Chapter 99
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The weapon shop owner, in a hurry, dashed up to the second floor of the shop. After a short while, he thudded back down the stairs, holding a heavy rectangular object in his arms.
Steadying his faltering step, he placed the item on the counter and briskly lifted the black cloth covering it.
A wooden sword stand was revealed before Zyhark and Meowth.
Displayed on the stand was a slightly curved long sword, its scabbard dark brown and elegantly ornate.
"Although my shop doesn't have many famous blades, this is the best one here!"
Ipponmatsu carefully removed the scabbard and slowly drew the blade hidden within.
"The blade has a black lacquered handle, a wild ding pattern on the blade, and is one of the fifty Ryō Wazamono—Yubashiri!"
"This sword will definitely shine in the hands of a man like you."
With that, Ipponmatsu's gaze towards Zyhark turned exceedingly resolute. "So, please, take it with you!"
This surprise was somewhat unexpected.
Looking at the gleaming Ryō Wazamono sword, Zyhark couldn't help but feel a bit moved.
He had already decided to resolve the situation with money, yet the shopkeeper suddenly became so accommodating.
Indeed, reputation might not mean much on the high seas, but it certainly wasn't worthless.
"Alright."
Zyhark agreed promptly and unhesitatingly reached out to take Yubashiri, along with its scabbard, from Ipponmatsu's hands.
The shopkeeper, wanting to say more, paused: "..."
"Don't worry, shopkeeper, I will elevate this sword that carries your dreams to greater heights!" Zyhark said with a smile.
"You, have you heard the story between me and Yubashiri?" Ipponmatsu was surprised.
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Zyhark quickly corrected himself: "No, but your face, it's full of stories."
"Ahahaha, is that so? Was it that obvious?"
Ipponmatsu was initially taken aback, then laughed heartily.
Indeed, a man with dreams is always glowing, no matter how he tries to hide it!
Because of their engaging conversation, Ipponmatsu ended up giving away for free even the new flintlock pistol that Meowth had taken an interest in, claiming it was a small token of appreciation for the Hero of the East Blue who had cleared the seas of many pirates.
Adhering to the principle of reciprocity and not wanting to take things for free without giving something in return,
Zyhark reciprocated with an invitation for Ipponmatsu and his wife to join the Church of Axis...
Meanwhile, as Zyhark and Meowth waved goodbye to Ipponmatsu,
A few streets away, near a higher elevation on the outskirts,
Two burly men were surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, all faces filled with anticipation and curiosity.
"It's incredibly lucky to witness such a scene, truly a stroke of good fortune!"
"The clash of peak marksmanship, I'm really looking forward to it."
"Still, even for a father like Daddy, the odds against that man who stood toe-to-toe with the Marine hero Smoker must be slim, right?"
As the roar of an engine echoed through the area, the crowd buzzed with speculation.
Indeed, standing in the center of the crowd were King and the East Blue's most famous bounty hunter—Daddy.
"This tangible aura of boundless fighting spirit... Indeed, he is known as a formidable entity..."
Bounty Hunter Daddy, his expression grave, stared intently at King, who stood arms crossed and indifferent across from him.
Visibly, Daddy, dressed like a gunslinger from the wild west, also carried a cute and adorable three-year-old girl on his back.
Although King wore no expression, internally he was anything but calm.
Just moments ago, he had been innocently searching for game consoles in the street, only to bump into this odd man with a child.
Even more unexpectedly, the little girl had been terrified by his appearance, crying loudly and drawing the attention of passersby.
Naturally, his identity was recognized by someone with a newspaper.
Upon hearing that he had "defeated" the hero Smoker, the man in front of him inexplicably became interested in a duel of honor between men.
Thus, under the encouragement of the crowd, King found himself inexplicably drawn to this location...
"Come on, mighty one! Let me truly experience world-class strength!"
Daddy unceremoniously pulled out a flintlock pistol from his coat and tossed it to King.
King, somewhat bewildered, caught the pistol by sheer luck despite not being proficient with firearms.
"Truth be told, I'm not very knowledgeable about guns," King said after a moment of contemplation.
"Moreover, you have a child with you, a duel to the death is out of the question."
Daddy was known as the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue, not someone a mere mortal should easily confront.
Only a fool would think otherwise!
"No worries, even without a serious duel, I can still assess our differences," Daddy suggested, confidence exuding from his gesture toward a bird perched in a tree nearby. "Mr. King, please shoot at this bird."
The surrounding spectators, though not understanding the deeper meaning, looked expectantly at King.
Feeling like sitting on pins and needles, King realized he had no choice but to reveal his true power.
Might as well let it all out!
Resigned, King firmly pulled the trigger of the flintlock pistol.
Click.
However, the expected gunshot and smoke did not occur.
Apart from the ensuing silence, everything remained unchanged, and the bird continued to preen itself on the tree.
King pulled the trigger again, feeling the resistance under his finger, and then he remembered something crucial.
He had forgotten to remove the gun's safety...
With everyone watching his every move, removing the safety now and firing another shot would be too late.
He was exposed, truly exposed this time!
King's face remained expressionless, but inside he was panicking.
"Facing unpleasant situations, one can always run away, and that it's not a loss, but a victory!"
Recalling Aqua's often repeated words, he decisively placed the flintlock pistol on the ground and quietly walked away, disappearing at the end of the stunned crowd.
As he left, the overwhelming presence that had enveloped everyone gradually dissipated.
Left without understanding what had just transpired, the crowd could only turn their attention back to Daddy.
And then, they were stunned.
Daddy sat collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat, his confidence and arrogance gone, looking utterly defeated.
"Does it mean that even possessing unparalleled terrible power, one would not casually harm a defenseless creature..."
"I intended to use the bird to gauge his strength, but to that man, I was but a naïve and helpless bird myself!"
"Heh, hehe, completely outclassed, utterly humiliated..."
(End of Chapter)