"These people are truly despicable!"
Inside the pitch-black cave, Usopp stumbled as he ran, muttering to calm his racing heart.
"Hmph! Those refugees actually tried to eat the very person who saved them. I exhausted myself teaching them how to find food and survive the chaos ahead…"
The cave stretched endlessly into darkness, splitting into several branching tunnels. Even so, Usopp moved with certainty. With the aid of his Observation Haki, he firmly locked onto the correct path forward despite the lack of visibility.
Soon, faint daylight appeared at the cave entrance.
Relief flooded his chest.
"Phew… good thing the body I trained under Heracles on the Boin Archipelago for six months is strong enough. Otherwise, I really would have ended up as dinner."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps and the sound of horses echoed from outside.
"Earl, judging from the footprints, those refugees entered this cave!"
"Here? Perfect," a cold voice replied arrogantly. "This Earl happens to need more slaves to build fortifications against those rebel forces. Go inside and capture them all. Men, women, old or young, not a single one escapes!"
Usopp instantly froze.
His instincts reacted faster than thought. He crouched low and pressed himself into a shadowed corner near the wall, silently listening.
"Damn it… they didn't erase their tracks like I told them," Usopp whispered nervously. "Now they've brought trouble here."
His heart tightened. Reflexively, his hand moved toward his slingshot.
Then he paused.
Silence followed.
Usopp lowered his gaze toward his empty right side and forced a bitter smile.
"…I forgot again."
"I still haven't gotten used to it."
A few days earlier.
The merchant ship Usopp had boarded was intercepted while passing through the Sabaody region's surrounding seas, where rebel forces had seized control of nearby routes.
Several powerful fighters aboard resisted.
The result was immediate.
Rebel warships opened fire, and the merchant vessel was destroyed under relentless artillery bombardment.
Usopp escaped during the chaos. After shaking off several pursuing rebels, fate led him straight into another disaster, rebels hunting down hundreds of fleeing civilians.
At first, Usopp told himself not to interfere.
He was not Shirogai, not Luffy, not Zoro or Sanji. Those monsters could charge into danger without hesitation.
But before his mind finished deciding, his body had already acted.
His ammunition fired.
Several rebels attempting to slaughter fleeing women and children were instantly wounded.
That single action drew the attention of more than a hundred enemies.
Despite overwhelming numbers, Usopp relied on his exceptional Observation Haki and guerrilla tactics. Using Pop Green ammunition cultivated on the Boin Archipelago, he skillfully eliminated or delayed most of the pursuers.
Unfortunately, the survivors returned with reinforcements.
Among them was a Devil Fruit user.
The man had eaten the Bug Bug Fruit, Model Mantis, transforming his arms into terrifying serrated blades.
The opponent fought dishonorably, hiding among trees while Usopp escorted civilians away, attempting to ambush defenseless women and children.
Fortunately, Usopp sensed the attack through Observation Haki.
"Hissatsu Green Star, Bamboo Javelin!"
The strike blasted the enemy away before the ambush succeeded.
Usopp ordered the refugees to flee while he stayed behind to cover their escape.
In the end, while saving a little girl, his right arm was severed by the mantis user's blade.
He nearly died from blood loss during the escape.
Thankfully, certain Pop Green plants possessed medicinal properties. They could not regenerate limbs like Shirogai's healing mushrooms, but they preserved Usopp's life long enough for recovery.
For someone like Usopp, losing the arm he relied on most should have broken his spirit.
Yet when he saw the refugees' trusting eyes, he still guided them here, locating a concealed cave and teaching them how to survive.
And their repayment?
The moment they realized his combat strength had declined, they chose to turn their so called divine messenger into food.
Outside the cave entrance, a noble clad in iron armor reined in his tall horse and sneered toward the darkness.
"Hmph. Those filthy commoners dared covet the Holmes family's grain."
He laughed coldly.
"Luckily, this Earl prepared in advance. I ordered ash placed inside the outer sacks. Otherwise, the grain might truly have been stolen."
Behind him stood more than two hundred armed soldiers, weapons drawn as they stared into the cave like predators.
The noble raised his jeweled longsword.
"Advance! Capture every last one of them!"
Heavy footsteps thundered as soldiers rushed into the cave.
"What do I do… what should I do…"
Hidden deeper inside, Usopp's thoughts raced.
One voice urged him to escape, hide at another fork, and wait until everything ended. Once the refugees were captured, he could quietly leave.
No one would notice.
But another voice refused.
If he abandoned them now, he would regret it forever.
Usopp was not fearless.
But he would never betray his own sense of justice.
"If I fight…"
He looked again at his missing arm, then searched through his bag using his left hand.
The results were grim.
A few iron caltrops.
Several unused gunpowder stars.
Explosive components.
And only a handful of Pop Green ammunition with limited destructive power.
"With this… there's no way I can defeat so many soldiers."
His heart sank. Running low on ammunition always shattered his confidence.
"If Shirogai, Luffy, or Sanji were here…"
He could easily imagine the outcome. Any of them would crush the enemy without hesitation.
Yet fate placed him here alone, the one fighter dependent on preparation and supplies.
"Damn it… I should have prepared more ammunition before leaving."
After a brief moment of frustration, Usopp forced himself to calm down.
Complaining solved nothing.
His mind began constructing strategies rapidly.
Unlike his crewmates, Usopp specialized in defeating stronger enemies through tactics. Fighting uphill battles was his expertise.
Then suddenly, inspiration struck.
"Wait… Rafflesia seeds, gunpowder primer, combined ignition…"
A grin slowly appeared on his exhausted face.
"If I set this up right… I might actually win."
Not long after entering the cave, the advancing soldiers slowed.
"Ugh… what is that smell?"
A horrifying stench filled the tunnel.
Several soldiers immediately collapsed, removing helmets as they vomited violently.
"Stand up!" their supervisor shouted while gagging himself. "It's just a smell!"
As they pushed forward, they discovered the source.
Two enormous strange flowers released thick clouds of pollen into the air.
Beneath them, faint sparks flickered.
"This is…"
Too late.
The hidden gunpowder detonated.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted as ignited pollen amplified the blast. Soldiers were hurled backward while the cave entrance trembled violently. Rocks rained down, injuring many.
Outside, the Earl's expression twisted with fury.
"You filthy commoners dare attack the Holmes family!"
He steadied his panicked horse and roared.
"Send reinforcements! No one escapes!"
"Phew… it worked."
Hidden near a branching tunnel, Usopp finally exhaled in relief.
Unfortunately, he overlooked one thing.
THWACK!
A heavy black club smashed into the back of his head.
His vision instantly darkened.
Behind him came cold laughter.
"Running again? Go on, run!"
The refugee men stood there, eyes filled with resentment and madness.
As consciousness faded, one final thought crossed Usopp's mind.
I really shouldn't have helped you ungrateful bastards…
Starvation and exhaustion overwhelmed him, and Usopp collapsed into unconsciousness.