Water 7

He really had been neglecting this little girl. She was a person, too, with a soul of her own—not some toy he could force onto his ship, tease when he remembered her, and ignore when he didn't.

"Conis... remember, from now on, you're mine, too. I want you to... marry me!" Lu Zhuo took a deep breath and opened his arms, gently embracing Conis.

A hint of panic flashed in Conis's eyes. She had never imagined Lu Zhuo would say something like that.

She struggled free of Lu Zhuo. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and there was a trace of guilt in her voice as she said softly, "But Nami and Robin..."

"You have your own heart. Just follow it. If you really like me, why worry about anything else? Besides, I believe Robin and Nami will accept you."

Looking at Conis, Lu Zhuo spoke with affection.

Each of the three girls had her own personality. Nami was lively and spirited, with a mischievous streak. Robin was composed and calm, with a brilliant mind. And Conis was gentle and considerate.

Conis suddenly lifted her head to look at Lu Zhuo, her face crimson with embarrassment.

"I... I understand."

Lu Zhuo looked at her, at her red lips, and gently kissed her.

Any ordinary man would have been happy just to have one of these three girls. He had all three, and they were all devoted to him. What could there possibly be left in this world to make him unhappy?

Lu Zhuo cast all his troubles aside. Who cared? He just had to do what he wanted! Why dwell on those bothersome things?

Nami and Robin tacitly understood what had happened between Lu Zhuo and Conis. After spending so much time together, they had already come to think of Conis as a little sister.

Once Robin had given her heart to Lu Zhuo, the two of them had naturally accepted Conis before long.

Still, Lu Zhuo hadn't slept with Robin or Conis. He thought he should give the women he loved their happiest moment.

Robin's heart had been troubled for a long time. Now it was time to help her find peace. Lu Zhuo already had a plan, though Robin and Conis would both have to suffer a little.

Having Conis on board only deepened Lu Zhuo's sense of guilt toward her.

Once he stood at the pinnacle of this world, he would return to Skypiea and give her a grand wedding.

"Hey, Bepo, go check the wind!"

"Bepo, turn the rudder."

"Bepo, go..."

With a new crew member who was also a navigator, Nami felt much more at ease. She no longer had to give orders to Lu Zhuo, Robin, and the others, who knew little about sailing.

Of course, Bepo wasn't entirely happy with his position.

But after Lu Zhuo "threatened" him, Bepo would put on a pitiful expression whenever he saw him. He also obediently followed Nami's orders, though he often did ridiculous things that brought plenty of laughter to the ship.

Other than Luo, who was icily aloof and almost never smiled, even Lu Zhuo often found himself laughing at Bepo's antics.

Of course, Bepo still had some confidence. There was no way a ship as large as Lu Zhuo's could have only a handful of people aboard. Whoever joined later would be ranked below him.

Thinking about that, Bepo eagerly looked forward to the next crew member joining.

"Water 7. We finally made it!"

Standing on deck, Lu Zhuo looked at the island ahead and smiled.

Luo stood beside him, his expression cold. Suddenly, he asked, "Shall we put the plan into action?"

"Of course!" Lu Zhuo replied calmly as he looked at him.

Then Lu Zhuo turned to Bepo, who was busy lowering the sails, and Nami, who was taking in the view. He called out, "Robin and Conis, you're a team. Luo and I will go together, and Bepo and Nami will go together. Go have fun!"

"Yeah!" Bepo bounced excitedly, quickly lowered the sails, then jumped off before the ship had even reached shore.

What an idiot!

Lu Zhuo couldn't help laughing. He took Nami and Luo and got off the ship as well.

"Nami, go look around wherever you like. Just come back to the ship after dark. Luo and I have something to take care of."

"Sure, sure!" Nami gave Lu Zhuo a light kiss on the cheek. Beside her, Bepo had already darted into the streets, unable to wait another moment.

Lu Zhuo watched her go and smiled. He didn't bother telling her to be careful or anything like that. At this point, aside from an Admiral, there probably wasn't anyone who could easily take Nami down.

Once Nami disappeared among the streets, Lu Zhuo looked at the indifferent Luo beside him and said calmly, "Let's go."

After setting foot on the island, Lu Zhuo released his Observation Haki without restraint, searching all around.

He had no interest in starting from the beginning and slowly reliving the Water 7 storyline from the original story.

His strength had already reached the point where there wasn't much he needed to fear. Luo was still weak at this point, but under Lu Zhuo's guidance, he had already developed several of the Op-Op Fruit's abilities ahead of schedule.

With Luo's powers, Lu Zhuo no longer feared an Admiral.

Even if they couldn't win, they could at least escape. Since there was no particular danger, Lu Zhuo had no reason to follow the original storyline. He could just wreck CP9.

As Lu Zhuo's Observation Haki swept across the area without restraint, he quickly found his target.

In a bar in Water 7, Franky was gulping down cola, looking perfectly content.

Just then, two unwelcome guests suddenly barged into the bar.

"Who are you?" Franky could tell the two of them were after him, but he wasn't afraid. He stared at Lu Zhuo and Luo, eyes wide.

After sizing him up, Lu Zhuo released his Observation Haki and scanned Franky's body at close range.

Franky found Lu Zhuo's gaze deeply uncomfortable, as if the man could see right through him. He shouted, "Quit ruining the mood! I'm trying to enjoy my cola. Make me mad, and I'll throw you out myself!"

Lu Zhuo suddenly attacked. His figure flashed, and he appeared behind Franky. With his hand coated in invisible Haki, he slapped Franky unconscious.

"Oh my God, someone's been killed! Pirates!"

The customers nearby were horrified and cried out, but Lu Zhuo and Luo ignored them completely.

Soru!

ROOM, Shambles!

In an instant, the two of them took Franky and disappeared, leaving behind only a wooden post in the spot where Luo had switched bodies.

After carrying the unconscious Franky to a secluded corner, Lu Zhuo pointed at his chest. "It's in there. Cut him open and take it out."

Luo nodded, a fiery look flashing in his eyes.

At last, he was about to see the blueprints for Pluton, one of the legendary Three Ancient Weapons!

His sword slid slowly from its sheath. With a few light swings, he cut Franky into pieces.

Cutting open Franky, a man of iron, would have been easy for Lu Zhuo, too. But if Lu Zhuo did it himself, it would mean killing him.

Lu Zhuo had a decent impression of Franky, and he didn't want to change the story too much.