Just as Colonel Ronald brazenly launched his Tempest Slash and Morris furiously spurred the Giant Mushroom to counterattack, shaking the earth, inside Mushroom Village...
"Wha... What is that?!"
A villager pointed towards the center of the island.
They saw the massive cap of the Kachira Giant Mushroom in the distance—the one they had revered for generations as the island's symbol and protector—trembling slightly, and terrifying bulges were vaguely visible on its immensely thick stalk!
"The Kachira Giant Mushroom... is moving?!"
"A miracle! The Mushroom God has revealed himself!"
Some elderly villagers immediately turned toward the Giant Mushroom and dropped to their knees with a thud.
"Quick! Pray to the Mushroom God!"
As if to confirm his words, distinct tremors began to shake the ground beneath their feet!
"The ground is shaking! Is it an earthquake?!"
"What's going on? What in the world is happening?!"
"It must be those foreign pirates! They angered the Kachira Giant Mushroom! They provoked the Mushroom God!"
The elders continuously kowtowed, prompting more frightened villagers to kneel towards the Giant Mushroom and begin mumbling prayers while knocking their heads.
"Pray quickly! Beg for the god's forgiveness, lest he punish us!"
"How is that possible?! How can the Kachira Giant Mushroom move?! I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Exactly! This is far too strange!"
"Everyone get up! What are you doing?!"
Old Mushroom Head, the Village Chief, was so angry his beard trembled. He slammed his cane against the ground.
"This is no miracle! This is clearly a disaster! Those damned outsiders are causing trouble! Snap out of it!!"
However, fear and ignorance could not be dispelled by a few shouts.
Most villagers remained kneeling and praying, with only a few young people standing in shock and uncertainty, their gazes toward the Giant Mushroom filled with unease... Rongrong Island Center
Facing the massive fungal fist, which was the size of a house, Colonel Ronald, suspended in mid-air with nowhere to exert force, felt his pupils contract sharply.
He was not proficient in Moonwalk, so he was currently unable to dodge. He could only place all his hope and strength into the single, maximally condensed strike in his hand!
"Tempest Slash—!!!"
He roared, and his saber transformed into a brilliant rainbow tearing through the sky, resolutely slashing toward the incoming giant fist!
"Crack—Splat!"
There was no loud clang of metal on metal, only the dull ripping sound of a sharp blade slicing into tough, woody material.
Ronald's desperate strike, condensed with his spirit and energy, was indeed astonishingly powerful, managing to sever the massive fungal fist right at the wrist!
The severed giant fist crashed to the ground, shaking the earth again, sending spore dust flying.
However, breaking through that punch had nearly exhausted his momentum and remaining strength from launching himself into the air.
Another giant fist, which had been gathering momentum, suddenly slammed toward him, carrying the might to crush everything!
"Iron Mass!!"
In the nick of time, Ronald roared, his entire body's muscles tensing and hardening like steel, pushing the defensive ultimate technique of the Marine Six Styles to its limit!
"Boom—!!!"
The giant fist smashed squarely into him, and the terrifying impact sent him hurtling toward the ground like a meteor!
"Thump—!!"
A shallow crater was formed in the ground, and spore dust, gravel, and dirt exploded outward in a violent, circular blast wave!
"Colonel—!!!"
The Marine officers and soldiers fighting fiercely against the remaining Spore Soldiers in the distance had their eyes splitting with rage.
As the dust slightly cleared, Ronald was seen lying at the bottom of the crater, a trickle of blood escaping his lips. Relying on the formidable defense of "Iron Mass," he had withstood the fatal blow. Although his internal organs were shaken, his injuries were not yet severe enough to lose fighting capability, and he struggled to get up.
But Morris's furious counterattack was not over!
They saw the fungal tissue at the cross-section of the severed giant fist writhing wildly. In the blink of an eye, an equally massive fist had fully regenerated!
"Die! Marine! Ora Ora Ora—!!!"
Giving Ronald no chance to breathe, the newly regenerated fist, along with the other fist, began a fiercely continuous pounding on the figure at the bottom of the crater, like a pile driver!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"
Facing the alternating bombardment of the two giant fists, Ronald was like rice cake on a cutting board, desperately maintaining Iron Mass while enduring blow after heavy blow at the bottom of the crater.
Morris leaned against the Giant Mushroom's stalk, his pale face twisted in hysterical laughter.
Just as all his attention was focused on controlling the giant fists and enjoying the thrill of crushing the Marine.
A ghostly figure silently approached Morris from behind.
The hand rose, the palm fell.
A heavy Hand Blade struck Morris's undefended back of the neck.
"Ugh..."
The hysterical laughter on Morris's face abruptly stopped, and the frantic light in his eyes instantly scattered.
He didn't even have time to turn around and see who it was before his body slumped softly onto the thick fungal mat at the base of the Giant Mushroom, unconscious.
As the Ability User lost consciousness, all the Spore Army units created by his power instantly turned into ordinary spore dust, scattering and dissolving into the air.
The activated, wriggling hyphae quickly lost their luster and vitality, reverting back into inconspicuous jungle ground cover.
And the two Giant Mushroom fists that had been pounding furiously also lost all their strength and activity, drooping down beside the stalk.
Sammy glanced at Ronald, who was momentarily motionless in the dust at the bottom of the distant crater, then at Morris, who lay unconscious at his feet. He reached out and touched the massive fist of the Kachira Giant Mushroom beside him, which had returned to stillness.
"That is truly... an exaggerated scale and level of control."
"Don't move! Who... who are you?!"
At this moment, the remaining Marine Soldiers finally recovered from the shock of the Spore Soldiers disappearing. Although all of them were injured, they still forced themselves to raise their muskets and swords, pointing them uniformly at Sammy and his group, who had suddenly appeared.
"The Je—Jellyfish Pirates?! That's... Predator Sammy!!!"
A sharp-eyed soldier recognized Sammy's face.
"Oh dear, I've been recognized. My apologies for interrupting you Marine elites while you carry out your duties."
Sammy scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed, but this seemingly casual action caused the Marine Soldiers who were gradually gathering around to treat him like a formidable enemy. They quickly racked their bolts, and dozens of dark muzzles locked firmly onto him.
"Drop your weapons! Surrender immediately!"
"Don't get agitated, Marine brothers."
Sammy spread his hands, signaling that he had no hostile intentions.
"In any case, I just helped you solve a big problem, didn't I? If I hadn't intervened, your brave Colonel would probably have turned into mushroom fertilizer. Doesn't that count as indirectly saving all of your lives? Is this how Marines on the Grand Line treat helpful citizens and life-savers?"
The Marine Soldiers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty. Sammy's words were undeniable, but they showed no intention of lowering their weapons.
Standing before them was "predator," a man with a bounty over a hundred million and a notorious reputation. His danger level was likely higher, not lower, than that mushroom maniac from earlier!
"A pirate's help is only ever for your own benefit! Don't think you can deceive us like this! Attention, everyone, maintain formation! Wait for the Colonel's command!"
Their eyes anxiously dart toward the bottom of the crater, hoping Colonel Ronald would immediately stand up and take charge of the situation.
Sammy took in their reactions completely. The look of helplessness slowly faded from his face, replaced by a hint of mockery.
"Alright, it seems the role of helpful citizen doesn't quite suit me. Since you don't acknowledge this favor, never mind. But we traveled all this way; we can't go back empty-handed... So, sorry about this—it's a robbery!"