Chapter 49 - Mysterious Island 3.

[Chapter Size: 2308 Words.]

Third Person POV

On island in the sea, East Blue.

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...

In the waters of East Blue, an atmosphere of horror unfolded. Kuina, Jhonny, and Yosaku, bound and helpless, found themselves surrounded by a group of cannibals. The natives chanted sinister songs, creating a dark atmosphere as they circled the trio, preparing to lead them to a boiling pot.

Anguish was palpable among the prisoners, whose collective thought echoed in despair: "We're going to die!" Vivid memories of the sudden attack in the forest haunted Kuina and the others. Captured by an overwhelming number of enemies, they were now at the mercy of this primitive people, who were preparing to subject them to a terrible fate in the boiling pot.

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In a secluded corner of the small island, a hidden tribe rose among the dense trees. There, three individuals were tied up, anxiously awaiting a rescue to free them from the grim fate the cannibals plotted: a bubbling cauldron ready to consume them.

"Brother Luffy! Come save us!" Jhonny and Yosaku cried desperately, their voices echoing in the tranquility of the jungle. Meanwhile, Kuina remained silent, but her expression revealed palpable fear, yearning for Luffy's presence to rescue them from this terrible situation.

"Owow!"

"Hm?! Ouch!"

"That hurts!"

"Owowow owowow!"

An annoyed native, disturbed by the foreign language cries, approached and reprimanded the two bounty hunters, delivering blows to silence them and expressing irritation at the disturbance.

"I don't understand a word of what they're saying, but it seems like he didn't like you yelling like that..." Kuina commented sarcastically, trying to find some humor in the terrible situation.

"So, are we going to die here, Sister Kuina?" Yosaku lamented.

"Do you think I want to face this fate again? I don't want to die a second time..." Kuina responded angrily, while the surrounding atmosphere conveyed an atmosphere of tension and despair.

"Second time, what do you mean by that?!" Jhonny exclaimed, displaying surprise next to Yosaku.

"Ah, it's nothing. Forget about it! Anyway, Luffy won't allow this to happen. Have faith! He has the vivre cards and will be here soon!" Kuina declared, seeking to instill confidence in her companions. She quickly changed the subject, avoiding the mention of her return from the dead, a delicate theme, especially amidst the desperate situation they found themselves in.

"Owow!"

"Owow!"

"Owow!"

"Owow!"

As they whispered, the natives of the tribe chanted animatedly around them. Comprising old, adult, young, and children of both sexes, that tribe proved to be extremely primitive. They wore only cloths to cover their lower parts, leaving half of their bodies exposed. The women wore a kind of bikini, but all the garments were adorned with human bones, suggesting they came from previous victims.

"I never imagined being captured by cannibals on a deserted island," Jhonny murmured, lamenting the irony of his luck.

"I don't want to die being devoured by these creatures! I bet they've made many victims with the shipwrecks here," Kuina expressed her discontent, pointing to the objects adorned in their straw and wood houses. There were many belongings that were likely plundered from a tourist boat, among the primitive constructions.

"If only we could negotiate. Does anyone know what they're saying?"

"No idea. Anyway, I don't see how one can negotiate with cannibals!"

As they continued to talk, another cannibal approached, armed.

"Owow? Owowowowowow!"

"OUCH!" Jhonny cried out as a bone spear hit his belly again, eliciting groans of pain.

"OWOWOWOW!" Their small conversation was interrupted by a new thunderous sound within the tribe. One of the cannibals, apparently the leader, shouted, causing everyone to stop talking.

"Owowowow!" He continued speaking, opening his arms in a kind of celebration.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" The crowd went into a frenzy, shouting in a strange language.

"I wouldn't want to know what they're saying because I have a feeling I'd regret it!" Kuina was scared when she saw the crowd starting to move excitedly around them. Suddenly, everyone looked at the tied trio, making them sweat, as it seemed they were about to be thrown into the cauldron.

...

...

...

Luffy was heading where the vivre card was pointing, with the crew right behind him.

As they walked through the jungle peacefully after a casual conversation with everyone, a loud noise caught their attention, prompting Luffy to look at Yamato.

"A beast is approaching..." Yamato said simply.

*Footstep*

A 5-meter beast appeared in front of them after emerging from the trees, it looked furious and, at the same time, happy to reunite with its escaped prey.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! It's the stinky monster!" Shirahoshi screamed in fear.

"SHARKY!!!!!!!!" Megalo, the most traumatized by this monster, ran to stand behind Shirahoshi while crying and trembling in fear, not wanting to face this creature again.

"What? It's just a beast!" Yamato complained about this reaction.

"It's not just a beast..." Reiju said calmly.

"IT'S A SKUNK!" Usopp shouted and was already taking steps back.

Luffy, seeing his old enemy, debated what he could do; he could simply draw his weapon and shoot the creature's head, but he thought of another solution.

"Usopp..." Luffy came to his marksman's side and put his hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving, confidently saying with a smile.

"Usopp, this is the most powerful beast on this island, only a brave man can face it, I'm sure only you can defeat it without suffering damage. Among us, I'm counting on you for that..." Luffy said seriously to the long-nosed one, who was stunned after those words.

"What do you mean, Luffy?! I can't face it, it's much more powerful than me!!" Usopp denied in fear.

"Usopp, aren't you a brave warrior of the sea?" Luffy asked the boy seriously.

The rest of the crew was intrigued by this kind of conversation, while the skunk was getting ready to run towards them at any moment, Luffy seemed oblivious to it.

"I...I am! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp shouted after his initial hesitation; he joined the crew because he had to prove to be this warrior that Luffy believes in him.

"Tell me, Usopp, who is the greatest warrior of this sea?" Luffy asked like a general with his army.

"Of course, it's Captain Usopp!" Usopp shouted, motivated.

"Tell me, Usopp, does the brave warrior of the sea fear this beast?" Luffy asked again, ignoring the part where Usopp claimed to be the captain.

"Of course not! The brave warrior of the sea, Usopp, fears nothing!" Usopp shouted confidently.

"Great, then go and prove it. In case you don't kill it, I'll make you train five times harder for a week..." Luffy said calmly this time.

"YES, SIR!" Usopp suddenly straightened up and quickly took the lead of the group with his rifle, not wanting to disappoint Luffy after this subtle threat.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

'What the hell is happening here...' Everyone else in the crew had this thought as they looked at the scene with raised eyebrows.

"Usopp, your rifle won't penetrate the animal's skin; you have to find a weak point... you know there's only one part of its body for you to defeat it, right?" Luffy said as he watched Usopp grab his weapon and position himself to shoot.

"The head would be its weakest point and an easy victory, and the eyes are a more vulnerable part..." Usopp said with a bit of confidence, as he didn't want Luffy's training and spoke about what he had learned during all his infernal time training since Syrup Village. Luffy made him read beyond the weapons manual he handed him; he made him study anatomy not only of humans but also animals.

"Exactly, but it's not enough just to hit the eye since your goal is the brain; from this angle, you'll never hit it... What are you going to do, Usopp?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms, waiting for a good answer.

Everyone in the crew looked at the scene with great interest.

"Should I change the angle then!" Usopp said, already aiming with his rifle and loading a special bullet into the weapon cartridge.

*Footstep**Footstep**Footstep**Footstep*

The skunk started running toward the group while Usopp calmly aimed at the beast.

"HE'S COMING!" Shirahoshi shouted with an even more frightened Megalo on her back.

"Focus, Usopp, you can do it..." Luffy encouraged him quietly.

Usopp cleared his mind and waited for the beast to reach a strategic point, surveying the environment in front of him; he devised a plan.

Once the beast reached the position he wanted, Usopp moved the sight of his weapon and pulled the trigger.

*BANG!*

The special bullet didn't go directly into the beast but towards its side, where it ricocheted off a rock and went towards the beast faster than it could react, hitting its eye and penetrating its head at an angle that reached its brain.

The beast didn't even feel its death, as Usopp's weapon, despite not being able to penetrate the skin, was extremely advanced, so once inside the beast, it penetrated like a fish cutting through the water.

*CRACK*

The beast died mid-sprint, collapsing to the ground and breaking it as it slowed down until it came to a stop.

"You did it..." Luffy said with a satisfied smile.

"I did it...?" Not even Usopp believed it but sighed in relief for not having to go through an even heavier training with Luffy.

"That was a beautiful shot..." Reiju commented.

"Incredible, he hit the rock and then the animal!" Yamato was amazed at the skill.

"Tsk..." Zoro huffed, expecting to fight the animal, even knowing it might stink.

"I... I won? Of course, I did! I'm Usopp, commander of 8 million soldiers!" The boy quickly began to inflate his ego as he showed off to the crew.

Yamato suddenly frowned.

*ROARRR!!!*

In the midst of Usopp's celebration, another giant skunk emerged from the forest behind Usopp, while he bragged to the crew; he would have been lost at this moment without some help, but Luffy quickly drew his pistol from the holster and raised it, aiming at the beast.

*BANG!*

*BOOM!*

Unlike Usopp's weapon, Luffy didn't use a bullet; only his power with purple flames, the shot tore through and burned the air as soon as it hit the head of the animal, which was 5 meters away, almost catching Usopp off guard; the entire area where the bullet hit exploded, leaving only the animal with its body from the neck down.

*CRACK*

"AHHH!" Usopp was startled by this sudden scene; the dead animal stopped on its hind legs, making it look like a rabbit frozen in that moment.

"Never let your guard down, Usopp... it can cost you your life... But don't worry, I'll increase your training so you can always remember that." Luffy commented calmly.

"No!!" Hearing this, Usopp snapped out of his frightened state and cried at those words.

"Hahahaha!" Yamato laughed at the situation.

"Anyway, I want the carcasses. Reiju, can you prepare skunks?" Luffy said and asked the cook.

"Yes, I can remove the part that makes the animal stink and turn it into delicious meat." Reiju said, and Luffy was happy because skunk meat has always been one of his favorites in his past life.

With a small box, he took each dead animal and reduced its mass, handing them to Yamato, who would preserve them with her ice power until they reached the ship.

Once finished, Luffy wanted to continue the path.

"Now let's go after the others..." Luffy said but stopped at that moment.

In his hand, Kuina's vivre card began to burn, leaving everyone stunned.

"This..." Yamato realized and nervously spoke.

"Find me later," said Luffy, his wings appearing instantly before he disappeared, creating a crater in the ground due to the urgency of the situation.

*BOOOM!*

Luffy blasted the ground below him, disappearing into the trees in the air, leaving everyone astonished. He tore through the air quickly, following the direction of Kuina's vivre card. Soon, he arrived at a small open area, revealing a village of a local tribe, quite primitive in his opinion. However, he barely had time to consider this, as he flew at full speed toward the center of the village, where a crowd was gathering.

*BOOOM!!!*

He explosively landed in the middle of the group, raising dust and debris. The tribe, who was preparing to execute their prisoners, stopped in astonishment. The sudden explosion threw the crowd away, destroying a significant part of the village in the process.

"OWOWOWOWOW!"

"OWOWOWOW?"

"OW!"

"owowow....."

"OWOWOWOWOWOW?!"

The natives panicked, interrupting the execution of the prisoners and waiting for the dust to settle. They searched for enemies in the surroundings and within the explosion. Suddenly, as the dust clouds dissipated, a man emerged from the wreckage, flanked by the fallen bodies of the cannibal tribe warriors caught in the impact. Kuina and the others finally seemed relieved to recognize him, while the natives felt a shiver run down their spines at the sight of Luffy. This man didn't even care about stepping on the dead bodies, displaying a frightening expression, his eyes burning with fury.

Luffy's wrath transcended any known limit. His normally calm countenance was now overshadowed by a storm of anger. His eyes, sparkling with intensity, reflected the incandescent fury burning within him. The mere thought of his comrade almost losing his life at the hands of cannibals was the catalyst for this overwhelming rage.

Every step Luffy took was imbued with fierce determination, a silent promise of justice echoing throughout the village. Since arriving in this world, he had never been so enraged, ready to unleash an unstoppable force against any threat that stood in his way.

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