Buzz—buzz—buzz—buzz…
A berserk swarm surged like a raging gale, blanketing nearly half of the residential district where ordinary Celestial Dragons lived in the blink of an eye.
Inside the castles of the Celestial Dragons, guards and bodyguards rapidly assembled formidable defensive forces.
Yet before an insect race that infiltrated everywhere without gaps, many Celestial Dragons were still attacked—severely wounded, even killed outright!
In just over ten minutes, Usopp had set a record unparalleled in the eight hundred years since the World Government's founding—the highest number of Celestial Dragons slaughtered by a single individual!
All of Mary Geoise seemed to have turned into a hellscape, and the ones being tortured and massacred were demons wearing human skins.
Time slowly passed.
Under Usopp's explosive rampage, everything seemed to suddenly go far too smoothly.
Some of the Supernovas even began to wonder whether the World Government, after witnessing Usopp's power, was simply too terrified to send troops to stop them.
Of course, such thoughts only existed in the minds of the inexperienced few.
Most of them were seizing the chance to rescue as many slaves as possible!
Because from Red, the Straw Hat crew knew all too well how terrifyingly powerful the World Government truly was…
What they were seeing now was nothing more than the calm before the storm!
Making such a ruckus in Mary Geoise would undoubtedly enrage the colossal behemoth that was the World Government.
What awaited the Straw Hat Pirates would be a cataclysmic counterstrike!
So while it looked like the Straw Hats were running rampant through Mary Geoise, the greatest pressure was actually on them.
And indeed, their worries were not unfounded.
After Usopp's insect legion had rampaged through the Celestial Dragon residential area for nearly twenty minutes…
A majestic female voice suddenly rang out from the direction of Pangaea Castle.
"Who… gave you the audacity to run wild here?!"
"Holy Light! Judgment!!!"
The instant her words fell, a blinding white radiance erupted, illuminating the skies above all of Mary Geoise.
It was not warm like sunlight—yet far more sacred than the sun's brilliance!
In an instant, wherever the light reached, countless insects ignited as if heretics judged by a god, their bodies spontaneously combusting into wisps of smoke.
Shrill screeches echoed from the swarm before the insects fell from the sky in droves.
But as insect corpses rained down everywhere, Usopp—standing atop a rhinoceros beetle—showed no surprise. Instead, he calmly turned his gaze toward the mysterious, holy source of light.
"So you've finally arrived!?"
From the direction of Pangaea Castle, a woman with a voluptuous figure flew toward Usopp, clad in radiant golden armor and wearing a stern expression.
Behind her stretched six angelic wings—pure white and sacred.
In the blink of an eye, the armored woman arrived before Usopp.
Gazing upon the miserable state of the Holy Land below, flames of fury surged in her usually tranquil eyes.
Swish!
A resplendent golden sword pointed straight at Usopp's head.
"Lowly mortal! You dare assault Mary Geoise and slaughter Celestial Dragons!"
"Your sins are beyond divine forgiveness!"
"Now… I, Cammaël Emilagon of the God's Knights, shall pass judgment upon you!!!"
Boom!!!
As a Celestial Dragon, Emilagon had no intention of wasting words.
With a violent swing of her golden holy blade, a blazing sea of fire instantly appeared across the night sky above Mary Geoise!
The flames spread rapidly in all directions before suddenly converging upon the sword's edge, radiating a brilliance too dazzling to behold.
In the blink of an eye, a fiery orb—bright and scorching like the sun—formed in midair.
"This is…!"
The sudden appearance of a God's Knight immediately drew the attention of both the Straw Hats and the Supernovas.
That overwhelming power of flame sent chills down their spines.
For the first time, a powerhouse far beyond the first half of the Grand Line revealed their might before them.
At the sight of that sacred flame, the same thought arose in every Supernova's mind—
If this attack were aimed at me… could I survive something of this level!?
The answer was obvious.
No.
"Divine Punishment—Flame!"
Golden radiance burst forth from Emilagon's body.
Meanwhile, the targeted Usopp suddenly pulled out a device resembling a Dragon Ball-style power scanner and strapped it to his face.
"Casual attacks reaching a power level of 1000?!"
"As expected of a God's Knight! This strength must already be at the top-tier Yonko commander level Red talked about, right?!"
After a quick test of the little gadget he had recently made, Usopp immediately took out an Ice Stone and jammed it into the Green Vine Belt around his waist.
"Green Vine Armament—Transform: Ice Demon!!!"
Rustle—rustle—rustle—rustle…
As a mysterious, nature-infused glow flickered, countless thin vines shot forth from Usopp's waist.
As if alive, they rapidly grew and coiled, dancing around his body and intertwining with one another.
In an instant, the dark-green glowing vines wrapped tightly around him, forming armor like a gift from the forest itself.
And that was only the beginning!
As the massive fireball descended from the sky toward Usopp, he willed the Green Vine Belt once more, channeling Grass-type energy to release freezing power.
Hiss—
Azure energy burst from the center of the belt, racing along the vines' patterns and instantly transforming Usopp's armor into crystalline ice.
"Finisher—Ice Demon: Guard!"
Usopp crossed his arms before him.
Countless streams of icy power erupted like leaves growing from his body, forming a massive shield in front of him—
Boom!!!
A blazing sun crashed into the crystalline shield.
A shockwave exploded outward from Usopp, surging violently in all directions.
Despite the enormous disparity in size, the terrifying inferno shrank little by little before Usopp's shield.
After dozens of seconds, pale mist suddenly dispersed from before Usopp, drifting into the night sky and vanishing.
"Hah… blocked it!"
"What?! He actually blocked it?!"
As Usopp lowered his arms, the ice shield dissolved into white vapor and faded away.
Both fighters at the heart of the clash voiced their astonishment.
Whoosh—
Emilagon flicked her golden holy sword and narrowed her eyes, flapping her wings twice to level her gaze with Usopp's.
"No wonder you dared attack Mary Geoise. You're no ordinary pirate!"
"Huh?! We can talk?!"
Usopp, who had been ready to switch combat forms, immediately halted when Emilagon approached him instead.
A spark of cunning flashed in his eyes.
With pride, Usopp laughed.
"Heh."
"Of course! I'm the man destined to shake the seas—Usopp, King of Nature!!!"
Bug Swarm Usopp?
He'd long since grown sick of such a casual nickname.
This was the perfect chance to spread the title he actually liked.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason he stopped attacking.
After introducing himself, Usopp shifted his gaze, dark-green light flickering beneath the Green Vine armor.
"You said you're from some knight order, right?"
"But I've been wreaking havoc here for ages—why are you the only one stopping me?"
"This is the Holy Land of the Celestial Dragons. Surely you're not the only strong one!"
"Hmph! Dealing with ants like you—alone is more than enough!"
As if her pride had been struck, Emilagon's white wings spread wide.
"I am the Vice Commander of the God's Knights, a Zoan-Type, Mythical Zoan—Human-Human Fruit, Model: Angel! I wield the power of judgment and protection!"
"As long as I stand here, any fool who dares challenge the authority of the World Government will be reduced to ashes!!!"
As she spoke, holy light flared in her eyes and shot toward Usopp.
It was so fast that even Usopp, who had been watching her closely, couldn't react before being struck.
"Hmph! Idiot! Did you think I came closer just to chat?!"
"You've been hit by my Sacred Mark! From now on, all my attacks will inflict double pain upon you!"
"And as long as you live, that mark will never fade!"
"Even if you flee Mary Geoise, I'll still be able to sense your location through it!"
"In other words…"
"Your fate is sealed!"
"Same kind of ability as Red's?"
Usopp froze as Emilagon raised her holy sword again.
He was used to hearing Red threaten others with mental marks—never did he expect to be marked himself.
But seeing her about to strike, he hastily raised another ice barrier, eyes flashing as he watched her charge.
Boom!!!
A razor-sharp holy slash cleaved through the night sky like a white blade of light, splitting darkness in two.
The next instant, Usopp's figure was sent flying like a meteor, crashing violently into a castle.
"Cough… cough…"
Lying amidst the ruins, blood trickled from Usopp's lips as he stared up at Emilagon in disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"How can someone like you exist in this world?!"
"And you said you're only the Vice Commander of the God's Knights?! How is that possible?!"
Usopp panicked, staring at Emilagon in the sky—his fear evident even through the Green Vine armor.
"Heh."
After shattering Usopp's defenses with a full-power strike, Emilagon sneered.
"An ant will always be an ant! Even with power, you're nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well!"
"There are countless powerhouses in this world!"
"Even among the three Vice Commanders, I'm not the strongest—let alone our mighty Commander!"
"But none of that matters to you now."
"Pay the price for your ignorance!"
Boom!!!
Emilagon raised her blade once more.
Perhaps after her tests, she believed Usopp feared sword slashes more than elemental attacks.
But what she didn't expect was—
Despite standing at death's door, Usopp showed no fear. Instead, he stubbornly argued back.
"Impossible!"
"There's no way such monsters exist in this world!!!"
"You're lying to me!"
"Otherwise, why would you be the one stopping me instead of the others you mentioned?!"
"Idiot." Emilagon replied calmly. "Because they have more important missions and aren't in the Holy Land right now."
"Oh?" Usopp's tone suddenly shifted. "I see."
In the next moment, to Emilagon's surprise, hard vines burst from Usopp's back, lifting him swiftly from the ground.
He raised his head, lips curling into a sly grin, a glint of cunning in his eyes.
"If that's the case… then there's no need for me to keep acting!"
Usopp brushed dust from his body and laughed toward the sky.
"Red, you were absolutely right!"
"The Celestial Dragons really are a bunch of brainless idiots!"
"Uh…"
Under the night sky, space rippled like a lake disturbed by a falling stone.
Then Red's figure appeared out of thin air.
One above, one below—he and Usopp flanked Emilagon.
Red stared at her with mild astonishment.
"While I did say the Celestial Dragons aren't very bright, I didn't expect even a God's Knight to be like this…"
"That's honestly surprising."
Red sighed.
Seeing Red appear, Emilagon suddenly realized something. Her fair cheeks flushed crimson with rage.
"Invaders… more than one!?"
She whipped her head around, furious eyes locking onto Usopp.
"Bastard! You dared deceive me!" Emilagon roared.
There was something she had never told anyone.
After obtaining the Angel Fruit, she alone knew this truth—
The power she could wield grew stronger in proportion to her level of sanctity.
Since childhood, she had trained with the goal of joining the God's Knights. Aside from her arrogance, she behaved very differently from other Celestial Dragons.
Thus, after obtaining the fruit, she deliberately maintained her sanctity, allowing her to become Vice Commander at a young age.
And one of the rules of maintaining sanctity—
Never lie!!!
She never imagined that her honesty would be exploited by lowly ants!
It was an unbearable humiliation!
"Unforgivable!"
"Absolutely unforgivable!!!"
"You dare toy with me!!!"
"I'll send you heretics straight to hell!!!"
Boom!!!
Blinding holy light erupted from Emilagon once more.
The radiance engulfed her entire body, leaving behind only a pitch-black silhouette…
And Usopp's utterly confused expression.
???
Hey—this was Red's idea.
So why does it look like you're taking all that anger out on me?
(End of Chapter)