Tragedy

Across the boundless ocean, the waves surged and rolled in a magnificent display of power.

On a small sailboat only a few meters long, Lu Zhuo was preparing his lunch.

"Ugh, what kind of fish is this? It tastes terrible!"

Lu Zhuo looked at the strange-looking fish in his hand, feeling as if his heart were breaking.

He had been at sea for half a month without seeing a single soul, and he was constantly being attacked by giant monster fish; Lu Zhuo was on the verge of tears!

Without a navigator and lacking world-class strength, traveling the ocean alone was no different from suicide.

Lu Zhuo couldn't help but think of Nami, that girl with peerless navigational skills, stunning beauty, and a mischievous, clever spirit.

Far away, on a massive pirate ship, a figure carrying a bundle suddenly shivered slightly.

Could I have been discovered?

A flicker of panic flashed through Nami's beautiful eyes, but she found that everything around her remained peaceful. The pirates should all be taking their afternoon naps.

Was it just my imagination?

Shaking her head helplessly, Nami's eyes turned bright and sharp again as she searched the ship.

Half an hour later.

"You damn bastard, daring to ruin my boat—I'll fight you to the death!"

Lu Zhuo looked on in despair as a large hole appeared in his boat, with seawater pouring in incessantly. The culprit was a fish several meters long in front of him, which had mistaken his boat for a snack and bitten a chunk out of it.

Seeing the giant fish preparing to take another bite, Lu Zhuo gritted his teeth and drew the sword at his waist.

With a few swift flashes of his blade, the giant fish was sliced into several pieces.

Looking at the hole that was continuously taking on water, Lu Zhuo's pupils constricted slightly.

If he lost his boat in the middle of the ocean, it would truly be a tragedy!

He sheathed his sword instantly, tore a few planks off the other side of the boat, and hammered them down frantically to barely seal the hole, though seawater continued to seep in.

Staring at the leaking hole, Lu Zhuo threw his hammer away in a fit of rage.

"This is really trying to kill me!"

No sooner had he spoken than the sound of metal striking something echoed out.

Thump!

Lu Zhuo turned around bit by bit.

He saw a fish head the size of a palm poking out of the water, with a large bump on it—it seemed the hammer he had thrown had struck it.

Looking at that tiny, palm-sized fish head, Lu Zhuo glared at it viciously, an inexplicable fire rising in his heart.

Snap!

A flash of sword light streaked out, and a faint sword aura flew forth, violently slicing into the small fish head.

A bloody gash instantly appeared on the fish head, and it split in two. Just as Lu Zhuo let out a huff and sheathed his sword, the entire surface of the sea suddenly began to tremble.

A massive sea monster, at least several dozen meters long—a creature that could be called a Sea King—surfaced!

Lu Zhuo's expression turned blank instantly; that small fish head was... it was just a bump on this thing's body?!

Looking at the giant eye, larger than his own body, which emitted a blood-red, chilling glare, Lu Zhuo rubbed his eyes, suddenly smacked his lips with calm, sat down, and gently picked up the oar beside him.

"Help me!"

The next moment, his arms moved like a super-engine, and his small boat carved out a massive wake, disappearing in an instant!

The Sea King was also slightly startled. It watched as Lu Zhuo's small boat cut a white wave and sped into the distance. After a moment of confusion, it swallowed the previously sliced fish and submerged back into the water.

On a tall sailing ship several dozen meters high, a pirate flag featuring a skull pierced by a blood-red blade shaped like a flower petal made anyone who saw it tremble with fear.

"That... that... actually, I didn't come here to steal anything. I just wanted to make a deal with you all." Nami stood on the deck, looking at the group of pirates with unfriendly expressions, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her forehead.

If she hadn't discovered another small treasury, which wasted her time, she would have slipped away while this group of pirates was taking their afternoon nap.

"Hmph, brat, you still dare to quibble? You dare come to our Flower Blade Pirates to steal? Have you grown guts of steel?" the burly, bearded man in the lead roared.

Nami's current appearance was that of a fair-skinned, handsome youth. Her beautiful eyes darted around, searching for a way to escape. Should I use the beauty trap?

Just then, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up.

In the distance, a small boat was rapidly approaching, and a guy drenched in sweat was rowing for his life.

"Look, our boss is here! If you have a deal, talk to our boss!"

Nami revealed an imperceptible smile. Good, this guy in the small boat looks like a penniless idiot. This group of pirates shouldn't give a hard time to an idiot, right?

The person rowing for his life on the small boat was naturally Lu Zhuo. He had been trembling with fear the whole way, terrified that the Sea King would catch up, and hadn't dared to rest for a single moment.

At this moment, Lu Zhuo saw a large ship ahead, and his eyes lit up.

This was the first ship he had seen in half a month. Although it was a pirate ship, it was no big deal; this was the weakest of the four seas, and although he was only a second-rate swordsman, he wasn't afraid of some nameless pirates.

As soon as he approached the large ship, he jumped onto it impatiently, leaving his small boat behind.

The boat was already half-submerged in seawater and would sink at any moment. At least the heavens had finally granted him a chance.

Whoosh!

He had just jumped onto the ship and hadn't even had time to wipe the sweat from his forehead when he froze, staring at the scene unfolding before him like a theatrical performance.

A group of burly, thick-necked men stood there, every one of them bulging with muscle and radiating murderous intent, glaring at him with ill-concealed hostility.

Just as Lu Zhuo was feeling puzzled, a petite figure suddenly leaped into his arms.

"Boss! They wouldn't trade with me and even bullied me! You have to protect me..."

Who are you? When did I ever take on a subordinate? Could it be that my "kingly aura" leaked out, and these pirates on this ship just decided to recognize me as their boss?

Just as Lu Zhuo's mind was struggling to process the situation, a man wearing a flower-patterned hat let out a fierce roar.

"Damn it, kill them both!"

The hostile pirates were already seething with rage; this guy didn't look like anyone important, and as for that nonsense about a trade, they decided to just kill them first and ask questions later!

Watching the group of pirates charging at him with blades drawn, Lu Zhuo was stunned once more. Although he considered himself exceptionally sharp, these constant, sudden developments left him completely bewildered.

The next moment, Nami, who was in his arms, jumped onto his small boat with her pack on her back and said to him with a grin, "Boss, they don't want to trade, so I'll leave the rest to you!"

Although Lu Zhuo still didn't understand what was going on, his expression turned cold as he watched the group of savage pirates rushing toward him.

You're courting death!

A flash of ferocity crossed his eyes as he gripped his sword hilt with both hands and gave a slight tremor.

Draw-Sword Slash!

In the eyes of the pirates, Lu Zhuo's hands had merely twitched, as if he were about to draw his blade.

"The kid is carrying a sword? What a trash swordsman. Forget it, we don't need such useless people on this ship. Better to just kill him!"

The Flower Blade Captain in the distance shook his head and prepared to leave the deck.

However, the next moment, a bizarre sight made his pupils contract.

The pirates who had been charging forward suddenly froze in place, expressions of terror appearing on their faces.

A split second later, the sound of flesh being sliced echoed through the air.

Bloodstains appeared on the necks of those pirates, and blood sprayed out in fountains! With looks of shock and disbelief, they collapsed in a heap!

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

It wasn't that Lu Zhuo was preparing to draw his sword; he had already completed the entire sequence—drawing, striking, and sheathing—in one fluid, seamless motion. Those pirates hadn't even been able to see his blade.

The remaining dozen or so pirates who were still alive looked at Lu Zhuo in horror, their footsteps faltering; they didn't dare to advance any further.

Seeing this, the Flower Blade Captain frowned, walked over from the back, stood before Lu Zhuo, and said in a deep voice.

"Brother, my ship is still short of a swordsman. You killed my men, but if you join my Flower Blade Pirates, I can forgive you and even make you my second-in-command. How about it?"

The world of One Piece was like this: strength was everything. Seeing Lu Zhuo's power, the Flower Blade Captain immediately changed his tune. The pirates who had been killed were mostly trash, not worth his concern. People like Luffy, who treated their crew like family, were the exception.

"Flower Blade Pirates? What kind of garbage is that? Never heard of it!"

Lu Zhuo sneered. He wouldn't necessarily join the Whitebeard Pirates, let alone this small-fry crew that hadn't even appeared in the original story and likely had a bounty of less than ten million Beli!

"Bastard!"

Hearing Lu Zhuo insult his crew, a flush of red rage crossed the Flower Blade Captain's face.

"Men, get him! Kill him, and there's a reward of one hundred thousand Beli!"

As he spoke, the Flower Blade Captain led the charge. The pirates behind him, who had been somewhat fearful, saw their captain leading the way and were tempted by the hundred thousand Beli; after exchanging glances, they roared and charged forward together.

Just then, a dripping wet figure slowly climbed onto the ship, coming face-to-face with Lu Zhuo's somewhat strange expression.

Having performed a Draw-Sword Slash, Lu Zhuo had naturally cleared his head and realized what was happening in an instant. He just found it hard to believe—was his luck really that good? He hadn't seen a ship in half a month, and the first one he encountered had one of the protagonists of One Piece, Nami?

"Yo, little subordinate, why are you back?"

Facing Lu Zhuo's teasing gaze, an embarrassed look appeared on Nami's face; Lu Zhuo's dilapidated boat had sunk before it had even traveled a few meters...

Just as she was about to tell another lie, she saw the group of pirates charging at them and let out a startled cry.

Seeing this, Lu Zhuo put away his teasing expression and looked coldly at the pirates.

Rapid Draw-Sword Slash!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three sounds of blades being drawn rang out almost simultaneously, and three sword beams flashed by like arcs of light.

The Flower Blade Captain's expression changed; only in direct combat could he realize the power of Lu Zhuo's Draw-Sword Slash!

He held his broadsword with both hands, his expression grave, and swung his arms rapidly to barely block the sword beams, though he still couldn't help but retreat several steps.

As for the small-fry pirates, some were cut in half at the waist, others had their throats slit, and they were wiped out in an instant!