Chapter 384: Chapter 384: The Power That Ravages the Battlefield, The Despair of the New Fish-Man Pirates

"Is this the power of the Straw Hat Crew..."

First, a mysterious attack wiped out fifty thousand of their men, and now these colossal trees appeared out of nowhere, taking out another thirty thousand... How are we supposed to fight this?

At this moment, the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates wore expressions of sheer terror, their courage nearly shattered.

"This isn’t an opponent we can contend with at all..."

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Gecko, forcing himself to stay calm, cast a cold glance at the retreating Fish-man and said, "Anyone who dares to desert today deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"Do you want to die?!"

Hearing Gecko’s words, the despair on the faces of these Fish-men deepened even further.

They couldn’t defeat the enemies ahead, and they couldn’t defeat Hody Pirates behind them either... What were they supposed to do?

"Don’t worry, they can’t keep using attacks of that caliber indefinitely," Gecko said, sweeping his gaze toward where the Straw Hat Crew stood. "So just charge ahead!"

"Even if we’ve lost eighty thousand men, we still have twenty thousand left. The advantage is still ours!"

"So... don’t be afraid!"

"Let’s go together and take down these humans and that traitor to our Fish-Man race, Jimbei!"

Hearing Gecko’s words, the Fish-men who had considered retreat gradually regained their composure.

That’s right. Although the enemy’s attacks were terrifying, they couldn’t keep using them forever.

So... with twenty thousand men remaining, they still held the advantage!

Thinking this, the Fish-men roared in unison.

"He’s right! Kill these humans and Jimbei!"

"Ooh!!"

"How bold of you to say that," Meiser chuckled.

If it weren’t for his crewmates asking him to leave some enemies behind, he would have taken all of them down in one go!

Numbers... meant nothing to him now!

"Are we finally going to start fighting?" Brook drew his Cane Sword and said, "Allow me to dedicate a song to this battle!"

"To all my dear audience members here to watch my performance!"

"Everyone gathered here isn’t for your concert, you know."

Looking at Robin’s calm expression, Brook laughed heartily. "Yohohohoho!"

"Miss Robin is as cool as ever today."

"Twenty thousand men, huh..."

Sanji, cigarette in mouth, tilted his head as he gazed into the distance and said, "That works out to over a thousand per person. Hmm, not bad."

Although the numbers were much smaller than before, it was still enough for him to have a good fight.

"What, are you scared?" Zoro glanced at Sanji and said, "If you’re scared, just leave all twenty thousand to me."

"What did you say?"

Sanji immediately bristled. What did he mean by scared?

He wasn’t scared even when facing a hundred thousand enemies!

But before Sanji could say anything more, he saw Luffy charging straight out.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s tens of thousands!" Luffy, leaping into the air, activated Gear Third without hesitation.

Then, he glared at the Fish-men ahead and said, "Come at me, you lot!"

"Whoosh!"

"Hey, what is that thing?!"

Seeing Luffy’s enormous fist, the Fish-men below were all stunned.

Why did the opponent’s hand suddenly grow so huge?

"Rubber Giant Pistol!"

With a loud shout, Luffy unhesitatingly slammed the gigantic fist downward.

"Boom!!"

The terrifying force blasted all the enemies in front of him away!

"Ahhh!!"

"Since Luffy has already made a move, we should join in too," Jimbei said.

Hearing this, Zoro looked up at the Fish-men charging toward them and said, "Then let’s see whether these guys surrender first or get wiped out first."

"Three-Sword Style: 1080 Pound Phoenix!!"

"Whoosh—" In the next moment, an incredibly fearsome whirlwind slash shot out from Zoro’s swords, instantly blasting away all the Fish-men in front of him!

"Boom!!"

"Ah!!"

"Your slashes are much sharper than they were two years ago," Meiser said with a laugh.

"Naturally."

Slowly raising his head, Zoro smirked and said, "After all... I went through hellish training too."

During those two years, he had undergone intense training every single day, so... he had long since become incredibly powerful!

"Hahahaha~"

"This guy really worked hard over those two years," Perona chuckled. "He..."

Before Perona could finish her sentence, some enemies approached her, their eyes filled with fierce hostility.

"Woman, what are you looking at?!"

As he spoke, a Fish-man raised his sword and swung it at Perona, clearly intending to cut her down.

Seeing this, Zoro immediately frowned, but after noticing that the Fish-man didn’t know Haki, he paid no further attention. In the next moment...

"Swish—"

"Huh?!"

Watching the long blade pass effortlessly through Perona’s body, the Fish-man was dumbfounded. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Why was his attack ineffective?

"Can’t you see I’m talking?" Perona said irritably.

As she spoke, a Negative Spirit appeared beside her and then unceremoniously passed through the Fish-man’s body.

"Ugh..."

The Fish-man’s movements instantly froze. The fighting spirit and ferocity in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a deep-seated negativity.

Then, with a look of utter despair, he knelt on the ground and said, "I’m such a useless waste..."

"Huh?!"

The other Fish-men stared at him in shock, completely baffled by what had happened.

Why had this warrior suddenly become so negative?

After glancing at the now demoralized Fish-man, Perona turned her gaze to the other Fish-men surrounding her and said, "I feel like you’re all looking down on me..."

"In that case, let me show you what I can do!"

"Negative Swarm!"

"Whoosh—"

In the next moment, dozens of Negative Spirits flew out from behind Perona, swirling above her head like a swarm of bees.

After doing this, Perona pointed at the Fish-men ahead and commanded, "Go!"

Upon receiving the order, the Negative Spirits immediately let out cheerful laughter and then lunged toward the Fish-men in front.

"If possible, I’d like to be a paramecium in my next life..."

"I shouldn’t be a Fish-man, I should just be a toad..."

"My life isn’t even as good as a moray eel’s..."

In just a few seconds, all the Fish-men who had charged at Perona were kneeling on the ground with utterly dejected expressions.

This scene left the other Fish-men completely dumbfounded.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Why did they suddenly become so negative?"

"Damn it, it must be that woman!" One Fish-man seemed to have figured it out, pointing at Perona and saying, "It’s the Ghosts she released!"

This woman must be some kind of strange Devil Fruit Ability User!

"Hahahahaha~"

"That’s right~" Perona, floating in mid-air, looked down at her enemies with pride. "It was me."

"Damn it...

Not only is she a Devil Fruit Ability User, but she can also fly in the air... How are we supposed to fight her?"

"Sister Perona is getting stronger and stronger," Merry said, looking at Perona in amazement. "She can actually summon so many Negative Spirits at once now!"

She remembered that two years ago, Sister Perona could only summon a few Negative Spirits at a time.

"I wasn’t just resting these past two years," Perona said with a laugh. "I’ve been ’fiercely’ training my abilities too~"

After saying that, Perona gave Zoro a meaningful glance.

Zoro: "..."

Zoro, who was busy cutting down enemies, immediately scowled when he heard Perona’s words.

Why does this guy seem so proud of it?

"It looks like everyone has been working hard to get stronger," Merry nodded, then flew into the air with Xiao Qing. "I can’t fall behind either."

Then, Merry gently patted Xiao Qing, signaling her to transform into a bow.

Upon receiving the command, Xiao Qing’s body tensed up, transforming herself into a bow.

At the same time, Merry pulled an arrow from her pocket.

Then, she drew the bowstring!

"Hum—" The next moment, the arrow began to glow with a faint green light, and Merry’s aura grew increasingly powerful!

"Hmm?"

Noticing the change in Merry, Sanji instinctively glanced at her as she drew the bow, then showed a surprised expression. "This feeling..."

Although he didn’t know how powerful Merry’s attack would be, was this kind of aura really something a two-year-old spirit could possess?

"Merry really seems different now," Chopper also said, looking at Merry in astonishment.

Even though her appearance hadn’t changed much, wasn’t this aura a bit too astonishing?

And what was that green light in Merry’s hand?

Meanwhile, Hody frowned when he saw Merry’s display.

"What is that brat trying to do?"

"She probably wants to attack our warriors with that weapon in her hand," Ikaros said. "But I don’t think her little bow has much power."

Even though the weapon seemed to be glowing brighter and brighter... what difference would that make?

He refused to believe a little kid like her could be that strong!

"Even if we don’t know what she’s planning, it’s better to take her out early," Dos said.

After speaking, he turned to the Fish-men beside him and ordered, "Use the cannons to blast her out of the sky!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the Fish-men immediately brought cannons nearby and aimed them at Merry, pulling the triggers.

"Boom!"

"That won’t work on me!"

Watching the cannonballs flying closer, Merry didn’t hesitate to launch her attack.

"Arrow of Wind!"

"Whoosh!"

In the next moment, a pale green arrow shot from her bow. The wind pressure it generated instantly blasted all the cannonballs heading toward Merry out of the air!

Then, the arrow continued its flight, carrying a terrifying whirlwind as it soared into the distance!

"Get out of the way!"

The Fish-men within the attack range immediately showed expressions of terror.

"We can’t dodge it!"

"Ah!!"

"Boom!!"

In the end, the Arrow of Wind, having blasted away a large number of enemies, struck the mountain behind them, blasting a massive gap into the cliffside!

"What..."

Hody, who had witnessed everything, wore an expression of disbelief.

Not only had a single arrow blasted away so many of his subordinates, but it had also torn a gap in the mountain behind them... This power was far more terrifying than cannons!

Could a child just a few years old really do something like this?!

Was this even reasonable?!

The other Fish-men also stared at Merry with shocked expressions, unable to believe their eyes.

Who could have imagined that such a small child could unleash such terrifying power?

"What’s the deal with this kid?!" one Fish-man exclaimed frantically.

She looked so young, yet she could unleash such fearsome power... How was she doing it?!

"I’m not a child!" Merry lowered her hand and snorted lightly. "I’m Merry, an apprentice of the Straw Hat Pirates. Remember that!!"

"Apprentice..."

Hearing Merry’s words, the Fish-men in the distance were left dumbfounded.

Since when were pirate apprentices this terrifying?

Wait... If this person was so strong, how powerful must the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates be?

At this thought, despair appeared in the eyes of some members of the New Fish-Man Pirates.

At this moment, they really wanted to flee.

But... the Hody Pirates would never allow them to escape...

Thinking of this, they grew even more desperate.

"What are you dawdling for?!" Gecko shouted. "Even though her attack power is strong, she’s still just a child. Use sheer numbers to take her down!"

"Right!!"

The Fish-men nodded upon receiving the order, then charged toward Merry with grim expressions, intending to defeat the little girl. Unfortunately... Merry could fly!

"Neener neener!"

Flying in mid-air, Merry stuck out her tongue at them and said, "You fools can’t hit me~"

"Neener neener~"

"Dammit..."

The Fish-men below were furious.

"This little girl is actually this strong?" Jimbei said, looking up at the figure in the sky in astonishment.

Wasn’t this a bit too exaggerated?

"Merry is a spirit, so it’s only natural for her to have this kind of strength," Usopp said with a laugh.

Jimbei paused for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose you’re right..."

After all, this little girl was the legendary Ship Spirit, so it made sense for her to possess such power.

At this thought, Jimbei gradually calmed down.

"Alright, it’s time for me to take action." Usopp lowered his sniper scope and said with a smirk, "Perfect chance to test my ability."

After glancing at the Fish-man charging toward him, Usopp activated his Devil Fruit ability without hesitation.

"Speed: Tenfold Increase!"

"Whoosh!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Usopp vanished from his spot.

"Clang!"

"Huh?!"

The burly Fish-man who had swung his blade at empty air was momentarily stunned, then asked in confusion, "Where did he go?"

He was sure he was about to land a hit, but the target suddenly disappeared... What was going on?

"Behind you, idiot."

"What?!"

Hearing Usopp’s voice, the Fish-man was startled and immediately turned around to slash at Usopp behind him.

Unfortunately... the moment he turned, Usopp grabbed his wrist!

"Thud!"

"Wha—"

Seeing how effortlessly Usopp had seized his wrist, the Fish-man’s pupils contracted to pinpoints.

Had he actually been overpowered by his enemy?

"How is this possible?" the Fish-man exclaimed in disbelief. "Why would I lose an arm-wrestling match to a human?!"

Wasn’t it said that the Fish-Man race possessed ten times the strength of humans?

"Normally, the wrist strength of your Fish-Man race is indeed ten times that of an ordinary human," Usopp said calmly with a faint smile. "But unfortunately... I’m no ordinary human!"

"Right now, I won’t lose to you in terms of strength."

Moa Moa: Tenfold Strength Increase!

"Buzz—Crack!"

"Ah!"

"My hand!!"

The Fish-man whose wrist had been crushed by Usopp let out a piercing scream, tears of pain streaming from his eyes.

But he knew this wasn’t the time to cry, so he gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain and raised his other hand, intending to knock this damned human flying.

Unfortunately... Usopp didn’t give him the chance.

"Fly away!"

With those words, Usopp kicked the Fish-man squarely in the chest, sending him soaring into the air!

Then, Usopp pulled a few pellets from his pocket, loaded them into his slingshot, and fired.

"Certain Kill: Tenfold Exploding Star!"

"Whoosh!"

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!"

A terrifying explosion erupted in the distance, blasting all the enemies in that area into the air and forcibly clearing out a large space!

As if he had done something trivial, Usopp calmly raised his sniper scope back up.

Then, with a smile, he looked at the Fish-men staring at him and waved, signaling them to continue.

Unfortunately... few dared to step forward.

"Th-that human is terrifying..."

"Dammit, what kind of Devil Fruit Ability User is that human?" Dos said with a grim expression.

To be able to enlarge explosives in an instant... Isn’t that ability a bit too overpowered?

That’s cheating, dammit!

Hody’s expression also darkened. If he had known the enemy’s ability would be this troublesome, he would have killed him back at Ryugu Palace.

But alas... there are no second chances in this world!

"His name is Usopp, right?"

Jimbei stared at Usopp for a moment before saying, "Why does his Devil Fruit ability seem similar to that of the legendary great pirate?"

As he spoke, Jimbei recalled the existence that stood alongside Pops Whitebeard.

World Destroyer—Vald!

"That’s right. Usopp’s current ability is exactly what that person once possessed," Robin said.

She knew who Jimbei was referring to, so she explained it to him.

"It really is that person’s ability?!" Jimbei exclaimed in shock, his eyes bulging out in disbelief. "Where did he get it?"

This Devil Fruit possessed the power to destroy the world!

How did this guy obtain it?

"He said he got it on a place called Boin Archipelago," Nico Robin said.

Thinking about it carefully... that place called Boin Archipelago was a giant plant, right?

If she remembered correctly, that was the case.

"Boin Archipelago..."

Although he didn’t know what kind of place that was, it must have been an extraordinary island.

"That’s right, Boin Archipelago," Usopp, who overheard their conversation, turned to them with a smile. "I trained there for two years, and I obtained the Devil Fruit during that time."

As he spoke, Usopp recalled those two years in his mind.

Although it was exhausting and painful...

Still... those were truly two years worth remembering.

"What a lucky guy," Jimbei sighed with emotion.

If Usopp could unleash the full potential of this Devil Fruit’s power, he might very well become a top-tier combatant.

In that case... the combat strength of the Straw Hat Pirates would become even more terrifying!

He wondered how the Four Emperors would react upon learning the true combat power of the Straw Hat Pirates.

For a moment, Jimbei actually began to feel a sense of anticipation.

"My luck has always been pretty good," Usopp said with a smirk.

Thanks to his good fortune, he had defeated quite a few enemies!

Thinking of this, Usopp glanced at the Ghost Girl laughing wildly in the air.

Back then, if he hadn’t been lucky enough to discover her hiding place, he might have been killed by her.

’Heh, I really am someone blessed by the goddess of luck, huh?’

Then, Usopp looked at Brook, who was constantly twisting his body, and asked, "What is Brook doing?"

"Everyone is fighting, so why did he suddenly start dancing?"

Hearing this, Nico Robin glanced at Brook and the fish-man dancing opposite him before smiling and saying, "Perhaps he’s interacting with his fans."

Usopp: ?

What does ’interacting’ mean?

The next moment...

"Whoosh!"

"Thud!"

In an instant, Brook appeared behind these fish-men, calmly sheathing his sword as he said, "Today’s audience is being exceptionally cooperative~"

"Yohohohoho!"

Usopp: ...

Watching Brook slash the fish-men to the ground with a single sword strike, Usopp was rendered utterly speechless.

Who interacts with their fans like that?!

"Huh?"

"Chopper?"

Glancing at the strangely transformed Chopper, Usopp asked in surprise, "Chopper, is this a new form of yours?"

"I’ve never seen it before."

"I’ll fight!"

Chopper, who had just sent an enemy flying with one hoof, replied with a smile, "That’s right, this is my new form, called Gentle Force Enhancement!

"In this state, I can use Jujutsu attacks, and my combat power is extremely strong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chopper took flight again and kicked several enemies away with a single kick!

"So it’s a new form," Usopp remarked with feeling. "Seems you’ve gotten a lot stronger these past two years too."

"Of course, hahahaha!"

He hadn’t been playing around these two years!

"Dammit, how is this tanuki so powerful after transforming?" said a Fish-man nearby, his expression grim.

To take down so many of them in just a few breaths... that was just absurd!

Was this guy really just the Straw Hat Crew’s pet?

"Tanuki?"

Chopper was momentarily stunned by the word, then opened his shark-like mouth and roared, "I’m not a tanuki, I’m a reindeer!"

"I have antlers, you bastard!!"

As he spoke, Chopper pointed to the antlers on his head, gesturing for this blind idiot to take a look at his noggin.

"Oh, really..."

"He really does have antlers!"

"But why are his antlers so small?" one Fish-man wondered aloud. "I thought reindeer antlers on land were supposed to be huge?"

"What do you know? Small is cute!"

Chopper:

What did he mean, "small is cute"? His antlers were only small when he transformed, damn it!

"Take this!"

Annoyed, Chopper decisively beat these guys up.

Afterward, he declared, "I’m a reindeer with big antlers, remember that!"

The Fish-men:

So... what exactly was he so angry about?

"Dammit, why is every one of these Straw Hat Pirates so strong?" one Fish-man exclaimed frantically. "We can’t beat them at all!"

Even the little girl and the pet who looked easiest to bully were toying with them... How were they supposed to fight this?

Hearing this, one of the Fish-men thought for a moment, then looked up at Nico Robin, Nami, and Shirahoshi. "If these guys are too tough... let’s go take out those women first!"

"Especially Princess Shirahoshi. It’d be even better if we could kill her!"

That way, they’d have completed Boss Hody’s mission. Then... even if they couldn’t beat the Straw Hat Crew, Boss Hody wouldn’t come after them, right?

At this thought, the Fish-man’s eyes began to gleam.

The other Fish-men considered it and nodded. "Then let’s go kill them!"

"Yeah!!"

"What are you bastards planning to do to the ladies?" Sanji, who was nearby, immediately charged over upon hearing this.

He launched into a flurry of flying kicks at them.

"Tenderloin!"

"Thigh meat!"

"Sirloin!"

"Full-course Roast Meat Banquet!"

"Bam bam bam!"

Sanji kept attacking relentlessly within the crowd, his wide-open fighting style making the Fish-men miserable.

"Dammit, why did this guy have to show up..."

"The rest of you, ignore us! Go kill those women!"

"Yeah!!"

The Fish-men from other directions immediately turned their attention to Nico Robin and the others, then charged at them with weapons in hand.

"So they’re treating us as weak women," Nami remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"It seems so."

Nico Robin, raising both hands, nodded and said, "But..."

"I’m not in the habit of letting people attack me without doing anything in return~"

"Twenty-Four-Flower Bloom, Neck Snap!"

"Crack!"

In the blink of an eye, she took out several Fish-men who had rushed right up to her face!

"Got them!"

A Fish-man who approached Nami raised the long sword in his hand and swung it down.

Watching the blade draw closer, Nami immediately put on a look of ’terror,’ as if her life were about to end.

Seeing Nami’s reaction, the Fish-man’s expression instantly became ecstatic.

This was the reaction he wanted!

"Die, human!"

"Swish"

The long blade passed through Nami’s body without any resistance, effortlessly splitting her in two!

"Ahahahaha, see? This is my pow—"

"Just kidding."

"Huh?"

Staring at the human he had just cleaved in two who could still speak, the Fish-man’s eyes bulged in shock, his face filled with utter disbelief.

"Still... still alive?!"

"How is that possible?!"

This person had clearly been cut in half by his blade, so why was she still alive?

This defied all logic!

Wait... something’s wrong!

Why isn’t this woman bleeding at all?!

Watching as Nami’s body gradually healed, the Fish-man was utterly dumbfounded.

"Without even knowing Haki, how could you possibly threaten me, a Logia-type ability user?" Nami sneered.

Want to kill her?

At the very least, you’d need to learn Armament Haki first!

"Haki?"

What is that?

"So you don’t even know what Haki is," Nami shook her head and said. "Then there’s no need to explain any further."

"Prepare to die."

As soon as she finished speaking, Nami raised her hand and created an extremely dense cloud, enveloping the Fish-man’s head.

"Huh?"

"Mmph... mmph..."

The trapped Fish-man immediately dropped his weapon, desperately trying to remove the cloud from his head, but unfortunately... he couldn’t do it at all.

In the end, the Fish-man lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen.

"A Logia type..."

Jimbei looked at Nami in astonishment and said, "You’re actually a Logia-type ability user too?"

This was truly unbelievable!

And such a rare Logia type at that!

"Meiser helped me obtain this Devil Fruit," Nami said with a smile. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the chance to become a Logia-type ability user."

"Meiser, huh..."

As if understanding something, Jimbei showed a look of sudden realization and said, "It was during that trip to Mary Geoise, wasn’t it?"

Although he had never been to Mary Geoise or seen a Celestial Dragon,

...it was certain that the treasure vaults of those World Nobles would never lack Devil Fruits, so it was only natural that Meiser managed to seize a Logia-type Devil Fruit.

"That’s right."

Nami nodded, then tossed the unconscious Fish-man onto the ground.

After doing this, Nami turned her gaze to the other stunned Fish-men and said, "Alright,

now it’s your turn."

"What’s with this woman..."

"This woman is also an ability user, and a Logia type at that!"

"Seriously, why are there so many Devil Fruit ability users in the Straw Hat Pirates?"

The Fish-men of the New Fish-Man Pirates were going crazy. How were they supposed to fight this?

It seemed like they couldn’t defeat a single one of them!

"Never mind! Some of you go kill Shirahoshi, and others go destroy their pirate ship!"

"Roger!"

"Destroy the pirate ship?"

Standing beside the Thousand Sunny, Franky’s expression darkened upon hearing this. "I can’t just ignore that," he said.

They were willing to fight, but if anyone dared to damage their pirate ship... they’d better be prepared to be taken down!

With that thought, Franky acted without hesitation.

"Left Shoulder Cannon!"

"Boom!!"

A terrifying cannonball shot from Franky’s left shoulder, blasting away all the Fish-men who had charged near the Thousand Sunny.

"Ah!!"

"Damn it, there’s a robot here too!" one of the Fish-men said with a grimace.

What was up with this Straw Hat Pirates crew? They had everything!

"If you want to touch our pirate ship, you’ll have to get through me first!" Franky shouted.

Against enemies who aimed to destroy their ship... he wouldn’t hold back!