Chapter 11: The Massacre
Rhodes and his companions were heading very close to Baltigo. The journey went smoothly, and after a peaceful night's sleep on board, they arrived at their destination the next day.
A large sailboat was anchored near an island.
Hearing the occasional roars of ferocious beasts, and occasionally spotting terrifying birds with wingspans of three or four meters taking to the sky, the expressions of Rez and his companions suddenly changed.
Having grown up in Baltigo, they had never seen anything like this.
Well, they had seen them, but most of them had become food, served on the table. Once upon a time, they had marveled at the deliciousness of their meat.
Now... it felt like retribution.
"Gulp..."
Rez swallowed, and he and another newcomer exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of fear in the other's eyes.
"Relax," his teammates reassured them, but Rez could sense their own nervousness.
Clearly, their strength wasn't enough to overrun this Monster Island.
Perhaps only captains like Nia could maintain their composure.
At this point, fishman Hack began explaining the rules of this combat mission.
"Your mission is to survive on this island for three days and slay as many beasts as possible. Cooperation is permitted, but teams are limited to three members."
"This island is monitored. If we detect a fatality, we'll dispatch a rescue operation. Fatalities are rare, but injuries do occur."
"Alright, everyone, get moving."
Without giving anyone time to think, Hack herded them directly onto the island without distributing any rations. It was clear they were on their own.
After disembarking, the reserves didn't leave immediately. Instead, they each found a companion and prepared to form a team.
Rhodes declined Rez's invitation and, choosing a random direction, began to venture deeper into the jungle.
The invigorating jungle air seemed to awaken some forgotten instinct.
Rhodes could clearly sense a faint, boiling feeling, awakening from deep within.
"So, I, too, long for battle,"
Rhodes licked his dry lips and smiled.
...
And then, Koala and the others arrived at a cabin.
Numerous screens monitored various areas of the island.
This archipelago had clearly been specially developed by the Revolutionary Army to hone its reserves.
Inside the cabin, many Revolutionary Army soldiers watched anxiously, recording the reserves' performance as part of their year-end evaluations.
Fishman Hack's face was serious, his gaze constantly scanning the screens.
His focus, of course, was on the new reserves like Rhodes.
Physical fitness and strong swordsmanship didn't guarantee victory over ferocious beasts. After all, some people couldn't even exert 10% of their full potential when faced with blood and life-or-death situations.
"Watch closely, don't make any mistakes,"
fishman Hack said gravely.
The reserves at the Revolutionary Army headquarters, once fully grown, became the backbone of the army, with many becoming officers.
"Hai!"
the Revolutionary Army soldiers responded.
"Don't worry, the strongest beasts on this island have been processed into food. Under normal circumstances, there won't be any problems,"
Koala said with a smile, but her words were chilling.
"They're just too inexperienced,"
Hack shook his head, referring, of course, to the likes of Rhodes and Rez.
"That's not necessarily true."
"You mean that young swordsman?"
Fishman Hack nodded slightly, saying solemnly, "He's truly a monster."
"It only took him a few minutes to reverse his instincts and change his breathing pattern!"
"A few minutes?"
Koala was slightly stunned, then said with some disbelief, "I remember Sabo took nearly an hour as well."
Sabo's talent was renowned among the Revolutionary Army. Upon joining the Revolutionary Army at a young age, Hack admitted there was nothing he could teach. Later, he became a disciple of Dragon, and his strength skyrocketed.
Now, at only eighteen, many Revolutionary Army officers are no match for him.
The Revolutionary Army leader, Monkey D. Dragon, has repeatedly praised Sabo's combat talent.
"But talent is talent, and combat is combat. There are many people in this world who are incredibly talented but weak in actual fighting."
Hack shook his head.
"Let's wait and see," Koala smiled.
...
At this time, Rhodes was holding an ordinary katana and walking deeper into the forest.
"This island must have been specially prepared by the Revolutionary Army to train its reserves for combat."
"Then the beasts can't be too strong."
Rhodes would never underestimate the beasts of the pirate world. He remembered that in the original series, there were even incredible beasts that required Luffy's Gear Fourth to defeat.
If Rhodes encountered such a creature now, he wouldn't even be able to escape.
Suddenly, a shadow slowly moved forward from a bush as tall as a man in the distance. Rhodes's eyesight quickly revealed it to be a beast over 1.5 meters tall, its hair covered in spikes.
Two massive tusks in its gaping mouth reflected a frightening light in the scattered sunlight that filtered into the forest.
He remembered the largest and strongest pig Rhodes had ever seen in his previous life, perhaps 60 to 70 centimeters tall.
In other words, this wild boar was more than twice the height of an ordinary domestic pig and looked like a small car.
"First prey, you're mine."
It had been a while since he had eaten barbecue, and Rhodes was instantly attracted by the sight of this pig.
He moved, standing directly in front of the spiky boar, chuckling.
"Grroaaar..."
The spiky boar let out an eerie roar as it stared at the strange, sword-wielding creature before it.
Then, its sturdy hooves stomped the ground, sending up a cloud of mud and a foul-smelling gust of wind as it thundered toward Rhodes, like a truck at full speed.
Its two sharp tusks, like two giant scimitars, thrust towards Rhodes.
Whoosh!
The moment the spiky boar charged, Rhodes quickly dodged to the side, leaving the accelerating boar no time to stop.
Then, a gleam in Rhodes's eyes flashed, and all his strength suddenly erupted, channeling directly into his arm. The sharp sword, shimmering with a hazy white light, slashed upwards across the spiky boar's neck.
Splurt!
A massive pig's head flew up, blood gushing out.
The pig's body, running by inertia, rushed out for more than ten meters before collapsing with a loud bang. It twitched on the ground for a while before it died completely.
"Pretty simple."
The scene of blood gushing out did not make Rhodes feel the slightest bit queasy.
As a doctor, he had seen all kinds of scenes.
"Well, barbecue time. Better eat a full meal before fighting."
Rhodes skillfully took out a series of wilderness survival supplies.
He lit the grill and the flames rose.
Before long, the spiky boar was roasted golden and shiny, emitting an enticing aroma, and the fat dripped into the fire with a sizzling sound.
"It's done."
After waiting for a while, Rhodes sprinkled salt and applied a layer of honey, making the roasted whole pig even more fragrant. He himself was also quite hungry.
"This guy..."
Seeing this scene from the monitoring equipment, Koala, fishman Hack and many Revolutionary Army soldiers couldn't help licking their lips, and several sweat drops appeared on their foreheads.
Have you even considered us!
(End of Chapter 11)
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