Zoro and Sanji quickly moved through the primitive jungle of Small Garden, both with extremely grave expressions.
Tomioka had been captured, and the enemy's strength was not to be underestimated; time was of the essence.
Boom!
Not far ahead, an explosion suddenly rang out, mixed with familiar shouts.
The two exchanged glances, immediately sped up, and rushed over, the sight of the battlefield making them both freeze.
It was Usopp!
He was frantically rolling on the ground, dodging, and his opponent was Mr. 5, the explosion man who had appeared at Whiskey Peak!
Usopp looked quite strained; the gunpowder stars shot from his slingshot hit Mr. 5, but aside from causing explosions, they had no effect.
He dodged the snot bombs Mr. 5 flicked out, panting heavily.
"Usopp!" Sanji exclaimed, immediately rushing forward to help.
Mr. 5 also noticed the two newcomers, especially the Mosshead swordsman, which reminded him of an unpleasant experience at noon, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Don't come over!!!"
Unexpectedly, Usopp suddenly turned around and loudly stopped them.
His face had some scrapes, and his clothes had some burnt marks, but his eyes were exceptionally firm.
"I just saw it!"
He pointed into the distance and urgently shouted, "Tomioka! And Nami! Vivi! And two guys I don't know! They've all been turned into wax figures by that candle bastard, and they're all on a giant cake model right now!!!"
Usopp's voice was a bit hoarse: "You guys hurry and save them!!! This... this place can be left to me!!!"
After speaking, he no longer looked at Zoro and Sanji, abruptly turned around, raised his slingshot, and stared intently at Mr. 5.
"Surekill! Gunpowder Star! Double Shot!"
Two gunpowder bombs shot out rapidly; one exploded on Mr. 5's chest, and the other hit the base of a large tree behind him, charring it slightly.
Zoro and Sanji were both stunned; they looked at Usopp's expression, that determination, which was different from usual.
Sanji's furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of Zoro's mouth.
"Hey," Zoro said.
"Ah, got it," Sanji lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, "Don't worry about this guy, trust him."
Then he shouted towards Usopp's back: "Go for it, Usopp! We'll wait for you up ahead! Don't you dare die!!!"
With that, the two didn't hesitate; their figures flashed, and they continued to rush at full speed in the direction Usopp had pointed.
The smoke from the explosion gradually dissipated, and Mr. 5 patted the dust off his chest, emerging completely unharmed, with an extremely impatient look on his face.
"I told you, it's useless... Are you an idiot?"
He scratched his head, as if remembering something, "Wait... that sniper Ms. Friday mentioned in the intel... don't tell me it's you?"
He looked at the slingshot in Usopp's hand, feeling his intelligence insulted.
Then Mr. 5 extended a finger, skillfully picked his nostril, and flicked out a snot.
"Snot Fantasy Cannon!"
Whoosh—!
Bang!
Usopp made a clumsy leap, hiding behind a large tree, the sound of the explosion ringing in his ears non-stop, and his back aching from the shockwave.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." He huddled behind the tree, rubbing his back, as if talking to himself: "This guy is really hard to deal with... Explosions don't hurt him at all... Am I really doomed this time...?"
Suddenly, a huge fear gripped his heart, making him tremble all over.
I shouldn't have been so impulsive... Wouldn't it have been better to let Zoro and Sanji deal with him... I'm just a normal person... How could I possibly beat a monster who ate a Devil Fruit... Just then, Usopp suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own cheek hard.
Slap! Slap!
The pain cleared his head a bit.
The century-long duel between Dorry and Brogy flashed in his mind, but the final outcome was ruined by the despicable actions of Mr. 5 and Mr. 3.
How could he fall here!
When they rushed up Reverse Mountain, he had said it!
He was a brave warrior of the sea! He had promised Zoro and Sanji to guard this place!
Courage, like a faint flame, ignited in his heart once again.
He suddenly poked his head out from behind the tree and shouted with all his might: "This great me! Usopp! Is a brave warrior of the sea!!!"
"Take another one of my moves! Surekill! Gunpowder Star!"
Then Usopp raised his slingshot and shot a specially made projectile at Mr. 5.
Mr. 5 sneered, surprisingly not dodging, opening his mouth and swallowing the "Gunpowder Star" in one gulp!
"I told you, gunpowder has no effect on me... Wait... Cough, cough, cough! So spicy!!!??? What the hell is this, you bastard!!!" Mr. 5's expression instantly changed from mockery to pain; he clutched his throat and coughed violently, his throat burning!
"Idiot!"
Usopp yelled triumphantly, though his legs were still trembling slightly, "I was just tricking you! That wasn't gunpowder! It was my special homemade Chili Star! How does it taste?!"
"Damn it!!! You damn pirate!!!!" Mr. 5 was so spicy he almost lost his mind, kneeling on the ground and frantically pounding it.
Opportunity!
Usopp's eyes narrowed; he quickly picked up a few medium-sized stones from the ground, then smeared them with the special Chili Star projectile material, and finally loaded them onto his slingshot.
"Surekill!! Super-long-range Chili Stone Barrage!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The chili stones were shot out precisely in quick succession, hitting Mr. 5's face and his sunglasses hard!
"Ahhhhh! My eyes!" Mr. 5 screamed, his sunglasses knocked off, his eyes burning and aching, temporarily unable to see anything.
Usopp didn't stop; he immediately adjusted his angle again, aiming at the large tree behind Mr. 5, whose roots were already charred from the previous Gunpowder Star explosion!
"Surekill! Gunpowder Star! Rapid Fire!"
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Several small gunpowder bombs accurately hit the charred roots of the large tree, quickly igniting them!
The already damaged tree trunk could no longer support itself; with precise angling, it crashed down towards Mr. 5, who was still kneeling and temporarily disoriented!
"You bast—!"
Mr. 5 only managed to let out a curse before being completely crushed under the heavy, thick tree trunk, falling unconscious.
All settled.
Usopp plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, his whole body trembling, as if his earlier bravery had been drained.
But as he looked at the fallen tree and the now silent Mr. 5 underneath, unable to mock him, a sense of pride welled up in his heart.
Usopp struggled to his feet, patted the dust off himself, and looking at the unconscious Mr. 5, he used all his strength to shout loudly:
"What sniper... I am... Sniper King!!!"
After shouting, he felt a wave of dizziness, but still dragged his exhausted body, limping, and laboriously followed in the direction Zoro and Sanji had left.
He was the Sniper King of the Straw Hat Pirates; the battle wasn't over yet!