Comprehending Sword Pressure

As the battle began, Lu Zhuo's expression instantly turned incredibly calm.

Draw Sword Strike!

Clang! Contrary to expectations, Smoker did not turn into smoke; instead, he used the iron fork in his hand to block Lu Zhuo's strike directly!

Is this Haki?

Shock filled Lu Zhuo's eyes. The Nidai Kitetsu in his hand could be considered the strongest among the Great Grade swords, and combined with his Draw Sword Strike—which rivaled the slashes of a master swordsman—it had actually been blocked head-on!

The iron fork in Smoker's hand was just an ordinary item, yet it managed to block the blow; it seemed to be the effect of Haki.

However, at this stage, Smoker could not yet manifest his Haki; it remained in a colorless and invisible state.

According to the original story, Lu Zhuo divided Armament Haki into four stages.

The first stage is colorless and invisible, and it cannot be fully controlled.

The second stage is colored and invisible; upon reaching its peak, one can cover their entire body in Armament Haki.

The third stage is colored and visible. Haki at this stage can not only cover the entire body but can even be transformed directly into weapons, which is stronger than simply imbuing Haki onto a weapon.

Smoker was undoubtedly in the first stage, and judging by his level of control, he was infinitely close to the second.

Lu Zhuo's expression grew exceptionally grave as he let out a sharp shout.

Ghost Shadow Flash!

Smoker was just about to use his steel fork to lock Lu Zhuo's blade and blast him away with a punch when he suddenly discovered that the Lu Zhuo in front of him flickered and vanished.

Not good!

Smoker's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly released his Observation Haki while simultaneously turning his body completely into an elemental state.

The next moment, a massive X-shaped sword beam sliced Smoker's body into fragments, yet because Smoker had turned into smoke in advance, the attack caused absolutely no damage.

Even so, as Lu Zhuo reappeared, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, his face showing a hint of realization.

So that's how it is. Is this Armament Haki?

After two exchanges, Lu Zhuo had discovered the mystery of Armament Haki. However, discovery was one thing; he had never practiced Armament Haki himself, so he was completely unable to use it. Even if he had grasped the secret, he was still clueless about how to cultivate it.

The smoke in the air reformed into Smoker's body. Smoker sneered and said, "Kid, don't you know that swords are completely useless against a Logia user!"

The next moment, Smoker's entire body dispersed into smoke, and a cloud of it completely enveloped Lu Zhuo.

On the ship not far away, Nami watched the scene with some worry. But the moment she thought of Lu Zhuo's confident demeanor, she remained full of faith in him.

Clang! Crash! Bang!

After a chaotic flurry of sounds, Lu Zhuo flew out in a sorry state, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

With a wry smile, Lu Zhuo said, "Sure enough, it's a huge disadvantage to fight a Logia user without Haki!"

Smoker's body reformed. Hearing this, he sneered, "Knowing that now is too late. I'm going to capture you right away!"

"Hmph!" Lu Zhuo let out a cold snort. His expression gradually turned icy as he said in a deep 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 violently.

This move was similar to a vertical Draw Sword Strike and was a powerful single-target attack.

Swish!

Smoker's body was sliced in two once again, yet it instantly reformed.

"I've already told you, your sword is completely ineffective. Do you still not understand?"

Smoker sneered and charged over, completely ignoring the sword in Lu Zhuo's hand. With one strike of his iron fork, he sent Lu Zhuo flying over ten meters, slamming him hard into the ground!

"Lu Zhuo!" Nami cried out from the other side, her face full of worry.

If Lu Zhuo hadn't strictly instructed her not to leave the ship under any circumstances, she would have already rushed over.

Cough, cough!

Lu Zhuo coughed a few times, spitting out some blood.

"That's about enough. My body can't hold out any longer. So, Colonel Smoker, thank you for being my sparring partner!" A smile curled his lips as his body suddenly vanished. With a leap, he closed the distance to the large ship.

Seeing this, Nami immediately followed Lu Zhuo's instructions and threw out a wooden plank.

Stepping on the plank in mid-air to gain leverage, Lu Zhuo vaulted onto the ship. He looked back at Smoker, who was furiously chasing after him in his smoke form, and smiled slightly.

He then picked up the trussed-up Tashigi and whispered softly in her ear, "Don't blame me. I just wanted to have a fight with Smoker. I had to resort to such a desperate measure; please forgive me."

After saying this, Lu Zhuo tossed Tashigi toward Smoker and shouted, "Set sail! Let's go!"

Nami had long been prepared, and the ship immediately sailed away toward the distance.

Smoker's body, flying through the air, stalled as he caught Tashigi. He helplessly flew back to the shore and untied the ropes on her.

Watching Lu Zhuo sail away, he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, you bastard! I will definitely arrest you! Definitely!"

On the other side, Lu Zhuo coughed again, spat out a mouthful of blood, and sat down at the bow of the ship.

Nami saw this scene and ran over in a panic, asking anxiously, "Are you alright? Why did you have to go and ask for trouble, fighting that guy? That guy isn't 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 mouthful of thick blood has already made me feel much better."

"I really have to thank Smoker. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be this close to becoming a Sword Master right now." A look of excitement at the success of his scheme appeared in Lu Zhuo's eyes.

Although he knew the training method for Sword Pressure, practicing with invisible and colorless air was still very difficult, and his progress had been slow.

That was why he had thought of the smoke man, Smoker, intending to use his smoke to touch the bottleneck of Sword Pressure.

Yes, he had been very successful. When he lured Smoker into transforming into smoke to envelop him, he had taken Smoker's punches head-on, and while his sword strikes against the smoke seemed useless, he was actually using the smoke to comprehend Sword Pressure.

Now, he only needed to recover from his injuries and stabilize his foundation, and he could truly become a Sword Master!

To snatch someone away from the hands of the Shichibukai Crocodile, it would be dangerous without reaching the level of a Sword Master. Even knowing Crocodile's weakness, it was still very difficult to defeat him.

After all, Lu Zhuo was not Luffy, who wore the protagonist's halo, surviving three consecutive defeats while becoming more energetic with each fight, eventually staging a comeback to take down Sand Crocodile.

Once he possessed Sword Pressure and became a Sword Master, even without Haki, he could inflict damage on Logia users. Although the damage might be less than ten percent of his full power, having the ability to deal damage at all gave him the confidence he needed.

Moreover, Crocodile's weakness was still quite fatal...

Thinking this, a deep sense of exhaustion welled up in his heart, and Lu Zhuo slumped into Nami's arms, falling into a deep sleep.

Watching this man in her arms finally reveal a weary side, Nami smiled slightly. It seemed he wasn't a true god after all, just a mortal who still needed to be taken care of...

Straining to lift Lu Zhuo's somewhat heavy body, Nami gently placed him on the bed and began to treat the various wounds on his body.

In his sleep, a trace of a smile appeared on the corner of Lu Zhuo's mouth...