19. Stealth Foot

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- Thanks. - Sincerely said, hugging Kaya, Lord, when I put Kuro in bat-cuffs.

- It's my pleasure. I was just doing my job. - I said flippantly while simultaneously downloading all useful information from Kuro's mind, including his fighting style and movement technique.

- You have averted a real disaster. You not only neutralized a dangerous pirate I foolishly let into my life, but also saved my daughter's life, and, as it turned out, mine. I'm deeply indebted to you, and simple words will not be enough to express my gratitude. Ask for anything. I will do everything in my power. - the aristocrat promised, continuing to stroke his daughter's head.

- Not worth it. I didn't do it for any noble reason, but only because of the bounty on the pirate's head. - I said as I finished downloading Kuro's memory. Now he is useless to me. It remains only to get, as it turned out, 16'000'000 belly for his head.

- I still insist. Even if it happened by accident, you are my savior and I can't just let you go empty handed. You deserve a full reward, personally from me. - Lord said stubbornly, looking into my eyes.

'He won't leave me, will he?' - I thought and looked at Kaya, who seemed to read my thoughts and nodded with an apology in her eyes.

- Eh, okey then. But now I don't know what to ask you. I will stay on the island for a couple more days and if I need your help, I will contact you. - I said, although I didn't understand how the Lord of such a shabby village could help me.

- So be it. We will assume that any service of your choice from me. - yielding, the Lord agreed, and then added, putting out his hand for a handshake: - Thank you again, young man.

- You are welcome. - still deciding to accept gratitude in a normal way, I said, shaking the man's hand.

- We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet. My name is Arthur Harrow and I am the manager of Syrup Village. And this is my daughter Kaya. - and glowing with nobility, said Arthur.

- Hello. - Kaya said with a polite bow, with a slightly red face, trying to look into my eyes. I think I accidentally stole Usopp's girlfriend...

- My name is Nemo. Just Nemo. - I also resigned.

- Nice to meet you, Nemo. And so, if you stay in the village, would you like to live in our house. We have a lot of free rooms, so you won't disturb us at all. - Arthur suggested.

- Sorry, but I have to refuse. I still have a few things to do, and besides, my companion is waiting for me. - I said instantly.

Of course, it would be nice to spend a couple of days in a mansion, with three meals a day from real chefs, and I have already checked Arthur's thoughts and made sure that he has nothing to do with Gin, and has no nefarious plans for me, except that he thinks, that I would be a good son-in-law, but I still do not want to risk it.

Although, the truth is, I just don't want to get too close to these people, as it could affect my resolve to move on. This is one of the most peaceful places in the world and I would love to stay here, especially since I can easily provide myself with a carefree life for the rest of my days.

Still, sometimes I also want peace and quiet, away from conspiracies, battles and monsters, which I will face in the future. But I can't just drop everything at the very beginning of the path, because there are many more adventures waiting for me, which I certainly crave, although this does not mean that I am not afraid.

Maybe not now, but I will return to Syrup Village in the future and most likely spend my retirement here. Unless, of course, I die somewhere... But, at the moment, in order not to think once again that I can quit everything right now, I decided to refuse Arthur's offer, although it really was tempting for me.

- Is that how? Well, well, it's your choice. But know that from now on, the doors of my mansion are always open for you. - Arthur said calmly, not at all offended by my refusal, while Kaya lowered her head sadly.

- Thank you, I'm really glad to hear that. - I said sincerely, hoisting Kuro's body onto my shoulder.

- If you want, we can lock him up in the basement until the Marines come for him. - finally suggested Arthur, who really wanted to do at least something for me.

- …That would make my life a lot easier, thank you. - I said after thinking for a bit, after I sent Kuro into a deep telepathic sleep so that he would definitely not wake up in the next couple of days.

- No problems. - Arthur said with a smile, giving a signal to one of the guard twins to take Kuro away from me and take him to the basement.

- I'm sorry, but I have to go… - I said a little awkwardly.

- Oh, of course. I'm sorry for delaying you. Thanks again for the rescue. See you soon. ; Arthur said politely, shaking my hand again.

- Goodbye. - I said, also nodding to a quiet goodbye from Kaya, after which I quickly disappeared with the Blink. Somehow I'm embarrassed when they thank me so much…

***

- So, Bobby is probably still busy, so I have a few hours to kill. What to do? - I asked myself aloud as I approached the village. Now that I'm done with Kuro, there's no need to be careful anymore...

- Just the right thing... - I involuntarily said when I spotted a small restaurant called 'Meshi'.

Since it was still quite early now, all the residents were busy with their work, so without meeting anyone, I calmly approached the restaurant and went inside, touching the bell that warned the owner of my appearance.

- Welcome! - said the affable old woman with a smile.

- Hello. - I said politely as I sat down at the bar.

- Rarely in our outback there are new faces. My name is Maria and I am the owner of this restaurant. What do you want? - after wiping the rack, Maria said friendly, giving me the menu on a wooden board.

- All the most delicious. Double volume. – without even looking at the menu, I instantly said, because I was really hungry.

- Oh, a client with a good appetite. - Maria said with a smile, not at all surprised by the size of my order, after which she wrote everything down and added: - The pancakes will be ready in five minutes, and the rest will be after. What will you drink?

- Grape juice, please. & I said, putting down the menu.

- Wait a minute…. - said Maria and went into the back room, apparently for juice.

Besides me, there was only an old man in the cafe, who calmly drank his morning coffee and read the latest newspaper, not even paying attention to me. If I'm not mistaken, it was Mornin, the mayor of the village. I wonder if Syrup has a mayor, then what duties does Arthur perform?

The pleasant quiet atmosphere that developed in the cafe while I was waiting for my order, interrupted by a deafening shout from the street: — PIRATES! PIRATES! A PIRATE SHIP MOORED ON THE NORTHERN CAPE!!!

Before I could even understand anything, Mornin said in a calm voice: - You can sit still. It's all lies.

- Looks like Usopp is back to his old ways. - Mary returned with a smile, placing a jug of juice in front of me.

- Damn bastard. It's always one continuous noise. Instead of running around the village and disturbing people, it would be better to do useful work. - the mayor said displeasedly, sipping his coffee.

- How often does this happen to you? - I asked calmly, finally remembering that Usopp likes to indulge in such jokes.

- Every morning like clockwork. Sometimes even twice a day. - the mayor said gloomily.

- Don't grumble, Mornin. The boy so honors the memory of his mother. In addition, it brings at least some color to our gray everyday life. - said Maria.

- He could at least do it less often… - the old man grumbled, putting the newspaper on the counter and walking out of the cafe, barely hiding his smile. Looks like someone here is a tsundere...

- Here's your order. - Maria said with a smile, placing two plates of pancakes in front of me.

- Thanks. Can I take? I said, pointing to the newspaper.

- Certainly. Shrimp soup is on the way. - the hostess said lightly, returning to the kitchen again.

Taking a fork and biting into a pancake, I pushed the newspaper towards me and began to read the latest news, enjoying the cozy and quiet atmosphere of the cafe along the way.

***

- Thank you, everything was very tasty. - with difficulty getting up from a chair because of a stuffed stomach, I said.

- Come to us again. - Maria said happily as she counted the several thousand belly I had paid for the meal.

- Necessarily. - waving goodbye, I said, leaving the restaurant.

- Hmm, I took a little too much... Although, everything was really tasty ... - I involuntarily said, rubbing my swollen stomach, slowly hobbled to an empty clearing.

There's nothing interesting in the village anymore, and Bobby hasn't returned yet, so I can start training Nuki Ashi. From Kuro's memory, I learned that he created this technique after accidentally seeing Agent Cypher Paul using an unknown movement technique while living in Log Town as a child.

As you can see, it was Soru (Shave), one of the six techniques of Rokushiki, which allows to develop superhuman speed, although Kuro of course did not know this.

Very impressed by the high-speed traffic he saw, Kuro spent several years recreating what he saw. And he succeeded, although, in the end, a completely different technique was obtained, only based on the Soru principle.

But if I understand correctly, Soru is, in fact, an explosive acceleration caused by instantaneous repulsion from the ground more than ten times per second, then Nuki Ashi is precisely the Stealth Foot (literal translation).

To perform this technique, you also need to push off the ground very quickly, but this is done with both feet and the whole point is hidden in the rhythm of tapping.

To apply the technique, first you need to jump low a few times and hit the ground with both feet, then rush forward. If you do not know a certain sequence of foot movements and rhythm, then nothing will work out.

Nuki Ashi also gives explosive speed, but much lower than Soru, but with this technique you can change your direction and move not only forward. And of course, thanks to the rhythmic and fast movement that Kuro spent a lot of time picking up, you can disappear from sight, although this is a trick and an optical illusion, it works.

I think it's kind of similar to the Body Flicker Technique from Naruto, only instead of a charm, only physical strength and a special rhythm are used.

Nuki Ashi technique is clearly worse than Soru, but it also has its undeniable advantages. True, when meeting with the owners of Haki Observation, all this becomes meaningless, but I think I will still find a use for Nuki Ashi. It might be a good match for the original Soru. At a minimum, the effect of temporary disappearance will be useful.

As for Shakushi, it's really a simple use of all physical strength along with Nuki Ashi, because of it, absolutely any control over the direction is lost. Nothing special, but I think together with the diamond form it will be a good combination.

While I was thinking about all this, I finally arrived at the place and just digested all the excess food, began to train Nuki Ashi. In fact, the technique is quite simple, especially if you know the main secret. The only requirement, as with Soru, is to have strong legs, but I have no problem with that.

Thanks to Kuro's memories, I managed to successfully execute the technique on only the third attempt, although in the end I could not keep my balance and fell to the ground, but I was able to cover 100 meters in less than five seconds, disappearing from view for a moment. This, by the way, is even better than Kuro's result, because he could achieve this only with the help of Shakushi.

Due to the fact that I was physically stronger than Kuro, using Nuki Ashi I can move faster and already from the tenth attempt, I perfectly completed the technique, becoming faster for a full second.

Now, I can cover one hundred meters in four seconds without any restrictions. Seems, Still, this technique is more useful than I thought….

When I activated the diamond form, I became even faster, and if my calculations are correct, then with the help of Nuki Ashi, I was able to cover a distance of one hundred meters in just 1.5 seconds, which is actually absurdly fast and I think it even exceeds Soru, although this is just speculation….

What's funny is that thanks to the form of the diamond, I don't have to worry about straining my legs, and in fact, I can use Stealth Foot indefinitely. Well, or until all my strength runs out.

- I didn't expect that the technique invented by the second-rate pirate from the East Blue would turn out to be so promising… - I mumbled involuntarily when I finished running around the clearing like crazy.

- DON `T MOVE!!! - Suddenly, a loud cry came from the forest.

Looking that way I saw on a branch a young guy with an unrealistically long nose and curly hair. He pointed his finger at me and smiled arrogantly as a pirate flag of his own design flew behind him.

- Are you the guy from the village who keeps yelling about pirate attacks? Why are you screaming? - I asked neutrally, of course immediately recognizing the future gunner of the Strawhat Pirates.

- I'm Captain Usopp!!! A brave warrior of the sea and the leader of a huge pirate team, as many as 50 million people!!! I stand guard over this peaceful village and would like to know what you need here, stranger!!! - Usopp yelled out a blatant lie.

- So you're a pirate? - I asked with a grin, deciding to scare the stupid liar a little.

- And there is! The greatest pirate in the world! - the fifteen-year-old boy said proudly, lifting his long nose high.

- Mm, maybe is there a reward for you? - as if by chance, I asked.

- What? Reward? - Usopp asked, a little confused, but quickly got his bearings and lied: - Ahahaha, of course, of course there is. They ask for a whole billion belli for me, here....

- Wow, what a coincidence ... - I began to say with a bloodthirsty smile, and then, using Nuki Ashi, I moved to the guy and finished: - I'm just a bounty hunter.

Usopp, frightened by my words and my sudden appearance, because he did not even see how I was moving, screamed in fear and fell off the branch straight down.

- Hhhhhunter??? - Usopp asked while rubbing his bruised head, stuttering in fear.

- Yes, and since you are worth a billion, I will catch you and hand you over to the Marines. You will forever be locked in the darkest cell of Impel Down, where you will spend the rest of your life, zuzuzuzuzu…. - for some reason, using Gin's laughter, I said with a scary face, frightening the guy even more.

- …. - Hearing the prospects awaiting him, Usopp only made a shocked face, after which he suddenly began to cry, saying in passing: - Nonono, don't go to jail…. I…I. lied ... I'm not a pirate and not a warrior of the sea .... I was just joking… Please let me go….

After giving the boy one last hard look that made him apologize even more intensely, I smiled softly and simply said: - Don't worry, I was just joking.

- What? - Usopp suddenly stopped crying, not expecting such an outcome.

- Of course, I realized that you lied. First, you are a terrible liar. And secondly, 50 million people cannot even fit on this island. - Jumping down from the tree, I said calmly.

- But…but…but…but why? - Usopp stuttered, still feeling the same fear.

- Why did I scare you so? - I asked and, having received a nod from the guy, immediately answered: - To teach you that there are consequences behind every word. You can't just carry the nonsense that came into your head and not be held responsible for it.

- But that was just a joke… - Usopp answered defensively.

- You shouldn't joke about things like that. There are a lot of dangerous people in this world, and if they don't understand that you're just joking, you can really end up very sad. - I said sternly.

- ... - Uopp just looked at the ground in shame, remembering again how scared he was that he might end up in prison.

- And what you do in the village can also end badly. One day, the village can really be attacked by pirates, and when you want to warn the inhabitants about it, they simply won't believe you, because they will think that this is another 'joke'. Because of this, they won't be able to prepare and everyone will die. - bringing either mine closer to Usopp, I spoke softly.

Imagining such prospects, Usopp swallowed in fear, after which he bowed deeply and loudly promised: - I won't joke like that again." Promise.

- You can joke, just don't bring up such dangerous topics, understand? - I said.

- Yes. - Usopp said with determination, looking at me in respect for the lesson learned. It turns out that children are very easy to raise....

- Well, that's good. - I patted the guy on the shoulder and then asked: - Your name is Usopp, isn't it? Are you Yasopp's son?

- Yyyes. Do you know my father? - felt something was wrong, Usopp asked.

- Heard about him. He is the sniper of Red-Haired Shanks' team, the new Yonko. They say that your father is the best shooter in the world…. - I said, seeing in the eyes of the guy the joy and pride for his father.

Unfortunately for him, I couldn't help it and decided to scare him a little more, adding: - - And there's a bounty of several hundred million belly on him. I wonder if he'll surrender voluntarily if I take you hostage?

Hearing me, Usopp started to look at me with more fear than before, slowly moving away from me. But at the same time, there was some determination in his eyes.

Taking out his slingshot, he boldly shouted: - I WILL NOT GIVE UP ALIVE!!! YOU WILL NOT GET MY FATHER FOR ANYTHING!!! IRON STAR!!!

After shooting several spiked metal balls at me that just hit my chest and fell to the ground, Usopp dashed headlong away from me as far as he could while continuing to scream in fear and determination at the same time.

- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… - Seeing all this, I just couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing with all my might, the first time I came into this world.

- He needs to become a comedian not a pirate… - I said while wiping my tears as I recalled Usopp's facial expressions.

And just at that moment, a Quinjet appeared in the sky, which delivered Bobby, who had fulfilled all the orders.