IT'S OVER!!

A massive explosion erupts at Arlong Park, sending debris flying into the air. Sanji stands calmly amidst the rubble, smoking a cigarette, while the fishman Kuroobi is blasted backward by the force of the impact. In the next panel, Arlong is shown looking furious, his face shadowed as he silently observes the defeat of his officers. A close-up focuses on Arlong's intense, angry eyes.

Hatchan lies unconscious and defeated on the ground, as a voice calls out, "HACHI..." Nearby, Kuroobi is also shown lying motionless in the rubble, with a voice saying, "KUROOBI..." Sanji, battered and bleeding but victorious, stands tall and declares, "LOOKS LIKE THIS GAME IS OURS FOR THE TAKING. SMALL FRIES WILL BE SMALL FRIES." Zoro sits exhausted on the ground nearby. Arlong steps forward through the rubble with a heavy "STOMP" sound. Yosaku and Johnny watch the scene unfold, their faces expressing shock and awe.

Arlong stands up, his expression filled with rage. He growls, "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY BRETHREN... BUT YOU'RE GETTING TOO COCKY IF YOU THINK YOU'VE ALREADY WON!" Sanji, bleeding from his head, retorts, "BUT I'LL STILL HAVE TO MAKE ONE MORE TRIP DOWN TO THE OCEAN FLOOR. IT MEANS HE WON'T DIE FOR THE TIME BEING." Zoro, holding his swords and looking exhausted, asks Sanji, "HEY, WHAT DID YOU MEAN, WHEN YOU SAID LUFFY WAS HALF-FINE?" As they both face the imposing figure of Arlong, Zoro adds, "BUT IT SEEMS LIKE," and Sanji finishes, "HE'S NOT GOING TO LET US..."

Nojiko watches in amazement, saying, "AMAZING... THEY ACTUALLY MANAGED TO TAKE DOWN TWO OF ARLONG'S OFFICERS...!" Meanwhile, Luffy's stretched neck is pulled out of the water while Genzo and Nojiko continue trying to revive him. One of them says, "HE'S ALREADY COUGHED UP SOME WATER. WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Nojiko tells Genzo, "GEN, SWITCH WITH ME! I'LL DO IT THIS TIME!" Sanji, panting heavily after the underwater fight, thinks, "HUFF HUFF... DAMN IT, I CAN'T SEEM TO HOLD MY BREATH LONG ENOUGH!" Suddenly, Luffy gasps loudly for air, shouting, "BUHA!" Genzo asks, "WHAT'S THE SITUATION OVER THERE...!?" Nojiko answers with relief, "IT'S FINE, NO ONE ON OUR SIDE HAS DIED YET...! AND NOT ONLY THAT..." She thinks, "BECAUSE THOSE FISHMEN HAVE ROBBED US OF OUR HOPE UNTIL NOW BUT... IT MAY BE ALMOST TOO MUCH TO BELIEVE,"

A close-up shows Luffy gasping for breath as he recovers. A voice says, "I'M STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR US ALL...! WITH THIS FIGHT," The scene shifts to the forest, where Usopp is lying face down on the ground, seemingly defeated and motionless. The fishman Chew stands nearby, looking down at him. Chew turns and begins to walk away, saying, "CHU... THAT WAS MORE TROUBLE THAN IT WAS WORTH. HOW THE HECK CAN HE RUN AWAY SO FAST...! BUT THAT STILL WASN'T ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU. A QUICK DEATH FROM A SINGLE BLAST OF MY WATER GUN..."

Chew walks away down a dirt path, thinking, "WELL, TIME TO HEAD BACK... HACHI AND KUROOBI SHOULD'VE TAKEN CARE OF THOSE TRASH BY NOW." Behind him, Usopp suddenly twitches. Usopp thinks to himself, "HE THINKS HIS WATER GUN HIT ME JUST NOW! HEH HEH... NOW HURRY UP AND GO BACK! WHEW, IT WORKED...! THANK GOD I MADE MY SPECIAL 'KETCHUP STAR' FOR CASES LIKE THIS!" Chew pauses and turns his head slightly, but Usopp remains perfectly still on the ground. Usopp continues his internal monologue, "I DO FEEL SORRY FOR NAMI, AND I REALLY DO WANT TO HELP HER OUT BUT I'D RATHER NOT DIE IF POSSIBLE... BUT WHAT A TERRIFYING RACE FISHMEN ARE... AFTER ALL, THEY DID FLIP AN ENTIRE TOWN..."

Usopp sits up and starts rubbing dirt on his arms and face, thinking, "THAT'LL MAKE ME SEEM MORE LIKE I WAS IN A FIERCE FIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT! I SHOULD COVER MYSELF WITH SOME DIRT. BUT WHAT SHOULD I SAY WHEN I GET BACK..." He then lies back down in a dramatic pose, pondering, "I WISH I HAD SOMETHING MORE... MORE UMM... MORE SIGNS THAT I WAS IN A FIERCE BATTLE TO THE DEATH...! B-B-BUT... I ALREADY HAVE THIS KETCHUP BLOOD ON MYSELF." Usopp begins to imagine how his crewmates will react. He pictures Zoro saying, "'DON'T CRY NAMI, IT WAS ONLY NATURAL FOR US TO TRY AND FIGHT.'" He imagines Sanji adding, "OR MAYBE, 'DAMN IT, THAT GUY JUST BARELY GOT AWAY FROM ME!'" He envisions Luffy asking, "AREN'T WE CREWMATES?" Usopp imagines himself apologizing, "'MY BAD BUT I ENDED UP LOSING'..."? He pictures Nami defending him, "FOR THE SAKE OF MY BUSINESS, THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY." He imagines Sanji saying, "IT'S STILL A 100 TIMES BETTER THAN BEING IN A CREW THAT WOULD HARM A LADY...!" and Zoro agreeing, "'IT WAS A REAL CLOSE FIGHT TO THE DEATH.'" Finally, he imagines Luffy saying, "'WE'VE ALL FOUGHT WELL.'" Usopp concludes his fantasy by thinking, "I'D RATHER DIE."

Usopp continues his imagined scenarios. He pictures Nami looking solemn and saying, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW HARD THE CHOICE SHE MADE WAS?" He imagines Yosaku and Johnny cheering, "WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, BROTHERS!" He envisions himself looking battered but heroic, saying, "'NO, NO. MY WOUNDS ARE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT...!'" Back in reality, Usopp stands up, clenching his fists, and declares, "WELL, IF I WERE TO SERIOUSLY FIGHT... LET'S FIGHT!" However, his bravado quickly fades, and he falls to his knees, trembling and crying out, "I'M SO PATHETIC!" A close-up shows tears streaming down his face as he realizes his own cowardice.

Usopp suddenly screams at the top of his lungs, his face contorted in a mix of fear and determination, "STOP RIGHT THERE YOU FREAKIN' FISH!" Immediately after yelling, he looks shocked and terrified by his own outburst, realizing what he has just done. Further down the path, Chew stops walking, his attention caught by the shout. Chew turns around, looking annoyed, and says, "WHAT, SO YOU WERE STILL ALIVE...? CHU"

Usopp stands tall, facing Chew, and delivers a passionate speech. "BECAUSE THEY RISK THEIR LIVES AND GIVE IT THEIR ALL EVERYDAY, AS IF A LITTLE ATTACK FROM SOME HALF FISH BASTARD COULD EVER HIT ME! FROM THE MOMENT I TOOK ONE STEP OUTSIDE MY VILLAGE, I SHOULD'VE THROWN AWAY ALL NOTIONS OF 'PEACE' OR 'SAFETY'...!!" He readies his slingshot, pulling back the band. "BECAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SMILE AND LAUGH LIKE THEY DO! THAT'S WHY I DECIDED TO GO OUT TO THE SEAS AS WELL!" An image of Luffy laughing joyfully flashes in his mind as Usopp thinks, "THEY CAN LAUGH FROM THE BOTTOM OF THEIR HEARTS LIKE THAT!" Usopp aims his weapon, his face fierce with resolve. "NOR DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO LAUGH WITH THEM! CERTAIN KILL! IF I DON'T FIGHT SERIOUSLY RIGHT NOW, I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAIL ON THE SAME SHIP AS THEM!"

Usopp fires his slingshot, shouting, "FLAME STAR!" The projectile flies towards Chew, but the fishman easily dodges it, saying, "AS IF THAT'D WORK ON ME." Chew immediately dashes forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. Before Usopp can react, Chew delivers a devastating punch to Usopp's face, sending him flying backward with tremendous force.

Usopp lies battered on the ground after Chew's blow, while Chew stands over him, looking unimpressed. Chew says, "BUT I GUESS YOU'RE TOO DUMB FOR THAT. CHU. WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER IF YOU HAD JUST PRETENDED TO BE DEAD." Usopp, dazed and bleeding, thinks, "IT'S... OVER." Chew continues beating him down, declaring, "DAMN RIGHT, IT'S OVER! OVER FOR YOU, THAT IS!" Usopp cries out in pain, "UGH! AGH!"

Usopp suddenly appears from his hiding spot and strikes Chew in the leg with a hammer, yelling, "USOPP HAMMER!" He immediately ducks back into hiding, thinking, "IT'S OVER...!" Chew looks down, confused, and mutters, "CHU?" Realizing he's been hit, Chew's expression turns to anger as he grunts, "GUH...!" He looks around, trying to spot Usopp. Suddenly, Usopp pops out again, stretching a rubber band directly in front of Chew's face, shouting, "USOPP RUBBER BAND!" Chew flinches back in surprise.

Chew is furious, yelling, "THAT SON OF A... NOW HE'S GONE AND HID HIMSELF! GODDAMN IT! HOW COULD I FALL FOR SUCH A STUPID TRICK!" As he looks around, he notices a bottle lying on the ground and picks it up, questioning, "RUM?" Suddenly, a projectile fired by Usopp from the trees strikes the bottle, shattering it completely. Usopp shouts, "CERTAIN KILL LEAD STAR!" Chew cries out, "AGHH!" as the glass and rum explode in his face.

Chew, now drenched in rum, is enraged. "THAT INFERIOR HUMAN AND HIS IDIOTIC STUNTS...! CHU" He bends down and begins sucking up a massive amount of water from a nearby stream or puddle. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE HIDING, BUT I'LL BLAST YOU OUT OF YOUR HIDING SPOT WITH THIS FIELD'S WATER! CHU!" Usopp watches from his hiding place, sweating profusely. He thinks, "I'LL DIE IF I LOSE! I'M ALREADY A REAL PIRATE! THIS FIGHT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT THE MAN USOPP CAN JUST RUN AWAY FROM! IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S STUPID OR COWARDLY!" Chew then unleashes the water from his mouth with incredible force, shouting, "WATER CANNON!"

The water cannon blasts through the forest, tearing up the ground and destroying trees in its path. Usopp is shocked by the sheer destructive power, exclaiming, "WHA...! SO MUCH POWER!" As the dust settles, Chew spots Usopp, who has been forced out of his hiding spot. Chew says, "HE REVEALS HIMSELF ON HIS OWN! WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO FIGHT AN IDIOT LIKE HIM!"

Chew unleashes a rapid-fire barrage of water bullets, shouting, "100-SHOT WATER GUN! I'LL PUMP YOU FULL OF HOLES!" Usopp runs for his life, dodging the blasts that tear through the trees around him, screaming, "AGHHH! HOW'D HE KNOW WHERE I WAS!" As he runs, Usopp's determination solidifies. He thinks, "I'M REALLY GOING TO BECOME A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEAS! AND SO I'M GOING TO FIGHT! BECAUSE ONE DAY... AND KAYA! DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! I'LL SHOW YOU, MY FORMER USOPP PIRATE MEMBERS! I'VE LEFT FOR THE SEAS AND BECOME A PIRATE!" Usopp turns around to face Chew, his face fierce with resolve, declaring, "THE CAREFREE FUN DAYS I SPENT... PLAYING 'PIRATES'... ARE OVER!"

Chew looks confused by Usopp's sudden change in demeanor, asking, "WHAT DID YOU SAY, WAS OVER?" Usopp charges towards him, screaming, "AGHHH!" Usopp declares, "OUR FIGHT!" and then readies his slingshot, yelling, "DID YOU KNOW THAT ALCOHOL IS FLAMMABLE!?" Chew looks surprised, uttering, "HM?" Usopp fires a flaming projectile, shouting, "CERTAIN KILL FLAME STAR!" The fiery shot hits Chew, instantly igniting the rum that had soaked his body earlier. Chew is engulfed in a massive explosion of flames.

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