The underground beneath Dressrosa had become a warzone.
Collapsed tunnels.
Shattered pillars.
Cracked walls shifting unnaturally through the influence of the Stone-Stone Fruit.
Dust drifted endlessly through the dark corridors.
And moving through that destruction with terrifying calm
Yassop.
His footsteps echoed softly against broken stone as he sprinted across a collapsing passageway.
Behind him
RUMBLE!!
The entire wall burst outward.
A gigantic stone fist thundered toward him with enough force to flatten a building.
Yassop leapt sideways instantly.
BOOOOOOM!!
The fist annihilated the tunnel behind him.
Stone fragments exploded everywhere.
Before the debris even settled
Yassop twisted midair.
BOOM!
The rifle barked.
The Haki-coated bullet tore through the dust cloud toward a specific section of stone hidden within the giant construct.
KRAAAASH!!
The rock exploded apart.
A shadow shifted inside the wall at the last possible moment.
Yassop landed lightly atop a cracked stone beam.
His Observation Haki pulsed outward again.
Searching.
Tracking.
Then
The floor beneath him shifted.
Yassop's eyes sharpened.
'Below.'
The earth exploded upward.
A gigantic stone serpent erupted from underneath the tunnel floor with its jaws wide open.
Yassop kicked off the beam.
The serpent snapped shut beneath him.
CRUNCH!!
The entire support structure collapsed.
While falling through the debris
Yassop fired three rapid shots downward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The bullets pierced through the serpent's skull.
Massive cracks spread across the construct before it shattered apart completely.
Chunks of stone rained through the underground chambers.
Yassop landed in a low crouch.
The moment his feet touched the ground
The surrounding walls moved again.
RUMBLE.
Entire corridors twisted.
The underground labyrinth reshaped itself like a living creature.
Then
A gigantic humanoid figure emerged from the stone itself.
Towering.
Massive.
A walking mountain of rock.
Pica.
His enormous stone arm pulled backward.
Then launched forward like a cannon.
BOOOOOOM!!
Yassop vanished just before impact.
The punch obliterated the tunnel completely.
The shockwave tore through nearby chambers.
Yassop sprinted across the falling rubble effortlessly.
His rifle spun in one hand.
Then
BOOM!
Another shot echoed.
The bullet curved through a narrow opening between collapsing walls.
Pica shifted through the stone just in time.
The bullet grazed past his cheek again.
A second thin line of blood appeared.
Deep within the stone giant
Pica's expression darkened.
This sniper.
This pirate.
He kept finding him.
Again and again.
Yassop skidded across a fractured corridor before suddenly stopping.
His Observation Haki expanded.
The underground structure unfolded within his senses.
And there.
At the core of the giant construct.
Pica.
Yassop slowly raised his rifle again.
The barrel aligned perfectly.
Then
Pica spoke.
"You are annoying."
The voice echoed throughout the underground chambers.
High-pitched.
Sharp.
Almost comically squeaky.
Silence.
Yassop blinked once.
Then twice.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
And suddenly
"PFFFFT—HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The sniper burst into laughter.
Completely unrestrained.
Yassop bent over while laughing.
He pointed toward the gigantic stone monster in disbelief.
"THAT'S your voice?!"
He laughed harder.
"Oh my God—!"
"The giant mountain talks like that?!"
Deep within the construct
Pica froze.
The underground trembled.
The atmosphere darkened instantly.
Nearby walls cracked under the pressure.
"..."
Yassop wiped tears from his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry—"
"No, I'm not."
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The entire underground exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Massive stone arms erupted from every direction simultaneously.
Walls collapsed inward.
The ceiling cracked apart.
Gigantic spikes burst from the floor like spears.
Pica had snapped.
The entire underground structure became murderous.
Yassop's Observation Haki screamed warnings instantly.
'Oh.'
'He's mad.'
The sniper bolted.
RUMBLE!!
A colossal stone fist chased directly behind him, tearing through tunnel after tunnel.
Yassop sprinted through collapsing corridors at insane speed.
The walls around him became jaws attempting to crush him.
Stone spikes burst from below.
Gigantic hands grabbed from above.
The entire underground labyrinth had transformed into a death maze.
Yassop vaulted over falling debris.
Ran along walls.
Slid beneath collapsing stone slabs.
Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next.
Like a dance performed at the edge of death.
Behind him
Pica continued raging.
Entire chambers exploded apart.
The underground shook like an earthquake.
"STOP RUNNING!"
The absurdly high-pitched scream echoed through the tunnels.
Yassop nearly laughed again.
He bit his lip desperately to contain himself.
'No.'
'Don't laugh again.'
A gigantic stone hammer slammed downward toward him.
Yassop twisted sideways.
BOOOOM!!
The impact shattered the corridor completely.
The sniper flipped backward through the debris.
Mid-air—
BOOM!
A bullet screamed toward Pica's core.
Pica shifted through the stone again.
The bullet barely missed his eye.
Yassop landed smoothly atop a collapsing pillar.
Dust drifted around him.
The sniper adjusted his rifle calmly.
Yassop sprinted through the chaos at terrifying speed.
Behind him—
BOOOOOOM!!
A colossal stone arm exploded through three underground tunnels simultaneously.
The impact sent debris flying everywhere.
Yassop vaulted over falling rubble smoothly.
Observation Haki pulsed outward.
The sniper's eyes sharpened.
'Almost there.'
Ahead
Moonlight.
The exit.
Yassop accelerated instantly.
Then
KRAAAAAASH!!
He burst through the underground wall and launched out into the open city streets of Dressrosa.
Fresh air hit his face.
The cool night wind swept past him.
Behind him, the underground entrance collapsed inward violently.
RUMBLE!!
Stone hands burst upward briefly
Then stopped.
The giant constructs slowly retreated back beneath the city.
Pica's massive stone face emerged from the broken street below.
His eyes scanned the city.
But Yassop had already disappeared among the rooftops.
Silence.
Then
"…Coward."
The absurdly high-pitched voice echoed across the streets.
Pica sneered from within the stone.
"He ran away."
The giant construct slowly sank back underground.
Convinced the sniper had retreated.
Elsewhere in Dressrosa
The royal army finally reached the devastated district near the auction hall.
And immediately
They stopped.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The destruction before them was beyond comprehension.
Entire buildings had collapsed.
Massive craters scarred the streets.
Blue flames illuminated the night sky.
Black fire streaked through the heavens.
Thin razor strings carved apart entire towers.
And at the center of it all
Three monsters continued fighting above the kingdom.
Marco.
King.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
BOOOOOOM!!
Marco slammed into King midair.
Blue phoenix flames exploded outward.
The shockwave shattered every remaining window nearby.
Doflamingo descended from above.
"Overheat!"
A burning string sliced downward like divine punishment.
King blocked with his sword.
The resulting collision split an entire boulevard apart.
The royal soldiers visibly trembled.
One soldier lowered his weapon slowly.
"…What are those monsters?"
Another swallowed hard.
"We can't fight that…"
King Riku Doldo III stared upward grimly.
Even he
A seasoned king
Felt powerless.
For the first time since arriving—
The royal army lost confidence completely.
Because this wasn't a battle ordinary humans could interfere in.
This was a clash between monsters of the New World.
And Dressrosa was simply caught in the middle.
Deep beneath the city
Shanks finally stepped into a hidden underground chamber.
At the center of the room
Rested the black display case.
Inside it
The cutlass of Gol D. Roger.
Shanks smiled softly.
"…Found you."
The moment he stepped forward
The walls shifted.
A gigantic stone face emerged from the chamber itself.
Pica.
"You're too late."
His high-pitched voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Your crewmate ran away."
"He abandoned you."
"You will never get the sword."
Silence.
Then suddenly
Shanks burst out laughing.
"PFFFFT—HAHAHAHAHA!"
Pica froze instantly.
Shanks pointed toward the giant stone face while struggling to breathe.
"S-Sorry—"
"I just wasn't expecting that voice!"
Pica's expression darkened violently.
"EVEN IF YOU LAUGH—"
His voice somehow became even squeakier due to anger.
"IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!"
"YOU AREN'T GETTING THE SWORD!"
Shanks wiped tears from his eyes.
Still grinning.
Then calmly
"It seems you underestimated Yassop."
Pica frowned.
"…What are you talking about?"
Far above the city
Several kilometers away
On top of a ruined clocktower overlooking Dressrosa
Yassop rested his rifle against his shoulder calmly.
The night wind blew through his hair.
Below him
The entire city unfolded like a map.
And through his Observation Haki
He sensed it perfectly.
Pica.
Hidden deep underground.
Completely focused on Shanks.
Completely unaware.
Yassop smiled faintly.
"…Got you."
The sniper lowered himself slightly.
The rifle steadied.
Observation Haki sharpened to its absolute limit.
Distance vanished.
Noise vanished.
The world narrowed down to a single point.
Pica's true body.
Hidden inside the stone.
Yassop inhaled slowly.
Then
BOOOOOOM!!
The rifle thundered across Dressrosa.
The Haki-coated bullet tore through the night sky like black lightning.
It pierced buildings.
Stone.
Walls.
Underground structures.
Nothing stopped it.
Deep underground
Pica's eyes widened suddenly.
Too late.
KRAAAAAASH!!
The bullet pierced directly through his shoulder.
Blood exploded outward.
Pica's consciousness vanished instantly.
The giant stone face shattered apart.
Across the entire city
The Stone-Stone Fruit's influence collapsed.
Walls stopped moving.
Stone constructs crumbled.
The underground tremors ceased.
Silence fell over Dressrosa.
Shanks smiled.
"…That's my sniper."
Then calmly
He stepped toward Roger's sword.
---
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