Through the combined efforts of Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek... everyone except Usopp was now not only shackled in wax but also had "Relaxation Green" painted directly onto their bodies.
This meant even if they got free, they'd still be in total apathy mode, completely defenseless.
Truly the most Zen pirates ever.
This scene made Usopp extremely nervous, and he could only keep yelling for Ray to save them.
At first, his cries did startle Mr. 3 and Goldenweek.
Ray was the one person they were worried about.
Since he and the big dog were both gone, they figured he must have gone back to the ship for booze.
Seeing Usopp's cries go unanswered seemed to confirm it.
Mr. 3 relaxed.
"That 65 million Berry Ray probably isn't coming back anytime soon," he sneered. "Don't get your hopes up."
Usopp realized Ray really wasn't showing up.
'If Ray can't come back... then I'm the only one who can stop these guys!'
Swallowing hard, his hands trembling, Usopp grabbed his slingshot.
"I am Captain Usopp!" he threatened, puffing out his chest.
"I have 8,000 subordinates! Release my crew immediately! Our main force will be here soon!"
Hearing this, Miss Goldenweek's eyes went wide.
"Mr 3!" she whispered nervously, "He's too scary! Maybe we should let them go? We can't fight 8,000 people!"
Mr. 3, both exasperated and fond of her naivety, gently smacked her head.
"Don't believe him. That long-nosed guy is lying. Remember: people with long noses are all liars!"
Goldenweek realized she'd been tricked and got furious.
She aimed her brush and shot a blast of "Relaxation Green" right at Usopp's chest.
But... nothing happened.
Usopp just stood there, completely unaffected.
Goldenweek was stunned.
Mr. 3 was stunned. 'What?! Did it not work?! Is this cowardly liar's willpower really that strong?!'
Seeing their dumbfounded faces, Usopp immediately puffed up with pride.
"For some reason," he declared dramatically, "your pattern just made my crew lose all motivation. Procrastinating, escaping reality, indulging in pleasure... what's wrong with that? I think it's great! I love escaping reality! But someone once told me that you can only truly relax if you're strong enough to handle anything. So every day, besides my relaxing time, I'm forced to train and make weapons. Forced to get stronger... just so I can relax in peace, even without my crew! My biggest motivation is to become someone with no motivation! I, Captain Usopp, am fundamentally the laziest person there is!"
Hearing this bizarre speech, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek's jaws dropped.
Their entire worldview shattered.
'How could such a weirdo exist in this dog-eat-dog pirate world?!'
Uncontrollably, Miss Goldenweek started trying to comfort him.
"Actually... working hard can be fulfilling too! Hang in there, Longnose!"
…
Watching this whole scene, Ray remembered Thriller Bark.
Miss Goldenweek's power basically made people hyper-focused on their own negativity.
Ray didn't quite get why Usopp was so resistant to it, but he figured Usopp must just be immune to all negative emotional attacks.
'Good,' he thought. 'At least there's someone who can pull the crew through even when I'm not around.'
Ray wanted the crew to rely on him less, so he decided to just watch for now.
Even if Usopp failed, Chouchou would be back soon.
…
Realizing Ray wasn't coming, Usopp took a deep breath and decided to fight.
He pulled back his slingshot.
"Special Attack: Fire Star!"
Thanks to Ray's training, Usopp's draw-and-fire speed was incredible now.
Mr. 3 didn't even have time to dodge and had to quickly create a wax wall to block the explosion.
But the fire revealed something important: Mr. 3's wax melted under high heat.
"Hahaha! I know what to do now!" Usopp grinned confidently and started backing away.
He was cautious.
What if the little girl had other powers? To be safe, he chose the smartest strategy: get as far away as possible.
From a distance, her weird powers wouldn't work.
How far? As far as he could reliably hit a moving target – which, after shooting down countless seabirds, was now over a kilometer.
So, he started fighting while retreating.
And how did he keep them from catching up? With Mr. 5's body parts, of course.
Usopp had collected everything – hair, boogers, eyelashes, earwax, dead skin... (He'd skipped the... other stuff because it was too gross).
His plan was simple: suppress them with overwhelming firepower!
Explosion after explosion rocked the area around Mr. 3 and Goldenweek.
The sheer destructive force was way beyond his initial Fire Star.
Poor Mr. 3 was completely countered.
Goldenweek, having no combat skills, was helpless.
Faced with three explosions per second, Mr. 3 could only desperately throw up wax walls, unable to attack back.
Eventually, he ran out of stamina.
The explosions started landing faster than he could build defenses.
Ten consecutive blasts sent both Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek flying, finally collapsing unconscious.
…
Meanwhile, Chouchou, still carrying the tied-up Miss Valentine and Mr. 5, was trudging slowly through the forest.
'What do I do...' Chouchou muttered to himself. 'All the alcohol on the ship was drugged... They can't drink this. But Master told me to bring booze back...'
Frustrated, he didn't even notice the explosions in the distance.
He was too busy worrying about failing his mission.
Seeking advice, he took the gags off his prisoners.
"If I don't complete the mission, I'll get beaten," Chouchou whined. "But worse than a beating is seeing Master's disappointed face! This is so annoying. Do you two have any ideas?"
Miss Valentine suggested, "In situations like this, it's best to find a substitute. At least make it look like you tried."
Mr. 5 agreed – he'd used similar tactics on women.
Just then, Chouchou noticed some huge fish jumping in a nearby river.
An idea struck him. "Got it! At least I can bring back some fish!"
Catching fish was easy for demon-Chouchou.
But as he carried the fish back, happily thinking he'd solved his problem, he failed to notice a tiny insect burrowing into his thick fur.
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