Free Web NovelChapter 287: 287 One Piece 51
We passed through Mary Geoise and moved to the New World, arriving at ’Sphinx Island’, where Whitebeard’s funeral was to be held.
"You’re here! And who are these people?"
When we arrived, Ace welcomed us happily.
"These are the elites of the Merchant’s Island. They still don’t have much real combat experience, you see. I decided to bring them along to gain experience as well."
"I see — welcome."
Ace smiled amiably and exchanged greetings with Zala’s group.
We were guided to where the funeral was being prepared. Not only the Whitebeard Pirates but also the Red‑Haired Pirates were busily preparing the funeral, so we helped with the funeral as well.
Then, when evening came, we ate dinner with them and also had drinks. I spotted Yasopp and had a drink with him, chatting.
"You’re Yasopp of the Red‑Haired Pirates, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, I’m Yasopp. I’m the sniper for the Red‑Haired Pirates."
"You really do resemble him. The sniper on the Straw Hat Pirates, Usopp."
Yasopp seemed a bit surprised at my words.
"You know Usopp?"
"Yeah, I know him. I have a lot of history with the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Oh~ then could you tell me about my son?"
"I’m not sure where to start, to be honest. I’ll just tell you from the beginning."
At that, Yasopp began listening with an expectant look.
"I heard that because his father left for the sea to pursue his own ambitions, Usopp was raised by his mother alone. Then, his mother fell ill with a fatal disease. To cheer her up, Usopp always lied that the pirate ship his father was on had come. That’s why everyone in Syrup Village called him ’Usopp the Liar’."
As I said this, Yasopp’s expression darkened considerably.
"You don’t look happy — should I continue?"
"Yes... go on."
"After his mother passed away, Usopp was left alone at a young age, but even after what happened to his mother, he never once resented his father for not coming back. Rather, I heard that he always proudly said he was the son of the pirate Yasopp. That he wanted to become a great pirate, just like his father."
"I-I see."
"He’s an impressive kid. Honestly, if it were me, I’d have been thinking about punching my irresponsible father."
"..."
At my words, Yasopp didn’t say anything. Actually, this wasn’t just Yasopp’s problem — it was true of almost all the fathers in the One Piece world. They prioritized their ambitions over their families.
"Well, I can understand it too. I guess it’s a world where it’s hard for famous pirates to protect their families safely, so maybe they had no choice but to do that."
Certainly, in the One Piece world, bloodline persecution is taken for granted, and even children can be killed because of their lineage. But that doesn’t mean I think neglecting one’s family is justified. Even Dragon, Luffy’s father, secretly visited and helped, after all.
I stopped beating around the bush, and from then on, I told him about how Usopp met Luffy, joined the Straw Hat Pirates, and all the things he did.
"I wanted to meet Usopp’s father at least once, since I heard he was on the Red‑Haired Pirates."
"Thanks for telling me about my family, but I really don’t like the way you phrased it!"
When I finished my story, Yasopp spoke to me with an angry face. He must have been quite offended. Not that I had any intention of apologizing.
"I don’t think I said anything wrong. You seem angry, though. Then, I’d like to say let’s have a fight, like pirates, but with Whitebeard’s funeral coming up, that might be difficult. How about a shooting match, since you’re a sniper?"
"Fine! You’ll regret it!"
At that news, the others also got excited and started placing bets.
"This should be interesting, shouldn’t it?"
"A shooting match between the Merchant King and Yasopp."
"I know the Merchant King is strong, but I’ve never heard that he does shooting."
"Of course Yasopp will win, right?"
"Probably — everyone knows Yasopp’s sniping skills."
Shanks, looking excited, collected money from the people, wrote down names, and cheerfully led the betting.
"Come on, isn’t there anyone else betting on the Merchant King? It’s a bit disappointing how one‑sided this is."
As expected, almost no one bet on me. Only Elody and Zala’s group bet on me. The Red‑Haired Pirates naturally all bet on Yasopp, and the Whitebeard Pirates, knowing Yasopp’s reputation, also all bet on Yasopp.
"I’ll bet on myself."
I said that and took 10 million berries out of my inventory and handed them to Shanks. Then the people seemed a bit surprised.
"Oh~ looks like you’re confident. Anyway, got it. Merchant King, 10 million berries..."
The rules were simple: don’t use [Armament Haki], shoot at a target set up on a small boat that keeps moving out to sea from the shore. They would take turns firing one shot at a time, and the last one to hit would be the winner. For equipment, each would use their own trusted firearm. The judge would be Marco, who could fly and see.
I took out from my inventory a TAC‑50 with a 30x scope — said to be the most precise rifle in modern times. Then Yasopp admired my gun.
"Wow... that’s a nice gun. If I win this match, I’ll be taking that gun."
"If you win, I’ll give it to you. But if I win, when you meet Usopp, apologize to him sincerely."
"Deal. I’ll do that."
We set the small boat with the target adrift and started the match.
BANG!
Yasopp aimed and fired first. Marco waved to signal a hit.
BANG!
I fired next. This time too, Marco waved. It was still a distance of 200 meters, so we both hit very easily.
BANG!
BANG!
This time too, we both hit without a problem. Then, as the boat gradually moved farther away, past 1000 meters, murmurs began among the people.
"Wow~ I can’t even see the target anymore."
"Same here. How are they hitting it?"
"Marco’s waving a flag, so they must still be hitting... Amazing."
BANG!
BANG!
We were both still hitting without any trouble.
"I can barely see the boat now — are they still hitting?"
"I have no idea..."
Past 2500 meters, Yasopp began to sweat. Now, even Marco was too far away, so he fired signal flares after each hit to confirm.
BANG!
Continuing like that, when they passed 3000 meters, Yasopp could no longer hit. To be honest, just getting this far was impressive. Standing shooting position, with that old piece of junk gun, to hit at 3000 meters was truly amazing. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Ah... damn it... This is the gun’s limit! If I could use [Armament Haki], I could go further..."
Whether Yasopp muttered or not, I immediately pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Then a signal flare rose in the distance. Seeing that, Yasopp realized that he had lost.
I have, as a base, [Observation Haki] EX rank, and my [Sniping] ability is SS rank. Moreover, Nano automatically calculates temperature, humidity, wind speed, gravity, wave intensity, etc., and using the [Byakugan] from the Naruto worldview, I can see long distances easily. Even the fine tremors of my body can be controlled with my [Control] ability, and if I happen to make a mistake, I can correct the bullet’s trajectory with [Telekinesis], so in effect, it was a match I couldn’t lose. No matter what conditions were set.
"Damn it..."
Yasopp, frustrated, kicked the ground to vent.
"Gasp! So the Merchant King won? No way!"
"Yasopp lost..."
"Unbelievable..."
The Red‑Haired Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were flustered, but Elody and Zala’s group were overjoyed.
"As expected of boss!"
"Amazing!"
"Yes! We got free money!"
Since the match was over, we fired a signal flare from our side. Marco, seeing the signal, flew back, but the distance was considerable, so it took him a while to arrive.
"I should have asked someone else to do this... So, who won?"
Marco arrived grumbling and asked us. Then Yasopp answered.
"I lost."
"What??? Really???"
"Yeah..."
I cleaned the gun with [Life Magic] and immediately put it back into my inventory. Then Yasopp came over and asked.
"Good match. That gun you used earlier — would you consider selling it to me?"
This guy thought he had lost because of the gun.
"That gun was custom‑made for me, so I can’t sell it. Anyway, I won, so keep your promise."
"Haa... fine."
Shanks, perhaps because his crewmate had lost, didn’t look very pleased, but he handed over the money.
"Congratulations!"
"That’s not a congratulatory face at all."
"My crewmate lost, you see. I hope you understand."
"Yeah, alright."
I gave Elody and Zala’s group all the money except for the principal of 10 million berries. Even though I won the bet, they were the only ones who had cheered for me, so I did that.
"Wow~! Thank you, boss~!"
"You’re the best, boss!"
"Thank you!"
I took out liquor made on the Merchant’s Island and was having a small celebration with them, drinking a glass each, when the Whitebeard Pirates gradually sneaked in, one by one, and later, even the Red‑Haired Pirates joined us to taste the liquor.
"Ahh~! Liquor from the Merchant’s Island is always good, you know. It’s gotten expensive lately, so it’s been hard to buy."
Shanks, as soon as he started drinking, suddenly put his arm around my shoulder and acted friendly, gulping down the liquor. He seemed to have quickly forgotten that Yasopp had lost.
"I’m selling it at the same price as before, you know. It’s just that there’s only one store, so it seems expensive."
I had thought about this problem when Kuzan had also said the same thing, and I think it’s probably because of the store’s location. The Grand Line is a place where all sorts of pirates run rampant, so it’s not easy for merchants to buy liquor and take it away — they need to bring trained escorts. I think that’s why the liquor price has gone up.
"It’s still a secret, but once Whitebeard’s territories stabilize, I’m thinking of opening a store in the New World as well. By around then, the liquor price should stabilize too."
"Oh~ that’s good news. Then that place would become a no‑fighting zone too, since it would attract various pirates."
"Probably. But with the Blackbeard problem, I don’t know how the future will change. There are also rookies climbing up. And the World Government is building strange weapons. In my opinion, the balance of power will change drastically. Among them, there will certainly be Emperor factions that get brought down."
"Hmm... well, a lot did change with this war. But thinking about it now will only give us a headache, so let’s just drink for now!"
We drank through the night, enjoying the banquet, and then went to sleep. The Merchant’s Island members used the Maxim as their lodging, so it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
We spent a day like that, and from the next day, we started preparing for the funeral again. Since many people were already helping, it didn’t take very long. And because there were many ability users, the gravestones could also be made quickly.
When the preparations were finished, many pirates and island residents gathered to hold the funeral. Sphinx Island had once been troubled by pirates, but with Whitebeard’s help, it had been transformed back into a peaceful and livable place. Thanks to that, the island residents felt deep gratitude and respect for Whitebeard.
Whitebeard’s grave, like in the original, had his weapon, the Great Naginata, placed on top of the gravestone. Beside it were the gravestones of his sons who had been sacrificed in this war. The grave was decorated with beautiful flowers, adding to its splendor.
"Taejin, Red‑Hair... I don’t know what words of thanks to say..."
When Marco expressed his gratitude to Shanks and me, Shanks spoke.
"Don’t waste words. Whitebeard was a man who commanded respect even from his enemies. The Navy felt the same. Well then, I’ll take my leave now."
"Yeah, thank you."
When the funeral ended, Shanks boarded the Red Force with his crew and left.
When everything was finished like that, Marco gathered the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Before he died, Father entrusted the territory management to Taejin! Father already foresaw it. That his remaining lifespan was short. So, anticipating that things would become chaotic, he entrusted the territories to Taejin, the Merchant King, yoi!"
Then the Whitebeard Pirates murmured. Then one person raised his hand and asked Marco.
"So, does that mean we’ll be working with the Merchant’s Island?"
"No, that’s up to you. Those who want to retire may leave, you can maintain the crew, or you can join Taejin, yoi."
Then the gathered Whitebeard Pirates began murmuring even more. Marco raised his hand to quiet them and continued.
"I understand it’s not an easy decision, but you need to decide quickly. As you all know, many pirate crews are eyeing our territories now that Father is gone. We need to reorganize quickly and stop them. If not, the casualties will be heavy. I’ll give you just one day, yoi."
When Marco finished speaking, the Whitebeard Pirates discussed among themselves.
"I’m in favor. Taejin is already an Emperor, and he’s trustworthy."
"It’s true that Taejin is practically family, but..."
"I’m thinking of retiring. I only joined because of Father."
"If we retire now, the territories Father protected will be taken by other pirates."
"Right. Then there’d be no place to retire either."
"This is a dilemma..."
"I want revenge on Father’s behalf! To just leave Teach alone is unthinkable!"
Listening to them, their opinions were clearly starting to split. One side wanted to maintain the crew and take revenge on Teach in Whitebeard’s name. Another side wanted to protect the territories together with the Merchant’s Island. And a third side, though few, wanted to retire.
