Chapter 129: Hasaki, Farewell Garp! [62K]

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.

The next destination had not yet been reached, and the Curtain Call continued to move steadily across the sea surface.

"Ah-choo!"

Siano suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose in puzzlement.

"Strange, why have I been sneezing so easily these past two days? Who exactly is talking about me?"

At this moment, he had just pushed open the door of the cultivation room; his upper body was bare, and he was drenched in sweat.

Looking up, he saw moonlight streaming through the portholes onto the corridor; the entire ship was quiet, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull.

It was already late at night.

"Let's stop here for today; time to sleep."

He stretched lazily; having just completed nearly twenty hours of self-torturous bitter cultivation in one go, his muscles indeed needed a good relaxation.

Hmm?

Siano suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Wait.

Relax?

He stroked his chin, his gaze shifting to the pitch-black sea surface outside.

Come to think of it, over the past few days, he had been entirely occupied with getting intimate with the Poneglyphs.

As for the Sea Breathing Method, after initially mastering it, he hadn't practiced it much.

Because to continue advancing in this thing, one had to soak in water for long periods, regulate breathing and meditate, gradually adapting to that sensation of underwater respiration.

This consumed far too much time, so there was good reason for temporarily setting it aside.

But now, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly realized.

With his level of bodily control, he should be able to maintain the automatic operation of the Sea Breathing Method even while unconscious; he could completely switch to sleeping underwater.

In this way, he could utilize his rest time to both replenish his sleep and slowly cultivate this secret technique to perfection.

Feasible!

Twenty-four hours a day of seamless cultivation; who could possibly out-grind me at this?

Let's do it.

Siano found a sturdy rope, tied it around his waist, then went to the ship's edge and dove into the sea with a fish-like leap.

The instant he entered the water, without needing any deliberate control, all his pores began to dilate, and his muscle fibers contracted rhythmically like fish gills.

Glug, glug—

Bubbles overflowed from the corners of his mouth as Siano slowly sank.

Twenty meters, thirty meters, fifty meters...

Moonlight penetrated the sea surface, transforming into a hazy blue halo in his field of vision; schools of small fish, startled, scattered in all directions, their silver scales flashing like a galaxy of stars.

"More comfortable than I imagined."

Siano adjusted his breathing rhythm, letting his body sink deeper into the darkness; once the rope was nearly taut—

"Hoo..."

He placed his hands behind his back, crossed his legs, and floated as if lying normally on a bed, slowly closing his eyes.

Perhaps because he had cultivated too exhaustively today, falling asleep underwater seemed easier than on the ship.

The seawater blocked out all noise, leaving only the slow, rhythmic beating of his heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Under the effect of the Sea Breathing Method, every heartbeat caused his entire body's muscles to drive the surrounding water into slight vibrations.

Siano's consciousness gradually blurred, but his body spontaneously maintained the operation of the breathing method.

Hmm, my judgment was correct.

He could indeed achieve continuing to advance this secret technique while in his dreams.

In that case...

He could finally sleep with peace of mind.

Splash, splash.

As the Curtain Call moved forward, turbulent currents flowed gently past his side.

Under such impact, an ordinary person would be tossed about, unable to even maintain balance.

Yet for the black-haired youth, it caused not the slightest disturbance.

He continued to sleep soundly.

A curious, huge sea beast appeared from afar, casting a massive shadow; upon spotting the human figure ahead, its eyes immediately lit up, and it hurriedly accelerated its swim toward him.

However, as the distance closed and it sensed the faintly radiating dangerous aura emanating from Siano, the expression of this giant sea beast grew increasingly hesitant.

Finally, it stopped and, knowing better, swam off in another direction.

In this realm where even sunlight could not reach, time seemed to stand still.

"Gurgle..."

Siano rolled over, shifting into a more comfortable sleeping posture.

I don't know how much time passed.

Suddenly—

"Boom!"

A muffled explosion sound came from above; Siano jolted awake, opening his eyes.

The nearly hundred-meter water layer filtered the sounds into a blur, yet he instantly judged the direction.

It was from the southwest; a ship had opened fire on the Curtain Fall.

Siano frowned, his body rapidly floating upward; in an instant, he broke the surface and landed on the deck.

The sky was bright, the sun hung high; his companions had long since risen, meaning he had surprisingly slept for six or seven hours.

"What's going on?"

Siano gazed into the distance and asked casually.

To his surprise, the one firing was not a pursuing Marine warship, but a fleet newly formed by six black-sailed pirate ships.

"Just here to die."

Nojiko curled her lip. "No grievance, no grudge, yet they fire out of nowhere; they must be eyeing your head, Brother, worth five hundred million."

"Is that so."

Siano laughed heartily.

Come to think of it, when they first entered the Grand Line, they had encountered several ill-intentioned pirate crews; without ever giving the enemy a chance to board, they had easily crushed them.

But after the details of the Thor Island battle were revealed and his bounty reached the pinnacle of Paradise, such occurrences became rare.

Nowadays, the Curtain Fall Adventurer Guild had long been "notorious" throughout the first half of the Grand Line.

Nine out of ten pirate ships, upon spotting that fluttering white flag from afar, were so frightened they dared not approach, immediately turning their prows and fleeing in panic.

Yet on this vast sea, nothing is impossible.

There will always be some pirates who are incredibly brave.

Brave to the point where you cannot comprehend their train of thought.

Just like now.

That said, the scale of this pirate fleet before them is truly considerable.

The fleet composing it?

Its presence is no less than Krieg's fleet.

Siano took the spyglass from Nojiko beside him and examined the pirate flag.

Tsk, no impression at all.

He immediately lost interest and said to Nojiko nearby, "I'm going to eat breakfast; I'll leave this to you and Nami."

The reason he said this

was that his two younger sisters had obtained their Devil Fruit abilities not long ago and enjoyed using such blind pirates to test their new moves.

The pirate ships they had encountered previously were basically all left for the two of them to handle.

"But it seems it's not our turn this time." Nojiko shrugged. "Brother, turn around and look; someone has been eager to act for a while but has been waiting for you to come up."

Hmm?

Siano turned to look.

There, Sister Sister Guyina stood at the stern, unbeknownst to him; her black ponytail danced in the sea breeze, her left hand pressing the scabbard, her right resting on the hilt, her gaze as sharp as a blade's edge.

"Leave this one to me, my lord Siano."

Noticing Siano's surprised gaze, the young girl tilted her head slightly, a smile curving her lips. "It is the perfect chance to show you the results of my cultivation these past few days."

Oh?

Eager to show off?

Such a sight from Sister Sister Guyina is quite rare.

"It seems progress has been very smooth."

Siano nodded with interest. "Very well; I shall delay my meal and stay here to witness this properly."

Sister Sister Guyina took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

At this moment, Siano vaguely felt that the air currents in the atmosphere seemed to be converging around the young girl.

Oh?

His eyes brightened, his interest growing even deeper; could it be that Sister Sister Guyina has already mastered that move so quickly...

————

Meanwhile.

On the largest flagship, situated in the very center of the opposing fleet.

A purple-haired burly man wearing a captain's hat and exuding a brutal aura was waving a curved blade, roaring orders to his crew.

"Do you see it! Men, that is the ship of the Curtain Fall Pirate Crew; the head worth five hundred million is right before our eyes!"

The purple-haired brute spat wildly, the fleshy rolls on his face trembling with excitement:

"To think they only have such a small ship; it seems the strength of this pirate crew is nothing special, not even comparable to me, the Great One with a seventy-million-berry bounty; he merely got lucky escaping with his dog's life from the hands of a Marine Admiral!"

"Once we take his head, Laozi will be the new five-hundred-million-level Great Pirate! Men, from today onward, our Luffy Pirate Crew shall make its name known throughout the entire Grand Line!"

"Ooooooh—!!!"

"What a bold and spirited declaration!"

"As expected of Captain Luffy!!!"

The pirates on the deck also fell into a frenzy, raising their arms and emitting cheers like a mountain roaring and the sea surging.

Just then.

"Cap-tain! Captain!"

The lookout suddenly shouted, "There's movement on the other side!"

At the stern of the Curtain Fall, a slender and curvaceous black figure leaped into the air, charging forward while treading on Moon Step!

It was none other than Sister Sister Guyina.

She stared coldly at the pirate fleet, the Wado Ichimonji at her waist still sheathed, her right hand remaining steadily gripped upon the hilt.

"What! Sending just a little girl to die?"

The purple-haired captain named Luffy sneered, raising his curved blade, "Ignorant of life and death! Men, fire all cannons, increase the firepower! Blast this sword-wielding girl into fragments first!"

"Yes, Captain Luffy!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Six ships fired their broadside cannons simultaneously; nearly a hundred cannonballs tore through the vast sky, dense and numerous, raining down to envelop Sister Sister Guyina.

Sister Sister Guyina's gaze was indifferent, her right hand's five fingers slowly tightening with force—

The next moment.

"Iaido: Six Paths: Steel-Cutting Flash!"

Amidst a fierce shout, the snow-bright blade finally left its sheath!

Countless visible, semi-transparent air currents coiled around the sword body; with her thrusting motion, they converged into a sharp edge shape and roared forth!

Vroom—!!!

As this single strike was unleashed, the entire sea surface suddenly erupted into a violent gale!

The sword energy surged massively forward, causing the sea to part rapidly to both sides; the violent air currents swept up all the incoming cannonballs, grinding them into lead powder.

Yet this sword energy did not lose momentum; instead, it continuously absorbed the surrounding air currents, and in an instant, formed six giant tornadoes, each fifty or sixty meters tall, surging and spiraling across the sea surface, crossing paths before separating again, moving as if alive to precisely rush toward the six pirate ships!

Whoosh!

The violent air currents swept across the sea, tearing the water into a sky-full of mist; before they even drew near, the six pirate ships began to toss and shake violently, their masts emitting groans of unbearable strain.

"Hey! W-What the hell is this thing?!"

The purple-haired burly man widened his eyes in terror, his curved blade clattering onto the deck.

Swordsmanship?

No, he must be a Devil Fruit user!

What swordsmanship could possibly achieve something like this!

"Turn the helm! What are you standing there for, turn the helm, you trash!" Seeing the tornadoes drawing ever closer, he finally reacted, twisting his head to scream with a torn heart and ripped lungs.

However.

It was already too late.

The instant the tornadoes touched the hulls, the sturdy vessels were easily torn apart like paper sheets and began to disintegrate.

The minions gathered on the decks had no idea how to resist; just as they turned to flee, they were swept high into the sky by the violent air currents, letting out a chorus of piercing wails!

"No, no!!!"

The purple-haired burly man also felt the wind sound approaching from behind; futilely hugging the main mast, he twisted his head to watch his flagship being devoured inch by inch by the tornadoes, screaming in despair:

"How can Laozi die here? I am a man destined to become the King of the Pirates..."

Before his words could finish.

The wind blade had already swept across his neck.

His captain's hat flew high into the sky along with his head; in his dilated pupils that had lost focus, the last thing he saw was the sight of the other five ships likewise shattering within the tornadoes.

Six ships, destroyed completely in less than a minute.

They were all annihilated.

When the tornado storm gradually dissipated, only floating wooden planks and scattered drowning victims screaming sporadically remained on the now-calm sea surface.

Sister Sister Guyina slowly sheathed her blade, turned, and stepped on Moon Walk to land on the deck.

Her black ponytail moved with the wind, her robes fluttering; although she had just returned from within a storm, not a single drop of water stained her entire body.

On the stern deck, all was silent.

This single strike had nearly won over everyone on the ship.

Even Robin, at this moment, subconsciously set down the coffee in her hand, gazing at the young swordswoman before her with eyes full of astonishment.

"You're so cool!! Sister Sister Guyina!"

Nami leaped with joy, diving straight into Sister Sister Guyina's arms and hugging her waist, "I suddenly want to learn swordsmanship! Teach me, okay? From now on, you're my real sister! I don't recognize that one behind you anymore!"

"Hey!" Nojiko bared her teeth and roared, "You brat, has it been too long since I last beat you? Is your skin itching again?"

"Waaah, so scary! Sister Sister Guyina, protect me!"

Sister Sister Guyina smiled slightly.

She patted Nami's head; apart from navigation and her own bounty, this girl only had three minutes of enthusiasm for anything else.

Learn swords? Naturally, she would not take those words seriously.

In comparison, what was more important was...

"How was it?"

She tilted her head slightly upward to look at Siano, a trace of anticipation in her eyes.

This look, this expression, Siano always felt was very familiar.

It seemed that back when Ah Yin was still a cub, every time he had just bought strawberry milk and put it in the refrigerator, she would look exactly like this.

Clap clap clap!

"Splendid!"

He spared no applause, clapping his hands hard while saying with a smile:

"Truly splendid! You've practiced that secret manual for less than a week, yet you can already unleash Wind-Slicing Swordsmanship of this caliber; such talent... indeed worthy of the genius who stands supreme over the entire Isshin Dojo!"

Every word he spoke was from the heart.

Compared to the rest of the crew, he had anticipated the effect of the Steel-Cutting Flash; wasn't it just capable of slashing out tornadoes?

But he hadn't expected...

The tornado was indeed a tornado, but Sister Sister Guyina had somehow slashed out six of them in one breath, and the power of each strike was terrifyingly formidable.

It had left him momentarily dumbfounded.

Even Yasuo himself would find it difficult to achieve this, wouldn't he?

Girl, you're playing on doomsday difficulty!

"Thank you, my lord Siano."

Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Sister Sister Guyina said with a slightly flushed face, "You flatter me; I still have room for improvement. My next step is to study how to combine this move with Haki to elevate its destructive power even further..."

"Good idea."

Siano gave a thumbs-up, then thought for a moment and suddenly said, "However, compared to that, I think there's something more important about you that urgently needs improvement."

"Eh? What?"

"It doesn't feel right!"

Siano said with a serious expression, "When slashing out this sword move, don't shout all sorts of nonsense; to unleash its full power, you must shout 'Hasagi'!"

Hasagi?

What does that mean?

The young swordswoman tilted her head in confusion; usually maintaining an expressionless and cool demeanor, she looked quite adorably contrasting like this.

"Understood."

In the end, she still nodded firmly.

Although it felt like there was no difference at all.

But, since it was my lord Siano's opinion, it must be correct.

The destruction of the pirate fleet seemed to have gone entirely unnoticed by anyone.

The Falling Curtain continued its advance.

Rubbing his growling empty stomach, Siano headed to the dining hall, while the rest of the crew, who also hadn't eaten breakfast yet, followed suit one after another.

Zeff was already prepared; untying his apron, he laughed heartily:

"Today's breakfast consists of eighteen varieties: grilled steak, Naruto ramen, sardine sushi, matcha mousse cake... Everyone line up to choose! Hey! Smoker! I clearly stated you must use tongs and are not allowed to grab with your hands!"

Amidst a sharp sound of wind cutting through the air, Zeff delivered a fierce kick.

Thud!

Three bumps swelled up on Smoker's head; cursing "stinky old man" resentfully, he obediently picked up the tongs nearby.

There was no helping it; in the kitchen and dining hall, Zeff was the boss, and even Siano had to listen to him.

Carrying a plate piled high like a small mountain, Siano found a seat by the window and sat down.

He first popped a piece of mousse cake into his mouth to whet his appetite, then forked a piece of golden, crispy grilled steak and took a bite; the tender meat with its charred exterior burst with rich juices between his teeth, causing him to squint in satisfaction.

"Uncle Zeff's culinary skills are getting better and better."

He praised with his mouth full, then scooped a spoonful of thick seafood soup; floating within the milky white broth were clam meat and shrimp, the fresh, aromatic steam tickling the tip of his nose.

Swallowing it, a warm current instantly spread from his stomach throughout his entire body.

So comfortable!

Siano accelerated his eating pace.

After cultivating bitterly all night and waking up, nothing could comfort the body and mind better than such a sumptuous feast.

Only by filling one's stomach can one start a brand new day with full spirit!

Come to think of it.

Uncle Zeff truly lives up to his reputation.

Eighteen distinct and incredibly delicious dishes, accomplished single-handedly in just about an hour.

Luckily I acted early back then and directly dragged the old man onto the ship.

Otherwise, where would I find such an awesome chef?

The others were also burying their heads in eating and drinking heartily; with Zeff holding fort in the kitchen, mealtime every day was the most relaxing and pleasant moment for everyone.

"Heh..." Zeff crossed his arms, grinning as he watched the scene.

As a chef, he needed nothing else; seeing his companions silently stuff food into their mouths with all their might was the best commendation and recognition of his culinary arts.

However, just at this moment.

"Buru Buru Buru Buru! Buru Buru Buru Buru!!!"

The public Den Den Mushi in the dining hall suddenly cried out excitedly, its voice far more urgent and piercing than usual.

Hmm?

What's going on?

Puzzled, Siano stood up, preparing to grab the receiver, while the crew members also subconsciously looked up in his direction.

"Wait a moment, Captain."

Smoker suddenly spoke, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a call from the Marines."

"The Marines?"

Everyone was startled; Nami doubted, "For real or fake, Cigar Guy? The Marines? How did they get our number?"

"No need to know."

Smoker subconsciously took out a cigar to light it, but under Zeff's unfriendly gaze, he silently put it away again.

"Besides normal communication signal access, Den Den Mushis have two other special reactions."

Holding two chopsticks of ramen in his mouth, he explained, "One is sudden wailing and crying; this happens because someone nearby is sending an emergency distress signal. Anyone can do it, so it's relatively common."

"The other method is what's happening now. This is a technical capability possessed only by major powers like Marine Headquarters. It involves amplifying the signal over a wide area to simultaneously contact all Den Den Mushi in this sea region. Generally, it cannot pinpoint a target precisely; this method is only employed when one must screen and attempt contact individually across a certain area."

"Eh?"

Nami widened her eyes. "There's such a thing? I've learned something new. So, does that mean the Marines roughly know which sea region we're in now?"

"That's normal."

Smoker said in a deep voice, "After all, we just showed ourselves in Alabasta a few days ago; our route can be guessed."

But this did not mean warships could easily surround and block them.

After all, a ship is not a sitting duck; it is constantly changing position, not staying still to let you shrink the encirclement.

And the greatest difficulty for the Marines in capturing pirates has always been how to catch up with the opponent in this vast ocean without being shaken off.

Merely grasping the general sea region is basically useless.

"Anyway, let's just answer it first."

Siano shrugged, unconcerned, and directly picked up the receiver.

The Marines suddenly being so eager to talk to him was somewhat strange; he was quite curious to see what scheme they were actually hatching.

"Hello?"

A serious voice came from the receiver, "I am a communications soldier from Marine Headquarters, ordered to search for traces of the Sunset Pirate Crew in this sea region. All who answer please cooperate. If you are not relevant personnel, you may hang up. However, if you have any leads on the Sunset Pirate Crew, we welcome your pro..."

"I am Siano."

Siano said calmly, "Who is your superior? What do you want with me?"

"You are Sia... Eh?"

A shriek came from the other end of the line, "Mr. Garp! Please come quickly! The person on the other end of this receiver claims to be that Siano!"

"Is that so?"

Garp's muttering voice came through, "Could it be another fake? In just this past hour, I've been fooled several times already. These bastards who love playing tricks, hmph. If it weren't for..."

"Old man Garp?"

Siano raised an eyebrow, cutting the other party off.

"Oh?!!!! This voice sounds truly familiar and dear, seeming to be the real person! Ahahaha, quickly hand the phone to me!!"

Snap!

The next moment, the Den Den Mushi's face suddenly twisted, transforming into a rugged visage wearing a dog-eared cap.

"Hey! Long time no see, it's me, Garp!"

With half a donut still dangling from the Den Den Mushi's mouth, crunching loudly while laughing heartily, he said:

"Finally found you, Siano! You little brat, trying to get in contact with you has been quite a struggle!"

(End of Chapter)