Chapter 421

Merry called Luffy "Dad" and Sima Di "Mom," while the other crew members were addressed by their names followed by "Dad" or "Mom."

Although everyone kept objecting, they couldn't overcome Merry's airheadedness (hei?). They had to let him be.

Sima Di was also helpless against Merry; even if he were called "Sima Di Mom," it would have been fine, but Merry and Sima Di acted out an ultra-classic scene.

"Call me Sima Di Mom!"

"Okay, Mom."

"It's Sima Di Mom!"

"Yes, Mom."

Sima Di was too powerless to retort.

"Speaking of which, what about the Merry? What should we do?" Usopp thought for a moment and asked.

"Cremate it, but not now... Moreover, the figurehead must be preserved; taking it away would be like taking away Merry's real body. No matter how injured Merry is now, I can repair him with my ability, but once the figurehead is destroyed, I will have no way to fix it," Sima Di said.

"Then we must protect the figurehead! I'll go right now!" Usopp immediately jumped up and was about to rush out.

"Hey! Wait a moment, Usopp! I haven't finished speaking! Although I gave Merry a soul, fundamentally he is still a ship spirit, so he cannot stray too far from his own figurehead! Didn't you notice that Merry hasn't gone out at all these many days? The distance from here to the Merry's location is already his limit of movement range!" Sima Di instructed.

"Oh! So that's how it is!" Usopp nodded. "In other words, we just need to carry the figurehead over, right? Okay!"

As Sima Di watched Usopp roll up his sleeves and charge out, Merry jumped up in time and hugged Usopp's thigh.

"Usopp Dad, wait! With your strength, you can't carry the figurehead! Shouldn't we at least find Zoro Dad or Sanji Dad to help?"

"Ah, right... I almost forgot." Usopp scratched his head awkwardly. "Zoro! Come with me and carry the figurehead back!"

"What a bother..." Zoro's face was full of impatience, but he still obediently got up and prepared to go with Usopp.

"No need to be in such a hurry, right? Breakfast is coming soon. We can go after eating and still make it."

As soon as Sima Di finished speaking, Sanji walked in carrying a pile of food.

"Everyone! Get ready for breakfast!"

Everyone responded in turn, and Merry looked even more expectant, wondering what human food tastes like.

"Eating..."

A familiar voice sounded.

Speaking of which, Zi Zi Busheng was not among those mobilized just now. Since this guy saw Merry, he has worn this depressed face, questioning Sima Di more than once where he put his cute ship girl.

Sima Di raised an eyebrow; Merry growing into a sheep-headed human form was not something he had planned either.

"Don't worry about that guy! Let him be..." Sima Di said, "but why do I feel like I forgot something..."

"What else could you have forgotten? Of course, cultivation!" Zoro said.

"Eh? Cultivation?" Sima Di's face stretched longer than a donkey's.

"Don't make that face! Hurry up and go cultivate!"

Zoro dragged the unwilling Sima Di out the door.

And Zi Zi Busheng, "naturally," stayed here, claiming it was to have close contact with various idols.

Speaking of which, Sima Di once asked Zi Zi Busheng if he had any intention of joining the Straw Hat Pirates, but Zi Zi Busheng shook his head.

—Sorry, Heart, although I really want to join, but... there is someone I want to protect already in the Revolutionary Army.

Sima Di pressed which girl it was, but Zi Zi Busheng only smiled and said nothing.

Water 7, West Coast.

Sima Di, carrying a total burden of five hundred jin, continuously practiced sword swings, sweating like rain.

Not far away, Zoro found a stone of unknown weight (perhaps one ton) and was doing weightlifting exercises.

At the start of daily training, Sima Di would first do some basic exercises, such as one thousand sets of sword swings, before proceeding to swordsmanship training.

While swinging the sword, Sima Di saw the intact Shusui at Zoro's waist and felt somewhat uneasy.

If he had Shusui, Zoro wouldn't be so obsessed with obtaining the black blade Autumn Water; then the battle with the sword master Ryuma... but undeniably, the black blade Autumn Water is much stronger than any of the three swords Zoro currently holds.

"Sima Di? Hey? Sima Di!"

Zoro called Sima Di's name a few times before he came to his senses, and then he was met with Zoro's finger flick.

Sima Di covered his red forehead, his expression somewhat aggrieved.

"When swinging the sword, you must be fully focused! You must not be distracted! It seems your spiritual power has started to scatter after not training for a few days!"

"Y-yes... sorry..." Sima Di apologized, then quickly regrouped his momentum.

"Forget it, you should rest for a while first." Zoro thought for a moment and said, "Your spiritual power hasn't been focused these past few days. Indeed, the injuries suffered on Enies Lobby haven't healed yet."

Sima Di gave a bitter smile and sheathed his Divine Technique Blade.

That's right; others suffered physical injuries, but he suffered mental injuries. Recently, no matter what he did, he couldn't muster the energy, and he easily got lost in thought whenever he looked at anything. He hadn't even moved a single brushstroke; the concept of train of thought had all died in the Pacific Ocean.

"Speaking of which..."

"Hmm?" Sima Di looked at Zoro.

"Your cry for help back then..."

Cry for help? Ah, Zoro wants to ask why the cry for help reached them, right?

"Actually, I also... (don't know)."

"Your voice back then was really loud!"

"Hah?"

"Your voice penetrated a whole floor, even reaching the underwater tunnel... Normally, I didn't feel your voice was that loud."

"That's completely different! My voice should have reached your mind! Your mind!"

Sima Di used the "Nami Roar Style" on Zoro.

"Ah? It was the mind, huh..." Zoro scratched his head, completely unconcerned. "I was wondering why it felt a bit strange."

Sima Di gave a dead-fish look. Zoro is truly unusually scatterbrained...

"Ah!" Zoro seemed to remember something.

Sima Di nodded. "If you ask why that is, I think we can analyze it together..."

"Your blade, you said its blade spirit has awakened, right?" Zoro pointed at the Divine Technique Blade at his waist.

"So the matter of the blade is more important!"

Sima Di used the "Usopp Roast Style" on Zoro.

"How... did you do that?" Zoro asked with a serious expression (though Zoro always had a serious expression).

"This... I think it was probably stimulated by my daily spirit-bestowing, causing the blade spirit to become more active?" Sima Di explained.

"Is that so..." Zoro pondered thoughtfully.

Sima Di hesitated and said: "... Do you need my help?"

"That is not needed. I still prefer watching them be born naturally on their own." Zoro smiled and said, "After your Divine Technique's blade spirit awakened, didn't you also not use abilities to force its growth?"

"Yes! That's right... The Divine Technique is different from Merry. Merry did so only under unavoidable circumstances; once I pass away in a hundred years, Merry will almost be buried with me. But if it relies on its own abilities... then it will walk alongside time, witnessing the birth of countless sword users and sword lovers." Sima Di smiled and gripped the hilt.

Sima Di could feel the joy and full motivation transmitted from within the blade.

"Then... let's continue training." Zoro suddenly said.

"Ah?"

"While your motivation hasn't faded, continue with basic practice; add one hundred more sets of sword swings."

"Hey... Zoro..."

"Hurry up!"

"Master Zoro..."

"Pouting won't work!"

Sima Di, crying, picked up the Divine Technique Blade again and practiced sword swings over and over.

Cultivation time is always so slow.

It had only been an hour, yet it felt like a day had passed.

But... Sima Di still waited for it to come.

"Zoro! Look!" Sima Di pointed at the sea.

In the distance, several Navy warships were faintly visible.

"The Navy! Damn it! How did they arrive so fast!" Zoro said.

"Hurry back and tell Luffy! Although he might still be asleep..."