"Angry?"
Admiral Aramaki sneered, a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.
"Even if you are angry, it is still the truth. The so called God King is nothing more than a reckless pirate trying to overturn the world because of his filthy heart."
"I absolutely..."
Usopp leapt off Tony Tony Chopper's back and landed firmly on the ground. He gripped his vine slingshot tightly as he stared up at the Marine admiral floating in the air.
Normally, he would not even consider standing against someone like Aramaki.
"I will not allow a piece of trash like you to insult my comrades so openly!"
"Usopp!"
Chopper stopped running, his voice filled with worry.
"Chopper, I am not leaving. You go ahead. Do not worry, I will be fine."
Usopp's gaze remained locked on Aramaki, his expression firm as he spoke through clenched teeth.
"Leave this arrogant Marine to me. I will not allow my comrades to be looked down on by someone like you."
"Then... then I will fight with you."
Chopper stepped back beside him.
"Chopper, you should go first. It is not convenient for me to use my full power with you here."
Usopp turned to him, speaking seriously.
"Trust me. I am not trying to act brave. I really am strong."
"..."
Chopper hesitated, then nodded.
"Be careful. I am going!"
The sound of his hooves faded into the distance.
"You really think you can fight me?"
Aramaki looked down at Usopp with mockery.
"I only saw you as a petty thief before. I held back. But now, I will not underestimate you."
"You do not understand Shirogai at all. You have no idea why he wants to change this world!"
Usopp's voice rose, filled with conviction.
"Shirogai is a man who has surpassed selfish desires! The future he envisions is something our entire crew believes in and longs for! Someone like you, blinded by power, could never understand his ideals!"
"Oh?"
Aramaki laughed, clutching his stomach.
"A pirate talking about the future? About world order? That is truly ridiculous."
"Sure Kill Angry Star: Maple Leaf Shuriken!"
Dozens of razor sharp maple leaves spun through the air toward Aramaki.
They sliced cleanly through his body.
"Is that all?"
Aramaki's expression remained unchanged.
"With strength like this, you think you can protect anything?"
His arm transformed into thick vines coated in Armament Haki, stabbing straight through Usopp's body.
But the moment it struck, Usopp turned into a wooden dummy.
"Oh?"
"Then try this!"
Usopp's voice came from below.
"Green Star: Trampoline Flower!"
Boom!
Aramaki was launched upward, his body thrown off balance.
"Are you trying to amuse me?"
Floating in the air, he calmly took a drag from his cigarette.
"This ends now."
"Do not underestimate me! This is how I fight!"
The ground exploded with a thunderous roar.
Hundreds of sharp bamboo shoots burst upward, piercing through Aramaki's body.
Usopp panted heavily, his eyes shining with determination.
"It is not over. Sure Kill: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Branches surged wildly, intertwining into a massive tree that twisted skyward. The enormous structure swallowed Aramaki completely.
The scale of it rivaled even a fraction of the Treasure Tree Adam.
"Did it work...?"
Usopp muttered, unease creeping into his voice.
"Not bad."
Aramaki's voice echoed from within the tree.
"But you chose the worst possible method to attack me."
"What?"
In the next instant, Usopp felt it.
A powerful suction.
The life force inside his body was being drained, flowing through the tree straight into Aramaki.
His face twisted in horror.
"No...!"
"Fool. You are just an imitation of the Mori Mori no Mi. Did you really think you could compete with me in controlling life?"
The branches reshaped into a throne, lifting Aramaki forward as if he were royalty.
"When it comes to absorbing energy, you are nothing compared to me."
Usopp's body shriveled rapidly, his strength vanishing.
"Weren't you going to defend your captain's honor? And this is all you had?"
Aramaki lost interest.
He drained everything.
"Water... please..."
Usopp's voice was barely a whisper as he reached toward the ground.
Crack.
Aramaki crushed his arm underfoot.
"A weak pirate like you does not deserve water."
He exhaled smoke slowly.
"The weak exist only to nourish the strong. That is the truth of this world."
"So... thirsty..."
Usopp's hand fell limp.
His breathing stopped.
"Hmph. So this is what the God King's crew amounts to."
Aramaki sneered and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
"This is Aramaki. I have eliminated one of Shirogai's crew, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Hehe... good work."
A strange voice replied.
Aramaki frowned.
"Who is this? This line should connect to Sakazuki."
Then another voice came through.
"You bastard... I cannot believe I lost to you! Next time, I will not lose!"
Aramaki froze.
He slowly turned around, staring at Usopp's lifeless body.
"The corpse is speaking...?"
"Hehe..."
The Den Den Mushi's face twisted into a grin.
"Aramaki... this is Shirogai."
Aramaki's pupils shrank.
"Since when did you think you escaped the dream?"
===
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