Chapter 396

"No, it's impossible. We clearly destroyed that door..." Sima Di staggered to his feet, walked to the door, and discovered the familiar scratch marks on it and the bloodstains lingering in the handle's crevices.

All these things proved to him that this door was his former door.

Sima Di, refusing to believe it, walked toward the table and found that everything he had written was still intact on the table, stained with blood that could not be wiped away.

"How... is this possible..."

For someone with Usopp's nature, he should have been straightened out long ago; he always treated everything as a game. Honestly, if Usopp hadn't boarded Luffy's ship, on any other pirate ship, Usopp would only be a small soldier hiding in the forward gun deck, unable to bring his abilities to bear at all.

"What exactly are you saying? At a time like this, don't say such exaggerated things! What's wrong with you!" Nami grabbed Sima Di's collar.

"This is a pirate ship, isn't it? And we are pirates, not playing house. The captain's orders are greater than the sky; the more critical and dangerous the moment, the more we must adhere to this principle. And now... I think I can call this a critical moment," Sima Di said.

"Sima Di, stop talking!" Nami wished she could stuff Sima Di's mouth shut.

"No, he is not wrong. The first mate is precisely the one who should obey the captain and faithfully execute the captain's orders. In that case... I quit the pirate crew. That way, I won't have to obey the so-called captain's orders."

With these words from Usopp, everyone was shocked.

"Usopp! Do you know what you are saying!" Sanji was also somewhat anxious.

"I know, and very clearly." Usopp pointed at Luffy. "Luffy, since you are the captain of this ship, then duel with me! This ship belongs to the victor!"

Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, his expression unreadable.

"Fine, then tonight at ten."

Usopp left the ship, and everyone was deeply unhappy because of this matter.

Some say this was the Straw Hat Pirates' darkest hour.

Sima Di expressed agreement, because his mood was equally heavy.

He had intended to be an outsider, yet unknowingly bet himself into the game.

He knew the future development of the story, yet he could not feel at ease at all.

Now, the only thing he could do was that one thing.

Nami saw Sima Di suddenly stand up. "Where are you going?"

"The forward gun deck."

"You want to... (go where and do what)" Nami hadn't finished speaking when Sima Di had already walked out of the meeting room and closed the door.

"Come to think of it, since returning from Skypiea, Sima Di has been staying there. What exactly is he doing?" Luffy suddenly asked.

"Compared to that, Usopp's matter is more important!" Nami angrily grabbed Luffy's clothes. "One like this, two like this... Why did you agree to duel Usopp!"

83 Kowtowing to Admit Guilt

This time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was ten o'clock.

Sima Di did not watch this duel because he felt there was something more important than this.

Afterwards, the battle produced a victor.

Luffy handed over the authority to dispose of the ship to Usopp.

Nami called Sima Di out from the cabin.

"I've packed everything for you, including the poster behind the door. You saw everything in the modeling realm, right? So... we should go."

"I understand."

Sima Di stood up and followed the others off the Merry.

Everyone found an inn in Water 7 to stay in and placed all their belongings there.

As night fell, no one could sleep. And Sima Di, alone in his room, even left the inn.

Usopp lay spread-eagled on the deck; although his body hurt, it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He kept his eyes wide open, his thoughts chaotic.

"Yo, not asleep yet?"

The familiar greeting made Usopp jolt awake and scramble up.

By the moonlight, Usopp clearly saw the visitor.

"Sima Di... no, Sima Di, what are you doing here?"

"Are you really content doing this? Breaking ties with everyone over a ship?" Sima Di sighed.

"But you all abandoned the Merry! I can't! I'm different from you; the Merry is an irreplaceable existence to me!" Usopp cried.

"It's not just you; the Merry is equally important to us." Sima Di, ignoring whether Usopp blocked him, leaped up and landed on the Merry's deck. "You are sad; aren't we sad too? Or rather... seeing us like this, wouldn't the Merry be sad?"

"What good is being sad? Didn't you all still obey the captain's words and abandon the Merry! Straw Hat Pirates' first mate, you should obediently listen to Luffy's words! Get off the Merry! This is not a place for you!" Usopp actually pulled out his slingshot and pointed it at Sima Di.

"Do you think what I said before was wrong?" Sima Di retorted.

"... You, you are right. But I can't do it! I can't stand by and watch the Merry be abandoned by you; he will be sad..." Usopp's hand holding the slingshot trembled.

"I want you to hear a story."

"What?"

Sima Di leaned against the Merry's bow and told this story in a gentle, flowing manner.

This family was a household of three; although very poor, they lived very happily.

One day, the father, who was the pillar of the family, suddenly fell ill. The illness came very suddenly; they went to find a doctor, and the doctor said he had cancer.

Country people knew little, thinking that besides taking medicine, eating some good things would allow him to recover. Their family's money, besides buying medicine, was used to buy chickens for the father; every day they stewed chicken soup, believing it was a great tonic. The father was very happy, eating an entire chicken every day, and the family members were also very happy; whenever they saw his vigorous appetite, they felt that cancer was not a problem at all, and the illness would soon be cured.

Good times did not last long; their family's money finally ran out, and that father passed away.

"Why? There was medicine, and he ate a chicken every day... How could someone with such a vigorous appetite just die?" Usopp was confused.

"Do you know what kind of cancer that father had?"

"What was it?"

"Colon cancer." Sima Di stroked the Merry, his expression filled with nostalgia. "Think about it; a person with colon cancer insisting on eating an entire chicken every day, how much pain must he endure? Yet that father not only did not cry out, but instead wore a smile."

"This person... why did he do this? Is he an idiot?"

"I actually think he was very foolish too. Just so as not to make his family grieve for him, he silently endured all the pain in the final moments of his life. I heard that when that father was on his deathbed, he was smiling."

Usopp opened his mouth but said nothing, clearly realizing something.

Sima Di continued, "This ship is like that father with intestinal cancer, and we are the family feeding it chicken. The Merry is clearly already covered in scars, yet we still want to repair its irreparable wounds, forcing it to endure pain and sail. Clinging so shamelessly to a dying person, preventing them from resting in peace—don't you think this is cruel..."

"But... I..." Usopp's slingshot fell to the ground, and his whole body trembled.

"Rather than letting the Merry endure pain and exist, it is better for us to send it off with a smile. This is the best ending for both it and us. Luffy must have understood this truth long ago."

84 Sima Di is gone too?

"Thank you, Sima Di! Um... for these few days, please trouble Sima Di to say a few good words for me."

"No time." Sima Di answered decisively.

"Sima Di..."

"I really have no time."

Sima Di looked at Usopp's aggrieved expression, half-amused and half-frustrated.

"Then where are you going?"

"Do you remember what I said the duties of the first mate are?"

"It seems to be... assisting the captain in his work and helping the captain make certain decisions."

"And what else?"

"Firmly obeying the captain's orders."

"Correct. But besides these, there is one more."

"What?"

"Introducing new crew members to the ship."

"New crew member? Who is it?"

Sima Di smiled slightly and spoke a name.

Water 7, somewhere.

No, I must leave here quickly.

He looked fearfully at the few people chasing behind him, running with all his might.

However, he, who was nearly sixty years old, could not run very far.

Finally, in a quiet alley end, they caught up with him.