I am still a coward

Nero watched in horror at his missing hand and felt the pain. He cried out instantly. Cobra who was nearby was also taken aback a bit seeing the cruelty of the man who he thought to be the cowardly and the funny guy in the group. This was a change in character altogether.

"You.... asshole... Do...You know who I am?.... Aahhhh...." Nero screamed as he was holding his hand. He was scared out of his wits and he knew that needed something to be alive now. He didn't have any backup and Jabra would take quite some time to arrive. If only he would have stuck with Jabra and be more humble he wouldn't have been in this position.

"If you don't want to lose your other hand, I suggest you listen to the King here." Ussop said as he came down from the air.

"You can't get away with this.. The World Government..." Nero was angry and shouted back at Ussop who was just looking at him like a fool, but before he could finish his words, he fell unconscious. Nero had been fighting for quite some time and had multiple fractures on multiple places, he had lost quite a lot of blood from his ankle and losing his hand was the last nail in the coffin. Cobra shouted for guards again and this time the guards barged in unlike the previous time when he had shouted.

After the guards came, they took the unconscious man away to the prison. Only the most trusted guards were present so it was safe to say that the World Government wouldn't actually know what hit them. No matter what Cobra was a benevolent and wise leader, and he had chosen guards that were the most trusted ones.

The guards were in horror seeing Nero and on the way, they actually called the doctor to make sure Nero didn't die on the way. Of course, the lives of people like Nero were quite hard to lose but not everybody was Whitebeard. So Nero did require medical assistance.

After the guards left the throne room, Ussop out of nowhere fell of knees. Cobra, who came to congratulate Ussop, was confused. Though he was old he could tell Ussop didn't actually suffer a lot in the fight.

"Uh.. Ussop-kun, are you okay? Do I need to call the doctor? Did you get hurt?" Cobra was a little concerned.

"No.. No.... It's just I have never acted so bravely in front of anyone.. This.. This.. This is my first time.. I felt like my heart would burst out of fear.." Ussop said as sweat dripped down his face. Cobra felt awkward listening to him. He was right all along and this guy was really a coward.

But the things he saw Ussop do were magical.

"Ussop-kun.. Get yourself together.. You have done a great job. You defended me. I wish I could be as brave and powerful as you." Cobra said while helping him up from his knees. Though he found this guy a little funny, he still didn't make fun of him. Some people weren't built the same way as Chaka, Igaram or Pell.

"I know.. It's just.. At the end of day I know deep down that I am a coward.. Maybe I would have run if someone much more powerful would have arrived. Thankfully, he was just weak. If it wasn't for Ken who had helped me to become the man I am right now, it would have been a totally different story now." Ussop said. Ussop wasn't actually looking down on Nero, it was better to say that he felt less of himself.

"Ussop-kun, I don't know how Ken-kun had helped you, but at the end of the day it was you who took the courage and faced this guy. For that it definitely needs courage. Moreover, who cares what would have happened. We only need to act when the situation arises and not live with regrets if we can." Cobra gave his wisdom as usual.

Ussop looked at Cobra for a few blinks and then nodded his head. He was a little mentally tired but he needed to continue safeguarding Cobra until they were back. So he just hid himself again and waited for the next prey.

Only this time there was no prey. The Straw-Hats had returned to the palace with new guests. Koza arrived at the palace and surrendered, and with him came many officers of the Rebel army. Koza had asked the normal soldiers to leave and he was ready to take the blame. The straw hats didn't care about politics and just left the King to handle. They came to know that other agents had actually attacked the palace and Ussop had come forward to make sure that the King was safe.

When Ken came to know of this, he smiled. Though Ussop was a coward, he hadn't forgotten that it was in Alabasta that Ussop showed determination and resilience. He and Chopper fought against that mole fruit woman, whose name he had even forgotten.That was quite an ugly fight but it showed for the first time that Ussop wasn't just for show.

Though it was quite different here, Ussop wasn't badly beaten and he took down a CP agent single handedly. Nero really went down quite fast. No wonder even Franky was able to take down this guy and that too on the top of a train.

Everybody was a little tired after the whole drama. They had been running around the country like a dog and now finally the curtain fell. After a few hours of Koza' surrender, the Navy came forward and released the news that Crocodile had been the one who was behind the use of Dance Powder and making the country suffer.

The Navy also announced that Smoker had taken down Crocodile and assured that the country would be safe from now on. Simultaneously, rain started to pour in almost all regions of the country and everyone rejoiced seeing water again.

It was a sight to behold as the people came out of their homes just to drench themselves in the rain. Even the King himself had come out with Igaram and Pell. Chaka was injured but he still came out in wheelchair to smell the rain after a long time.

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