Upper Yard

After the three of them chased and played for a while, Lu Zhuo had taken enough liberties before finally stopping with satisfaction and heading toward the beach.

"Oh, right, we are about to step into the roles of gods. You two will be the priests under my command, so don't tarnish the majesty of a god..." Upon reaching the beach, Lu Zhuo suddenly straightened his expression and spoke to Robin and Nami.

Nami and Robin nodded with a smile, then immediately adopted solemn expressions.

"Hmm, I am preparing to invite the fourth member of the Holy Sword Pirates aboard. We are still missing a musician, a doctor, a cook... forget it, let's take it one at a time."

After tapping his forehead, Lu Zhuo assumed a majestic demeanor, his gait upright, exuding a unique aura.

In the distance, a young girl holding a harp with two small white wings on her back spotted them and ran over, accompanied by a snow-white Cloud Fox.

"Heso, are you people from the Blue Sea?"

Looking at the adorable little angel Conis before him, Lu Zhuo made an instant decision: the musician on his ship would be her!

"I am a god from the Blue Sea. I heard there is also a god here, so I have come to see if he is qualified to call himself one." Lu Zhuo wore a haughty, god-like expression, looking down at Conis indifferently as he spoke calmly.

To play the role of a god well, sigh, I have to leave a bad impression in this girl's mind...

Upon hearing Lu Zhuo's words, Conis's beautiful eyes widened in shock, and she stammered, "You... you people."

"Do not be disrespectful to the god. I am Robin, a priest under his command. Please show us the way; we must find the god of Skypiea." Robin played the part of a priest quite convincingly, and a cold reprimand from her startled Conis, leaving her looking terrified.

Lu Zhuo's mouth twitched. Being like this to his fourth crew member, was it a bit...

Just then, his expression shifted slightly as he looked toward a troop running over from the distance.

They arrived quite quickly, that so-called White Beret Unit.

Thinking this to himself, he saw the captain of the White Beret Unit, McKinley, leading a squad of soldiers toward Lu Zhuo and the others in a strange, rhythmic march.

McKinley shouted loudly, "Blue Sea people, you dare to destroy the Gate of Heaven! You have committed a second-degree crime and shall be punished with the Ordeal of the God."

"Destroyed the Gate of Heaven?!" Conis exclaimed, her small face filled with horror.

Watching McKinley's posturing, Lu Zhuo let out a cold snort and barked, "Who are you to be so disrespectful to this god!"

As he spoke, Lu Zhuo's figure vanished instantly, only to return to his original spot a moment later.

"You...!" Terror filled McKinley's eyes, and he managed only that single word before he and his soldiers collapsed to the ground in unison.

"This..." Conis, standing to the side, stared at the scene in horror, her harp slipping from her hands to the ground. It was her first time seeing such fierce people from the Blue Sea.

Lu Zhuo glanced at her indifferently and said softly, "You will lead the way. I am going to meet this god of Skypiea."

"No... that's impossible. You cannot enter the god's domain... you..." Conis looked at them, trembling as she spoke.

Lu Zhuo glanced at her, his sword suddenly unsheathed, and he slashed toward the distant White-White Sea.

Without a sound, a trench over a hundred meters long was carved into the sea! This move was foolproof for intimidating the people of Skypiea, and Lu Zhuo had grown addicted to using it.

Sure enough, seeing this, Conis was stunned into silence. After being snapped out of it by a huff from Nami, the look she gave Lu Zhuo was filled with awe.

"Lead the way." Lu Zhuo spoke calmly once more.

"Okay..." Conis lowered her head and replied, her mind in complete disarray.

The four of them turned around and returned to the Holy Sword.

Nami glared fiercely at Lu Zhuo, seemingly having strong opinions about him bullying a young girl. Lu Zhuo responded with a helpless gesture, signaling that he hadn't done it on purpose.

"The god resides in Upper Yard... nothing on Skypiea can escape his eyes. He is a true god, after all." Conis spoke with reverence, though her eyes held a look of worry as she watched Lu Zhuo.

Although Lu Zhuo's strength appeared terrifyingly powerful, she still held more awe for the legendary Thunder God Enel.

However, Conis's personality was not weak. When Enel wanted to destroy Skypiea, she had bravely stood up to resist, overcoming her fear and awe of the god.

This was the most important reason Lu Zhuo had taken a liking to her. In this world, one must have a heart that yearns for freedom and does not fear the powerful.

Giving Conis a faint look, Lu Zhuo spoke softly, yet his words carried a subtle pressure.

"Do you not acknowledge this god?"

"No... it's not that." Conis shook her head hurriedly, her expression flustered. However, Lu Zhuo's pressure had little effect on her, which couldn't help but pique his curiosity.

If one were to subdivide the realm of swordsmanship, it could be categorized into Beginner Swordsman, Intermediate Swordsman, High-Level Swordsman, and Peak Swordsman.

The current Lu Zhuo was at the peak of the Beginner Swordsman level.

To become an Intermediate Swordsman, one needed to possess something else: Sword Intent.

It was something similar to Conqueror's Haki, though not as powerful. After Lu Zhuo began acting as a god, he discovered his bottleneck starting to loosen, showing signs of grasping Sword Intent.

Looking at Conis before him, Lu Zhuo slowly increased his Sword Intent until it reached the maximum power he could currently muster.

Yet, Conis remained standing there with her head bowed, seemingly not feeling the Sword Intent at all.

Even Nami and Robin, standing several meters away from Lu Zhuo, felt an aura that made their breathing difficult, yet this girl couldn't feel it at all!

She really was a good seed; it seemed his half-baked Sword Intent couldn't affect her. Lu Zhuo sighed inwardly, retracted his intent, and looked toward the holy land of Upper Yard, which was gradually becoming clearer in the distance.

Nami and Robin stood on the deck, looking at the scenery ahead. Nami said in surprise, "How can there be soil on Skypiea?"

"Hehe, actually, the so-called holy land of Upper Yard is not a sky island, but an island from the ground below." Lu Zhuo walked out from the cabin, stood beside them, and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Nami asked in astonishment, "How is that possible? How could an island from the ground come to Skypiea?"

"It is naturally because of the Knock-Up Stream. In fact, Upper Yard is the island from below, half of Jaya Island, which was forcibly thrust from the ground up to the White-White Sea by a powerful rising current." Lu Zhuo placed his hands on Nami's shoulders and smiled at her as he spoke.

"You even know about this?" Robin glanced at Lu Zhuo in astonishment. Ever since she joined the Holy Sword Pirates and came to Lu Zhuo's side, she had discovered that this man was a complete enigma. He seemed to know everything, yet was entirely ignorant of many trivial details.

Everything that happened around him seemed to be within his expectations; he always wore that look of someone who held the reins and controlled everything.

"Then, what is your true purpose for coming to Skypiea?" Robin stared into Lu Zhuo's eyes and asked.

Lu Zhuo laughed heartily and said, "Naturally, it is to help you find the Poneglyph, so that you will fall in love with me all the sooner."

"You guy..." Robin gritted her teeth, her face flushing slightly, and said, "Be serious, I want to hear the truth."

"Alright, it is rare to see you like this, little Robin, so I will tell you. In truth, it is to borrow Enel's lightning for a moment."