A shadow of darkness crossed Rhodes' face as he thrust his remaining dagger toward Roya—but Roya instantly evaded the strike and launched another counterattack.
Flames, sword energy, slashes…
A continuous mix of ranged and melee attacks unfolded.
Under Roya's freeform assault, Rhodes retreated step by step, forced into a defensive scramble. This pirate, with a bounty of 63 million Beli, was now overwhelmingly suppressed.
Clang!!
Roya swung again. Sword energy slicing through the air, Rhodes had no way to dodge. He swung his dagger to block, but the metallic clash echoed sharply. His already battered dagger could no longer withstand the strike—it shattered completely and was flung aside.
Now, Rhodes had only one dagger left. His posture was disheveled. Though the flames hadn't struck him directly, his clothing and hair bore scorched marks.
At this moment, he should have been desperate.
Strangely, however, he remained unnervingly calm. His eyes burned with murderous intent, staring at Roya as if looking at a corpse.
"You think this is enough to defeat me?"
"Oh? You've still got some tricks left?"
Roya stood ten meters from Rhodes, sword in hand, casually speaking as he unleashed another slash, igniting flames.
Rhodes dodged again, but his scorched sleeve caught fire. He swung his dagger to block Roya's sudden approach.
Clang!!
One dagger alone could barely handle Roya's strike. Even if it hadn't broken, Rhodes could barely manage to hold it, and it slipped from his hand.
At that moment, a cold smile appeared on Rhodes' face. He addressed Roya.
"Goodbye, Marine."
Rumble!!
Almost at that instant, the ground beneath Roya shifted unnaturally, as if it had turned into liquid. Roya sank directly into the earth.
Seeing this, a hint of contempt appeared in Rhodes' eyes. With a mocking step, he approached the spot where Roya had vanished, speaking to the restored ground:
"To be forced to this extent by me, you're not bad."
"But you're not qualified to take my head."
Rhodes' power was not just the two daggers and incredible speed. He was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user. He had obtained this ability after leaving the Grand Line, while controlling this underground black market island in the South Blue.
Any area he stepped on became a trap pit. As he honed his ability, the pit could become deeper. With a mere thought, he could make anyone standing on it sink to the bottom, trapped underground.
The pit's current depth was ten meters.
With no air at that depth, Rhodes believed no one could survive. To him, this was already a prepared grave for Roya.
However…
Just as Rhodes turned nonchalantly to hunt down the remaining Marines, a voice seemed to echo from ten meters below, as if from the soul itself:
"So this is your trump card? Pathetic ability."
"Getsuga…Tenshō!"
Shh!!!
A white crescent sword energy shot upward, cutting cleanly through the ten-meter-thick earth.
Rhodes panicked. The strike erupted almost from under his feet. Even with full evasion, he could not completely avoid it.
Shh!!
Blood spattered as Rhodes barely dodged the aura, but half of his leg was severed, and he collapsed onto the ground.
He seemed almost unaware of the pain, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. He could not comprehend that Roya, buried ten meters underground, could cut through such a thick layer of earth.
Bang!!
The deep trench cracked, soil and stones exploding outward. Roya leapt from it, landing beside Rhodes.
"Any other tricks?"
Sword still lightly grasped, Roya looked calmly at the fallen Rhodes.
Fear finally flashed in Rhodes' eyes. He wanted to escape, but with only one leg, it was impossible. His Devil Fruit could only set traps—it didn't allow him to move freely through the earth.
Roya shook his head lightly, brushing dust off his clothes, and approached Rhodes. He casually placed the sword tip against him.
"Who's really behind this island?"
Rhodes shivered violently, as if realizing something terrifying. Gritting his teeth, he replied:
"I… I don't understand what you mean. This island is my territory!"
Shh!!
Sword light flashed, blood spattering.
"One last time, answer me."
Roya gently pressed Engetsu to Rhodes' neck, speaking calmly. The cold, indifferent gaze left no doubt in Rhodes' mind: one more second, and his head would be severed.
A terrifying aura radiated from Roya, amplifying Rhodes' fear. Finally, in trembling voice, he said:
"It's… the Donquixote family…"
"Donquixote?"
Roya's brow slightly lifted at the familiar name. A flash of realization struck—one person came to mind immediately:
Donquixote Doflamingo.
The notorious pirate, one of the Shichibukai in the original timeline, once a Celestial Dragon in Mary Geoise, had lost his status and became a pirate, vowing to destroy the world ruled by Celestial Dragons.
At this time, Doflamingo had not yet become a Shichibukai, or the system itself had not been established.
"I see…"
Roya understood, unsurprised. In the original story, Doflamingo was already the largest intermediary in the underworld, controlling slavery, arms dealing, and other shady businesses. An island like this in the South Blue was unsurprising.
With such fragile defenses, there were likely multiple similar islands in the South Blue.
Attacking Doflamingo's territory was merely the mission of the elite camp, coincidentally. It couldn't be counted against him.
Even if it were… so what?
If he feared even Doflamingo, how could he ever hope to dominate the seas or challenge Admirals and Yonko?
Huff! Huff!!
Rhodes, having revealed Doflamingo's name, panted heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead, eyes filled with fear and panic.
Desperation overtook him; even if the Marines didn't capture him, Doflamingo would never spare him.
Madness gradually crept into his eyes. He looked at Roya with a hysterical expression:
"Damn Marines… we're going down together!"
Suddenly, with a roar, Rhodes activated his ability. The ground within dozens of meters around him instantly turned into trap pits.
His ability only created traps, not free passage through the earth. He himself fell in, unable to escape—but he no longer cared, only wanting to drag Roya down with him.
Yet, to his despair, Roya did not fall with him.
As Rhodes' power activated, Roya lightly stepped as if on an invisible staircase. Air hummed around him, and he hovered briefly in midair.
Geppo!
Watching Rhodes sink into the earth, a trace of amused mockery flashed in Roya's eyes.
"Same trick twice? Don't think I'll fall for it again."