Chapter 230: True Strength
Faced with the aggressive Spark, Bonney and Law couldn't help but swallow hard.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing deep concern and apprehension in each other's eyes.
Bonney and Law weren't arrogant Supernovas; they were relatively level-headed and knew very well the terror of powerful figures from the sea.
Spark, a great pirate with a bounty exceeding 300 million Berries ten years ago, was an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.
Last year, he was captured by Vice Admiral Momousagi and Zephyr and imprisoned in Impel Down. He was definitely a formidable opponent, not someone they could easily fight.
But to run away without even trying would be too humiliating; after all, they were Supernovas, and they still had their pride.
So Law and Bonney moved almost simultaneously.
Both of them were special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users; a moment of carelessness by their opponent could lead to an upset victory, which was why they felt confident challenging Spark.
"ROOM..."
A translucent sphere of invisible space suddenly expanded from Law's body, instantly enveloping Spark.
"Shambles!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Law's eyes as he slashed fiercely at Spark with his nodachi, Kikoku.
Clang, clang, clang...
However, to Law's dismay, his once-invincible spatial cutting met with a major obstacle.
Although he managed to disrupt Spark's Armament Haki momentarily, he couldn't even penetrate his skin, let alone inflict any real damage.
"You know nothing of true power," Spark said arrogantly, arms crossed.
"Armament Haki..." Law narrowed his eyes, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
The Ope Ope no Mi's cutting priority was extremely high, almost unaffected by material or hardness, but it was countered by Armament Haki—especially powerful Armament Haki.
At that moment, Bonney rushed in front of Spark, swinging her fist and slamming it toward him. A strange temporal distortion spread from her strike, intending to age Spark prematurely.
But unfortunately, Spark's Armament Haki covering his entire body protected him from this peculiar Devil Fruit ability.
Bonney's own physical strength, striking against Spark's hardened body, made her fist sting painfully.
"Women shouldn't be so rough," Spark said dismissively, casually backhanding Bonney away.
The crew members of both pirate groups behind them couldn't help but show shock at this scene.
Their perspectives weren't as broad as their captains'. They only knew that their captains' abilities were incredibly powerful, and that they had almost always instantly defeated every enemy they'd encountered.
"What exactly is that black coating?"
"Is it some kind of Devil Fruit power?"
The pirates whispered among themselves, some with growing fear.
Bepo, the Mink Tribe polar bear, muttered anxiously, "Oh no, oh no, I haven't explored the world yet! How can we be defeated here?"
At this moment, Spark, seeing the astonishment of the crowd, couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
Life in Impel Down hadn't been easy.
Showing off like this pleased him immensely, especially since his targets were two exceptionally promising Supernova pirates.
But just then, Spark's Kenbunshoku Haki sensed two auras slowly approaching.
One was weak and didn't need attention, but the other was somewhat familiar!
He couldn't help but turn his head to look.
A man and a woman slowly approached.
The man was handsome, appearing to be in his early twenties, dressed in white, with black hair and black eyes, his gaze indifferent and detached. The woman was aloof and stunningly beautiful, exuding intellectual elegance.
Spark narrowed his eyes slightly.
Meanwhile, Bonney and Law exclaimed in surprise:
"The Dragon Slayer Swordsman!"
These two had either encountered Rhodes before or were very interested in him, so even though his appearance had changed dramatically, they recognized him instantly.
The other pirates and passersby also showed expressions of horror, unconsciously taking a step back.
This was a true madman—someone who dared to challenge even Whitebeard, the world's strongest man!
"The Dragon Slayer Swordsman?"
Spark narrowed his eyes slightly. He had just escaped from Impel Down and had been drifting on the seas, only recently landing on Sabaody Archipelago.
Although he had heard about the Marineford War, he hadn't had time to learn the details and wasn't familiar with this rising star, Rhodes.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Spark paused, as if remembering something. His expression darkened abruptly, and he slowly said,
"Boy... you're Momousagi's disciple?"
He looked at Rhodes more carefully, and the more he studied him, the more familiar he seemed. Wasn't this the young man who had been beside Momousagi when he was captured?
"That's right."
Rhodes calmly looked at him and shrugged noncommittally.
"Hahaha, this is truly a stroke of luck!"
Spark cracked his neck, the bones grinding together audibly, the scars on his face seeming to glisten, making him look even more ferocious.
"I wonder if that woman Momousagi will grieve when you die. Hahaha!"
He was immensely pleased.
The more suffering he had endured in Impel Down, the deeper his resentment toward Momousagi had become. He didn't dare directly seek revenge against Momousagi herself, but he wouldn't let Rhodes, her disciple, slip through his fingers.
Although this kid seemed to have made a name for himself as the Dragon Slayer Swordsman, in Spark's eyes, how strong could he really be? He was still just a young man in his twenties.
If he couldn't even defeat Momousagi's disciple, he might as well throw himself into the sea.
Facing Spark's murderous intent, Rhodes remained completely calm, turning to Robin with a sigh,
"See? I told you Impel Down is a fundamentally flawed system."
Robin replied weakly, "Well, actually, it does serve some purpose."
"After all, keeping all these unsightly criminals locked up does raise the world's average attractiveness level."
Rhodes nodded thoughtfully, a fact clearly evident from the grotesque appearance of most of Blackbeard's crew.
"You're courting death!"
Spark clenched his fists at their casual banter, then moved abruptly.
Whoosh!
In a flash, he crossed over twenty meters, his fist imbued with Armament Haki and carrying enough force to shatter steel, striking toward Rhodes' abdomen.
He didn't aim for the head—he wanted to thoroughly torment Momousagi's disciple.
Crackle!
But in that instant, a dazzling silver-blue light flashed before his eyes.
This light was beautiful and dreamlike, yet it gave Spark an overwhelming sense of impending death.
Startled, he displayed extraordinary reflexes, actually changing his posture mid-attack to barely avoid the blade aimed at his neck.
Slash!
Blood sprayed.
A deep, bone-revealing sword wound appeared across his abdomen, the edges charred black from electrical burns.
While this cauterization stopped the bleeding, it brought Spark even more intense, searing pain.
"This... how is this possible..."
Spark was an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with astonishing regenerative abilities. This wound, though serious for an ordinary person, shouldn't have been much of a threat to him.
Sure enough, the sword wound began to heal and close within moments.
However, this sword strike hadn't just pierced his body—it had pierced his pride.
He had actually been wounded by his nemesis Momousagi's disciple!
This was completely unacceptable to Spark, his pride trampled into the dirt.
"You know nothing of true power."
Rhodes stood with his sword at his side, bathed in a faint silver-blue aura of lightning, his long hair moving without wind, like an ancient war god descended to the mortal realm.
(End of Chapter)
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