Chapter 198

"What? I'm a Mythical Zoan?" Luffy's face was full of confusion.

"I knew it! Why on earth would rubber be immune to lightning? So it's a Mythical Zoan of the Animal Kingdom fruit — well, that explains everything." Nami said with sudden realization.

"One Devil Fruit, two abilities? Isn't that a bit too much!" Usopp complained.

"Nika? Sun God 0.9?" Brook murmured.

"But... the Devil Fruit encyclopedia lists it as the Gum-Gum Fruit!" Sanji said, puzzled.

Regarding this point...

"It should be the World Government trying to hide this fruit." Sima Di said: "Joy Boy, the Freedom Fighter — an existence who nearly toppled the World Government. Covering up the Devil Fruit he possessed fits the World Government's style perfectly."

Sanji and the others couldn't help but nod in agreement with this guess.

"I'll give you the translated copy later. There are some ideas for developing techniques in it that might be helpful to you," Robin said: "Before the Devil Fruit's ability awakens, you can still call upon the Sun's Fire a little!"

This made Luffy's eyes light up!

He couldn't wait to have Robin translate the manual — he was very curious about this "Sun's Fire" ability.

Seeing Luffy work so hard, the others also scattered to make their own last-minute preparations.

That, however, reminded Sima Di of something.

"Zoro, Lei Li is a swordsman on the level of a Great Swordsman. Aren't you going to spar with him, learn from him?" Sima Di hinted with his eyes at Lei Li.

Zoro slapped his forehead!

How could he have forgotten about that?

He immediately fixed an eager gaze on Lei Li, his fighting spirit fierce as he said: "Please grant me your instruction, Senior Lei Li!"

"Ah... I don't have a suitable sword here..."

Sima Di opened the golden treasury, pulled out a Vibranium Tang Dao, and tossed it to Lei Li.

"This Great Grade Blade is yours. Now you have one."

Lei Li: "..."

Don't tear things down that fast!

But then again...

A Great Grade Blade?

? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?? Clang?

5000+ words! Just 2 more monthly tickets for an extra chapter~

My wife's family lost an elder; the funeral is today so I have to go. Not sure when I'll be back.

If there's no update, I'll make it up tomorrow.

71. Lei Li's Sword! Divine Evasion! Divine Slash!

A Great Grade Blade?

Lei Li took a few more looks at the Vibranium Tang Dao and realized it wasn't any of the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades.

He tried swinging a few moves,

and found that it was still a premium-grade piece among Great Grade Blades, already very close to a Supreme Grade Blade.

"Such a precious blade, and you're just giving it to me?" Lei Li said, astonished.

Are you all this rich?

He glanced at Zoro's blades — a Great Grade Blade and Wado Ichimonji, Shusui, and another one that seemed to be made of Sea Prism Stone, also apparently of Great Grade Blade caliber...

Tch!

This ship has quite a lot going on.

"Precious?" Sima Di tilted his head in confusion.

He raised a hand,

and over ten thousand identical Vibranium Tang Dao blades slowly emerged from the golden treasury, making Lei Li's brow twitch uncontrollably.

What the hell?

Great Grade Blades aren't even mass-produced for you — they're measured in units of ten thousand?

"I understand." Lei Li smacked his lips and said: "Then let's go, find a place to practice a bit."

"No need! There's a training room on the ship." Zoro said: "It's all lined with the same kind of metal as the one in your hand, so feel free to go all out."

The material...

is all the same metal as the one in my hand?

Lei Li looked at the Vibranium Tang Dao in his hand and fell into thought.

When he actually arrived at the training room, Lei Li couldn't help but question his entire life.

Just how ridiculously rich is this damned pirate crew?

Come to think of it, it's laughable —

as the Vice-Captain of the Pirate King, his retirement life still has to rely on "auctioning himself off" to make money.

"Here I come!"

Zoro called out to snap Lei Li out of his thoughts. He didn't choose the "enchanted" Wado Ichimonji — he drew the Black Blade Shusui and opened with a big move!

"One Sword Style — — — — —"

"Clang—"

Even raising his sword in haste, Lei Li still easily blocked Zoro's slash.

The Vibranium longsword clashed with the Black Blade-class Shusui, showing no disadvantage whatsoever — they were evenly matched. It even absorbed Zoro's force and rebounded it, making Zoro struggle to hold onto the hilt.

But the more outstanding the Vibranium longsword performed, the more Lei Li grimaced.

This enormous training room — it's actually lined with this material?

Just......

Absurd!

Beside them,

the Straw Hat Pirates appeared at the specially opened observation window.

Zoro stopped grappling with Lei Li,

and with a twist of Shusui the whole style changed abruptly — from a brute he became a gentleman, the sword-intent-wreathed Shusui slithering like a swimming snake around Lei Li's vibranium longsword, straight to the hand gripping it.

Strike where the enemy must defend!

Lei Li obviously wouldn't trade injury for injury with Zoro; although he could also use Armament Haki to defend, if Zoro hadn't used it first and he did......

that would really be too unbecoming of a senior's dignity.

Therefore,

Lei Li withdrew his sword to defend, planning to knock Zoro's blade aside before counterattacking.

But this was exactly falling into a trap!

That slash of Zoro's was merely a feint; the deceived Lei Li, finding little force on the blade, knew something was wrong!

Sure enough,

Zoro's sword danced out slash after slash of sword shadows, the storm-like onslaught forcing Lei Li into pure defense — the few chances he got to counterattack were all abandoned when Zoro's blade aimed at vital points.

Attack against attack, attack as defense!

This is precisely the essence of the Nine Solitary Sword Art — always and only attack, attack, attack again!

Even the great swordsman Lei Li,

caught off guard and having lost a sliver of initiative, was suppressed utterly by Zoro.

However......

"Nice moves, but......"

"Whoosh—"

Lei Li finally got serious, Armament Haki cloaking his vibranium longsword as he shattered Zoro's relentless onslaught with absolute power — but did not press the pursuit.

— Being the first to use Armament Haki was already beneath his dignity; pursuing further would truly leave him with no face at all.

"But before a stronger power, fancy moves have no use whatsoever — a single slash is enough to break them." Lei Li lectured.

Zoro nodded in deep agreement.

"Although the Nine Solitary Sword Art lets me be invincible among those of the same rank, my goal has always been to climb higher mountains, so I've also comprehended a few moves — please instruct me!"

Zoro gripped his sword with both hands, an invisible momentum surging upward, intertwining with Armament Haki around Shusui, forcing Lei Li's gaze to grow solemn.

"One-Sword Style · Great Quake!!!"