Chapter 98: Dragon Slaying
The rolling dragon's breath transformed into a blazing torrent, surging toward the sky. The moment it erupted, scorching heat spread in all directions.
Terrifying flames descended from above, warping the air itself and causing buildings to burst into flames without any spark.
"How will he counter this attack?"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock. The black dragon had just used this same technique, melting everything in its path and instantly killing even their strongest fighters. What would Rhodes do now?
"Dragon's Breath, huh?"
Facing this devastating attack, Rhodes remained completely calm, a blue glint flickering in his eyes.
A single heat blast from Kaido's divine dragon form could obliterate heaven and earth, reducing entire cities and mountains to rubble with ease.
While this black dragon's breath was far weaker than Kaido's, it was still incredibly destructive and not to be underestimated.
Rhodes gripped Raikiri with both hands and swung downward.
"Thunder Dragon!"
The power of thunder roared and resonated, creating ripples of deep blue energy. As Rhodes brought down his blade, the lightning surged forth.
Deep blue electricity instantly transformed into a massive thunder dragon, stretching tens of meters long. Its whiskers, scales, and tail were clearly defined as it twisted through the air, then crashed head-on into the black dragon's breath.
BOOM!
Thunder and flame collided in a spectacular explosion. Deep blue and crimson light burst forth simultaneously, like two opposing worlds crashing together, creating terrifying waves of energy.
With a tremendous roar, the area erupted in a devastating blast. Lightning and fire intertwined, then exploded outward, scorching and splitting the earth below.
Each crack was a foot wide, spreading like a spider's web across the ground.
The destructive power was unimaginable!
"This is terrifying!"
The people at the harbor, who had long since retreated to safety, were filled with awe.
For those in the first half of the Grand Line, this was like watching a battle between gods—power beyond human comprehension!
They couldn't even approach the battlefield; a single stray bolt of lightning or flame could kill them instantly.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, this earth-shattering collision finally ended with the black dragon's defeat.
It ceased breathing fire and, flapping its massive wings, soared higher into the air to dodge the incoming Thunder Dragon's attack.
With a thunderous crash, the remaining Thunder Dragon slammed into the ground, instantly blasting a crater over ten meters wide, its surface charred black.
The black dragon's eyes showed a hint of fear and wariness, yet maintained an innate arrogance—a distinctly intelligent expression. It was a dragon, after all, the most noble creature in the world!
With a sound like tearing air, the black dragon dove toward Rhodes at lightning speed, its massive body plummeting like a falling mountain.
Facing this assault, Rhodes showed no fear and struck with his sword.
Whoosh!
A silver-white sword slash instantly burst forth, stretching over twenty meters long, tearing through the sky toward the black dragon with terrifying cutting power.
Despite its massive size, the black dragon displayed remarkable agility. With a slight flap of its wings and a twist of its body, it dodged the attack and continued its charge.
Even though his attack missed, Rhodes remained calm, gripping his sword with both hands and striking directly upward.
The black dragon had closed the distance, extending its massive, gleaming razor-sharp front claws.
Clang!
The two forces collided in midair.
Due to the size difference, Rhodes was knocked back several meters, but quickly regained his balance using Geppo.
"It actually blocked my slash! Those scales are incredibly tough—worthy of being called the ultimate material for forging supreme-grade blades."
Rhodes smiled and charged forward again.
This time, he was careful to avoid direct contact with the dragon's claws.
For one thing, the claws were incredibly durable, making it difficult to deal any meaningful damage.
But more importantly, Rhodes didn't want to damage these rare, premium materials—perhaps he could use them to forge a new supreme-grade sword!
Whoosh!
Empowered by lightning, Rhodes soared through the air like a great bird, swooping down upon the black dragon.
With a series of aerial maneuvers, he dodged the dragon's claws and fangs, landing squarely on its back.
Wham!
He unleashed Soru, his legs incredibly powerful as he kicked off the dragon's torso. Racing up its spine, he launched a continuous barrage of kicks, causing the dragon's massive body to shudder.
Normally, the force of Soru would be enough to shatter stone, but it barely scratched the dragon's scales, only causing the beast to stumble and lose its balance in flight.
The black dragon sensed danger as Rhodes approached its head!
But... it was helpless to stop him.
Rhodes, while guarding against the dragon's tail swipe, was caught off guard and lashed by it, nearly coughing up blood from the impact.
"ROAAAAAR!" The black dragon bellowed in rage and frustration, sensing the world's cruel injustice.
How could such a tiny human possess such immense power!
How ridiculous!
How unfair!
Its claws couldn't reach him, its fangs couldn't bite him, and its tail could barely graze him.
The black dragon twisted and spun through the air, unable to shake the persistent fighter from its back. It could only let out frustrated roars, leaving the spectators below completely stunned.
"No way, this can't be real!"
"My god, a dragon rider?!"
Everyone rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
Finally, the black dragon roared in desperation, then from hundreds of meters in the air, plummeted toward the earth like a falling mountain, bringing with it a terrifying gust of wind.
CRASH!
Like a meteor striking the ground, the earth exploded with thunderous force.
The violent shockwave swept outward instantly, collapsing buildings and hurling massive chunks of debris through the air. The scene was apocalyptic.
The people at the edge of the battlefield retreated even further. Only the pirate captains remained standing, watching the devastation unfold.
"What happened to him?"
To most observers, the black dragon's desperate, all-or-nothing counterattack was powerful enough to destroy even a large Marine warship.
No matter how strong Rhodes was, he shouldn't be able to withstand such an impact. Even if he survived, he would surely be severely injured.
Vivi was consumed with worry. She had finally found hope for her kingdom's salvation—was it going to end like this?
As everyone watched anxiously, the wind died down and the dust began to settle.
Amidst the devastated battlefield, an incredible scene gradually emerged.
A young man in white, wreathed in crackling lightning, stood proudly with sword in hand.
At his feet lay the black dragon, once so invincible and terrifying, now with its great head bowed low, a hint of peace in its dimming eyes as its life slowly faded away.
The harbor fell into absolute silence.
Everyone stared at the scene in stunned disbelief, their eyes wide with wonder as if witnessing something from a dream.
Just moments ago, nearly ten thousand fighters had assembled, only to become the black dragon's prey in what amounted to a massacre.
But now, this lone young man in white, with nothing but a single sword, had slain the black dragon!
"Bathed in lightning, slaying the black dragon with one blade!"
"From this day forward, the name Rhodes will echo throughout the world!"
A pirate captain spoke with intense reverence, each word carefully measured.
A wave of emotion washed over the crowd.
This port had been built for dragon hunting. Over the years, countless brave swordsmen had come here, attempting to achieve this legendary feat and gain worldwide fame, only to fall short and become the black dragon's victims.
"Following in the footsteps of the legendary swordsman Ryuma, a new dragon slayer is born..."
The port administrator declared in a trembling voice.
Everyone felt as though they were witnessing history being made, and some of the swordsmen present were so overwhelmed that tears welled up in their eyes.
In the world of swordsmanship, two titles reign supreme above all others.
The first, naturally, is "World's Strongest Swordsman"—a title representing the pinnacle of sword mastery, standing above all swordsmen of any given era.
The second is the title of Dragon Slayer, an honor achieved only by the great swordsman Ryuma.
While the title of World's Strongest Swordsman has been claimed by various individuals throughout history, there have only been two true Dragon Slaying sword masters in all of recorded history.
(End of Chapter)
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