Chapter 87: Are You Convinced Now?
Diamante-sama unleashes his ultimate technique!
Diamante-sama gets slashed and sent flying!
This scene was clearly something none of the Donquixote Family members had anticipated.
In their minds, Diamante, one of the top officers, was a true powerhouse—a global-class fighter second only to Doflamingo himself.
"We've encountered a monster!"
The lower-ranking Donquixote Family officers who had followed him exchanged nervous glances. To be on the safe side, they decided to call for backup.
Of course, it would be too late to request assistance from their Dressrosa headquarters at this point, so they could only rely on their connections with the World Government.
Due to Doflamingo's former status as a Celestial Dragon, their relationship with the World Government was rather complicated. Requests for assistance were usually accepted, but the reception might not be particularly favorable.
After all, Doflamingo had ascended to the position of Shichibukai by threatening the World Government.
At this moment, the smoke and dust gradually cleared.
A sudden tremor erupted from the ruins of the destroyed shop.
"Rhodes!"
Diamante slowly climbed to his feet, his eyes cold and filled with both fear and rage.
At his level, his strength had essentially plateaued, and all he sought now was reputation and glory.
But now, to be blasted away in public by Rhodes' sword strike was a lifelong humiliation for Diamante.
"You're still not convinced? Then I'll beat you into submission,"
Rhodes said with a smile, flashing his white teeth.
With a gentle stomp of his foot, a massive gust of air erupted around him. In the same instant, he leaped across dozens of meters and descended upon Diamante like lightning, slashing with his sword.
Swoosh!
It was their first direct sword-to-sword clash.
This time, Diamante dared not hesitate. Power surged through his body as he pushed his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) to its absolute limit, then swung his rapier forward to meet the attack.
CLANG!
The ring of clashing steel echoed out, and in a split second, Diamante was forced to retreat several steps, unable to properly block the strike.
"What tremendous power!"
Diamante was shocked, his hands trembling slightly.
"How is this possible?! Physical strength isn't my specialty, but he's only seventeen or eighteen—not even in his prime years yet. How could he possibly be this powerful?" He was filled with disbelief.
He had encountered many prodigies and quite a few monsters in his time.
These individuals often possessed unique talents in swordsmanship or Devil Fruit development, frequently achieving feats at a young age that would be impossible for ordinary people.
But physical strength was different. It couldn't be improved overnight. It could only be continuously enhanced through daily training and unwavering perseverance.
Typically, a person's physical strength reaches its peak in their thirties or forties. While it might maintain that level, further improvement became extremely difficult.
But Rhodes was only seventeen or eighteen!
Diamante couldn't imagine the extent to which Rhodes' physique would develop once he truly reached his peak strength.
Like Iron Fist Garp? Like Kaido of the Beasts?
He had never imagined he would encounter such brilliant talent—talent that belonged to someone whose family already bore a grudge against the Donquixote Family, someone who absolutely had to be eliminated before he grew stronger!
But right now, he could no longer consider his family's interests, as Rhodes was already closing in on him again.
"Hira Hira!" (Ripple-Ripple!)
Diamante decided against another direct confrontation. He suddenly tore off his red cape, letting it flutter in the wind.
The cloak transformed into a dense network of silk-like ribbons, though in reality they were incredibly strong special steel.
In a flash, the area several meters around Rhodes was engulfed in countless threads that appeared delicate as silk but were actually hardened steel.
Furthermore, a faint shimmer of Busoshoku Haki coated these ribbons, enhancing their durability even further.
Layer upon layer, these steel ribbons enveloped Rhodes like a spider's web, with Rhodes as the trapped prey.
"That's an interesting technique,"
Rhodes' eyes lit up with appreciation. Diamante, a renowned powerhouse of the seas, had developed his Devil Fruit ability to this impressive extent.
Each ribbon looked fragile individually, but when layered together, they formed an incredibly resilient trap. An ordinary fighter would be overwhelmed by this technique and killed instantly.
"But unfortunately, you can't control them telekinetically once they're deployed. Furthermore, these steel ribbons... conduct electricity."
He shook his head gently. The lightning that had been flickering faintly around his body suddenly surged to three meters in height, terrifying arcs of electricity crackling and dancing. In the blink of an eye, the violent lightning spread along the ribbons at incredible speed.
Diamante didn't even have time to release the ribbons before the electricity reached him.
His Busoshoku Haki was entirely focused on maintaining the ribbon trap, leaving him virtually defenseless against the electrical assault.
Bzzzzt! Crackle! Pop!
The violent lightning, swirling with terrifying electrical energy, gave Diamante a brutal taste of electrocution.
His hair stood completely on end, his eyes rolled back showing only whites, and steam rose from his head. His steel-plated outfit, being so conductive, nearly rendered him completely incapacitated.
But he was a formidable warrior after all. Enduring the intense numbness and pain coursing through his body, he gritted his teeth and forcefully severed his connection to the ribbons.
Thud!
He stumbled backward two steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Fortunately, the strongest fighters in the pirate world possessed monstrous physiques and incredible vitality. Although Diamante's entire body was numb from the electrical shock, the quick disconnection prevented his life from being in immediate danger.
Whoosh!
Diamante had barely begun to recover when a sharp sound of air being cut came from directly ahead, a powerful presence rapidly approaching.
He gritted his teeth and raised his guard to face it.
But even with all his remaining strength, he could only barely hold on, forcing him to fight defensively while retreating.
CRASH! BOOM!
Under the astonished gazes of the spectators, the two fighters—like humanoid kaiju—shattered houses and buildings wherever their battle took them.
Occasionally, stray sword slashes would fly out, carving deep gouges in the earth itself.
"This power is incredible!"
someone exclaimed, swallowing nervously.
Before this, most people on the Sabaody Archipelago only knew that the New World was incredibly dangerous—a gathering place for the world's strongest fighters, far surpassing the first half of the Grand Line in terms of power level. But they had no clear understanding of what that strength actually looked like.
Now, the clash between Rhodes and Diamante fully demonstrated the might of New World-class fighters, like human bulldozers rampaging without restraint.
Many pirates who had originally planned to enter the New World felt a wave of fear and hesitation wash over them.
"Looks like there's no need for this old man to get involved."
"I'm getting too old for this. The future belongs to the young generation."
Rayleigh took a sip of his sake, leaped down from the rooftop, and slowly walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.
Almost immediately after his departure, the crackling sounds of combat suddenly ceased in the cloud of dust and debris. Everyone watched as the expected figure was suddenly sent flying backward, tumbling dozens of meters across the ground before lying motionless like a broken doll.
"Now... are you convinced?"
Rhodes said calmly, slowly walking away from the battlefield.
His clothes remained neat and pristine, without a single tear or stain, as if he hadn't just been engaged in fierce combat but had instead been enjoying a leisurely spring outing.
(End of Chapter)
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