Upper Yard

The three of them chased each other around playfully for a while. Lu Zhuo had nearly gotten his fill of the fun before finally calling it quits, satisfied, and heading toward the beach.

"Oh, right. From now on, we'll be playing the parts of gods. You two are my priestesses, so don't undermine the dignity of the divine..." Once they reached the beach, Lu Zhuo suddenly turned serious and spoke to Robin and Nami.

Nami and Robin smiled and nodded, then put on serious expressions as well.

"Hmm, I'm planning to invite the Holy Sword Pirates' fourth crew member aboard. We're still missing a musician, doctor, and cook... Never mind. One at a time."

After patting his forehead, Lu Zhuo put on a dignified expression and walked with measured steps, exuding a peculiar presence.

In the distance, a young girl with a small harp in her arms and two tiny white wings on her back spotted them. She ran over with a snow-white Cloud Fox.

"Hello! Are you Blue Sea People?"

Looking at the adorable little angel, Conis, Lu Zhuo made up his mind in an instant: You're going to be the musician on my ship!

"I am the god of the Blue Sea. I heard there was another god here, so I came to see whether he is worthy of the title." Lu Zhuo looked down at Conis with an air of cold superiority and spoke indifferently.

To play the part of a god well, he'd have to leave this girl with a bad impression...

Hearing Lu Zhuo's words, Conis's beautiful eyes widened in shock. "Y-You..."

"Do not show disrespect to the god. I am Robin, a priestess in his service. Please show us the way. We must find Skypiea's god." Robin played her part convincingly. Her cool rebuke startled Conis, leaving her looking frightened.

Lu Zhuo's mouth twitched. Wasn't he being a little harsh to his fourth crew member?

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

They're quick. That must be the White Beret Unit.

As he thought this, the White Beret Unit's captain, McKinley, led a squad of soldiers toward Lu Zhuo and the others in a strange formation.

McKinley shouted, "Blue Sea People! You dared to damage the Gate of Heaven. That's a second-degree crime, punishable by the god's trial!"

"You damaged the Gate of Heaven?!" Conis cried out, her little face filled with alarm.

Looking at McKinley, Lu Zhuo gave a cold snort and shouted, "Who are you to show disrespect to me, the god?!"

As he spoke, Lu Zhuo vanished in an instant, only to reappear where he had been a moment later.

"You...!" McKinley managed just one word before he and the soldiers behind him all collapsed to the ground, terror in his eyes.

"This..." Conis stared at the scene in horror, and the harp slipped from her hands. She had never seen Blue Sea People this fearsome before.

Lu Zhuo glanced at her and said quietly, "You'll lead the way. I'm going to meet Skypiea's god."

"N-No, you can't enter the god's domain... You..." Conis trembled as she looked at Lu Zhuo and the others.

Lu Zhuo shot her a glance, then drew his sword and swung it toward the distant White-White Sea.

Without a sound, the sea split open, leaving a trench over a hundred meters long! This move never failed to scare Skypieans, and Lu Zhuo had gotten rather fond of using it.

Sure enough, Conis froze in terror at the sight. Nami's huff brought her back to her senses, and she looked at Lu Zhuo with awe.

"Lead the way," Lu Zhuo said again, his voice calm.

"All right..." Conis replied with her head lowered, her thoughts already in a muddle.

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

Nami glared fiercely

at Lu Zhuo, apparently displeased with him for bullying a young girl. Lu Zhuo responded with a helpless gesture, indicating that he hadn't done it on purpose.

"The god lives in Upper Yard... Nothing on Skypiea escapes his notice. He truly is a god," Conis said with reverence, though she looked at Lu Zhuo with worry in her eyes.

Although Lu Zhuo seemed terrifyingly powerful, she still held far more reverence for the legendary Thunder God Enel.

But Conis wasn't weak-willed. When Enel tried to destroy Skypiea, she had bravely stood up to him, overcoming her fear and awe of the god.

That was the most important reason Lu Zhuo had taken a liking to her. In this world, one had to long for freedom and never fear the powerful.

Lu Zhuo glanced at Conis and spoke softly, though his words carried a faint pressure.

"Do you refuse to acknowledge me as your god?"

"N-No, I don't." Conis hurriedly shook her head, looking flustered. But Lu Zhuo's pressure didn't seem to affect her much, which piqued his curiosity.

If the swordsman ranks were divided further, they could be classified as Beginner Swordsman, Intermediate Swordsman, High-Level Swordsman, and Peak Swordsman.

Lu Zhuo was currently at the peak of the Beginner Swordsman rank.

To become an Intermediate Swordsman, he needed another quality: sword intent.

It was something similar to Conqueror's Haki, though not as powerful. After Lu Zhuo began playing the god, he had noticed his bottleneck start to loosen, as if he were on the verge of comprehending sword intent.

Looking at Conis, Lu Zhuo slowly strengthened his sword intent until it reached the greatest power he could currently muster.

Yet Conis remained standing there with her head lowered, seemingly unable to sense his sword intent at all.

Even Nami and Robin, standing a few meters away from Lu Zhuo, felt a force that made it hard to breathe. But this girl couldn't feel it at all!

What a promising talent. It seemed his half-baked sword intent couldn't affect her. Lu Zhuo sighed inwardly and withdrew his sword intent, gazing toward the distant holy land of Upper Yard, which was gradually coming into view.

Nami and Robin stood on deck, watching the scenery in the distance. Nami asked in amazement, "Why is there dirt on Skypiea?"

"Heh. The so-called holy land of Upper Yard isn't actually part of Skypiea. It's an island from the Blue Sea." Lu Zhuo emerged from the cabin, came to stand beside them, and explained with a smile.

Nami exclaimed in surprise, "How could an island from the Blue Sea end up in Skypiea?"

"Because of the Knock Up Stream. In fact, Upper Yard is half of the island below us, Jaya Island. A mighty Knock Up Stream blasted it straight up from the surface and carried it to the White-White Sea." Lu Zhuo put his hands on Nami's shoulders and smiled at her.

"You even know that?" Robin looked at Lu Zhuo in surprise. Ever since joining the Holy Sword Pirates and coming to his side, she had realized that the man beside her was a complete mystery. He seemed to know everything, yet there were plenty of details he knew nothing about.

It seemed as if everything that happened around him was within his expectations. He always appeared to have everything under control, as though he had planned it all.

"Then what's your real reason for coming to Skypiea?" Robin stared into Lu Zhuo's eyes and asked.

Lu Zhuo laughed. "Of course, it's to help you find the Poneglyph and make you fall for me faster."

"You..." Robin gritted her teeth, her cheeks turning slightly red. "Be serious. I want the truth."

"All right. Little Robin, I don't get to see you like this very often. I'll tell you: I actually came to borrow Enel's lightning."