Chapter 108: White-Hot
In the Distance.
"Robin, can you see what's happening in the battle?"
Vivi's eyes were wide as she strained to make out the action, but she was having trouble keeping up.
With her level of strength, she couldn't even follow the movements of Rhodes and the others; she could only see the aftermath of each attack and the devastation it left behind.
Robin, however, remained relatively composed. After all, she had witnessed the power of the Admirals firsthand, so the current scene was still within her expectations.
A glint of analytical intelligence flashed in her eyes as she calmly assessed the situation: "Crocodile's Suna Suna no Mi has powerful containment and control abilities. If you're not careful, you could be drained of all moisture by his sand and seriously injured."
"And Momonga is an elite swordsman. Whether it's raw strength, speed, or Busoshoku Haki, he's formidable in every aspect—no obvious weaknesses."
"With the two of them working together..."
Robin shook her head, clearly concerned about Rhodes's chances.
"Then let's move closer so we can intervene if needed," Vivi suggested.
"If we get any closer, we'll be in danger ourselves," Robin replied helplessly.
"Let's just wait and see. Since Rhodes is taking the initiative to fight both of them at once, he probably has some trump cards he hasn't revealed yet."
On the battlefield...
Vice Admiral Momonga, using Geppo to move through the air, positioned himself alongside Crocodile, both of them facing Rhodes who was wreathed in crackling lightning.
After several exchanges, Momonga had gotten a rough measure of Rhodes's capabilities.
While Rhodes's swordsmanship and raw power were slightly inferior to his own, his speed was far superior.
"We can't afford to separate too far," Momonga said gravely, gripping his sword.
"Your taijutsu and Haki are too weak. If we split up, he'll cut you down in an instant."
"I don't need you to lecture me!" Crocodile's expression darkened.
He had never imagined that in this battle, he would become the weak link—the easy target.
But at that moment, Rhodes showed no intention of prolonged sparring and boldly unleashed his ultimate technique.
He suddenly pushed his thunder powers to their absolute limit, releasing endless lightning that filled heaven and earth. The sky within a radius of dozens of meters became a raging storm of electricity, with arcing bolts eclipsing the very heavens, as if the world had entered an apocalyptic nightmare.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In the blink of an eye, a sea of thunder materialized across the battlefield. The terrifying spectacle even made people in Rain Dinners, far in the distance, drop to their knees in terror, as if witnessing divine judgment.
"Raikō no Takaramono!" (Treasure Trove of Lightning)
Rhodes's eyes flashed with electrical energy. With a single swing of his sword, the vast sea of thunder suddenly transformed into countless weapons—swords, spears, halberds, and more—whistling down like a devastating storm that blotted out the sky.
Tremendous energy waves rippled outward, causing the very air to explode.
Facing this overwhelming assault, both opponents gasped in shock, but despite their surprise, they quickly unleashed their signature techniques.
"Sables: Pesado!" (Desert Diamond Sword)
"Rankyaku Rendan!" (Tempest Kick Barrage)
Against such a dense barrage, Momonga couldn't afford to use his full-power sword techniques that required more time to execute.
The next moment, the attacks collided.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It sounded like countless cannons firing simultaneously.
Endless thunder roared as sand blades and sword energy trembled beneath the onslaught. Occasionally, residual shockwaves would escape, shattering the earth around them.
Simultaneously, pressure waves swept outward, washing over the battlefield.
"Gaaahhh!" Crocodile roared desperately, pushing his Suna Suna no Mi to its absolute limits. Blades of sand transformed into gleaming swords rose to meet the sky, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the surging treasure trove of lightning. He was completely scorched, his hair standing on end from the electrical current.
Vice Admiral Momonga, being an elite swordsman and master of both types of Haki, seemed to handle the assault with relative ease.
With each casual swing of his blade, he effortlessly shattered the lightning-formed weapons. His Busoshoku Haki neutralized most of the electrical current, and what remained couldn't penetrate his iron-hard physique.
"Thunder sword techniques can actually manifest like this?!" Momonga muttered as he casually deflected attacks to help shield Crocodile. His eyes were filled with amazement, though he also felt puzzled.
If this was sword technique, why did it manifest as various weapons like spears and halberds instead of just sword energy?
However, this confusion was fleeting—Momonga had to focus entirely on dealing with the violent thunder assault.
He occasionally had to help Crocodile, who lacked Haki training, block some of the more dangerous attacks.
This put considerable strain on him, and soon he began to feel fatigued.
His movements gradually became less precise, clearly affected by the persistent electrical currents.
RUMBLE!
As Robin and the others watched in shock, the entire area was engulfed in blinding flashes of lightning, with electrical arcs surging everywhere, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Wherever they looked, there were crackling bolts of electricity, their blazing light scorching the ground black.
This truly resembled divine punishment!
But the instigator wasn't entirely satisfied with the results.
"This technique drains too much stamina, and the actual damage output isn't as promising as I'd hoped," Rhodes thought to himself.
"Against opponents as skilled as Momonga who have mastered Haki, the best I can accomplish is exhausting their stamina and wearing them down."
Rhodes considered his options for a moment, then gradually ceased his lightning barrage.
If he continued much longer, he would likely be the first to collapse from exhaustion.
Besides, he had already achieved his primary objective.
Even with Momonga's assistance, Crocodile had taken severe damage from the lightning assault and could now only lie to the side, essentially out of the fight.
The battlefield gradually grew quiet.
Momonga shattered the final lightning spear and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around, horror evident in his eyes.
The entire area within a radius of several hundred meters had been torn apart—a scorched, blackened wasteland crisscrossed with deep cracks, clearly carved by the thunder weapons.
"With a technique like this, even large numbers of Marine officers would be swept away if they lacked sufficient strength," Momonga reflected, deeply moved.
While Rhodes's attack certainly couldn't threaten him directly, it would be absolutely devastating against weaker opponents, capable of eliminating entire squads regardless of their numbers.
"The power of thunder truly embodies the might of heaven itself."
Watching Rhodes slowly descend to the ground, Momonga took a deep breath to calm himself, then asked, "Come to think of it, I still don't understand why you're fighting Crocodile in the first place."
He doubted that someone accepted as a student by Vice Admiral Momousagi could be nothing more than a common criminal.
"Defeat me, and you'll have your answer," Rhodes replied calmly, sword in hand.
He realized he had underestimated the elite Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
Pirates like Diamante or other Doflamingo officers were typically self-taught fighters whose power systems had various flaws—whether in their Haki development or physical conditioning.
But the Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters were different. They had received extremely systematic and comprehensive training since their youth.
Under the guidance of legendary figures like former Admiral Zephyr, whether it was Rokushiki, physical conditioning, or both types of Haki, none of these areas were neglected!
The Headquarters Vice Admirals might have individual strengths and specializations, but none of them had glaring weaknesses, allowing them to handle any combat situation.
There might be naturally gifted pirates—like the Yonko—who could rise to extraordinary heights through raw talent and look down upon the world, but the middle and upper-tier combat strength of the Marines would never falter, always maintaining their dominance over the pirate forces.
(End of Chapter)
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