NOVEL WEB Chapter 65: 65 Bouncy Bomb!
When Klee Meow pulled out that Bouncy Bomb, which looked more like a plush toy than an actual bomb, Chinjao honestly wanted to laugh.
Right, little Klee looks so cute—how dangerous could she really be, even if she can make bombs? That Sherwin kid must've just been humoring her earlier when he got all serious, right?
Chinjao subconsciously shook his head. He couldn't believe he had actually taken Klee Meow bombs seriously for a moment…
What really piqued his curiosity now was how Klee Meow managed to pull out a bomb bigger than herself from that tiny backpack.
A Devil Fruit ability?
Back when he was teaching Sherwin and the others about Haki, he'd heard that Klee Meow was a Devil Fruit user too—but no one had mentioned exactly what kind of fruit it was.
Shrink-Shrink Fruit? Backpack Fruit? Or something else entirely?
There were just too many Devil Fruits with storage abilities. Even some Paramecia types that sounded completely ordinary could come with their own pocket dimensions, like the Mirror-Mirror Fruit or the Door-Door Fruit.
So even Chinjao had no way of guessing exactly what kind of power Klee Meow had.
As Chinjao thoughts drifted further and further away, the Armament Haki covering his body gradually faded.
Not that he cared—after all, Klee Meow bomb was just a "toy," wasn't it? Might as well let it go off on him for a bit of show, just to amuse her.
That was when the dented-head Chinjao finally came to his senses and realized something was off about what he'd said earlier.
No wonder Sherwin had told Klee Meow to blow him up and let off some steam.
His plan sounded great—until that adorable little Bouncy Bomb began bouncing closer and closer.
The moment it got within range, his Observation Haki kicked in on its own.
A cold chill raced through Chinjao entire body, sending him right back to the despair he'd felt the day Garp flattened his skull with one punch.
"What kind of sick joke is this?!"
Chinjao, who just a moment ago had planned to let Klee Meow blow him up for fun, couldn't afford to be careless anymore.
He had no time to think about what was up with the bomb. He instantly activated his full Armament Haki, crossed both arms in front of him, and assumed a textbook defensive stance.
"BOOM——!!!"
With a deafening boom, Chinjao was instantly hit by a powerful shockwave and an intense heat that left his mouth dry and his tongue parched.
The Armament Haki within him was draining like a breached dam, and his massive body was nearly blown away by the force of the blast.
But what frustrated Chinjao even more was that, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of several smaller spherical objects—though smaller than the original Bouncy Bomb, they clearly shared the same design.
They flew out from the blaze ahead of him, and with them came another wave of dread, just as strong as the one before.
"Wait… hold on a—"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM——!!!"
Chinjao didn't even get to finish his sentence before the explosion completely drowned him out. Fire and blasts engulfed his enormous frame from every direction.
By the time the smoke and dust had finally cleared, Chinjao, buried under a pile of rubble, slowly let out a puff of black smoke and finished his interrupted thought...
"Wait… wasn't there supposed to be only one bomb?"
Standing protectively in front of the two Felynes, Sherwin lowered his arm—its black Haki sheen now faded—and stared at the crater in front of him, which had been blasted out once again and was now even bigger than before. He couldn't help but admire his own foresight…
If they had tested this back at the spot just outside the city, how much would he have owed the Flower Country in damages?
"Uh… Old man Chinjao, you still alive down there?"
Sherwin called out from a distance toward the bottom of the pit.
Cough cough cough… Chinjao hacked up a few more puffs of black smoke, then pushed aside the debris on top of him and stood up from the pit, replying grumpily,
"I'm perfectly fine! Don't you dare underestimate the strength of the former pillar of the Happo Navy!"
At this point, if Chinjao still didn't realize he'd been set up by Sherwin, then all his years as a pirate would've been for nothing.
That said, he hadn't exactly lied—while he did look a bit roughed up, Chinjao was actually completely fine.
The drain on his Armament Haki was still within a manageable range. He could probably take another ten or so of those Bouncy Bombs…
Probably.Chinjao stroked his beard, not entirely confident in that estimate.
Of course, Sherwin wasn't stupid enough to keep provoking him. With a big fake smile on his face, he praised,
"As expected of the legendary pirate with a 500 million bounty. Coming to you to learn Haki really was the right decision, Old Man Chinjao."
"Hmph!"
Chinjao could tell Sherwin was dodging the issue, but since the guy had already said that much, pressing him about the setup would make Chinjao look petty and ungraceful for a senior. So all he could do was let out a cold snort to express his displeasure.
"Grandpa Chinjao is amazing, meow! Big Brother Sherwin got hit by my Bouncy Bomb once by accident too, and he actually got hurt, meow!"
Compared to Sherwin superficial compliments, Klee Meow little gasp of admiration was genuinely heartfelt.
Chinjao face lit up immediately at her praise. He squatted down and gently patted her on the head with a finger, returning the compliment in kind:
"Little Klee bombs are pretty amazing too. That brat Sherwin wasn't wrong—just because someone knows Armament Haki doesn't mean they can take one of your blasts head-on."
"But…" He thought for a moment, then added honestly, "Compared to that bastard Garp fist, there still quite a way to go."
Though his Observation Haki had triggered the same dread he'd felt from Garp punches, sensing was one thing—actual results were another.
Haki, as an essential power for top-tier fighters in this world, naturally had a different weight than regular attacks.
Sherwin didn't mind at all. He had never planned for Klee Meow to take on any of the world top-tier fighters. As long as this little plush bomb-thrower could protect herself in most situations, that was more than enough for him.
Besides, Klee Meow hadn't even used the enhanced version of her bombs yet.
And as for the old man Chinjao comment, Klee Meow didn't really take it to heart. Aside from the fact that her bouncing bombs could still become more powerful...
The clever Klee Meow had just gotten inspiration to make an even stronger new bomb!
"Eek—"
Sherwin and Sanji Meow, both of whom had awakened Observation Haki, suddenly felt a chill at almost the exact same time. It was as if some terrible fate had just set its eyes on them.
Man and cat alike looked around in confusion, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
"..."
After exchanging a glance, they silently shifted their eyes toward Klee Meow, who was tilting her little head thoughtfully, as if deep in contemplation.
"Meow?" The little plush-like Felyne lifted her head and looked at Sherwin and Sanji Meow with confusion. "Why are you two staring at Klee like that-meow?"
"Cough, cough... it nothing. We just think you're really amazing, Klee!"
Sherwin scratched her under the chin, not bothering to ask whether she'd just had another new inspiration... There was no point in asking—he wasn't going to stop her anyway, so why make himself uncomfortable?
Choosing to turn a blind eye, Sherwin looked over at Chinjao. "Old man, I've already got the hang of both Armament and Observation Haki. So… could you let me experience Conqueror Haki? In case I run into it someday, it'd be good to know how to deal with it."
Aside from the reason he just gave, Sherwin also wanted to see if experiencing Conqueror Haki might awaken his own.
Even though he didn't really think he had the qualities of a king...
You still gotta have dreams, right?