Chapter 64: Rhodes Takes Action
The sky was crystal clear, sunlight streaming down from above.
When the two pirates boarded their vessel, the morale of the merchant ship plummeted to absolute zero. Even the air seemed to grow cold, and the brilliant sunshine couldn't dispel the chill that had settled over everyone.
The sailor-guards swallowed nervously, their eyes filled with terror, some even trembling visibly.
Even Elsa, who had seemed fearless moments before, now looked genuinely worried.
Rhodes noticed her knuckles had gone white from gripping her weapons too tightly.
"Seems this pirate crew has quite the reputation," he thought to himself, studying the newcomers more carefully.
They were obviously twins, though one stood slightly taller than the other. Their facial features were nearly identical—if not for the height difference, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart.
As if sensing Rhodes' confusion, Elsa spoke quietly but gravely:
"These are the Twin Pirates, who've been making a name for themselves recently. Captain Barry and Vice-Captain Bud are twin brothers who fight in perfect synchronization, specializing in devastating combination attacks. They once defeated a powerful pirate captain with a 170 million Berry bounty."
Her voice dropped to an even more ominous tone. "But the worst part is... these two brothers are sadistic perverts who get their kicks torturing beautiful women!"
Elsa bit her lip, her face dark as storm clouds, her eyes gleaming with desperate determination. If push came to shove, she'd rather throw herself into the sea than endure whatever horrors they had in mind.
"Only 170 million? That's supposed to be impressive?" Rhodes snorted dismissively.
He could have taken down trash like that when he first started fighting seriously! Hell, Silver Fox Foxy was around that level, and that was... what, not even a year ago?
"What do you mean 'only'?" Elsa stared at him incredulously, secretly disappointed. He really is just some sheltered kid who doesn't understand how dangerous the New World can be.
Meanwhile, the bearded captain was attempting to negotiate, his voice low and placating:
"Boss Barry, we'll hand over ninety percent of our cargo—hell, make it one hundred percent if you want. But please, can't you let the women go?"
"Ah, but you're probably familiar with our... particular hobbies by now," Barry replied with a cold smile that made everyone's blood run cold. "The slave girls we captured last time were poor quality—couldn't handle our games for very long. We need to restock our collection."
His predatory gaze swept across the deck before settling on Elsa with obvious interest.
"I can see you've got some prime specimens aboard this vessel."
"Surely we can work something out?" the bearded captain made one final plea for peaceful resolution. He absolutely refused to hand over his daughter.
"The rules have already been set," Barry sneered. "Defeat us two brothers, and we'll not only leave empty-handed—we'll even escort you safely through these waters. We're being more than fair here. You can even send two fighters against us!"
The only reason he was bothering with negotiations at all was because he'd spotted several capable-looking fighters among the merchant crew. He'd rather avoid unnecessary casualties among his own men if possible.
The captain's expression grew grim. He turned toward a burly, one-eyed man and spoke with desperate sincerity:
"Mr. Nord, it's all on you and me now."
Nord was the expensive mercenary the captain had hired specifically for protection—he was the one who'd driven off the last pirate crew they'd encountered.
But now Nord's confidence had clearly evaporated. His eyes were shifty, avoiding direct contact as he spoke hesitantly:
"Look, maybe you should just... agree to their terms. Life is what matters most, right? If you lose a daughter, well... you can always have another one."
The Twin Pirates' reputation was simply too fearsome. He had no desire to clash with them—he just wanted these walking nightmares gone as quickly as possible.
Hearing this, many of the surrounding sailors and guards turned hopeful gazes toward the captain, silently pleading with him to accept the pirates' demands.
Nobody wanted to fight the Twin Pirates!
The bearded captain's face went ashen, especially after seeing the desperate looks from his own crew. His expression darkened further, fists clenching at his sides.
This route was supposed to be the safest option, and they were so close to completing this final run before heading home...
He made one last desperate appeal to Nord:
"Please, I'm begging you—help me fight them. If we truly can't win, I won't force you to keep going."
"I..." Nord wavered, clearly torn.
He was genuinely worried that the Barry brothers might just kill him outright if things went south. This was just a one-time contract job—hardly worth risking his life over.
While the merchant vessel remained paralyzed by indecision and fear, the Twin Pirates stayed relaxed and confident. Their crew members looked eager for the entertainment to begin, while the Barry brothers themselves seemed to take particular sadistic pleasure in watching others squirm in desperate situations, their faces wearing expressions of morbid, bloodthirsty anticipation.
Rhodes stood on the upper deck, watching the pathetic scene unfold below, and couldn't help but shake his head in disgust.
Initially, he'd figured he could handle these small fry easily enough but had hesitated to act. After all, defeating such weaklings wouldn't even provide him with meaningful combat experience, so he simply wasn't interested.
"Well, might as well treat this as a warm-up exercise," he murmured. "I am getting a free ride, after all."
"What warm-up?" Elsa turned around in confusion.
Suddenly, Rhodes leaped from his position, tracing a perfect arc through the air before landing with a solid thud on the lower deck, positioning himself directly between the two opposing groups.
Though he'd landed gently, the sound seemed to echo thunderously across the tense, silent deck. Everyone turned to stare, then froze in surprise.
The merchant crew was genuinely shocked.
This mysterious young man had remained holed up in his cabin since coming aboard, rarely venturing out except for meals. Yet somehow he'd earned the obvious respect and favor of both the captain and his daughter, leaving countless sailors secretly envious and bewildered.
Nobody had expected this enigmatic youth to step forward at such a critical moment. Had he somehow not heard about the Twin Pirates' terrifying reputation?
"Come back!" Elsa shouted nervously from above, terrified that this fool was about to do something irreversibly stupid.
Rhodes ignored her completely and walked forward with an expressionless face.
Having decided to take action, there was no point in further discussion.
Whoosh!
Before the Twin Pirates could even process what was happening, the young figure who had just dropped down from the upper deck suddenly vanished from sight.
In the next instant, he materialized directly in front of the Barry brothers in a blur of motion.
One punch. One kick.
WHAM! CRACK!
The supposedly formidable Barry brothers were launched backward like broken dolls, blood spraying from their mouths as they crashed violently into their own pirate ship.
The entire massive vessel shuddered from the impact, sending powerful waves radiating outward that threatened to capsize smaller boats nearby.
Absolute silence fell over both ships.
Everyone stared in complete amazement.
The bearded captain and his crew gaped in utter disbelief.
Elsa covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide with shock.
The Twin Pirates' crew members, who had been eagerly anticipating some brutal entertainment, were now frozen in stunned terror. Once they finally processed what had just happened, they stared at Rhodes with expressions of pure horror and paralyzing fear.
When Rhodes' cold, emotionless gaze swept across them, the pirates felt a chill run straight through their spines to their very souls. They immediately began leaping off their ship in panic—some even throwing themselves directly into the ocean to escape.
Within mere moments, the pirate deck had cleared completely. People could hear frantic shouting from inside the ship—words like "set sail!" "monster!" "demon!" and "run for your lives!"—all of them panicking like ants on a hot skillet.
But Rhodes had no intention of letting them escape.
He took a single step forward, then suddenly stepped into empty air itself, rising upward as if invisible stairs had materialized beneath his feet.
Using the Marine technique Geppo, he walked through the sky step by step, each stride covering several meters as he moved through the air with impossible grace, instantly reaching a position above the pirate vessel.
Under the awestruck gaze of everyone present, Rhodes stood suspended in midair with his hand resting on his sword hilt, his white clothing billowing dramatically in the sea breeze like some divine warrior descended from the heavens.
The few remaining pirates who witnessed this supernatural display felt their minds go completely blank with terror.
"This is impossible... he's walking on air!"
"What kind of monster is this guy?!"
"That's... that's one of the Rokushiki techniques! He's gotta be Marine-trained!"
Rhodes drew his blade with fluid precision, electricity beginning to crackle along its edge.
End of Chapter 64
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