One Piece Gunslinger

After a long conversation between Leon and Usopp, things quickly escalated to the point where they were about to have a "duel." At this point, the quick-witted Carina and Nami realized that all the talk of the "sea warriors" was just Leon trying to lure Usopp into a trap.

Still in a state of excitement, Usopp, unaware that he was about to face a murderer with a bounty of ten million Berries, was already destined for tragedy in the eyes of the two women.

"Why do you think Leon deliberately seduced Usopp?" Carina whispered in Nami's ear as they followed behind.

Nami whispered, "I can't guess either. I feel like there are still many mysterious aspects to him."

With Li Ang's keen hearing, he could hear it clearly. However, Li Ang didn't intend to explain to the two women and simply followed Usopp out of the village.

"Be careful there, is the ultimate weapon? Metal Star?" The two arrived at an open space outside the village, and Usopp couldn't wait to launch the first attack.

In reality, Usopp's so-called "ultimate move," Metal Star, is simply shooting a small iron ball with his slingshot. That's all.

How could such an attack possibly work on Li Ang? The two women standing to the side covered their faces with one hand when they saw Usopp take out a slingshot from his bag, not wanting to watch any longer.

However, Li Ang's response to this "ultimate move" was unexpected.

"Bang!" "Clang!"

Usopp stared at the smoking gun barrel and was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud.

Usopp recognized guns, and Leon didn't pull out any strange-looking guns; he used a handgun, the most common type in the One Piece world.

Usopp never expected that Leon, who had been unarmed just moments before, would suddenly pull out a gun and fire at him. Indeed, from Usopp's perspective, the smoking muzzle of Leon's gun was pointed directly at his head.

Usopp had never experienced any violence since he grew up in Syrup Village, and now he was so frightened by the dark muzzle of the gun that he sat down on the ground with a thud.

There were two sounds in total. The first sound was, of course, the sound of Li Ang firing his gun. The second sound was the sound of the two metal balls colliding when Li Ang's gun hit the iron ball that Usopp shot.

"Hey, I'm not dead! I'm actually not dead!"

After putting away his gun, Li Ang ignored Usopp sitting on the ground and walked step by step to the big tree to Usopp's right rear, pulled out a bullet, and then picked up the iron ball from the ground.

"Of course you won't die, because my shot was aimed at the bullet you fired. Although it looks like I shot at your head, the bullet actually changed direction after hitting the bead."

After saying that, Li Ang threw the two slightly deformed bullets in his hand in front of Usopp.

When the two women saw that Li Ang actually had this skill, they couldn't help but wonder, "The contents of the newspaper are really unreliable. This killer is clearly also proficient in shooting. The bounty should be at least several million more."

If Li Ang heard this, he would probably roll his eyes in anger.

"But is it even possible to shoot a high-speed moving object?" Usopp asked incredulously, picking up two deformed bullets from the ground.

“The facts are right in front of you, Usopp,” Leon said. “There are many people on this sea who can do this, many others besides me.”

"Are there still quite a few people?" Usopp asked absentmindedly.

This was indeed a blow to Usopp. In Usopp's mind, regardless of the level or fighting ability of others, he had never seen anyone with better shooting skills than him. Usopp's shooting accuracy could even be described as hitting a target from a hundred paces away.

This is related to Usopp's talent for sniping. But it was precisely this talent that made Usopp overconfident in his sniping skills before he set sail, and he even wanted to protect the village alone.

Although Leon's shot did not cause any physical harm to Usopp, it had a great impact on his mind.

When Li Ang saw Usopp, he laughed and said, "Yes, there are many more, such as Yasopp."

"Yosophie?!" Usopp stood up abruptly upon hearing the name, asking in surprise, "You just mentioned Yasopp?"

"Yes, you heard me right, it's Yasopp, a great sea warrior, and your father."

Even the two bystanders realized that Li Ang had come here for Usopp. It was obvious that he knew him, and even knew Usopp's father, Yasopp.

“Alright, Usopp.” Leon patted Usopp on the shoulder and said, “You will master this kind of skill too. Not to mention this, you can gradually learn many more and more powerful skills in the future. However, I don’t have much time, so I’ll just guide you through the basics and get you to the level I just demonstrated.”

"Wait a minute, this sounds really off." Before Usopp could react, Nami was the first to object, "You're going to stay here and train him? What about us?"

Faced with Nami's questioning, Li Ang said matter-of-factly, "Huh? Didn't I promise you that I would part ways with you as soon as we got here? Why haven't you left yet?"

This remark immediately ignited Nami's powder keg, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to rush up and beat up Li Ang. If it weren't for Karina, in her transformed state, sensing the danger and quickly protecting Nami from behind, Li Ang would probably already be covered in bumps and bruises.

What? You're saying Nami can't beat Leon? That's impossible! The Straw Hat Pirates have fought three strong opponents, and every single one of them has been thoroughly beaten by Nami. And if this trend continues, even if Luffy one day becomes invincible and becomes the Pirate King, he'll still be no match for Nami.

That was obviously a joke, but Li Ang's words were definitely rude.

"Ahem, alright, enough joking. If you want to leave, you can use my boat if necessary. Or if you don't want to row, you can wait for me for a while, not long, I estimate a few days will be enough."

To be honest, the two of them did have a thought of "You think I wouldn't dare? I'll just row away." But for some reason, they were overwhelmed by the thought of "I don't want to row. I'll just let this guy row me and exhaust him." After struggling for a while, they decided to stay in Sibro Village for a few days.

"So, Usopp," Leon asked calmly, as if the previous farce had never happened, "would you like to learn sniping skills from me and take the first step towards becoming a warrior of the sea?"

Upon hearing the words "sea warrior," Usopp could hardly disagree, nodding frantically.

What he didn't know was that, even with the highest talent, achieving mastery in just a few days could be deadly.

Chapter 155 Training in Eyesight and Courage

As for why Li Ang suddenly had the idea to train Usopp and stay on the island for a few days, it was because although Usopp seemed to be a sniper, he was always overlooked during battles and placed in the ranks of non-combatants like Nami.

Besides Usopp's own lack of strength, another reason is his often timid but brave personality when it matters.

It is because he is timid and cowardly most of the time that he is perceived as a weakling by others.

It is precisely this kind of personality that makes Usopp unable to defeat anyone, relying on luck and a bit of wit to overcome each opponent. This applies to everyone, whether it's a lowly, unremarkable soldier or a renowned boss.

As fellow members of the same class as Leon and Usopp, they also became interested in this contradictory colleague, wondering if Usopp could still be favored by Lady Luck if targeted training could be provided to address his weaknesses.

……

"boom!"

With a single shot fired by Leon, Usopp was already sitting on the ground with a thud. He didn't even have the slightest thought of resisting the bullet Leon fired.

This was already the second day. Although Leon didn't aim directly at Usopp, but instead let the bullets graze Usopp's hair, Usopp felt like he was going to die every time.

This training method was precisely what Leon used to toughen Usopp up, enabling him to face death and danger head-on. Unfortunately, Usopp plopped down on the ground again.

Even the two bystanders sitting on the rocks nearby, watching the training with nothing to do, felt a bit helpless about this situation. Every time, Li Ang would specify the firing position and then have Usopp watch the bullets flying towards him.

Even so, a whole day passed, and Usopp still couldn't see the trajectory of the bullets even once, nor could he even face the muzzle of the gun. Every time Leon fired a shot, he would be so scared that he would fall to the ground.

However, this was still a little better than yesterday. Yesterday, Li Ang first demonstrated his shooting skills to Usopp, hitting Usopp's iron ball with a single shot. Usopp even wet his pants without realizing it until Li Ang decided to teach him the skill.

Later, when faced with the dark muzzle of Li Ang's gun, Usopp would often be so frightened that he would fall to the ground before Li Ang even pulled the trigger.

The situation on the second day was much better than on the first day. At least now it was only when Li Ang pulled the trigger that Usopp heard the gunshot and saw the flash that he was so frightened that he sat down on the ground.

"What's there to be afraid of? You've had dozens of shots in total, and they've all just grazed your body. Li Ang always tells you where to shoot and he can make the bullets fly there accurately. After all these dozens of times, what's there to be afraid of? If you keep training at this pace, you can just wait to spend your whole life here."

Karina, one of the onlookers sitting to the side, threw away the leftover melon rinds and stood up to complain.

How could we not be anxious? We absolutely have to be anxious. Karina and Nami can't build a boat, and they're entirely counting on Leon to row them away from here. What? You're saying you'll build one yourself? Building one is a different story. Putting aside the effort involved, even building a small boat would take them several days, working up a sweat, and damaging their smooth skin. That's something neither of them can endure.

After Karina finished complaining, Nami wholeheartedly agreed and nodded while holding the melon rind.

Leon chose a spot on the coast where no one would pass by, and it was far from the village, so Leon could fire safely without worrying about scaring the other villagers.

On the first day of training, the two girls were still able to play and sunbathe on the beach with great interest. By the second day, they had completely lost interest in the things they had played all day yesterday and things they often did before. They started sitting bored on the side, watching Li Ang train Usopp while eating melon seeds, becoming true bystanders.

Perhaps they were complaining about their boring lives, or perhaps they were frustrated with Usopp's lack of progress after so much training. The two women couldn't take it anymore and started scolding Usopp.

It's not fair to say that the two bystanders were talking without understanding the situation; if they were there, they would have been just as clueless and gotten beaten up too.

While Usopp's timid nature played a part, it was indeed Li Ang's deliberate act, intentionally unleashing a strong killing intent at Usopp while he was fully focused.

Even though Usopp had learned from those dozens of shots that Leon's shots wouldn't harm him, every time he faced that dark gun muzzle, he felt a voice echoing in his ears: "Killing you...you'll die...die..."

Therefore, every time Li Ang fired a shot, he always felt that this shot was different from the previous ones, that there would be an exception, and that he would be hit.

Li Ang did this intentionally. If Usopp mastered a technique that could succeed even without killing intent, then on a real battlefield, this technique, which couldn't be used when killing intent was involved, would be completely useless.

Although Leon told Usopp that the bullet would definitely pass by, he was also subtly implying with his killing intent that he would die from it. This was all to prevent Usopp from being held back by fear and to ensure he could perform at his best under any circumstances.

"Alright, since that's the case, why don't you take a break?" Li Ang spoke up at this moment, suggesting that Usopp, who was covered in sweat, should take a rest.

Usopp definitely needed a rest. Although he hadn't done anything all morning, just stood there waiting for Leon to shoot, the feeling of hovering on the brink of death had been incredibly stimulating to Usopp's brain and body.

“No, no need.” Usopp, who had been sitting on the ground without saying a word, finally spoke. “I think I was able to track the trajectory of that bullet just now. I want to try again.”

Although Usopp often says unreliable things and is frequently full of lies, this weak statement of his has a certain credibility.

"As expected of a sniping genius. I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow to reach this level, but I didn't expect that he could do it now." Li Ang looked at the tired Usopp and praised him in his heart.

“Alright, stand up, let’s try again. This time I’ll shoot you from the left side of your neck.” Li Ang raised his gun again.

Since Usopp said it would definitely work this time, the two girls abandoned their gossip-watching business and focused intently on the two men's actions.

"boom!"

Li Ang himself couldn't remember clearly that this was the first time he had done this, but he believed that once the shot was fired, it would definitely bring about a different result.

As expected, Usopp did not disappoint everyone. When the smoke cleared, Usopp was still standing on his two legs instead of landing on his butt.

"It seems you really did it." Li Ang put away his things and smiled with satisfaction.

"Don't you know who I am? Because I saw the trajectory clearly this time, I know that this shot definitely won't hit me, so I'm not afraid at all." Usopp proudly raised his head, his long nose almost sticking up to the sky.

However, when the two women saw Usopp boasting while his legs trembled, they immediately clicked their tongues and sat back down on the rock.

The way Li Ang chopped Usopp was both funny and exasperating.

There are only two ways to stop Usopp from sitting down so easily as before. One is to increase his own resilience. As long as he can withstand the fear brought by Li Ang's murderous aura, he will no longer be afraid. This is also Li Ang's original intention.

The second method is what we're doing now: clearly observe the bullet's trajectory. This will help avoid interference from Li Ang's killing intent to some extent. Now that we can see it clearly, what's there to be afraid of? We definitely won't hit it anyway.

Li Ang was truly impressed this time, and was convinced of Usopp's incredible sniper talent.

For most people, the first condition would be met: improving their resilience through repeated practice, and only after overcoming their fear would they focus on clearly observing the trajectory and path of the bullet.

However, a genius is a genius, and he never takes the conventional path. Between the two conditions, he actually achieved the second condition first. Under the circumstances of fear, he managed to see the trajectory of the bullet, thus reducing the terror of the source of fear without much improvement in his courage.

Even so, judging from Usopp's still trembling legs, this was still quite a strain for him.

"Alright, I'm very satisfied with today's results. Let's stop here and go back to the village for a meal." This time, Li Ang really put away his gun. Haste makes waste. Usopp's breakthrough in one day has already achieved Li Ang's training goal for today.

"Even if you did well today, don't get too excited." After putting away his gun, Li Ang was still posing with the items he was chopping when he spoke up.

"Now you've completed the first step of the training. There are two more steps to go. Each of these two steps is more difficult than the last, and they're probably much harder than the first one. I advise you to prepare yourself mentally and not back down when the time comes."

However, Usopp had already assumed his stance and made his boast, so he didn't care about anything else and immediately asked, "What other tricks do you have? Show me everything! There's nothing this genius can't learn."

Li Ang gave a strange smile and said, "Oh? Is that so? Then can I look forward to your excellent performance?"

Even the two women familiar with Li Ang couldn't help but tremble at that smile. Poor Usopp, however, was unaware that the fear brought by this first step was the lightest, the least of all.

Even more brutal and terrifying training awaited him next.