When Usopp finally regained consciousness, he discovered that he was hanging upside down from a tree, surrounded by trembling refugees.
"Sigh..."
From his inverted position, Usopp looked at the frightened civilians nearby, the armed warriors watching them closely, and the nobleman mounted on a white horse in the distance. He could only let out a helpless sigh.
After spending several days in this country, he had already understood why chaos ruled this land.
At this point, nothing that happened here could surprise him anymore.
The steady sound of hooves echoed across the ground.
The white horse stopped a short distance away from Usopp. Sitting atop it was a noble clad in steel armor. The man frowned while staring at Usopp hanging upside down.
"Long nose, these commoners claim you injured more than thirty of my warriors. Hmm? You, a cripple, possess that kind of strength?"
He clearly found it hard to believe that a one armed man like Usopp could defeat fully armed soldiers.
"Hmph! Of course it was me, your great lord!" Usopp declared proudly. "Let me warn you, I have more than three thousand warriors lying in ambush nearby! The moment I give the signal, they will rush out and wipe all of you out!"
Usopp tried his best to appear mysterious and intimidating.
Unfortunately, hanging upside down completely ruined the effect.
"Th three thousand warriors? Where are they?"
One of the soldiers genuinely panicked and nervously looked around.
Silence followed.
Count Holmes stared at Usopp speechlessly, disappointment evident in his eyes. Earlier reports made him think this man possessed real ability, but now it seemed pure luck allowed him to defeat his troops.
"My lord! He is lying!" one refugee suddenly shouted. "He doesn't have any warriors!"
The man bowed repeatedly, hoping to gain favor.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Count Holmes smiled faintly and guided his horse closer.
Seeing the noble approach him personally, the refugee became excited.
"Yes, my lord! Do not be fooled by this liar!"
A flash of steel appeared.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The refugee clutched his throat in confusion before collapsing onto the ground, twitching violently.
Count Holmes calmly withdrew his gem decorated longsword and flicked the blood away.
"Do you truly think I am foolish enough to believe nonsense like that?"
Behind him, one soldier sighed in relief.
"So it was fake? You scared me for nothing."
Count Holmes inhaled slowly, barely suppressing the urge to cut down his own subordinate. His cold gaze returned to Usopp.
"You injured many of my men. Tell me, long nose, how do you intend to compensate?"
The horse stepped closer.
The blood stained sword slowly rose again.
I am going to die! I am definitely going to die!
Usopp instantly abandoned his act and began struggling wildly against the rope.
"I, I am a companion of Shirogai! His bounty exceeds ten billion Berries! If you kill me, he will never forgive you!"
"Shirogai?" Count Holmes burst into laughter. "You mean Shirogai Yamikuro, the ruler connected to the Sky Islands and a figure feared across the seas? And you claim to be his companion?"
His expression turned mocking.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
There was no way he could associate the ragged, one armed man before him with someone tied to such a terrifying existence.
Shirogai's influence shook the world itself. His power rivaled legends, and even the World Government treated him as a major threat.
And this miserable man claimed to sail beside him?
"The Straw Hat Pirates are filled with monsters," Count Holmes continued coldly. "If you truly traveled with someone like Shirogai, how could you possibly be captured by me?"
His voice dripped with disdain.
"Or are you saying that among Shirogai's companions, there exists someone as weak as you?"
Usopp opened his mouth to argue.
Then stopped.
Weak.
The word struck deeper than expected.
Compared to monsters like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and even Shirogai, he had always felt insignificant. Even after witnessing Shirogai shake the world with overwhelming strength, that inferiority never truly disappeared.
Was someone like him really worthy of standing beside such people?
Usopp suddenly laughed casually.
"Ahahaha! I was just trying to scare you. Looks like you saw through it. Fine, I admit it, I am not Shirogai's companion."
"Hmph. You deceived a noble and injured my soldiers. I sentence you to death."
The sword descended.
Boom!
Dark thunderclouds suddenly swallowed the sky.
A blinding bolt of lightning crashed down.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound echoed as Count Holmes' jeweled longsword shattered instantly, fragments falling to the ground.
"What?! Who dares interfere?!"
Standing before Usopp now was a green haired swordsman.
Behind him came Usopp's tearful voice.
"Zo, Zoro...!"
Zoro smirked slightly.
"I am this long nosed idiot's companion."
He glanced back at Usopp hanging pitifully from the tree.
"A member of the Straw Hat Pirates, future World's Greatest Swordsman, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro."
"Another Straw Hat?" Count Holmes shouted angrily. "Kill them!"
Soldiers rushed forward, weapons raised. Spears and swords swung toward Zoro while distant troops aimed rifles.
"Hey! Zoro! Do something!" Usopp shouted desperately while swinging from the rope. "Fight them already!"
"Relax."
Zoro casually pressed Usopp's head to stop him from bumping into him.
"You really think I came alone?"
Usopp blinked.
"Wait... does that mean everyone is here?"
Before he could finish speaking, lightning tore through the battlefield.
Boom!
Multiple bolts struck the advancing soldiers. Their bodies convulsed as electricity surged through them before they collapsed, smoking and unconscious.
Crackling lightning gathered again.
A streak of electricity descended from the sky and formed into a human figure landing on one knee.
Usopp's face lit up instantly.
"Shi...!"
But his excitement quickly turned into confusion.
The man stood up, bare chested, wearing only silver trousers, electricity still dancing across his body.
Usopp stared blankly.
"…Wait. Who is that?"
He had recognized the power of the Goro Goro no Mi and thought Shirogai had arrived.
But the man before him was someone he had never seen before.
===
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