Chapter 208: Diamond Jozu
Luffy's unconventional entrance drew everyone's attention.
The Marines and pirates initially assumed it was a surprise attack. Those connected to Luffy, however, stood dumbfounded—even Garp, lost in his grief and turmoil, looked completely bewildered.
"Rayleigh isn't here?"
Rhodes scanned the area, unable to spot the legendary Dark King, and shook his head slightly.
It seemed the old man had decided against joining the direct battle. This could be considered a sign of respect from the older generation of pirates toward Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man.
Rhodes pondered this briefly before his Observation Haki suddenly activated, sensing Jozu's incoming attack. He raised his sword to intercept.
BOOM!
Under countless watchful eyes, the two began clashing, creating a series of thunderous impacts.
Wherever they fought, the thick ice shattered—unable to withstand the attacks of Rhodes and Jozu. Corpses and weapons littering the ice were blown away by the resulting shockwaves.
Meanwhile, a new force materialized on the battlefield: prisoners who'd successfully escaped from Impel Down.
Among them was Crocodile—previously defeated by Luffy—now reduced to a cloud of sand as he flew toward Whitebeard with malicious intent.
But Luffy arrived almost simultaneously, kicking Crocodile away with a single strike, his body still drenched in seawater.
"Don't get distracted, Diamond Jozu!"
Rhodes spoke indifferently, seizing the opportunity when Jozu's attention wavered toward Whitebeard's situation. He flashed to the side and slashed downward with his blade.
"Damn it!"
Jozu had no time to block with his fist and could only enter full Diamond transformation, simultaneously coating himself with gleaming black Armament Haki.
CRACK!
Shards scattered, shimmering with diamond luminescence.
A deep gash appeared on Jozu's body from the sword strike, yet no blood flowed—the powerful electrical current had instantly cauterized the wound.
Enduring the stinging and tingling pain from his injury, Jozu gritted his teeth, ignoring Rhodes's follow-up slash and throwing a devastating punch, seemingly prepared to trade blow for blow.
Rhodes's strengths were offense and speed—facing an opponent with unparalleled defense like Jozu, he naturally wouldn't choose mutual destruction.
So he evaded Jozu's charged punch, vanishing from his position.
"What a nuisance..."
Diamond Jozu glanced at his wounds and couldn't help cursing internally. Why did such a monstrous opponent have to be on the Navy's side?
He surveyed the battlefield, anxiety rising within him.
If this were outside headquarters, he wouldn't mind continuing to fight Rhodes indefinitely.
But this was Marine Headquarters—the world's highest-level warfare. Every minute that dragged on meant enormous casualties for the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Whitebeard Pirates' objective at headquarters wasn't to overthrow the Marines head-on, but solely to rescue Ace.
Considering this, he slowly assumed a combat stance, then suddenly exploded into motion.
Brilliant Punk!
In an instant, Jozu's speed reached its apex—almost becoming a blur—stirring up an incredibly fierce gust of wind.
"Such explosive acceleration?!"
Seeing this, Rhodes felt surprised but remained composed, dodging Jozu's head-on charge.
However, to Rhodes's astonishment, Jozu suddenly stomped the ground, then instantly pivoted, charging toward Rhodes with even greater velocity.
This kind of incredible physical technique was virtually impossible to defend against.
Rhodes, caught mid-air, possessed less maneuverability than on solid ground and could no longer evade completely—but he wasn't one to simply take a beating.
Lightning Spear!
As Rhodes parried with his sword, another surge of lightning energy gathered and compressed, forming a crackling spear that pierced through the air.
BANG!
Rhodes was sent flying a considerable distance by Jozu's impact, but the lightning spear struck Jozu almost instantaneously.
BOOM!
Due to insufficient time, the spear hadn't been coated with Armament Haki, so it couldn't penetrate Jozu's defenses. Upon striking him, it shattered, exploding into a dazzling burst of electrical discharge that engulfed him.
Cough!
Jozu, rushing out of the lightning's radius, coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body convulsing violently. However, as a Diamond Man, his resistance to electrical attacks was quite high, allowing him to recover quickly.
Meanwhile, Rhodes—sent flying high by Jozu's impact—employed Geppo to deflect the momentum, retreating nearly a hundred meters before stabilizing and landing safely on the ice.
Huff...
The powerful collision left Rhodes feeling uncomfortable, his chest tight and aching.
When he caught his breath and looked toward Jozu again, he found the division commander had already covered considerable distance, clearly not intending to continue their fight.
After all, the Whitebeard Pirates' goal was rescuing Ace, not defeating anyone in particular.
"The Marineford War truly is amazing..."
Rhodes took a deep breath and couldn't suppress a smile. The sensation of battling powerful enemies and witnessing all manner of extraordinary abilities was indeed quite exhilarating.
In less than an hour, he'd already fought two exceptionally powerful individuals—both renowned masters throughout the world.
Whether Vista's petal sword intent or Diamond Jozu's specialized techniques, he'd benefited tremendously from both encounters.
"Hmm, who's my next opponent?"
Rhodes surveyed the battlefield but found it difficult to locate a suitable challenger, and shook his head.
"Never mind. I'll rest briefly."
After fighting so intensely, and facing powerful masters like Diamond Jozu and Vista who could genuinely threaten his life, Rhodes was exhausted both physically and mentally. He'd also sustained minor injuries requiring recovery.
However, this was a battlefield—not a place where one could simply rest at will.
Moreover, after being launched by Jozu, he'd landed relatively close to the front lines.
"Get out of the way, Dragon Slayer!"
"Brothers, kill him! He was just beaten back by Captain Jozu and Captain Vista—he must be seriously injured!"
The battlefield was vast, and not everyone could observe the detailed exchanges between Rhodes and Jozu clearly.
With the shouts of several pirates, dozens of elite Whitebeard Pirates rushed forward aggressively.
Some of the leaders even managed to briefly block Rhodes's strikes, which genuinely surprised him.
Upon closer inspection, Rhodes discovered these men had all awakened Armament Haki—their strength not to be underestimated. They were likely lower-ranking officers of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Rhodes's eyes flickered, but his expression remained unchanged—he simply increased the power behind his strikes.
Soon, the pirates who'd rushed forward were systematically cut down.
Seated atop the resulting pile of corpses, Rhodes retrieved a bottle of Rainbow Wine from his spatial ring, took a large, satisfying gulp, and exhaled a refreshing breath. He couldn't help glancing toward the distant Moby Dick—and then witnessed a classic scene.
"I'M THE MAN WHO'S GONNA BECOME PIRATE KING!"
Luffy stood before the towering Whitebeard, his voice booming like thunder, echoing across the entire battlefield for several long moments.
Everyone witnessing this scene—whether Marines or pirates—stood utterly dumbfounded.
Even Rhodes couldn't help but laugh upon seeing Whitebeard's expression.
Whitebeard's eye twitched visibly—he clearly hadn't expected a rookie pirate to dare declare his ambition to become Pirate King directly to his face.
Whitebeard swung his bisento, slamming it heavily onto the deck, creating an invisible shockwave infused with a hint of Conqueror's Haki. Some of the less resolute individuals collapsed to the ground immediately.
But Luffy remained completely unmoved, simply glaring defiantly at Whitebeard.
(End of Chapter)
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