The bandage spirit becomes a spirit! Luffy and the others are surprised!

"Yes!" Usopp pushed Luffy away and glared at Dazai fiercely: "I'm weak, I know it!"

"You all grow up very fast!" Usopp looked at Luffy and laughed at himself: "Luffy, when I first met you, I knew you would become the Pirate King! You can do something even if it means facing great danger!"

But I can't! I can only think of running away!

"I am very grateful to you for bringing me out of that small village where I was a shepherd boy and letting me see the vast ocean!"

Thanks for having me!

"Liar—" Luffy's angry expression froze. Looking at Usopp whose face was becoming more and more uncomfortable, he hesitantly stretched out his hand to touch his shoulder.

"Nami, you're amazing too!"

Nami paused and looked at Usopp with a complicated expression.

"You are a talented sailor, there is no doubt about that! You can accurately predict the ocean currents and weather conditions that we have never seen before, and you have led us to escape from dangerous weather conditions time and time again!"

"Since the day we boarded the ship, I always thought we were the weakest duo, but when Dazai was training you and Weiwei, I was impressed by your performance!"

But I feel like something is being left behind.

Under Dazai Osamu's devilish training, every time Usopp saw Nami and Weiwei's determination to never give up, he felt embarrassed to give up and gritted his teeth to keep up. Their performance was his motivation to persevere.

"And Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and even Chopper. Everyone is stronger than me and making rapid progress. I feel like I've always been left behind by you. Even if I run as fast as I can, I can't even touch half of your clothes!"

I'm weak! I know!

Usopp hung down to the ground unwillingly, again and again, scraping the ground and spilling blood, but he did not stop.

Why am I so weak? I always get left behind!

"Liar!" Nami clenched her fist and yelled, knowing what he hadn't said yet, "Stop hitting me! You're not weak! You're the best sniper on our ship!!!"

"And Dazai—" Usopp did not answer Nami, but looked up at Dazai Osamu. The malicious expression on his face disappeared, and he looked at Dazai Osamu calmly, as if it was the calm before the storm:

"You are very smart! Too smart! I feel like all my little actions are just a show in your eyes! You always stand by and watch the show, controlling the whole situation without us knowing. Sometimes I feel like we are just your puppets!"

"But I know you're not that kind of person. You've pushed us to preserve our combat power to the maximum extent and grow at the fastest pace! Although you like to make bad jokes and act careless every day, sometimes I'm angry at your actions, but sometimes I'm very grateful for your training, which has allowed me to find a sense of existence among a group of monsters, and feel that my efforts are not so in vain, and that my abilities are not so mediocre!"

"Although I don't know why you long for death so much! Every time you commit suicide, I am scared-"

"I'm afraid of losing a companion that I've made with great difficulty. I'm afraid of never seeing a familiar face again!"

"I don't want to lose any of my companions! You, and the Merry too!"

"But why, you all want to abandon Merry, abandon our companions!"

"This kind of thing is not something the Luffy I know would do! It's not something the Dazai and Nami I know would do!"

"Why is it that once I arrived in this crappy city and heard the words of those who think they are professionals, everything changed so quickly!"

"You have all changed so quickly, I can no longer keep up with you!"

Usopp had tears stubbornly in his eyes, and he would never stay in front of Dazai and other "evil" people who wanted to abandon Merry. This was his only remaining dignity!

Occasionally, the lively shouts of vendors outside could be heard from the remote alley, forming a sharp contrast with the heavy silence inside.

Luffy bit his lower lip unwillingly and clenched his hands. He was unwilling! He didn't want to abandon the Merry! However, things had become like this, and he had to make a choice for everyone!

"Liar! Why don't you understand!" Luffy roared: "The Merry is no longer viable! Do you think we all want to abandon Merry? It is our companion! Always! None of us can bear to part with it! But we have to move on!"

"For all of us, and for you!"

Why don’t you understand!!!

No! Usopp knew the consequences, but he was stubborn and refused to believe it. He stubbornly believed that their bond with the Merry could overcome everything. Dazai knew his thoughts.

This is a duel that is destined to have no winner. Whoever wins will be a loser.

"Usopp," Dazai Osamu hadn't called Usopp's full name so seriously for a long time. Before, he either called him Captain Usopp as a joke, or followed Luffy and the others to call him Liar, or just called him Usopp-kun like Zoro~. Many, many times, they were just jokes among friends, so this time, being called by his full name seriously and treated like a stranger made Usopp feel particularly sour and uncomfortable.

"If you can't accept the fate of the Merry being abandoned, then take it back! As a free man!" Dazai Osamu bent down, placed one hand lightly on Usopp's shoulder, and tapped Usopp's back a few times with his fingertips.

Usopp's pupils shrank, and he nodded with relief: "Okay!"

"Luffy, I challenge you!"

"Take back the Merry!"