Arlong's expression turned grave as he watched Lu Zhuo approach at an unhurried pace, looking like an ordinary man. He asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
"I? The lowly human in your eyes!"
Lu Zhuo replied coldly, gripping his sword with both hands. They trembled.
Seeing his hands shake, the Fish-Men immediately relaxed and laughed mockingly.
"Just as we thought, he's a lowly human. He can't even hold a sword steady! Let's use your head as a chamber pot!" Several Fish-Men roared with laughter and charged at him.
Charge... Draw Sword Strike!
A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhuo's eyes as a massive blade of sword energy swept across.
The Fish-Men didn't even manage a groan before the sword severed all their throats!
The blade of sword energy dimmed slightly, but continued onward, slicing through a nearby house at its foundation.
He slowly slid his sword back into its sheath. With the house collapsing behind him, everyone present was utterly stunned!
"A sword... A sword can actually cut a building in half!"
"My God, how powerful is he?"
High above Lu Zhuo, a Surveillance Seagull relayed everything back to the Marine Branch.
Shock filled the Marine Branch Rear Admiral's eyes. He slapped the table and exclaimed, "How is this possible? He's a master swordsman?! A master swordsman has appeared in the East Blue?!"
Even Zoro, who returned two years after the Paramount War in the original story, had only just become a master swordsman. Someone with the strength of a master swordsman could be considered a middle-tier powerhouse even in the New World!
The Marine Branch's highest-ranking officer, Vice Admiral Kri, sat beside the Rear Admiral. He set down the documents in his hands, replayed the footage, and remarked admiringly, "What a genius. He isn't a master swordsman, but he managed to unleash a master swordsman's slash through a clever trick!"
Indeed, the powerful friction between the sword and its scabbard could produce a devastating slash similar to the pressure of a master swordsman's blade!
"We must recruit him into the Marines. We absolutely can't let him become a pirate!" the Vice Admiral declared.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhuo had no idea he'd already drawn the attention of the Marine high command.
Before him stood Arlong, furious, along with several badly wounded officers.
Lu Zhuo glanced at them scornfully and said, "Arlong, you're worth twenty million Beli. I'll take your head!"
Arlong looked at the Fish-Men lying dead and wounded. His eyes reddened as he roared, "You lowly human! You... You're dead!"
He stomped his feet and charged at Lu Zhuo. His saw-toothed nose cut through the air with a sharp whistle, reaching Lu Zhuo in an instant.
Lu Zhuo watched him coldly and held his sword crosswise.
Clang!
The sharp ring of metal striking metal rang out.
A tremendous force shoved Lu Zhuo back several steps, but his footing remained steady.
Seeing this, Arlong burst into laughter. "We Fish-Men are a superior race! Our natural noses and teeth are powerful weapons! Die, lowly human!"
Lu Zhuo chuckled at his words, his voice turning icy. "That nose of yours is hard, all right. But unfortunately for you, you ran into me!"
Then... I'll use you to test out my new move!
Lu Zhuo's expression grew solemn. As Arlong charged again, he slowly closed his eyes.
Ghost Shadow Flash!
Everyone's vision blurred, and Lu Zhuo vanished from where he stood.
Arlong's body seemed to freeze in midair! Shock and terror filled his eyes.
The next moment, Lu Zhuo appeared behind Arlong. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he slowly slid his sword back into its sheath.
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out. An X-shaped flash of sword energy instantly cut Arlong's body into four pieces. His eyes still held a look of disbelief.
So... so fast!
I actually... was defeated by
that lowly human...?! Arlong's eyes brimmed with unwillingness as his body crashed to the ground.
Lu Zhuo didn't care what Arlong thought. After all, Arlong was just a minor character.
He looked at the sword in his hands and nodded with satisfaction.
This move, Ghost Shadow Flash, was something he had created by combining Draw Sword Strike with Captain Kuro's Shakushi.
"How is this possible? He's actually that strong?"
"He killed Arlong... with just one sword strike!"
Outside Arlong Park, the watching villagers were beyond stunned. Lu Zhuo had already shocked them by cutting down a group of Fish-Men and slicing through a house, but those had only been underlings from the Arlong Pirates.
After living under Arlong's rule for so many years, they had come to see his strength as an insurmountable mountain. But at that moment, his brutal, powerful image came crashing down.
So Fish-Men weren't all that impressive after all! Even Fish-Men, whose strength was ten times that of humans, were nothing special!
Seeing Arlong cut down with a single strike from Lu Zhuo's sword, the other two officers of the Arlong Pirates swallowed nervously and backed away in fear.
Lu Zhuo found it a little dull and drew his sword.
A flash of sword light swept past. The entire Arlong Pirates was reduced to one terrified Fish-Man standing there... Hatchan.
Hatchan was an important figure in the story, practically a supporting character. With Dark King Rayleigh around, Lu Zhuo wouldn't kill him casually.
Besides, Hatchan wasn't a bad person by nature. And since Lu Zhuo might learn Haki from Rayleigh in the future, he decided to let Hatchan go.
Seeing Lu Zhuo standing motionless and staring at him coldly, Hatchan swallowed. He shuffled away, then plunged into the water nearby with a splash and quickly fled.
As Hatchan disappeared, Lu Zhuo's body swayed slightly. His sword barely kept him upright. He gave a bitter smile, then the cheering villagers rushed over and surrounded him.
As expected... Charged Iai Slash and Ghost Shadow Flash took far too much out of him. He wasn't a master swordsman, yet he'd forced himself to unleash the power of one. Even with a clever trick, it had taken a tremendous amount of stamina.
With less than a tenth of his strength remaining, Lu Zhuo was hailed as a hero and carried back to the village by the villagers.
In the crowd, Nami stared at him blankly, tears still streaking her face.
Lu Zhuo immediately noticed Nami's gaze. He turned toward her and smiled.
At his ardent gaze, Nami remembered Lu Zhuo shouting that he wanted her to be his woman. Her cheeks flushed, and beneath her shyness, a sense of happiness gradually welled up inside her. She turned away, not daring to meet his eyes.
The villagers cheered as they carried Lu Zhuo back to Cocoyasi Village. This time, they celebrated without holding back, and the whole village became a sea of joy.
Just then, Lu Zhuo managed to get away from the crowd and slowly walked over to the sisters Nami and Nojiko, who were celebrating happily.
He smiled slightly and asked Nojiko, "I want Nami to be my navigator. Is that all right?"
Nojiko glanced at Nami, whose face was flushed. She could easily guess what her sister was thinking, and replied with a smile, "Of course!"
They exchanged smiles, then Nojiko took small steps away and joined the celebrating villagers. The villagers also gave them space, leaving Lu Zhuo and Nami alone.
Lu Zhuo slowly walked over and sat down beside Nami.
Nami turned her head away, afraid to look into Lu Zhuo's eyes.
Lu Zhuo smiled, then reached out to caress her lovely face. He gently turned her head toward him and fixed his gaze on her flustered eyes. "From today on, you're mine!"
"Who... Who's yours? You lecher... Mmph!"
Before Nami could finish, Lu Zhuo leaned in and kissed her. He kissed her rosy lips with possessive fervor, drawing them into his mouth.
Nami's eyes instantly lost focus. She responded passively, her body burning hot.
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