....
The wind howled across the cliffside as the group of pirates sneered, their weapons glinting in the afternoon sun.
"So what if you're the Pirate Hunter Zoro?" their leader, Jango, taunted. "There are so many of us, how can you possibly win?"
Zoro smirked, unfazed, while Usopp and Lucas huddled behind him in perfect unison.
"Zoro, crush them!" Lucas urged.
"Yeah, wipe them out!" Usopp echoed.
Lucas shot Usopp a sideways glance. 'This guy's supposed to be the "Great Captain Usopp," yet here he is, shamelessly copying me?'
"Aren't you the captain of 80 million men?" Lucas teased. "Shouldn't you be handling this?"
Usopp gulped audibly.
"Ah...well, my 80 million troops might've… gotten lost. Temporarily."
Lucas pressed further, feigning seriousness. "An army that big, and you can't even handle a few pirates? What kind of leader are you?"
[Ding! Host's emotional state detected. Mood Value +1.]
Usopp chuckled nervously. "H-Hey, how could that be…?"
With exaggerated bravado, he stepped forward, puffing out his chest.
"Listen up, you scoundrels! I am the great Captain Usopp, leader of 80 million warriors! If you dare attack this village, you'll regret it!"
"Eighty million?!" Jango gasped, eyes bulging.
One of his crewmates squinted skeptically. "Captain, this guy's full of it. He's just a liar like that long-nosed kid from before."
The pirates exchanged glances before drawing their cutlasses, their grins turning vicious.
"Lucas, get ready. These guys don't look too tough," Zoro muttered, unsheathing his three swords.
Lucas swallowed hard.
"Uh… Me too?"
[Ding! Host's emotional state detected. Mood Value +6.]
Zoro shot him a look. "You're a pirate, aren't you? And didn't you say you wanted to be vice-captain? Step up."
[Ding! Host's emotional state detected. Mood Value +66.]
'Vice-captain?!'
Lucas's heart raced. 'Did Zoro just acknowledge my position?!'
Suppressing his excitement, he summoned the Kusanagi Sword, its blade shimmering ominously.
"Where do you keep that thing?" Zoro asked, eyeing the sudden appearance of the weapon.
"Trade secret," Lucas replied vaguely, not wanting to explain the System.
Zoro shrugged—everyone had their quirks.
'If only he knew how little mystery he actually has left to me', Lucas mused.
Now, Lucas wanted to test the Three Body Technique in real combat. He began forming hand seals, his fingers moving clumsily at first.
'Damn, why is this so hard in real life?!'
Usopp's jaw dropped. "Wait, those hand signs… Are you a ninja?!"
Zoro's eyes sharpened. "A ninja?"
[Ding! Host's emotional state detected. Mood Value +6.]
Lucas smirked. "You guessed it. Watch this, Clone Technique!"
Poof!
An identical Lucas materialized beside him.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Usopp's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Just then, the pirates charged.
"Lucas, show 'em what ninjas can do!" Usopp cheered.
Zoro, too, watched with interest.
[Ding! Host's emotional state detected. Mood Value +6.]
Lucas chuckled nervously. "Uh… I kinda just learned this. Not sure how to fight with it yet."
Usopp groaned. "Coward."
Lucas didn't argue. 'Survival first, heroics later.'
Zoro sighed and stepped forward.
Meanwhile, Usopp despite his trembling knees raised his slingshot. 'Kaya's counting on me…'
Lucas hesitated, guilt gnawing at him. 'Am I really just dead weight?'
Then, two pirates slipped past Zoro's defense, leering at Lucas.
"Look at this runt! Easy pickings!" one sneered.
Lucas paled. 'Did Zoro let them through on purpose?!'
"Damn it!" he muttered, gripping the Kusanagi Sword. 'I can't keep running.'
The pirates lunged. Lucas swung but the first pirate dodged effortlessly and drove a fist into his gut.
Poof!
The clone vanished. The real Lucas reappeared behind them, slashing downward.
The Kusanagi sliced deep, drawing blood.
Lucas's vision swam. 'Ugh… blood…'
He staggered but forced himself to strike again. The pirate snarled, dodging at the last second.
"You little brat!"
Both pirates retaliated with crushing blows to Lucas's stomach—
Poof!
Another clone dispersed. The real Lucas crashed into a boulder, dazed but unharmed.
'Wait… that didn't hurt much. Is the System's damage reduction that strong?'
The pirates exchanged glances.
"That sword's no joke. Once we kill her, it's mine," one growled.
"Her?!" Lucas snapped, trembling but furious. "I'm a guy, you idiots!"
The pirates ignored him, advancing with murderous intent.
Lucas's breath quickened. 'Calm down… calm down…'
"System, how strong are these guys?"
[Ding! Targets assessed: Combat Power - C Tier (Insignificant).]
'Insignificant?! And I'm struggling against them?!'
The first pirate swung his cutlass.
Clang!
Lucas barely blocked, his arms shaking.
'I can't lose to these nobodies!'
But the second pirate's kick sent him sprawling.
As they loomed over him, Lucas's fingers twitched toward another seal—
Whoosh!
A green blur intercepted.
SLASH!
Zoro's swords sent both pirates flying.
"Took you long enough," Lucas wheezed.
Zoro smirked. "Had to see if you'd actually fight."
Lucas groaned. 'Bastard.'
But as he stood, something had changed.
'He hadn't run.'
Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to belong here.
....