This chaotic battle broke out without rhyme or reason.
The Straw Hat Pirates could never have expected that the ones attacking them were doing so just to force Usopp to change his name—or to outright eliminate him.
Yet, the truth was right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe it.
With no other options, they could only fight back, responding to the onslaught with equal force, swiftly taking down every assailant who came at them.
Whether by coincidence or design, none of their fallen opponents suffered fatal injuries at the hands of the Straw Hats.
But the trouble didn't end there.
Once the small fry were taken care of, the mastermind behind the ambush finally made his entrance.
It wasn't Smoker, arriving on his signature smoke-fueled motorbike.
Instead, it was a man with a green, spiky mohawk, an eye tattoo under his right eye, a nose piercing, and a black wing-shaped semi-circle tattoo across his chest.
With both hands in his pockets, he sauntered forward with an air of nonchalance.
Not far away, Smoker—who had been watching the fiasco unfold—remained expressionless as he observed the green-mohawked man approach the Straw Hat crew.
"Bartolomeo."
Smoker recognized him immediately—the crime boss of Loguetown's underground.
The men who had just been beaten down by the Straw Hats were all Bartolomeo's subordinates.
"After the Straw Hats' bounty, huh?"
From Smoker's perspective, Bartolomeo had no prior connections with the Straw Hat Pirates. Launching an ambush like this could only mean one thing—he was after the crew's combined bounty of fifty million Berries.
Bartolomeo was well aware of Smoker's presence.
But he ignored him completely, stepping over his fallen subordinates and striding toward Luffy and his crew, his fierce gaze locking onto Usopp from several dozen meters away.
"You're Usopp, aren't you?"
Bartolomeo drew a short blade from his waist, its tip pointing straight at Usopp.
"So what if I am?"
Usopp remained calm, his flintlock pistol held in a ready position for an immediate shot.
Zoro and the others studied Bartolomeo, quickly deducing that he was the leader of the group they had just defeated.
Bartolomeo snorted, his expression darkening. "Then tell me, do you know of 'Usopp Style'?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the air.
The short blade, still aimed at Usopp, had suddenly fired a lead bullet straight for his forehead.
The attack was shamelessly underhanded, a sneak attack too sudden to guard against.
Even Luffy, Zoro, and the others failed to react in time.
However—
A red glint flashed through Usopp's eyes. His arm jerked instinctively as he pulled the trigger of his flintlock with lightning speed.
Bang!
From the barrel of his gun, a searing hot lead bullet shot forth, streaking through the air toward Bartolomeo's incoming projectile.
Two bullets, fired from opposite directions, met midair and collided, shattering into fragments that scattered in a brief but dazzling burst of sparks.
The remains of the bullets fell to the ground, leaving small, fragmented craters in the dirt.
"Huh?"
Bartolomeo's pupils shrank drastically as he stared in disbelief at Usopp, who had just shot down his bullet midair.
Zoro and Sanji glanced at the small impact marks on the ground, gaining a deeper understanding of Usopp's sharpshooting skills.
"Observation Haki… this guy…"
Smoker's expression turned serious as he regarded Usopp with newfound gravity.
"That was amazing marksmanship!!!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled as he looked at Usopp in admiration.
Usopp straightened his back proudly, basking in the glow of his captain's praise. "Of course! Do you even know who my master is?"
"Huh? Wait, this marksmanship… did Maude teach you this too?"
Luffy was surprised. He had always assumed Usopp's sharp shooting skills had been passed down from Yasopp.
"More than just marksmanship."
Usopp raised his flintlock, resting the barrel just below his brow, exuding an air of utter confidence.
"Master Maude also taught me an incredibly powerful technique. If you guys want to learn, I can try to teach you—but Master Maude said it all depends on talent. I can't guarantee you'll be able to pull it off."
Hearing Usopp's words, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were all intrigued.
Several meters away, Bartolomeo was utterly dumbfounded.
Master Maude???
Usopp Style???
No way… No freaking way…
Bartolomeo fixed a sharp gaze on Usopp, his disbelief palpable.
"Hey… Your master… Don't tell me it's that Bacardi Maude—the one who wounded the legendary Marine hero Garp, crushed every Supernova of his generation, singlehandedly defeated the Red and Blue Ogres, and has been making headlines ever since his debut… That ruthless, chillingly magnificent Maude-senpai?!"
"Huh?"
Both Luffy and Usopp froze.
Luffy, because Bartolomeo had just mentioned Garp.
Usopp, because Bartolomeo had rattled off Maude's accomplishments like a devoted fan.
Usopp blinked, then asked, "Wait… you know my master?"
"AAAAHHHHH!!! I just offended Maude-senpai's disciple!!!"
Bartolomeo reacted as if he had been struck by lightning, suddenly dropping to his knees. He clutched his head in despair, his voice breaking as he wailed uncontrollably.
The sky seemed to darken in response to his turmoil, thick clouds suddenly rolling in.
The Straw Hat crew exchanged bewildered glances, stunned by his over-the-top reaction.
"Usopp… Usopp Style… I should have known!!!"
"Damn it!!!"
Bartolomeo pounded the ground with his fists, as if he had committed some unforgivable sin.
But to the Straw Hats, his exaggerated display only left them more confused.
Not far away, Smoker turned to glance at Tashigi and her squad approaching from the other side of the street.
At this point, he finally decided to stop being a passive observer. He drew his Seastone-tipped jitte, his lower body transforming into smoke as he propelled himself toward the Straw Hat crew.
Here and now—he would take them down before they could make a name for themselves!
Suddenly, Bartolomeo, still wallowing in regret, snapped his bloodshot eyes toward Smoker, who was closing in fast.
"Get the hell outta my way!"
Bartolomeo's expression turned cold as he raised his hands, crossing his middle and index fingers in a distinctive gesture. Without hesitation, he lunged toward Smoker.
Flowing Barrier!
While airborne, Bartolomeo swiftly activated his Barrier-Barrier Fruit ability, conjuring a flowing, translucent shield in front of him.
In the next instant, he reshaped the barrier into a massive paddle and swung it down fiercely at Smoker, who was partially transformed into smoke.
Seeing the barrier paddle hurtling toward him, Smoker's face tensed.
Smoke couldn't pass through barriers...
He barely had time to fully disperse into smoke before the barrier paddle slammed him into the ground, scattering his form into a thick white mist.
However, within moments, the dispersed smoke slowly gathered and reformed into Smoker's body.
"They're both Devil Fruit users, just like Luffy!"
Zoro and the others watched the scene unfold, startled.
They hadn't expected to encounter not one, but two rare Devil Fruit users in a single town.
Especially that smoke-based ability—it was clearly troublesome to deal with.
But what puzzled them even more was why this man, Bartolomeo, had stepped in to help them.
Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami all exchanged confused glances.
Only Luffy remained carefree, his attention fully captivated by the powers Smoker and Bartolomeo had displayed.
Smoker, now fully reformed, pointed his Jitte at Bartolomeo with a grave expression.
"Bartolomeo, do you even understand what you're doing?"
Bartolomeo spat on the ground in Smoker's direction, ready to throw out a harsh retort—
Buru-buru, buru-buru…
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang from inside Usopp's satchel.
The unexpected call immediately drew everyone's attention.
Usopp quickly reached into his bag and pulled out the Den Den Mushi—the very one he had acquired on Maude's recommendation.
The moment he answered, the Den Den Mushi's features shifted, taking on a sharp, commanding expression.
"Usopp, is that you?"
A familiar voice came through the receiver.
"Maude-sensei?!"
Usopp was momentarily stunned, uncertain whether he had heard correctly.
"It's me."
"!!!"
The entire group was taken aback, their eyes locking onto the Den Den Mushi in Usopp's hands.
On the other end of the line was someone… dangerous.
Smoker's face darkened.
He had initially thought Usopp was bluffing, but now it was clear—this really was someone connected to that man.
"I… I can't believe I'm hearing my idol's voice…"
Bartolomeo gazed at the Den Den Mushi, which now bore a resemblance to Maude, tears welling up in his eyes.
Nami pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment before seizing the conversation from Usopp.
"Is it really you, Maude…?"
"Hm?"
There was a brief pause from the other end of the call.
"Nami, huh…?"
Hearing that familiar voice again, Nami's eyes immediately lit up.
The fact that Maude had recognized Nami by name left Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stunned.
They exchanged incredulous looks, as if silently asking, Wait… how do you know Maude?
Or rather, How does Maude know you?
Even Usopp was starting to piece things together—so that's why Nami had acted strangely back then…
—
From atop a distant rooftop—
Dragon stood silently, gazing at the dark storm clouds surging across the sky.
He had been waiting for Luffy to set sail from Loguetown.
At this rate… perhaps it would be easier to summon a gust of wind and simply sweep Luffy and his crew straight onto their ship.
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