Chapter 16

Crocus nodded.

"That kid Jackson Banner's cooking is decent enough, but compared to you, kid, it's still a far cry."

Gaining the recognition of the former Pirate King's ship doctor made Shanfeng very happy.

He immediately decided to add another course!

But the happy mood didn't last long; the sudden downpour caught everyone off guard.

"Damn it! It was clear skies just moments ago!" Nami complained.

This was merely an appetizer.

Blizzards, thunderstorms, whirlpools, hidden reefs......

In just one week of sailing,

the Going Merry encountered dozens of extreme environments, wearing everyone out in body and mind; even Vivi and Mr. 9 were drafted as laborers.

Only Nami was brimming with the sense of achievement of having conquered the sea.

"I've figured out this stretch of sea's climate. The rest of the voyage definitely won't be this rough!" Nami said confidently.

But the utterly exhausted crew had no energy to humor Nami.

"Look!" Vivi said excitedly: "We're finally here! Whisky Shanfeng!"

Everyone looked,

and through the mist spotted the silhouettes of several giant cacti; the first island of the Grand Line had finally arrived.

Taking the chance,

Vivi and Mr. 9 also stepped up to the ship's rail to bid everyone farewell.

"See you around, bye-bye Bay!"

The two did backflips and were about to leap into the sea; no one stopped them.

Sima Di, meanwhile, was thinking......

Vivi hadn't considered that during a backflip, things that shouldn't be seen might be seen, had she?

"Um...... my old illness seems to be acting up." Usopp said, trembling: "It's a disease that relapses whenever I see an island, so could I stay behind on the ship?"

"Sure thing, then we'll all go ashore and you stay behind." Nami said with a grin.

This made Usopp's face go pale!

Leave one person behind?

Once all the big shots leave, would he stay here just to wait for death?

"I've suddenly discovered my illness is cured!"

As they talked,

the Going Merry also sailed into a river, soon bursting through the mist to reach the harbor, where they saw the shore packed with people, cheering warmly to welcome their arrival.

"Yoohoo! Welcome to the Grand Line!"

"Welcome to our little town!"

"Long live the heroes of the sea!"

This sudden enthusiasm left most of them a bit dazed.

Even Usopp wasn't as scared anymore.

Sima Di silently looked toward the distant "Cactus Mountain," activated his Voice-All ability to grant himself far-sight, and discovered that the so-called "Cactus Mountain" was actually mound upon mound of graves.

Graves piled all over the hilltops!

One could see just how many pirates this island had buried.

But Luffy and the others didn't notice anything off; Shanfeng was even cheering over the large group of young ladies.

With the clumsy excuse of "We've prepared fine wine and food; please use your adventure stories as drinking snacks and enjoy this Changyan Society together," they cheerfully joined the banquet crowd as well.

Sima Di exchanged a glance with Crocus; without a word, they tacitly followed along.

One always has to take a fall before learning a lesson.

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14. Cheat-Coded Haki! Crocus Trains the Second Pirate King!

As expected of a town that could bury so many pirates, it had a perfect read on pirates' appetites.

The beauties enchanted Shanfeng's heart,

the food captured Luffy and Laboon's stomachs,

the stories gave Usopp room to brag,

and even Zoro and Nami were temporarily subdued by the fine wine.

Sima Di and Crocus, meanwhile, sat off to the side quietly drinking, not joining the banquet.

"Kid, why don't you go join the fun?" Crocus probed.

Sima Di shot him an annoyed glare.

"I only set out to sea for adventure, not to throw my life away. Didn't you see all those gravestones on the hilltops?"

Crocus glanced at the distant hilltops outside the window and silently took a swig of his drink.

His eyesight is that good?

As expected of a young man!

"Do you know about Haki?" Crocus changed the subject.

Hearing this, Sima Di suddenly recalled — as someone who had sailed around the world, even if Crocus hadn't mastered Haki, he must at least know the training method, right?

He immediately said humbly: "I know a bit, but Haki training methods are monopolized by the Grand Line and hard to come by in the four seas. But as the Pirate King's ship doctor, you must know, right, Crocus?"

Kulokas caught the unspoken meaning in Sima Di's words.

He didn't put on airs either,

and said directly: "You kid look pretty clever, you've got the shadow of that brat Roger back then... Since you catch my fancy, I'll tell you about it for free."

"There are three types of Haki: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki..."

Kulokas gave Sima Di a primer on the three Haki training methods, and as he said, it was originally the vice-captain "Underworld King"

"... Don't be impatient either, this Haki isn't that easy to train. Even old me back then, it took me half a month before I..."

Before Kulokas could finish speaking,

he saw a terrifying aura suddenly erupt around Sima Di, and couldn't help but widen his eyes!

Conqueror's Haki?

No!

Although there was a sense of oppression, the people around didn't fall down — it was just a similar ability.

Kulokas guessed right: this was just Sima Di releasing his Dragon Might.

Sima Di discovered

that this Dragon Might was quite similar to the Conqueror's Haki Kulokas had described. The difference was that Dragon Might only had "aura" and didn't blend in "essence, qi, and spirit," so it had deterrence but no actual harm.

Then...

how should one mobilize "essence, qi, and spirit"?

Sima Di didn't know, and neither did Kulokas, who hadn't awakened Conqueror's Haki.

But Sima Di could "experience" it!

Word Spirit ability activated —

【Conqueror's Haki!】

The next moment,

an unmatched pressure swept out from Sima Di across the entire small island. The banquet that had just been immersed in laughter and chatter was, in an instant, left with nothing but the successive sounds of bodies hitting the ground.

These fellows who only dared to set up a banquet at the entrance of the Grand Line to ambush people were just fringe members of Baroque Works.

How much strength could they have?

Under the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, they all rolled their eyes back and passed out cold.

As for the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, they were all still awake — whether it was because Sima Di had subconsciously set them as "friendly units," or because their own caliber was high enough to withstand it.

And Sima Di paid no attention to this at the moment.