Chapter 156

Everyone sighed in relief, gazing dazedly at the dancing shadows.

Only Brook was moving!

"Yohohoho—mine, mine! All mine!"

The scene became a "buffet table."

Souls' fire lashed out like ropes, randomly selecting "lucky shadows" to burn into soul sparks and swallow.

As for their masters...

Brook didn't care.

【Ding! Congratulations on signing in to the iconic scene "!", received sign-in reward: "Duan Zhengchun's One Yang Finger"!】

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"Duan Zhengchun's One Yang Finger": The Duan clan's ultimate skill, One Yang Finger, concentrates internal force into a single point and fires it as a piercing finger thrust, granting immense penetration power!

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Finally, a decent ability arrived.

Though less famous than the Six Meridian Sword, One Yang Finger was powerful enough to elevate Master Yidai to the ranks of top-tier experts—more than sufficient as a standard ranged attack.

"Shhh—"

Franky flew in, carrying Kurokasi and Runfast on his back.

They landed among the collapsed Straw Hat Pirates; Runfast sprinted straight toward Vivi the moment it touched ground, dragging Kurokasi along atop it.

"Tsk! You really dare ramp up the difficulty," Sima Di teased.

He hadn't even thought of lending out shadows to raise the challenge—how dare Kurokasi?

Kurokasi now knew Sima Di's cleverness, so he simply stayed silent.

He only smiled without speaking.

This was a matter of mutual understanding—no need to spell it out outright.

But...

"Aren't you afraid you'll overdo it?" Sima Di asked again.

"My strength isn't as strong as Karp's," Kurokasi shrugged. "Though I was surprised they used Oars' body to make zombies—even if he unleashes my full power, I'm certain you could turn the tide."

Tsk!

With such flattery, what could Sima Di say?

Meanwhile, Vivi exclaimed in surprise: "Wait! Oars' shadow... is yours, Uncle Kurokasi?"

She was stunned!

Was Kurokasi really this strong?

Haoshan is domineering!

Advanced Busoshoku Haki!

This was enough to dominate the first half of the Grand Line—and even in the New World, he held his ground.

"Cough! Keep this secret—I was ambushed by the Invisibility Fruit, and that's embarrassing," Kurokasi feigned awkwardness.

Sima Di looked at Kurokasi with utter disdain.

Could anyone believe that?

Only fools without Kenbunshoku Haki would fall for it.

"Alright, I get it—but Uncle Kurokasi, you've got to give me tutoring sessions!" Vivi grinned.

"No problem."

As soon as the agreement was reached, Franky walked over.

"Little Emperor, wasn't that last cannon shot awesome?" Franky boasted.

Sima Di thought for a moment, then nodded.

"That power—anyone below Intermediate Busoshoku Haki can't block it; even Advanced Busoshoku Haki users with insufficient depth can't withstand it for more than three minutes."

Remember, this weapon can be operated by anyone!

With such power, Franky had every right to be proud of the "Lion Roar Cannon."

"Aaaaw—With that power core, the Lion Roar Cannon can fire once per minute! If you're skilled enough at swapping barrels, you can boost it further."

"Swap barrels?"

"The Lion Roar Cannon is too powerful—after one shot, you must replace the barrel, or it might explode."

"Why not use Vibranium?"

"Vibranium absorbs too much energy—though durable, it cuts power by over 90%."

Sima Di nodded and said no more.

He glanced at the Straw Hat Pirates, collapsed and exhausted—still too immature.

Look at an Admiral Showdown—they fight for ten days and ten nights.

They still need training!

"Physical conditioning must improve," Kurokasi agreed. "Exhausted after just half a day? Too weak."

The Straw Hat Pirates shot him resentful glares.

You promised such a formidable opponent—can't you at least praise us?

"Enough, don't dwell on it," Sima Di waved off. "The Seven Warlords are just for entertainment—this Moonlight... should be... if it were Baron Xiong, one palm would send him flying."

Sima Di's final words were directed toward the darkness ahead.

Everyone except Kurokasi was startled!

Another enemy?

From the darkness stepped a tall, broad-shouldered figure, wearing a spotted white hat with two bear ears on top, a large book tucked under his arm.

The Straw Hat Pirates stood ready for battle!

But—

Bartholomew Kuma's first words were: "If you want to travel, where would you like to go?"

"Huh?"

Even Crocus was a little surprised—this man whose title carried the word "Tyrant" looked unexpectedly gentle instead.

Sima Di also gave it some serious thought.

Then he answered: "When it comes to traveling, I care more about the scenery and stories along the way. Where the destination is isn't that important—it's just a result."

This answer was clearly one Bartholomew Kuma had never heard before, and he could not help but fall into thought.

Then, silently, he slipped his dangling hand into his pocket.

"I originally came just to inform Moonlight—" (garbled text)

Saying so, he turned to leave.

He did not, as in the original story, "punch away Luffy's injuries" to test anyone.

So clean and decisive—

It caught Sima Di off guard for a moment, but he quickly figured out the reason.

The Straw Hat Pirates, strengthened by Shi Shi, had won this grueling battle with great difficulty, but none of them had actually sustained any real injuries.

The damage-sharing aura had earned its keep this round.

And besides...

To be honest—

Even Bartholomew Kuma had no confidence at all against Crocus's presence.

As for Sima Di?

Although the Straw Hat Pirates all knew he possessed general-level combat power, the outside world had little intelligence of him actually fighting.

What he had shown the world was only his calculating, all-seeing wisdom—plainly the Straw Hat Pirates' "brain."

However...

"Wait!" Sima Di called out. "About traveling—one of our companions wants to return to the North Sea. I wonder if you could help with that?"

—Bartholomew Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit could send people flying to any island!

Wasn't this just Kulukai's express delivery service?

Everyone instinctively looked at Kulukai—he was the only one among them whose goal was to return to the North Sea.

Why was he suddenly being brought up?

Bartholomew Kuma stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around.