Summary:
Usopp challenges Luffy to decide who holds the Going Merry. Even though Usopp is injured, he fights harder than ever. Luffy doesn’t really seem to be a threat, but he keeps remembering what great friends they used to be when they were sailing together on the same ship. Even after a severe beating, Luffy defeats Usopp. Luffy and the crew then leave Usopp and the ship behind.
As promised, Usopp returns to Scrap Island at 10pm to fight Luffy. Luffy tells him not to be sorry regardless of the outcome. Usopp replies that unlike previous enemies, he is well aware of what Luffy is capable of and is ready to defeat him. He tells Luffy to come to him with everything he has. The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates watch from aboard the Going Merry with varying degrees of concern.
Usopp starts with some of the compliments he made when they first met. When Luffy comes at him with the Gomu Gomu no Pistol, Usopp uses his Hissatsu Ketchup Boshi to fake coughing up blood. This stops Luffy in his tracks out of concern. Usopp mocks him for showing compassion to the enemy and blinds him with the Flash Dial, then gets hit by Hissatsu Tamago Boshi, showering his former captain with rotten eggs. Luffy tells Usopp to be serious; Usopp says he is and reminds him that this is how he fights. Usopp fires the Hissatsu Tabasco Boshi right into Luffy’s mouth, causing him to spit fire and fall back right onto the pile of caltrops, scratching his body. When Luffy gets up, Usopp knocks him back down with Hissatsu Koshou Boshi, which explodes in a cloud of ground pepper. Luffy coughs in fits and repeatedly lands in caltrops.
Luffy recovers enough to finally get out of the caltrops, noting how much it hurts. Usopp says that he won’t give Luffy a chance to retaliate and begins to amplify the danger with the Shuriken Ryuuseigun, firing strings of shooting stars at Luffy, forcing him to focus on dodging. He reaches an area that appears to be smoky. Usopp says it’s actually gas coming from the breath dial, but he couldn’t smell it because of the rotten eggs. Usopp fires Kaen Boshi, setting off a massive explosion that throws the Going Merry back off the shore. Luffy lays on the ground for a moment, thinking about his past with Usopp. The water thrown up by the explosion gives the impression that the ship itself is crying.
Usopp comments that he knows the explosion wouldn’t kill Luffy. Luffy tries to attack with Gomu Gomu no Gatling, but Usopp counters with Sakuretsu Saboteso Boshi, which explodes on Luffy’s fist, impaling Luffy with small spikes. Usopp fires several Sanren Kayaku Boshi at Luffy, forcing him to dodge the resulting explosions. Luffy finally knocks Usopp back with the Gomu Gomu no Pistol. But when he tries the Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, Usopp grabs the Impact Dial and throws it back at Luffy, knocking Luffy back but also injuring his hand from the recoil. That was Usopp’s last trick. Clueless, he stands there taking it when Luffy fires a Gomu Gomu no Bullet, hitting him hard in the chest and knocking him out, winning the fight.
Luffy puts on his straw hat and tells Usopp that he can keep the Going Merry and bids him farewell. Chopper wants to treat him, but Sanji stops him, saying that it’s wrong to show pity for the loser of a fight. Chopper still leaves him some supplies to help heal himself. Returning to the ship, Luffy breaks down in tears and comments on the heavy burden. Zoro replies that it’s the captain’s burden and the rest of the crew are counting on him to carry it. As Luffy, Chopper, and Nami are torn apart by this turn of events, the crew abandons the ship, a crying Usopp behind.