Chapter 99: Victory of Wits? Swordsmen Encounter
While Pearl hammered his shield, Nami took out her Clima-Tact, and Usopp pulled out his slingshot, drew it back, aiming at Pearl.
But in truth, they didn't really want to fight.
They were clearly weak people; why did they have to participate in battles?
Although they had made up their minds…
Nami leaned towards Usopp and whispered, "Think of something, Usopp! That shield is so big, how can we possibly beat him?"
Usopp glanced at Renettia watching the show from the rooftop. "That hateful pink-haired kid is staring at us. If we want to escape, we need to find a good timing. Before that, we must defeat Pearl through battle, or at least cause chaos…"
"So…" Nami looked into Usopp's eyes, understanding something.
"That's right!" A smile appeared on Usopp's lips as he looked forward. "In this kind of situation, the best thing to do is, of course…"
The two uniformly stood at attention, bowed towards Chopper in front, "We're counting on you, Chopper!"
"Eh?!" Chopper turned his head in surprise. "Me?!"
"I have a disease where I die if I fight…" Usopp said.
Nami pretended to be frail and weak. "I'm just a beautiful, weak woman. Although I have a first-class figure and face, I'm not suited for battle."
Renettia on the rooftop heard this, glanced at Nami, and secretly pursed her lips.
Big deal being grown up! She'll grow up too eventually!
"I don't want to! Why should I be the only one fighting?! Aren't we partners?! If we fight, we fight together!" Chopper shouted.
Who likes fighting for no reason! Besides, he was just a reindeer!
"Hissatsu: Kemuri Boshi!" (Sure-Kill: Smoke Star!)
Just as Chopper was shouting, Usopp seized the opportunity. Slingshot pulled taut, he fired a smoke bomb towards Pearl, which exploded, filling the area in front of him with smoke.
"Now's the chance, Chopper!" Usopp yelled.
"Oh!"
Almost instinctively, Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point form (humanoid strongman). On four hooves (reverting briefly?), he charged rapidly into the smoke. Upon entering the smoke, he transformed into the strong human form and fiercely punched towards the outline within.
Boom!
A sound like a bell reverberated. Chopper stared at the human-shaped outline in the smoke, stunned.
The smoke dispersed, revealing Pearl's completely unmoved body. On the iron shield covering his front, Chopper's fist had struck, having absolutely no effect.
"Monster!" Pearl himself was actually very surprised, eyes wide as he exclaimed.
"Don't call me a monster!" Veins popped on Chopper's forehead, and he punched again towards Pearl's face.
But the fist hit empty air. Pearl's head was now completely retracted inside his shield.
"Ability user?" Renettia above paused. "Zoan type? But what's this? After transforming, he still has fur that hasn't degenerated… Human-Beast form?"
She recalled Chopper transforming into a reindeer just now, blinked. "No, this should be Human Form. Reindeer is Beast Form. So that short little tanuki is the Human-Beast form? How strange."
As a Paramecia ability user, she had heard her master talk about Logia and Zoan types before. Although Logia wasn't introduced in detail, she knew they were powerful existences comparable to natural disasters. But regarding Zoan types, she knew that the Human-Beast form was the most suitable state for combat.
Whose Zoan Human-Beast form looks so unthreatening…
"Hmph hmph hmph…" Inside the shield, Pearl's laughter sounded. "Useless, Doctor Chopper. My defense power can block cannons. Just ordinary fists are completely useless… Ow!!"
Chopper punched Pearl's shoulder, which wasn't covered by the shield, making him poke his head out like a turtle stretching its neck.
"Just hit your openings!" Chopper fiercely punched towards Pearl's face.
Bang!
Chopper in Human Form wasn't weak, but this punch was blocked by the small iron shields on Pearl's crossed arms.
Fwoosh!
The fluorite stone in the center of the iron shield emitted light, igniting flames that scorched past the fur on Chopper's hand.
Chopper quickly retreated. But just as he moved back, he saw Pearl rub the small round shields on his hands together, bringing up flames, and punch Chopper's body, knocking him to the ground while also setting his chest on fire.
"Fire!!" Chopper transformed into his normal small form, rolling on the ground.
"That's right! I am both Iron Wall Pearl and Flame Pearl! Both invincible and handsome." Pearl grinned, his teeth even flashing. "How about that? I'm quite proficient, right?"
"Chopper!" Usopp anxiously started to rush over.
"Flames, let me see, let me see!" Nami anxiously picked up the instruction manual for the Clima-Tact. Usopp had made this thing, but during their journey into Arabasta, she discovered Usopp didn't seem to understand the Clima-Tact's specific functions either.
"Got it, got it!" Nami connected the Clima-Tact pieces together, ran over, aimed at Chopper. "Rain Tempo!"
From the opening of the staff, a small stream of water actually spurted out, pouring onto… onto Chopper's body, extinguishing the ignited flames.
"Nami, thanks…" Chopper slumped on the ground, showing a relieved expression.
"Useless, Doctor Chopper! Fire like this, I can use again anytime! You, covered in fur, can't possibly be my opponent!" Pearl held several fluorite stones between his fingers, smiled confidently, about to throw them towards Chopper.
"Hissatsu: Kayaku Boshi!" (Sure-Kill: Gunpowder Star!)
Just then, a gunpowder pellet came towards Pearl's face. Pearl raised his hand to block, and only a tiny cloud of smoke erupted on the round shield; the power was too weak.
Usopp, running, pulled back his slingshot. As Pearl waved his hand, Usopp aimed at his face. "Hissatsu…"
Pa!
A similar pellet hit Pearl's face. He revealed a smile. "This kind of power, even blocking it is… so spicy!!"
Half of his face instantly turned bright red, as if burned, so spicy his eyeballs almost protruded.
"It's an iron-made Tabasco Star! Nami!"
"Got it!" Nami combined two pieces of the Clima-Tact, swung them straight towards Pearl. A very ordinary steel pipe, yet at this moment, it burst out with an extremely strong airflow, blowing out the flames burning on the small round shield. (Cyclone Tempo implied)
"A very good invention." Renettia's eyes actually lit up. As a mechanics expert, she also liked tinkering with strange things. This Clima-Tact, capable of emitting strong airflow, also had highlights in her eyes.
She could see that the three staffs could be separated or connected. One could emit heat bubbles, one cold bubbles, and another could emit electric bubbles. Although they were all weak, if used properly, they could also unleash powerful techniques.
Like this airflow move. If Pearl didn't have two large iron shields on his body, he could even have been blown away.
"Hateful guy!" Pearl only then slightly relieved the spicy pain on his face, glaring towards Usopp. But in just that short while, Usopp had already pulled back his slingshot again.
"Hissatsu: Kemuri Boshi Double Link!" (Sure-Kill: Smoke Star Double Link!)
Two pellets fired from the slingshot. One headed straight for Pearl, stirring up dense smoke. The other flew towards Renettia's position, exploding on the wall below her, similarly generating smoke.
"Go!"
He shouted loudly. Under this smoke, he dashed past with Nami, heading straight for the royal palace.
Renettia, within the smoke, gripped her mechanical hammer. Using dynamic power to urge the internal structure, a cluster of airflow also burst out from the hammer's hole, blowing away the surrounding smoke.
She glanced at the two running wildly past Pearl and tutted, "Boring."
"Burn!"
From within the smoke, Pearl's roar sounded. Large amounts of fluorite stones flew scattered in all directions, landing in front of Usopp and Nami, igniting a wall of flames.
Pearl spread his hands, throwing out all the fluorite stones. With himself as the center, he formed the flame wall into a circle, completely enveloping them.
Pearl turned his head and shouted, "Such small tricks are useless against me!" Although annoying, they were ultimately small tricks.
Nami and Usopp stood before the fire wall, turned back in unison, wearing mysterious smiles. "No, this isn't a small trick."
Standing there were only the two of them.
And Chopper had never moved from his spot.
"Rumble Ball!"
Following a chewing sound, Chopper's figure appeared in front of Pearl. By the time Pearl turned his head back, the reindeer had already jumped before him.
The flames were blown out! Those fire-starting fluorite stones were thrown away! As long as the shield was smashed, it would be fine!
Ordinary arm strength wasn't enough? Then enhance it!
"Arm Point!" (Wrist Strength Enhancement!)
Chopper's arms suddenly expanded, muscles bulging and veins popping. His two hooves came together, impacting Pearl's iron shield.
"Since you can resist cannons, then just surpass the power of cannons! Kokutei Cross!" (Carving Hoof Cross!)
Bang!!
The hard iron shield, under the imprint of these hooves, was left with a cross-shaped hoof print.
Around the hoof print, huge gaps quickly cracked open. The entire iron shield shattered, and the huge impact force sent Pearl sprawling, eyes subconsciously rolling white.
Hit!
Chopper's hooves sank into the iron shield, about to strike Pearl's body.
If this strike landed, they would win!
"Tekkai!!"
Clang!!
As the iron shield fell off onto the ground, Chopper's hooves imprinted on Pearl's chest, but only issued a sound like hitting something hard.
The person remained unmoved.
"Doctor Chopper!"
Pearl stood firm in his original position, slowly raised his head, and smiled confidently. "Beneath the shield is my true defense!"
The iron shield was one layer; the flesh body was another. Pearl, possessing double-layer defense, was the true…
Iron Wall!
…
Similarly, another street connecting to the royal palace.
A herbaceous-plant head (Zoro) wandered randomly through the streets and alleys. He was clearly at the street entrance, and could see the royal palace by going out, but he was like a headless fly, wandering randomly at various street intersections.
"Damn it, where is the royal palace? Is Alubarna this big?"
Zoro looked around, then looked again at the royal palace building visible ahead. "It's clearly right in front, but I just can't reach it. Is the layout of the buildings here a maze?"
"Want to go to the royal palace?" a cold, clear voice sounded.
"Right, I want to go to the royal palace, do you know—"
Zoro subconsciously turned his head, his gaze concentrating. In front of him appeared a woman wearing a princess dress, yet also clad in skirt armor.
That head of glowing, wavy golden hair, illuminated under the sun, fluttered slowly with the wind and sand.
And at her waist…
"Swordsman?" Zoro asked.
Lily's left hand rested on the gorgeous pearl and ivory hilt at her waist. Standing at the entrance of the street, she said lightly, "The royal palace is forbidden."
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