Sweeping the Priests

"Enel's lightning?" Nami and Robin asked at the same time, their faces full of confusion.

"Oh, right. The god of this Sky Island is called Enel. He's a lightning man who ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. He's incredibly powerful. If he didn't rely so heavily on his Devil Fruit and know nothing of Armament Haki, he'd definitely be Admiral-level." Lu Zhuo shrugged, spreading his hands as if it didn't matter.

"A... Admiral?!" Robin's body trembled. As if she'd thought of something, a flash of panic flickered in her eyes.

"Don't worry. With those two weaknesses, he's still no match for an Admiral. Even if I can't beat the guy, it'll be hard for him to beat me." Seeing Nami's worried expression, Lu Zhuo laughed, dispelling her concerns.

"Mm. His lightning is a great way to temper the body. The lightning in nature is too terrifying and difficult to control. But this guy's lightning should be manageable. And as an unexpected bonus, after pretending to be a god, I found that my swordsmanship had improved again. That was a nice surprise, too."

Lu Zhuo was in a good mood, so he said a little more. His words left Nami and Robin utterly astonished.

Use lightning to temper his body? Only Lu Zhuo would come up with something like that! And pretending to be a god could improve his swordsmanship? He really seemed like he didn't belong in this world. Everything about him was stranger than the last.

Nami and Robin didn't know that they'd accidentally guessed the truth about Lu Zhuo. He really wasn't from this world.

But no one would ever learn that secret. Lu Zhuo wouldn't tell anyone, not even the woman he loved most. Perhaps one day, when he stood at the pinnacle of this world, he would reveal everything.

Thinking this, Lu Zhuo smiled slightly and gently wrapped his right arm around Nami's waist.  He reached out with his left hand to pull Robin closer, but she slipped away, avoiding his hand and leaving him feeling helpless.

After traveling along the Sea Cloud for a while, Lu Zhuo and the others finally set foot on Upper Yard. Though Conis was terrified and worried, after Lu Zhuo ordered her in the name of god, she obediently followed him and the others to Upper Yard.

Looking at the forest before him, Lu Zhuo wore a stern expression and walked deeper inside.

The Ordeal of Swamp, the Ordeal of Balls, the Ordeal of String, and the Ordeal of Iron?

Looking at the four paths ahead, Lu Zhuo's expression darkened. "You dare subject a god to your ordeals? You'll pay for this!"

With that, he gripped his sword in both hands, his arms trembling slightly.

Gathering his strength, he unleashed the Void-Breaking Draw Sword Strike!

A massive blade of light burst forth, sweeping across the four paths in an instant and utterly destroying them. The blade of light continued onward, leveling countless towering trees ahead!

Amid the tremendous rumbling, the entire island of Upper Yard shook. The people of Skypiea all stared in shock in this direction.

"What was that?"

"Is someone destroying the sacred land of Upper Yard?"

"N-no... I heard another god arrived here and challenged our god. Could this be a battle between gods?"

As they watched Upper Yard rumble incessantly, the Skypieans whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with awe and fear.

Elsewhere, War Demon Wyper stared grimly toward Upper Yard. "What's happening over there? Those Blue Sea People are incredibly strong. Are they fighting Enel?"

"N-no, that can't be right. Enel hasn't made a move yet. Otherwise, the disturbance would be even greater. While they're fighting, we can seize the chance to take back our sacred land of Upper Yard!"

Frenzied looks appeared in the eyes of the Shandia warriors. Wyper gave a feral grin and waved his hand.

"Come on! We're taking back our homeland!"

"Th-this... Is this his true strength? He's... he's so powerful. Is he really a god?" Conis stared in shock at Lu Zhuo, who calmly lowered his sword.

At that moment, four figures rushed out from deep within the forest, looking utterly battered.

"What's going on? A natural disaster? Or did a god make a move?" Ohm asked in surprise, slashing through a branch that came flying at him.

Satori's round head appeared, his face full of terror. "N-no, it wasn't a god. It was that man from the Blue Sea. His... his sword..."

Noticing the four men, Lu Zhuo turned his cold gaze toward them.

Had his Observation Haki reached the point where he could sense what was happening over a hundred meters away?

Thinking this, Lu Zhuo slowly walked toward the four men. That all-out attack just now had cost him some stamina, but he'd trained on Skypiea for a while, and his physical abilities had improved another level. It wasn't more than he could handle.

"Which of you is the god here?" Lu Zhuo stared coldly at the four men. His words carried a chill that seemed to freeze the heart, and he released the pressure of his sword.

Th-this pressure... The four of them found it difficult to breathe. It was as if Lu Zhuo had become a sword capable of piercing the sky, his aura making it hard for them to raise their heads.

"Y-you dare... offend god... You'll be... Ah!" Shura struggled to speak, though he still sounded haughty, continuing to regard Lu Zhuo as a lowly mortal. Lu Zhuo had no patience for fools like him.

The other three stared in horror as a cross-shaped spray of blood suddenly burst from Shura's chest. He fell straight to the ground.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhuo's sword hand seemed to have moved slightly.

"S-so fast!"

All three had Observation Haki. They'd sensed Lu Zhuo's strike, but couldn't dodge it at all!

Observation Haki wasn't all-powerful. It let its user anticipate attacks, but it didn't let them avoid those attacks. When an opponent's speed reached its absolute limit, it was extremely difficult to block them.

"Since none of you three is the god, then you'll be punished for disrespecting me just now!" Lu Zhuo said coldly, looking at their terrified faces.

"N-no... You, you dare attack the priests? You'll be punished by god, you..." Ohm spoke in terror, then abruptly fell silent. Lu Zhuo called himself a god, too. Would one god really punish another? It was hard to make sense of.

"Your god? I'm looking for him right now. I'd like to see if that guy has what it takes to call himself a god." Lu Zhuo spoke coldly, then swung his sword three more times, cutting down the remaining three priests.

These priests had been powerful in the original story, yet they were so utterly helpless.

In fact, that was exactly how it was. They were strong against ordinary people. But Lu Zhuo was a true swordsman. Even as a Beginner Swordsman, he wasn't afraid of facing a High-Level Swordsman!

If Enel wanted to take on the Four Priests, the result would be the same. He'd take them out in an instant.

The difference in strength was simply too great. On all of Skypiea, Enel, who'd eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, stood head and shoulders above everyone else. That was why he'd taken the title of god.

If not for Luffy being a rubber man and naturally immune to his powers, as well as the protagonist's plot armor, everyone else together still wouldn't have been able to defeat Enel!

That was the difference between high-tier and low-tier fighters!