The world blurred into a haze of pain. Usopp's ears rang, his ribs screamed with every shallow breath, and the taste of copper filled his mouth. He'd been thrown like a ragdoll, skidding across the scorching Alabasta sand by the devastating force of the Mogurazuka Yonban Kousaten. The earth had erupted beneath him, and Mr. 4's four-ton bat had connected with a sound like a cannon strike.
"Usopp!" Chopper's cry was distant, muffled.
Through swimming vision, Usopp saw Miss Merry Christmas, still half-burrowed in the ground, her rodent face twisted in smug satisfaction. "Just stay down, you pathetic liar! You're not a warrior! You're a bug!"
Usopp's body begged him to listen. Every instinct shrieked for retreat. But then he heard it—not with his ears, but with his heart. The echo of Luffy's laugh. The unwavering faith in Nami's plans. The quiet strength of Zoro's promise. The dream of a brave warrior of the sea.
He planted a trembling hand in the sand. Then the other.
"Wh… what?" Miss Merry Christmas gasped, her smirk vanishing.
With a groan that tore from his very soul, Usopp pushed. He rose, swaying like a sapling in a storm, but he rose. Blood dripped from his chin, painting the sand beneath him.
"Chopper," Usopp rasped, his voice raw but clear. "Listen to me… A man doesn't fight just when he can win." He spat blood, locking eyes with the reindeer. "He fights… when his friends' dreams are being laughed at!"
The declaration hung in the arid air, a challenge. Miss Merry Christmas's eyes narrowed with fury. "Big words for a dead man! Mogu Mogu Impact!"
She vanished underground again, the sand churning. Usopp braced himself, but the attack came from below—sharp claws seized his ankles, yanking him off his feet.
"Got you!" she cackled, dragging him helplessly across the ground toward the waiting, impassive Mr. 4, who hefted his colossal bat. "Home run, Mr. 4!"
"Usopp!" Chopper screamed. A transformation rippled through him—bones elongated, muscle surged, and a pair of formidable, spiraled horns erupted from his forehead. Horn Point.
"Chopper, behind me! NOW!" Usopp yelled, even as he was dragged. With a final, desperate twist, he fired a Smoke Star from his Kabuto directly at Mr. 4's face. A cloud of black smoke enveloped the giant man.
In the same motion, Usopp contorted, slipping his feet free from his shoes, leaving them in Miss Merry Christmas's grip. "Now, Chopper! Her to your horns!"
"R-right!" Chopper charged, horns lowered. The mole woman, emerging from the sand in confusion, was perfectly speared by the antlers, letting out a shriek.
"Run, Chopper! Take her to him!"
Blinded by smoke and hearing the scuffle, Mr. 4 grunted. "Miss Merry Christmas? Did you bring me the pest?" He saw a blurry figure impaled on horns charging him. He swung the four-ton bat with all his might. "Home Run!"
The connection made a sickening, wet THWACK.
"GYAAAAAH!" It was Miss Merry Christmas's voice that screamed, as she was launched from Chopper's horns, soaring through the air and crashing into a distant wall, unconscious.
Mr. 4 blinked, the smoke clearing to reveal his stunned partner's fate. "What…?"
"NOW, USOPP!" Chopper roared, skidding to a halt and presenting his massive horns like a catapult's frame.
Usopp was already moving, a plan forged in desperation and trust. He slapped a giant rubber band between Chopper's horns, notched his final, heaviest Hammer Star into it, and pulled back with every last ounce of his strength.
"This ends here!" Usopp's voice broke with the strain. "The Sniper and his Doctor! HISSSATSU… USO-CHO HAMMER SUISEI!"
The hammer became a meteor. It crossed the short distance in a blink and struck Mr. 4 square in the helmet with the force of a falling star. The giant's eyes rolled back. His bat, Lassoo, whimpered and reverted to a dog form. Together, they collapsed in a heap, defeated.
Silence, save for the howling desert wind.
Usopp stood for one more second, a final monument to his will. Then his knees buckled. He hit the sand, consciousness fleeing.
"USOPP!" Chopper transformed back, scrambling to his side, tiny hooves pressing against the myriad wounds. "No, no, no! Hang on! Somebody! IS THERE A DOCTOR?!"
Usopp's eyes fluttered open, a ghost of his usual bravado touching his bloody lips. He whispered, "Idiot… I'm right here…"
And his world went dark.
---
Elsewhere, in the Roar of Rebellion
Kohza, his bandages from Nanohana stained fresh crimson, pushed through the chaotic frontline. His breath came in ragged gasps.
"Commander Kohza! Your wounds!" a rebel soldier cried, trying to support him.
"Does it look like they matter?!" Kohza snarled, shoving forward. His eyes were fixed on the distant spires of Alubarna's central plaza. "This is a battlefield! We end this now! I need a horse! I will ride to the north plaza and demand King Cobra's surrender myself!"
A rebel handed him the reins of a skittish stallion. Kohza hauled himself into the saddle, gritting his teeth against the pain. He kicked the horse into a gallop, a singular arrow of defiance aimed at the heart of the royal defense.
He never made it to the plaza.
From the high ramparts of the northern gate, a volley of royalist arrows and gunfire rained down, a deadly hail meant to stop an army. Kohza's horse screamed and fell. The rebel commander was thrown, tumbling in the dust at the very threshold.
As his vision cleared, he saw them. Rank upon rank of the Royal Army's main regiment, banners flying, blocking the entrance to the fateful plaza. And before them, standing like unshakeable monuments, were the two royal guardians: the Jackal, Chaka, and the Falcon, Pell.
The rebellion had just hit the kingdom's immovable wall.
---
South Gate
Princess Vivi, her disguise in tatters, ran until her lungs burned. "I have to reach them… I have to stop this!"
"HALT!" Two royal soldiers stepped into her path, spears leveled. "Identify yourself! Rebel or royal?"
Vivi tore the ragged cloak from her head, letting her blue hair fly free in the desert wind. "I am Nefertari Vivi! Take me to Chaka and Pell immediately! There is no time!"
The soldiers' eyes widened in shock and recognition. They immediately lowered their weapons, bowing. "Princess! This way! But the north plaza is—"
A thunderous, earth-shattering BOOM echoed across the city, drowning their words. It didn't come from the battle ahead.
It came from directly beneath their feet.
The very stones of Alubarna began to crack and heave. From a wide intersection in the southern city, a colossal, impossible shape was erupting from the ground—a monstrous, grinning stone head, followed by vast shoulders of ancient rock. Sand cascaded from it like waterfalls as it rose, blocking out the sun, its shadow swallowing the southern district whole.
It was a titan from a nightmare, and it was now standing in the center of the city.
Vivi stared, her blood running cold. The soldiers froze in terror.
From the depths of the rising colossus, a familiar, manic laughter echoed, bouncing off the crumbling buildings.
"CROCODILE!" Vivi whispered in utter horror.
The final play had begun. And the king was not on his throne.
He was here.
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