"Whoosh—!"
The restaurant instantly erupted into chaos. Guests stared wide-eyed in disbelief, some even pinching their faces to confirm they weren't dreaming. Waiters' trays clattered to the floor, and chefs poked their heads out from the kitchen.
"Is…is it true?" a well-dressed businessman asked tremblingly.
"Of course!" Usopp curled his lip in disdain. "These dishes are just a drop in the ocean for me!" He spread his hands exaggeratedly. "I usually eat the super invincible seven-fish from the deepest part of the West Blue; that meat is truly delicious!"
"Ding! Successfully told a tall tale!"
"Reward: Precision MAX!"
"Current Tall Tale Level: Bronze (45/100)"
The roasted meat Luffy had just stuffed into his mouth dropped onto his plate with a "plop," his rubber jaw almost reaching the floor: "U-Usopp… so rich…"
Zoro's three swords clanged to the ground. He mechanically turned to look at Ron: "Vice-Captain… do we… have such a lavish crewmate on our ship?"
Ron also showed a shocked expression for the first time. He adjusted his non-existent glasses: "This… this indeed exceeded my expectations… He's too good at telling tall tales!"
Usopp enjoyed the shocked gazes of everyone present, elegantly jumped off his chair, and slowly straightened his collar: "Coming here today, I heard your food isn't bad either…" He feigned a reluctant sigh, "Then I'll just sample a little."
He strode like a big shot towards the central dining table. Passing a trembling waiter, he casually tossed out a gold coin: "Ten of the most expensive set meals first, the rest is a tip."
"Ding! Successfully told a tall tale!"
"Reward: 10,000,000 Berries!!"
"Current Tall Tale Level: Bronze (65/100)"
"Holy crap! It's 10,000,000 Berries!"
Usopp was filled with shock. He really hadn't expected that simply telling a tall tale would earn him 10,000,000 Berries!
So he felt even more confident and let loose even more with his storytelling!
"It's a pity I didn't bring my 8,000 subordinates," Usopp said, shaking his head regretfully as he sat down. "But it's fine, with me here, they wouldn't be able to relax." After speaking, he picked up a teacup, took an elegant sip, and exuded the aura of "I am the boss."
The entire restaurant was silent. Everyone was intimidated by this sudden "tycoon." In the corner, a blonde, curly-browed chef stared intently at Usopp, his kitchen knife cutting through the cutting board with a "crunch."
"That long-nosed guy…" Sanji mumbled, biting his cigarette, his voice low, "What exactly is his background?"
Just then, the restaurant door was pushed open again, and a group of fierce-looking pirates burst in—it was the remnants of the infamous Krieg Pirate Crew from the East Blue.
The one-eyed pirate leading them was about to speak a threat when Usopp slapped the table and stood up.
"Where did these small fries come from, daring to disturb my meal?" He coldly scanned the intruders. "I'll give you three seconds to get out."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for shocking the entire audience with a spectacular tall tale!"
"Reward: Sniper Talent Awakening (Beginner)!"
"Current Tall Tale Level: Bronze (70/100)"
A glint flashed in Usopp's eyes. A bigger stage for telling tall tales was here!
Facing the remnants of the Krieg Pirate Crew, he still maintained that arrogant posture. He crossed his arms, his long nose tilted high, and he scanned the intruders with a contemptuous gaze.
"Hmph, mere small-time pirates from the East Blue, daring to be presumptuous in front of me, Captain Usopp?" He deliberately drew out his words, "When I was on the Grand Line, small fries like you weren't even worthy of carrying my shoes!"
However, Krieg merely sneered, his eyes, which had experienced the cruel baptism of the Grand Line, filled with disdain: "Kid, I've returned alive from the Grand Line. Your pretentious tricks might fool the kids in the East Blue…"
Cold sweat immediately trickled down Usopp's forehead—he had failed to tell a convincing tall tale! His long nose twitched unnaturally twice, and he looked at Zoro for help.
Zoro yawned and lazily stood up: "Perfect, I have some new insights I want to try." After speaking, to everyone's astonishment, he simply lay down on the ground and, in a blink of an eye, began to snore loudly.
Krieg's single eye widened, and the veins on his forehead bulged: "You Marimo… How dare you underestimate me so much?!" He laughed in extreme anger, suddenly pulling a small cannon from behind his back. "Die!"
"Bang!"
The cannonball whistled towards the sleeping Zoro. The guests in the restaurant screamed in terror and scattered to take cover. Just as the cannonball was about to hit—
"Swish!"
A cold flash of light passed.
Zoro still maintained his sleeping posture, but at some point, Wado Ichimonji had already been drawn. The cannonball was neatly sliced in half and exploded with a "boom" in mid-air. The shockwave overturned the surrounding tables and chairs, but it didn't even harm a single strand of Zoro's hair.
Even more astonishingly, Zoro's snores remained steady, as if that single slash was merely an instinctive reaction in his sleep.
The entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence.
Usopp's jaw almost dropped to the floor: "He… he can tell tall tales even while sleeping?!" He suddenly realized, "So this is the highest level of tall tale telling!"
Krieg's expression was as if he had swallowed an entire Sea King. His subordinates were even more terrified, their legs trembling: "B-Boss… what kind of monster is this guy…?"
In the corner, the blonde chef Sanji's cigarette fell to the ground. He stared intently at the sleeping Zoro, then looked at the storytelling Usopp, and finally shifted his gaze to Ron, who was still calmly drinking tea.
"These guys…" Sanji muttered to himself, "What exactly is their background?"
Sanji's gaze never left Ron in the corner. The man in the sea-blue cloak had remained quietly seated there the entire time, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Even during the shocking moment when Zoro sliced the cannonball in his sleep, his expression showed no fluctuation whatsoever.
"This man…" Sanji took a deep puff from his cigarette, his eyes slightly narrowed, "is definitely not simple."
His gaze then turned to Luffy, who was wolfing down food. The straw-hatted boy had only been focused on eating since he entered, completely unconcerned about his companions' predicament. At this moment, he was stuffing an entire roasted chicken directly into his mouth, not even spitting out the bones.
"Are they really a crew?" Sanji mused to himself, "It feels like he was lured here by food…"
Just then, a commotion came from the restaurant entrance.
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