5 5. Luffy's Strength, Zoro's Frustration

In Sunny's watchtower room...

"Do you mean you've got some kind of power that makes you stronger and can boost others too?" Zoro, sitting cross-legged in front of Luffy, raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Yeah, when I was knocked out after taking down Moria in Thriller Bark, this power kicked in, beefing up my body and granting me some special abilities," Luffy explained.

"Special abilities?" Luffy looked intrigued.

"One lets me coat my body like a film, making my attacks and defences stronger. And the other gives me a kind of sixth sense—I can feel emotions over a wide area and predict attacks," Luffy elaborated.

"I can also release it to shock others and wrap it around my arms to strike from a distance. The mysterious voice I heard hinted it might be a form of Haki, but I'm not sure," Luffy added.

"I see, so that's how you managed to tangle with that Kuma earlier," Luffy nodded in understanding, recalling the clash between Luffy and the Kuma, which Zoro had witnessed.

Zoro had been impressed by the clash, initially thinking it was the Kuma's ability, but now realizing it was Luffy's newfound power, which was undeniably formidable.

Under normal circumstances, the Kuma, Xiong Na, was much stronger than Moria, and even a fully fit Luffy wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Let's test your ability," Zoro suggested suddenly.

"Test?" Luffy looked puzzled until he suddenly saw a sword materialize in front of him.

Boom!

Luffy's face was instantly covered by Armament Haki, and despite the sharpness of the famous sword, it only made a metallic clang against his skin. There wasn't a scratch on Luffy's face.

Still, the shock lingered.

Luffy's fear of sharp weapons like swords was deeply ingrained, but having a blade suddenly aimed at his face was a whole new level.

"Zoro, you jerk, are you trying to off me?" Luffy grabbed Zoro's collar angrily this time.

"I'm just testing," Zoro defended.

"There's no 'testing' with a sword," Luffy retorted.

The sounds of their scuffle echoed from the watchtower, drawing attention.

"Those two are really going at it," Nami remarked from under her parasol on the deck, sighing helplessly. "I thought Luffy had grown up a bit, but I guess I was wrong."

"Isn't this lively?" Robin smiled softly while flipping through a book. "It's quite energizing."

"I just wish they'd channel that energy into something less...violent," Nami lamented.

At the top of the watchtower...

Luffy and Zoro had cooled down, now analyzing the situation calmly.

"Your power, called Haki, can actually block sword attacks directly. And there's also a kind of precognition," Zoro observed.

"Yep," Luffy confirmed with a grin. "This power is pretty fascinating."

With that, Luffy closed his eyes and turned his back to Zoro.

"Zoro, go ahead and try to cut me with your sword," Luffy instructed.

"Are you serious?" Zoro raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yep, bring it on."

With his back turned to Zoro, Luffy's demeanour inexplicably shifted, emanating an unsettling calmness that seemed to Kumadown on the atmosphere.

Zoro couldn't help but notice the change in Luffy's demeanour but chose to remain silent.

The sword swiftly descended, though it was aimed with the back of the blade. Luffy, with his eyes closed, appeared to sense everything in the darkness around him. Not through sight or sound but through something deeper—vitality, emotion, or some other subtle form of perception.

Just slightly to one side, the back of the sword grazed against the fabric of Luffy's clothes. It appeared as if the blade had come dangerously close, yet Zoro could unmistakably feel that it hadn't made contact at all.

Zoro was momentarily taken aback by this revelation but quickly regained his composure. He struck with astonishing speed, but each attempt proved futile. Despite having his back turned and eyes shut, Luffy's movements seemed to anticipate Zoro's attacks beforehand.

One, two, and then three strikes of the sword passed harmlessly by. Even as Zoro employed his most familiar blade, Luffy remained untouched, maintaining his posture with his back turned.

"What... what's going on?" Zoro questioned, baffled by Luffy's inexplicable evasion.

As he ceased swinging the sword, even Zoro couldn't suppress a tinge of frustration.

Throughout their journey, the difference in strength between him and Luffy had never been significant, with Luffy at most being slightly stronger.

But now, it was evident that Luffy surpassed him by more than just a margin.

Luffy's monster-like dodging ability, coupled with his earlier feat of withstanding a famous sword without a scratch, not to mention his powerful mid-air strike against the Kuma—everything pointed to Luffy's strength far exceeding Zoro's expectations.

"And it's not just that. My physical prowess has improved significantly, like this," Luffy demonstrated, stretching out his hand and extending his rubber arm to effortlessly lift all the exercise equipment in the room.

Zoro watched in astonishment as Luffy's strength surpassed his own by several magnitudes.

"And my speed," Luffy continued, his voice trailing off.

In an instant, Luffy, who had been standing before Zoro, appeared behind him.

Grinning broadly, Luffy remarked, "I don't even need to activate second gear. My speed is nearly on par with when I used to."

These were the changes over the past ten days.

Every day brought a qualitative improvement in Luffy's physical abilities, so much so that even he found it somewhat unbelievable.

"There's also the Devil Fruit ability. It seems there are two more interesting forms, but their power is quite intense, so it's not easy to experiment with them on the ship."

"Okay, okay, I get it, Luffy," Zoro couldn't help but interject, letting out a sigh.

The captain, who had been almost equal in strength before, had quickly left him behind in just a few days.

This left Zoro, who dedicated himself to mastering swordsmanship and honing his strength, feeling an inexplicable frustration.

But Zoro was Zoro, after all, a man who walked the path of a warrior. He swiftly adjusted his emotions.

"So, are you saying you asked me if I want to become stronger?" Zoro clarified.

"Yep."

"Can you make me as strong as you are now?" Zoro inquired.

"Perhaps."

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