"Are we close to a village yet, Usopp?"

"I don't sense anyone close, so probably not."

"If we don't reach the next village within the next four hours, then let's set up camp and do serious training."

"Sounds goo..." Usopp started before freezing in his tracks.

From the cart, Maria asked, "What is it?"

"It's… it's nothing. Let's get going."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It would be better if you didn't know… Keep your nose plugged up."

In front of Usopp was the remains of a village. The stone buildings were in ruins, blood was splattered everywhere, and corpses were sprawled about. Usopp would have much preferred to simply go around, but the trees were too tightly packed for him to bring the cart through.

The corpses were completely mutilated. Limbs, guts, and blood were seemingly smeared across buildings and the ground, and some heads had looks of horror frozen on their faces. Undoubtedly, this nightmare visage would haunt his dreams for some time.

"We're in a ruined village now, aren't we? That's what you saw?"

"How did you know?"

"The sound of the wheels rolling changed to what I'd expect from a paved road. Since I don't sense anyone besides you and I…"

"You're not wrong… It's just that there are so many corpses..."

"I see… Tragedies like this happen all of the time outside of the Kingdoms. We can probably blame bandits for this one though."

"Some of the corpses looked like they were not killed by something human... Even though Grimm would usually eat all of the corpses, can we really definitively say it was caused by bandits?"

"Bandits probably didn't do the finishing blow. They usually just raid and take supplies. However surviving villagers are filled with negativity and shortly after that, the Grimm finish them off. And it's not like bandits are ignorant about that. Since they're human, they should be held to a higher degree of responsibility than monsters."

"True… though that seems weird to say when we're both pirates."

"I never did anything evil as a pirate, mostly just fighting other pirates. Did you?"

"No, but the world will always see pirates as evil, since most pirates actually are. I was just thinking, since this world doesn't have pirates, maybe bandits are in the same boat."

"I get what you're saying… It's just hard to imagine. Regardless, whoever caused the Grimm to come to that village is unforgivable, bandit or not."

"Agreed."

There was a minute or so of silence between them with the mood becoming rather somber. Usopp decided to take both his and her mind off the tragedy with a story..

I have plenty of real stories to tell, but I'd rather save those for Kaya.

"If you don't mind, would you listen to some stories about my childhood?"

"Your childhood?"

"Of course! I'll start with a classic one of when I was three! You see, there was this huge goldfish, far larger than any Sea King. Its droppings were so massive that I set foot on them, thinking they were solid ground."

"...You're completely full of shit."

"Not as full of shit as that goldfish though."

That at the very least got Maria to laugh, which made Usopp start laughing as well. Further stories managed to at least keep everyone's mind off the somewhat heavy subjects of earlier. Several hours had passed, and Usopp was in the middle of talking when he noticed a peculiar smell.

Maria noticed it too. "Is that… the ocean?"

"I can't see it, but it smells like we're close."

"Why, exactly, did our path to Haven take us near the ocean?! We should be halfway to Shion by now, which is rather far inland."

"Shion? Why would we need to go there?"

"...Because they have an airship we could take to get to Haven faster… at least they did sixty years ago…"

"It's possible that the village has been destroyed in that time."

"True, but it's better than taking some scenic route that goes near the ocean! It's not cold at all, so I'm guessing that this is Anima's southern coast… This little detour will add at least a few weeks to our journey."

"Alright, I'm sorry for messing up with navigation, but that was never my thing anyways."

"No excuses, purchasing a map and a compass should be considered the bare minimum for such a trip. And of course, you should have talked to me whenever you reached a fork in the road. I could have told you which villages were on the path to Haven."

"That's… yeah, I'm sorry..."

I can't say that I wanted more time to train before having to confront Cinder… I can't say that I'm scared… No way.

Maria glared at Usopp for a few more seconds before sighing. "Though, I'm also at fault for assuming you knew those basics. I'll just have to add a mental note that you're an idiot."

"Hey!"

"But anyways, luckily for you, there is a way to get to Haven from here, even without a map or a compass."

"Really? Wait, how would you even know where 'here' is?"

"Have we crossed any rivers yet?"

"No..."

"Good. Just follow this road until you encounter a river. That river leads to the massive lake in the middle of Anima, and if you follow the east road from that lake, you should be able to follow the signs to Haven. It's not the most direct route, but it's one we can follow even with an idiot navigator."

"You're not going to let me live this down."

"Oh please, you still love to mention that damn beowolf I struggled with, so I'm allowed to have something on you too."

"Yes yes, whatever you say."

That earned a kick from Maria.

Just as Maria had said, they encountered a river after about an hour of travel, enough time for the sun to set. Even after sixty years, the geography of a continent was unlikely to change, so they were confident that this was the correct river. Without a road, though, Usopp had to carry the cart on his back. Of course, this was just more training in Maria's eyes, as well as punishment for messing up the navigation.

From further inland, Usopp could sense people from what he would guess was a village. Although, its defenses were stronger than normal, as he could tell that the 'village' was filled with people that had unlocked Auras.

"There's a village further in, next to the river. Since it's getting dark out, we can try to find an inn there."

"Really? I don't remember there being a village there."

"It's been sixty years, and it seems like it might be a settlement of Huntsmen. One of them is even quite strong."

"That's strange. I'm not sure why a group of Huntsmen would just settle down in the middle of nowhere."

As they walked towards the village, Usopp's attention fixated on the strong Aura. The way that her Aura made him nervous reminded him of Cinder after she ascended from below Beacon Tower, but it was just slightly different. However, from Maria's teachings, he knew that his Haki could get a rough estimate of a person's strength, and so this wariness he felt was not paranoia. It was something to take seriously.

Another detail of note was that just from the outline alone, the woman somewhat resembled the person who saved him, Yang, and Blake at Beacon. Although that thought just made him frown.

If that's really you, and you were that strong, then why didn't you help save Pyrrha? You should have been the one fighting Cinder! But you just left after saving Yang, not even arriving on time to save her arm despite being able to make portals… Is this person really a Huntress?

Doubts started to pop up in his mind about whether he was truly heading towards a village, and these doubts increased when he saw roughly made wooden palisades in the distance.

"You know, I think we should go around this place, even though it's late."

"Is it close enough for you to see?"

"Yeah… it kind of looks more like a bandit hideout than a village."

"I wish I could say I was surprised… In that case, though, we should take them out."

"Wait a second, there are a lot of bandits in that hideout. And not all of them are weak."

"Don't worry about it. Since you've been dealing with the Grimm for all this time, I'll let you take a backseat for these human opponents."

"That's not… there's no reason to risk your life here. Let's just go around."

Maria paused. "Usopp… It's likely that these bandits up ahead are responsible for the state of the village we visited earlier."

Usopp gulped.

"I can't ignore that. A true Huntress will fight until the bitter end, but I came very close to running away from that when I lost my eyes. That's not territory I want to retread anytime soon."

There were a few seconds of silence before Usopp sighed. "It can't be helped, then. I won't stop you from fighting them, but… don't die."

"I won't."

"I'm serious, there is a bandit in that camp who is truly strong. So, if I don't think you can win, I'll interfere."

"That's the best I think I can get from you, so I'll take it!"

It should be fine, leaving it to her, right? She managed to kick my ass, and even if the opponent is strong, they'll be hard pressed to even hit her. And on top of her Haki and Zoan fruit, she already had the skills of a legendary Huntress… She's in a completely different league from even a talented first year student… Even so, I can't stop thinking about the Fall...

Maria started to transform, her skin becoming beige and scaly, and her mouth gaining fangs and a forked tongue. Her legs disappeared in favor of her body becoming long and snakelike. Finally, two horns poked through her hood directly above her blindfold. By the time her transformation was complete, she towered eight feet above the ground. "Don't worry, I'll take this seriously."

He's still worried about me… He's got a big heart, but I'll need to talk to him about it after this is taken care of.

It didn't take much time at all to reach the bandit encampment. Maria couldn't see the wooden palisades at all, but those didn't matter. With a bit of added Haki, she headbutted the walls down and entered the camp. Now that she was inside, she was close enough to sense every single bandit she'd have to fight.

Ah, so that's the big fish Usopp's worried about… I'm surprised someone this strong even exists in this world. Also there's something strange about her Aura… I'm not even entirely sure what that means. Besides her… only one other noteworthy presence? She's comparatively weak, but still stronger than quite a few professional Huntsmen.

A bandit that had been preparing to fall asleep screamed, seeing Maria's snake form crash through the walls. He was taken out quickly, but the rest of the camp was notified that something was wrong. Six or so nearby bandits tried to attack her while one ran towards the strong Aura. Slipping through their attacks easily, she slammed, shot, and cut the bandits, breaking their Auras and knocking them unconscious. As quickly as they fell, she moved on to fight the increasing number of weaklings heading her way.

Combining her two scythes into a staff, she twirled and cut down swathes of bandits who could hit her with neither blade nor bullet. Even surrounded, it didn't take long for the remaining bandits to question the wisdom in fighting her. Taking advantage in the pause of combat, she decided to speak.

"It doesn't matter how many of you come at me, your fate will be the same as the ones bleeding on the floor."

Many were surprised that she was capable of speech, which was understandable considering her monstrous appearance. Thinking that he could intimidate her, one bandit said, "O-Once Raven gets here, you're dead meat!"

"That confident in your leader, then? So, why don't you let me duel her? It seems she'll arrive soon enough..."

In the skies, Maria noticed a bird with the same Aura signature as the person she assumed was Raven. This bird landed behind her, and then transformed instantly back into a human.

Was that a Devil Fruit power? Or, more likely, a Semblance.

"You have a lot of nerve to barge in here, kill my men, and demand a duel."

Maria didn't bother to turn in her direction. "Your men aren't dead, at least not yet."

Maybe… was I unconsciously holding back because of what Usopp said earlier? I suppose it's not like I have any proof of their misdeeds yet.

"Regardless, they're plenty beat up… But of course, if you want to die so badly, I'll humor you with a duel."

"You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Should I?"

"...No, I suppose not. At least not in this form."

Raven's eyes narrowed. The snake woman's outfit and weapons reminded her of that one legendary Huntress her brother admired, but it was impossible that the being before her was actually the Grimm Reaper.

"Before we start though… Did your tribe raid a village west from here?"

"West… Yes, we did travel from that direction. Of course we would take supplies from any villages on the way."

"The village closest to here is now in ruins with bloody corpses everywhere.."

"That's what happens to the weak."

...I don't know what I expected. But at least there's no reason to fret if any of these bandits die.

Breaking apart her staff back into individual scythes, she took the initiative and started shooting at Raven. The bandit was not surprised however, and she used her unsheathed sword to cut every bullet in two.

If only my Haki was stronger, then her sword would have broken for sure.

After dealing with a wave of bullets, Raven had to immediately jump back as two scythes approached from either side. At the midpoint of their swing, bullets fired at a far closer range knocked Raven's head back. Not letting up for a moment, she attacked again. Relying on her skills and instincts, Raven managed to position her sword in a way that would block both scythes at once. However, Maria's Zoan enhanced strength was hard for her to handle, and she was steadily being pushed back.

Is she holding back? If she really has a Zoan fruit like me, then she should start transforming soon.

With Raven suitably distracted by Maria's scythes, she used her snake tail to grip her ankle and slam her into the ground. Right before her scythes could follow up and hit Raven while she was prone, Raven transformed to avoid the blow. Maria tried to bite the bird with her fangs, but Raven gracefully flew and dodged, landing behind her soon after. Transforming back into a human in an instant, she slashed at Maria's neck, but Maria's tail was able to slam her abdomen and send her flying back before the strike could land.

This shouldn't be so easy… Why are you holding back so much?

Raven landed on her feet, but she stayed back for a moment to assess Maria. Tsk, I underestimated her… Is she really blind? Grimm Reaper or not, her skills live up to the legends. I didn't expect my Aura to be this low already, and I still haven't landed a single hit… I'll have to use the Maiden powers for this.

"Vernal!"

Loud storm clouds formed over the bandit camp. From the crowd of bandits, Vernal emerged. She closed her eyes and held out her arms in a way that would make a normal person believe she was the cause of the storm cloud.

Strange… The intent to create a storm cloud came from Raven, not Vernal. Regardless, I should act like I don't know that.

"Calling one of your lackeys to help? So much for a duel."

"Did you really expect a bandit to play fair?"

Casually slithering to the side right before a lightning bolt struck from the sky, Maria responded, "Not really, but I don't think my friend will be too happy."

"What friend?"

Maria smirked as she sensed a living projectile enter her sensory radius. A second later, a Devil Pop Green, burning with blue fire, grew behind Vernal and chomped her.

No matter what he did, Usopp couldn't shake the feeling of restlessness as Maria fought her way through the bandit camp. It wasn't overpowering, but it was lingering in the back of his mind.

Seeing her tear through hordes of bandits did nothing to alleviate this feeling. Even seeing her have the upper hand against the person he was wary of did nothing. After all, he himself had been in plenty of fights where despite getting his ass kicked in the beginning, he found a way to win.

When he sensed another somewhat strong person step up to potentially interrupt the duel, he didn't wait to try and sense any intent before taking the excuse to intervene.

"Green-Dust Star: Fiery Devil!"

The Pop Green chomped down on Vernal, and once she was firmly in its grip, it started slamming her against the ground over and over again until it released an unconscious and burnt body to the ground triumphantly. It then turned to Maria and Raven and just faced them in silence.

...I don't think I've ever seen a Devil act like that before… They're usually quite ravenous, letting the target dissolve in their mouths. Them slamming people on the ground and then simply releasing them after they're unconscious isn't something I've seen before. I guess it's just an interesting mutation. Also, why the hell was the fire blue? I didn't use that much Dust, and other times I've used fire Dust, it did not produce blue flame.

But what's more troubling is that the storm cloud hasn't disappeared, and it's still shooting lighting at Maria. Who is causing that? Or is it an ability that persists even after being knocked out?

While Usopp had made some progress in sensing the intent to attack with his haki, he was not yet at the point where he could tell specifically in what way a person planned to attack. From what he could sense from his haki, the only people in the camp with the intent to attack were Maria and her opponent, which frustrated him.

I need to train more… Maybe it is a good idea to get close, in case something happens.

It didn't take long for him to reach the camp, but even when he got there, none of the bandits paid him any attention. Many were just staring slack jawed in awe, and it wasn't hard to figure out why.

Amongst the conjured storm, Raven and Maria in her human form clashed over and over again. In addition to the lightning, icy shards fell in great numbers, with gusts of wind guiding them towards Maria and away from Raven. Maria was cutting and dodging ice spikes, dodging lightning, and still finding time to block or dodge Raven's own sword strikes. For many of the bandits there, seeing someone push their boss so much was unthinkable. Usopp however, was just more worried.

Maria's on the defensive… She even had to go out of her hybrid form for mobility… It's nothing like the first part of this fight. There's just too much she has to deal with right now… At the same time, she still hasn't got hit, so intervening now might be jumping the gun… Alright, I've decided. I'll get involved as soon as you take a hit, Maria!

I might have bit off more than I can chew here…

It was somewhat painful for her to admit it to herself, but between the lighting, ice shards, and Raven's sword attacks, her precognitive abilities were truly being pushed to the limit.

She idly acknowledged Usopp's presence, but she didn't dare stop to think too much about it. Any time where she could think would be better used thinking about how to win.

At least for the moment, there was a stalemate, but that was only for as long as she was physically capable of dodging every attack. And should she slip up with her Observation Haki, it would only take a few seconds for her Aura to break under the combined power of lightning and ice.

The main problem right now is that I can't attack without getting hit… Under these conditions, I can't think of a sure way to win. The only chance I see would be a gamble on how tough this Zoan form of mine really is… If I had more time to think, I could maybe come up with a better plan, but I need to act before I get tired. I don't have much of a choice…

I wonder if my Devil Fruit would respawn in its original world, or this one…

Resolving herself, she transformed to her hybrid form once again. Immediately, she slashed at Raven with both of her scythes, purposefully leaving herself open.

Raven in response created a large sword made of ice and thrusted towards Maria's heart. At the same time, ice shards peppered and broke Maria's Aura, and a lighting bolt struck her head on. Powering through, her two scythes cut outwards, cutting Raven's ice sword in half. However, Raven used her magic to resharpen the tip of the blade and continued her thrust, stabbing through the scales and drawing blood.

At the same time however, Maria's tail slammed Raven's chin from below. The tip, unbeknownst to even Maria, had turned solid black. Raven's Aura shattered, her eyes rolled back into her head, and her mask flew off.

I can't stop now!

In the next moment, she prepared herself to cut Raven's head off, but stopped when a flower sprouted from Raven's head and released sleeping gas.

Oh right, Usopp doesn't know that she admitted to raiding that village earlier… I'll at least wait to explain things before finishing her off then.

For a moment, Maria looked like a pincushion. Ice shards stuck out of her back, but they soon all fell out. Even Raven's ice sword did not pierce that deep, and without Raven's hand to hold it, it fell and landed on the ground.

Oh… this form is actually pretty tough. I've never really had the opportunity to test out its durability before… My gamble paid off...

But forget about that!

"I... win…"

Usopp felt like the weight of a hundred Sea Kings were lifted from his shoulders the moment Maria was triumphant. All of the extraneous anxiety that was building up disappeared, and he fell to his knees and cried.

I was just being an idiot after all… When was the last time I felt I could trust someone else to win? It's been… so long...

The bandits watching the fight were shell shocked, not being able to truly process what had happened, and Maria took the opportunity to walk to Usopp.

"Told you I could win."

Even if it was because she underestimated me at first...

Usopp quickly got up and wiped off his tears. "I didn't doubt it for a second!"

"Liar. I can still hear you sniffling a little."

"Shut up! Anyways, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, none of those sharp objects went in that far. But we should probably finish Raven off."

"Raven's their leader, right? Can we just… leave?"

"Usopp, she admitted to raiding that village earlier… There's no question about it, the hellscape you saw earlier was her fault."

"...Don't get me wrong, I'm mad at her for that and more. I'm grateful she got her ass kicked... But, after looking at her up close, she could potentially mean something to one of my friends. I don't know what kind of connection they have, so I don't feel comfortable letting her die without knowing the whole picture."

"That is indeed a problem… But at the same time, leaving such a dangerous bandit alive and able to hurt more innocents puts a bad taste in my mouth. "

"...Maybe we could turn her in to the government?"

"Haven is still a long time away. Can you keep her asleep until then?"

"...No. Eventually she'd gain more and more resistance to the Sleep Grass and then eventually be immune to it altogether."

"Then that isn't an option… Though, even if you could keep her asleep until then, it's hard to imagine that any prison in the world could contain her."

"...So there's no easy answer then…"

As he was thinking about this conundrum, he just barely spotted a black and white thing falling from above the clouds. In an instant, it crashed into the ground a few meters away, creating a sizable dust cloud. Before he could activate his Aura, a powerful shockwave sent him flying into the palisades.

What… the hell?

Coughing up large amounts of blood, Usopp pushed himself up and looked at whatever attacked him out of the blue. What he saw was his nightmare.

No, no, this has to be a joke, right? This can't be real!

Before him was a three headed Grimm slightly larger than a Goliath with the main body shaped like a Beowolf made of black vines and leaves.

Its middle head was black and leafy in the shape of a wolf's head. On the head's nose was a pasty white bulb that Usopp could recognize all too well.

The right head was also instantly recognizable, being a black and white version of a Devil Pop Green. In its jaws, there were already the bodies of several unfortunate bandits, and the way its mouth was curved made it look like it was perpetually grinning.

On the left was an almost normal Beowolf head, however, with the only changed feature being a small white banana shaped boat replacing its nose.

The flaming Devil Usopp had used to take out Vernal, strangely enough, uprooted itself and started running from the monster at its fastest speed, which was relatively slow.

No way… Why? WHY?! How does this exist?! Wait, where is Maria?!

Looking around, he was shocked to see that Maria had also been sent flying into a wall near him. Knocked out of her hybrid form, she was lying motionless, her head still bleeding.

Was she hit by the impact shockwave too? She's still alive, but… We need to get out of here! This Grimm is too dangerous! I'll try to distract it and then run away.

Enlarging Black Kabuto, Usopp loaded three Pop Green-Dust rounds. "Green-Dust Star: Flaming Impact Wolf Pack!"

That is a mouthful, I'll have to think of a shorter name later.

Not letting himself see the results of the attack he had little hope for, he swiftly grabbed Maria under one arm and ran as fast as he could. He didn't really care about where he was going, just as long as it was anywhere that Pop Green infused Grimm wasn't at.

Running through the night, Usopp noticed that there was a light source following him. Glancing to the side, his jaw fell as he saw the Impact Wolves, also burning with blue fire, running in the same direction as he was. Not only that, they were running faster, and they soon overtook him.

They're running away?! How the hell does a plant feel something like fear?! Come to think of it, I swear I saw that Devil I used earlier run away too, which doesn't make any sense since that Pop Green isn't capable of moving like that!

Daring to look behind him, he sighed in relief that the Grimm was still slaughtering bandits and not him.

Better them than me or Maria… Damn, there are too many strange things happening to think about. Why does that thing exist, why are my Pop Greens running away, and where the hell did that thing even come from? Can it fly somehow?

As he was running, he felt a tinge of guilt, but he shook it off.

The bandits had it coming… They're no Tontattas, there's no reason to risk my life fighting that monster.

A few more seconds passed before he froze in a sudden realization.

Raven is still there… But Yang would understand, right? It's a matter of life or death…

He laughed to himself.

Right, right, no need to concern myself… I'll just let her die, and then…

And then...

...Dammit Usopp, can you really let Yang lose even more than she already has?! You already failed her once when she lost her arm!

Setting Maria on the ground, he glared back at the camp where the monster was rampaging. Checking his scroll, he was shocked to see that he was already down to 30% of his Aura even though he used none of it to protect himself.

How is it that low already?! Is using Aura to ignite Dust really that taxing? I never really checked my Aura the other times I used the Green-Dust stars, so maybe this is just normal.

From the direction of the bandit camp, the fiery Devil Pop Green that had started running at a relatively slow pace was finally close to catching up. Even with his mind distracted by the recent chaos, Usopp started to try and connect the dots.

"Hey," he called out to the Pop Green, "I'm not asking you to fight that abomination, but at the very least, protect Maria here until I get back."

Even if it didn't work, it's not like there was anyone around to hear him talk with a plant, but surprisingly enough, the Pop Green rooted itself close to Maria.

Then does that mean… I'll think more about it later, I need to get back as fast as possible.

Sprinting at top speed with nothing to slow him down, he arrived at a scene of the Pop Grimm's Devil head about to chomp on Raven. Some bandits were trying to shoot the monster, while others simply ran.

"Green-Dust Star: Flaming Shuriken!"

The Devil head tried to move out of the way, but at the last second, the fiery blue shuriken changed their trajectory and cut at the stalk from two sides. Burning and cutting, the shuriken were several inches short in cutting the head off, though they set what was left on fire. Not wanting the fire to spread to the main body, the middle head destroyed the stalk with an impact shockwave. After the Grimm Devil disintegrated, countless internal and external body parts painted the ground.

Right, it's not like there would be a throat to connect that to the main body, and there shouldn't be one for the Impact Wolf either… The only thing really capable of swallowing would be the Beowolf head, but it doesn't seem like it could compete well with the other two… Is that why that village earlier was in such a state? Though why does this Grimm Devil digest things at such a slow speed? A normal Pop Green would dissolve everything much faster. Is this abomination weaker than normal Pop Greens?

The two remaining heads gazed at Usopp with hostility that made Usopp shiver on the inside. Remaining outwardly steadfast under its gaze though, he prepared another shot. However, before he could get the chance to fire, the creature hopped several feet into the air, revealing solid black Trampolia bubbles that popped out from under its feet. As it landed on the bubbles, it shot into the air at lighting speed, quickly disappearing above the clouds.

What the hell?! It's above the clouds now! So they're NOT weaker! Not only are these Pop Greens being integrated into Grimm, but most of them are also more powerful… Which makes it more of a miracle that Maria survived. Zoan forms sure are tough... Though the clouds are pretty low, since they are leftover from Maria's fight, but still… Well, now that I know it's something to look out for, I should be able to hit it as it falls. Terminal velocity is a thing after all.

"Hey," one bandit said, "That person just saved the boss, right?"

"Wasn't he an enemy? Why is he helping us?"

"Shut up!" Usopp yelled, "This Grimm is too much for any of you to handle, so just take that woman and run! Don't ask why!"

"There are still more unconscious people from our tribe though."

"You can stay somewhat close, just get her out of the way! If she dies, I'm getting out of here and leaving you to deal with this thing!"

Only hesitating for a bit, the remaining bandits in the area picked up their unconscious boss and any others they could carry and left the scene. Taking a second, Usopp checked his Aura on his scroll and saw that it had dropped to 25%

I knew it… In that case, I should save my Au-

His thoughts were interrupted as the beast shot down behind him once again, hitting him with another impact shockwave. Crashing into another palisade and coughing more blood, Usopp reassessed what the Grimm's max falling speed was.

Maybe it's using the trampolia pads on its feet to propel itself downwards… It wouldn't have anything to push against, but if it used its claws, it could force the bubbles in and have the elastic force push against the air, kind of like Luffy's Fourth Gear. Damn, if this thing can just keep bouncing up and falling down behind me, how am I supposed to win? Assuming it's experienced like other Grimm its size, it might even try to stay in the air for different amounts of time so I can't predict it…

But wait, this Grimm could not have existed for longer than I've been in this world, so it might not have that level of strategy… Well, let's try it.

While Usopp did try to hit the creature again before it could bounce into the air, he was once again unsuccessful. Usopp started a mental countdown.

If it's dumb, it will appear behind me again after thirty seconds. I don't think it will jump into an extremely obvious trap, but if I'm subtle, I might be able to take out those troublesome trampolias.

Scanning the sky like he did earlier, he placed his slingshot on his shoulder facing backwards, waiting until there were only a few seconds left before firing a volley of Bamboo Javelin seeds backwards. At the same time, he rolled to the side to avoid getting hit with another powerful shockwave.

To Usopp's surprise, his little makeshift plan mostly worked. After recovering from his roll, he looked up to see that three out of four legs had been impaled by bamboo. The main body was also punctured, but it was high up enough that the bamboo could not pierce far.

If the monster was not already pissed, it was now. Growling fiercely, it used its remaining trampolia to bounce and escape the bamboo, but without a balanced application of force, the creature spun and tumbled in the air.

Good luck getting oriented like that! I don't think it will be able to precisely bounce anywhere in that state.

"Ha ha ha! The great God Usopp prevails once again! From here, things should get… easier… Damn it!"

Falling from the sky was a massive solid white banana boat the size of half the bandit camp. Any remaining clouds were dispersed in its wake. The Pop Grimm was riding the boat all the way at the back.

You've got to be kidding me! Did the small banana boat nose on the Beowolf head grow that large and detach itself?! And it used the added mass to stabilize itself!

I should really try to get out of the way… but I don't think my pride as a man would survive if I ran from an overgrown banana! There are times when a man must never run no matter what, and this is one of those times! So instead... I'll destroy it!

"Screw you! I'll give you a boat of my own, one that will send you to the other side of the River Styx!"

For whatever reason, Usopp had a special Green-Dust round with a banana boat seed already prepared. "Green-Dust Star: Hellfire Banana Boat!"

Burning with brilliant blue flames, the small banana boat soared towards its much larger cousin. The task Usopp had entrusted to the small boat was so ridiculous that some of the bandits watching thought that he had lost his mind.

"Go! Show that cheap Grimm knockoff the power of the real deal!"

And perhaps he had. But in this moment of calmness, Usopp sensed several presences approaching.

Ah, so they're going to fight after all… I knew it all along of course!

"Why isn't he getting out of the way?" One bandit asked.

Usopp set up three trampolia Pop Greens in front of him and smirked. "Look behind you."

Turning around, the bandits were shocked to see three burning wolves rush past them and jump straight on top of the trampolia bubbles, rocketing towards the falling banana boat. As they got close, they unleashed powerful shockwaves and blue fireballs from their noses. One Impact Wolf blasted a hole for the smaller boat projectile to pass through, while the others focused on destroying as much of the boat as possible before it could crash into the land below.

Finally… after so long… this is, without a doubt, my Semblance! I don't know all of the details, but it seems that it's not nearly as useless as I first thought.

With a path cleared, the Hellfire Banana Boat set its sights towards the massive Pop Grimm it wanted to destroy. This did not go unnoticed by the Grimm, as it charged forward on ground that would burn up within seconds and prepared to unleash a shockwave that would put the boat in its place.

However, also charging forward was a fiery Impact Wolf that was absolutely dwarfed by its opponent. Even so, it attacked from the side and set loose a burning impact that destroyed the white bulb and snout of the middle head. Only moments later, the wolf was swatted with a massive claw. There was a hint of a light green Aura being shattered, and then the fiery wolf dissipated into a cloud of leaves.

The distraction, as well as the loss of its most powerful weapon, allowed the Hellfire Banana Boat to directly lodge itself into the monster's chest. The creature let loose a howl of pain and anger as it burned up from the inside. Writhing in pain, it fell to the ground back first, lodging the burning banana even further in. It tried to claw at the boat, but that only spread the flames even more. Moments later, the agonized howling stopped as it disintegrated completely

The remaining two Impact Wolves landed gracefully after they finished destroying the Grimm Banana Boat.

Usopp stared forward blankly, his victory taking a while to sink in. When it did eventually sink in though, the feeling of relief and the loss of adrenaline caused him to fall to his knees. He coughed blood a few times, and duly noted just how much pain he was feeling throughout his entire body.

Those impacts were devastating… I hope Maria is alright. Zoan users tend to be tough, but I think we both might have some internal damage… Not to mention the injuries from her previous fight. Would Aura be enough to heal that? I need to check in on her…

Usopp stood up, but his legs were wobbly, and he had trouble keeping himself stable. Before he could fall though, he was caught in the jaws of an Impact Wolf and then tossed to rest on it's back. He panicked for half a second before he realized that said Pop Green was no longer on fire.

The other one is still flaming, but this one extinguished itself. Not only that, but the leaves show no signs of charring… I really need to test out all sorts of things regarding this Semblance, as it seems rather complicated.

But more importantly…

"Hey, wolves! We need to check in on Maria!"

Maria woke up on her side with every part of her body hurting. Her head was in a daze, and it took a few seconds before she thought about activating her Observation Haki.

Where's Usopp? Actually, what even happened? Usopp and I were talking… I think it was about whether to kill or spare Raven… and then, something, probably a Grimm, knocked me out… Is Usopp dealing with it, then? And he left me uncomfortably close to a carnivorous plant…

She sighed. And I don't think he performed first aid on me either… Though, considering his navigation skills, that is probably for the best. He doesn't really have the skills to travel by himself, which makes me wonder what he would have done if I returned to this world a day earlier or later…

Maria did carry bandages with her, which she used to roughly wrap around the parts that felt like they were bleeding. Steadily, she stood up while using one of her scythes as support. Only a few seconds later, Usopp's Aura entered her range with two large wolf shaped Auras that were walking in her direction.

Usopp won, but… could Pop Greens always move like that? And he seems terribly injured… What kind of Grimm did he fight? Or did that bitch Raven wake up and give him trouble?

Speeding up to as fast of a walk as she could manage, she almost tripped when the Devil Pop Green behind her uprooted itself and followed her. Unlike with the wolves, Maria was absolutely certain that this plant wasn't supposed to move like that, but she didn't let it distract her for too long.

"Usopp, are you alright?!"

"Totally fine, I was just feeling a bit sleepy so I'm resting on one of my Impact Wolves."

"Oh, so you're not injured… I suppose that means you're fine with continuing your training tomorrow?"

"Um, I er..."

"I knew it… There's no need to act tough. I'm sure whatever injured you like this was strong… Did another Wyvern appear?"

"No… compared to what came, I would have welcomed another Wyvern."

"What… what did you fight?"

"...Now that I've had time to think… It's something that only exists because of my own failure… The thought that there might be more out there terrifies me, but it also makes my mission even more important."

"You're not answering the question."

"Fine fine, somehow some hybrid between a handful of my Pop Greens and a Grimm attacked. Not only did the fusion somehow make the Pop Green's more effective, it was also the size of a Goliath despite having the body of a Beowolf. You were knocked out by an Impact Shockwave from the creature."

"...No wonder my entire body hurts like hell… But you're right, if there are more Grimm like that, even the Kingdoms might have trouble fending them off. It is a problem, but I don't see how it is your fault."

"Pop Greens only exist in my world, I'm sure of it. However, I made a mistake at Beacon that let the enemy who was behind the Fall acquire them. I didn't even realize it until much later, but with how complicated using Pop Greens safely is, I thought it would be longer until there were serious repercussions..."

"So, you think that the people behind Beacon's Fall are also responsible for creating that Grimm with the Pop Greens they stole..."

I've always wondered… why would any human benefit from wiping out people with silver eyes? Those powers only hurt the Grimm, so even a dictator seeking to rule the world wouldn't want them gone. And it's not because of our skills either, since that crocodile Faunus specifically said her master wanted my eyes gone… This isn't just some normal terrorist organization, it seems more like a cult that wishes to destroy civilization…

"Yes… I just don't know who else could be responsible. I don't think my mere presence would cause these special Grimm to spawn, since there have been no reports of anything like that while the CCT was still up, and they certainly didn't show up at Beacon. The thought that there could be more though... It's terrifying."

"...This is indeed troubling… It's a good thing that you destroyed it here and now though. But, we can't dwell on it right now if we don't want anymore Grimm to show up. Did anything else happen?"

"I discovered what my Semblance is."

"Does it have to do with why your Pop Greens are moving autonomously?"

"Yes. I still need to test many things about it, however. It seems that when I put my Aura into my Pop Greens, they gain a limited amount of intelligence as well as the ability to move in whatever way they want… My Semblance also seems to enhance any Dust I use with my Pop Greens."

"Oh, how flashy. But Pop Greens must have made quite the impression on your soul for your Semblance to be so specific."

"...I technically haven't tested it with normal plants yet… But you're right, aren't Semblances mostly supposed to be echoes of our souls or something? At least I remember being told that. While I've worked with plants for some time, my first guess for something that echoes my soul would be something that would help me run away."

Like Blake…

"You got a seemingly powerful Semblance, so I wouldn't think too hard about it."

"It's powerful, but not that reliable. It seems like the enhanced Pop Greens first instinct is to… oh, I'm an idiot..."

"Why?"

"It's to run away… I guess with the limited intelligence, they also get my self-preservation instinct… Knowing that they're as reliable as I am is not that reassuring..."

"It makes sense. In a way, when you put some Aura into the Pop Greens, you're giving them a bit of your soul."

"Won't that cause me to die someday?"

"It should be no different from using Aura for defense or to activate Dust… It would only affect your lifespan if you somehow managed to extract a deeper part of your Aura, though that's only theoretical. I don't think a Semblance would draw from that, but it might be possible artificially… Though, if they only are cowardly because you are, then that's good news for you."

"You're right! Once I become a true brave warrior of the sea, then I'll also be able to count on them in any situation!"

"Until then, I wouldn't bet your life on it. But, about Raven… What did you end up deciding about her?"

Usopp didn't respond, and after several seconds, she started to ask again until she heard snoring.

A/N: It took two and a half months, but for this chapter, I had a set goal for where to get in the story before ending it. Of course, that took way more words than I thought it would at first, but this is the 20th chapter, and considering the point the story was at, it felt like a good time to at least reveal Usopp's Semblance.

Next chapter I will try and make some real progress with Franky's plot, so it will be mostly focused on him.