Chapter 92: Assassination
The tens of meters were swept almost instantly by the supersonic sword energy, leaving the onlookers stunned and unable to react.
"No!"
Cavendish was, after all, a supernova—a supremely gifted individual, the most powerful prodigy to emerge from the Grand Line within a year.
Such individuals, when faced with life and death, often unleash their hidden potential, displaying power far beyond their normal limits.
At the final moment, he swung his sword across, blocking the incoming sword energy.
But that was all—no further action was possible.
Almost instantly, a hazy, ethereal sword slash accompanied by a terrifying sonic boom slammed into Durandal's slender blade.
"Gah!"
Cavendish erupted in a spray of blood.
The supersonic sword energy instantly sent his own blade reversing, slicing back into his body and leaving an X-shaped wound across his torso.
Meanwhile, he was instantly blown away by the violent impact, drawing a perfect arc through the air before finally slamming into a nearby building.
CRASH!
In an instant, the structure collapsed, and smoke and dust spread everywhere.
This supernova who had arrived at Sabaody Archipelago with a 280 million berry bounty now lay motionless beneath Rhodes' single sword strike.
The scene fell into dead silence—no one spoke as everyone stared in amazement.
"This... this... White Horse Cavendish was defeated like that? With just one sword?"
At the port, there were many knowledgeable people who recognized Cavendish's identity, speaking in trembling voices.
This was a supernova with a bounty approaching 300 million berries!
Even though he hadn't experienced the tempering of the New World, he shouldn't be underestimated. He had defeated Marine forces many times along his journey and successfully escaped capture by Headquarters Vice Admirals.
But now, he had been instantly defeated by Rhodes' single strike.
"Incredible!"
"Is this the young swordsman who slew Diamante? He truly lives up to his reputation."
Everyone exchanged glances, each looking at the white-clad youth holding his sword with utter reverence, as if he were a deity.
No matter how impressive the rumors, nothing compared to witnessing it firsthand.
"Sugoi! So amazing!"
Little Yukiko clasped her hands together with a look of admiration and excitement.
"So cool!"
Cavendish's former fans almost instantly switched sides, their faces flushed as they gazed at Rhodes with eyes brimming with adoration.
A powerful man is inherently attractive, and coupled with his exceptionally handsome appearance, he became even more captivating.
"Hmm, not bad."
Rhodes' expression remained impassive, but he was actually quite satisfied. Ever since witnessing Ryuma's incredible swordsmanship techniques, he'd been contemplating acquiring something similar, but hadn't developed a concrete approach.
The idea for today's sword technique had come to him after he acquired Raikiri, a weapon perfectly suited to harness the power of lightning.
By manipulating electricity, he created a near-electromagnetic environment within the scabbard, allowing the sword to be drawn at extreme speed. It was similar to how Misaka Mikoto flipped a coin to unleash her electromagnetic railgun.
However, Rhodes' control was still quite crude and laborious. He even needed time to prepare before drawing the sword—it couldn't be executed instantly. This was the biggest flaw of this technique, though for iai draws, it wasn't particularly problematic.
"The speed is incredibly fast, even exceeding the speed of sound. If used suddenly, enemies may not be able to react. However, the power is obviously not as high as under normal circumstances. I wonder if Cavendish is actually dead or not."
Rhodes quickly analyzed the technique in his mind.
It didn't matter if Cavendish wasn't dead—he never concerned himself with defeated enemies.
He flourished his sword with practiced ease, and with a satisfying click, sheathed the blade.
Almost at that exact moment—
A sharp black bullet with a faint blue glow suddenly shot out from hundreds of meters away.
There was no sound, because the bullet's velocity far exceeded the speed of sound!
"So there really is a sniper?"
Faced with this sniper bullet that could have killed Cavendish instantly, Rhodes remained calm, as if he had anticipated it, and casually stepped aside.
Puff!
The bullet exploded almost the moment it hit the ground. Besides producing light and heat, it also emitted a faint blue mist that corroded the ground in a several-meter radius with a sizzling sound.
It clearly contained an extremely potent poison.
Rhodes glanced at the impact site, then cast his gaze toward a rapidly retreating figure clad in black in the distance.
Having missed his target, the assassin was fleeing at full speed.
"A killer from the underworld?"
Rhodes frowned slightly as he watched the assassin retreat swiftly, leaping over a three-meter-high wall before disappearing from sight.
He picked up Yukiko and moved to Gates' side, setting her down safely.
"Wait here—I'll be back soon."
Rhodes spoke calmly. Without waiting for Gates or the others to react, he took a step forward. Within mere moments, he appeared beneath the wall, then vanished entirely.
"An assassin?"
Gates, being experienced, recognized the threat immediately, worry creeping across his face.
He and Rhodes were now in the same boat. If anything happened to Rhodes, he would likely be torn apart by the circling wolves eager to curry favor with the Donquixote Family.
"Rhodes-nii-san, please don't get hurt."
Little Yukiko prayed softly.
Though young, she understood that assassins were dangerous beings.
By then, Rhodes had already pursued the assassin through dozens of streets.
The killer was incredibly fast and agile, darting across the island like a grasshopper.
He raced from Grove 23 to Grove 47, spanning nearly half of Sabaody Archipelago, before finally stopping, hands clutching his knees as he panted heavily.
Such extreme speed was clearly exhausting.
"You're not running anymore?"
A leisurely voice suddenly came from behind him.
The killer turned around to see Rhodes standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking completely relaxed, as if he had just returned from a casual stroll.
This distance might require an assassin to run at full speed, but for Rhodes, it wasn't even a warm-up.
"I didn't expect you to be this strong. No wonder the Donquixote Family set such an exaggerated bounty."
The middle-aged man with a hooked nose and sinister demeanor spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Donquixote? So Doflamingo sent you." Rhodes frowned slightly.
Donquixote's revenge had come so quickly—in just three days!
"What's wrong with telling you?"
The killer grinned maliciously. "Two hours ago, the Donquixote Family issued a kill order for you in the underworld, placing a one billion berry bounty on your head."
"I just happened to be at Sabaody, so I was the first to act. There will be a steady stream of assassins coming after you, including an ace killer second only to the world's number one, codenamed 'Night Blade,' who has also accepted your bounty. He once assassinated a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
"We won't give up until we kill you."
"One billion berries?"
Rhodes was slightly taken aback.
Doflamingo really thought highly of him, placing a one billion berry bounty on his head.
That price was almost equivalent to those of the Sweet Commanders or All-Stars.
No wonder this killer, despite sensing the difference in their strength, still wanted to take his chances.
As Rhodes pondered this, the assassin suddenly pulled out a massive black pistol from behind his back.
BANG!
The gunshot rang out like a cannon blast.
The killer's firearm was clearly custom-modified—incredibly powerful and utilizing advanced technology. He was confident this single shot could obliterate a Rear Admiral.
No matter how powerful Rhodes was, he would undoubtedly suffer serious injuries.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01