Chapter 418

"Animate."

One shell spat out Xiong Xiong flames, the other spat out countless iron thorns.

The Xiong Xiong flames transformed into floating fire spirits, examining their surroundings with golden pupils.

Countless iron thorns whirled and interwove, flexible as snakes, instantly covering the entire hull—seen from afar, they looked like weeds clinging to the ship.

The Divine Technique blade at Sima Di's waist also sensed his battle intent, shooting out with a sharp *ting! * and guarding around him.

Sima Di was startled by the Divine Technique blade.

Nami looked over and said, "Oh my, Sima Di, you can already animate three objects?"

Sima Di just stared blankly at the Divine Technique blade hovering before him, saying nothing.

"What's wrong?" Nami sensed something was off.

"I… I should still only be able to animate two objects…" Sima Di said.

In truth, based on Sima Di's training pace, he should now be able to animate five. But three of those slots had vanished permanently due to certain reasons—Sima Di now had only two slots left.

The fire spirit, and the iron thorns as guardians.

"Two objects? Then the Divine Technique blade is…" Nami gasped.

Sima Di extended his hand, and the Divine Technique blade affectionately pressed against it. He gripped the hilt tightly, and the blade hummed, transmitting a sense of joy to Sima Di.

"The tiny soul inside… has awakened. The true blade spirit of the Divine Technique blade." Sima Di said.

Sima Di cursed his 1.0 self inside his mind as an idiot.

If ship spirits can exist in this world, then why wouldn't sword spirits and blade spirits—often sung of in legends—also exist?

Boom—

Sima Di snapped out of his shock from the blade spirit and turned toward the source of the sound.

"First pillar detached!"

A Marine voice came from the phone worm on the ship.

"Inside the first pillar are CP9's Luo Bu Luqi and Straw Hat Luffy!"

"The entire fleet has formed an encirclement around Zhiqiao, confirming that those on the bridge and the escort vessel include…"

"Ten pirates, including the pirate Zoro and Nico Robin! They are the main force of the pirate crew that defeated CP9 on the Justice Tower! Besides them, there is also a CP9 trainee, Zi Zi Busheng! Based on current circumstances, he has defected!"

113 Fight together!

The voice in the phone worm was urgent; surrounding warships slowly gathered.

Each of these warships, summoned by the屠魔令, was three to five times larger than the escort vessel Sima Di and his group were on.

This ship looked especially tiny amid the towering giants surrounding it.

Zoro saw Luffy on one side of the bridge.

They shouted loudly.

Telling Luffy that all crew members had arrived and Nico Robin was unharmed.

So…

We're here—don't worry.

Fight with all your might, Luffy.

The moment Zi Zi Busheng saw Luffy, his emotions surged more than at the sight of anyone else.

"Luffy! Go on! Beat him!"

Luffy looked bewildered, wondering who this guy was. But he seemed to be on our side, right?

Luo Bu Luqi glanced at Zi Zi Busheng and raised an eyebrow. He'd always felt something off about this kid—turns out he was a rebel.

"So now, let's see how long we can hold out," Zoro said.

Luffy couldn't hear him, but those around him heard clearly.

Sima Di's side.

Sima Di looked up at the warships that had drawn near.

"All officers below Major, stand down! Deploy a three-hundred-man elite force composed of Colonels and Commandants—Quick Battle, Quick Decision!"

"Three hundred…" Sima Di frowned. He remembered it was two hundred. Where did three hundred come from? Was this special treatment for him and Zi Zi Busheng?

As soon as the order was given, countless Marine Commandants and Colonels leapt from the warships like dumplings into boiling water.

Probably because this side had more targets, only one-third of the Marines rushed toward them—the rest focused on Zoro and the others.

"Even four hundred, I can hold them off," Sima Di's gaze turned sharp.

If this butterfly effect was caused by him, then he would surely find a way to snap the butterfly's wings—so it could never fly again!

"Thorn Rampage! Fireball Feast! Enjoy it well!"

The iron thorns surged wildly at Sima Di's command, lashing into the charging Marines—each swing of a thorn carried countless screams.

The fire spirit soared into the air, raising a hand—and countless fireballs rained down. Marines struck by them could not bear the searing pain and leapt into the sea.

The falling firestorm struck the thrashing iron thorns, igniting them—within moments, a sea of flame spread across the deck.

Sima Di alone held back more than half the Marines, leaving only a tiny fraction for the other three. Had it not been for the size limitations of his animation, those iron thorns could have blocked every single Marine.

Nami stared in shock at the scene.

The Sima Di she'd always thought weak—was he really this powerful? When had he become an equal to Zoro and Sanji?

"You pirates are unforgivable!"

A Marine Colonel burst out of the flames, only lightly wounded.

The Divine Technique blade shot forward—but he dodged it.

Sima Di showed no surprise. He'd already noticed this man through his modeling map—he possessed stronger Observation and Armament Haki than ordinary Marines, especially the former, which allowed him to reach Sima Di with only minor injuries.

"Finally, someone a bit stronger. I thought all you Marines were trash…" Sima Di smirked, as if he'd been waiting for this all along.

At the same time, the Divine Technique Blade fell into his hand, emitting a chilling, bone-piercing cold light.

Nami looked at Sima Di, who showed no fear, and suddenly felt that this version of Sima Di... was the real him.

"Seven-Star Fiery Sparrow!"

Seven streaks of cold light flashed, carrying six blades and flying blood.

The dancing blood, appearing and disappearing, formed the shape of a Fiery Sparrow spreading its wings.

Sima Di looked at the Navy Captain lying before him, his expression unchanged.

Setting aside the Devil Fruit ability, judging purely by strength and Haki, Sima Di was already at the Navy Commodore level (admittedly relying more on Haki); dealing with these Lieutenant Colonels and Captains was naturally effortless.

After the energy in the Flame Shell was exhausted, Sima Di took out the Wind Shell. The Navy's counterattack suddenly shifted from fire to invisible wind.

On Sima Di's side, the hundred men were quickly dealt with, leaving only twenty or thirty hesitating, afraid to strike.

"Damn it! These cunning pirates! Cannon fire! Sink this ship for me!"

The Navy Commander issued the order to fire the cannons.

At that moment, the Navy Captains and Lieutenant Colonels still alive on the ship instantly changed color.

"Commander! We are still on the ship!"

"We can't fire, Commander!"

"We don't want to die!"

Sima Di scoffed disdainfully, "Can't win, so you play demolition crew?"

Sima Di immediately commanded the Iron Thorns to rotate direction, protecting the entire ship. He deflected all the cannonballs attacking here, even bouncing them back onto the Navy ships.

But the Navy still did not give up; they even rammed their ship directly against them.

The Navy on the ship, regardless of whether they were Majors or above, rushed down in a mass.

"After the demolition crew, do you want to bury us with bodies?" Sima Di was angry, but helpless. He cancelled the Spirit Endowment of the Fire Spirit and replaced it with A Yin.

A Yin transformed into a horned owl, let out a cry, and carried the immobile Chopper, Granny Kokoro, and others on his back.

"Nami! Robin! Franky! Let's go!" Sima Di shouted.

"But Sima Di... what do we do if we have no ship?" Nami's face showed anxiety.

"Don't worry! Someone will come to pick us up!"

"Someone?"

"Trust me!" Sima Di said.

077

Nami could only nod, fighting and retreating with the others.