Ten Million Volts: Thunder Beast!" Nami unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning into the forest, tearing through the trees and reducing everything in its path to cinders.
Then, to everyone's shock, several trees uprooted themselves and began sprinting away.
Σ(⊙▽⊙")!
"They're… running away?"
(☆▽☆)!
Luffy was surprised for a split second before his usual excitement kicked in, and he took off after the fleeing trees. "Don't run! Wait for me!"
Zoro, watching from the back, suddenly had a thought. "Luffy, don't tell me you're thinking…"
"Hey! You guys can join my crew!" Luffy shouted after the trees.
Everyone: "Just stop it!"
After collectively scolding Luffy, the crew turned to look at Nami.
Robin was the first to break the silence. "Nami, what exactly are you doing?"
"I just wanted to see if my Thunder Fruit powers could really wipe out these filthy things!" Nami said, still catching her breath but with a look of pure exhilaration on her face.
Although she had spent time every day trying to develop her Thunder Fruit abilities, this was the first time she'd used them in real combat. For a moment, she had almost forgotten she was now a powerful Logia user.
Nami grinned widely, her excitement growing. "This is incredible! I'm getting stronger!"
"Huff... The Thunder Fruit is strong, but it drains a lot of energy," she commented, still panting.
"Well, duh! You're only capable of discharging 10 million volts at the moment," Kai said, rolling his eyes. "Of course, a full-power attack like that would tire you out!"
Nami had never been known for her physical strength, and she'd only recently eaten the Thunder Fruit. Right now, 10 million volts was her upper limit.
"Okay, let's catch up with Luffy," Zoro suggested. "Before he causes any more trouble."
"Good idea!" The crew nodded in agreement. They all knew how unpredictable Luffy could be, and the thought of him befriending a walking tree was something they couldn't take lightly.
The group hurried off in the direction Luffy had gone. Kai, watching them leave, shook his head. Just as he was about to follow, he sensed something strange and glanced in another direction.
"What's that...?"
A little while later~
When the crew finally caught up with Luffy, they found him wrestling a tree to the ground, trying to convince it to join his crew.
(•́へ•́╬)!
Nami slowly approached Luffy, raising her fist.
"Bang!"
"You really are the king of idiots!"
Luffy went flying from Nami's punch, and the zombie tree quickly scrambled to its roots and ran off, shouting as it went, "Thank you, you're such a good person!"
"Really? You're good at reading people," Nami replied with a sweet smile, but her finger was already pointing at the tree zombie without her even realizing.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!"
Lightning crackled from her fingertip, and a small but lethal bolt shot toward the fleeing tree zombie.
ZAP!
The tree's body ignited, flames consuming it in moments. As it burned away, a shadow flew out of its remains, dissipating into the air.
Thunder proved to be an efficient weapon against these zombies, eliminating the need for salt or other methods typically used. (Like Zoro slicing Ryuma in half in the original story.)
As Nami stood there, smiling sweetly after mercilessly frying the zombie, the rest of the crew swallowed nervously.
Great… Nami's power trip is even worse now!
"Hooh"
Just as Nami was about to say something, a low growl echoed from all around them. Hands began to rise from beneath nearby gravestones, and soon, a swarm of zombies emerged from the earth.
"Ah! Zombies!!" Usopp and Chopper screamed, running to the center of the group for safety.
Zoro surveyed the scene calmly. "So, these are zombies, huh? Not as scary as I thought."
"Yeah, they're not too bad. Who'd be scared of this lot?" Sanji added nonchalantly.
Usopp and Chopper: We would!
Though Nami was at the front, facing the zombies, her long-standing fear of the undead still lingered. But she steeled herself—she was a Thunder Fruit user now, and running away would be embarrassing after showing such strength earlier.
She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself.
"Come on, Nami. Just like before. You can do this."
With determination, she aimed her finger at the approaching zombies and narrowed her eyes.
Biu~ biu~ biu~
Countless bolts of lightning shot from her fingertips, striking down the zombies one after another. The once-formidable horde was now fleeing in all directions.
"Run for your lives! This one can actually kill us!" The zombies, once confident in their immortality, now fled in terror as they realized the power of Nami's thunder.
As the zombies scattered, Nami couldn't help but grin. She hadn't realized how strong she'd become.
"Stop running, zombies! I'll send you all straight to the afterlife!" she shouted, chasing after them.
Everyone else: (⊙o⊙)...
"Nami… When did she become like this?" Usopp asked in shock.
"Perhaps her newfound power is unleashing her repressed nature," Robin suggested with a chuckle.
"Yeah, that's possible," Zoro agreed.
"I think she looks even cuter like this!" Sanji swooned.
"Alright, let's catch up," Zoro said, glancing at the group. "Nami's getting way too reckless. If she runs into Moria, she might start a fight."
He started to move but then paused, realizing something.
"Wait... Where's Kai?"
"Huh? Kai was right next to me a second ago... Where did he go?!" Usopp shouted in surprise.
"This is bad!" Usopp started to panic. Without Kai around, he felt like his odds of survival had dropped dramatically.
"What do we do, what do we do?" Chopper echoed, also in a tizzy.
Robin, after a moment of thought, spoke calmly. "With Kai's strength, nothing could have happened to him. He must have left on his own for some reason. Let's focus on catching up with Nami first."
"Yeah, Kai's super strong!" Luffy added with a grin.
Sanji's eyes lit up when he realized Kai wasn't around, and he bolted in the direction Nami had gone. "Miss Nami! I'm coming to protect you!"
The rest of the group didn't hesitate, chasing after him, leaving Usopp and Chopper standing there.
"Hey! Wait for us!" they shouted, kicking into high gear to catch up.
Meanwhile, somewhere else on the island, Kai stood in front of a grand mausoleum, quietly observing.
His eyes narrowed as he murmured, "What could be hiding in here...?"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.