Chapter 162: Mysterious Hero? Sniper King Arrives!
The stormy wind and heavy rain were like countless whips, fiercely lashing the sea surface.
The ferocious shark-shaped front of "rocketman" spewed violent steam as it galloped across the surging sea.
Friction between the wheels and the tracks created dazzling sparks, carving a fire dragon through the pitch-black night.
However, lying across their path was a Wall of Sighs that brought despair.
It was a super-giant tsunami, over a hundred meters high, seemingly connecting the sky and the sea.
"It's no use!! That wave is too high!!"
Inside the driver's cabin, Nami gripped the handrail tightly, her face pale as she watched the sun-blotting giant wave ahead:
"The speed of rocketman is fast, but that angle is too steep!"
"Without enough lift, we'll stall the moment we rush up due to insufficient power!"
"We'll be slapped straight into the seabed by the crest!!"
"Damn it! I know that!"
Franky was drenched in sweat, his hands death-gripped on the control levers, his eyes behind the goggles bloodshot:
"This is a failed product that hasn't been tuned, after all!"
"Traction and propulsion are already at their limits! If only there was a bit more... just a bit more thrust..."
Silence filled the carriage, broken only by the "creaking" sounds of the overburdened train.
Just then.
"Lu-lu-la-la-lu♪ Lu-lu-la-la-lu♪"
A sudden, melodious singing voice wafted in from above the roof.
The singing pierced through the wind and rain, carrying an inexplicable confidence and... absurdity.
"Eh? Someone's singing?" Luffy looked up in confusion.
Everyone looked toward the roof.
On the violently jolting roof of "rocketman," a strange man was actually standing.
He wore a tattered red cape, a sun mask with a long nose on his face, and held a giant, strange slingshot in his hand.
Before the world-ending tsunami,
he stood with hands on hips, singing into the wind, his cape fluttering as he struck what he considered a dashing pose.
"Ah? Who is that?!" Luffy exclaimed.
Hearing the shout, the man spun around and introduced himself loudly in an operatic tone:
"Do not worry! Lost lambs!"
"I am the hero from Sniper Island—never missing a shot... Lu-lu-la-la-lu~"
"My name is—Sniper King!!"
"My bullets also... never miss, a hundred out of a hundred!!"
Boom!
A bolt of lightning happened to streak across the night sky, illuminating his comical mask.
In that instant, the air in the carriage seemed to freeze.
"So cool—!!!"
Luffy's eyes instantly turned into sparkling stars, and his mouth hung wide open:
"He appeared!! It's a hero!! The hero of Sniper Island!!"
"Sugoi!! That cape! That mask! It's so cool!!"
However, the others had different expressions.
Zoro leaned in a corner, his eyelid twitching, wearing a look as if watching an idiot: "That's Usopp, right..."
Nami was covered in black lines, her mouth twitching: "No matter how you look at it, it's that long-nosed idiot... what on earth is he doing?"
"Heh..."
Tatsuya's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
He didn't expose him, but instead cooperated and said loudly:
"Oh? So it's a friend from Sniper Island?"
Tatsuya's voice pierced through the wind and rain, reaching the roof clearly:
"Since you're a hero, this desperate situation should be a piece of cake for you, right?"
"Then I'll leave the support to you, Lord Sniper King."
On the roof.
Sniper King (Usopp), who was striking a pose, suddenly stiffened, and cold sweat instantly broke out under his mask.
'T-That guy...'
'His eyes... he definitely saw through it! Definitely!!'
'Is he messing with me?! No... he's giving me a way out...'
'Damn it! In that case, I'll play the part to the end!'
"Ahem!"
Sniper King cleared his throat, forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, and shouted: "Leave it to me! Lads! Justice will prevail!!"
...
"There's something ahead!!"
Just then, Franky shouted from the driver's cabin.
On the tracks ahead of rocketman, amidst the surging waves, a giant black shadow appeared.
It was a frog as massive as a small mountain, its body covered in scars.
It was squatting in a sumo stance in the middle of the tracks, facing the monstrous tsunami without fear.
Yokozuna.
This frog, which had been challenging the Sea Train, now seemed to treat the rampaging "rocketman" as a challenger as well.
"Gua————!!!!"
Yokozuna let out a deafening croak and slammed its palms against the water, stirring up a thousand waves.
"It's Yokozuna!!" Franky recognized the frog he had seen since childhood at a glance.
"Get out of the way!! Yokozuna!! This train can't stop!!"
"It's trying to block us?!" Nami screamed. "Colliding at this speed will shatter the front!!"
A tragic collision seemed imminent.
At the critical moment.
"Yokozuna,!!!!"
An old but powerful voice came through the loudspeaker from the rear carriage.
It was Kokoro.
Holding a wine bottle, her eyes hazy with drink but her mind incredibly clear, she shouted:
"What are you doing?! That's not the ship that took Mr. Tom away!!"
"The ones on this train... are idiots going to save Mr. Tom's life's work!!"
"Don't block the way!! Go give them a hand! Just like Mr. Tom taught you back then!!"
Hearing the name "Mr. Tom," Yokozuna's originally combative gaze instantly changed.
It was the pain of its life and its obsession with protecting this sea area.
It watched the speeding rocketman and the still-familiar blue-haired figure in the driver's cabin.
"Gua!"
Yokozuna suddenly changed its stance.
It didn't dodge, nor did it resist head-on.
The moment before rocketman's front was about to hit it, this giant frog incredibly turned around, its feet sinking deep into the rocks of the seabed like pile drivers.
It extended its scarred giant palms and pressed them against the side of rocketman's front.
"Now's the time!!!"
Franky instantly understood Yokozuna's intention. He slammed down all the levers, his abdominal cola energy at full blast:
"Listen up! Straw Hat! Tatsuya!"
"This is the final gamble!!"
"Wind Cannon—Full Power!!!!"
Boom!!!
The rear exhaust port of rocketman erupted with an unprecedentedly powerful airflow.
At the same time.
"Guaaaaa!!!!"
Yokozuna's muscles bulged, possessing the monstrous strength to push the Sea Train.
It roared and gave a powerful push forward with both palms!
"Rumble!!!"
Mechanical explosive power and biological monstrous strength perfectly overlapped at this moment.
A miracle happened.
rocketman, which was about to crash into the wave wall due to an insufficient angle, was suddenly lifted as if by an invisible giant hand, its front tilting sharply upward.
It detached from the tracks.
It was flying.
"It's flying————!!!!"
Luffy and Chopper were so excited that tears were flying out.
Amidst everyone's exclamations, the deep blue rocketman was like a flying fish swimming against the current, forcefully breaking through the most terrifying crest of "Aqua Laguna."
Crash—!!!
The train body pierced the giant wave, and the seawater filled the sky, falling like a waterfall.
rocketman traced a perfect arc in the air, cleared the Wall of Sighs, and landed heavily on the relatively stable sea tracks behind the tsunami.
Bang!
The wheels re-engaged the tracks, sparks flying, but the train continued to gallop forward steadily.
"We... we did it..."
Nami slumped in her chair, feeling like her heart was about to jump out.
On the roof, Sniper King clung to the chimney, his mask blown askew, still trembling: "T-That scared this hero to death..."
Behind them, the giant frog Yokozuna still stood in the waves, watching the train recede, like a silent guardian.
...
Having broken through the blockade of the tsunami, the sea ahead was still surging, but the destructive obstacles were gone.
Inside the carriage, the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
Tatsuya was still somewhat weak.
"Here, eat something."
Nami held a freshly warmed sandwich and a cup of hot milk, bringing them to Tatsuya's lips.
Her eyes were so gentle they seemed ready to overflow, and her movements were cautious, for fear of hurting him.
Tatsuya didn't stand on ceremony either, taking a few bites from Nami's hand.
With the warm food in his stomach, his pale face finally regained a hint of color.
He took the milk, had a sip, and looked through the window into the pitch-black night ahead.
There, the taillights of another train could be faintly seen.
"According to the intel Sanji sent earlier, they're just ahead."
Tatsuya's voice regained its usual calm and decisiveness:
"Franky."
"Huh?" Franky's voice came from the driver's cabin.
"Full speed ahead."
"Whether it's this rampaging train or us, this group of rampaging pirates..."
"Since we're already on the tracks, there's no reason to turn back."
"Don't let my ticket money go to waste. Catch up and knock them over."
"Wahahaha!!"
In the driver's cabin, Franky let out a wild laugh.
He slammed the dashboard, his signature pompadour shining under the lights:
"Just as I intended!!"
"You bastard, you're quite to my liking!"
"Hold on tight!! Let this 'rocketman' burn its very last drop of oil!!"
"SUPER————Full speed ahead!!!!"
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
Thicker black smoke billowed from rocketman's chimney, the train body vibrated violently, and the speed surged again.
And on the roof.
Luffy braved the strong wind, held down his Straw Hat, and showed his signature confident smile:
"Wait for me, Robin!"
"And... that Pigeon Guy!"
"This time! I'm definitely going to send you flying!!"
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