Chapter 146

"This is my fault. I never let you take part in actual combat, so it's only natural you'd be afraid."

"Now is the time for you to overcome your fear and break through yourselves."

Hearing Sima Di take all the blame, Nami pressed her lips together.

Was it really Sima Di's fault?

Nami suddenly laughed.

"It's just a fight, what's there to be afraid of?"

Nami didn't use her Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability; she clenched her fist and charged straight into the zombie horde.

Even though it was only beginner-level Armament Haki, these cannon fodder still couldn't withstand it—one punch sent each one flying, no negotiation.

She opened with a crushing sweep!

Soon she carved a path through, then regrouped with Chopper and Usopp, who were still covering their heads.

Nami, in the middle of a killing spree, now looked at the two playing ostrich and couldn't help feeling a vexed "disappointment in unyielding iron."

She stepped forward and kicked one over,

scolding them for not fighting back: "Look at you two! Are you hurt? Get up and fight with me!"

Nami's authority on the ship is beyond doubt.

Usopp and Chopper instinctively shuddered and stood up, then noticed each other was completely unscathed, and realized those zombies were nothing but paper tigers.

"What the heck, you scared me!"

"How dare you scare me! Hit them back!"

With the Mk-5's protection, beating people up couldn't be simpler?

"Energy Cannon!"

"Steel Whip Kick!"

"Justice Iron Fist!"

The three of them slaughtered the zombie horde to pieces, with not a single one able to take them on!

This boosted their confidence, and they kept striking mercilessly!

Sima Di, watching from the side, nodded in satisfaction.

The goal of building courage was accomplished,

so let these zombies contribute their last bit of usefulness.

【Salt Mountain!】

A mountain made of sea salt was manifested. Sima Di waved for everyone to act, hacking off the limbs of these weak zombies, then carrying them one by one to Brook to feed him sea salt, burning and absorbing them with Soul Fire.

The process was a bit troublesome, but if it could make him stronger, how could Brook refuse?

However, very soon......

Brook discovered that by attaching his Soul Fire to his two-edged sword, he could directly damage the zombies' "shadows," purifying them into soul light points that he absorbed.

This greatly sped up the efficiency.

The zombies were being massacred on a massive scale,

and their master, Moria......

These were the reserves he had accumulated over many years!

Could he let them be wrecked like this?

Just as he was about to go ask about the situation, Absalom came looking for him first.

As a user of the Transparent Fruit,

he usually served as the vanguard, stepping onto the pirate ships that had triggered traps first to gather intel, then formulating targeted plans to take them out one by one.

Today, however, he didn't dare go at all!

"This is bad, Lord Moria! The Straw Hat Pirates' crew triggered the trap, and they killed Hilton!"

"What's all this panic about?" Moria......

As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, even the weakest among them has the capital to be proud.

"The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates has a bounty of 300 million Berries......"

300 million Berries?

In the first half of the Grand Line, that's considered famous, but it's still not enough to make Moria......

"If it's 300 million Berries, his shadow could be given to Oars......"

"Lord Moria!" Absalom interrupted: "Although the Straw Hat Pirates' captain is only worth 300 million Berries, they have the King of the Pirates' ship doctor, 'Demon Doctor Kureha,' and that's a bounty of 824 million Berries!"

This was also the reason Absalom didn't dare go scout for intel today.

Kureha must have mastered Observation Haki, and the Transparent Fruit only grants light-based invisibility—it's completely exposed under Observation Haki.

How could he dare go?

Lord Moria frowned upon hearing this!

The King of the Pirates' ship doctor!

Could he be some simple character?

However......

If it's only 824 million Berries, it's not yet enough to make him steer clear.

In fact......

If his shadow could be used to awaken Oars......

There might be a chance to wipe out the previous disgrace!

"Nicely done! Hehehehe—" Moonlight 【garbled text】

"Huh? This..."

"Get going already!"

"Yes..."

Sima Di didn't rush to the central castle. Instead, he hunted zombies on the outskirts, training the courage of Usopp and the others while also strengthening Brook.

It had to be said,

the zombies abandoned on the outskirts to fend for themselves were truly so weak even dogs would look down on them.

Eventually, Zoro and the others couldn't even be bothered to act, letting Usopp and the others practice on their own.

They were so weak that the group had no motivation left.

Noticing this situation,

Sima Di thought about giving Moonlight 【garbled text】

Just as the zombie mobs had been cleared out about enough, it was time to challenge the mini-boss.

"Let's go, time to find the main target."

"Oh? Is it finally ending?" Zoro let out a breath of relief.

He was nearly bored to death.

"Huh? Leaving already?" Usopp tried to hold them back. "There are still so many zombies left, let's keep helping Brook level up."

"Yeah, yeah!" Chopper nodded frantically.

Sima Di saw through it clearly—helping Brook was just an excuse, the real goal was bullying the small fry, wasn't it?

He turned and headed straight for the castle's center.

"Farming minions isn't a good habit—you should raise the difficulty appropriately." Robin reminded him.

What could Usopp and the others do?

They could only follow the main group.

Very soon,

everyone arrived before the central castle. The wide-open great doors were just like the entrance, like the gates of hell one steps through into the underworld.

"Hey hey, that looks like a trap. How about we change the entrance?" Usopp got scared again.

"What's the matter? Isn't this fun?" Luffy charged ahead at the front. "It was way too boring outside, I hope we meet some interesting people inside!"

The corners of Zoro and the others' eyes twitched!

Better not, though...