Chapter 115: A Single Glance
On the sea, two large sailing ships drew so close that both sides could easily see what was happening across from them.
On the deck of the pirate ship, dozens of Blood Sword pirates wore ferocious expressions, their gazes tinged with predatory hunger as they looked at Rhodes.
Every raid was a festival, a feast for these pirates.
They loved delicate beauties and were equally drawn to fair-skinned young men.
As Rhodes had predicted, they slowly took a step closer.
And then... nothing happened.
The lives of these pirates ended in that very instant.
Captain Blood Sword, who had been confident of victory from the upper deck, now looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
Hela and the other members of the Revolutionary Army also witnessed a scene they would never forget.
Two deep blue lightning bolts emerged from Rhodes's eyes. Initially faint and slender, they suddenly ignited with blazing intensity like twin suns, finally erupting and transforming into twin bolts of thunder as thick as serpents.
The members of the Blood Sword Pirates who had terrorized the West Blue were swept by the lightning. The slightest touch reduced them to masses of charred, foul-smelling carbon before they could even scream.
Deep blue lightning swept across the deck, and the air filled with the sharp scent of ozone and electricity.
The renowned Blood Sword Pirates of the West Blue were almost instantly annihilated by Rhodes's single technique.
Only Captain Blood Sword himself escaped on the upper deck.
"This... this..."
Hela was stunned, stuttering in disbelief.
This was the pirate crew with the highest bounty in the West Blue—even an elite Marine force led by a Rear Admiral could be crushed by them.
Rhodes was known as the Dragon Slayer, and if he'd drawn his sword and destroyed the Blood Sword Pirates with a single slash, she could have imagined it.
But with just a glance—he'd wiped out dozens of elite pirates, including several officers.
What kind of power was this? What kind of might?
The Revolutionary Army soldiers were in absolute shock. Their eyes widened, and no one spoke, their minds completely overwhelmed.
In a place like the West Blue, the highest normal Marine rank was Rear Admiral, and pirate bounties rarely exceeded one hundred million. Power levels here were far lower than in the Grand Line.
A top-tier Vice Admiral-level fighter like Rhodes was an incredibly rare sight here.
These Revolutionary Army soldiers, born in the West Blue, might never witness such overwhelming power in their entire lives.
Rhodes's eyes still crackled with residual lightning, making him appear like a mythical war god as he gazed fixedly at Captain Blood Sword above.
A chill ran down Blood Sword's spine. Before him, an endless brilliant light filled his vision, and an unprecedented sense of mortal danger washed over him.
Without hesitation, he bit his tongue hard, jolting himself from his shock. Then, with a powerful stomp, he dove into the sea.
The dignified Captain Blood Sword, upon meeting Rhodes's gaze, had actually chosen to abandon ship!
He remained calm despite his terror. Rather than attempting to swim away horizontally, he simply sank deep, hoping to escape using the ocean's depths.
"Still trying to run?"
Rhodes shook his head, casually drawing his sword and slashing downward.
Buzz!
With this swing, a mighty slash of sword energy ripped through the sea surface, extending dozens of meters down. It precisely cleaved through Captain Blood Sword in the water.
Rhodes's sword energy was overwhelmingly powerful.
Blood Sword offered no resistance, instantly exploding into a cloud of crimson mist that merged with the sea—a final burial at sea.
"Ah, how disappointing. Not even worth a warm-up."
Rhodes shook his head with a sigh, turning and leaping back to his own ship in a single bound.
Hela and the others' gazes followed him like they were nailed in place.
With an expression that seemed to say "isn't this completely normal?", Rhodes glanced at them calmly.
"What are you all standing around for? Clean up this mess."
"Y-Yes!"
Rhodes's tone was casual. His young, handsome face didn't look particularly imposing on its own, but combined with what they'd just witnessed, it carried tremendous authority. Even the normally proud Hela instinctively bowed her head in compliance.
Splash, splash...
A few of the Revolutionary Army soldiers, impulsively trying to leap across, misjudged the distance and fell directly into the sea.
More importantly, the people behind them seemed completely unaware, each preparing to make the same jump...
"Hela, take command."
Rhodes couldn't bear to watch. He also knew his presence was making them too nervous to think straight. After saying those few words, he turned and walked into the cabin.
Upon hearing this, Hela finally snapped out of her daze.
She stopped mid-leap and took several deep breaths.
The waves continued to surge around them.
Having recovered, Hela looked at the Revolutionary Army soldiers still foolishly jumping into the sea. A deep frown crossed her face.
"What a bunch of sheltered country bumpkins!"
Finding that comparison helped her regain her composure. She began commanding her men to deploy boarding planks, linking the two ships together and collecting the spoils of battle.
There was no resistance—all the pirates were dead.
After a flurry of activity—clearing bodies, cleaning the decks, making minor repairs to the ship, and counting the treasure—the Revolutionary Army removed the pirate flag and stripped away some of the distinctive markings. The large sailing vessel then became one of their spoils of war.
Well, it couldn't really be called a battle. The "fight" had been so simple and so brief.
Not even a full minute.
Finally, the Revolutionary Army gathered on deck, staring at the huge chests filled with treasure, all wearing dreamlike, bewildered expressions.
"Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me! Wait... why are you drawing your sword?"
"I didn't expect Commander Rhodes to be so powerful. He's like a god descending from heaven—annihilating everyone with a single glance!"
"The Blood Sword Pirates! Last I heard, they'd defeated a Rear Admiral and attacked an entire kingdom."
The Revolutionary Army was buzzing with excitement. Money and other material things were secondary—true revolutionary soldiers never placed much value on such things.
The main source of their awe was the sheer, overwhelming power Rhodes had displayed.
If Rhodes were a physical combat specialist capable of dispatching one enemy with a single punch, they wouldn't have been quite so shocked. But to annihilate the enemy with a single burst of lightning that fell like divine judgment—that was almost mythical, beyond ordinary imagination.
No one would ever forget the scene they'd just witnessed.
After finishing the inventory, Hela stood up, slightly weary, and rubbed her slender waist, feeling the weight of her... responsibilities pressing down on her.
"This guy's really committed to being hands-off. He genuinely doesn't care about anything—not even worried I might secretly pocket some treasure."
Hela glanced at the still-closed cabin door, wrinkled her nose, folded her arms, and rested for a moment before going to report to Rhodes.
"Finished already?"
Rhodes appeared to have just bathed. His bare torso revealed a muscular physique that looked like coiled steel cables.
His muscles weren't the exaggerated bulges typical of powerful warriors, but rather streamlined and powerful, with a unique sense of functional strength and aesthetic beauty. Seeing them made Hela's mouth go dry, and the air inside the cabin suddenly felt stifling.
But she quickly composed herself.
This guy is only seventeen!
Seventeen!
Thinking about this, Hela suddenly felt a sense of superiority as an older woman and couldn't help but snort softly with satisfaction.
(End of Chapter)
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