Life Isn't Always About Winning

"Just kidding!!"

In the vast front hall, the exquisite carvings on the stone pillars and the murals on the walls exuded a grand and magnificent aura. Vines climbed the walls, which were already old and broken, yet they couldn't hide the former glory of the place. Instead, they highlighted the ancient charm that had been tempered by the years.

Facing the muzzle of a dark gun pointed at him, Usopp's face showed panic. The strong premonition from his Observation Haki stung his mind.

What made it even more unbelievable was that the Green Star Paulownia Leaf Shuriken had been crushed with his bare hands!

What a joke!

Without bothering with anything else, Usopp quickly turned and bolted, looking like he was fleeing in a panic out of sheer terror.

"Sigh~, idiot."

From the chandelier above, Yasopp sighed, patted his forehead with his left hand, his expression slightly disappointed.

"To turn your back on an opponent, exposing yourself to the enemy, you're still too green."

Bang!

The trigger was pulled, and the gunshot rang out.

A black projectile shot out from the muzzle, wrapped in a swirl of chaotic air currents, and traced an arc through space, chasing after Usopp.

"Green Star: Tough Pumpkin!!"

At the exact same moment Yasopp fired, a seed hidden in the cracks of the floor tiles rapidly broke free from its shell. Usopp, who had been fleeing, suddenly stopped and turned around!

"I'm not that stupid. Don't forget I'm also a sniper, I wouldn't make such a low-level mistake."

From the center of the vines spreading across the ground, a plump pumpkin taller than a person quickly formed. At the same time, Usopp had already switched to a more powerful Green Star. Before his vision was completely obscured by the defensive wall, he raised his hand and fired two shots upwards!

Bang! Bang!

"Killer Green Star!"

The projectile had barely left the muzzle when his words were cut short.

Under Usopp's disbelieving, terrified gaze, the bullet fired from Yasopp's sniper rifle struck the Tough Pumpkin and detonated with a roar!

BOOM!!!

Explosive flames mixed with rolling smoke, and the terrifying explosion engulfed the pumpkin barrier along with Usopp behind it!

The firelight reddened the entire castle hall, and the heat wave hit his face, blowing his messy dreadlocks into disarray.

Yasopp's face was almost devoid of expression as he quietly watched the flames.

The difference in strength was too great.

Strength, speed, Observation Haki, Armament Haki, even combat skills and experience.

Usopp couldn't win against him in almost any aspect. It seemed he had already seen the outcome of this battle from the very first second they clashed.

Seeing his son again after more than ten years, he was genuinely proud of Usopp from the bottom of his heart, because he knew how much effort and hardship was required to get this far.

He didn't think he had gone too far; rather, if he had held back, it would have been a true insult to the achievements the other had made along the way.

Don't give up, Usopp.

Yasopp prayed silently in his heart, slowly raising his sniper rifle to aim.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Two projectiles suddenly shot out from the flames, tracing arcs and coming from the left and right respectively.

Yasopp showed no panic on his face. His finger naturally and skillfully pulled the trigger, then he slightly shifted the muzzle and fired again.

Bang! Bang!

The two gunshots sounded almost simultaneously. The accuracy was such that there was no room for error, and without surprise, he shot down the projectiles flying out of the flames in mid-air.

Puff--! Puff--!

Unexpectedly, the hit bullets did not explode, nor did they grow strange plants like the previous seeds. Instead, they burst into two clouds of purple smoke.

The purple mist spread in the spacious area, with a large amount of powdery particles falling from the air, quickly extinguishing the flames on the ground.

Obscuring vision?

Yasopp subconsciously thought of this, and the next second, he refuted the idea himself.

If it were just simple visual obstruction, such a move would be too basic for him. Usopp himself was a user of Observation Haki, so he couldn't possibly not know this.

Could it be poison gas?

Yasopp frowned. Purple smoke, with a strong pungent odor. The moment he smelled it, he immediately held his breath.

Doesn't look like it either.

That's right, this smoke that most people would immediately assume to be poison gas made him a little suspicious. If he wanted to use poison, he should at least use a more sophisticated method. How could such a poison gas attack, which could be detected at a glance, possibly work?

Although he thought this way, he still held his breath cautiously, just in case. At the same time, his released Observation Haki constructed the surrounding environment in his mind.

Soon, he sensed a blurry figure, rapidly running towards the castle gate.

Yasopp needed almost no time to aim. With a raise of his hand, the muzzle precisely targeted the running Usopp, even predicting the path the opponent might take to evade.

The moment his index finger touched the trigger, Yasopp's expression changed, and he immediately stopped.

Gas?!

His precognitive ability allowed him to see the sparks from firing the gun igniting the surrounding space, and he was undoubtedly now surrounded by flammable and explosive gas.

When?!

He was certain the pungent smell he'd detected earlier was definitely not gas. Was the smoke in front of him meant to conceal the real trick?

Yasopp reacted quickly, pushing off the ground and leaping backward. He needed to get away from here, no matter what.

It was at this moment.

"Killer move!"

Usopp, who had rushed to the doorway, lunged forward. He spun in mid-air, raised his hand, and drew his bow.

To avoid the sparks from firing igniting the gas and affecting him, his two revolvers were holstered at his waist. He had switched to a small slingshot, a pellet held between his fingers.

"Firebird Star!!"

Whoosh--

The pellet shot into the castle hall, striking the chandelier, where no one could be seen, and erupting in fierce flames. The next instant.

The gas filling the hall detonated violently. The high-temperature pressure expanded dramatically, and the power generated in this nearly enclosed space was even more terrifying!

Boom!!!

A dull sound like thunder roared in his ears. Waves of heat and flame surged out from the windows and doors. The powerful explosion sent the entire castle into a violent tremor.

Crack--!

Blown away by the shockwave, Usopp crashed to the ground, rolling several times until he hit a broken wall with a "bang."

"Cough, cough, cough!!"

He covered his mouth and coughed forcefully a few times. His trembling arms propped him up as he struggled to sit up, his gaze immediately fixed on the inside of the castle.

A burning pain spread from all over his body. His skin was charred, and several places were ripped open.

Recalling the terrifying power of Yasopp's shot just now, he still felt a lingering fear. And...

The power was too exaggerated!

What kind of joke was this?! Weren't you a sniper? A sniper, you hear me!

What is a sniper supposed to be?! Isn't it about relying on precise shooting skills and perfect timing to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent amidst a constantly changing battlefield!

What kind of hell is this bullet that's more outrageous than a naval cannon!!

This is clearly the work of a gunner! And catching bullets with bare hands! It's too absurd. Aside from the sniper rifle, there's not a single aspect of you that resembles a sniper!

Usopp roared inwardly, complaining furiously.

Putting away his slingshot, he switched back to his modified dual revolvers. He glanced at the surrounding terrain, and an open space not far away caught his attention.

It should have been an open-air courtyard, like a garden, before. Although it was now a ruin, the general shape of the building was still roughly preserved.

Weeds grew on the stone paths, and broken walls covered in plants and moss were everywhere. Broken stone pillars lay scattered about.

If he were facing an ordinary sniper, such complex terrain would clearly provide significant cover. But Yasopp was clearly not among the ordinary snipers.

After all, even the Tough Pumpkin, which could withstand cannon fire, was blasted into dust with a single shot. He really didn't think hiding behind buildings would defend against the opponent's attack, not even a giant's building.

"At this point, I can only try. At least in an open area, I have absolutely no chance of winning."

Usopp gritted his teeth, stood up despite the pain, reached into his waist pouch for a handful of Green Star pellets, and then charged headlong into the open space.

He naturally didn't believe that the gas explosion just now could defeat Yasopp. After all, even he only suffered minor injuries from the aftermath. How could Yasopp, whose Armament Haki was far superior to his, be defeated?

The reality was indeed even more brutal than he had imagined.

Boom!

The dome above the castle was blasted open. Yasopp's figure leaped out from it, standing on the rooftop and scanning the surroundings, taking in all the sights below.

He quickly sensed Usopp's presence, hiding behind a massive stone pillar for cover.

"I have to admit, your move just now was quite good. You really startled me."

Yasopp's thick lips curled upward into a mocking smile. Apart from scorched clothing edges and a bit of dust, there were almost no other visible injuries.

After seeing his future with Observation Haki, he had immediately moved away from the spot surrounded by gas. He had also used cover to block most of the high-temperature impact from the subsequent explosion.

Although he hadn't suffered any losses, it also showed him Usopp's strengths. At least he wasn't completely without a chance to defeat him.

"Don't let your guard down next. I won't hold back until you beg for mercy, old man."

Yasopp raised his sniper rifle, aiming with one eye. Before he finished speaking, the gun fired.

Bang!

A black bullet, wrapped in a vortex of air, tore through the air. It instantly traveled over a hundred meters and struck the stone pillar providing cover.

However, this time, it didn't cause an explosion. Instead, it created a finger-sized hole, directly penetrating the stone pillar, which was nearly three meters in diameter!

Pfft--

"Ugh!"

Usopp grunted in pain, the bullet tearing through the flesh of his waist and drawing blood. A smoking, black hole appeared on the floor behind him.

Crack—crack—crack!

Cracks spread from the bullet hole in the cover in front of him, and then it shattered and collapsed.

The terrifying penetrating power and explosive force were unheard of. This clearly surpassed the limitations of the weapon itself, reaching another level for a gunman.

Whether it was the explosive bullet or the penetrating bullet, the ammunition itself remained unchanged. Yasopp had simply relied on his Haki usage to alter the bullet's abilities.

A person who could combine Haki and marksmanship to this extent was rare even across the entire sea.

And among them, the Red-Haired Pirates accounted for two: Beckman and Yasopp.

The wound on his waist felt like it was burning, and blood trickled out. Usopp covered it with one hand, gritting his teeth and firing his other gun upwards repeatedly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six shots emptied the cylinder. While firing, he quickly dashed out, searching for other cover and reloading his ammunition at the same time.

The bullets traced beautiful arcs, shooting towards Yasopp from various angles. The shots, after precise calculations, formed a near-perfect blockade.

At least in terms of sniping talent, Usopp was no less inferior to him. Coupled with his diverse tactical methods, this was why he believed Usopp had a chance to defeat him.

However, Yasopp still appeared relaxed. He casually fired a shot and then leaped directly off the rooftop.

Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!

Explosions sounded above the castle. The shot Yasopp fired precisely detonated an explosive bullet in advance, allowing him to jump through the gap in the blockade.

Upon reaching the ground, he closed his eyes. His Observation Haki spread out like radar, scanning the surrounding terrain. He quickly locked onto Usopp's position.

Even before he opened his eyes, his hands were already raising his sniper rifle. By the time his eyes fully opened, his index finger had already pulled the trigger.

Bang!!

A fatal bullet shot out with the muzzle flash, leaving a vacuum trail in the air as it passed. By the time Usopp's Observation Haki sensed the danger, the bullet had already pierced through several obstacles and was behind him.

Splat—

A splash of blood erupted from his shoulder. The powerful kinetic energy transferred to his body, and Usopp's feet left the ground as he face-planted.

He gritted his teeth, his trembling arms struggling to push himself up from the ground. However, his hand went soft, and his body fell back down with inertia.

"Damn it!"

Bang!

Usopp slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.

Strong, too strong.

Before meeting him, he had never imagined his father was this strong.

Without Devil Fruit abilities or any strange techniques, he simply relied on a sniper rifle combined with Haki to completely suppress him.

He still had many techniques he hadn't used, but they were meaningless. He had thought of every trump card he had, but he couldn't find a single way to defeat the opponent.

They were both snipers. The moment his Observation Haki was crushed, half of the victory was already decided. The power of his shots also differed greatly.

He couldn't dodge, he couldn't block, and even if he managed to counterattack, it was difficult to land a hit, and even if he did, it might not inflict enough effective damage.

It was a complete, all-around crushing.

"Well, game over. I won."

As Usopp was still trying to struggle up, a voice came from behind him again, followed by the heavy butt of a rifle striking his head.

"To be defeated so quickly. I thought you'd at least hold out for a while."

Usopp sighed with a sense of loss, deep self-blame showing in his eyes.

"This is so embarrassing."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say that. I'm the third-in-command of the crew, and your own father, you know."

Yasopp chuckled, sat down on Usopp's back, and looked up at the sky, softly laughing.

"If I were defeated by you, a brat who's only been at sea for two years, where would my old man's face be?"