Chapter 65: One Sword
The sea breeze howled across the endless expanse of ocean.
But whether it was the pirates or Elsa and the merchant crew, all they could see was that lone figure in white clothing, suspended in midair with sword in hand.
Rhodes gripped his blade, raised it with casual elegance, and spoke a single word:
"Iai."
Nothing could describe the devastating sharpness of that strike!
When the sword cut through the air, it seemed as though the very heavens and earth could be split in two. In the pupils of countless onlookers, there was only a magnificent, brilliant blade of thunder energy.
This sword technique sliced through the air like a hot knife through butter, effortlessly penetrating the pirate ship's deck before cutting straight through the cabin. Even the reinforced keel—tougher than steel itself—lasted only a heartbeat before being severed with crushing, absolute force.
At the same time, the devastating power of lightning erupted outward, sweeping in all directions like divine wrath.
Bzzt! Crack! Sizzle!
With Rhodes' current mastery over his lightning abilities, these ordinary pirates simply had no chance of survival!
In an instant, every pirate still on deck was struck by electrical discharge. Their hair stood on end as thousands of volts coursed through their bodies. They collapsed one after another with strangled screams, bodies convulsing and foaming at the mouth as they died.
Crackle... crack...
A spine-chilling sound echoed across the water.
Then Elsa watched in absolute horror as the massive pirate vessel trembled slightly before splitting cleanly in two, the cut so precise it looked like it had been made with surgical instruments.
CRASH!
Finally, the bisected ship capsized into the sea, creating a tremendous splash that sent waves rippling outward in all directions.
"Sweet mother of... this is insane!" gasped one of the bearded captain's sailors.
The guards stood frozen in shock, while Nord practically whimpered in terror.
"This guy... he's a complete monster!"
Elsa dropped both her pistol and cutlass, but remained rooted to the spot, her eyes filled with complete disbelief.
If Rhodes had simply knocked the Barry brothers away with raw strength and speed, she might have been able to process that. But witnessing him walk through empty air, cleave an entire ship in half with a single sword strike, and unleash devastating lightning attacks—that was almost impossible to accept.
After all, Elsa and her father operated at the lower levels of New World power. Though they'd heard tales of the catastrophic destructive capabilities possessed by the world's strongest warriors, this was their first time witnessing such power firsthand.
Tap.
Rhodes gracefully descended to the deck, glanced briefly at the sinking wreckage, and smoothly sheathed his sword.
He remained completely calm, as if he'd just accomplished something utterly mundane.
Indeed, Rhodes' current strength was incomparably greater than when he'd first started his journey. Back then, even defeating Silver Fox Foxy had required serious effort. The Twin Pirates were roughly equivalent to Foxy's crew in terms of overall power level.
Absolute silence fell across the merchant vessel's deck—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared at Rhodes' back with expressions of pure awe, as if they wanted to offer words of praise or burst into cheers, yet nobody dared make even the slightest sound, terrified that Rhodes might turn that devastating power on them next.
"As expected, not even a trace of improvement in my abilities," Rhodes thought with mild disappointment. "Small fry are still just small fry. Even if I sink their entire ship, they're still nothing but weaklings..."
Rhodes shook his head slightly, then suddenly sensed something off about the atmosphere. They'd clearly achieved victory, so why was everything so eerily quiet?
He turned around with a puzzled expression and looked at the distant crowd.
They all appeared incredibly nervous, as if facing some terrible enemy. Rhodes couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to salvage what's left? It's almost completely sunk by now."
His tone was gentle and friendly—he looked like any normal young man. The bearded captain and his crew instinctively breathed sighs of relief upon hearing his casual manner.
"Ah... yes sir..."
The bearded captain, being an experienced veteran, was the first to recover his composure. He straightened up as if wanting to express his gratitude, but wasn't sure how to address someone of Rhodes' obvious caliber.
"Just call me Rhodes. And I should thank you for giving me passage," Rhodes replied with surprising warmth, waving his hand dismissively. "It was just a small favor."
Though Rhodes spoke politely, the bearded captain didn't dare treat him casually—the strength this young man had just displayed was simply too overwhelming.
"We're incredibly grateful for your assistance, Rhodes-san," the captain said with a deep bow.
"We'll handle salvaging all the treasure from that pirate ship. Those are rightfully your spoils of war—we won't touch a single Berry."
Seeing the captain's overly formal behavior, Rhodes suddenly felt rather bored. He replied indifferently:
"Do whatever you want."
He fell silent after that, standing quietly as if lost in contemplation.
The bearded captain didn't dare interrupt his thoughts. After offering another respectful salute, he retreated several meters before slowly turning to direct his sailors in salvage operations.
The mercenary Nord, perhaps feeling guilty about his earlier cowardice, threw himself into the work with extreme enthusiasm. He took the lead, diving toward the wreckage—only to be stunned by what he discovered.
Initially, he'd assumed the Twin Pirates were powerful enough that they wouldn't all perish just from having their ship destroyed. So he'd rushed forward hoping to prove his worth and avoid earning the terrifying young man's displeasure.
But when he reached the wreckage, he realized he'd vastly overestimated the situation.
Pirate corpses floated everywhere on the surface, scattered across the debris, all completely lifeless—clearly dead beyond any hope of revival.
He even spotted the mangled remains of the Barry brothers themselves.
That man had accomplished the impossible: with a single sword strike, he'd simultaneously severed a massive pirate vessel while annihilating every pirate aboard!
"This is absolutely unreal..." Nord muttered in stunned silence.
He'd worked as a mercenary for years and had encountered strong fighters before. But to possess such overwhelming power while still being so young was genuinely intimidating.
Yet he felt no envy or resentment. After all, the gap between himself and Rhodes was so impossibly vast that even jealousy seemed pointless—there was only room for genuine, respectful awe.
Back on the deck, Elsa stood at a distance, her face a mask of conflicted emotions. She wanted to approach Rhodes, but felt an invisible barrier holding her back.
Overwhelming strength naturally bred awe, and awe inevitably created distance between people.
"Asking for his contact information wouldn't be too forward, would it?" Elsa whispered to herself after a long internal struggle, a look of desperate determination flashing in her eyes like a soldier preparing for battle.
She had the distinct feeling that if she didn't act now, she might never encounter this extraordinary man again.
Rhodes, whose Kenbunshoku Haki allowed him to sense everything clearly, couldn't help but smirk with amusement at her internal debate.
He turned around to meet her panicked gaze directly and said teasingly:
"What's this? Your father showing me respect and fear is understandable, but even the fearless Miss Elsa is acting like all those ordinary folks?"
"..."
Hearing his slightly mocking tone, Elsa paused, feeling simultaneously irritated, embarrassed, and oddly pleased.
"Well, who told you to show off such ridiculous strength just now..." she grumbled sourly.
Their age gap wasn't significant—she was actually a bit older—but the difference in their power levels was so terrifying it felt like they existed on completely different planes of existence.
Rhodes smiled slightly and said, "Rather than worrying about that, how about we finish what we started earlier?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Elsa's face flushed crimson.
In this situation, what else could he possibly be referring to? Was this guy going to make some kind of move on her? Should she resist, or submit, or just go along with it?
Wait, that seems a bit too easy...
Rhodes gave her a strange look and replied simply: "Eating."
"It's dinnertime now."
He was getting hungry after all that Thunder Body Tempering training!
Elsa's face went completely black with embarrassment.
End of Chapter 65
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