Entering the Grand Line

"So this is the legendary Reverse Mountain River? It's truly a miracle!" Nami gazed at the river surging from the mountain's base toward its peak, exclaiming in wonder.

Lu Zhuo's expression remained calm, though his heart stirred with a faint ripple.

Regardless of how the manga or anime described it, only when standing here in person could one truly grasp the sheer scale of the shock.

"Hold on tight, we're going up!" Lu Zhuo said in a low voice.

Nami nodded, pressing herself close to Lu Zhuo and gripping the ropes on the deck.

Finally, the ship was carried up by the Reverse Mountain River until it reached the summit.

With the waves crashing violently, Lu Zhuo looked out at the ocean ahead, his heart surging with excitement.

The Holy Sword paused briefly at the peak before following another channel back into the open sea.

The Grand Line, we've finally arrived.

Standing at the bow, his body as straight as a towering bamboo, Lu Zhuo's eyes burned with excitement and longing.

However, the surface of the Grand Line ahead of them was anything but calm.

At the intersection of the river and the sea, one massive whirlpool after another appeared on the water's surface, as if man-eating beasts were trying to swallow the Holy Sword whole.

Nami let out a cry of alarm, saying, "Lu Zhuo, it's going to be hard to cross this sea area at this rate."

Lu Zhuo looked at the ocean, frowned slightly, and after a moment of thought, shouted out loud.

"Crocus, come out! Your whale Laboon is acting crazy again!"

"Crocus, come out!"

"If you don't come out, I'll cut your lighthouse in half with one sword!"

After shouting several times, Lu Zhuo was nearly at his wit's end. Just as he was about to draw his sword to make a threat, a cough echoed out.

"Ahem, you brat, what do you think you're doing?"

A domineering old man slowly emerged from the lighthouse, looking at Lu Zhuo with a hint of anger.

Lu Zhuo crossed his arms over his chest and curled his lip. "Hurry up and give me the Log Pose. I'm heading to the Grand Line and don't have time to waste on you..."

Hearing Lu Zhuo's words, Crocus raised a white eyebrow, looking at him in astonishment.

"Hm? How do you know about the Log Pose?"

"I know plenty of things. Oh, and I won't help you deal with Laboon's problem for now; a boy with a straw hat will come to solve it for you in four years anyway," Lu Zhuo replied with a faint smile.

"A straw hat boy?" Crocus scratched his head; he had never heard of such a person.

Besides, this kid in front of him couldn't be more than twenty years old—how could he act as if he knew everything?

"Ahem, kid, you're being quite disrespectful to your elders. And just who are you, anyway?"

Listening to Crocus's rambling, Lu Zhuo rubbed his forehead in annoyance and let out a huff.

"I'm just a newcomer preparing to enter the Grand Line for the first time. Don't worry about the rest, just give me the Log Pose. And send a message to Rayleigh for me; I want to learn Haki from him."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Crocus could no longer maintain his composure. He pointed at Lu Zhuo in shock and asked, "How do you know Rayleigh? You... you!"

Seeing this, Lu Zhuo shook his head and sighed. "What a hassle. Forget it..."

No sooner had he spoken than Lu Zhuo's figure vanished from sight. A few seconds later, he reappeared in his original spot, but now he held a compass-like object in his hand.

Tossing the item to Nami, Lu Zhuo said softly, "Study this well. This is the special compass used for the Grand Line—the Log Pose!"

Nami took the device with excitement. To her, money was the most important thing, followed by navigation. Though, it seemed Lu Zhuo was becoming more important than money now...

The ship surged forward with the waves, leaving the area in an instant and entering the Grand Line for good.

"You brat, I didn't agree to give it to you! How dare you steal it! Come back here..."

Crocus watched the Holy Sword drift further away, fuming with rage, nearly ready to grab a harpoon and drag Lu Zhuo's ship back.

Half a month later, Sabaody Archipelago.

Rayleigh sat on a small stool, looking like an ordinary old man, reading a letter in his hand.

"Ghost Sword Lu Zhuo? A newcomer? Interesting."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he tossed the letter aside and patted his head.

Ah, I'm out of money again. Looks like I'll have to go to the auction house and sell myself again...

At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku scanned a pile of documents.

Suddenly, one of the files caught his attention.

"What? A newcomer with strength approaching that of a master swordsman?"

Reading the introduction, Sengoku was surprised, but as he continued, his expression grew darker and darker.

"Damn it! Why wasn't someone like this recruited into the Marines? What are the people below doing? As for that Colonel Smoker, he can just stay a colonel forever!"

A figure like Sengoku would naturally not lose his composure over a mere Lu Zhuo. Even if Lu Zhuo were ten times stronger, it would not be enough to provoke such rage in him.

What angered him was that his subordinates in the Navy were such useless trash, unable to handle matters with any efficiency.

If the entire Navy were like this, wouldn't it mean the rot had reached the very marrow of the organization?

This was the true source of his fury.

Consequently, because of Lu Zhuo, Smoker remained a Colonel in Loguetown, only finally being relieved of that post when he encountered the Straw Hat Luffy crew...

After the order was passed down, Sengoku quickly forgot about the matter. After all, to him, the affair of Lu Zhuo was as trivial as it could possibly be.

However, by the time he truly began to take Lu Zhuo seriously, it was already too late, and he would come to regret it immensely.

On the other side, the Holy Sword, having approached Alabasta, gradually began to slow its speed.

Standing at the bow, Lu Zhuo gently drew the Kitetsu from his waist.

As if he hadn't used any strength at all, he simply swung it through the air.

With a swish, a deep trench over ten meters long appeared in the sea before him!

Although it closed instantly, it caused the surrounding seawater to surge violently, kicking up a massive wave.

"You jerk, why do you keep doing that? Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to sail this ship alone!" Nami stood on the rocking deck, shouting at Lu Zhuo.

Lu Zhuo smiled and sheathed his sword; he had now truly become a Master Swordsman!

As expected, combat was the best way to improve one's strength. In only about three months since setting sail, he had leaped from a second-rate swordsman to a Master Swordsman!

With a hearty laugh, Lu Zhuo strode over to Nami's side and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Alright, my little kitten, it's all settled. It won't happen again, so just forgive me."

Nami rolled her eyes at him and huffed, "Fine, I'll forgive you, seeing as you're somewhat sincere."

After saying this, she pressed her small lips against Lu Zhuo's face like a dragonfly skimming the water, then lowered her head, her face flushing red.

Watching this, Lu Zhuo felt an itch he couldn't scratch. He put on a serious face and said, "Since you've forgiven me, it's time to deal with your issue. I recall you calling me a jerk just a moment ago."

Nami, who had been feeling shy, pouted and retorted, "I wanted to call you a jerk, so what! Hmph, you big villain!"

Lu Zhuo's expression darkened. He swept Nami up into his arms and said in a low voice, "In that case, it's time for some domestic discipline!"

"You jerk, put me down!" Nami struggled symbolically for a moment before her body went limp, and she lay quietly in Lu Zhuo's arms.

She knew that the peaceful days of sailing were finally over; what lay ahead were many troublesome events, and it would be difficult to find time to be intimate with Lu Zhuo like this again.

In a hidden basement in Alabasta, the Shichibukai Crocodile listened to his subordinate's report, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Ghost Sword Lu Zhuo? Suspected Master Swordsman level? Were you raised on dung! You're blowing a little brat who just entered the Grand Line up to the heavens! Just have Mr. 1 go and finish him off."

Although he didn't know exactly what Lu Zhuo was planning, his own scheme had just begun, and Lu Zhuo had bypassed several islands to head straight for Alabasta. To be safe, it was best to kill him.

At this moment, Crocodile did not take Lu Zhuo seriously at all. He scoffed at the idea of someone under twenty becoming a Master Swordsman.

The man in black reporting below said in a low voice, "Sir, the intelligence has a ninety-five percent accuracy rate. Just in case, shouldn't we..."

"You bastard, did you not hear what I said? There are too many other things to deal with; where would I find the time to handle a greenhorn like this? Besides... do you not trust in the strength of Mr. 1?"

Crocodile let out a cold snort, looking at his subordinate with a malicious gaze. He despised anyone who did not follow his orders unconditionally.

Just then, a bell-like, light laugh drifted from the darkness behind him.

"Very well, let me accompany Mr. 1 on this trip. Since I've just started working with you, I need to make a contribution as well."