"Damn it!!!"
"What the hell is going on!?"
Amid the chaotic battlefield, the three Five Elders—burning with fury—struggled to their feet.
Forcing themselves to endure the agony of Sanji's flames devouring their bodies, the battle barely returned to something resembling normal.
But that "barely" was something the Five Elders—who had always held the upper hand—could never accept.
Boom!!!
The gigantic sandworm attempting to launch a surprise attack from underground had not even managed to fully surface or bare its fangs before a blazing aerial kick descended from the sky, blasting its upper body into pieces and hammering it back into the earth.
High above, Sanji's eyes flashed with disdain as he sneered:
"You're carrying my flames on your body and still think you can sneak up on me…"
"Do you really take me for an idiot?!"
As he spoke, surging fire erupted from his body once more, wave after wave of roaring inferno reinforcing this world of flames and completely sealing the three Five Elders inside.
On the other side of the battlefield, the clash between Roronoa Zoro and Saint Nusjuro had already skipped the probing phase and escalated straight into a white-hot confrontation.
Brilliant sword slashes collided continuously in midair, unleashing terrifying shockwaves that carved the ground beneath them into a scarred vacuum zone.
With his combination of Pokémon moves and the application of Pokémon energy, Zoro was able to stand his ground even against a powerhouse like Saint Nusjuro.
But Zoro knew very well—against a monster with immortality like this, killing him countless times would still be meaningless.
"…I don't believe there's anything in this world that can't be cut down!"
Clang!!!
After another fierce exchange, Zoro drove his blade into the frozen ground beneath him, using the recoil to create distance between himself and Saint Nusjuro.
"He endured it again?!"
Seeing Zoro shatter yet another slash, Saint Nusjuro frowned.
Just as Zoro was pondering how to kill an unkillable enemy, Saint Nusjuro harbored concerns of his own.
Saint Saturn's death was still fresh in their memories. They knew full well that within the Straw Hat Pirates—or rather, within these Pokémon-infused seas—there existed something capable of killing them.
They had not lived long enough. None of them wished to end up like Saint Saturn—losing their lives in a place like this.
Instinctively, Saint Nusjuro's gaze bypassed the blazing inferno Sanji had created and shifted toward the harbor's edge—toward Alicia Mirabelagon.
This operation was led by Mirabelagon. As long as she could relocate to another island, the remaining Five Elders could immediately disengage and continue destroying the Straw Hats' stronghold.
But when Saint Nusjuro looked over—
He saw something completely unexpected.
…
…
"Volcarona, use Fire Blast!"
"Torterra, use Frenzy Plant!"
"Galvantula, use Buzzy Buzz!"
"Froslass, use Dark Pulse!"
"Chii~!"
"Buzz~!"
"Zzzzt—!"
"Roar!!!"
High in the sky, Usopp roared as he joined the battlefield, and four mysterious insect-like beings burst forth from his body.
A butterfly with blazing wings, a beetle radiating earthen aura, a termite crackling with lightning, and a mantis wielding icy blades—
Each of them far exceeded their species in size.
Especially the pitch-black beetle, which stretched several meters long.
But in the next instant—
At Usopp's command, their forms changed dramatically.
Flames engulfed the butterfly, transforming it into a phoenix reborn in fire.
The massive beetle crashed into the ground under gravity's pull. Its already enormous body swelled violently, becoming a mountain-like Black Tortoise. Where it landed, tender green life surged from the shattered earth, blades of grass pushing stubbornly upward.
Brilliant lightning flickered within the termite's dark eyes. In the next moment, it accelerated at blinding speed, trailing a blazing streak of thunder. Within the lightning, its body expanded and reshaped into a divine beast—a Qilin galloping through the sky.
The vicious mantis bent its rigid body as frigid frost erupted around it, forming a white storm that concealed its shape entirely. When the storm cleared, it had transformed into a mystical White Tiger suspended in midair, its icy blades becoming sharp frost fangs at the corners of its mouth.
These were the Four Sacred Beast Insect Tribes Usopp had painstakingly selected from billions of insects.
Aside from the first Fire Deity Butterfly, the other three were no ordinary species—heavy mineral-rich armored beetles, lightning ants that moved beyond the limits of human sight, and an unknown mantis thriving in extreme cold.
After consuming Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits and loading Pokémon templates, they had evolved unique powers of their own.
Boom!!!
Four energy attacks shot from four directions toward Alicia Mirabelagon, who was fighting Boa Hancock and Gecko Moria.
Sensing danger, Mirabelagon's expression changed. She swung her black-feathered blade, carving a sharp black slash through the air that forced Hancock and Moria back.
Her wings snapped shut around her body.
"Black Feather · Barrier!"
A faint flash shimmered across her wings.
The four attacks struck simultaneously—
Raging flames, erupting giant roots, blazing lightning, and sinister waves of darkness.
Boom!!!
The clashing energies detonated in a massive explosion, smoke engulfing Mirabelagon's enormous figure.
"Did it work?!"
Standing atop a giant stag beetle, Usopp craned his neck forward. His Observation Haki flared outward, probing into the smoke.
Before he could lock onto her presence—
A violent gale burst from within the cloud.
Mirabelagon shot out of the smoke, black wings beating fiercely as she hurtled straight toward Usopp.
Slash!!!
Her blade pierced through the giant stag beetle's abdomen. Armament Haki surged violently, exploding within the beetle's body like invisible lightning.
Its abdomen grotesquely swelled.
"Not good!"
Without hesitation, Usopp leapt away just in time—
Boom!
The giant beetle exploded midair, flesh and fluids scattering.
Thud!
Usopp landed on the ground and immediately raised his head.
The Four Sacred Beast insects rushed to his side at once, guarding him.
"You think I'm like those idiots?"
Mirabelagon's cold voice rang from the sky.
"I know the principle of capturing the leader first."
"Those bugs and those freaks only follow your orders."
"Kill you first, and the rest are nothing."
"Ya-ha-ha…"
Usopp gave a bitter laugh.
Rising from his crouch, he pulled down his goggles over his eyes.
"How rare… to be thought so highly of."
"But did it really have to be now?"
Never one for the spotlight, he shook his head as his cloak fluttered in the wind.
Then he lowered his voice.
"But how do you know… I didn't predict someone would ignore the insects and come straight for me?"
He looked up, revealing a mysterious smile.
Mirabelagon froze.
Usopp raised a finger and pointed behind her.
She turned—
Her expression changed drastically.
Her black wings were covered in countless tiny wriggling white nematodes.
The sight alone was enough to trigger trypophobia.
So small were they—and with the chaos of battle so intense—that even someone of Mirabelagon's caliber hadn't noticed when they attached themselves.
"Hey! Where are you looking?!"
Usopp's voice suddenly echoed beside her ear.
Startled, she turned—
To see Usopp standing atop a lightning-transformed Qilin, holding his massive slingshot and smiling as always.
"Special Attack · Rampant Parasites · Rage Powder!!!"
Whoosh!
At point-blank range, Usopp fired.
Mirabelagon raised her hand instinctively—
But the pellet exploded midair.
A vast cloud of strange powder dispersed and drifted toward her back.
It enveloped the white nematodes.
Then—
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The worms suddenly reared their upper bodies upright in unison.
Faint red glints flashed in their eyes.
The next second, they went mad.
They surged across her wings and rapidly spread across her entire body.
"Damn it! What are these things?!"
Mirabelagon swung her blade at Usopp—but he leaned backward off the Qilin, falling.
Countless tiny insects swarmed from his cloak, merging midair into a giant stag beetle that caught him.
A green light flashed in Usopp's eyes.
He pointed at Mirabelagon calmly.
"Attack Order!!!"
An almost imperceptible wave of energy shot toward her.
The parasitic worms froze briefly—
Then became even more frenzied, burrowing deeper.
Bug-type move · Attack Order.
It grants Bug-type energy to insects under one's command, empowering them.
In the Pokémon world, it was nearly insignificant—only Vespiquen could use it.
But in Usopp's hands, it completed his fighting style, allowing him to lend his strength to insects.
As for the white worms—
They were special parasites Usopp had long hidden inside the giant stag beetle.
Harmless in nature.
Their trait?
They were incredibly resilient.
Heat, cold, crushing force, metal, flesh, vegetation—none of it mattered.
They could parasitize anything.
To avoid rejection, they were normally extremely inactive and minimally harmful—almost impossible to detect.
That was precisely why Usopp chose them.
After extensive cultivation, their traits were further enhanced.
Even Mirabelagon hadn't noticed.
And Rage Powder—
A move meant to affect enemies' thinking, making them irritable and prone to mistakes.
Sometimes it made enemies angrier—and stronger.
Unreliable.
But paired with Usopp's parasites—
Rage Powder injected vitality into their lethargic nature and drove them insane.
Even Conqueror's Haki lost much of its suppressive effect.
With Attack Order amplifying them—
In an instant, countless parasites tore through Mirabelagon's armor and burrowed inside.
"Damn it! What are these things?!"
Unable to strike Usopp, she turned her focus to the parasites.
She flapped her wings violently, trying to shake them off.
But no matter what she did, many pierced through gaps in her Armament Haki and entered her body, feeding ravenously.
The smaller the enemy—
The harder it is to defend against.
Even with full-body Armament Haki, weak points remained.
The parasites Usopp cultivated specialized in exploiting precisely that.
Empowered by his strength—
Within moments, Mirabelagon's body was riddled with white parasites.
Inside her, they grew, divided…
And reproduced.
(TL Note: Usopp is really scary xD)
(End of Chapter)