The sea was calm and peaceful, and two days passed in a relaxed and warm atmosphere.
Tushan and his two wives finally approached the direction of Syrup Village.
On the ship, both Makino and Nami looked much more radiant.
It was evident that they had been well taken care of over the past two days.
Tushan stood on the deck, leaning against the railing, holding two slices of orange in his hand. He casually tossed them into his mouth, gazing at the approaching shore with a slight smile on his lips.
"My dear wives, it's time to go ashore."
At his gentle call, both Makino and Nami approached.
Looking up, Makino had changed into a brown tight-fitting long dress, accentuating her mature and curvaceous figure. Her rosy and delicate face made her appear even more mature, exuding an irresistible allure.
Beside her, Nami wore her usual casual and cool outfit. On someone as cute and sexy as Nami, even simple clothes seemed extraordinary.
Nami held Plue in her arms.
As long as it wasn't during a battle, Nami would always keep Plue by her side.
After all, as a cute creature, as long as it wasn't knocked away, Plue could stay by Nami's side for a long time.
Moreover, as an ordinary celestial spirit with no function other than being adorable, Plue's presence hardly consumed any of Nami's energy.
Tushan smiled at the two of them, casually pinching Plue.
"This Plue is pampered by Nami like a child."
"But perhaps it won't be long before I can give Makino and the others a real son..."
With a casual smile in his heart, the boat beneath the three of them finally reached the shore. Tushan said no more, wrapping his arms around the two beautiful figures beside him. With a gentle leap, they landed steadily on the ground.
"Syrup Village, we've finally arrived!"
Looking up at a familiar slope that stirred some memories, Tushan smiled and sighed.
...
Syrup Village.
The hometown of the Straw Hat crew's sniper, Usopp!
This remote little village in the East Blue was underdeveloped in many ways.
But precisely because of its remoteness, the village was harmonious.
Even the navy couldn't be bothered to manage this place, and pirates didn't see it as worth their time...
However.
About three years ago.
A captain named Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, who had gained a fearsome reputation in the East Blue, set his sights on this place!
Tired of the pirate life, he wanted to live a peaceful, retired life.
And in this village, there happened to be a wealthy family, the home of Kaya.
Kuro spent three years gaining Kaya's trust as a butler, intending to eventually seize all her wealth!
If Tushan hadn't appeared.
Perhaps Kuro's plot might have succeeded.
And by then, Kaya's fate would likely have been grim.
But now.
Since Tushan had decided to come here to take a new wife, he wouldn't allow Kaya to suffer any harm!
---
Tushan and his companions walked into the village, chatting and laughing.
Apart from Tushan, neither Makino nor Nami knew there were pirates in the village.
Thus, the atmosphere among them was relaxed and carefree, as if they were on a sightseeing trip.
However, several figures hidden in the shadows watched their arrival with tense expressions, as if facing a great enemy.
"Captain! What should we do? Pirates have invaded!!"
"This time it's real. It seems we really have to take action!"
Three small heads hidden in the grass spoke urgently to a figure with a long nose.
Hearing this, the long-nosed figure swallowed nervously.
All along, because the village was so harmonious and boring.
To bring some fun to the village, he often played pirate games with his three little followers.
But he never expected that real pirates would appear today!
After all, such a large ship with a pirate flag was docked there, and those three people had come down from it.
They clearly weren't good people!
After thinking for a moment, the long-nosed figure finally whispered, "This is no small matter! Onion, you three quickly go and warn the villagers to take shelter!"
"Although we don't know what these guys are here for, it would be too late to respond if they start causing trouble!"
Hearing this, the three nodded repeatedly.
"But... we seem to have lost all credibility in the village. After all, we say 'pirates are coming' almost every day..."
"Uh..."
The long-nosed figure was momentarily speechless, but seeing Tushan and his companions getting closer, he quickly said, "No matter what, we have to make an effort. We can't just sit and wait for death!"
"You guys go quickly and try to gain everyone's trust! This time it's not a drill!!"
"Alright..."
"But Captain, what about you?"
Onion, with a long trail of snot, curiously asked.
Hearing this, the long-nosed figure immediately put on a righteous smile, pointing his thumb at himself, "I, Captain Usopp, will naturally stand on the front line to resist the pirates!"
"So, I'll hold off these pirates! You guys go and warn everyone in the village!"
"Cap... Captain!"
The three little kids looked at their captain, who seemed to be glowing, and were somewhat moved.
Given the urgency of the situation, the three boys quickly ran along the path to the village to warn the villagers.
Meanwhile, the long-nosed Usopp, who volunteered to stay behind, was silently calculating in his heart.
"Judging by the ship those guys came on, they're clearly not just any small-time pirates..."
"But why are there only three of them?"
"And two of them are women?!"
Usopp frowned, then glanced back at the scene behind him, taking a deep breath before focusing his gaze on Tushan and his companions.
"No matter what, since there's a threat, I can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"If it's just these three, I, Captain Usopp, also have the power to fight!"
"Well... at least if I can't beat them, no one can catch me if I run."
Usopp thought to himself, quietly reaching for his slingshot.
He slowly aimed at Tushan, who was among the three on the path.
"Among these three, it seems only this man poses any threat! As long as I take him out, the other two women won't be a problem!!"
With a light snort, Usopp's slingshot slowly stretched, holding a dark gray pellet.
Then, with a sharp gaze.
He finally launched his attack!
"*KILLER SHOT: LEAD STAR!*"
With a soft shout, a gray pellet whistled through the air, rapidly heading for Tushan's head!
However.
Tushan, with his top-level Observation Haki, seemed completely unfazed by any danger.
He paid no attention to the attack coming from the side.
He simply tossed another slice of orange into his mouth.
Then, chewing the fruit, he casually spat out a seed.
It intercepted the powerful lead pellet in mid-air...
"????!"
"What just happened?!"
Usopp, wearing his goggles during the attack, clearly saw what had just happened!
But such an absurd event, how could it be real?!
His sneak attack was not only detected...
But was easily intercepted by the opponent with a casual orange seed?!
"This couldn't have been unintentional!!"
Usopp thought, realizing he had been exposed. Suddenly drenched in cold sweat, he didn't dare to look back and ran at full speed toward the village.
Hearing the commotion not far away, Makino and Nami turned their heads simultaneously.
But they saw nothing.
They turned back, as if nothing had happened.
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