Nidai Kitetsu

In a mere instant, he had killed every pirate aboard the ship except their captain. Lu Zhuo's strength was truly overwhelming.

But when Lu Zhuo saw the Flower Blade Captain, the only one who had managed to block his sword, his brow suddenly furrowed.

The man had actually blocked three rapid Draw Sword Strikes that had nearly overlapped. He was at least a second-rate swordsman.

Lu Zhuo had rowed over, and it had taken a heavy toll on his stamina. His previous four Draw Sword Strikes had nearly exhausted him. This was bad!

Behind Lu Zhuo, Nami's body was soaked through with seawater, revealing her graceful curves. At the time, Nami was about fifteen, a young girl, but her body had already developed beautifully.

She watched Lu Zhuo, her beautiful eyes flickering. She hadn't expected the fool she'd tried to trick to be so strong.

Lu Zhuo had no time to admire her body. At another time, he would have been delighted, but now his chest heaved, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he stared fixedly at the Flower Blade Captain.

"Kid! You killed all my men. You're dead! No one can save you!"

The Flower Blade Captain's face twisted into a vicious sneer as he slowly approached, one step at a time. He held his broad blade horizontally, and a weighty air seemed to gather around him.

Damn it, his swordsmanship was focused on defense.

Lu Zhuo cursed inwardly. Under normal circumstances, he'd win if he dragged things out against this kind of defensive swordsmanship. But right now, it was the perfect counter to him!

This time, Lu Zhuo didn't use a Draw Sword Strike. He slowly drew his sword and gripped it with both hands. After flourishing it in a quick flourish, he stepped forward.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out. The Flower Blade Captain's defense was watertight, and every one of Lu Zhuo's attacks was blocked.

Worse, Lu Zhuo was running out of strength. The Flower Blade Captain's force traveled through their swords and into Lu Zhuo's arms, making his grip go numb.

Cold sweat on his brow, Lu Zhuo trembled slightly, his expression growing grave.

The Flower Blade Captain watched Lu Zhuo with a cold expression and murderous intent in his eyes. He swung his broad blade hard and moved with slow, heavy steps, showing no sign of fatigue.

Clang!

After a sharp ring, Lu Zhuo staggered back several steps. He looked at the sword in his hand and saw a crack in the blade. Shock and fury surged through him.

"Damn it. That bastard's sword has to be one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords. I'm no Zoro, setting sail with one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords!"

Lu Zhuo grumbled inwardly. His sword wasn't even among the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords, which showed just how powerful those main-character perks were.

Crack!

After their next clash, Lu Zhuo's sword shattered into countless pieces. His heart sank. This was bad!

But then he glanced at Nami and called out.

"Hey, Nami, do you have a sword?"

"Uh, I think so!"

Nami answered without thinking. She didn't have time to consider it: if Lu Zhuo lost, she'd be in trouble too. She reached into the large bundle on her back and pulled out a black sword.

Fortunately, the Flower Blade Captain's swordsmanship leaned toward defense. Even without a sword, Lu Zhuo could still just barely evade him.

When he saw Nami take out a sword, Lu Zhuo's spirits lifted. A fresh burst of strength surged through his exhausted body, and he darted over to Nami and snatched the black sword from her.

Nami stared blankly at Lu Zhuo, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Her beautiful eyes widened.

How did this guy know my name?!

Nami looked adorably dazed, but Lu Zhuo had no time to notice. The moment he gripped the black scabbard, a murderous aura seeped through it, making his eyes light up.

This was... one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords, the Nidai Kitetsu! One grade higher than Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu!

When he saw the sword in Lu Zhuo's hand, the Flower Blade Captain's face changed.

"Damn it, that's my sword!"

"Heh. It's mine now! Charged Iai Slash!"

A wicked smile spread across Lu Zhuo's face. He gripped the hilt tightly, his arms trembling as if he were gathering immense strength. He was putting every last bit of strength in his body into this one strike!

Victory or death!

The Flower Blade Captain's expression changed sharply. He had already noticed that Lu Zhuo was out of stamina, but this final strike felt incredibly dangerous.

I can't let him use it! The thought flashed through the Flower Blade Captain's mind, and he abandoned his defensive swordsmanship, swinging his broad blade at Lu Zhuo with all his might.

At that moment, the sword in Lu Zhuo's hand finally left its scabbard. Its edge scraped against the scabbard, throwing off a spark as a streak of sword light flashed out!

Crack!

The swords collided. In an instant, the Flower Blade Captain's sword, one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords, snapped in two. The sword light kept going and slashed into his chest.

The sound of flesh being cut was followed by a faint crack as bone broke.

The Flower Blade Captain stared in disbelief at the blood spurting from his chest. He slowly collapsed, glaring at Lu Zhuo with resentment.

"Damn... the Nidai Kitetsu's curse... Kid... you'll die under this sword's curse too!" After those words, his head lolled to the side, and his eyes closed.

Finally able to relax, Lu Zhuo swayed slightly, barely managing to stay on his feet.

Remembering that Nami was still beside him, Lu Zhuo turned toward her with difficulty. His bloodied body wore a smile that looked almost demonic.

Nami had been stunned by everything she'd just witnessed. That smile frightened her too, and she managed a strained smile.

"Um... how did you know my name?"

Lu Zhuo looked her over, letting his gaze roam boldly across her body. Her disguise as a boy had been completely exposed after she'd been soaked by the seawater.

He gave her a sly smile and stroked his chin. "Aren't you my underling? Of course I know your name..."

At the sight of Lu Zhuo, Nami swallowed audibly. Though she was usually quick-witted, she couldn't think of anything to say. Looking at the deck awash with blood, she could only think that Lu Zhuo was a terrifying devil.

"All right. Since you're my underling, get to work. Clean this place up, and take the ship to the nearest Marine Branch."

Lu Zhuo walked slowly over to Nami with a mischievous smile and gently stroked her fair, soft cheek.

Nami shivered and gritted her teeth. "...Okay~~!"

She had no idea how this bastard knew her name, but she clearly couldn't escape with him watching her. She'd just have to wait for a chance.

Thinking this, Nami forced herself to calm down and began cleaning the deck. Lu Zhuo sat to one side and slowly recovered his strength.

In truth, Nami could probably have pushed Lu Zhuo over right then. But his earlier display had definitely scared her. If he kept acting tough, it'd be easy enough to fool a girl who liked to think she was clever.

Only after she finished cleaning the deck did Nami realize that. She wondered where all her usual cleverness had gone.

She watched Lu Zhuo sitting there without moving and rolled her eyes. Pretending to stumble, she sent the bucket in her hand flying toward him.

At that moment, Lu Zhuo's eyes snapped open. He had recovered a little of his strength.

Seeing the bucket fly toward him, Lu Zhuo smirked and swung his sword.

With a crack, the bucket and water split in two, landing on either side of him. Lu Zhuo looked at Nami and snorted. "Trying to murder your boss?!"

At the sight of this, Nami's hopes sank. She knew she'd lost her chance. Putting on a panicked expression, she said, "Um... it was an accident."

Whether it was an accident was obvious to both Lu Zhuo and Nami. Lu Zhuo chuckled and walked over to her. Seeing how bedraggled she looked, he smiled. "Go take a bath. You smell."

At that, Nami jolted and snapped, "You're the one who smells!"

"Yeah, I smell too. So, shall we bathe together?" Lu Zhuo glanced at her coolly. Nami flushed with embarrassment and anger, then fled.

Several hours later, Lu Zhuo had finished tidying up and was sitting on deck, breathing in the fresh air and feeling wonderfully refreshed.

Then Nami's reluctant voice reached his ears.

"Food's ready!"

When he came to the dining room, Lu Zhuo looked at the pile of bread and smiled.

Nami wasn't a professional cook, but even toasted bread was much better than the strange fish meat he made.

Lu Zhuo didn't eat it right away, though. He took the plate in front of Nami and said, "Let's switch."

Huh?! Nami froze, her heart thumping.

Did this guy know there was a laxative in the bread?

Lu Zhuo ignored her, secretly amused that she thought such a petty trick could fool him. After he wolfed down the food, Nami looked awkwardly at the untouched meal on the plate in front of her.

Lu Zhuo chuckled. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Um, I'm not hungry..."

Seeing Nami's flustered expression, Lu Zhuo grinned. "Don't starve yourself. Go make something normal. But don't try that again, okay? What if you grabbed the wrong thing and used some kind of aphrodisiac, huh?"

With that, Lu Zhuo went straight outside. Behind him, Nami fumed with embarrassment and grabbed her plate to throw at him. But there was no way she'd hit Lu Zhuo. He laughed and dodged it, not minding at all.

A few days later, Nami and Lu Zhuo stood together on deck, seeming much more harmonious.

Lu Zhuo had collected the Flower Blade Captain's head, which seemed to be worth several million Beli. He had Nami take him to the nearest Marine Base. The trip would take about ten days, and during that time, Lu Zhuo had Nami's antics for dinner at least once a day.

But, with the temperament of a shut-in from Earth, Lu Zhuo had no trouble playing tricks on Nami. He never took a loss.

When she learned that Lu Zhuo was going to a Marine Base, Nami felt relieved and came up with countless escape plans. But she was still furious with the bastard who kept teasing her, so she often tried to pull something on him. Every attempt failed.

Lu Zhuo caught the edge of a sly grin on Nami's face and paused. He knew she was probably plotting something, but he didn't care. He was simply interested in how beautiful she was.

At this point, Nami was almost more captivating than she had been at the beginning of the original story, four years later.

As for what she was thinking, it was nothing more than how to escape and steal his things. Lu Zhuo didn't care. For now, he was only forcing Nami to stay here.

And he didn't want to force her. What he wanted wasn't Nami's body, but her heart.

Well, winning her heart was both simple and difficult. First, he needed the strength to take down Arlong.