Chapter 127: One Man Conquers the City
An aura that stunned and overwhelmed Sai suddenly erupted, shaking all directions and distorting the very fabric of reality itself!
Within this boundless, terrifying presence—seemingly ready to overturn heaven and earth—Rhodes stepped into the air, rising upward until he hovered above the courtyard. He gazed calmly down at those below, like a king surveying everything beneath his feet.
Between heaven and earth, the wind stilled and the clouds grew calm.
The roars of the tens of thousands of Happo Navy soldiers who had gathered suddenly ceased entirely.
Yesterday, Rhodes had awakened his Conqueror's Haki, instantly rendering tens of thousands unconscious. The affected area had stretched from the valley to half of Black Harbor—nearly the size of a small island.
Today, Rhodes unleashed his Conqueror's Haki with full intent for the first time, and its reach was even greater.
Thud!
Overwhelmed by the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki, the closest Happo Navy soldier collapsed first, followed by a second, a third...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like dominoes falling, the effect spread instantaneously—people dropping in waves like wheat before a scythe.
With the exception of Gates, Yukiko, and the others whom Rhodes had carefully excluded from his range,
every ordinary person in the Kano Country's second-largest city was instantly rendered unconscious by the earth-shaking Conqueror's Haki!
In the end,
only about a hundred people in the vast city remained standing and conscious!
Moreover,
more than half of these survivors wore expressions of absolute horror and disbelief, their fighting spirits utterly shattered. They probably didn't even have the courage to meet Rhodes's gaze, let alone oppose him in battle.
Before a true king, one must first have the will to stand before even considering resistance.
"This is..."
"Conqueror's... Haki!"
Sai's forehead was covered in cold sweat, genuine fear showing in his eyes.
Intelligence reports had documented the tens of thousands who had fainted in Black Harbor, and he'd known Rhodes might have awakened Conqueror's Haki. After all, for someone called the Dragon Slayer, possessing Conqueror's Haki wasn't entirely unexpected.
But Conqueror's Haki varied greatly in strength between users.
This terrifying range—covering the entire city, practically the size of a small island—was something even his grandfather, former leader Don Chinjao, couldn't achieve!
And it wasn't just the range. Sai could actually feel that this Dragon Slayer's Conqueror's Haki was even more powerful!
"Where the hell did this monster come from?"
Sai forced himself to calm down, his eyes registering shock but refusing to show fear.
Ultimately, Conqueror's Haki was just a tool for eliminating fodder. Unless one cultivated it to the legendary level of Pirate King Roger, against truly powerful opponents it would only create psychological pressure.
"Don't let him intimidate you."
"We still have the advantage here," he said firmly to his remaining conscious allies.
The Happo Navy had stood at the peak of West Blue power for years, dominating the region.
The Kano Country's various naval forces—the Happo Navy, the Nippo Navy, and others—each had long histories, producing powerful warriors generation after generation.
Over the past decade or so, the Happo Navy had undoubtedly been the most prestigious and powerful, but the other forces were also commanded by formidable fighters.
Among those still standing, there were roughly twelve including Sai himself who could genuinely fight.
Converted into Marine rankings, that would be approximately one Vice Admiral from Headquarters, three Branch Vice Admirals, and eight high-level Rear Admirals from Headquarters.
Therefore, Sai remained confident in achieving victory over Rhodes.
The Happo Navy guarded the Kano Country's vital waterways. If they could be so easily overthrown, how could they possibly protect their nation?
Hearing this, the other pillars of the navy took deep breaths and gradually steadied themselves.
"Hasshoken... Kiriheel!"
Without any further hesitation, Sai launched his full-power attack.
With a fierce battle cry, he leaped upward, instantly surpassing Rhodes's height. Then, twisting his body mid-air, he chambered one leg and unleashed the impact-focused Eight Impact Fist technique through a devastating heel drop aimed directly at Rhodes.
"As expected, you're much stronger than Abu."
Faced with this assault, Rhodes remained utterly calm, gripping his sword in one hand and countering with a casual slash.
BOOM!
Silver-white sword energy collided with the concentrated impact force.
A thunderous explosion erupted in midair, its immense shockwave radiating outward in all directions, sending flowers and trees in the courtyard flying and nearly shattering the courtyard walls entirely.
The clash between these two combatants was like the collision of warships—earth-shaking and audible for miles around.
"So strong!"
Sai's expression changed dramatically as he was involuntarily sent flying backward, while Rhodes remained calm and motionless in the air.
The outcome was decided in their first exchange.
Sai's physical strength and power were both extraordinary, and his top-tier martial technique—Hasshoken Kiriheel—delivered devastating impact force sufficient to rival a Vice Admiral.
But Rhodes was even stronger. Since his battle with Vice Admiral Momonga, his physical capabilities and power had increased substantially, and his swordsmanship had improved as well, placing him on the verge of becoming a Great Swordsman.
His overall combat ability had already subtly surpassed the Vice Admiral level.
At this moment, a casual flick of sword energy had blocked Sai's full-strength attack.
"Everyone, attack together! He's too powerful!"
Sai said grimly, landing on his feet. Feeling a sharp sting in his heel, he spoke with absolute seriousness.
"Right!"
The other pillars nodded and immediately sprang into action, charging through the air from all directions, each employing their specialized martial arts and sword techniques to attack Rhodes simultaneously.
Sai immediately joined the assault.
Each of them moved with incredible speed, launching into the sky and stirring up violent winds with piercing whistles that seemed to tear at the very air itself.
Gates, Yukiko, and the others didn't dare look back at the battle, simply fleeing to safety, fearing the shockwaves.
"I'm not afraid of low-level mob tactics, and even mid-level group tactics... hold no fear for me either."
Witnessing this coordinated assault, Rhodes smiled slightly, his free left hand rising as if grasping at empty air.
Bzzzzt!
In an instant, endless thunder and lightning surged forth, rippling across the sky and transforming the entire heavens into a sea of electricity.
Rhodes stood at the epicenter, controlling the thunder like an ancient god of lightning, delivering divine punishment upon mortals.
"Thunder Arsenal!"
Almost immediately,
the power of thunder hummed and vibrated intensely, surging upward before transforming into countless lightning spears that filled heaven and earth.
With a wave of his hand, the lightning spears descended like a torrential downpour, blotting out the sky and radiating earth-shaking destructive energy.
The world seemed to darken around the blazing light.
Sai and the others felt their faces go pale, their pupils filled entirely with blazing thunder and lightning—nothing else visible.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It was as if hundreds of warships were firing simultaneously at a single location. The terrifying roar swept across the area, and those who remained conscious felt their eardrums throb with pain.
They all retreated instinctively, then stared at the scene in absolute shock.
Gates's large compound had completely vanished, leaving only blinding flashes of thunder in its place.
Within that dazzling brilliance, twelve figures attacked relentlessly, moving with desperate speed, attempting to break through the storm and reach Rhodes—only to be repeatedly struck down by the tidal wave of lightning spears, crackling arcs of electricity cascading across their bodies.
No one could see clearly through the blazing light that engulfed everything.
Only silhouettes were visible: a single figure standing motionless in the sky, while a dozen others struggled below, their shouts and screams completely drowned out by thunder's roar.
This was like divine judgment itself!
Incomprehensible!
(End of Chapter)
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