Chapter 398

"Go and take a look." Sima Di felt a premonition of ill fortune.

Approaching closer, Usopp stepped forward first. Seeing the corpse, he was stunned, then hurriedly squeezed back through the crowd.

"Sima Di! Sima Di! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"That man… that man is your uncle!"

"What?! Who?"

"The man who told me to give you the item yesterday!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure—he's too distinctive to be mistaken!"

Sima Di clenched his fist and, alongside Ayin, circled through the crowd to push forward.

It's him!

It's definitely him!

He was one of the thirteen—the master detective Bruce!

Bruce's appearance closely resembled Brook's human form, and even his name was similar.

But Bruce had become famous long before Brook did; he wrote many detective works that became classics. Sima Di loved his works and was his fan.

Originally, Sima Di had sent the Death Game invitation to the head of Bruce's detective society, but the head thought it was a puzzle and passed it on to Bruce. Bruce himself wanted to investigate, so he came to that nameless island.

When Sima Di saw him, he was stunned, barely holding back his excitement and nearly revealing everything.

"How could this be…" Sima Di's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Sima Di! Are you alright?" Usopp rushed forward, trying to pull her up.

Others noticed Sima Di's odd behavior and approached to ask.

"Miss, do you know this man?"

"He's…" Usopp began to speak, but Sima Di cut him off.

"I… no, I don't know him. You're joking, aren't you? I'm blind—how could I see anything?" Sima Di forced back her shock and grief.

The man looked and indeed saw the cloth bandage over Sima Di's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice. Are you alright physically?"

"I'm fine. I think I just had low blood sugar—I'll recover in a moment."

"The tsunami is coming soon. Since you're so inconvenienced, you should seek shelter quickly…"

"Understood… thank you." Sima Di struggled to stand, pulling Usopp away.

Usopp was puzzled but dared not ask until they returned to the Thousand Sunny.

"Sima Di…"

"He's not my uncle—he's a friend of mine." Sima Di spoke first to explain. "What he gave me wasn't a keepsake, but a medium for storing information. I don't know what happened to him, but the information he traded his life for must be extremely important…"

Sima Di gripped his chest tightly, struggling to breathe; tears fell through the bandage onto the ground.

"What kind of information was worth his life…?"

"Is there no way to access that information?" Usopp asked.

Sima Di shook his head. "As far as I know, nothing exists yet that can read it… but since this medium exists, there must be a device capable of reading it."

"What about your friend's body…"

"No, I can't. Those who killed him are still in Water Seven. If I go to retrieve his body, they'll come for me."

"Let them come! Luffy, Zoro, Sanji—they…"

"We can't beat them. They're an organization—I know a little. Right now, the priority is to access the information inside. If he said I'd know what to do, then this island must hold the clues."

"Sima Di, you're planning to go to the island? Then I'm coming with you!" Usopp put down all his repair tools, ready to follow Sima Di.

"No need. I'm only looking for clues—it won't be dangerous. Even if there is danger, Kenbunshoku will warn me in advance. Besides… I don't need you to worry about me anymore."

Sima Di reached up and removed the bandage from his face. His dark eyes gleamed like stars—firm, and… filled with hatred.

86 First to Tenth Generation

Sima Di returned to the place where Bruce had been found. The crowd was now lifting his body onto a stretcher, preparing to take it to the city morgue.

Ayin had already withdrawn, now reduced to a small bird-shaped ornament resting in Sima Di's pocket.

Returning to the scene, he found something after all.

Sima Di looked up and saw a thin man glancing his way from afar, then swiftly fleeing.

Sima Di sensed this man was no good—he gave off the same feeling as Makhina Jia and others, though his malice was far weaker.

Following the winding path, Sima Di trailed the man at a steady distance.

After tracking for a while, Sima Di suddenly saw only the thin man ahead—no one else around, only the howling wind.

Sima Di smiled faintly—he already knew.

True enough, at the next corner, the thin man vanished completely.

Without hesitation, Sima Di drew out the Divine Technique blade and raised it to block.

Clang!

The sound of metal meeting metal.

The thin man, realizing his strike had failed, quickly retreated.

Only now did Sima Di clearly see the man—he had transformed into a cat-person, fangs and claws bared, his claws sharp enough to rival swords.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?" The thin man spoke, his small eyes scanning Sima Di with calculating gleam.

"I should be asking you that. Who are you from the Spade organization?"

"Spade? Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name." The thin man paused, then shook his head. "Young master, I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

The Thin Man's "genuine" display was so convincing that, had Sima Di not possessed the ability to detect lies, an ordinary person might well have wondered if they had followed the wrong person.

"You wouldn't happen to not even recognize Bruce, whom you killed yourself," Sima Di said in a deep voice, his tone faintly laced with anger.

"Bruce?" The Thin Man's eyes shifted; he bared his teeth and snarled, "So you are the contact of that traitor. No wonder we searched the entire city and couldn't find that thing! Hand it over, and I will spare your life!"

"So it was indeed you who killed Mr. Bruce! Prepare to pay with your life!" Sima Di raised his blade and charged.

In an instant, the Thin Man sprang upward, dodging Sima Di's strike, while extending claws several inches long to attack Sima Di.

Sima Di bent low to evade, letting the Divine Art Blade顺势 drive into the ground. Using the blade as a pivot, Sima Di twisted his body.

"Spinning Kick!"

The Thin Man failed to react in time and was kicked hard against the wall.

These were kicking techniques learned from Sanji; only a few extremely simple moves, yet sufficient for combat.

However, Sima Di's force was Not Heavy; the Thin Man's motion merely paused slightly before he resumed his attack.

The two immediately became locked in close combat.

The Thin Man had speed; Sima Di had precognition.

After several exchanges, neither could do anything to the other.

Only the sky grew darker; though it was merely two o'clock in the afternoon, it felt as if dusk had already arrived.

Sima Di ground his teeth in secret.

Why was this fellow's movement so fast?

After dodging the opponent's attack, the Flash Star counterstrike could not hit him; after blocking the opponent's attack, the Drifting Star counterstrike could not hit him; the Triangle Seal could not even seal his movements. Instead, this fellow seized the opening to launch a counterattack. Had Sima Di not dodged quickly, Sima Di's own face would surely have been ruined.

Should I try that move?

Sima Di gripped the Divine Art Blade tightly.

The Triangle Seal was merely a basic technique combined with precognition; the opponent could not dodge it, but as long as they blocked it, they could turn danger into safety.

This move, however, combined precognition with the Modeling Domain; once unleashed, the opponent could not only not dodge, but even if they blocked, they would be struck by the blade in the next move. This move could truly be called an unmissable technique.

Sima Di had once sparred with Zoro using this move; although the gap in strength was enormous, Sima Di had truly inflicted injury upon him.

However, he had only just learned this move and was not yet proficient.

"Hundred Flowers Chaotic Dance!"

The Thin Man lunged forward, his twin claws striking with incredible speed. Within a short span of time, he launched a hundred claw strikes.

But Sima Di was no pushover.

Only the clashing of steel rang incessantly; Sima Di blocked every single attack, and in the end, only one strike landed, leaving three long bloodstreaks on Sima Di's left arm.

Sima Di's expression darkened; he decided to test this move in actual combat after all.

"One does not return a favor without a return!" Sima Di's eyes sharpened; holding the blade, he slashed, "Seven Stars Fierce Sparrow!"