???
The sudden explosion instantly shattered the rhythm of both the Straw Hat crew and the Supernovas.
Even Red turned his head in shock, staring toward the direction where the blast had occurred.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he hurriedly asked through the telepathic channel, his voice tense:
"What happened, Zoro?!"
Because of the psychic imprint linking them, Red could clearly sense Zoro's presence right at the center of the explosion.
If someone claimed this blast had nothing to do with Zoro, Red would bet without hesitation that Zoro was absolutely involved.
Just when the trouble-magnet Luffy had finally quieted down, disaster still struck out of nowhere.
Perhaps the Straw Hat Pirates were simply inseparable from the word "trouble."
The next moment, Zoro's voice came through the group channel.
"Cough, cough… sorry, Red."
Maybe the environment was too choking—despite speaking via mental power, Zoro somehow managed to perfectly imitate the sound of coughing.
"I think I… accidentally found a storage warehouse full of Celestial Dragons' firearms and ammunition."
"And then I accidentally lit a fire to make some light…"
"And then the flames accidentally ignited a cannon fuse…"
"And that's how the explosion just now happened."
"..."
"..."
After hearing Zoro's detailed explanation, a wave of speechless sighs swept through the group channel.
So in other words…
Zoro, if you'd made even one mistake less, you couldn't have caused this much chaos, right?!
For a moment, even Red didn't know what to say.
Instead, the carefree Luffy burst into laughter after hearing Zoro's story:
"Ahahaha! Zoro, you're such an idiot!"
"HEY! LUFFY!"
At that instant, Nami's furious roar echoed through the entire channel.
"You only needed to THINK it!"
"Who told you to laugh out loud?!"
Nami bellowed.
"Careful, Nami-san. Guards are coming this way," Brook warned immediately.
Robin followed with a calm, heavy tone. "There's no helping it."
"That explosion has put the guards on high alert. Looks like we'll have to fight."
"Luffy, Nami, Brook—you three don't act yet. I'll try to knock them out immediately so we don't draw more guards."
"This… seems really bad," Law murmured softly, and the other Supernovas couldn't help but tense up as well.
The most shameless among them, Apoo, was the first to suggest retreat:
"Uh… how about we pull out now?!"
"We've already gained plenty this time. If the loot over there is about the same as ours, the gold and jewels alone should be worth hundreds of billions of Beli, right?!"
"Isn't it a little early to talk about retreat?"
In the western sector of the castle, Sanji lit a cigarette and suddenly turned around, fixing Apoo with a cold, scrutinizing stare that instantly made his nerves tighten.
Sanji continued speaking in the group channel:
"The trouble caused by that moss-head will be handled by him."
"Don't stop moving. We haven't even explored one-fifth of the area yet."
"The Celestial Dragons and their bodyguards will definitely wake up soon. We need to pick up the pace."
As he spoke, Sanji waved sharply at the Supernovas behind him, signaling them to keep up.
It was a pity his Devil Fruit hadn't awakened yet—otherwise, he could have shared the power of the Speed-Speed Fruit with the others.
"..."
Left behind, the Supernovas exchanged looks. In the end, under the pressure of overwhelming strength, they gritted their teeth and hurried after him.
On the other side, Usopp's team was even less affected.
After learning that Zoro had caused trouble, Usopp didn't bother pretending anymore.
"Chopper, Franky—and you two as well—time's limited. We have to split up!"
BOOM!!!
Like dense storm clouds, a massive swarm of insects burst from Usopp's body, surging outward in all directions toward the castle.
Immediately, Usopp stiffened his expression and spoke quickly to the four behind him:
"I'll have the insect army smash open all the slave cells and free everyone inside."
"Franky, you and Law handle the guidance afterward."
"Then there's Chopper and Bonney…"
Usopp took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Bonney, turn into a child and move with Chopper. Follow my guide insects to the Celestial Dragons' treasury and pick out the most valuable items. I'll have the swarm transport them back directly."
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
Knowing how urgent the situation was, Franky and the others nodded without hesitation, their eyes sharp.
"I'll leave everything to you."
Taking command for the first time, Usopp felt strangely emotional.
Though he had always been the most cowardly among them, now he had no choice but to be pushed forward, raising the banner himself.
After giving his orders, he sat down cross-legged on the spot.
In an instant, thick black mist poured out from every part of his body, completely enveloping him.
"If I go all in here… it might actually be the right call."
Wrapped in the ocean of insects, Usopp muttered to himself, a flash of resolve blazing in his eyes.
Memories of those despair-filled gazes surfaced in his mind…
At that moment, he chose to stake everything!!!
Whether to buy time for his comrades, or to save even more slaves—he wasn't a hero…
But someone needed him!!!!
"Out with the old, in with the new!"
"Since you call me the Swarm—then let me show you the swarm's true power!"
BOOM!!!
The instant Usopp finished speaking, countless insects beat their wings at once, spinning rapidly around his body.
In the blink of an eye, a terrifying black hurricane formed out of nowhere in the Celestial Dragons' residential zone, sweeping across everything!
The buzzing of wings merged together like war drums from the heavens, resounding across the skies of Mary Geoise—as if announcing the sole sovereign of the swarm.
Usopp lifted his gaze, his pitch-black eyes flickering with dark yellow-green waves.
That was the color of Bug-type energy from the Pokémon world!
The next second, the condensed power erupted, surging outward like an unstoppable tide toward the countless insects.
"Go all out! My insect army!!!"
Usopp roared.
The swarm exploded outward, engulfing the entire eastern half of the residential district.
"Th-this… is this what Boss Usopp looks like at full power?!"
Having already retreated on Franky's warning, Law and Bonney stared in sheer shock.
They had known that someone with a bounty exceeding a billion Beli couldn't possibly be ordinary.
But witnessing this scene still sent a chill straight through their hearts.
Meanwhile, Franky—who had been close to Usopp recently—and Chopper—who had once fought alongside him—remained calm, as if they'd expected this all along.
Hearing Law's murmur, Franky grinned widely.
"Full power?"
"Heh… what you're seeing now is probably only half of Usopp's strength."
"What?!"
Law and Bonney's eyes flew open in disbelief.
But Franky wasn't exaggerating.
After all, Usopp still hadn't used his Green Vine Grapple Device, nor his endless supply of signature ammunition.
And considering that the swarm's killing power was clearly inferior to his strongest shells…
It was possible the insects didn't even represent half of his true strength.
Even if this level of power could only be displayed once.
...
...
When the swarm descended, blood stained the stars.
This domain once reserved solely for "gods" was now on the verge of being dyed crimson with endless "divine blood."
Under the command of insect queens, generals, and captains of every rank, the swarm army moved swiftly.
This time, Usopp completely removed all restraints.
Any enemy encountered—except slaves wearing collars—was a valid target for elimination.
Instantly, screams echoed throughout Mary Geoise.
"Aaah! What is this?!"
"Damn it! Why are there so many bugs?!"
"Protect us! Protect us! Save us!!!"
"..."
"..."
No one could have imagined that this nighttime assault on Mary Geoise would be opened by Usopp himself!
...
...
Meanwhile—
As Usopp descended upon the Holy Land in the form of the Swarm…
Red was rapidly communicating with Zoro.
"What?! You're saying the explosion just now was only one of many ammunition warehouses?!"
A brief glint flashed in Red's eyes before they quickly returned to calm.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
The explosion had looked impressive, but what truly shocked them was the sudden change amid the tense night—not the blast itself.
In terms of sheer yield, it was roughly equivalent to Usopp's daily explosive output.
For ordinary billion-level pirates, it would've been apocalyptic.
But for the current Straw Hat Pirates?
It was nothing special.
The World Government had ruled the world for eight hundred years—how could their ammunition reserves be so meager?
As this thought crossed his mind, a sharp gleam appeared in Red's eyes.
He immediately switched to a private telepathic channel with Zoro, a mysterious smile forming on his face.
"Zoro, I've got a task for you."
...
...
"What's going on?!"
Inside the Five Elders' conference chamber.
Awakened by the explosion, the Five Elders reconvened once more.
Soon, after a report from a CP0 agent, they grasped the situation.
"A strange swarm attacking Mary Geoise?!"
"Wait—that ability sounds familiar!"
Saturn narrowed his eyes, releasing a dangerous aura.
"Two months ago, during the attack on Enies Lobby, there was a pirate in the Straw Hat crew who could command insect swarms!"
"That's right!"
The bald Elder accepted the documents handed over and slammed a bounty poster onto the table.
"Swarm Usopp—bounty: 1.08 billion Beli!"
"So the ones attacking Mary Geoise are the Straw Hat Pirates?!"
The other Elders, previously relaxed, suddenly showed looks of realization.
"The Straw Hat Pirates… the crew rumored to possess the power of Pluton?"
"We thought they fled the Grand Line. Who knew they'd dare come to Mary Geoise and cause trouble!"
"Deploy the God's Knights."
"They're not to be underestimated if they've defeated Kizaru and Zephyr."
"CP0 alone may not be enough."
"Agreed. First priority—capture this Usopp!"
"His destructive capability is far too great. The castle guards alone won't stop his swarm."
"To think someone would dare attack Mary Geoise… the World Government's authority has clearly declined!"
"It's all Sengoku's fault—those useless fools let pirates toy with them, severely weakening naval forces!"
"I propose restarting the God's Trial program."
"We must remind those filthy mortals… what it truly means to anger the gods!"
"Agreed! My research into Devil Fruits has reached a new stage—perfect timing to cultivate the next generation of Holy Knights."
"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "Agreed!"
Their voices rang with fury as the Five Elders set their plans for the coming days.
In truth, they only needed to glance out the window to see the swarm ravaging Mary Geoise—but none of them moved.
To them, lowly mortals were no different from ordinary Celestial Dragons.
Just as Celestial Dragons could judge civilians' lives at will…
In the Five Elders' eyes, aside from bearing the bloodline of the Twenty Kings, those ordinary Celestial Dragons were equally worthless.
...
...
"Usopp has already started moving, huh?"
Sanji's team.
Looking at the insect swarm blanketing the Celestial Dragons' district like storm clouds…
The Supernovas wore expressions no different from Law and Bonney earlier.
What kind of overwhelming power was needed to unleash such a scale of destruction?!
The Straw Hat Pirates—Swarm Usopp…
A true monster among monsters!
His reputation was well-deserved!
"Sanji-san, what do we do next?"
"Do we make a huge mess like Usopp-sama too?!"
Listening to the screams echoing from the eastern sector, the Supernovas' blood boiled.
Anyone who had made it this far was hardly the type to sit quietly.
Now that the Straw Hat Pirates had charged ahead with such terrifying might, their own restlessness surged.
"Usopp-sama?"
Sanji glanced back at them coolly.
"Same as Usopp? Don't be ridiculous."
"Our mission doesn't change. We keep freeing slaves."
"But Usopp-sama over there…" Drake stepped forward, confused.
After witnessing the Celestial Dragons' atrocities firsthand, he had already made up his mind—
At least for tonight, he would abandon his Marine identity and fully aid the Straw Hat Pirates in freeing the slaves.
Before he could finish, Sanji cut him off sharply.
"Why do you think Usopp is going this far?"
Sanji lit another cigarette, inhaled deeply, and spoke slowly:
"Can't you see it?"
"Usopp… is drawing all the fire for us!!!"
(End of Chapter)