Chapter 55

All those who had jumped down returned to the city wall the way they came.

These Marines with no sense of perception,

Sima Di had gone along with the act the entire time, hardly expending much at all—these people before him really weren't even enough to fill the gaps in his teeth.

So be it,

Let's test the power of Hyourinmaru!

Sima Di placed his left hand on Hyourinmaru's hilt, just about to chant the Shikai incantation......

But then he saw Tashigi, as if she couldn't see Sima Di at all, sweep straight past him and come to a stop before Crocodile.

"We just discovered a rain ship belonging to the Baroque Works transporting Dance Powder."

"In the name of the World Government's direct subordinate Marine Headquarters, I hereby arrest you for possession of an enemy vessel, strip you of all rights granted by the World Government, and arrest you on the spot to be sent to Enies Lobby for trial!"

So she came to arrest Crocodile!

Or rather, to steal the credit?

But since no one wanted Crocodile's Suna Suna no Mi, Crocodile was useless to Sima Di—after all, they couldn't collect the bounty on him.

Let them have him, then.

Besides......

【Ding! Congratulations on signing in at the famous scene "Tashigi with a Heart for Justice!" and obtaining the sign-in reward "Zoro's Beginner Swordsman Insights"!】

——————————

"Zoro's Beginner Swordsman Insights": Beginner insights from the swordsman Zoro; instantly comprehend the essence of Cutting Steel!;

——————————

【Reward has been stored in the System Space!】

【Ding! Congratulations on signing in at the famous scene "The First Arrested Warlord of the Sea!" and obtaining the sign-in reward "Crocodile's Spiritual Power"!】

——————————

"Crocodile's Spiritual Power": Although Crocodile's physical skills are lacking, the spiritual power he has honed over many years of developing the Suna Suna no Mi is considerable!;

——————————

Sima Di only felt a wave of refreshment, and then a mysterious, profound realization welled up in his heart.

It was the essence of Cutting Steel!

His slightly strengthened spiritual power let him perceive the world's "breathing"—or rather, its "grain"—more clearly; as long as he cut along that "grain"......

He could slice through steel with ease!

However......

Sima Di glanced at Hyourinmaru, thinking of his own bizarre passive ability "100% Empty-Handed Catch of a Blade"......

So what if he became a swordsman?

He couldn't hit anyone anyway......

?

Begging for flowers! Every 2,000 adds an extra chapter! Once it's published, it becomes every 5,000 for an extra chapter!

56. Bankai! Vivi's Savior!

He calmly watched Tashigi arrest Crocodile and once again brush past him.

He had thought the meeting would end just like that, in tacit understanding.

Unexpectedly,

Tashigi paused, then said coolly: "You have seven days. During this time we will seal off the entire sea area; in three days we will launch the arrest operation!"

Then she left without looking back.

Sima Di watched Tashigi depart with great interest, pondering......

No wonder this woman gives Zoro headaches—she really does have quite the personality.

Watching the cheering crowd atop the wall, a sudden idea struck Sima Di.

"For a moment so worthy of celebration, how could it be without a downpour?"

Sima Di flew with Zoro and Luffy to the palace and handed them over to Kureha and Chopper to look after.

"I'm going to deliver a gift to Alabasta," Sima Di said.

He took out the Hearthstone and teleported back to the Going Merry, which was out at sea.

Then he drew Hyourinmaru and chanted the Shikai incantation—

"Sit upon the frosty heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

An iron chain sprouted from Hyourinmaru's sword-tail; at the chain's end was a crescent-shaped blade, looking just like an ice dragon's tail, and a giant ice dragon materialized in the air, coiling around Sima Di—dashing beyond compare!

Sima Di manipulated water vapor to condense an ice mirror, and was quite satisfied with his dashing appearance wrapped in an ice dragon.

But this was still far from enough!

"Bankai!"

"Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

The ice dragon around him expanded over a dozen times in size and sprouted a pair of wings on its back; his entire sword-wielding right arm was encased in solid ice, transforming into the shape of a dragon's head, and the chain-blade behind the hilt became a half-moon-shaped chain.

The cool, flashy look leveled up several notches once again!

At the same time,

Twelve red lotus ice crystals condensed behind his back—when they all withered, that would be the true moment of Daiguren Hyourinmaru's complete Bankai!

Sima Di stood calmly in midair, carefully savoring the power of Daiguren Hyourinmaru, using its most basic "Tensou Jurin" ability to manipulate the seawater beneath his feet, turning it into water molecules that gathered in the sky as dark clouds.

Every ten minutes, one red lotus ice crystal would wither, and the process would accelerate accordingly!

When three red lotus ice crystals had withered,

The seawater transformed into water molecules so dense they formed a mist, connecting with the dark clouds above.

When the six red lotus ice crystals withered,

that mist transformed into a water curtain, resembling an inverted waterfall pouring upward into the sky—the expansion of the clouds was now visibly rapid.

When the nine red lotus ice crystals withered,

the inverted waterfall remained, but its flow rate multiplied dozens of times; with every blink, the clouds advanced a great distance.

When all twelve red lotus ice crystals had withered,

Ma Di fully mastered all the power of the Full Release: Great Red Lotus Ice Wheel; the inverted waterfall surged into a colossal tsunami a kilometer wide, like thundering waves pouring water molecules into the sky!

The speed of the cloud expansion increased geometrically; where it once took 110 minutes to cover one-tenth of Alabasta, now in just three minutes the entire Alabasta was shrouded in dark clouds!

At the same time, it reached Ma Di's limit.

Ma Di released his restraint over the water molecules, and immediately, pea-sized raindrops slammed onto the ground; within moments, a torrential downpour engulfed Alabasta, nourishing this drought-stricken nation of three years!

Meanwhile,

Smoker, who was about to activate the "Rainship," stared at the torrential rain before him, lost in thought.

So what was he even here for?

"Whoosh—"

"Artificial rainfall across the entire nation? That's not something a normal person could do."

Ma Di wiped away sweat that had frozen into ice shards, looking somewhat exhausted.

Had he not just fused with Crocodile's spiritual power, he might not have endured until all twelve red lotus ice crystals withered and gained true mastery of the Full Release form of the Great Red Lotus Ice Wheel.

Those final three minutes nearly drained him dry!

Ma Di admired his own creation, then pulled out a firestone and rubbed it.

"Shhh—"

The Teleportation Method carried him to a bedroom in Alubarna—exactly the one Ikahlem had assigned him.

What Ma Di hadn't expected was,

besides the severely injured Luffy and Zoro, and those tending to them—Kurokasi and Chopper—

Vivi, Robin, and the other Straw Hat Pirates were all waiting there.

Seeing Ma Di appear, and his exhausted appearance,

everyone understood what had happened.

"Incredible!"

"You made it rain across the whole country!"

"You're just too strong!"