Chapter 44: Sniper
Sabo, as expected, was a troublemaker who caused considerable headaches even for Koala. He had really stirred up quite the commotion.
Outside the stadium, panicked people could be seen everywhere. The previous tremors had felt almost like an earthquake.
"I wonder what Sabo's gotten himself into..."
Rhodes wondered, though he wasn't worried about Sabo's safety. The guy was still incredibly powerful.
After walking for a while, they reached a secluded street where foot traffic gradually thinned out. Rhodes stopped and said calmly, "Come out."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly figure about two and a half meters tall emerged from around the corner.
He wore armor and a feathered cloak, with horns on his head and long hair. He looked like a barbarian—a typical appearance for official members of the Beast Pirates.
"Boss Barkley requests your presence," Carl said in a flat, steady voice that nonetheless carried undeniable authority.
As a full member of a Yonko crew and the strongest officer under All-Star Barkley, the mere fact that he said "requests" was a great honor for Rhodes.
Rhodes' potential was indeed remarkable, but until he matured, it was all just empty talk.
In the pirate world, strength—not potential—was everything.
"What if I refuse?" Rhodes said flatly.
"That's not your choice to make!" A cold glint flashed in Carl's eyes.
"You alone aren't enough."
Rhodes gently placed his hand on his sword hilt, confronting him directly.
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense, and the scattered passersby on the street felt a chill run through their bones and quickly fled.
In an instant, only Rhodes and Carl remained on the street.
A gentle breeze passed by.
Whoosh!
The two figures vanished almost simultaneously, each creating gusts of wind as they collided.
Clang!
Longsword met scimitar.
The street erupted like thunder, the immense residual force radiating in all directions, sending debris flying and cracking the cobblestone pavement. The entire street seemed to tremble.
"Move!"
After a brief standoff, Carl swung his sword with all his might, unleashing a violent burst of power that knocked Rhodes back.
"A Zoan-type user?"
Rhodes' expression remained indifferent. He lightly stepped through the air and landed gracefully without a speck of dust on him.
The Beast Pirates were mostly Zoan-type users, renowned for their tough hides and incredible brute strength. Their captain, Yonko Kaido, was known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
They were a crew of muscle-bound brutes who had trained their brains into muscle as well, so it was natural that Rhodes would be outmatched in raw power.
"Once I complete lightning body tempering and refine my internal organs, this gap should be completely closed."
Most of the pirate world's strongest individuals were hardworking, and Rhodes didn't have much advantage in that regard. If he wanted to close the gap in physical strength, he could only rely on the unique properties of lightning's power.
While his internal organs had been somewhat strengthened by his training, they were still far from being able to handle direct electrical enhancement.
Rhodes wouldn't dare attempt internal organ enhancement unless he was at least ninety percent certain. Unlike muscles or bones, there were far more variables involved.
Bang!
After Carl's half-beast transformation, his size grew even larger, reaching nearly three meters in height. His charge was like a tank with a thunderous roar.
Rhodes didn't engage him head-on but instead activated his Lightning Mode, waiting for his opportunity.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he spotted an opening. He charged forward and struck with his sword.
"Ittoryu: Iai!"
This fundamental sword technique, similar to a quickdraw slash, was something Rhodes had certainly mastered.
Bzzt bzzt bzzt!
Powered by lightning and reinforced with Armament Haki, the blue-black blade, with its incredible cutting force, slashed across Carl's arm, pRhodesucing a terrifying slicing sound.
After a brief struggle, the blade pierced through his Armament Haki, then slowly cut through the Zoan-type's hide—skin that could withstand firearms and artillery. However, it got caught in the incredibly resilient muscle, stopping just short of the bone.
"Damn it!"
Carl's eyes flashed red with pain, and like an enraged lion, he swung his scimitar at Rhodes.
Whoosh!
Rhodes didn't hesitate, instantly dodging backward. He wasn't a tough, durable monster like Carl; taking that blow head-on would have been fatal.
But at that moment, Rhodes' Observation Haki suddenly trembled violently, his mind piercing with pain, his heart pounding as if it might burst!
Danger!
Death!
Fortunately, Rhodes' mind was incredibly sharp, and his nerves, enhanced by lightning's power, barely managed to keep up.
In a split second, he reacted, his body miraculously tilting slightly to the left.
Simultaneously—
A pitch-black bullet, like lightning itself, pierced through the air, instantly approaching and grazing the skin of his forehead.
A trickle of blood ran down his face.
Rhodes could feel the burning pain on his forehead and even smell the faint scent of his singed hair, but his expression remained unchanged. Instead, it grew even more cold, radiating an aura of extreme danger—like a wounded beast now exponentially more threatening!
"A sniper?"
"It's been a long time since I've been wounded..."
Crackle, crackle, crackle...
The lightning seemed enraged, raging wildly and spreading as if forming a domain of thunder!
The next moment, Rhodes stepped on lightning and leaped up like a bolt, instantly crossing dozens of meters through the air and crashing into the roof of a nearby building.
Rumble!
The sound of the building collapsing was followed by a tremendous crash.
Before Carl could rush to assist, he saw his partner Kara being blasted away, spewing blood through the air, his face flushed and hair standing on end as he fell heavily to the ground.
"You alright?"
Carl hurried over, his voice tense as he stared warily in Rhodes' direction.
Kara's face was pale with a bluish tint, shock and disbelief etched into his features.
He could accept being located and wounded by Rhodes!
After all, being a sniper at close range was never advantageous.
What was most unbelievable was that his sure-hit shot had missed!
Well, it had barely grazed the target.
But what good was that?
"This is absolutely insane! How could this guy react to that?"
Kara cursed, enduring the pain as he stood up, positioning himself a body length behind Carl. After some thought, he decided to move back three body lengths.
"This guy's a real problem! We need to contact Boss Barkley." Kara glanced at Rhodes leaping from the rooftop, considered the situation, and decided to call for backup.
He wasn't a muscle-head like Carl; he had a clearer grasp of the situation.
With the strength Rhodes had displayed, even if both of them could win, they wouldn't be able to finish him off.
Swoosh...
A specially crafted signal flare shot from his hand at lightning speed, soaring high into the sky before exploding into a bright red emergency distress signal.
"Trouble!"
Rhodes frowned slightly. He was confident he could eliminate the Carl and Kara duo, but he wasn't sure he could do it quickly. After all, a combination of close-range and long-range fighters was difficult to handle, and the powerful individuals in the pirate world were often incredibly resilient.
(End of Chapter)
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