"Gomu Gomu!"
"Chop-Chop!"
On the battlefield between Luffy and Buggy, one possessed a rubber body, the other a body that could split into pieces. The battle was a chaotic display of limbs flying everywhere.
Observing a Devil Fruit ability battle for the first time, Lu En was quite intrigued.
Because Lu En's Conqueror's Haki had cleared the field, only Buggy remained active among the Buggy Pirates.
The others, even Cabaji, Buggy Pirates' second-in-command and Chief of Staff, had completely succumbed to Lu En's Conqueror's Haki shockwave and passed out.
Thus, Lu En's side was quite peaceful. Even with the occasional flying knife or Buggy's severed limbs, Zoro beside him could easily bat them away with his scabbard.
"What a messy battle."
Zoro, having only recently set sail, had never witnessed such a fight. His eye twitched.
As expected of the legendary Devil Fruits, they could be so outlandish.
"My swordsmanship is practically useless against this type of Devil Fruit user."
Zoro cut a piece of Buggy's flying limb in two, but the limb immediately flew back towards the battle with Luffy. Zoro's face was now filled with grimness.
This was the first time Zoro had encountered a situation where his swordsmanship had no effect.
"Without Haki, to deal with Devil Fruit users, you can only rely on finding their weaknesses to defeat them."
Lu En looked at Zoro, deciding to broaden Zoro's horizons a bit earlier.
"Haki? Is that the power you used to make others faint?"
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
"That's Conqueror's Haki, the King's Disposition, possessed by only one in a million people. What I'm talking about is Armament Haki.
With that Haki, even ordinary attacks can cause damage to Devil Fruit users."
Lu En said with a faint smile.
"Conqueror's Haki is the King's Disposition possessed by only one in a million people? And Armament Haki, which can attack ability users?"
Zoro murmured.
The King's Disposition—no wonder Lu En's power was so terrifying.
"Then how does one acquire such power as Haki?"
Zoro looked at Lu En with a hint of eagerness.
"Conqueror's Haki cannot be acquired through training; it's an innate King's Disposition.
As for acquiring Armament Haki, you must conquer the Grand Line, defeat one powerful enemy after another, and enhance your inner strength, Zoro.
As I said, your ambition cannot be realized in the East Blue."
Lu En patted Zoro's shoulder.
Armament Haki also required sufficient inner strength and physical prowess to learn.
And without a monstrous Trait like Buggy's Born for the Sea (Super Gold), one could only accumulate inner strength, and thus learn and strengthen Haki, through conquering the Grand Line and defeating one powerful enemy after another.
This was why there were almost no Haki users in the Four Seas and even the first half of the Grand Line, yet a great many Haki masters in the latter half of the Grand Line, the New World.
The Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line simply couldn't provide enough opportunities to accumulate the necessary inner strength to learn Haki.
"The Grand Line, huh? I truly look forward to it. Joining you was the right choice, Lu En."
A beast-like grin spread across Zoro's lips.
The sea was truly vast. The things he learned from Lu En were entirely new to him.
He truly looked forward to the journey ahead.
Meanwhile, after fighting for a while, Buggy began recounting his past with Shanks.
Upon learning that Buggy had eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit and become a hammer, and that Shanks had saved the drowning Buggy,
"So Shanks saved you, huh?"
Luffy looked at Buggy with a sudden realization.
"That's not what I was trying to say!"
Buggy transformed into his sharp-toothed persona and roared in exasperation.
"Anyway, it's all because of that guy! He set my life's grand plan back by ten years!
Later, I decided that since the sea was out, I'd scavenge all the treasures on land.
And I'd do it with this Chop-Chop Fruit's power."
Buggy revealed a sinister smile.
"So, anyone who dares to touch my treasure..."
Buggy's upper and lower body separated, and he flew into the air.
"...No matter who they are, I won't let them off!"
Buggy roared, directly bypassing Luffy and charging towards a figure in the distance.
"Put down my treasure!"
Buggy, holding flying knives, rushed towards Nami.
"Oh no! I've been found!"
Nami, who had just finished stealing the Buggy Pirates' treasure, looked panicked.
"Hmm?"
Luffy turned to look at Buggy's lower half, left behind.
"Hmph."
Lu En suddenly stood up.
Lu En had been waiting for this very opportunity.
"Don't think you can escape my grasp! Nami! Watch as I magnificently dismember you!"
Buggy looked at Nami, who was now within reach, and revealed a cruel smile.
The next moment.
Thud!
"!!!"
Buggy's expression immediately twisted.
"Crunch!"
Luffy had kicked Buggy's lower half, and a faint sound of something shattering could be heard.
Thud!
Buggy's upper body, still mid-air, plummeted to the ground.
"My... my crotch..."
His greatest weakness as a man attacked, Buggy's face was distorted in agony.
But the resistance to pain he had honed on the Roger Pirates' ship still kept Buggy from immediately losing consciousness.
But the next second.
"Hmph!"
Thud!
Beast Strength was exerted to its maximum by Lu En at this moment.
Then, with another kick, he viciously struck the same spot Luffy had just kicked.
"CRUNCH!!!"
The sound of shattering became even more distinct.
"!!!"
This double dose of pain caused Buggy's eyes to roll back, and he temporarily lost consciousness.
"Target has lost consciousness. Trait plundering available. Plunderable Traits: Cannonball Specialization (Blue), Chop-Chop Fruit (Deep Purple), Born for the Sea (Super Gold) (Discarded)."
A light screen appeared.
Unawakened Conqueror's Haki wasn't considered a power; it was merely an unawakened King's Disposition. A Disposition could only be plundered once, and loading was the same principle.
However, awakened Conqueror's Haki could be plundered as a power-type Trait.
Lu En had no intention of plundering Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit.
Firstly, Lu En didn't need this mediocre Devil Fruit. Secondly, if he plundered it, Buggy, freed from the Devil Fruit's curse and no longer detested by the sea, might become a significant "X" factor in the future.
And Lu En preferred to have control over the future's direction.
Using a mere Chop-Chop Fruit to avoid a potential "X" factor in the future was more advantageous to Lu En.
As for plundering the Devil Fruit and then eliminating Buggy? Buggy had already reported his connections before the fight, following the One Piece world's convention.
The relationship between Shanks and Rayleigh would be of great use to Lu En in the future.
Compared to the usefulness of Shanks and Rayleigh's connections to Lu En, the Chop-Chop Fruit was simply not equivalent.
Lu En's goal had always been clear.
"Plunder."
Lu En roared internally.
A faint golden light, visible only to Lu En, flew out from Buggy's body and entered Lu En's own, then once again radiated a brilliant golden light.
"Successfully plundered Born for the Sea (Super Gold)."
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