Chapter 3

He shook his head with a wry smile.

The harvest in Loguetown this time was quite bountiful; in just over ten minutes, he had obtained six check-in rewards. Coming to find the Straw Hat Pirates was indeed the right choice.

They are truly machines that manufacture iconic scenes!

"Brat! I will definitely catch you all!" Smoker's voice came through.

Lord Sima Di looked down from above at the empty-handed Smoker, then at the Seastone jitte in his own hand.

Hmm...

Does this thing count as a sword?

If he says it counts, then it counts!

[Tang Dao!]

Under Lord Sima Di's Word Spirit ability, the Seastone jitte transformed into a Tang Dao. It was three feet long, the blade pitch-black from the Seastone plating, only two fingers wide with a slight curve, and featured a very deep blood groove.

At a glance, it was a lethal weapon!

And in the Pirate World, there is no distinction between swords and other blades, so it could also trigger the "100% Catching Blades with Bare Hands" passive.

Under Smoker's gaze,

Lord Sima Di descended and swung the Tang Dao at Smoker from a distance!

"Swish—"

Smoker actually performed "Shave" involuntarily, kneeling halfway before Lord Sima Di with his hands pressed together above his head, catching Lord Sima Di's Tang Dao.

Damn it!

100% Catching Blades with Bare Hands!

Smoker: "..."

Smoker: (▼へ▼メ)

Brat!

You are courting death!!!

Smoker tried desperately to hold his breath to activate his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability, only to find his body limp and completely unable to use his Devil Fruit powers.

His gaze sharpened as he looked at the black lacquer on the surface of the Tang Dao—is this Seastone?

Combined with that bizarre ability that forced him to catch the blade, and the ability to impose "side effects" on Devil Fruit users just by speaking, this brat had become the natural nemesis of Devil Fruit users!!!

"Brat! I will definitely find a way to catch you!" Smoker gritted his teeth and held on.

He had no other choice now.

His Devil Fruit ability couldn't be used, and his body was still restricted by this strange ability to catch the blade barehanded.

He could only resort to verbal threats.

Lord Sima Di curled his lip in disdain.

If his voice weren't currently hoarse, he would have let Smoker know that when it comes to trash talk, Smoker is just a novice among novices.

As for now...

Lord Sima Di kicked Smoker flying dozens of meters away. Just as he was about to turn and fly away in style, an arm suddenly wrapped around his waist.

Lord Sima Di: "!!!"

Monkey D. Luffy!

You dare...

"Whoosh—"

Lord Sima Di was dragged away, catapulted toward the Going Merry. Seeing he was about to crash into Luffy, he hurriedly used telekinesis to perform an emergency brake!

Phew—

That was close!

Beside him, Zoro, sporting a large bump on his head, looked at Lord Sima Di with a mix of regret and envy.

"That's a pretty good ability," Zoro said. "I'm Zoro. You're the new crew member Luffy recruited, right? Come down, it's time for us to set sail!"

Lord Sima Di nodded in response. He had long admired the great reputation of Zoro!

"Lord Sima Di."

Hearing Lord Sima Di's voice was so hoarse, the others found it a bit strange.

But since it was their first time meeting Lord Sima Di, they just assumed it was a congenital condition.

"Eh? Lord Sima, what's wrong with your throat?" Luffy asked curiously.

Lord Sima Di didn't want to speak again. Suddenly thinking of something, he walked to the edge of the ship, beckoned, and gathered a mass of seawater, condensing it into a sentence.

[My ability was overused just now; I cannot speak for a short time.]

The group realized.

Usopp was even more surprised: "That thunder and lightning just now, was that really summoned by you?"

Lord Sima Di nodded.

[That wave just consumed a bit too much.]

"So amazing!" Usopp said excitedly. "I'm Usopp, the ship's sniper and part-time shipwright. Please take care of me from now on!"

It felt like he had found a powerful backer.

"Rumble—"

A clap of thunder interrupted their conversation, followed by a sudden downpour. A gale blew from the direction of Loguetown, as if seeing them off, filling the sails of the Going Merry and sending it toward Reverse Mountain at full speed.

Lord Sima Di squinted into the distance.

He could vaguely see a green-robed figure on the shore, stepping on a mass of white objects.

That must be Dragon stepping on Smoker, right?

Poor Smoker.

Please give flowers! This concerns the life and death of this book!

4. I bless you! This milk is poisonous!

While Lord Sima Di lamented Smoker's plight,

"Everyone!" the reliable Zoro called out. "To celebrate the ship heading to the Grand Line, let's have a launching ceremony!"

"Alright!"

"Let's do it!"

Sanji spoke first.

He habitually lifted a leg and placed it on the barrel beside him.

"I'm Sanji, the ship's cook. I set sail to find the All Blue!"

This was to introduce himself to Lord Sima Di; he was very thoughtful.

"I'm Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, the man who will become the Pirate King!" Luffy followed suit and lifted his leg.

"Zoro, swordsman. I will become the greatest swordsman!" Zoro also lifted his leg.

"Facing Nami, navigator. I'm doing this to map the world!" Facing Nami said with a grin, lifting her leg.

Lord Sima Di happened to be right opposite her, and the view under her skirt...

Lord Sima Di looked subconsciously, then immediately averted his gaze.

"I, I, I am going to be the bravest warrior of the sea!" Usopp shouted as he lifted his leg.

Finally, only Lord Sima Di remained, and everyone looked at him.

Lord Sima Di thought for a moment...

Dreams?

Lord Sima Di lifted his leg and placed it on the barrel, saying in his hoarse voice—

"I'm Lord Sima Di. Being a pirate is all about doing as you please! So my dream is... to have a legendary adventure that makes the blood boil!!!"

Setting sail just for the sake of adventure?

This is the most pure-hearted pirate!

"What an amazing dream!"

"Our adventure is definitely going to be spectacular!"

"What a remarkable guy!"