Chapter 411: Spiral Dragon
By now, the sailors on the lookout tower had also spotted the distant Headwind, and the alarm bell on the ship rang sharply.
The passengers and crew rushed to the deck or peered out through the portholes. They saw that enormous azure vessel with its black sails—and on those sails, the eerie emblem of a winged skull.
"The Headwind!"
Anyone who knew even a little about pirate forces recognized that ship's name.
"May the Sun Goddess be with me!"
"Great Earth Goddess above!"
"Sea God's blessing!"
A chorus of panicked prayers rose across the deck, each voice pleading for survival from the coming raid.
They all knew what it meant. The Headwind's captain ranked among the most infamous pirate generals of the North Sea—his bounty second only to the Three Kings and the legendary Pirate Emperor himself. A master of the winds, he could chase down any ordinary ship with ease.
In short, if no one stood up to fight, every soul aboard was doomed to capture.
…
The second squall struck without warning. Even the waves ahead were whipped into towering ridges by the force of the wind. Zhou Ning stood at the bow, his coat billowing wildly behind him. He pressed a hand to his hat, grasped his disguised weapon—Heavenly King—in the other, and stared straight at the approaching Headwind, that legendary vessel of the Misty Sea now surging forward at full speed through the storm.
After completing his third evolution, Zhou Ning now possessed a second title slot. Normally, he kept the Spider-Man title equipped for its useful spider-sense ability, switching to Phantom Thief only when stealth was needed. But now, with an extra slot, he also equipped First Emperor—partly out of curiosity to see how much this title would amplify his Conqueror's Haki.
"Wayne, you're going to fight?" Richie Burke, standing beside him, asked grimly. "You think you can take him?"
"Yes. I can—but not by much," Zhou Ning answered simply.
Facing the Headwind charging straight at them, Zhou Ning wasted no time. For the sixth time, he altered the weather, shifting the wind from tail to head.
Instantly, the massive azure ship stalled mid-wave, hanging for half a second before slamming down again. But in that same moment, a vision flashed in Zhou Ning's mind—
Dozens of invisible wind blades slicing out from the dense mist, all converging toward him.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ning raised his right hand, drew Heavenly King, and swung.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Though he had yet to fully attain divinity, his promotion to the Transcendent tier had already lifted his control over his own body far beyond human limits. His reflexes and motion precision could no longer be defined by mere stats—they belonged to something higher.
Each clash rang sharp and clear as he deflected every wind blade. More came in a flurry, but none reached him.
Within those few seconds of parrying, the Headwind surged closer. The details of its deck grew clear in his sight.
Dozens of sailors worked the rigging. At the stern, hundreds of massive northern alchemists in heavy coats were feeding fuel into the alchemical furnaces that powered the great ship's propulsion array.
In this world, ordinary sailors or pirates were forbidden from approaching the stern. That area contained the treasure vaults, the alchemy circles, and the quarters of the ship's high-ranking officers.
On the main deck, the Headwind's second mate—Sea Serpent Steinbeck—stood with a spyglass, watching Zhou Ning's ship intently. Around him, armed pirates readied flintlocks, sabers, and cutlasses.
And on the second level, within the captain's cabin, stood a towering figure over two meters tall—a northern man clad in a crimson admiral's coat, wearing the same style of tricorn hat as Richie Burke. His cold eyes locked on Zhou Ning across the waves.
Even from that brief exchange of gazes, Zhou Ning could sense it: the man was stronger than him, but not a demigod. Which meant—this fight could still be won.
At that moment, the Headwind shifted into a T-shaped broadside formation. Thirty-two alchemical cannons on its port side swung in unison, their muzzles gleaming as they took aim at the Wings of Freedom.
Those cannons, refined through advanced alchemy, possessed terrifying penetration and pinpoint accuracy. With his bad luck about to kick in, Zhou Ning knew—one full volley could very well send their ship to the bottom.
He didn't hesitate. He triggered his clan creed.
"Knowledge is power."
Lightning flashed between his eyes.
Dozens of alchemical shells screamed toward them, but Zhou Ning didn't flinch. In his palm materialized his newly acquired revolver—Retribution. He raised it and fired into the storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Compared to Ebony and Ivory, Retribution roared with a fiercer, deeper thunder. Each silver bullet, wreathed in flame, curved through the air in impossible arcs—some twisting over 120 degrees—to strike their targets with uncanny precision.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, the shells exploded midair.
Even Richie Burke and the crew aboard the Wings of Freedom followed his lead, raising their flintlocks and shooting down whatever shells they could.
In this chaotic sea battle, Retribution's curving shots worked far better than Zhou Ning had imagined. As long as his spiritual sense locked onto a target, the bullet would bend its path to reach it—like the "curved bullet" trick from Wanted. Stylish, indeed… though frustratingly, he'd never once managed to simulate a gunfighter's world himself.
When the Headwind's cannon fire proved useless, it continued firing sporadically while closing the distance fast.
And as it drew nearer, the winds surged again—this time worse than before. With a sharp crack, one of the masts snapped clean off, crashing down toward Zhou Ning.
Without even glancing aside, he raised his hand and caught it effortlessly, setting it gently onto the deck.
Then, in his palm, a card appeared—radiant with five-colored light.
As the glow flared and faded, a vortex opened in midair. From within it emerged a vast silver-white dragon, spiraling through the storm—responding to his call.
It was the same sea dragon he had once sacrificed to summon the Sky Dragon—his Spiral Dragon!
W–What the hell is Wayne Sturwell doing now?! Richie Burke's eyes widened as he caught the scene from the corner of his vision.
He watched as Wayne Sturwell leapt lightly onto the dragon's back. The silver-white giant spread its wings, braving cannon fire and howling winds, soaring straight toward the Headwind.
On the enemy's deck below, a dense formation of pirates awaited—flintlocks and blades raised, ready for battle.
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