"Is that... true?!"
McKinley stared at Usopp like he'd just witnessed a miracle, completely bought into every word of bullshit that had just come out of the sniper's mouth.
Usopp's confident expression froze.
Wait. Did they fall for it? Oh shit... What do I do now?
He glanced around at his crewmates, silently begging for someone to bail him out of this mess.
Everyone looked away.
"You must be the one sent to save us!" McKinley declared. "A savior from the Blue Sea!"
Usopp sucked in a sharp breath but somehow managed to maintain his composure. "Ahem... yeah, something like that."
McKinley was completely sold. And he wasn't alone, Conis and Pagaya were looking at Usopp like he'd just parted the clouds themselves.
Only people who'd lived under Enel's oppression could truly understand the weight of what Usopp had just said. To speak such blasphemous words, and suffer no divine punishment?
That could only mean one thing: everything he said was true.
Sanji watched Conis drop to her knees in reverence and immediately wanted to shatter this absurd illusion. This was obviously just Usopp being Usopp, how could they believe him?
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, Marcus stopped him. "Hold on. Don't you think this actually works out pretty well?"
"Huh? This wasn't part of your plan at all, was it?"
The original plan had been straightforward: find Skypieans who still had the will to resist, say some provocative things to ignite their fighting spirit, then let the Shandians handle the four priests when they showed up. The Skypieans would witness the Shandians' strength, Gan Fall would tell them the true history, and gradually their perception would change.
Finally, the Straw Hats would appear as villains trying to become the new "god." Then, when everyone united to drive them out, they'd retreat. Perfect for pirates, and it would shatter the very concept of divine authority.
Everyone had agreed to that plan.
But Usopp's speech had completely derailed it. Even the White Berets captain believed him now.
Marcus just shook his head. "This works too. Maybe even better."
"How?" Sanji looked confused.
Meanwhile, the White Berets soldiers were all staring at Usopp with worshipful eyes, and the poor sniper was panicking a bit.
Bragging was one thing. Being worshipped like a deity was something else entirely.
He looked to his crewmates for help again, only to see Chopper gazing at him with sparkling eyes full of wonder.
"Whoa! Usopp, are you really a god?!"
Hey! You believe it too?! Usopp wanted to scream, but he held it in. He turned to Luffy instead, hoping his captain would have more sense.
Luffy's eyes were shining. "So cool!"
"..."
Desperate, Usopp turned to his last hope, Marcus, who just gave him a thumbs-up and a wide grin. "That's right! God Usopp!"
"Oh no..."
And so began the farce. Because of his bragging, he had been elevated to the status of "God."
While Usopp silently died inside, Marcus was already revising their plans in the crew's private group chat.
[Marcus]: Actually, if you think about it, our previous plan doesn't really fit the situation here.
[Vivi]: I thought it was fine though?
[Usopp]: SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE
[Marcus]: The thing is, Skypiea has always been ruled by a "god." Trying to introduce revolutionary ideas to people who've only ever known divine authority might be really difficult. But if we create a new god instead of destroying the old one... that might solve things much faster.
[Sanji]: True, our previous plan would've been a tough sell to these people.
[Robin]: From what we learned from Wyper and Gan Fall, both sides have always had deep faith in the concept of "God." If we want to resolve this quickly during our journey, creating a new god is indeed more effective than trying to eliminate the concept entirely.
[Alvida]: I agree with the strategy. But... are we seriously making Usopp the god?
[Usopp]: SOMEONE SAVE ME
[Marcus]: It's not a permanent solution, but since Usopp will be leaving Skypiea with us soon, once their "god" departs, everyone who worships him will naturally unite under that single shared belief, so there'll be no more enemies.
[Vivi]: That's actually clever. Both sides would be "children of the same god."
[Zoro]: So the plan is to make "God Usopp" the new deity of Skypiea?
[Marcus]: Pretty much. Compared to our original plan, this one's more convincing. Don't believe me? Look over there.
Zoro glanced over at McKinley, who had already become completely fanatical, his eyes gleaming with zealous devotion.
And the way Conis and Pagaya were looking at Usopp said everything.
Enel's oppression had blinded them to logic. Now that even a glimmer of hope for resistance had appeared, they were ready to worship anyone who embodied it.
The spirit of rebellion had never truly disappeared from the Skypieans' hearts. It had just been suppressed for so long that now, seeing the first real opportunity, they'd completely lost their ability to think critically. And there was some evidence supporting Usopp's claims. After all, divine punishment really hadn't fallen on him.
His credibility was maxed out.
The White Berets instantly defected.
"My Lord!" McKinley declared, dropping to one knee. "When will you lead us to defeat the false god? Please let your divine light shine upon Angel Island!"
"Ah... well, you see..." Usopp stammered, desperately trying to come up with something that sounded remotely intelligent. "We should take it slow. Let those who are capable go first. The vanguard will inspire those who follow."
Yeah, that sounds about right.
He had no idea what he was even saying anymore.
He'd just been showing off. How did this turn into actual worship?
To be fair, he was one of the few crew members who'd read the plan in their group chat, the whole "create a god" concept. So he'd improvised, figuring Marcus would back him up later. After all, Marcus had been the one to defeat Enel, so logically he should've been called "God."
So how the hell did this happen instead?
But McKinley seemed to understand him perfectly.
"Ah, I see! You're so considerate, my Lord! Yes, we shouldn't rely entirely on your power!" He turned to address his troops. "Skypieans, rise up! Let us share our God's burden!"
"White Berets, move out! Crusade! Declare war on Enel!"
"WAIT!" Usopp reached out desperately.
But how could he stop them? With what words? Looking at the newly inspired White Berets soldiers and the hopeful faces of Conis and her father, he couldn't bring himself to admit it was all just hot air.
After the White Berets charged off toward Upper Yard, he finally collapsed.
"Uh... what do we do now? What am I supposed to do now?!"
He was panicking. He'd bragged himself straight into godhood, and now it was all falling apart.
Sure, Enel was gone, but the four priests were still around, and they were supposed to be powerful warriors. If he got exposed, or if people realized he was a complete fraud, they'd all turn on him.
Just imagining that scene made his legs go weak. He felt like he could just die right there and save himself the embarrassment.
"Relax," Marcus said, patting Usopp's head. "You'll be fine."
"How?! HOW WILL I BE FINE?!"
"Just roll with it," Alvida called out from her cloud chair, not even bothering to open her eyes. "You wanted to be famous, right? Congratulations, you're now a living deity."
"This isn't what I meant!"
But deep down, a tiny part of Usopp was already thinking: God Usopp does have a nice ring to it...
"Come on, 'God' Usopp," Marcus said, patting the sniper's shoulder. "Show them what it means to wield power beyond divine comprehension."
Then, before Usopp could even respond, Marcus walk away without even a backward glance, abandoning him to his fate.
"Wait! You can't just—"
But Marcus was already halfway down the beach.
Desperate, he turned his pleading gaze toward Zoro. The swordsman yawned lazily, stretching his arms overhead.
"I'm heading back to the ship for a nap," he announced, already turning away. "Good luck with the whole god thing."
"Zoro! Don't go..."
But Zoro was gone too, whistling some tune as he strolled back toward the Going Merry.
Usopp's eyes darted to Sanji. The cook was rolling up his sleeves, but not to help, he had that contemplative look he got when planning a new dish.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't tried cooking Skypiean fish yet." He completely ignored Usopp's desperate stare. "Ladies~ what would you like to eat?"
"Grilled fish!" Luffy shouted immediately, always ready to volunteer food preferences.
Sanji nodded, already mentally planning the meal. "I'll make it for you shortly."
"Yeah! Skypiean cuisine!" Luffy pumped his fist excitedly.
Then came the real orders, Nami, Alvida, Vivi, Kira, Robin, and Shira all chimed in with their preferences, turning what should have been a crisis management meeting into a damn cooking show.
Within minutes, the once-crowded shoreline had emptied, leaving only a few lonely figures behind.
Usopp looked at Goliath. "You're my only hope here, buddy..."
"You know me well," Goliath said. "I could never refuse an order from the Creator."
And just like that, Goliath walked toward the ship, leaving Usopp feeling even more isolated.
On the shore, only Chopper and Bon Kurei remained.
The reindeer looked conflicted, his hooves shuffling in the sand. "I really do want to help you, but..." He glanced longingly toward where Sanji was setting up his cooking station. "They're all leaving."
Even Chopper betrayed him in the end, trotting off toward the promise of grilled fish with an apologetic backward glance.
Only Bon Kurei remained, striking a pose.
"Darling, I still have to impersonate Enel later for the plan, so I can't help you either. Break a leg out there! Or should I say, break a divine leg?"
He pirouetted away.
Now Usopp was completely alone, collapsing forward onto the beach. His face hit the sand, and he didn't even bother lifting it.
"They all left me," he mumbled into the ground. "Every single one of them."
For a moment, he felt like the loneliest person in the entire world. Actually, scratch that, he felt like the loneliest god in the entire world, which was somehow even worse. But his pity party couldn't last long, because right then, he heard footsteps approaching.
Conis and Pagaya were returning.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, forcing his expression into something he hoped looked calm and godly. "How's everything progressing?"
"All arranged, Lord Usopp!" Conis announced.
"Excellent."
Then Conis reached into her chest, and pulled out a whistle. "Thank you so much for your considerate guidance."
"Uh... what guidance?"
Before he could get an answer, Conis blew the whistle.
The sharp, piercing sound echoed across the cloud sea.
Usopp watched in growing confusion as the water, or clouds, or whatever Skypiean oceans were made of, began to ripple and churn. Then, rising from beneath the surface like something out of a nightmare, an enormous pair of pincers emerged.
They clamped onto the Going Merry.
"It's the Super-Express Speedy Shrimp!" Conis explained cheerfully. "I assume your companions couldn't wait to head to Upper Yard. They asked to be sent ahead to the Sacrificial Altar. Please, this way, we've prepared transportation for you as well."
Usopp was baffled. He'd only stayed behind for like two minutes, and now everyone was gone? The whole ship was being carried away by a giant monster?
"Um..."
"Your mercy knows no bounds," Conis continued, completely misinterpreting his confusion. "Staying here to protect us from Enel's wrath while your brave companions go ahead... truly, you embody divine compassion."
"Uh, well, you know," Usopp stammered. "If I were to leave right now, divine punishment might descend upon Angel Island. I can't have that."
"Of course!" Conis' eyes sparkled with even more admiration, if that was possible. "So wise! A delayed divine campaign, allowing those capable of fighting to engage the false god first, while you protect the innocent. How merciful!"
The worship in her eyes was so intense that Usopp felt like he was drowning in it. He opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat.
Looking at Conis' hopeful expression, he couldn't do it. He couldn't shatter that hope.
So instead, he just nodded. "Precisely as you say."
"A ship full of love and friendship indeed," Conis whispered reverently.
Meanwhile, Usopp was screaming internally: Someone save me! SAVE ME!!
He frantically opened the crew's mental chat group.
[Usopp]: EMERGENCY! HELP! I'M STRANDED! MARCUS, YOU BASTARD, GET BACK HERE!
But the message didn't send. Instead, he got an error notification: "You are outside the rescue range. Please try again later."
The Super-Express Speedy Shrimp had already carried the Going Merry and all his so-called friends over three thousand meters away, beyond Vivi's chat ability radius.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead. He was truly alone now, cut off from help, surrounded by people who thought he was a god.
But before he could even begin to process this new nightmare, McKinley and the White Berets had already begun broadcasting his "divine revelation" across Angel Island.
The response was explosive. Voices of resistance began rising from every corner of the island.
The sword of Damocles that had hung over the Skypieans' heads for so long had pushed their suppressed resentment to a breaking point. They'd endured in silence for years, unable to speak out against Enel's tyranny.
But now? Now they had permission. Now they had hope.
A new god had appeared, one who could speak blasphemy without divine punishment. That alone was proof of power beyond Enel's reach.
It was like dropping lit matches into a barrel of oil. Flames of rebellion roared up instantly, spreading across Angel Island faster than anyone could have predicted.
Families who'd lost loved ones to Enel's "divine judgments" joined the uprising. Parents who'd watched their children suffer. People who'd lost their homes, their livelihoods, their freedom.
Before, they'd been forced into submission by fear. Now they were standing up.
The rebellion of Skypiea was far more intense than anyone had anticipated. If Marcus had been there to see it, he probably would've been shocked.
After all, in the original story, the Skypieans had been passive, even going so far as to sell out Luffy's crew just to save themselves. They'd seemed almost eager for the Straw Hats to fail. But this situation was completely different. When you changed the starting conditions, you changed everything.
Especially when people realized they could curse Enel's name without the sky falling on their heads. That alone broke the chains of fear that had bound them for so long.
Years of oppression erupted all at once. There were tears, curses, gratitude, grief, and laughter, the full spectrum of human emotion playing out before Usopp's eyes.
He kept his face neutral, but inside, he was reeling.
These people were crying just from gaining the right to speak freely. Just from that! And he hadn't even fought Enel yet!
As countless grateful gazes turned toward him, he felt a weight settle on his shoulders.
Responsibility.
It was a burden he'd never asked for but couldn't refuse.
In that moment, he understood what Vivi must have felt carrying the weight of an entire kingdom's hopes.
The White Berets soldiers escorted him to what looked like a speaking platform in the center of the gathering crowd. Below him, countless citizens of Angel Island gazed up with eyes full of hope.
Usopp swallowed hard. His knees felt weak. Every instinct screamed at him to run. But he couldn't let these people down. Not after they'd finally found the courage to hope again.
He took a deep breath and raised his voice to carry across the crowd: "The old god is dead! A new god shall arise! This year brings fortune, blessings upon Skypiea!"
"The old god is dead! A new god shall arise!"
"The old god is dead! A new god shall arise!"
The crowd's fervor was building to a fever pitch. They weren't just hopeful anymore, they were believers. And he was their god.
Shit, I am so screwed.