vncnus Chapter 223 The so-called strong are those who conquer fear.
Chapter 223 The so-called strong are those who conquer fear.
Chapter 223 The so-called strong are those who conquer fear.
"Then it's settled. When my organization's people go to Elbaf in a few days, I'll trouble you two to host them."
"Crack! Crack! No problem!"
"Hehehehe—a partner of a warrior of your caliber must be quite formidable. Brogy and I will certainly give him a good welcome. But it would be even better if you could come along; then we can have another fight!"
"If the opportunity arises, I will go with you—if you want to fight, I'm always ready to join you."
"However, I have other matters to attend to at the moment, so I won't stay any longer!"
These words were spoken.
Amidst hearty laughter, the figure with the monkey-head mask rode on golden clouds, soaring into the sky.
"Skull, Chenlong asked me to tell you something—although you have found a companion now, you are still friends with him. If you have time in the future, he will invite you to drink again."
As such a sound echoed through the sky, the monkey vanished into the heavens in an instant.
"Yohohoho, those are really heartwarming words. Oh, even though I don't have a heart."
Brook wiped his eyes.
But
"Mr. Shenhou—since you're leaving anyway, why don't you help us find a boat on your way?"
"Why didn't you say that to him sooner!" *5
At that moment, the Straw Hat crew, who were huddled together with Brook on a small piece of land, glared angrily at the afro-haired skull.
"But...it's really unbelievable."
However, even after her roar, Nami was still somewhat incredulous: "One attack actually destroyed such a large island..."
"It's an unimaginable power."
She was somewhat disappointed.
Although she personally doesn't have a strong desire for power, ever since she met Luffy and witnessed him save her hometown...
She, however, always had great confidence in Luffy and his crew.
But today.
Even Nami understood after witnessing this battle firsthand.
"We still have a long way to go."
Whether it's fulfilling the promise to sail the Grand Line, drawing all the sea charts in the world, becoming the Pirate King, finding ALL BLUE, or becoming the strongest swordsman and bravest sea warrior.
They are still very far from their dreams.
And the truth is just as she said at that moment.
Little Garden, an ancient island that has existed on the Grand Line since ancient times and witnessed the century-long duel between two giants.
It no longer exists.
The Straw Hat crew could still remember the scene of that attack.
The colossal club, seemingly a pillar connecting heaven and earth, crashed down with a deafening roar—the "Elbaf Spear" unleashed by the two giants together crumbled almost instantly upon contact with that club.
Then they felt the entire island crumbling.
They watched as the volcano in the center of the island was instantly shattered along with its lava by the black and red overlord-colored lightning.
They watched as a tsunami, hundreds of meters high, rose out of nowhere from all sides.
Even those who were swept up in the wave could see that the giant island-eating goldfish that had been devouring dinosaur carcasses nearby had no strength to resist and was instantly knocked unconscious, swallowed by the giant wave and sinking into the sea.
At this moment, within the entire sea area where the small garden is located, only the floating island remains on the sea surface can prove that the island once existed.
And that's the scariest part.
"yes."
Sanji picked up a cigarette and was about to light it.
"This is the strongest being in this vast ocean."
He said this, but his eyes seemed a little unfocused.
This time, they witnessed firsthand the power possessed by the strongman at the top of this ocean.
Fortunately, the other party had no ill intentions towards them, and was even relatively friendly because of Brooke. The attack just now was not aimed at them.
Even so, this blow that destroyed the entire island still left them in a very sorry state.
But what if the next top expert they encounter is hostile towards them?
Sanji couldn't help but think of Germa—although he only felt hatred for his father and brothers, he had to admit Germa's strength.
But even Germa, faced with the truly hostile Zodiac, was nothing more than a silent news item in the newspapers.
"We are indeed just 'newcomers' to this vast ocean."
He realized this.
"I told you before, you idiot cook."
At this moment, Zoro was wiping the dusty Wado Ichimonji in his hand—in the chaos just now, he had cut through many flying rocks.
"The twelve constellations are not opponents we can challenge right now."
He raised his sword and looked at its blade through the sunlight.
As I said before—after witnessing my teacher's contest with the Pig in Frostmoon Village.
He already understood.
The true powerhouses of this vast ocean are far beyond the enemies he can challenge at present.
After that, he gave up his plan to directly challenge "Hawkeye" Mihawk and instead focused on honing his sword.
One day, his sword will face off against someone of that caliber.
By then, he should be very close to becoming the world's greatest swordsman, right?
At this moment, even Luffy nodded with a rare serious expression: "Ughhhhhh, ughhhhh. (Uncle Monkey is really strong, I feel like he could probably beat up Grandpa.)"
"Why are you still eating?! And why can we all understand what you're saying?!" *N
And it was precisely while they were sighing with regret that they realized this.
"Crackling sound!"
"Hehehehe!"
"You guys are still so energetic!"
But they saw that the two giants had already swum over from the sea.
Their weapons were completely destroyed, and they were still injured, but their spirits were clearly good.
Upon seeing them, Usopp, who had been slumped on the ground, quickly got up and approached them, asking, "Master Dorry, Master Brogy, are you alright?"
His movements as he stood up were somewhat stiff, clearly indicating that his legs were still a bit weak.
"Oh? Of course we're fine—just a minor injury."
Broglie, covered in blood, laughed loudly.
"Shenhou controlled the force of his attack just now. Although it destroyed the island, most of the force didn't land on us."
Dongli exclaimed in admiration, "Otherwise, we would definitely be dead by now—this martial arts technique is truly remarkable."
As top-tier warriors, they certainly knew what this control represented.
"That level of attack wasn't even his full strength!"
"What an incredibly powerful warrior!"
"I hope he can come to Elbaf with his companions sometime. We can go get some rehabilitation and then fight him again. Although we probably still won't be a match for him, just thinking about it is exciting!"
"That's right, Dongli!"
They exclaimed in amazement.
"."
Usopp, however, felt a sudden pang of shame upon hearing his two masters' words.
The reason for my shame is very simple.
Because at that moment he suddenly realized.
He couldn't understand why Dorry and Brogy could still laugh at that moment.
They just faced that attack head-on, and they were almost killed!
Why would I want to fight that guy who's so strong he's not even human again? Isn't that terrifying?
Or to be more precise.
He could understand his two mentors—they were brave warriors.
But he couldn't empathize.
Even now, he still can't control his legs—they are still trembling unconsciously.
At this moment, he had only one emotion in his heart.
"Are you scared, Usopp?" *2
The next moment, he heard the voices of the two masters in front of him.
He raised his head and looked at the two giants, trying hard to suppress his emotions.
But in the end, he couldn't help but shed tears.
"Yes, I'm terrified—terrified to death."
He felt extremely guilty.
Yes—he was terrified, even more so than Nami.
When that blow came crashing down, when he was thrown back by the aftershocks of the battle, and even further back, when he fought Kro, and in Roguetown—every battle, even when he was just watching one, terrified him to death.
But that's clearly not why he went to sea.
He went to sea because he wanted to become a brave and fearless sea warrior.
But as he is now, he's just a man of this caliber.
"."
Usopp lowered his head, feeling ashamed of himself.
But the next moment...
"That's the right thing to do, Usopp."
But he heard Broglie's voice.
".ah?"
Usopp instinctively looked up.
Then he saw the two giants' ever-present smiling faces.
The two brave warriors did not despise him for being a coward, but remained valiant.
"Hehehehe, everyone's afraid, Usopp—we're afraid too."
Dongli laughed loudly, "When I first started warrior training, I was terrified when I learned that I would be fighting ferocious beasts brought up from the 'Netherworld'!"
"After Brogdie got slashed by an axe once, he even said he didn't want to train anymore."
He exposed his friend's shortcomings, but his words were full of emotion.
"Everyone is afraid, Usopp."
He looked at the humans in front of him.
All living things in the world are born with a fear of death and danger.
When encountering a stronger creature, all living things instinctively feel fear.
But the difference lies in...
Cowards are driven by instinct when they are afraid—they will turn and run away, kneel down and beg for mercy, and give up everything.
And the so-called warriors
"It's someone who, even trembling with fear, even with their blood boiling and screaming for escape, still chooses to charge forward despite being surrounded by terror!"
That's what they said.
Usopp instinctively turned his head.
Then he noticed many things he hadn't noticed before.
Sanji kept lighting cigarettes, but his hand holding the lighter trembled almost imperceptibly.
Zoro held the sword, but his hands were sweaty.
Luffy ate his food and drank his water, but his eyes were filled with seriousness.
Then it dawned on Usopp.
"you."
Those three people who have always played the main fighting force in the team—do they actually feel subconsciously afraid when facing a strong enemy?
"ha?"
Faced with Usopp's question, Sanji shook his head helplessly: "Of course it is, idiot?"
"Let me make this clear first, I'm not like that stinky cook—this old man isn't afraid."
"You green algae-headed idiot, you want to fight?!"
"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh (Water! Water! Water!)"
Driven by fear at the beginning, he couldn't even hold his weapon steady.
Then endure the fear and force yourself to fight.
Then embrace the fear, and transform that fear into your own power.
So-called warriors and strongmen are creatures that grow up in this way.
So at this moment, the two giants looked at Usopp in front of them.
Usopp called them his masters.
In fact, they did acknowledge this human friend they had only known for a short time.
It's not because he's so powerful, nor because he's so incredibly powerful.
But because
"Usopp, you have embarked on the path of a warrior."
Yes.
In past battles, Usopp was more afraid than anyone else and often uttered weak words.
But when it came to actual combat, even knowing that he might face death, he never ran away.
"Master Dongli. Master Brogi."
Usopp trembled all over, trying to say something.
But
"Hey—look over there, it's the Going Merry!"
Nami, who was filling Luffy's bottle with water, looked up and saw the Going Merry slowly rising from the sea in the distance.
"Huh!? What's that under the Going Merry? Hey, hey, it's that island-eating goldfish!"
"It's already so badly injured, yet it's still alive—it's going to eat the ship! Quick, think of something!"
"Crack! Let me and Donley come. We don't have a ship to go back to Elbaf, so building a temporary one with this guy's bones should be a good idea!"
"Let's go, Brogy!"
"Hey, keep your hands to yourself, or the island will sink!"
A moment later, Usopp's screams echoed through the air once again.
"No! Nooooo!"
At the same time.
The New World, Dressrosa.
This member state of the World Government, known as the "Land of Love, Passion, and Toys," is a place where laughter and anticipation coexist.
"Hey, did you hear? There's an extra 'Grand Martial Arts Tournament' at the Bullfighting Arena in two weeks!"
"Really? What's the scale?"
"It's said to be on an unprecedented level, even the Corridor has been expanded—it's an order personally given by His Majesty Doflamingo, and they say they'll be offering a 'prize' that's unique in history, enough to change the entire landscape of the sea!"
"Enough to change the ocean? Really?"
"His Majesty Doflamingo is a Shichibukai, he couldn't possibly be lying, right!?"
"I heard the World Economic News will be publishing about it soon. Let's go buy tickets!"
"No tickets are needed; apparently, it's free to watch this time!"
Such discussions were spreading throughout the country.
And at the highest point of this kingdom lies a place called the "King's Highlands".
The Dressrosa Palace, which is also the residence of Don Quixote Doflamingo, exists here.
At this moment, at the highest point of the royal palace.
"Dover...do you really want to do this?"
Holding a cane, wearing a cloak and sunglasses, and with snot hanging from his nose, the disheveled middle-aged man spoke with a slight tremor.
He was one of the highest-ranking members of the Don Quixote family—"Plum Blossom" Trebol.
And not just him.
Pica, Diamanti, Sugar, Delinger, Rao G.—all the core members of the Don Quixote family have gathered here.
At this moment, they listened to the plan announced by their master, and they all found it hard to believe.
"Doflamingo, although you had a grudge against the Rooster of the Twelve Zodiacs before, if we really do this—we'll completely offend them, and even Kaido will turn against us."
Trebol stared at his young master in disbelief.
"Fufufufufu!"
But at this moment, Doflamingo, who resembled a flamingo, simply sat on the throne with his legs crossed.
"Yes, Trebol."
He let out that distinctive, hoarse laugh.
"Even for us, this is an unprecedented gamble."
He grinned and opened his arms.
His body was also tense.
Yes.
He certainly understood better than anyone the significance of his words at that moment.
The "plan" he mentioned stemmed from a coincidence not long ago.
That coincidence changed all his original plans.
"If we fail, the twelve constellations and all the beasts will stop at nothing to kill us. We will all die, fufufufufu."
He was, of course, also wary of the possibility of failure.
That would be an absolute catastrophe, an unavoidable death, even for the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But
As a 'strongman' and a true 'tyrant'.
Fear couldn't take hold of him; it only made him more excited.
"It can be used as payment."
"What will we gain if we succeed?"
He smiled as he asked the "relatives" in front of him, while raising his hand and slightly moving his fingers.
At this moment.
An ancient tree root stained with blood was dancing with his fingers.
He stuck out his tongue, as if sensing the stimulating aroma emanating from the tree roots.
"That's right."
His hoarse laughter concealed an undisguised ambition.
"The prize is—this world."
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(End of this chapter)