Chapter 232: Accepting Them All
The renowned powerhouses of the sea almost all possess their own unique characteristics, or rather, their strongest areas of expertise. Few are truly all-around masters.
For example, Whitebeard wielded the world's strongest offensive power, Garp possessed the strongest Armament Haki, and Kaido of the Beasts had seemingly immortal vitality...
Powerhouses of different Devil Fruit types also displayed distinct characteristics.
Logia types had elemental intangibility, and Paramecia types possessed various bizarre abilities.
Rhodes had encountered many of these and had considerable experience dealing with them.
But this was the first time he had truly battled a high-level Zoan-type powerhouse.
Spark's ability to withstand the combined attacks of Momousagi and Zephyr for an extended period certainly indicated genuine strength.
"This resistance to lightning is truly unexpected."
Rhodes' expression grew more serious. Spark's raw power certainly couldn't compare to Vista, Jozu, and other Whitebeard commanders, but his Zoan-type ability granted him powerful resistance to abnormal status effects, allowing him to recover first and counterattack—giving Rhodes valuable insight.
And this was merely scratching the surface.
If Spark possessed such recovery and resistance, what about Kaido of the Beasts himself?
The intensity of Rhodes' lightning at this moment was probably insufficient to even slightly paralyze Kaido.
"That's right... how could that madman who's been actively seeking death not have tried being struck by lightning before?"
As he pondered this, Rhodes vanished from his spot with a whoosh, instantly appearing before Spark and slashing down with his blade.
Slash!
The sword easily sliced through Spark's Armament Haki defense, blood splattering. But after penetrating the muscle layer, it was clamped down again by contracting tissue, its momentum slowing dramatically.
"Take this!"
Spark used the same exchange tactic, kicking at Rhodes with force sufficient to pierce steel plates.
Rhodes was prepared this time, dodging Spark's kick in a flash, reappearing on his opposite side, and then slashing down once more.
Boom boom boom!
Under the shocked gazes of the onlookers, the two clashed like humanoid monsters, tearing everything in their path—from houses to buildings—to pieces.
Occasionally, sword energy would shoot outward, carving deep fissures into the earth itself.
"Is this... the true strength of the sea's powerhouses?"
Someone swallowed hard, their voice trembling.
The people of Sabaody Archipelago were usually quite arrogant—after all, they had conquered the first half of the Grand Line—but now they couldn't muster any arrogance at all.
"The Dragon Slayer Swordsman truly lives up to his reputation as someone who shone brilliantly in the Marineford War. Although Spark is a great pirate, Rhodes is fighting him without giving him any chance to counterattack."
Law exclaimed, his tone somewhat excited.
Bonney was equally stunned. A recorded broadcast was still just a broadcast, lacking true realism. Only by witnessing it firsthand could one truly understand the Dragon Slayer Swordsman's strength.
No wonder he was capable of overwhelming multiple Whitebeard Pirates division commanders and even dueling Whitebeard himself.
Everyone could clearly see that although the two seemed evenly matched, most of the offensive was driven by Rhodes, while Spark was relying entirely on the powerful regenerative abilities of his Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit to withstand the onslaught.
But even the strongest regenerative abilities had their limits. Once this power was exhausted, or if he failed to defend a vital spot and was struck in the head, neck, heart, or other critical areas by Rhodes' sword, Spark would be defeated and die.
"It's over."
A calm voice emerged from the dust and smoke.
With a swift movement, Rhodes deflected Spark's desperate guard, simultaneously stepping forward and delivering a lightning-fast thrust, piercing straight through Spark's throat and exiting from the back of his neck.
He withdrew the blade cleanly, its edge still gleaming, unstained by a single drop of blood.
He turned and sheathed it.
Thud.
A heavy sound followed behind him.
Silence fell over the entire area.
Everyone stared blankly at the great pirate Spark, now lying motionless on the ground, his fatal wound causing him to revert to human form.
Just minutes before, Spark had dominated the entire battlefield, casually dismissing the attacks of two Supernovas—his presence overwhelming and seemingly invincible.
Yet minutes later, he lay dead on the spot, his fate sealed.
The battle was over.
Rhodes habitually reviewed his combat experience.
Spark could withstand the combined might of Momousagi and Zephyr, placing him solidly at the "quasi-Admiral" level. He wasn't weak—perhaps not quite as strong as Doflamingo, but not far behind either.
The fact that Rhodes could suppress and kill Spark so efficiently suggested that his strength had completely surpassed even Momousagi-sensei's level, placing him firmly among the ranks of top-tier powerhouses.
At this level, the distinction between strong and weak became blurred. There was no absolute hierarchy, but rather a complex system of matchups and counters.
For example, Kizaru could easily handle most opponents, but was specifically countered by Rhodes' lightning.
Of course, the strength of the Four Emperors of the New World, and someone like Garp the Fist, was still about half a tier above even this level.
As he pondered, Robin slowly approached from the side, smiling as she said,
"Boss's strength keeps growing more impressive. I'll go find us a ship now."
"No need."
Rhodes snapped out of his thoughts, waved his hand dismissively, and looked at the approaching Law, saying:
"We have a willing volunteer right here."
Before he could finish speaking, Law was already standing before him. After a moment's hesitation, Law cut straight to the chase:
"I want to join your crew."
Rhodes looked at him with interest.
"A user of the Ope Ope no Mi... indeed a rare talent. I do need a skilled doctor on board."
"However, you must have other reasons for choosing to join me, Trafalgar Law."
Feeling Rhodes' calm, penetrating gaze that seemed to see through everything,
Law swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine—just like when he had faced Doflamingo as a child.
He smiled wryly, knowing that in front of someone of this caliber, there was no room for deception. He spoke directly:
"That's right. I have a deep grudge against Doflamingo, and you also happen to have conflicts with him..."
He then briefly recounted his past—Corazon's sacrifice, his training under Doflamingo, and his oath of vengeance—without any concealment.
Rhodes could tell he wasn't lying, not from memory but from his Kenbunshoku Haki's emotional perception.
At this point, Law's strength was still quite limited. He hadn't even fully mastered dual-color Haki yet, so he couldn't possibly deceive Rhodes.
"The Ope Ope no Mi user... the one known as the 'Ultimate Devil Fruit,' capable of performing the immortality surgery?"
Robin suddenly asked with curiosity.
Immortality and eternal youth had always been among humanity's greatest desires.
Law's expression shifted slightly, his gaze becoming guarded.
The Ope Ope no Mi, when developed to its absolute limit, could indeed perform the Perennial Youth Operation—but once the surgery was performed, the user would die immediately afterward.
"Don't worry, I have no interest in that."
Rhodes smiled reassuringly.
Devil Fruits were inherently flawed abilities, and any immortality they granted would likely carry significant drawbacks as well.
If there were no other path to longevity, Rhodes might have coveted such power. But after awakening the Power of Faith, his life had begun transforming on a fundamental level. He was already walking the path toward godhood—why would he be interested in such a flawed form of immortality?
Hearing this, Law breathed a visible sigh of relief.
This was actually one of the main reasons he had chosen Rhodes specifically.
Although Law didn't know that Rhodes was already on the path to divinity, in his eyes, Rhodes was only in his early twenties—very young, far from the point where he needed to worry about his lifespan running out.
With Law joining Rhodes' crew, Bepo and the other members of the Heart Pirates also expressed their willingness to join Rhodes rather than separate from their captain.
Rhodes, of course, accepted them all. He was already severely short-handed.
Although these individuals weren't particularly strong combatants, most of them possessed specialized skills and weren't ordinary people by any means.
"Boss, are you heading to Fish-Man Island?" Law asked.
Rhodes nodded slightly.
"Perfect. I've already made arrangements with this coating shop. They can finish coating our submarine in three days."
(End of Chapter)
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