"Blue Sea person, if you can withstand this move, I'll acknowledge your status." Enel floated in the air, gazing down at Lu Zhuo as he spoke solemnly.
The reason Enel had always seemed so haughty in the original story was that the people around him were too weak. Even if they all joined forces, they wouldn't have stood a chance against him.
To him, his only goal was to reach Fairy Vearth—in other words, the moon.
But when someone whose strength rivaled his appeared before him, he treated Lu Zhuo as an equal rather than looking down on him as a god would a mortal.
The corner of Lu Zhuo's mouth twitched. So that was it. Enel didn't seem like an idiot after all.
Gritting his teeth as he watched the Thunder Dragon descend from above, Lu Zhuo gripped Kitetsu with both hands and began to swing it in a measured rhythm.
Phantom Sword Dance!
As the sword in his hands swung faster and faster, a powerful aura gradually gathered, creating even the faintest hint of pressure for Enel.
Was his sword aura about to take shape? The thought crossed Lu Zhuo's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. He focused all his attention on the sword technique before him.
"Ha!"
With Lu Zhuo's shout, the sword light formed by countless swings finally took shape, like a butterfly.
He brought his sword down slowly but surely. At once, the enormous butterfly-shaped sword light flew out and collided with the Thunder Dragon charging down from the sky.
This Phantom Sword Dance was even more powerful than when he had fought Crocodile. Lu Zhuo's body had grown stronger, allowing him to unleash more sword strikes.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out, accompanied by a powerful light as brilliant as condensed sunlight. Everyone watching could not help but squeeze their eyes shut.
The ground cracked apart inch by inch. The trees all around were swept up in the gale and instantly shredded into countless fragments, charred black, then pulverized again!
The clash between sword light and lightning created a vast Shambles. Everything nearby was mercilessly cut apart, scorched by electricity, and crushed to pieces.
"Th-this... Is this really the kind of power a human can possess?"
One of the Shandia, utterly stunned by the sight, spoke in a trembling voice.
"The gods... They really are gods!" someone cried out in terror from the edge of the trembling island.
Wyper suddenly kicked him away and shouted, "They're not gods! They're people, just like us! This is our chance. Come on, follow me!"
At Wyper's words, the others gradually recovered their resolve. Determination filled their eyes as they hurried deeper into Upper Yard.
But a trace of fear flashed through Wyper's eyes.
Could they really be gods...
Gan, Kohl, you bastards. You actually handed Upper Yard over to a group like this.
Elsewhere, Nami stood aboard the Holy Sword and watched Robin anxiously. "Lu... How's the battle between the gods going?"
Robin slowly opened her eyes and shook her head. "That terrifying clash of sword light and thunder just now made it impossible for me to keep watching. But it looks like the Sword God hasn't fallen behind."
Conis, standing beside them, looked astonished.
That man... No, that god... Was he really as powerful as Lord Enel?
Leaning on his sword, Lu Zhuo stood amid a scene of utter devastation. Everything within a radius of nearly a hundred meters had been swept away.
Lu Zhuo caught his breath a few times, then looked at Enel, who also seemed somewhat tired in the sky. "Not bad... You're very strong. You've earned the title of Thunder God!"
Though it looked as if Lu Zhuo had been forced to defend and was losing, swordsmen were among the most dangerous fighters. If Lu Zhuo fought Enel to the death, he still had confidence they would take each other out.
Enel knew that very well too. Although Lu Zhuo looked battered, he hadn't suffered any serious injuries. He had merely used up some stamina.
And in the clash between Phantom Sword Dance and the Thunder Dragon, it was the Thunder Dragon that had been cut down.
Although Enel still had his Thunder God transformation, he didn't think Lu Zhuo lacked an even stronger sword technique.
"You're strong too, Blue Sea person. No, I respect you as a being on the same level as a god."
Lu Zhuo raised his head and said impassively, "I'm the Sword God, Lu Zhuo."
"I'm the Thunder God, Enel. If we keep fighting, neither of us will be able to bear the consequences. Besides, a swarm of insects is heading this way. How about we call it a truce?"
"Fine!" Lu Zhuo agreed at once. Then he returned his sword to its sheath and looked at Enel. "I'll be staying here for a while. I have no interest in any of your plans, and I won't interfere."
Enel looked at Lu Zhuo with some surprise, then nodded after a moment's thought.
After all, if Lu Zhuo insisted on staying here, Enel couldn't drive him out unless he fought him to the death.
But there was no need for that. They had only just met, and they had no real grudge against each other. All that talk about the dignity of gods had just been for show; like mortals, they had their own pride.
Since they were both gods, beings on the same level, neither would think the other had slighted him.
Lu Zhuo glanced at Enel and said coolly, "I'll leave those insects to you..."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Although he had cut down the Thunder Dragon and his sword dance had struck Enel again, lightning had still touched his body during the battle. Fortunately, after Kitetsu absorbed most of it, he had escaped injury. Instead, the lightning had stimulated the cells throughout his body, making them more active.
What's more, fighting Enel had deepened his understanding of sword aura. He seemed to be just one step away from becoming an Intermediate Swordsman. His Observation Haki had also yielded many new discoveries, and he had grasped a few finer details.
Although he couldn't train in it directly yet, he was sure he could learn it after a few more fights.
That was what Lu Zhuo thought as Enel, whose expression had returned to its usual calm, watched from afar, completely unaware that Lu Zhuo had already turned him into a practice target for his swordsmanship.
Aboard the Holy Sword, Nami looked at Lu Zhuo, whose clothes were disheveled and torn to shreds, and finally forgot all about Conis beside her. "Lu Zhuo... Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I fought Enel to a draw. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit really is powerful, though. If that guy Enel had mastered Armament Haki and had stronger physical skills, he'd probably be about as strong as Borsalino, one of the Admirals." Lu Zhuo waved his hand to show that he was all right and sighed.
"So your plan has succeeded?" Seeing that Nami and Lu Zhuo had stopped pretending, Robin naturally did the same. She saw Lu Zhuo's strong muscles through his tattered clothes, and her pretty face flushed slightly.
Lu Zhuo flashed over to Robin's side and chuckled. "Of course. I'll take you to find the Poneglyph right away."
Robin dodged Lu Zhuo's hand and laughed as she slipped away to the side.
Conis watched the scene, her eyes widening.
Wasn't this man a god? Then why...?
Lu Zhuo didn't particularly mind that he hadn't gotten his way. Looking at Conis, whose little face was full of surprise, he chuckled and said, "Well, from now on, you're my partner."
After Lu Zhuo boldly declared that Conis belonged to him, she shook her head and recovered from her shock.
She was just about to refuse when Lu Zhuo's expression turned serious. "This is a god's command..."
"Uh, all right..." Conis watched Lu Zhuo, who seemed to have mastered the art of changing faces, and was at a loss for what to do.
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