After watching Nami vanish into the cabin, Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He drew in a deep breath, then rose from his seat.
Without warning, his sword left its sheath.
He swung it toward the ocean.
A silent slash tore across the surface of the sea, cutting through more than ten meters of water.
A moment later, the waves rushed back together, erasing the gap as though nothing had happened.
Lucas smiled faintly.
With the Great Grade Sword in his hand, combined with the life-or-death battles he had experienced, he had already reached the level of a first-rate swordsman.
Of course, this was partly thanks to the Great Grade Sword.
For his own swordsmanship to truly enter the first-rate swordsman realm, however, he was still missing one crucial thing—and fortunately, Lucas knew exactly what it was.
The gap between a first-rate swordsman and a second-rate swordsman was enormous.
Once a swordsman genuinely reached the first-rate level, there were very few opponents in these waters capable of challenging him.
In the original story, Zoro, wielding a Great Grade Sword, had already managed to stand on the threshold of the first-rate swordsman realm.
Even while seriously injured, he could repeatedly cut down powerful opponents.
While the protagonist’s plot armor certainly played a part, Zoro’s own strength was ultimately the foundation of it all.
As for the key to becoming a first-rate swordsman…
It was the power to cut through steel.
A Great Grade Sword could naturally cut through steel.
But if a swordsman could take an ordinary iron sword and still cut through steel, that was what truly qualified him as a first-rate swordsman.
In the original story, the method behind this power was known as the Breath of All Things.
Now that he had a clear direction, Lucas could avoid countless unnecessary detours.
He gently rested the sword against his waist and closed his eyes, breathing calmly.
After a while, he heard movement nearby.
A puzzled expression appeared on his face as he turned around.
The next moment, he froze.
Nami had appeared wearing a dress she had apparently found somewhere on the ship.
“Captain, are you tired?
Would you like me to give you a massage?”
She smiled sweetly.
Lucas seemed to nod unconsciously.
A barely perceptible sinister smile flashed across Nami’s face as she walked behind him.
Lucas felt her small hands begin gently kneading his shoulders.
The sensation was relaxing, but he didn’t lower his guard in the slightest.
Nami is far too mischievous.
There’s definitely something going on!
With that thought, Lucas smiled faintly and leaned backward.
Nami immediately tensed in surprise.
Her expression quickly turned furious.
She reached beneath her clothing and grabbed a short sword she had concealed there.
Before she could do anything, however, Lucas caught her wrist.
With a slight twist, he took the short sword from her hand.
He tossed it overboard.
“That’s too dangerous.
I don’t need to worry about it anymore.
You can keep going.”
“You damn bastard!”
Nami’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
She shoved Lucas away and stormed into her room, pounding her fists against the bed.
“Damn it!
Where did this bastard even come from?!
Bastard!
Bastard!”
At that moment, Nami looked genuinely aggrieved.
Without knowing what she had been doing behind his back, someone might even have felt sorry for her.
Then Lucas’s calm voice drifted in from outside.
“You’ve tampered with my food three times, ambushed me three times at night, and tried to trick me with a beauty ploy once.
If you enjoy doing this, you can keep trying…”
“Bastard!”
A pillow flew out of the room.
Before it could reach Lucas, it was cleanly sliced in two.
Lucas smiled.
Nami’s little schemes were far too obvious to him.
So every time, he simply pretended not to notice and took advantage of the situation before exposing her.
After all, she had brought it upon herself.
And he certainly wasn’t the one losing out.
Thinking about the situation from earlier, Lucas briefly smiled to himself before calming down and sitting on the deck.
Above first-rate swordsmen were Sword Masters, and above Sword Masters were Great Swordsmen.
The difference between each realm could be described as the distance between heaven and earth.
Lucas gently stroked the Nidai Kitetsu.
A chilling sensation seeped into his body, but he paid it no mind.
As a swordsman, one’s connection with one’s sword could not be severed.
As for stories about curses and cursed blades, Lucas simply scoffed at them.
There truly was a sinister aura of a curse within the Nidai Kitetsu.
But Lucas didn’t care.
Every day, he sat quietly while holding the Kitetsu, allowing his body to withstand that sinister aura.
The will of a swordsman seemed to gradually merge with the blade, slowly suppressing and dispelling the darkness within it.
In the original story, Zoro had been able to make the Sandai Kitetsu submit to him.
Lucas was certain that he could make the Nidai Kitetsu submit as well.
Sword-like flashes continually flickered in Lucas’s eyes.
His entire being seemed to transform into a razor-sharp sword, merging with the Kitetsu as one.
Then, suddenly—
The Kitetsu trembled on its own.
Clang!
A clear sword cry rang out.
The sinister chill that had surrounded the blade vanished completely.
A smile finally appeared on Lucas’s face.
Three days had finally been enough to make the Nidai Kitetsu completely submit to him and truly become his sword.
“From now on, I’m your master.”
Looking at the Kitetsu, Lucas murmured those words.
He drew the blade and gently swung it through the air.
The sensation was almost as though the sword had become an extension of his own body.
This is what a Great Grade Sword feels like.
The broken sword he had used before had simply been too poor in quality.
How could a powerful swordsman possibly lack a powerful sword?
Lucas smiled faintly and closed his eyes.
As he gently moved the Kitetsu, he began sensing everything around him.
It seemed as though everything in the world was breathing.
And his sword…
seemed capable of severing those breaths.
The Breath of All Things.
Lucas had finally gained a faint understanding of it.
At his current level, pirates with bounties below 30 million Berries were no longer much of a threat to him.
But this level of strength was still far from his ultimate goal.
Devil Fruits.
Haki.
When he thought of those two things, longing appeared in Lucas’s eyes.
As a swordsman, he could certainly live without a Devil Fruit.
But powerful Devil Fruits such as the Pika Pika no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi were still incredibly tempting.
As for Haki…
It was a power that could allow someone to strike the physical body of a Logia user.
And Conqueror’s Haki could be described as a terrifying power capable of overwhelming countless people with a single burst of will.
But Lucas had none of those things.
He could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
Then his eyes suddenly narrowed.
A black ship had appeared in the distance.
That’s…
the Black Cat Pirates?
The shape of the pirate ship gave Lucas a faint sense of familiarity.
When he saw its skull flag, he immediately confirmed his guess.
I’ve finally run into someone from the original story.
He was particularly interested in that strange silent movement technique.
In that case…
“Nami, bring the ship alongside them!”
“Nami?”
“Nami?”
After calling several times, Lucas froze.
He turned around.
The entire ship was completely empty.
Nami was nowhere to be seen.
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
His gaze swept across the sea.
Finally, he spotted a petite figure carrying a large bundle.
She was already beneath the ship belonging to the Black Cat Pirates.
Naturally, it was Nami, who had secretly slipped away.
Apparently hearing him call her name, Nami looked back and stuck out her tongue at him, even giving him a contemptuous gesture.
Lucas rubbed his chin and smiled.
“Still as mischievous as ever.
The plan isn’t bad, but reality is cruel.
Did you really think the Black Cat Pirates wouldn’t come over themselves when they saw a ship?”
He calmly stood up and placed the sword at his waist.
Meanwhile, Nami secretly climbed aboard the Black Cat Pirates’ ship.
Thanks to her light movements, she quickly hid herself in an unoccupied corner.
If that bastard encounters the Black Cat Pirates, whose bounty is sixteen million Berries, he’ll probably have to run for his life.
But he can’t even sail properly.
Is he going to row with an oar again?
Just imagining Lucas desperately rowing while the sailboat remained completely stationary nearly made Nami laugh out loud.
She hurriedly covered her mouth, afraid that the pirates outside might discover her.
Unfortunately, her imagination was nothing more than imagination.
By now, Lucas had already figured out a great many things.
Including her.
Although the Black Cat Pirates had lookouts, they were distracted by Lucas’s approaching ship and failed to notice that a little stowaway had already slipped aboard.
However, once they spotted the approaching vessel, one of the lookouts immediately ran into the captain’s cabin to report to Captain Kuro.
“Captain Kuro, we’ve spotted a pirate ship ahead!”
“Oh?”
Kuro slowly rose from his chair, a ruthless glint appearing in his eyes.
“Is that the Flower Blade Pirates, with a bounty of seven million Berries?”
“Seven million Berries?”
Kuro paused.
“Forget it.
We’ll treat it as a little entertainment.”
As one of the early-story antagonists, Kuro naturally possessed considerable confidence and strength.
He was, after all, one of the more notorious pirates to have made a name for himself in the East Blue.
A trace of disappointment crossed his eyes, but he still stood with a bloodthirsty smile.
As his orders were issued, the crew members rushed onto the deck.
Upon hearing that the Flower Blade Pirates had come looking for trouble, they all broke into arrogant laughter, killing intent flashing in their eyes.
I wonder if Boss will slaughter another entire ship by himself this time.
When the two ships drew closer, Kuro stood on deck with his subordinates, including the hypnotist Jango and the Nyaban Brothers.
But instead of seeing the pirates of the Flower Blade Pirates, they saw a lone swordsman standing at the bow.
A black sword hung at his waist.
He was staring coldly at them.
Kuro’s brows furrowed slightly.
Before he could speak, a cold glint flashed through Lucas’s eyes.
He smiled.
“Captain Kuro, I’m very interested in your Shakushi.
Explain how it works.”
Kuro’s heart immediately filled with even greater suspicion.
His expression changed slightly.
“How do you know about Shakushi?
Anyone who’s seen Shakushi should already be dead!”
Standing amid the sea breeze, Lucas gave a cold laugh.
“Stop wasting time.
I’ll give you a quick death.
Otherwise…”
“You bastard!
Who the hell do you think you are, talking to our captain like that?!”
Before Kuro could answer, the Nyaban Brothers became furious.
They leaped forward with a group of pirates and surrounded Lucas.
Kuro didn’t stop them.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Who exactly are you?
A Marine?”
Looking at Lucas, Kuro could immediately tell that he was completely different from the Flower Blade captain.
His demeanor didn’t resemble an ordinary pirate either.
That made Kuro even more suspicious.
The hypnotist Jango stared at Lucas in astonishment.
“Captain Kuro, it seems this guy wiped out the entire Flower Blade Pirates.”
“Oh?”
Kuro smiled faintly.
“Interesting.”
A trace of excitement entered his heart.
He hadn’t fought anyone in half a month.
Marine or pirate—it didn’t matter.
Once they fell into his hands, they would only end up dead.
Meanwhile, Lucas looked at the surrounding Nyaban Brothers and pirates.
His expression suddenly turned cold.
“Boring.
Iai Slash!”
It was still his most practiced technique.
The most basic attack in a swordsman’s arsenal.
Without a sound, the heads of the pirates surrounding him flew into the air.
Blood sprayed wildly.
The Nyaban Brothers’ claws were severed by a flash of cold light, and they staggered backward in horror.
Lucas took a step forward and struck again.
Blood and flesh splattered across the deck.
The brothers’ fingers were severed, and bloody lines appeared across their throats.
Their eyes were filled with terror.
Neither could utter a word as they desperately clutched their throats.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Even Kuro hadn’t had time to react.