Chapter 128: Unrivaled
"Too strong!"
At this moment, those who remained conscious in Mokomo were all top-tier warriors of the West Blue. They had gathered around the battlefield perimeter, gazing at the earth-shaking scene unfolding before them, collectively holding their breath in shock.
Legend spoke of true peak warriors being worth a thousand soldiers—capable of taking on entire armies or even destroying nations single-handedly.
But legends were just that—legends.
No one had ever witnessed such a thing with their own eyes.
This young Dragon Slayer swordsman seemed to be making that legend reality.
Like a war god descended from the heavens, single-handedly facing down the entire Happo Navy!
"Everything's about to change," someone whispered.
Mokomo was the second-largest city in the Kano Country, home to the nation's elite military forces. One could say it possessed more than half of the Kano Country's total strength. If it were to fall to a single person...
The consequences, the impact, would be beyond anything those present could imagine.
"This is going to be massive news—unprecedented news. I've been stuck covering nothing since being assigned to the Kano Country, and finally, I've got my chance at the big time!"
A capable-looking woman in her thirties with blonde hair raised her camera and frantically captured everything on film.
Though not particularly powerful herself, she had somehow managed to withstand the Conqueror's Haki through sheer force of will. Journalists in the pirate world were truly among the most mysterious creatures...
Elsewhere, Yuffie and the others struggled to retreat to safety. Looking back at the devastation, they were utterly horrified.
"Father may have just made an enemy he never should have,"
Princess Yuffie murmured softly, a complex gleam in her beautiful eyes. Having experienced Rhodes's Conqueror's Haki once before, she'd been mentally prepared this time and hadn't lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, at the battlefield, the lightning finally began to fade.
The thunderous roar subsided,
revealing scorched earth.
Though Gates's mansion hadn't appeared particularly luxurious on the outside, it had been vast—with gardens and decorative rockwork stretching hundreds of meters in radius.
But now it lay in complete ruins. Not a trace of the original estate remained—only endless charred earth and collapsed, blackened structures.
Sai, his body covered in protective Armament Haki, glanced around at the devastation, a chill running down his spine.
Only three of his officers had survived the lightning assault, and even those three had sustained injuries ranging from moderate to severe, their combat effectiveness greatly diminished.
In a matter of moments,
the Happo Navy—once a dominant force that ruled the West Blue—had been reduced to essentially just him.
What shocked Sai even more was that, despite unleashing such a devastating attack, Rhodes barely seemed winded as he hovered in midair, evidently having expended minimal energy.
"Could it be..."
"Will one man truly conquer this entire city today?"
A flicker of despair welled up in Sai's heart, but it was quickly consumed by burning rage.
This could not be tolerated!
The lone victor would surely be crowned with eternal glory, his name remembered across the world.
But this entire army—they would inevitably be nailed to history's pillar of shame, bringing everlasting disgrace to the Kano Country and the Happo Navy.
Fueled by this overwhelming fury and desperate determination,
Sai's entire being seemed to undergo a transformation. A chilling battle aura emanated from his body as he clenched his fists and suddenly launched himself upward.
"Hasshoken Secret Technique: Kiryu Kirikugi!"
This was the ultimate technique of the Hasshoken style. First, he reinforced his body with Armament Haki, then concentrated the special impact force through his legs, focusing all that power at a single point for an explosive strike. The concentrated force was powerful enough to pulverize even a steel pillar as thick as a barrel.
This technique was a full level beyond his previous Kiriheel attack!
"Hmph!"
Rhodes responded with a cold snort and swung his blade.
"BOOM!"
Silver-white sword energy, crackling with devastating thunder and lightning, surged toward Sai like an unstoppable tsunami.
Sai's breath caught in his throat. He felt as if he were facing the wrath of heaven and earth itself, and horror filled his eyes.
"This lightning power can actually be fused with swordsmanship?!"
CRASH!
The thunderous sword energy collided directly with Kiryu Kirikugi.
To all who watched, Sai had ascended with seemingly unstoppable momentum—his kick appearing capable of splitting the very sky itself. But Rhodes's casual sword strike crushed that momentum entirely, driving him straight into the ground.
Slash!
Blood sprayed through the air. Disbelief flooded Sai's eyes. Unable to remain standing, he collapsed to one knee, staring up at Rhodes with immense difficulty while coughing up blood.
Even his most powerful secret technique couldn't pose the slightest threat?!
Too strong!
Overwhelmingly so!
Sai seemed oblivious to the excruciating pain coursing through his body, his eyes locked on Rhodes. During that final clash, he'd felt pressure from Rhodes that exceeded even his grandfather Don Chinjao at his absolute peak.
No—that couldn't be possible!
Leader Chinjao had been a legendary figure who'd clashed with the garp himself. How could someone so young possibly compare?
I'll go first... but Grandfather will definitely avenge me and send this brat to join me soon...
With this final resolute thought echoing in his heart, Sai's body gradually lost all strength. His consciousness began to fade, the world before him dimming before plunging into complete darkness.
Thud.
Sai collapsed forward, falling face-first into a pool of his own blood.
At this moment, Rhodes—still hovering in midair—slowly sheathed his sword and descended gracefully to the ground.
The three surviving navy officers stirred slightly, as if about to make some final stand, but suddenly felt Rhodes's cold gaze fall upon them. Their expressions froze, and they collectively sighed in defeat.
They lowered their proud heads in submission to this seventeen-year-old boy barely half their age.
One man against an army!
The vast city fell utterly silent, as still as a graveyard. No one dared speak.
Everyone watched in silence, their eyes gleaming with profound shock and awe.
Even the blonde reporter—so eager for big news moments before—didn't dare act rashly now. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes practically glowing as she kept her camera trained on Rhodes.
She knew that as the only journalist to witness this historic moment firsthand, her future career would be incredibly bright.
And as Rhodes's legend continued to grow, this footage on her résumé would only become more valuable.
The mere thought made the blonde reporter's legs tremble with excitement.
So powerful!
So handsome!
If only I'd been born ten years later!
In one direction,
Yukiko and her father were still fleeing. Gates, sensing the battle wouldn't end quickly and fearing they would become a vulnerability Rhodes would have to protect, had taken his daughter and run.
But at that moment, the roar of battle suddenly ceased.
"Wait!"
Yukiko's expression shifted. She suddenly exerted force to break free from Gates's grasp, then leaped lightly into the air. In just a few bounds, she'd reached a nearby rooftop, gazing out toward the battlefield.
"Brother Rhodes!"
"Brother Rhodes won!"
The little girl's joyful shout echoed through the silent city.
Gates breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing this confirmation, feeling that life had never been more turbulent than these past few days.
In another direction,
Yuffie and her guards had witnessed the entire battle and couldn't help but exhale in relief as well.
"Sai was the grandson of Leader Don Chinjao. His death in combat will probably draw out that legendary figure who has remained aloof from worldly affairs all these years,"
Royal guard Hans said, shaking his head slightly.
"The entire Kano Country—no, the entire West Blue, and possibly even the world—will be shocked by what happened here today."
Yuffie remained silent. These political considerations meant nothing to her. In her eyes, there was only that young figure in white with his sword.
The contradictory feelings—admiration gradually turning into potential enmity given her nation's position—left her deeply conflicted.
(End of Chapter)
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