Chapter 223: Red-Haired Shanks Appears
SWOOSH!
Rhodes' speed was too fast—before the sound of the blade whistling through the air could even be heard, it sliced through the void, creating layers of shockwaves, and slashed toward Blackbeard's neck.
He didn't aim for the heart, because Blackbeard was a so-called "abnormal being," and might actually have more than one heart.
Piercing one heart might allow him to survive, but Rhodes didn't believe this guy could live after having his head severed.
However, Blackbeard—as expected of a top-tier fighter who could become powerful through physical skills and Haki alone—possessed astonishing physical resistance, and the Yami Yami no Mi had the ability to absorb damage. He recovered from the lightning's paralysis almost instantly.
But in less than a moment, the blade, carrying the threat of death, was already upon him, and he didn't have time to throw a punch to block.
He could only barely dodge backward, simultaneously pushing his Busoshoku Haki and Dark Power to their limits.
SPLAT!
Blood splattered.
The sword strike was incredibly powerful, piercing through Blackbeard's Busoshoku Haki defenses. However, the Yami Yami no Mi absorbed some of the damage, leaving only a gruesome scar across Blackbeard's face, his nose cleaved in two.
"..."
Rhodes sighed in regret, but there was nothing he could do.
The paralysis effect of lightning varied depending on the target. Someone like Vista might be paralyzed for a fraction of a second.
But for someone like Blackbeard, possessing the Yami Yami no Mi and formidable physical prowess and Haki, it might last less than a tenth of a second.
In the original timeline, Blackbeard's Gura Gura no Mi was merely a supplement to his offensive capabilities when he became one of the Yonko—his physical strength and Haki were still among the world's best.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Rhodes remained calm. He didn't try to inflict more damage, but instead grabbed Whitebeard's still-standing, towering body and leaped into the air using Geppo.
"Damn it!"
The Blackbeard Pirates members felt humiliated by having their prey snatched from their grasp by this young man. Enraged, they unleashed a barrage of attacks on Rhodes.
Rhodes remained calm, offering no resistance, but simply stomped his foot.
BANG!
A shockwave exploded.
A flash of silver light, and Rhodes vanished from his spot, reappearing on the other side of the abyss, narrowly avoiding Blackbeard and his crew's attacks.
Seeing this, Marco the Phoenix, who had just arrived nearby, quickly supported Whitebeard's body, then glanced at Rhodes with slight gratitude.
"Thanks."
Although he wasn't entirely sure what Blackbeard intended, it was still a desecration of Whitebeard's remains.
"It's nothing."
Rhodes' gaze remained fixed on the nine members of the Blackbeard Pirates in the distance, and he simply said,
"Whitebeard was a warrior I respected. Such a person deserves peace in death."
Marco nodded slightly.
At this moment, the others on the battlefield finally reacted, all wearing bewildered expressions.
"What just happened?"
It sounds like a long story, but in reality, less than a few seconds had passed.
Rhodes was too fast—the exchange was instantaneous. An ordinary person would only see a blur before their eyes, and the scene was already like this.
"Damn it!"
At this moment, Blackbeard could no longer suppress the emotions surging within him.
He had planned for so long, and at the very last moment, he was about to reach the pinnacle of the world, but because of Rhodes' interference, he lost his footing and nearly fell into an abyss.
Extreme rage contorted his facial muscles, aggravating his wounds, causing Blackbeard to grimace in pain.
While the Yami Yami no Mi could absorb damage, it also brought double the pain.
After catching his breath, the gruesome wounds on his face made the already imposing Blackbeard look even more ferocious and terrifying, like a demon.
"The Dragon Slayer Swordsman..."
Blackbeard didn't question Rhodes about why he attacked, because it was pointless.
He didn't even move to attack Rhodes.
Because he knew he couldn't possibly defeat the incredibly fast Rhodes in such a short time.
If they couldn't defeat Rhodes quickly, by the time they retrieved Whitebeard's corpse, the Gura Gura no Mi would likely have already respawned elsewhere, rendering it pointless.
Besides, this was Marine Headquarters.
With Garp and Sengoku, two legendary figures, behind them, the Blackbeard Pirates, without the Gura Gura no Mi's power, wouldn't be qualified to dominate this battlefield.
Huff... huff... huff...
After taking a few deep breaths, Blackbeard gradually calmed down, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.
He was a petty man, arrogant when successful, but also a ruthless and extremely patient schemer.
"Blackbeard..."
Seeing Blackbeard, who was clearly furious yet refused to take a single step forward—not even launching a probing attack—Rhodes' eyes narrowed, a hint of wariness rising in his heart.
Blackbeard was different from other legendary pirates in the conventional sense. This was evident from the fact that despite possessing immense strength, he managed to hide within the Whitebeard Pirates for decades, enduring hardship.
In a sense, this was the true nature of a pirate.
A moment of tense silence fell as everyone considered their next move.
Suddenly, a booming sound came from nearby.
Rhodes turned to look.
He saw Akainu, taking advantage of Jozu's distraction, launch a sneak attack with his Inugami Guren technique, severing Diamond Jozu's right arm.
"..."
But Diamond Jozu was a true tough fighter. Despite the severed arm, he remained calm, using his remaining left hand to continuously defend against Akainu's attacks.
"Jozu!"
The Whitebeard Pirates members were shocked and rushed over, but were held back by Aokiji and the others—it was too late.
Jozu's strength was already much weaker than Akainu's, and after being severely injured, he struggled even more to defend himself.
In a short moment, several more gruesome wounds appeared, and he was about to be overwhelmed and killed by Akainu's magma fist.
But at that moment—
An unfamiliar and immense aura suddenly approached from afar, sweeping across the sky, and casually met Akainu with a sword.
BANG!
The sword collided with the magma fist, first producing a thunderous boom, and then an invisible wave of energy swept outward.
The magma fist, which should have been unstoppable, was shattered by this sword, and Akainu was once again sent flying in a rather humiliating manner.
"Shanks!"
Exhausted and under Jinbe's protection, Luffy's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer, and he shouted with what little strength he could muster.
"Luffy..."
Shanks only smiled at him and did not go over.
Because now was not the time for reminiscing—he wanted to end this war.
After being cleaved away by Shanks' sword, Akainu did not continue to attack.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have been afraid of this Yonko, but now it was different—his body was severely injured.
Thinking this, Akainu turned and walked away without a word, joining Aokiji and Kizaru, coldly watching the Red Hair Pirates.
Meanwhile, everyone in Marineford turned to look at the newly arrived Red Hair Pirates.
At this point in the battle, the Red Hair Pirates were undoubtedly the strongest force present, capable of completely influencing the course of the war.
"Is this war not over yet?"
"Another Yonko has appeared—what will become of the Navy?"
The reporters on Sabaody Archipelago watched with immense tension, secretly worried and fearful for the Navy.
After all, in everyone's eyes, the Red Hair Pirates were also pirates, and they might join forces against the Navy.
If that happened, the already heavily damaged Navy Headquarters would likely suffer even greater losses.
And for ordinary people, this would undoubtedly be terrible news.
(End of Chapter)
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