One Piece: The Strongest Asura

The issue with the Shadow Sect was temporarily set aside, but Zhuo Luo knew he had likely found his most formidable enemy yet. To face them, he estimated he would need to reach at least Level Four. For now, though, he hadn't even achieved Level One—a bitter realization of his current weakness.

If he still had three swords, it might have been different. As a practitioner of the Three-Sword Style, losing two swords was akin to clipping the wings of an angel. Without them, he could only rely on a single blade.

"In this situation, it seems I won't have the luxury of following conventional methods. I'll need to push forward on my terms," Zhuo Luo muttered.

The pressure weighed heavily on him. This task felt impossible, but he had no choice but to complete it—no matter the cost.

"Calm down," he told himself. "I can control this power. I must control it."

Closing his eyes, he focused inward. Gradually, he felt a clear, flowing energy coursing through his body, but it was uncontrollable—like water flowing through the arches of a bridge, impossible to dam.

"I'm so close. If I can't naturally contain this energy, I'll force my body to hold it!"

If finesse wouldn't work, brute force was the only alternative. Zhuo Luo had no time to waste experimenting with traditional methods. The world didn't wait for the weak, and he couldn't afford further delays.

"Then I'll do it my way!"

Zhuo Luo resolved to try his own method. Countless failed attempts had given him insight, and the Shadow Sect's looming threat left him no choice. To protect those who had helped him, he had to grow stronger—and fast.

He had been away from his companions for several days now. Had they already reunited? If so, he couldn't linger here. There were too many pressing matters to address.

Through his attempts, he realized that the energy—commonly referred to as qi—was something tangible, perceptible, and even touchable, though invisible to the eye.

"This energy is transported through the body's cells, and since the human body has countless pores, controlling those pores should theoretically allow me to lock the energy in. If I forcibly absorb it into my body and refine it, I should be able to complete this so-called qi training."

Zhuo Luo's idea was audacious: he would forcibly retain natural energy within his body, turning himself into a container. Humans were vessels capable of containing power—if one thought of the body in this way, the concept became feasible.

"Let's try it!"

Zhuo Luo gritted his teeth and opened all his pores to their maximum capacity. He intended to absorb as much energy as his body could possibly handle, pushing himself to the brink.

Whoosh!

It was as if he could feel the energy surging into him like flowing water. His body began to swell, inflating like a balloon.

"Seal it!"

Quickly, he closed his pores, certain that if he didn't, his body would explode. Unlike Luffy, his body wasn't made of rubber, and he couldn't handle such pressure without risk.

At that moment, he recalled a technique he had once heard about: Life Return.

During a battle on Judicial Island, he had learned about CP9—a group of agents with remarkable abilities. One of them could rapidly convert food into energy, enabling immediate recovery during combat. That process, though mystical, was rooted in manipulation of the body's natural processes.

Now, Zhuo Luo sought to replicate something similar. He aimed to compress the natural energy he absorbed and integrate it into his cells, converting it into a source of strength.

"I don't know if I can do this," Zhuo Luo muttered, determination lighting his eyes. "But I have to try. I need to grow stronger!"

He began his experiment by accelerating his blood flow. Within moments, his skin turned a deep red, as if all the blood in his body was rushing to the surface. His goal was to circulate the energy through his body rapidly, ensuring it couldn't escape.

His body became a furnace, refining the energy little by little. His muscles tensed, his veins bulged, and his breathing became labored. Gradually, his once-swollen figure began to shrink, but his skin glowed with a vibrant, reddish hue, almost as if he were radiating heat.

"The body has an empty space within it," Zhuo Luo whispered to himself. "The dantian—a reservoir for special energy. If I can guide this energy into my dantian, I can stabilize it."

Through sheer willpower, Zhuo Luo managed to compress the absorbed energy into a single thread of refined qi. A small smile crept onto his face—he had succeeded, even if only marginally.

But the process was perilous. Moments earlier, he had come dangerously close to death. His body was far from as resilient as CP9 agents, and his understanding of Life Return was rudimentary at best. Attempting this was like walking a tightrope over an abyss.

"Still," Zhuo Luo muttered, exhaling shakily, "it worked. Even if just a little, I managed to refine the energy. This is a start."

Though far from mastery, Zhuo Luo had taken his first step toward harnessing natural energy. It was a risky, unconventional method, but one that aligned with his urgent need to grow stronger.

"This is only the beginning," Zhuo Luo resolved. "I'll keep pushing forward. For those who've placed their trust in me, I'll master this power and ensure I'm ready for whatever lies ahead!"

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