Chapter 527: A Battle of Wits

Chapter 527: Chapter 527: A Battle of Wits

"It would be best if we could lure her attacks away," Brook said. "At least that way, she won’t keep wrecking our pirate ship. Though the men’s quarters are in a terrible state now... it’s still better than the entire ship getting transformed."

"That’s true, but in our current condition, we can’t muster much fighting strength," Nami said with a growing headache.

Right now, she couldn’t even use her abilities properly.

"Could seawater undo her Devil Fruit ability?" Chopper whispered. "I remember Meiser mentioning that Devil Fruit abilities can be undone by seawater."

Nami: "..."

Hearing Chopper’s words, Nami gave him a completely speechlessly exasperated look.

"Did you forget that all three of us are Devil Fruit ability users?" Nami said, utterly deadpan. "How are we supposed to experiment with seawater in this situation?"

While seawater indeed had a chance of nullifying the enemy’s Devil Fruit ability... as ability users themselves, falling into the ocean would mean instant death!

So that method was completely out of the question.

Chopper froze, then said sheepishly, "Oh, right... good point."

He had forgotten that everyone on their side was an ability user.

He then asked, "Then what do we do now?"

He felt like he couldn’t even tap into a tenth of his usual strength. How were they supposed to fight?

This time, Nami didn’t speak. Instead, her eyes locked onto that cloud floating in the sky above the Thousand Sunny.

Following her gaze, Brook was momentarily stunned before whispering excitedly, "Th-That’s...?!"

"Shh."

Nami signaled Brook not to alert the enemy. She then carefully attempted to manipulate that particular cloud, which had not undergone any transformation.

Instantly, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in her eyes.

"It works!"

She hadn’t lost her connection to that cloud!

"Wonderful!"

Brook also beamed with joy. Did this mean they had a chance to defeat this Devil Fruit ability user?

As long as they defeated her, they could revert to their original forms!

Right at that moment, Giolla turned her head toward the other side and yelled, "Hey, you lot! Get over here right now!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

"?"

Hearing the answering shout, Chopper’s expression shifted drastically. "Who was that speaking?"

Why would someone answer out on the open sea?

"It’s a submarine!"

Staring at the submarine surfacing from beneath the water, Nami’s expression darkened. "It’s a Donquixote Family submarine!"

No wonder they had boarded their pirate ship without making a sound—they had used a submarine!

Clever tactics!

"I didn’t expect her to have so many accomplices," Brook said, brow furrowed. "This situation is looking grim."

If it were just the three of them, they could still try to outsmart them. But with so many new enemies appearing...

"There’s always a way," Nami said.

As she spoke, Nami turned her attention back to the cloud she had unleashed earlier.

Should I strike directly? Nami pondered.

Arguably, this was their only chance.

However, given the amount of power stored within that cloud, it might not be enough to strike Giolla unconscious in one blow.

If she failed, they would be utterly doomed!

The thought made Nami hesitate.

She then shifted her gaze higher up into the sky.

Right now, plenty of large, thick clouds drifted across the heavens!

As if struck by an idea, Nami’s eyes sparkled. Using her ability, she steered that small cloud higher up into the sky.

Evidently, she intended to use her own cloud to "infect" the others!

Watching this unfold, Chopper was baffled. "Hey, Nami, why are you moving it away?"

Shouldn’t she be attacking the enemy right now? Why was she sending it off?

"That cloud is too small. I can’t guarantee a knockout," Nami said without looking back.

The striking power that cloud could unleash was simply too weak, so she needed to gather far more clouds.

Chopper blinked. Too small?

Thinking about it, that cloud really wasn’t very big...

Brook, on the other hand, seemed to realize what she was doing, and a smile broke out on his face.

"As expected of Miss Nami."

If Nami could seize control of the clouds in the sky, their chances of turning the tables would be significantly higher.

The thought made Brook smile even wider.

"Alright, prepare for battle," Nami said, glancing at the submarine speeding toward them. "They could attack us at any second."

Her plan was sound, but it needed time to execute.

"Right!!"

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Brook and Chopper immediately assumed serious expressions.

"You lot, go seize those three!" Giolla ordered, pointing toward Nami and the other two in the distance. "Don’t let them escape!"

As she spoke, Giolla tossed the two subordinates beside her onto the submarine, signaling them to join the pursuit.

"Understood, Miss Giolla!"

"Mmh~"

Giolla was extremely pleased with her subordinates’ response. Nodding with satisfaction, she strolled toward the deck while cackling wildly.

"My artistic soul is trembling with excitement~" Giolla swayed her body as she spoke. "Allow me to remodel this pirate ship~"

"Ohohohoho~"

"Hey, what is she trying to do?"

Watching Giolla carry a lump of art toward the center of the ship, Chopper’s face turned completely pale.

Could that woman be planning to use that move on their pirate ship?

"She definitely wants to use her ability to remodel our ship!" Brook yelled. "Hey! Stop that right now!"

"If you’ve got the guts, attack us! Leave the pirate ship alone!"

"Attack you?"

Giolla cast a disdainful sideways glance at the trio. "No, right now I’d much rather remodel this ship!"

"Come forth! Let me elevate this vessel into true art!"

"Art After Art!"

"Stop it!!"

BOOM!!

In the next instant, the pirate ship, overtaken by the Devil Fruit ability, warped and distorted, ultimately transforming into a hideously grotesque "work of art."

"Ohohoho~"

"Do you see it?!"

Standing at the bow, Giolla lifted her chin with immense pride. "This is the art I pride myself on!"

"Ohohohoho~"

Starting today, this pirate ship would be endowed with a brand-new purpose!

"It’s over..."

Chopper’s arms trembled violently. "The Thousand Sunny doesn’t even look like a ship anymore..."

If Franky and Merry saw this, they would definitely blow their tops with rage.

What were they supposed to do?

Nami didn’t say a word, merely glaring at Giolla with an ugly scowl.

She truly hadn’t expected the enemy to discard all conventional tactics like this.

"Did you really think I couldn’t see through your attempt to lure the tiger away from the mountain??" Giolla sneered. "You’re still far too naive!"

"So your target was our pirate ship from the very beginning?!" Nami shouted.

"Precisely!"

Giolla tilted her head back proudly. "The Young Master ordered me to seize your pirate ship and capture everyone on board. That way... you Straw Hat Pirates will never be able to leave Dressrosa~"

"Ohohohoho~"

Though she didn’t know the Straw Hat Pirates’ full plan, without a ship, they couldn’t escape Dressrosa!

And that meant only one thing awaited them: the Young Master’s wrath!

Ohohohoho~

Watching Giolla laugh her head off, Nami frowned. "I see. So that was their objective all along."

"Nami, what do we do?"

Chopper grew increasingly frantic. If they couldn’t reclaim the ship, they wouldn’t be able to escape this place with their crewmates.

Nami didn’t answer right away. After careful consideration, she said, "Even though the ship has been turned into that state, the good news is that it hasn’t been destroyed."

As long as the pirate ship remained intact, there was still hope!

Understanding her implication, the eyes of the other two gradually lit up.

Indeed! As long as the ship wasn’t completely ruined, hope remained!

"Devil Fruit abilities are dispelled once the ability user is knocked unconscious, right?" Brook glanced at the still-cackling Giolla. "So all we have to do is find a way to take her down."

Her Devil Fruit ability was undeniably bizarre, but as long as they knocked her out, the problem would be solved.

"Exactly. That’s the plan."

Nami cast a sidelong glance toward the sky. "So don’t panic. We just need to stall them for a bit."

Once she used her Devil Fruit ability to draw all the surrounding clouds together, it would be the end for these enemies!

"That’s easy to say, but... they’re already charging right at us!" Chopper pointed at the rushing submarine. "What should we do?"

"Miss Nami, where is your Clima-Tact?" Brook asked urgently.

"That woman already turned it into an art piece," Nami replied helplessly.

She had left the Clima-Tact on the grass earlier, only for the enemy’s Devil Fruit ability to twist it into a warped stick, so she had abandoned it without hesitation.

"What?!"

"Without your Clima-Tact, how will you call down lightning?"

"I can call down lightning just fine without it," Nami stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I had a few ideas before, and today is the perfect chance to test them out."

Brook: "???"

Meaning it’s totally untested?!

Hey, you can’t be serious!

"Alright, just trust me," Nami called out.

Seeing how confident Nami sounded, Brook decided not to press further.

With a quiet sigh, Brook locked his eyes onto the incoming submarine and said, "Let’s deal with—"

"You two dive underwater first!" Nami cut him off. "Leave things here to me!"

In their current warped states, Brook and Chopper couldn’t offer much combat power anyway. Getting them submerged beneath the waves was the safer option.

"What about you?"

"I can still use Elemental Transformation. I just lack my usual attack power, that’s all," Nami explained.

Though her current body couldn’t easily produce combat-ready clouds, she hadn’t been stripped of her Elemental Transformation. For the time being, she wasn’t in any real danger.

"Understood!"

Realizing what she meant, Brook decisively grabbed Chopper, pulled him into the Shark Submerge III, and swiftly dove into the ocean.

"They ran away?" Giolla watched the disappearing Shark Submerge III with mild surprise before brushing it off. "A toy like that won’t get very far anyway. No need to pay them any mind."

As long as the pirate ship remained in her hands, she had no doubt they would return.

With that in mind, Giolla looked toward her subordinates and barked, "Capture that woman first!"

"Understood!"

Roaring in acknowledgment, the subordinates revved the submarine’s engines, quickly chasing after Nami.

"That’s right, follow me."

Nami glanced back at her pursuers from the corner of her eye, the corners of her lips curling upward. "Come on, let me take you for a spin~"

With a light chuckle, Nami twisted the throttle of the Waver, suddenly accelerating to a speed that left the pursuers dumbfounded.

"What kind of speed is that?!"

"Halt, woman!"

"Damn it, we can’t catch up...!"

"Quick, shoot her!" One grunt raised his weapon. "Take her down!"

"Weren’t we supposed to take her alive?"

"No one said she had to be alive, but we definitely can’t let her get away, understand?!"

If she escaped, the Young Master might fly into a rage!

And once the Young Master got angry... every single one of them might end up dead!

Realizing the stakes, the others immediately raised their firearms and opened fire on Nami.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Pfft!

Pfft!

Pfft!

A volley of bullets tore toward Nami, mercilessly piercing right through her body!

Yet, thanks to her Elemental Transformation, the bullets failed to inflict any damage whatsoever.

"Damn it, it’s useless!" The men trailing behind were left stunned.

"Curse these Logia-type ability users!"

Listening to the exasperated, furious cries behind her, Nami couldn’t help but smile.

A Logia-type ability really was convenient.

At this moment, Nami felt immensely grateful to Meiser.

If it weren’t for him, she never would have obtained such a handy power.

Her smile broadened even further.

"To avoid tarnishing the name of this Devil Fruit, I’ll make sure to give you all a proper reception," she said.

With a cold smirk, Nami twisted the handlebar, abruptly shifting direction to lead them on a wild loop around the Thousand Sunny.

"Hm?"

Noticing the maneuver, Giolla raised an eyebrow. "Is she... running in circles?"

Did this girl honestly believe that circling the ship would help her take it back?

What a joke!

She herself was standing right on this ship; how could she possibly allow them to take it?

With that thought, Giolla shouted, "Save your breath, Cat Burglar~"

"You have no hope of defeating me!"

"That remains to be seen."

Nami cast a glance at the sky, which was already beginning to darken, and offered a chilling smile. "Who knows? Maybe we’ll be the ones coming out on top."

"You?"

Giolla shook her head dismissively. "You truly underestimate me."

Though an artist devoted to her craft, she was still remarkably formidable in battle.

She refused to believe these brats could defeat her.

Nami didn’t bother to reply, continuing to lead the pursuers in circles.

Giolla didn’t care much for Nami’s silence either, turning back to the men on the submarine and shouting, "You lot, hurry up and use the Seastone Chains to capture that Logia-type ability user!"

"B-But..."

Hearing Giolla’s demand, the subordinates’ expressions soured.

If they could, they would have caught her already!

The problem was... they couldn’t even catch up!

"Less whining, push the throttle!" Giolla barked. "I refuse to believe that contraption of hers can outrun a submarine!"

"Y-Yes, Miss Giolla!"

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