Tragedy

The vast ocean stretched endlessly, its waves rolling and surging.

On a small sailboat just a few meters long, Lu Zhuo was getting ready to make lunch.

"Pah! What kind of fish is this? It tastes awful!"

Looking at the weird-looking fish in his hand, Lu Zhuo felt his heart shatter.

He'd been at sea for half a month and hadn't seen a single soul. He'd even been attacked by all kinds of giant monster fish from time to time. Lu Zhuo was on the verge of tears!

Without a navigator, and with strength that was far from the best in the world, sailing the ocean alone was practically suicide.

He couldn't help thinking of Nami, the beautiful, mischievous girl whose navigational skills were second to none.

Far away, aboard a huge pirate ship, a figure carrying a bundle suddenly shivered.

Had she been discovered?

A flicker of panic crossed Nami's beautiful eyes, but she saw that everything around her was still peaceful. The pirates should all be taking their afternoon naps.

Was it just her imagination?

She shook her head helplessly, then her eyes gleamed again as she resumed searching all over the ship.

Half an hour later.

"Damn it, you bastard! You wrecked my boat! I'll fight you to the death!"

Lu Zhuo stared furiously at the gaping hole in his little boat as seawater poured in without end. The culprit was a giant fish several meters long in front of him. It had mistaken Lu Zhuo's boat for a snack and taken a bite out of it.

Seeing the giant fish looking as if it wanted another bite, Lu Zhuo gritted his teeth and suddenly drew the sword at his waist.

A few quick slashes flashed through the air, and the several-meter-long fish in front of him was cut into several pieces.

As he looked at the gaping hole that was flooding with water, Lu Zhuo's pupils contracted slightly.

If he lost his boat at sea, he'd really be doomed!

He immediately sheathed his sword, pulled a few planks off the other side of the boat, and hammered them into place with a clatter. He managed to plug the hole, but seawater was still seeping in.

Staring at the leaking hole, Lu Zhuo angrily hurled the hammer away.

"Are you seriously trying to kill me?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of metal striking something rang out.

Clang!

Lu Zhuo slowly turned around.

A fish head the size of a palm emerged from the water. A big lump had appeared on its head, as if Lu Zhuo's thrown hammer had hit it.

Looking at the tiny fish head, Lu Zhuo glared at it, a sudden surge of anger rising within him.

Crack!

A flash of sword light streaked past. A faint sword wave shot out and struck the little fish head.

A streak of blood appeared across its head, splitting it in two.  Just as Lu Zhuo snorted and sheathed his sword, the entire sea suddenly began to tremble.

A monstrous sea creature, several dozen meters long—something that could even be called a Sea King—emerged from the water!

Lu Zhuo's face instantly went blank. That little fish head had been... a growth on its body?!

Staring at the enormous eye, bigger than his entire body, with its blood-red, chilling glint, Lu Zhuo rubbed his eyes. Then he suddenly settled down, smacked his lips, sat down, and gently picked up the oar beside him.

"Help!"

The next moment, his arms moved like a pair of supercharged engines. The little boat carved a massive wave through the sea and vanished in an instant!

Even the Sea King was slightly taken aback. Lu Zhuo's little boat shot away in a white wake, and it stared after him for a moment. Then it swallowed the giant fish from earlier and disappeared beneath the waves.

A pirate flag bearing a blood-red blade shaped like a flower petal, impaled through a skull, flew above a towering sailboat dozens of meters long. Just looking at it was enough to make one's heart tremble.

"Um... actually, I wasn't trying to steal anything. I just wanted to make a deal with you." Nami stood on deck, looking at the unfriendly pirates before her as cold sweat gathered on her forehead.

If she hadn't found another little stash of gold and wasted time, she would've slipped away while the pirates were taking their afternoon naps.

"Hmph! You're still trying to make excuses, kid? You dared to steal from the Flower Blade Pirates. Have you got a death wish?" the scruffy, bearded man at the head of the group roared.

Nami currently looked like a delicate young man with red lips and pearly white teeth. Her beautiful eyes darted about as she searched for a way to escape. Should she try using her charms?

Just then, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up.

In the distance, a small boat was approaching quickly. A man on board was rowing desperately, drenched in sweat.

"Look, our captain's here! You can discuss your deal with him!"

Nami gave a barely noticeable grin. That guy in the little boat looks like a penniless fool. The pirates probably won't give a fool a hard time!

The person rowing desperately in the little boat was naturally Lu Zhuo. He'd been on edge the whole way, afraid the Sea King would catch up with him, and hadn't dared to rest for even a moment.

Then Lu Zhuo spotted a large ship ahead, and his eyes lit up.

It was the first ship he'd seen in half a month. Sure, it was a pirate ship, but so what? This was the weakest of the four seas. Though he was only a second-rate swordsman, he wasn't afraid of some unknown pirates.

As soon as he reached the ship, he eagerly jumped aboard. His little boat was already half full of seawater and about to sink. At least heaven had given him a chance.

Whoosh!

He'd barely leapt aboard and hadn't even had time to wipe the sweat from his forehead when he froze, staring at the scene before him as if he'd stumbled into a play.

A group of burly men, all thick with muscle and radiating bloodlust, glared at him with hostile expressions.

Just as Lu Zhuo was wondering what was going on, a petite figure suddenly leapt into his arms.

"Boss! They won't make a deal with me, and they're bullying me! You have to protect me!"

Who are you? When did I ever take on a follower? Could my kingly aura have leaked out, making all the pirates on this ship decide to recognize me as their boss?

Just as Lu Zhuo's mind went blank and he struggled to make sense of things, a man wearing a flowered hat suddenly bellowed.

"Damn it! Kill them both!"

The unfriendly pirates were already furious. This guy clearly didn't look like anyone important. Forget the stupid deal—kill them first!

Seeing the pirates charging at him with blades and guns drawn, Lu Zhuo froze again. He considered himself clever, but this one unexpected situation after another had left him completely baffled.

The next moment, Nami leapt out of Lu Zhuo's arms and onto his little boat, bundle on her back. She grinned at him and said, "Boss, they don't want to make a deal. I'll leave the rest to you!"

Lu Zhuo still had no idea what was going on, but at the sight of the pirates charging toward him with savage expressions, his face turned cold.

You're asking for death!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He gripped the hilt in both hands and gave it a slight twitch.

Draw Sword Strike!

In the pirates' eyes, Lu Zhuo's hands seemed to move as if he were about to draw his sword.

"That kid's got a sword on him too. What a pathetic swordsman. We don't need trash like him on board. We might as well kill him!"

The Flower Blade Pirates' captain shook his head in the distance and started to leave the deck.

But the strange sight that followed made his pupils contract.

The pirates charging forward had all suddenly frozen in place. Expressions of terror appeared on their faces.

The next moment, the sound of flesh being sliced open rang out.

A line of blood appeared across each pirate's neck, and blood sprayed everywhere! Their faces twisted with shock and disbelief as they dropped in a heap!

What?! What a fast sword! This guy... The Flower Blade Captain's pupils contracted as he stared fixedly at Lu Zhuo.

Lu Zhuo hadn't merely been getting ready to draw his sword. He'd already completed the entire sequence of drawing, striking, and sheathing it in one smooth motion. The pirates hadn't been able to see his blade at all.

The dozen or so other pirates still alive stared at Lu Zhuo in horror, their feet shuffling in panic. None of them dared move closer.

Seeing this, the Flower Blade Captain frowned, walked over from the rear, and stopped in front of Lu Zhuo. He spoke in a low voice.

"Brother, I'm short a swordsman on my ship. You killed my men, but if you join my Flower Blade Pirates, I'll forgive you. I can even make you my second-in-command. What do you say?"

That was just how things worked in the One Piece world: strength ruled. After seeing Lu Zhuo's skills, the Flower Blade Captain's attitude changed at once. The pirates who'd been killed were mostly useless nobodies. He didn't care about them. People like Luffy, who treated their companions like family, were few and far between.

"The Flower Blade Pirates? What are they? Never heard of them!"

Lu Zhuo scoffed. He might not even join the Whitebeard Pirates, let alone some minor crew that had never appeared in the original story and probably had a bounty of less than ten million Beli!

"You bastard!"

At Lu Zhuo's insult, the Flower Blade Captain's face flashed red with anger.

"Men, attack! Kill him, and I'll give you a hundred thousand Beli!"

With that, the Flower Blade Captain charged forward. Seeing their captain take the lead, and tempted by the hundred thousand Beli, the pirates who had been somewhat afraid exchanged glances and roared as they charged in together.

Just then, a drenched figure slowly climbed aboard and came face-to-face with Lu Zhuo's somewhat peculiar expression.

After using Draw Sword Strike, Lu Zhuo had naturally cleared his head a little and quickly figured things out. He still found it hard to believe, though. Was his luck really that good? After half a month without seeing a ship, the first one he'd run into had carried Nami, one of the main characters in One Piece?

"Oh, little follower, what brought you back?"

Meeting Lu Zhuo's teasing gaze, Nami's face turned awkward. Her rickety boat had sunk after she'd rowed only a few meters...

She was about to make up another excuse when she saw the pirates charging at them. Nami immediately cried out in alarm.

Seeing that, Lu Zhuo dropped his teasing expression and watched the pirates coldly.

Rapid Draw Sword Strike!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three sword-drawing sounds rang out almost at once. Three arcs of sword light flashed past.

The Flower Blade Captain's face changed. It was only in a head-on fight that he could see how powerful Lu Zhuo's Draw Sword Strike really was!

He held his broad sword in both hands, his expression grave. His arms swung rapidly several times, barely managing to block the sword light, but he still couldn't help retreating several steps.

As for the pirate rabble, some were cut in half at the waist and others had their throats slit. They were all dead in an instant!