First Meeting with the Bear

Above the sea of clouds, the scenery was pleasant.

Sunlight spilled across every inch of the cloud sea, and the blocky Island Clouds, resembling reefs in the Blue Sea, emitted a faint white mist.

Lu Zhuo sat lazily on a chair, his gaze fixed ahead.

Suddenly, a feeling washed over him, causing him to stand up.

Looking at an island appearing in the distance, Lu Zhuo asked, "Do you know what island that is?"

"It should be Atlantis Island; I haven't been to any other Sky Islands," Conis whispered.

Lu Zhuo nodded and said, "That's the one. Let's head over."

The Waver slowly approached. Since the islands of Skypiea were made of Island Clouds, their edges were all beaches, making it possible to land anywhere.

As the island gradually grew larger, a look of surprise appeared in Lu Zhuo's eyes.

This island was actually a third larger than Angel Island and seemed even more prosperous and bustling.

Upon entering the town, the Sandai Kitetsu in Lu Zhuo's hand vibrated more rapidly, pointing toward a specific direction. Lu Zhuo led Conis toward that spot.

This island seemed to have more contact with people from the Blue Sea, as no one showed any signs of surprise even upon seeing Lu Zhuo.

Gradually, Lu Zhuo and Conis left the town of Atlantis Island and arrived in a thicket of bushes.

Only when they reached a towering tree did Lu Zhuo stop. Looking up, he couldn't even see the top; the tree was at least five meters in diameter, a rare and massive species unique to the Sky Islands.

Conis asked in a low voice, "Is this the destination? It looks like an uninhabited wilderness."

Lu Zhuo didn't answer her, instead looking at the tree before him with some confusion. "It's actually inside the tree? That makes no sense."

After circling the tree a few times, the Sandai Kitetsu in Lu Zhuo's hand nearly flew out of his grip.

Finally, he discovered a spot in the middle of the trunk that seemed to have a circular crack.

Could it be...

Lu Zhuo shook his head. Whatever, as long as he could get the Sandai Kitetsu, it didn't matter.

He turned his head and said solemnly to Conis beside him, "Stay back. I'm going to cut down this tree."

"Uh, okay." Although she didn't know what grudge Lu Zhuo held against the tree, Conis obediently ran a bit further away.

Lu Zhuo drew his sword abruptly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

A flash of sword light streaked across, and Lu Zhuo slowly sheathed his blade, accompanied by the sound of the massive tree slowly collapsing.

Because the ground was made of Island Clouds rather than soil, the impact of the falling giant tree caused a few tremors, making the island's residents pause in slight confusion.

However, such tremors were common on the Sky Islands, so no one paid it much mind.

Lu Zhuo leaped over to the middle section of the tree that had seemed strange earlier and gave a light flick with his sword. A large opening was carved out.

The next moment, a black katana flew out instantly and attached itself to the Sandai Kitetsu in Lu Zhuo's hand.

"A pity, it's still a Sandai Kitetsu," Lu Zhuo muttered with a slight shake of his head. He loosened his grip, letting the two swords begin their fusion. At the same time, he looked down, observing with great interest the glint of gold and jade revealed within the large hole.

In the center of the massive tree, there was a hollowed-out space about a cubic meter in size, containing what looked like an old wooden chest.

By now, the wooden chest had shattered into countless pieces, revealing the gold, silver, and jade treasures inside.

The value of these items was at least three hundred million Beli. It appeared to be an ancient treasure cache.

Stepping forward and rummaging through the pile, Lu Zhuo's eyes suddenly lit up!

Among the pile of gold and silver, there was a smaller box, only the size of two fists. It was extremely exquisite and inlaid with various gemstones.

As he gently opened the box, the item that appeared before his eyes made Lu Zhuo's breath hitch.

Without a doubt, the only thing that could make Lu Zhuo react this way was a Devil Fruit. Moreover, the appearance of this Devil Fruit made it clear at a glance that it was a Logia-type!

Just then, Lu Zhuo's expression shifted slightly.

In his perception, there was suddenly another person nearby. One was Conis, who was running toward him, but the other... who was it?!

Rising slowly, Lu Zhuo turned his head to look, and his pupils constricted as a figure with disproportionate limbs appeared in his field of vision.

Looking at that familiar image, Lu Zhuo muttered, "Shichibukai, Bartholomew Kuma!"

How could this guy possibly be here?

Lu Zhuo felt extreme vigilance in his heart. Kuma's strength was incredibly formidable; although he hadn't seen many scenes of him fighting powerhouses in the original story, his strength was definitely not inferior to an Admiral.

The level of development Kuma had achieved with the Paw-Paw Fruit was certainly among the highest in the world of One Piece. He had taken a Paramecia fruit that seemed useless—merely repelling attacks—and evolved it into teleportation, the ability to repel pain and injuries from within the body, and more.

Kuma looked expressionlessly at Lu Zhuo, who was holding the Devil Fruit, and suddenly reached out to pull an old-looking map from the book in his hand.

"Did I arrive a step too late? I had just obtained this treasure map of Gurohari and came to the Sky Island, but I didn't expect to be a step behind."

Kuma spoke slowly, his mechanical voice nearly causing the approaching Conis to scream.

Lu Zhuo gave Conis a look, and she blinked, immediately understanding, and hurriedly ran into the distance.

Following that, Lu Zhuo slowly tucked the Cloud-Cloud Fruit into his robes, and the now-fused Sandai Kitetsu drifted down into his hand.

The Ghost Sword in his hand had still not reached the level of a Supreme Grade Sword even after fusing with another Sandai Kitetsu, which left Lu Zhuo feeling somewhat sullen.

However, it seemed that even if it didn't quite measure up, it was likely only a hair's breadth away.

Just then, Kuma looked at Lu Zhuo indifferently and spoke slowly, "However... it is not yet too late; at the very least, you have not been consumed yet."

The moment those words were spoken, Lu Zhuo's pupils constricted as he sensed a powerful sense of crisis.

Without a moment's hesitation, he drew his sword.

Draw Sword Strike!

At a moment like this, he could only use his fastest, most practiced, and most fundamental technique.

The next instant, Kuma's figure suddenly appeared before Lu Zhuo, his gloves already removed, and he struck out directly toward the edge of Lu Zhuo's blade.

Lu Zhuo's face darkened; to dare underestimate him like this—that would be a costly mistake!

The sword and the palm made contact with a dull thud, and Lu Zhuo felt a strange force surge through the blade, nearly causing the Ghost Sword to fly from his grip.

Yet Kuma's expression also shifted; with a slight movement of his other palm, his body teleported a dozen meters away.

Touching the faint bloodstain that had appeared on his chest, Kuma's expression turned grave in an instant.

"A master swordsman! You are Ghost Sword Lu Zhuo. I never imagined that a newcomer who hasn't even entered the New World would already possess such strength."

Lu Zhuo sneered and said, "To strike with such lethal intent upon our first meeting—isn't that going a bit too far?"

Kuma was silent for a moment before saying, "The Devil Fruit in your possession is something I require; I cannot let you keep it."

The next moment, the figures of both Lu Zhuo and Kuma vanished simultaneously.

One could only see several silhouettes flashing rapidly, and the entire forest exploded in an instant, with debris and chunks of Island Cloud flying everywhere.

A mere few dozen seconds later, at the center of the battle, Lu Zhuo used his sword to support his body as he slowly stood up, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Although he was standing on soft Island Cloud, Kuma's attacks could vibrate his internal organs directly; it was truly an unbearable style of combat.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Lu Zhuo looked coldly at Kuma, who stood a dozen meters away with his clothes torn in several places and over a dozen bloodstains across his body.

Although Kuma could deflect his blade, he could not deflect all of his sword energy. Even though Kuma used teleportation to dodge back and forth in time, his body had still been raked by over a dozen wounds of varying depths from Lu Zhuo's sword aura.

Even though neither had suffered a fatal injury, the extent of their disarray was clear at a glance. This was the result of a clash lasting only a few dozen seconds!

Staring at Lu Zhuo for a long time, Kuma spoke slowly and calmly, "I have a great need for that Devil Fruit; perhaps I can exchange it for something you desire."

Lu Zhuo sneered and said, "You want to trade only after realizing you cannot afford the price of taking it by force? It isn't that simple! Besides, there is nothing I need!"

"No... I know what you need. Here is a treasure map that records the location of a Nidai Kitetsu," Kuma said calmly, ignoring the sword marks on his body as he produced a piece of parchment.