunter and I think I got that across... It wasn't a very long fight, lol. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
See you all in the next one.