Chapter 114: The Awkward Emotional Scene is More Uncomfortable Than the Enemy!
"This... and this... ah! I want that one too!"
Usopp held a large pile of mechanical parts and tools, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Wind-up mice that would run, wind-up cats that would chase mice, wind-up dogs that would chase cats...
These exquisitely designed mechanical toys, along with various precision tools, books on mechanical principles, and all sorts of strange transmission devices...
"You have excellent taste, sir!"
The shop owner was a bald old man, smiling so widely his eyes narrowed to slits.
"These are all premium goods from Clockwork Island! Absolutely unavailable anywhere else!"
"I'll take them all!"
Usopp declared with grand enthusiasm.
Then he patted his pockets.
His smile froze on his face.
His wallet... he hadn't brought it.
They had originally come here for a fight, so he only brought his slingshot and ammunition pouch, not a single coin.
The shop owner noticed his awkwardness, his smile slowly fading:
"Sir... you wouldn't happen to..."
"I-I'll go get the money right away!"
Usopp said hurriedly.
"Please hold these items for me! My companions are at a restaurant, they have money!"
"Oh?"
The owner's expression softened slightly.
"Then please hurry back. This is a small business, we don't offer credit."
"Of course, of course!"
Usopp rushed out of the shop and began jogging down the street.
He planned to find Lufia and Ralph.
Lufia definitely wouldn't have any money—that girl spent everything on meat as soon as she got it.
But Ralph was different. To satisfy Lufia's enormous appetite, Ralph always carried enough gold coins to feed her.
Usopp had wondered more than once: Ralph's clothes didn't seem to have that many pockets, so how could he always produce money when needed?
It was almost like magic.
Lost in thought, he turned a corner and entered a relatively wide street.
Then he froze.
Across the street, a fat man with a malicious grin was staring right at him—Boo Jack!
One of the Trump Pirates' officers, the opponent Usopp had defeated with special ammunition last time!
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Usopp's back.
This was enemy territory—who knew how many people Boo Jack had brought?
And none of his companions were nearby!
Instinct moved faster than thought. Usopp turned and ran!
"Hey! Stop!"
Boo Jack roared.
Usopp had no intention of stopping—he only ran faster!
As a child, he'd often been chased and beaten by villagers for telling lies, so his escape skills were maxed out.
Navigating complex neighborhoods and using terrain to shake pursuers was his specialty.
But the problem was—he wasn't familiar with Clockwork Town's layout!
"This way... no, dead end! That way... another dead end!"
Usopp became disoriented in the spiral-shaped streets.
Clockwork Town's layout was already complicated, and combined with his panic-driven running, he soon found himself cornered.
Ahead was a high wall, behind were pursuers, and on both sides were the sealed sides of buildings.
"I'm done for, I'm done for, I'm done for..."
Sweat beaded on Usopp's forehead as his eyes darted around frantically.
Suddenly, he noticed an open first-floor window in a nearby building, with faint voices coming from inside.
No time to think!
Usopp made a diving leap, scrambling through the window and rolling twice on the floor before stopping.
He looked up.
And froze.
It was a restaurant, elegantly decorated, with a spiral-shaped chandelier slowly rotating overhead.
By the window table, Lufia was devouring a whole roasted pig, her face gleaming with grease.
Ralph sat opposite her, leisurely cutting a piece of steak.
At the next table, the thief brothers Borodo and Akisu were also present.
But the atmosphere felt a bit strange.
Borodo was fidgeting restlessly, while Akisu kept his head down, his small hands tightly gripping the tablecloth.
On the second floor of the restaurant, near the railing, sat a middle-aged couple.
Both wore white lab coats, resembling scholars or engineers.
The man looked dignified, the woman elegant, and at that moment, they were gazing at Akisu with complicated expressions.
"Ah! Usopp!"
Lufia greeted with her mouth full of meat, her words muffled, "Why did you come in through the window?"
Ralph glanced up and raised an eyebrow:
"Being chased?"
Ralph couldn't help but feel that Usopp's timing was perfect.
Just moments ago, he had been witnessing a family drama.
The thief brothers, Borodo and Akisu, had followed them into the restaurant.
And seated on the second floor of this restaurant was a couple.
Ralph recalled—weren't these Akisu's parents from the storyline?
His gaze shifted between the couple upstairs and Akisu before he suddenly spoke:
"Borodo, you said Akisu might be a child from Clockwork Island. What evidence do you have?"
Borodo was taken aback, "Akisu had a wind-up music box in his swaddling clothes. When wound, it played an unfamiliar melody. I made this guess based on the craftsmanship of the music box and Akisu's mechanical talent."
At that moment, the middle-aged couple upstairs stood up simultaneously.
The woman's voice trembled as she asked:
"Wh-what kind of music box? Could... could we take a look?"
Hearing the couple's words, Akisu began to suspect the truth.
Trembling, he took out the music box he always carried with him, the one that had accompanied him as he grew up.
After just a glance from afar, the couple both rose and stumbled down the stairs.
They rushed to Akisu's side. The woman knelt down, her trembling hand gently stroking Akisu's face.
"Akisu..."
The woman choked up, "Seven years ago, the Trump Pirates attacked Clockwork Island. In the chaos, we placed our child in a swaddling bundle and set him adrift on the sea, hoping only that he would survive."
Borodo fell into reminiscence:
"Then I found Akisu. Since he was little, only the music from that music box could calm him down. He treated it like a lullaby..."
Akisu stared blankly at the couple before him, then at Borodo, his small face filled with confusion.
On one side were his long-lost parents.
On the other was the brother who raised him, unrelated by blood!
Could years of adventures and brotherly bonds be so easily cast aside?
Borodo had even lost a hand protecting him!
The scene fell into an awkward silence.
After seven years of separation and this sudden reunion, no one knew what to say.
That's why Ralph felt Usopp's arrival was timely.
This awkward, sentimental drama was more unbearable than facing enemies!