29. Usopp

After Luffy, Zoro, and Izumi cleaned up the mob characters under Buggy. It could be seen from Buggy's expression that he was furious. But Buggy felt that he should be careful with someone who could spit water out of his mouth. As for the other two, he felt he could overcome them because he could split his body into pieces to dodge their attacks.

Meanwhile, Zoro asked Izumi.

"Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look like someone who's seen and smelled someone's blood for the first time."

"Heh, you've got me! Your eyes are so good, Zoro. In a world full of chaos as pirates compete for the One Piece, I have to get used to it."

"Hey you guys, I'll take care of the red nose. I'll leave the rest to you!" Luffy suddenly said to Izumi and Zoro. For some reason, Luffy felt he should be the one to beat Buggy.

"WHO DO YOU MEAN THE RED NOSE!?"

"Aren't you the one?" Luffy tilted his head. And somehow, his expression seemed like he was making fun of Buggy.

Buggy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Get them! I'll take care of this straw hat!"

"But, captain. I—" The man cosplaying animal ears seemed afraid of Izumi. But, Buggy interjected him.

"Just do as I say!"

"Hehe, I'll take care of all of them, captain!" The circus-like guy suddenly dashed using his one-wheeled bicycle. He held his saber tightly, then slashed at Luffy. But…

*Clank*

"Since you use a saber, then let me take care of you."

Zoro intercepted the saber. Then, both of them started the fight.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy launched a straight punch. However, Buggy dodged easily. He intended to counterattack but didn't know that Luffy's hand grabbed the tree.

At the time when Buggy was ready to counterattack and turned his head to Luffy, he was surprised that Luffy's body propelled toward him. He wasn't ready. As a result, he was thrown backward and destroyed the house behind the tree.

Meanwhile, Izumi stared at his opponent who was carrying a gun. His face still looked terrified even though the gun was pointed at Izumi. He didn't know how Izumi suddenly cut his right arm without even seeing his movement.

Izumi frowned. The man in front of him still had the nerve to point a gun at him. Despite looking frightened, the fact that he still had the balls to fight was unimaginable to him.

Suddenly the gun pointed in a certain direction. Izumi was confused. Bet then, he remembered something.

"Shit!"

*Boom*

Izumi immediately teleported.

*Splatter*

"Ugh!" Izumi groaned in pain as he knocked Nami down. There was blood dripping on his right hand due to protecting Nami from a bullet that was fired.

Nami herself who was carrying a sack containing the treasures previously given by Izumi was shocked. She thought Izumi was going to do something to her. But she realized when she saw the dripping blood from his hand.

She didn't see it. She watched how Luffy fought with Buggy at that moment. It turned out the gun was pointed at her, and Izumi instantly protected her with his body.

Even Luffy got distracted after he heard Izumi groan. As a result, his straw hat was pierced by Buggy's knives.

"Ha, haha, hahaha. Got you, bastard. But that wasn't enough to avenge Richie's death."

*Boom* *boom* *boom*

He shot again, but this time Izumi teleported behind a wall along with Nami.

"Why did you save me?" Nami asked.

"Does that need to be asked? You're the only navigator that Luffy chose. If anything happens to you, we'll be in trouble."

"But, I don't —"

"Shhh!" Izumi put his index finger on her lips. He added.

"We can talk about that later. I'm going to take care of that bastard who shot me. You should help Luffy if he is in trouble."

Without giving Nami a chance to talk, Izumi disappeared.

Izumi appeared in front of the man cosplaying animal ears. Enduring the pain in his right hand, he formed hand seals.

"Ram, Snake, Tiger. Bunshin No Jutsu."

After he released the cloning technique, Izumi multiplied and surrounded his enemy in front of him. His clones had the same movement as him. It was a basic Ninjutsu to fool other people's eyes.

"Suiton: Mizu Shuriken!"

He immediately transformed his energy into the water and formed dozens of shurikens made out of the water, then threw them at his enemy in quick succession.

His enemy panicked and shot a couple of times. However, what he shot were only Izumi's clones.

*Slice* *stab*

The shurikens stabbed and sliced from his back that making him scream.

The man was still alive. Izumi approached step by step while holding his Kunai in his left hand.

"Fuuton: Shinkuujin!"

He exhaled his chakra infused with the wind element into his Kunai which then enveloped his weapon in a light green color.

"Sorry, dude. You will be my first kill in this world."

*Stab* *slash*

After Izumi stabbed that man's heart, he sliced diagonally downward.

Izumi couldn't hold the churning in his throat. He was vomiting not long after committing his first kill. His body and his limbs trembled. He looked at his left hand holding a Kunai that was covered in blood.

"It seems I need to rest for a while."

— — — —

A few days later.

After Zoro defeated the circus-like guy, Luffy threw Buggy into the middle of nowhere, and all of them continued to sail along with Nami as a new navigator.

Nami was happy to have got a sack of treasures. However, she was also somewhat disappointed after Izumi left the two sacks containing the treasures he had stolen from Buggy's base. Though, Izumi still had a sack of treasures and some metals that he might need very soon.

"Woah, I see the island over there." Luffy stood up while raising his hands happily.

"We can buy or ask someone to build a ship! Don't you agree?" Izumi said to them.

Luffy and Zoro nodded. However, Nami was holding the sack filled with treasures tightly while looking at Izumi.

"This is mine."

"Okay, okay, it's yours. I still have a sack of treasures. We can use them to buy or ask people to build a ship. Don't worry, alright!"

Nami was uncomfortable. Ever since she knew Izumi was a ninja that was an expert in infiltration and the likes, she was always guarded against him.

Before long, they arrived at the shore. The four of them were greeted by several pirate flags. Izumi knew this was Usopp's joke, so he stepped forward undaunted.

A young man with a long nose appeared. He wore goggles on his head and held a slingshot with his hand. No doubt, this young man was Usopp.

"Stop right there, pirates! My slingshot can shoot like a gun, you know!" Although Usopp said that, his trembling limbs could be seen from Izumi's position.

Meanwhile, Luffy replied coldly while holding with his left hand with a serious expression.

"When you point a gun, then your life will be at stake. That's not the weapon to scare people carelessly!"

Zoro just grinned while holding his swords.

Seeing Izumi, Luffy, and Zoro their cold demeanor, Usopp's limbs went limp, he couldn't even stand up right at that moment.

Seeing the three pirates who were still silent, Usopp ventured to ask.

"Wh-wha-wha-what d-do you w-w-want by co-coming here?"

Izumi looked at the others. And then they laughed together. Then Luffy told him that what he said earlier was the words of Shanks which he imitated.

"You're Usopp, right? Your face is similar to Yasopp."

"You know my father?"

Luffy knew Yasopp when he was little. And Luffy said that Yasopp is the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates.

Luffy told how he met Yasopp and told how great Yasopp was.

After waiting for Luffy to finish his story.

"Anyway, let's go somewhere first, we're gonna cook something. I got a lot of meat." Izumi said to Luffy. Instantly, Luffy's eyes shone brightly.

"Meat!!!!"

"I'm hungry." Zoro also agreed.

"Can you cook?" Nami asked Izumi.

"Well, I'm good at making desserts. But, I don't know if my cooking will be good or mediocre. Usopp, can you lend me cooking tools?" Izumi nodded, then asked Usopp.

Usopp nodded.

"Come with me!"