The moment the battle began, Lu Zhuo's expression became utterly calm.
Draw Sword Strike!
With a sharp crack, Smoker didn't turn into smoke as Lu Zhuo had expected. Instead, he used the iron fork in his hand to block Lu Zhuo's Draw Sword Strike!
So this was Haki?
Shock showed in Lu Zhuo's eyes. The Nidai Kitetsu in his hand was arguably the strongest of the Great Grade Swords, and combined with his Draw Sword Strike, which rivaled a swordsman's slash, it had still been blocked head-on!
The iron fork in Smoker's hand was just an ordinary tool, yet it had stopped the attack. It seemed this was the effect of Haki.
However, Smoker still couldn't make his Haki visible at this point. It was colorless and formless.
Based on the original story, Lu Zhuo divided Armament Haki into four stages.
The first stage was colorless and formless, and it couldn't be fully controlled.
The second stage was colored but formless. At its peak, the user could cover their entire body in Armament Haki.
The third stage was colored and tangible. At this stage, Haki could not only cover the entire body, but even transform directly into a weapon, making it stronger than merely coating a weapon in Haki.
Smoker was undoubtedly at the first stage, and judging by how well he controlled it, he was already infinitely close to the second.
Lu Zhuo's expression turned extremely grave. He let out a sharp shout.
Ghost Shadow Flash!
Smoker was about to pin Lu Zhuo's sword with his iron fork and knock him flying with a punch. But then Lu Zhuo flickered and vanished right in front of him.
Oh no!
Smoker's heart jumped. He quickly released his Observation Haki and turned his entire body into smoke.
The next moment, a huge X-shaped sword slash cut Smoker's body to pieces. But Smoker had already transformed into smoke, so the attack did no damage at all.
Even so, when Lu Zhuo reappeared, a faint smile touched his lips, and a look of understanding crossed his face.
So that's it. This is Armament Haki?
After just two exchanges, Lu Zhuo had figured out the secret of Armament Haki. But understanding it wasn't enough. He had never trained in Armament Haki, so he couldn't use it at all. And even though he'd grasped its secret, he still had no idea how to train in it.
The smoke gathered in the air and reformed into Smoker's body. Smoker sneered. "Kid, don't you know? Swords are completely useless against Logia users!"
The next moment, Smoker's whole body dissolved into smoke. A cloud of it enveloped Lu Zhuo completely.
On the ship not far away, Nami watched with worry. But when she thought of how confident Lu Zhuo had looked, she still believed in him.
Clang! Crash! Bang!
After a flurry of blows, Lu Zhuo came flying out in a sorry state, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He gave a bitter smile. "As expected, fighting a Logia without Haki puts me at a huge disadvantage!"
Smoker's body re-formed. Hearing this, he sneered. "Now you know? Too late. I'm taking you in!"
"Hmph!" Lu Zhuo snorted. His expression gradually turned cold, and he said in a low voice, "Do you think my goal was to defeat you?"
Army Breaker Rising Dragon Strike!
Lu Zhuo gripped his sword with both hands and drew it in a powerful motion.
This move was much like a Draw Sword Strike performed vertically. It was a powerful technique aimed at a single opponent.
Whoosh!
Smoker's body was cut in half again, but it instantly re-formed.
"I already told you your sword can't hurt me. Don't you get it?"
Smoker sneered and charged forward, paying no heed to the sword in Lu Zhuo's hand. One blow with his iron fork sent Lu Zhuo flying more than ten meters before he crashed hard onto the ground!
"Lu Zhuo!" Nami cried out from the other side, her face full of worry.
If Lu Zhuo hadn't told her beforehand not to leave the ship, no matter what happened, she would have rushed over long ago.
Cough, cough!
Lu Zhuo coughed several times and spat out some blood.
"That should be enough. My body can't take any more. Captain Smoker, thanks for being my sparring partner!" A smile tugged at his lips. His body vanished in an instant, and with a single leap, he was beside the ship.
Nami immediately followed Lu Zhuo's instructions and tossed out a plank.
Lu Zhuo landed on it in midair, pushed off to gain another burst of momentum, and leaped aboard. He smiled at Smoker, who was pursuing them as smoke, furious.
Then he picked up Tashigi, who was tied up like a pretzel, and whispered in her ear, "Don't blame me. I just wanted to spar with Smoker. I had no choice but to resort to this. I'm sorry."
After that, Lu Zhuo hurled Tashigi toward Smoker and shouted, "Set sail! Let's go!"
Nami had already been prepared. The ship immediately sailed away into the distance.
Smoker's airborne body halted. He caught Tashigi, then reluctantly flew back to shore and untied her.
Watching Lu Zhuo disappear into the distance, he gritted his teeth. "Damn you! I'll arrest you one day! I swear!"
Meanwhile, Lu Zhuo coughed again, spat out a mouthful of blood, and sat down at the bow.
Seeing this, Nami hurried over in a panic and asked anxiously, "Are you all right? Why put yourself through that and fight him? That guy's not even human!"
Lu Zhuo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took a deep breath, and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I know my own condition. Spitting out that thick blood has already made me feel much better."
"I really have to thank Smoker. If not for him, I wouldn't be this close to becoming a swordsman." Lu Zhuo's eyes shone with excitement at his successful plan.
Although he knew how to practice sword pressure, training with invisible, colorless air was difficult, and progress had been slow.
So he'd thought of Smoker, the Smoker, and used his smoke to help him reach the bottleneck of sword pressure.
That's right, it had worked perfectly. When he'd provoked Smoker into turning into smoke and enveloping him, Lu Zhuo had endured Smoker's punches. His sword had seemed to strike the smoke ineffectually, but in truth, he'd been using it to understand sword pressure.
Now, once his injuries healed and he had a little time to consolidate his progress, he could truly become a swordsman!
Trying to take someone from the Shichibukai Crocodile would be dangerous if he hadn't reached the swordsman level. Even knowing Crocodile's weakness, it would still be hard to defeat him.
After all, Lu Zhuo wasn't Luffy, who had the protagonist's aura. Luffy had survived three times in a row, grown more spirited with every fight, and finally turned the tables to defeat Sand Crocodile.
Once he mastered sword pressure and became a swordsman, he could harm Logia users even without Haki. The damage might be only a fraction of what it could be, but as long as he could hurt them, he'd have something to rely on.
Besides, Crocodile's weakness was still very serious...
As he thought this, a deep weariness washed over him. Lu Zhuo slumped into Nami's arms and fell into a heavy sleep.
Watching this man finally show his exhaustion in her arms, Nami smiled faintly. So he wasn't really a god after all. He was just an ordinary man who needed looking after...
With some effort, she lifted Lu Zhuo's heavy body and gently laid him on the bed, tending to the various wounds covering him.
In his sleep, a faint smile appeared on Lu Zhuo's lips...
Before you continue