The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

"Roar—"

Less than half an hour later…

On a desolate island, bare and devoid of any vegetation, a thunderous beastly roar echoed through the air. A colossal, dark figure loomed overhead, blotting out the sun.

Meanwhile, Thor and Dal—both in high spirits—were zipping back and forth across the island, scattering large quantities of Yarukiman Mangrove seeds. Then, with a mighty whoosh, the awe-inspiring, scale-plated Quetzalcoatl descended onto the island.

"Swoosh… swoosh…"

In the blink of an eye, countless seeds took root and began to sprout. One by one, tiny green shoots emerged, growing larger and sturdier at a rate visible to the naked eye. In no time, they became towering trees with lush foliage, spreading quickly to cover the entire island.

Abundant sap exuded from the trees, rising through their roots and forming countless bubbles. Under the sunlight, these bubbles glimmered in every color of the rainbow—a breathtaking spectacle.

In under ten minutes, what had been a barren, lifeless patch of land was transformed into a flourishing forest. Everywhere you looked stood massive Yarukiman Mangroves, each trunk easily over a meter or two in diameter. An endless stream of bubbles floated about like something out of a fairy tale—enchanting and dreamlike.

"Hiss—"

"Incredible…"

"To cultivate so many Yarukiman Mangroves in such a short time…"

"As expected of El-sama!"

"This is nothing short of a miracle!"

…

Though they had been prepared in advance—fully aware that this great man possessed the power to control plant growth—witnessing this unimaginable scene firsthand still left the Hell Trading Company members gawking in astonishment, thoroughly stunned.

"Hmm, that should be enough…"

The enormous, imposing figure reverted to human form. El's tall frame landed before Thor, Dal, and the Hell Trading Company's supervisor. Speaking calmly, he said, "This patch of Yarukiman Mangroves should produce more than enough sap each year for the Hell Trading Company to sell or use in the first half of the Grand Line."

Unlike rubber trees, Yarukiman Mangroves produced a very large volume of sap. Even just this one grove was more than sufficient for the Hell Trading Company's current needs.

"Yes, absolutely enough!" the supervisor replied with a smile.

Just then—

"Whoosh…"

Someone approached from afar, wings beating. Surprisingly, he had white wings, like those of an angel. It was Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who had originally been brought over from Wano (now called Fusang Island) and granted the Mythical Zoan, Uma Uma no Mi: Pegasus form by El.

As El's unofficial apprentice—and on account of his sister, Shimotsuki Furiko—he had been given two of the Great Grade swords, Ame-no-Habakiri and Enma, both among the very finest of the 21 Great Grade Blades. By now, this young swordsman had become renowned far and wide as the Pegasus Sword Hero. Inheriting a remarkable talent for swordsmanship from his legendary ancestor Ryuma, his potential was limitless.

"El-sama, Your Highnesses—it's been a while!"

Dressed in a kimono, Shimotsuki Ushimaru touched down in front of El and the others. Aside from the wings on his back, he showed no other signs of animalistic traits. Bowing to El, Thor, and Dal, he said with a smile, "I just finished escorting a merchant ship loaded with raw materials back to Weapons Factory #9, and I heard that you and the young lords had arrived…"

"Uncle Ushimaru!"

Thor and Dal greeted him politely. Naturally, they knew Shimotsuki Ushimaru—Dal in particular, since El placed special emphasis on training his swordsmanship.

"Thank you for your hard work… I heard you had some trouble with that fellow John recently?" El asked his informal disciple with a smile. "You didn't come out the worse for wear, I hope?"

He could sense Ushimaru had grown stronger since their last meeting—proof he hadn't been stagnating. It hardly came as a surprise; Ushimaru was known to be a training fanatic, spending every spare moment strengthening his body and polishing his sword skills, even while on escort duty.

Word had it that not long ago, he'd faced off against Captain John, and the two of them had fought to a standstill—though in truth, that didn't necessarily mean they were perfectly matched. They had simply been unable to decide the outcome quickly. After all, while Shimotsuki Ushimaru's swordsmanship talent was excellent and he was projected to one day surpass even Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, Captain John was still a seasoned fighter. There remained a gap between them.

Over the years, John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe had all likely grown stronger, but ultimately they were relics of an older era—traitors to Rocks, forced to cower in the first half of the Grand Line, since neither the Fallen Angel Pirates nor the Rocks Pirates would allow them a foothold in the New World.

"He's definitely powerful. I was on the defensive, but he couldn't take me down quickly…" Ushimaru said confidently, beaming. "But next time, I'm sure I'll beat him!"

Last time, he'd barely escaped Captain John's clutches by using Rumble Balls to boost his strength—something of a personal disgrace for the proud Ushimaru. But he believed that with enough time, he wouldn't lose again.

"Confidence is good," El said with a slight smile, patting Ushimaru on the shoulder without pressing further. He thought highly of the young man, whose natural talent was remarkable, and who made thorough use of the "Rumble Balls," a special tool—so much so that he could freely shift between multiple transformation forms now, even without them. For example, he had just appeared with wings only, no other changes to his body, indicating a specialized "partial" transformation.

"When your sister returns, I'm sure she'll be very pleased."

"That should be soon!" Ushimaru replied with a smile. In a few more years, Shimotsuki Furiko and the others traveling through time would likely arrive in the current era, and he was eager to see what feats his future nephew might accomplish. Perhaps he could even give him some pointers in swordsmanship.

Take young Dal-sama, for instance—his swordsmanship talent was downright astonishing. As long as the techniques weren't beyond his physical ability, no matter how complex or intricate they were, Dal could learn them at a glance, mastering them with alarming speed and even inferring other techniques from them. Just through some exchanges, he had already grasped nearly all the key points of the Shimotsuki-style swordsmanship passed down through Ushimaru's family. It was humbling even for Ushimaru, the current head of the Shimotsuki Clan.

Moreover, Dal possessed an extraordinary Observation Haki capable of directly glimpsing the future—allowing him to anticipate enemy movements—together with the innate ability of the Third Eye Tribe to see the essence of things. It was overpowered to say the least. On top of that, he also wielded the Paramecia Transfer-Transfer Fruit, which made him elusive and impossible to defend against. In a head-on battle, Ushimaru couldn't be sure of keeping the young lord in check.

"Uncle Ushimaru, you came at just the right time. How about a quick spar?"

Dal, who had been standing beside El, asked eagerly, his eyes glowing with the prospect of a fight. On his recent outing, most of the opponents he'd faced were unimpressive, leaving him feeling that he hadn't gotten a proper challenge.

"Whack!" El rapped Dal lightly on the head in mild exasperation. "That's enough—quit messing around. If you want an opponent that badly, that's easy to arrange."

He gave Dal a good-humored look, though a dangerous light flashed in his eyes. "Why not let me be your opponent?"

"Huh? No way—!" Dal cried out at once.

~~~

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