"Viola!" Usopp shouted as he carried the ammo, Bagworm, and approached his Kabuto. The addressed girl averted her gaze from the castle to the sniper. "Use your Clairvoyance and guide me! I need to know every move Sugar makes."
Viola nodded. "Yes, Usopp-kun." Then, she turned back to the direction of the castle and closed her eyes in concentration, using her ability to observe Sugar with a bird's eye view.
Kin'emon and Kanjuro walked over to the duo with skeptical expressions on their faces. "The castle's pretty far away. Are you sure you can do it with only her Clairvoyance?" Kin'emon asked with uncertainty.
"I don't have a choice." Usopp replied. He put the ammo down and tested the sling of his Kabuto by stretching it a few centimeters. "Sugar's already making her move."
Then, the sniper looked up with a determined glint in his eyes. "Just so you know, I'm a sniper!" Usopp grabbed his goggles from his forehead and put it over his eyes with a grin on his face. "Shoot an enemy without being seen to protect my friend. That's my strong suit."
Kin'emon and Kanjuro didn't say anything back but the raven-haired samurai gulped nervously. Viola inwardly smiled at Usopp's words and murmured, "Yes." But, the ex-princess still kept her eyes closed and continued to focus back to Sugar.
Viola silently observed Sugar, who was slowly walking towards the open yard with a vicious look on her face. The little girl was carrying a small basket of blueberries and her smile didn't look good at all. Viola momentarily opened her eyes and turned to the sniper beside her. "Sugar's advancing on those two!"
"Alright!" Usopp cried out. The sniper picked up his ammo and started to adjust it onto his slingshot.
Meanwhile, Viola centered back on the castle and witnessed Sugar enter the yard and cry fake tears, earning both Luffy and Law's attention. "Sugar came out into the yard!"
"Okay, it's time!" Usopp exclaimed as he stretched the sling and slightly crouched down. The sniper's hands held the slingshot in position and he glanced up at the castle in front of him.
The distance between the King's Plateau and the castle on Flower Hill was great, at least two kilometers away. And the windows on the castle were small and hard to see from where Usopp was standing.
Usopp gritted his teeth, even with his amazing marksmanship (if he did say so himsel-wait a minute, this isn't the time!), it would still be tough for him to pinpoint Luffy and Law's exact location.
Luffy! The sniper thought as sweat started to form on his head from the worry and growing stress. Despite the serious situation he was in, Usopp couldn't help but reflect his own conversation with Luffy a few days ago.
-
It was another short fight with the local marines. The Straw-Hats had docked onto an island to stretch their legs (for Luffy, literally.) and stock up on some essentials. Everyone had split up and went alone except for Luffy, who was accompanied by Usopp (the sniper was given a long speech by Nami to make sure their idiot captain doesn't cause any trouble.)
Of course, with Luffy being the trouble magnet he was, he still managed to catch the attention of a few marines when they were strolling around. At first, only a small number were chasing them and Luffy took care of it quickly so Usopp didn't need to step in (and he was definitely not running away faster than Luffy.)
But then, the marines seemed to come out from everywhere and before both of them knew it, a whole mob was chasing them down the street and into the island forest. Usopp thought that they could use the forest to their advantage and make a beeline back to the Sunny. But, the marines here were faster than they thought.
Luffy began to fight and managed to wipe more than half of them in two minutes. Usopp wasn't far behind, he got over his I-can't-fight-these-marines disease and used his many ammos to take the marines down one way or another. The marines were stubborn, though, so they got up almost every time.
A few minutes later, not many marines were left. The duo got rid of the weak ones and all that's left were the difficult ones. They weren't actually difficult per say (compared to a few enemies, these guys were like small flies that bug you all day long – in a sense, they actually are), but they seemed to be quite experienced with their forest surroundings and were now blending in with the trees.
Luffy and Usopp weren't that concerned about it (although the sniper seemed a bit tense), since Luffy could use Observation Haki and Usopp was used to the forest from his two-year training. With both of their advantages, Luffy and Usopp easily avoided the incoming bullets and the sniper shot down some as well. But, most of the shots were aimed towards Luffy, either because he had the higher bounty of the two or maybe he was the captain.
Usopp realized it when the bullets aimed at him started reducing and when Luffy had to dodge more. Usopp was agitated at the fact that they didn't see him as a threat ("I'm the great Usopp-sama! You can't ignore me like that!") and decided to help his captain. But these marines didn't want to stop, so they continued firing at the two. After a while, Usopp had enough.
"Hey, Luffy! We should hurry up!" Usopp shouted as he deflected another incoming bullet. "This is taking forever!"
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry!" Luffy agreed, though his reason wasn't the same as Usopp's.
"That's not-Ah, whatever! Let's go! The others are probably waiting." Usopp said.
Luffy grinned at the idea and nodded. "I can't wait to eat meat!" The boy exclaimed as a trail of drool came out of his mouth.
Usopp sighed at his behavior and pulled out a pellet from his pocket. "It's been a while since I used this." The sniper muttered nostalgically as he quickly put the pellet onto his Kabuto and aimed it towards the area where most of the bullets came from. "Hissatsu! Cho Kemuri Boshi!"
Usopp released the slingshot and the pellet flew towards the designated area, spewing smoke all over the forest once it made impact. Coughs were heard almost everywhere and Usopp bet on his Kabuto that those belong to the pigheaded marines.
"Let's go, Luffy!" He shouted at the boy, running ahead to where the ship was docked.
"Yeah!" Luffy grinned, following behind his friend. "I wonder what Sanji's making today. I hope it's meat!"
Usopp turned his head around to tell Luffy to run faster, but his words died on his throat when he spotted a bullet coming from the left, aiming towards Luffy. The latter was oblivious to the upcoming danger as he continued to imagine Sanji's cooking.
Usopp's eyes filled with terror and without even thinking, he grabbed a pop green and shot it towards the bullet with the speed of light. It did the trick, as the bullet went off course and flew off towards the other direction.
Due to his action, the sniper halted in his tracks. Luffy noticed and stopped at the last second, almost bumping to his friend in the process. The rubber boy couldn't help but note that his friend's whole demeanor had suddenly changed. "What's wrong, Usopp?"
"On second thought, Luffy..." Usopp murmured when he heard the sound of a bush rustling on his right. "I want to beat these guys up first."
Luffy blinked at the statement. He wanted to ask why, but the deadly look on the sniper's eyes told him everything he needed to know. "Alright, but hurry up. I'm hungry." Luffy said, stepping aside.
A faint smile appeared on Usopp's face and he nodded. The sniper took a few pop greens from his pocket and aimed it to every place where he heard something rustling. Usually, he wouldn't do this trick unless he wanted to get away quick. This time, the reason's still the same, but with a slight twist to it.
He wanted to give these guys what they deserved. No one aims at Luffy like that.
"Midori Boshi, Devil!"
The pop greens flew almost everywhere. When it made contact with the ground, large Venus Flytraps instantly sprouted from it. Screams of pain were heard from every direction and Usopp couldn't help but smirk. The forest would get a little dirty, but nothing old Mother Nature couldn't fix.
Now feeling satisfied, the sniper turned back to Luffy and said, "Let's go!"
Said boy nodded with a smile. Then the two of them ran away from the forest, leaving a few man-eating plants to eat their meals.
When they finally made it out to the outskirts of the town, Luffy and Usopp slowed their running and transitioned to a normal walk (albeit with a few heavy breaths from the running). After a few minutes of silence between the two, Usopp finally popped the bubble.
"Don't let your guard down, Luffy." The sniper frowned. "You had me worried for a bit there."
Luffy knew what Usopp was referring to, so he glanced at his crewmate with a grin. "Don't worry, Usopp. Bullets don't work on me, remember?"
"Yeah, I know." Usopp admitted. But for that split second, he was too horrified that he completely forgot about that fact. "But...what if it was a Sea Stone bullet? You can't avoid those!"
"Actually, I can." Luffy stated matter-of-factly.
Usopp blinked at the statement before he mentally face-palmed. Great, he forgot about that too. "That's not what I meant! Sea Stone bullets can hurt you! And, we don't know the difference between normal bullets and Sea Stone bullets. They look exactly the same!"
The sniper faced Luffy with a worried look. "What if you assumed it was a normal bullet so you didn't dodge it but it turns out to be a Sea Stone bullet so it worked on you and you get hurt and what if-"
"Usopp! Calm down!" Luffy shouted as he stopped walking and grabbed Usopp's shoulders. The sniper broke out of his rambling state and lowered his head in embarrassment. "...sorry, got a bit caught up."
"It's fine." Luffy assured, drawing back his arms. Usopp still had a shameful look on his face, and the raven-haired captain didn't like it.
So Luffy put on his signature grin and placed his hands on his hips. "But you can easily cover me by deflecting it, right Usopp?"
Usopp blinked, not expecting Luffy to say that. He slowly looked up and stared at the young boy. "Y-Yeah, but..."
"Then, there's no need to worry!" Luffy laughed, patting Usopp's shoulder. "If something attacks me or the others, I'm counting on you to cover us, Sniper!"
Usopp's eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. The sniper gazed at Luffy in wonderment and he bit his trembling lip.
Those words. Those were the only things Usopp had desired and feared would never hear these past two years. Ever since he got the worst wake-up call in the form of a newspaper, Usopp had worked hard to earn those words – to deserve those words. He had waited (two long years) for the day when he could see Luffy smile and trust him again.
And, it finally came. Luffy had grinned again. He had trusted him again.
A few stray tears escaped Usopp's eyes but the sniper paid no mind. A smile slowly emerged on Usopp's face and he gave Luffy a shaky (but determined) nod. "A-Alright, leave it to me, Captain I won't let you down!"
Luffy's grin turned wider. Then, he saw Usopp's condition and laughed again. "Are you crying, Usopp?"
That made Usopp finally notice the dampness of his cheeks, and the sniper turned red. "N-No, of course not!" He wiped the tears away and said, "My eyes are just getting wet from the invisible rain."
"Invisible rain?" Luffy perked up at the unfamiliar word.
"Oh, h-haven't you heard?" Usopp shakily said. "It's a legend."
Luffy's eyes lit up and he shook his head. "Nope! Tell me, Usopp!"
Usopp smiled fondly at his captain's child-like behavior. "Okay, the great Captain Usopp will once again share his adventures with you!"
-
Usopp's resolve grew stronger as he recalled that memory. That day, he made a silent oath to never fail Luffy again. He was not going to break it now.
Behind him, he could hear the mob of people getting closer. Kin'emon and Kanjuro had volunteered to slow them down, along with King Riku and his ex-soldier plus a Fishman. But Usopp could tell that they were having a bit of difficulty. Viola broke out of her Clairvoyance and glanced at them in worry.
"Don't get distracted, Viola!" Usopp called out to her, still focusing on his target. "I'm sure they'll be fine!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Viola realized her mistake and turned back to the castle, closing her eyes.
"It's fine." Usopp muttered, still holding on to the ammo. "But, tell me the exact position of the yard!"
Viola nodded. "See the windows on the upper part of the Rampart Tower?"
Usopp squinted his eyes a bit. Using his sharp eyesight, he saw the seventeen windows Viola had mentioned. "Yeah."
"I see Straw Hat and Law in the first window right of the center." Viola informed. She was silent for a moment before she added, "There are iron bars on the window."
Usopp's eyes searched the windows. With Viola's accurate explanation, he quickly found the right one. Then, Usopp remembered the last part she said. "How many bars are there?"
Viola examined the window for a second and answered, "One vertical bar and three horizontal bars." The ex-princess eyed its surroundings and said, "The length from the ground of the yard to the bottom of the window is about one and two tenth meters...That's about Sugar's height."
Usopp nodded, taking in this information and calculating it in his head. "How big is the bottom pane of the window?"
"Fifty wide by forty high." Viola replied.
Usopp furrowed his eyebrows. "It's about the size of the ammo."
A silent moment passed between the two. Both of them tuned out the people behind them and focused on doing what they need to do. Usopp narrowed his eyes and more sweat formed on his forehead.
The target is behind the wall. Usopp thought as he continued to hold on to the ammo. If I miss...we'll lose Luffy!
"Usopp-kun." Viola muttered, breaking the sniper's train of thought. "You must not fail."
Usopp had a glint of surprise on his eyes and it almost made the sniper loosen his grip on the ammo. But he quickly recovered and the sniper answered, "Of course. I won't let Sugar have her way."
Usopp grabbed the ammo tighter and he gritted his teeth. "If she turns Luffy into a toy, we'll forget everything! Our memories-"
"We're already friends, right?" Luffy asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"-our adventures-"
"Let's go to the Grand Line!" Luffy declared, jumping high into the air.
"Yeah!"
"-our promises-"
"I'm....I'm going to be stronger, Luffy!" Usopp bellowed, sad tears streaming on his fat face.
"-and our captain!"
"I'm counting on you, Sniper."
"Everything will go to oblivion!" Usopp half-shouted, memories of their great adventure replaying in his mind. Viola had a sad frown on her face, but she didn't falter and continued to observe the slowly approaching Sugar.
"I promised Luffy." Usopp said absent-mindedly. "I promised that I'd cover for him when he doesn't see an attack...Even though I'm a liar, I'm not a promise breaker! I won't break that promise, no matter what!"
Viola nodded, a trace of a smile on her face at the sniper's persistence. "Yes."
Usopp gazed at the castle with utmost concentration. Sweat continued to form on his face and his hands were slightly shaking from the pressure.
For a moment, the sniper pictured what would happen if he failed. Luffy would turn into a toy and Usopp's memories of him would disappear along with the others. The thought of it alone made Usopp shudder.
The sniper gritted his teeth so hard it almost bled. "What good would it be?" Usopp said out of the blue.
Viola was taken aback at Usopp's sudden statement and she turned to the sniper in concern. "Usopp-kun?"
"...what good would it be to be a brave sea warrior if I can't even protect my friends!?" Usopp cried out, his heart beating fast inside his chest. "What good would it be...if I'm alone?"
Viola stared at the man, feeling lost for words. "Usopp-kun..."
"I don't want that. That's why..." Usopp trailed off as his eyes finally locked on to the window. "I'll hit her no matter what!"
Viola's eyes softened and the woman nodded, turning back to the castle and watching Sugar's interaction with the oblivious Luffy and Law.
The growing pressure was so heavy; Usopp thought he was going to crumble. But, he didn't. He stood on his ground, not flinching when he heard the people behind him coming closer. The sniper focused on locking onto the bottom pane of the window, but it looked like a small speck from the plateau.
"Sugar's approaching them." Viola reported.
Usopp nodded. The mob was getting closer, meaning the sniper didn't have that much time. He needed to do it now, or else he'd lose his captain. And, Usopp was determined to not have the latter.
Listen, Sugar. Usopp thought as he gazed at the castle before him. Luffy's going to be the Pirate King someday. But if you touch him and turn him into a toy, that would never happen. His adventure...would end here.
Usopp closed his eyes and shook his head at the possibility. Let me tell you, Sugar, that as the sniper of the Straw-Hat Pirates and Luffy's friend, Usopp's eyes opened with unflinching determination. I won't let his dream be ruined!
Just as Usopp was about to release the ammo, his vision suddenly changed. Usopp's eyes widened when instead of the normal colors; he saw the castle in a negative vision.
W-What is this? Usopp's jaw dropped when his eyesight moved closer to the castle, as if the sniper himself was flying through the air. Then when he saw the row of windows, one in particular shined and stood out amongst the others. Usopp's vision advanced forward through the window, and stopped when it spotted three balls of aura in the darkness.
I can see their auras... Usopp slowly comprehended as the auras morphed into the silhouettes of Luffy, Law and Sugar. Usopp's eyes widened when he saw one in particular, There's Luffy!
As if a light switch was turned on, his vision suddenly turned colorful again and Usopp could make out Luffy crouching down almost to Sugar's height while Law observed her in confusion and doubt. In the middle of those two, Sugar held out her arms and seemed to offer them her blueberries that she loved.
Now that Usopp could clearly see his target, he prepared to attack. "Here I go!"
The sniper stepped on his Kabuto and slowly loosened his grip on the Bagworm. "Super Grown-Up, Great Black Kabuto!"
Ignoring the growing footsteps of the mob behind him, the sniper shouted his attack. "Special Long-Range Attack, Bagworm!"
Then finally, Usopp released the ammo. Even as the mob finally approached him, Usopp could only think about the ammo's trajectory. The sniper counted to three backwards as the ammo flew higher to the castle. When he reached one, the rear of the ammo exploded due to the first booster, Exploding Star. The ammo had a slight ascent and two seconds later; it ignited the second booster. The outer-cover came off and due to the explosion; the ammo changed its course horizontally.
Usopp and Viola watched as the ammo went through the lower left side of the window on the Rampart Tower. Then, it passed through the wall and out of the duo's sight. Inside the castle, the ammo went straight to where Sugar was.
Sugar, who was slowly offering her blueberries to her two targets, spotted the ammo advancing towards her and she halted in confusion. The ammo trailed off a bit, but it was meant to do so.
Because, Usopp thought as the citizens of Dressrosa tried to tie him up. That special ammunition is meant to retraumatize the enemy!
His prediction was right, as the ammo turned out to be Kanjuro's drawing of him bulging his eyes and tongue out. Sugar's eyes were filled with terror as it made her remember the horrifying image of Usopp doing the same when he ate the poison grape.
As the drawing halted in front of her, Sugar bulged her eyes out and screamed at the top of her lungs. Then, the girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head and Sugar slowly fell onto the floor, unconscious, to the confusion of Luffy and Law.
When he heard Viola declare that Sugar had been brought down, Usopp couldn't help but grin.
Let this be a lesson to you, Sugar. Usopp thought, glancing to the castle miles away from him. Don't get in my Captain's way!
-
When Doflamingo's men carried Sugar out of the yard, they exchanged questions and guesses to what made her pass out. None of them believed that an executive from the Donquixote family could be defeated that easily. But when they passed an eerie drawing on the wall, no one questioned it anymore.
Since that drawing was enough to make them pass out, and because of the message written beside it.
"Right back at you, Sugar."
Elsewhere after Doflamingo's defeat,
"Hey, Usopp! I saw a drawing of you at the castle earlier!
"Really?"
"Yeah! It looked so real, I thought it was you!"
"I-I think it wasn't that accurate, Luffy..."
"But, it was! It had your long nose, your eyes, your tongue-"
"O-Okay, I get it! It looks just like me! No need to describe it in detail!"
"But it sounds interesting, Usopp. I want to know how horrible that drawing was."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER, SANJI!"