Shattering the Hurricane with Thunder!

Three Navy members appeared, with two following behind like deputies, one wielding a knife and the other a gun. The leader was a rugged figure, not any less imposing than Mio, one of Sage's subordinates.

Mio was the three-meter-tall mute giant, one of the more outstanding subordinates Sage had recruited, thanks to his massive physique and the huge katana he had stolen from Log Town. In battle, he could easily take on ten opponents at once.

This man, draped in a cloak of justice, was of the same type. He carried a massive katana on his back, equally as formidable as his own body, and appeared before Lily, who had just dealt with two groups of Navy and was about to continue her advance.

"Don't get too cocky!"

The two deputies shouted in unison, and the one with the knife rushed out quickly, while the one with the gun aimed and pulled the trigger.

Swish! The bullet and the knife-wielding deputy attacked Lily simultaneously. At that moment, Lily's figure flickered around her, and the cold light emitted from her sword formed a curved line, slicing from the knife deputy to the gun deputy. A spray of blood erupted, and the light swiftly turned towards the high-sea military.

Clang!!

The Fine Sword was blocked by the massive blade, revealing Lily's high-speed moving figure.

"Beendata Lily, a pirate with a bounty of thirty-six million!"

The Navy member's expression was solemn as he gripped the hilt of his sword. With a single tremor, he knocked Lily's Fine Sword aside, and taking advantage of the opening, he swung down fiercely, "I am Colonel 'Wall of Wind' Blade from the Navy Headquarters, prepare to die!"

Lily's body tilted slightly, just as she was about to evade the blade, she thrust her sword towards the Navy colonel. But in that instant, she suddenly sensed something, and her feet quickly stomped on the ground.

"Soru!"

Boom! Her slightly tilted body suddenly flickered, disappearing from the spot and retreating to the back, while the massive blade that had swung down seemed to carry a special force, creating a long rectangular trench on the deck that extended to the bow of the ship.

"Flying Slash?" Lily asked.

"Soru? Damn pirate!"

Blade, seeing his attack miss, gripped the hilt with both hands and swiftly swept it towards Lily.

Swish! The powerful swing of the sword was not slow or heavy; instead, it appeared exceptionally fast. That massive body not only looked powerful but seemed quick as well.

Boom! As the blade swung out, a wall-like gust of air slashed forward, easily cutting through the edges of the warship's railing, and a large chunk of the deck was sliced away, creating a gaping hole.

Lily moved her feet, having already dodged by the time he swung his blade, using Soru's high-speed movement to rush to the other side of Blade.

"You can't escape!"

But Blade's reaction was also quick. The massive blade he had just swung was immediately redirected, moving so fast it almost left an afterimage. The swirling gusts of air from the slash turned the deck upside down, chasing after the dodging Lily.

Just moments ago, a dozen pirates who had gained some upper hand against a Navy unit under Akin and Paru's attack were struck down by the gusts of air, their bodies bursting with blood as they fell.

If he kept this up, the people on this ship wouldn't need to fight anymore. Lily's pupils revealed a cold glint as her high-speed moving body halted. She stomped her foot in the air as if stepping onto a staircase, bouncing several times and leaping into the air.

"Oh, have you mastered it already?" Sage took a sip of his drink, not overly surprised.

Having mastered Soru, mastering Moonwalk was naturally not far off. Lily's growing proficiency with Soru made it expected that she would also grasp Moonwalk.

Boom! As Lily suddenly ascended, Blade's gaze shifted upwards, and he sharply raised his horizontally swung blade, unleashing a wind-like slash.

This wide-range flying slash was useless to simply dodge; it had to be broken.

"Wide range, but not enough power, then..."

Lily tightened her grip on Bai Lei, her feet forcefully pushing off in the air, like a Shell shooting forward. The blade of Bai Lei reflected the sunlight, and with her body in motion, it resembled a straight line of thunder descending.

"Breaking through the surface! Air Slash!"

It was as if she had torn through fabric; the center of the wild gust of air slash was struck by this thunder.

"Oh?"

Sage was momentarily stunned, not because of Lily's sudden attack—he was somewhat aware of her strength—but because of the sudden explosive dash after using Moonwalk. "Like my move, Moon Step: Comet, remember?"

Sage chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "But just doing it like this isn't enough, Lily."

"Wall of Wind!"

After the thunder quickly broke through the slash, Blade spun the sword outward with both hands, one hand pressing down on the back of the blade. The massive blade spun like a whirlwind in front of him, and the gusts of air from the slash continued to swirl, countering Lily's downward strike.

Clang!!

The two-finger-wide Fine Sword blade experienced a noticeable delay as it broke through the gusts, only to be stopped by the halted blade, producing a crisp sound.

"Useless!"

Blade shouted loudly, the blade rising and falling, pushing Lily's sword aside, and he swung down fiercely. Lily's figure quickly retreated, and as she stepped back, she kicked off the air, dodging the swirling slashes of the blade while charging forward again.

Clang! Bai Lei stabbed down but was blocked by the spinning blade. Seeing this, Lily did not linger, kicking off the air to distance herself from Blade, landing on the ground and focusing her gaze on him.

The blade's rotation did not stop; Blade's body was hidden behind the swirling blade, shouting, "My 'Wall of Wind' has a defensive level comparable to steel. Your sword cannot break through my attack!"

"Oh? That doesn't seem like the strength a colonel should have. Is it limited by your position?"

Sitting at the edge of the Death Star, Sage put down his wine glass, picked up a cigar, bit it, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke, glancing at Blade.

"Natural Disaster?!"

Blade looked up and shouted, "Wait until I take down your subordinates before coming for you! As long as I capture you, my achievements will be enough for a promotion!"

The ranks in the Navy only represent positions; there are always those elite individuals whose strength far exceeds their rank. After all, achievements weigh much more than strength.

"Hmph, then you better work hard."

Sage chuckled softly, looking at Lily, "Lily, if you can't comprehend 'Iron Cutting' to deal with him, you will lose."

"Breath of All Things?"

Lily nodded, her expression calming down.

Sage had mentioned this; unlike Haki, Observation Haki increases perception, but it is not the same type as Breath of All Things. Armament Haki merely enhances power and is unrelated to this aspect.

There are many ways to enhance power; the sea has various techniques, like the charged King's Fist, strange martial arts, and qi techniques, all capable of increasing power.

Haki is merely the control of will, amplifying it into strength. But Breath of All Things is the perception of oneself and all things, akin to the meditative state of 'Life Return.' Even with a Sharp Knife, one can touch leaves without cutting them and break through steel.

Even a swordsman capable of executing flying slashes may not comprehend this move; it belongs to the enlightenment of a swordsman.

To deal with such a person, without 'Iron Cutting,' there is no other way.

But this enlightenment, "Blade of Wind!"

At that moment, the rotating blade abruptly stopped. Blade gripped the hilt of the spinning sword, unleashing a spiraling, entangled wind slash.

Lily's pupils constricted, just as she was about to use Moonwalk to jump away. But as she stepped into the air, the surrounding air seemed to fall into chaos, abruptly breaking her Moonwalk, and at that moment, the slash rapidly approached her.

Boom!!

Lily raised Fine Sword in front of her, bracing against the slash, her body being pushed back by the force of the strike. The blade rattled under the pressure of the wind slash, and even her grip nearly faltered as it vibrated violently.

This sword was not a thin needle; it had a two-finger-wide blade, a straight sword with edges on both sides, and the blade bore patterns like lightning.

As one of the fifty crafts, its quality was certainly not poor, and it could withstand the slash.

But swish! Just as Lily struggled to hold off the slash, her arm's clothing was torn, revealing her snow-white skin, and the hem of her skirt was also shredded, exposing her form-fitting black stockings.

This slash, unlike the crude slashes before, continuously spun, and the wind wall surrounding it added chaotic wind blades to the attack. Besides the unique power of the slash, it also contained numerous smaller slashes akin to Storm Legs.

Even if she blocked it, there would still be residual waves to attack.

Seeing that she was about to crash into the Death Star Ship behind her, Lily gritted her teeth, gripping Fine Sword tightly and forcefully thrusting it upward. As her clothing was torn further, she quickly stomped her feet, using Soru to flash to the side, but her body still stumbled slightly from the force of the slash, falling to the ground.

Boom! The slash directly struck the hull of the Death Star Ship, producing a loud bang, and the fierce wind lifted the deck of the warship, sending wooden debris flying.

However, the ship remained unscathed, like a true Iron Wall, impervious to damage.

This was not because the wood was hard enough; with such power, even the hardest wood would sustain damage.

It was purely because of Sage.

He cast a cold glance at Blade, "Hey, be careful. If you damage my ship, you won't even get a chance to test your skills."

These people could not see it, but from Sage's perspective, as he flowed Haki downwards, he covered the bow of the Death Star Ship with a layer, protecting it from the slash.

Whether it was Hardening or Entanglement, both could release against objects; Hardening required contact, while Entanglement could push objects away.

Sage was sitting on the ship, so he was certainly in contact.

Under his gaze, Blade suddenly froze, an inexplicable sweat trickling down his forehead.

He didn't know why, only that when this Natural Disaster looked at him, his heart inexplicably trembled.

"Truly worthy of the title 'Natural Disaster' man!"

Blade's expression twisted, "But the justice-bearing Navy will not be afraid! In the name of justice, I will arrest you all!"

"A stray dog has no right to talk about justice."

Sage bit his cigar, sneering, "Justice is not something only the Navy can wield. You must first defeat my subordinates to have the right to discuss justice with me, Lily."

"Yes."

Lily stood up from the deck, brushed off the dust on her clothes, and gripped the hilt of Bai Lei tightly, "I will not lose!"

"You, who cannot cut iron, how could you be my opponent!"

Blade shouted angrily, leaping up, the blade spinning violently around him. As it fell towards Lily, it stirred up a whirlwind, and then he gripped the hilt, wrapping the whirlwind around the blade and slicing down directly.

"Blade of Wind!"

At that moment, Lily closed her eyes.

This was a formidable enemy, as strong as steel. As a swordsman, if she could not cut iron, she would indeed not be his opponent.

Run away?

Of course, she could; Lily was confident that Blade could not catch her.

But what was the use of running away, just to let Sage deal with it? Sage might not care, and might even comfort her, saying she would eventually grow stronger, no need to rush.

But she was unwilling!

If she ran away once, there would be a second time. This was different from avoiding the Navy's pursuit; this was a steel wall blocking her path.

If she ran away this time, what about next time? When encountering someone Sage didn't even want to deal with, would she have to ask for his help again?

And what about the time after that?

Lily's knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt.

She was not just a vase who could sail, nor was she just someone who fed Sage during leisure time, an ordinary woman who could be replaced at any moment! "I am a cadre, a navigator, the first subordinate Sage recruited, someone who is determined not to let others be oppressed, not a seeker of help!"

Lily's eyes suddenly opened, and she thrust Bai Lei fiercely towards the descending Blade.

Even if it meant fighting to the death, she would defeat this guy, not become a burden to Sage!

Clang! The blade struck the wind pressure from the slash, falling into a delay. The wide-range whirlwind slash enveloped Lily; even though it hadn't approached yet, the stirred residual waves blew her golden hair, even cutting a few strands.

The near-death threat ignited in Lily's heart, making her mind go blank. In that instant, she seemed to sense the chaotic flow of the wind blades within the fierce whirlwind slash, the turbulence of the air it stirred.

...

"Lily, do you like swords? Then I will teach you swordsmanship in the future, okay? Although you're still young, you can build a foundation."

In the garden of the royal palace, a blurry figure spoke to the three or four-year-old Lily. The face was unclear, but the corners of the mouth could be seen smiling.

"There's no need to rush to swing it; that's a shallow approach. What you need now is observation and then meditation."

"Remember, a sword, while sharp, doesn't need to cut everything. Leaves have their flow, stones have their breath, and the earth and air have different sensations. Cutting everything is merely the sword itself, but controlling what is cut is what makes you a swordsman."

Young Lily, confused, held the sword, meditating daily according to that person's words, striking at leaves and branches with a wooden sword tailored for her at the time, hitting stones and steel.

A powerful swing could shatter leaves and branches but could not break stones and steel.

Until one day, when her wooden sword could brush past leaves and branches, striking a stone, twelve-year-old Lily saw the arrogant Ennio.

The blurry figure in her memory vanished, replaced by the hateful Ennio! Who that figure was, she could not recall, but Lily saw, as Ennio laughed maniacally at her, the wooden sword striking the stone had already created a crack.

That was... swish! The Fine Sword blade pierced through the slash, and Lily's body moved, dodging to the side.

Boom!!

The massive blade crashed down, creating a hole in the deck, and the slash swept around the hole, cutting through it.

Blade shouted at Lily, who stood on the other side, "Don't think about running!"

"No, I won't run!"

Lily kicked off, using Moonwalk to jump into the air, once again kicking off, transforming into a white thunderbolt shooting down.

"Breaking through the surface."

"Useless!"

Blade spun the blade, forming the Wall of Wind. This woman was indeed fast, too fast to counterattack, but breaking through his steel-like defense was impossible! Just one more block would suffice!

The thunder descended, its speed increasing as it fell, enhancing the thrust's power, the sword tip breaking through the wind of the slash surrounding the blade, touching the blade.

At that moment, the thrust's power would weaken, thus being blocked by the equally steel blade. Next would be Blade's counterattack. "Slash!"

The thunder suddenly accelerated, sweeping past Blade's body and crashing into the position behind him.

Lily crouched down, slowly retracting Fine Sword into its sheath.

Her body stood up, the hilt of Bai Lei meeting the sheath, producing a soft sound.

Click.

Swish!!

Blade's defensive action froze as the blade returned to its sheath, a gash opening in his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain, and the massive blade shattered, breaking into two pieces.

"I can cut iron."

Lily looked up at Sage, who was watching her, "After all, I am a cadre of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew."

Sage smiled back, "Great job, Lily."

Lily nodded, then turned to the fallen Blade, saying lightly, "This so-called Iron Wall cannot stop me."

"Iron Wall? Where is the Iron Wall?"

Paru, who had already joined the battle, perked up his ears and looked around, "Is there anyone else who can match my name, Paru?!"

"Fight well, Paru, don't get distracted!"

Akin swung his cane, knocking down the surrounding Navy, looking at Paru and saying, "Otherwise, Lord Renetia will hit you."

"Yes!"

Paru clashed his iron shield, igniting flames on the Firefly Stone through friction, laughing, "Taste my Paru's Flame Fist!"

Bang! A hammer struck him on the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"I told you not to use fire! Use your shell to fight properly, or I'll throw you into the sea to be with the sea turtles!"

Renetia swung her long hammer, sending the charging Navy flying, turning to Paru and scolding.

"Si, simimasu."

Paru trembled on the deck, raising his head with smoke, crying out in grievance.

This chapter counts as two, and there are two more chapters I will update at dawn. I will definitely finish it before dawn; it is indeed slow, but I have to write some details. It can't always be Sage fighting; otherwise, what's the point of having a Pirate Crew?

Growth is also necessary; in any case, I will follow the rhythm.

I will strive to stabilize the updates during the day. Sincerely, Fish Head thanks you.