Chapter 168

He smiled sheepishly and hid in the corner, shivering.

"Alright, Brook, you meant well; Zoro won't blame you," Nami comforted.

This caused Sanji, who had come to demand an explanation, to instantly change his expression.

"Hey~ Nami-san is right~ I've been wanting to replace the old dishes for a while~"

Tsk!

Sima Di looked at Luffy and the other, asking, "How is your cultivation progress?"

"Hmph! I've reached the peak of the Intermediate level of Armament Haki!" Luffy clenched his fist, displaying his purple-and-black Armament Haki: "Moreover, I've developed a new technique, so even if you were 910, you might not be able to win!"

Oh?

A new technique?

Could it be... Gear Fourth?

After all, Gear Fourth is activated by merging with Armament Haki, and no specific proficiency level is required.

"What about the Elephant Prajna Art? Which layer have you reached?" Sima Di asked.

"Ah..." Luffy's face fell, and he pouted, saying, "I originally planned to cultivate it to the maximum, but after a year, I've only reached the fourth layer..."

Oh?

The fourth layer of the Elephant Prajna Art in one year?

An ordinary person would probably only reach the first layer, the entry level, in a year; Luffy's progress is already very impressive, likely due to his naturally high physical constitution.

"Not bad, just one year... To cultivate the Elephant Prajna Art to the thirteenth layer in this lifetime would be considered a prodigy," Sima Di praised.

"Heh heh! Ten years! At most ten years and I will cultivate it to the maximum!" Luffy declared confidently.

Sima Di smiled without refuting him, then turned to look at Zoro.

How is your progress?

"Intermediate peak Armament Haki." Zoro clenched his fist, displaying the same purple-and-black Armament Haki: "The second layer of the Elephant Prajna Art, the Nine Swords of Dugu..."

"Swish—"

Zoro suddenly used his hand as a blade, pointing his finger like a sword at Sima Di's throat!

Sima Di countered with his own finger-sword, attacking Zoro's hand back; Zoro reversed his strike to break Sima Di's finger-sword, but Sima Di swept his finger, sending out a sword qi to knock him away; Zoro did not retreat but advanced, accelerating until his entire body transformed into a blade, directly shattering Sima Di's sword qi.

The entire series of exchanges happened in an instant.

By the time the others reacted,

Sima Di and Zoro had already exchanged dozens of moves; although neither held a sword in their hands, the scene conveyed a sharpness akin to flashing blades and clashing steel.

"Enough."

Sima Di called a halt, and they separated.

"Not bad; you have basically mastered the Nine Swords of Dugu. Swordsmen of the same level will no longer be your match," Sima Di commended.

But Zoro shook his head.

"Di, you haven't reached the Realm of the Sword Master yet, have you? Yet I can only draw with you... I still have a long way to go."

Sima Di also smiled.

Mainly because...

The reason he could draw with Zoro was not only that he had roughly mastered the Nine Swords of Dugu himself, but also because his physique, reaction speed, and speed in general completely overwhelmed Zoro.

Even if a Realm of the Sword Master were to come,

if they failed to create distance quickly and exhaust Zoro with slashes, they might easily capsize in a gutter due to a single mistake.

"The Nine Swords of Dugu were created by Di; do you think too much if you intend to defeat him using his own techniques?" Cloacas reminded.

"Of course! In one year, I haven't just cultivated the Nine Swords of Dugu; I also realized my own sword path from it. If there's a chance to spar... um... old man Cloacas, let's spar."

Zoro awkwardly shifted the target of the spar.

After all...

Everyone who has seen Sima Di draw his sword has knelt before him.

*Thump Thump Thump*

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57. Rolandde's Vindication! The Real and Fake Sanji!

Since Zoro and Luffy have returned after their cultivation, Sima Di is even more eager for the Summit War.

The current lineup...

Is enough to go and clash at the Summit War!

After all, the Whitebeard Pirates stand behind as allies; Koby has some influence within the Navy ahead; Shanks waits on the left and right; and on the right, Sima Di and Cloacas provide a double insurance.

Moreover, Silvers Rayleigh at Sabaody Archipelago knows Ace's true identity; can he just sit idly by?

He might even gather a few old friends to form a group and go.

With this lineup,

rewriting the Summit War shouldn't be a problem, right?

And...

I wonder if Sima Di's blessing can heal Whitebeard's old wounds?

If that is possible,

then the man who was hailed as "the Strongest Man in the World" in his prime could stand up and fight; Marineford would likely be overturned!

"Truly something to look forward to."

At this moment,

Inside the lookout, Usopp leaned excitedly out the window, waving a newspaper.

"Everyone! There's news about Mont Blanc Noland!"

Oh?

Sima Di, intrigued, used his telekinesis to yank Usopp straight out of the lookout, and the others crowded over as well.

Sima Di simply opened the mind-link and synced the newspaper's contents to everyone.

The front-page headline was......

—"Hero's Descendant! Was Noland Really Not the Liar King?"

The report's contents,

were that Mont Blanc Noland's descendant, Mont Blanc Cricket, had brought back a Recording Blaster video proving "Gold City," along with a large quantity of gold artifacts bearing historical traces, to prove on behalf of his ancestor Noland that he was a hero who had conquered the Grand Line several times, and not an arrogant, boastful Liar King!

A fairy tale passed down for four hundred years — and it turned out to be fake?

The Liar King despised by everyone — was actually a navigation hero?

This explosive news blew North Blue sky-high.

And the current king of the North Blue's Lvneel Kingdom also posthumously conferred upon Noland the title of "Honorary Provincial Military Commander of the National Exploration Team," and hoped Cricket could succeed to that position, leading the kingdom's exploration team to Skypiea to bring back the remaining gold.

They were even willing to pay a massive fine to clear Cricket's bounty.

"You can clear a bounty?" Usopp was stunned.

"This really is the first I've heard of it," Nami said.

"I have heard of it before, though," Zoro said. "If you make a contribution to the World Government, or offer up a precious treasure, your bounty can be revoked."

Hmm......

It does fit the Celestial Dragons' mercenary style.

A system prompt appeared at just the right moment.

【Ding! Congratulations on signing in at the iconic scene "Noland Sheds the Liar King Title"! You've obtained the sign-in reward "Aizen's Hair-Gel Hand"!】

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"Aizen's Hair-Gel Hand": After use, instantly changes into your most desired hairstyle, greatly enhances your appearance and aura, and strengthens the effect of the next use!;

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Hair-Gel Hand?

Aizen's Hair-Gel Hand?

This ability......

Is insanely cool!

Who wouldn't want a slick, gleaming pompadour?