Just as Colonel Ronald launched his decisive Tempest Slash, and Morris frantically drove the giant mushroom to counterattack, a shocking clash erupted—
Back in Mushroom Village.
"What… what is that?!"
A villager pointed toward the center of the island.
In the distance, the enormous cap of the Gaqila Giant Mushroom—which the villagers had regarded for generations as the island's symbol and protector—was trembling slightly. On the unbelievably thick stalk, terrifying bulges could faintly be seen forming.
"The Gaqila Giant Mushroom… is moving?!"
"A miracle! The Mushroom God has manifested!"
Some of the older villagers immediately dropped to their knees with a thud, facing the direction of the giant mushroom.
"Quick! Pray to the Mushroom God!"
As if to confirm his words, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble visibly.
"The ground is shaking! Is it an earthquake?!"
"What's happening? What on earth is going on?!"
"It must be those foreign pirates! They angered the Gaqila Giant Mushroom! They angered the Mushroom God!"
The elders continued to kowtow frantically, dragging more terrified villagers with them. One after another, they knelt toward the giant mushroom, murmuring prayers while knocking their heads against the ground.
"Pray quickly! Beg for the god's forgiveness—don't let it punish us!"
"How is that possible?! Since when can the Gaqila Giant Mushroom move?! I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Exactly! Something is seriously wrong!"
"Everyone, get up! What are you doing?!"
Old Village Chief Mushroomhead trembled with anger, slamming his cane heavily against the ground.
"This isn't a miracle at all! It's a disaster! Those damned outsiders are behind it! Wake up, all of you!!"
But fear and ignorance could not be dispelled by a few scoldings.
Most of the villagers continued kneeling and praying. Only a few younger people remained standing, staring toward the giant mushroom with uneasy expressions.
The Center of Rongrong Island
Facing the fungal giant fist the size of a house, Colonel Ronald—suspended midair with nowhere to push off—felt his pupils contract sharply.
He was not proficient in Moonwalk, so there was no way for him to dodge now.
All his hope and strength had to be placed into the single strike in his hands.
"Tempest Slash—!!!"
With a furious roar, his saber became a dazzling arc that seemed capable of tearing heaven and earth apart as it slashed toward the incoming giant fist.
Crack—Rip!
There was no metallic clash—only the dull tearing sound of a blade cutting through tough wood-like flesh.
Ronald's decisive strike, condensed with all his spirit and power, was astonishingly powerful.
It severed the massive fungal fist cleanly at the wrist.
The broken fist crashed onto the ground, shaking the earth again as clouds of spores erupted into the air.
However, breaking that fist had nearly exhausted the momentum and strength from his leap.
The second giant fist, which had been waiting for its moment, smashed toward him with crushing force.
"Iron Body!!"
At the critical moment, Ronald roared. The muscles across his entire body tightened and hardened like steel as he pushed the defensive secret of the Six Powers to its limit.
BOOM—!!!
The giant fist struck him squarely.
The terrifying impact smashed him toward the ground like a falling meteor.
Bang—!!!
A shallow crater exploded into existence as spore dust, broken rocks, and soil blasted outward in a violent shockwave.
"Colonel—!!!"
In the distance, the Marines still struggling against the remaining spore soldiers cried out in shock.
As the dust slowly cleared, Ronald could be seen lying at the bottom of the crater. A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Thanks to the powerful defense of Iron Body, he had survived the deadly blow. Though his internal organs were shaken, his injuries were not yet severe enough to render him unable to fight.
He struggled to stand.
But Morris's mad counterattack had not ended.
The severed cross-section of the broken giant fist suddenly writhed wildly. In the blink of an eye, a new fist of equal size regenerated completely.
"Die, Marine! ORA ORA ORA—!!!"
Without giving Ronald a single moment to breathe, the regenerated fist—together with the other one—began hammering down on the crater like a pair of giant pile drivers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
Under the relentless barrage of the two colossal fists, Ronald was like a rice cake on a chopping board.
All he could do was desperately maintain Iron Body, enduring blow after blow from the bottom of the crater.
Leaning against the mushroom stalk, Morris's pale face twisted with hysterical laughter.
But just as all of his attention was focused on controlling the giant fists and savoring the thrill of crushing the Marines—
A ghostlike figure silently approached behind him.
A hand rose.
A palm fell.
A heavy chop struck the back of Morris's completely unguarded neck.
"Uh…"
The manic laughter on Morris's face stopped abruptly. The madness in his eyes instantly faded.
He did not even have time to turn around to see who it was.
His body collapsed limply onto the thick fungal carpet at the base of the giant mushroom, unconscious.
The moment the ability user lost consciousness, all the spore soldiers he had created instantly turned into ordinary spore dust, drifting away in the air.
The animated fungal tendrils quickly lost their glow and vitality, reverting to ordinary forest ground cover.
And the two giant mushroom fists that had been pounding violently also lost all strength, hanging lifelessly beside the stalk.
Sami glanced toward the crater in the distance where Ronald lay motionless amid the smoke. Then he looked down at the unconscious Morris at his feet.
Reaching out, he casually patted the now-quiet giant mushroom fist beside him.
"Seriously… what an outrageous scale and level of control."
"Don't move! Who… who are you people?!"
At that moment, the surviving Marines finally recovered from their shock at the disappearance of the spore soldiers.
Though all of them were wounded, they still forced themselves to raise their rifles and swords, aiming them squarely at the suddenly appearing group led by Sami.
"J-Jellyfish Pirates?! That's… Predator Sami!!!"
One sharp-eyed soldier recognized Sami's face.
"Oh dear, looks like I've been recognized."
Sami scratched his head awkwardly.
But that seemingly casual gesture immediately made the Marines around him tense like enemies facing a great threat. They hurriedly chambered their rifles, dozens of dark gun barrels locking onto him.
"Drop your weapons! Surrender immediately!"
"Easy now, brothers of the Marines."
Sami spread his hands, indicating he meant no hostility.
"No matter how you look at it, I just helped you solve a pretty big problem, didn't I? If I hadn't stepped in, that brave colonel of yours might have ended up as mushroom fertilizer. Doesn't that count as indirectly saving all of your lives? Is this how the Marines of the Grand Line treat a helpful citizen—and lifesaver?"
The Marines looked at each other uncertainly.
Sami's words were difficult to refute, yet none of them lowered their weapons.
After all, standing before them was a pirate with a bounty exceeding one hundred million—Predator Sami, infamous across the seas.
His danger level might be even higher than that mushroom-madman from earlier.
"A pirate's help is only for your own benefit! Don't think you can fool us like this! Everyone stay in formation and await the colonel's orders!"
Their anxious gazes turned toward the crater, hoping Colonel Ronald would stand up soon and take command.
Sami took in their reactions.
The helpless look on his face slowly faded, replaced by a hint of amusement.
"Well, it seems the 'helpful citizen' role doesn't suit me."
"Since you don't appreciate the favor, let's forget it. But we didn't travel all this way just to leave empty-handed…"
He smiled lightly.
"So, sorry about this—"
"This is a robbery."
----------------◇ Bonus Chapter Reward◇-----------------------
Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.