Human Weapon!

The next morning.

As usual, Will got up early, ate something, then stood at the bow of the ship, training his balance and control.

Before going to sleep last night, he couldn't resist doing another ten-pull draw.

He had come away with a haul of rewards.

[Received a minor boost to mental strength]

[Received Talent: Human Weapon]

[Human Weapon: The limbs and joints of the body, even the hair and teeth, become as tough and sharp as actual weapons.]

After receiving this talent,

Will immediately ran to the ship's armory and grabbed a few sturdy weapons to conduct some basic tests.

With nothing more than a casual swipe, he cut clean through a sharp blade with his palm.

The smooth cut looked as though the blade had been sliced apart after colliding with an even sharper weapon.

What's more, with this talent's enhancement,

his Iron Body and Armament Haki had also grown much stronger, making his attacks far more powerful than before.

As for how he would fare in actual combat,

he would have to wait until they reached Bridge-on-the-Nation to find out.

After defeating Arlong's gang, killing Rat Captain and the other Marines, and destroying Marine Branch 16,

Will had earned a total of 7,500 Purity Points.

Adding that to the 7,000 he had left before, he now had 4,500 Purity Points remaining after his latest ten-pull.

After these several ten-pulls,

Will couldn't help feeling that his luck had been quite a bit better since he had truly set out to sea.

He couldn't help feeling a little hopeful:

I hope the guys guarding Bridge-on-the-Nation have a decent amount of Purity Points.

Nami stood beside the ship's wheel, carefully comparing the Sea Chart on the document.

Then, using her formidable navigational skills, she calculated the distance to their destination.

She adjusted the ship's heading accordingly, making sure it stayed on its original course.

Meanwhile, Carina, relaxing by the side of the ship, held a pair of binoculars and watched with interest as several seagulls played in the distant sky.

As time passed,

the ship carrying the three of them gradually entered a snowy region.

Large amounts of white snow began falling from the sky.

Carina and Nami had long since changed into thick winter coats against the cold.

Will, on the other hand, still wore a short-sleeved shirt and trousers. The snowflakes that landed on him melted instantly,

leaving steam rising constantly from his body.

At the same time, through the mist far ahead, the outline of a massive bridge gradually came into view.

As they drew a little closer,

the three of them could finally see that it was a huge bridgehead, clearly still under construction.

Nami knew Will would probably go alone, so she had already slowed the ship to a crawl, planning to wait aboard with Carina.

After all, with their current abilities, the two of them would only hold Will back if they went with him.

After securing the ship's wheel, Nami walked over to Will, bundled up in her winter coat and breathing out clouds of white vapor. She spoke gravely:

"From what I can tell, Bridge-on-the-Nation is being built toward one of the East Blue's larger islands, the Wind Instrument Islands."

"And what we can see should be the bridgehead near the Construction Area."

"It's also the final destination marked on the Sea Chart in that document."

"That's Tequila Wolf, the 'Bridge-on-the-Nation' slowly taking shape atop a massive bridge!"

"According to the document, the Marines usually go beneath the bridgehead."

"Then they hand the 'prisoners' over to the other Marines stationed there to guard the bridge."

Will's gaze shifted as he listened.

Then, without wasting any words, he said to the two women beside him, "Wait here. I'll go over alone."

"If any warships come near, leave first and shake off the Marines pursuing you. Come back after a while."

"Don't worry. If nothing unexpected happens this time, it shouldn't take long."

Nami wasn't the only one who had already guessed what Will was planning. Carina had too.

So when they heard this, both women nodded slightly, without raising any objections.

But just as the three of them were talking,

a Marine Supply Ship up ahead was speeding toward them.

Since Bridge-on-the-Nation was still only a bridge, not an actual country, it couldn't support itself.

So it had always relied on supplies from the outside world to keep running.

At the bow of that ship, a Marine Lieutenant Commander from a nearby Marine Branch stood with a pair of binoculars, looking ahead.

When he saw an unfamiliar ship blocking the way—and it didn't even seem to be a pirate ship—he immediately roared:

"Damn commoners!"

"They see a Marine warship and don't even turn around and run! They actually dare to sail straight toward us! They have no respect for the Marines at all!"

He immediately ordered the messenger beside him:

"Notify all the soldiers! Turn the ship broadside at once! Then aim every cannon at the ship ahead and open fire!"

"Yes, sir!"

The messenger hurriedly saluted and answered loudly.

Then he turned and ran around, passing on the order.

Will had already spotted the warship up ahead, even from a distance.

So, after finishing his instructions to Nami and Carina,

he immediately sprang into the air, accelerating as he soared toward the ship ahead.

Then, aboard the Marine Supply Ship, a sharp-eyed Marine suddenly pointed up at the sky and cried out:

"Look! Someone's flying over here!"

"What?!" The Marine Lieutenant Commander hurriedly raised his binoculars and searched the sky.

The next moment,

a muscular man with an expressionless face came into view, then disappeared in an instant.

Seeing that the man moved at such a terrifying speed and could even fly through the air,

the lieutenant commander had a bad feeling. He lowered his binoculars and shouted at the soldiers on the deck behind him:

"Everyone, get your weapons ready! Attack that man in the sky!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Tempest Kick: Sea Split!

Will appeared above the Marine Supply Ship in an instant, then swung his right leg down with tremendous force. A massive, pale-blue slash crashed down!

BOOM!

In a single instant, Will's slash cut the Marine Supply Ship in two, and the wreckage began to sink.

"Help!"

Many people screamed as they plunged into the frigid sea.

The lieutenant commander and the remaining Marines were already in chaos, shrieking as they clung to railings and pillars, struggling to stay afloat.

They were desperate to avoid falling into the icy water below.

The people on the wreckage knew that in weather this cold, falling into the sea would almost certainly mean death.

But clinging to the ship could only delay it.

As the ship sank, those who had managed to stay aboard would inevitably die if no one came to save them.

After sinking the Marine Supply Ship, Will ignored their cries.

He stood in midair and slowly looked up into the distance.

It was only when he got closer that Will realized just how astonishingly high the bridge was.

Even with his keen hearing, he could barely make out the many scattered footsteps over there through the snowstorm.

He didn't bother with the warships moored beneath the bridge in the distance. Facing the snow and mist, he sped toward the bridgehead high up ahead.