Chapter 158: East Blue Incident
The battle concluded quickly, and the evacuation proceeded even more smoothly. Before reinforcements from the Marines and World Government could arrive, Rhodes and his forces had already departed by ship.
At the base ruins,
CP's Third Division—also stationed in the East Blue—quickly arrived on scene.
"Carlos-sama, the enemy's methods were extremely thorough. Whether surveillance footage or battle traces, everything's been cleaned up," someone reported.
They hadn't even found a single corpse, and could only make rough estimates based on bloodstains left at the scene.
Carlos was a tall, lean figure. Unlike other CP members, he wore only a half-mask, revealing a pair of dark, terrifying eyes that seemed as bottomless as the abyss.
He listened to his subordinate's report, said nothing, and simply walked forward.
As Carlos advanced, an invisible force emanated from his body.
Buzz!
Countless pieces of debris—large and small—floated upward, defying gravity.
The power was so tremendous that even collapsed rubble was lifted and deposited to the sides.
Carlos proceeded step by step, his expression impassive, casually clearing a path through the destruction until reaching the deepest point.
But Betty and her team's methods were so sophisticated and professional—combined with the massive explosion sweeping through—that remaining traces were minimal.
But it was enough.
Only a handful in this world could accomplish such a feat, making the perpetrators easy to deduce.
"The Revolutionary Army?"
Carlos muttered softly.
These research facilities regularly transmitted backup data to Mariejois, so the World Government's actual losses weren't catastrophic.
He simply wanted to identify who could have eliminated the Eight Division so efficiently.
"Dragon? No, he wouldn't dare act directly."
Carlos shook his head slightly.
Leaders of such major forces—standing at the world's apex—served primarily as deterrents and wouldn't act rashly, lest open warfare erupt between both sides.
"Carlos-sama, I heard the Dragon Slayer swordsman appeared in the East Blue recently. Could it be him?"
Someone suggested.
"Impossible."
Carlos shook his head. "Though Hurt ranks at the bottom among captains, even I would find it difficult to kill him in such a short timeframe."
"Unless the Dragon Slayer had mastered the true essence of sword and became a Great Swordsman—how is that possible?"
"Just over a month ago, this person was merely a top-tier swordsman."
Reaching great pirate level could be considered entering the ocean's powerful elite. Further advancement wasn't simply about talent—it required time to cultivate strength.
Those who could rapidly ascend to great pirate level through sheer talent and potential weren't numerous, but they existed. Every era produced a few.
However, those aspiring to take the next step were virtually nonexistent.
The peak powerhouses in this world typically reached their zenith after age thirty—especially pure combat specialists like swordsmen.
"Must be a hidden Great Swordsman within the Revolutionary Army."
"We haven't been paying sufficient attention to them."
Meanwhile, Rhodes and his team had returned to East Army headquarters.
Rhodes had claimed the camouflage mask as his mission reward, and Betty raised no objections—she was occupied handling the incident's aftermath.
"According to our research, integrating a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit into an object requires creating a completely isolated environment, exerting pressure on the 'devil' to induce it to actively merge with the object."
"This isolation is usually created using Seastone, but absolutely sealed environments are nearly nonexistent in this world, so experimental success rates are extremely low, and many precious fruits have been destroyed in the process."
Kevin explained with evident regret.
"Isolation... sealing..."
Rhodes narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
After a Devil Fruit user's death, their power randomly reincarnates somewhere in the ocean—meaning the devil's escape capability was extraordinarily high.
Even the ocean—filled with Pyrobloin particles—couldn't contain it.
Otherwise, if someone died on Fishman Island, wouldn't the Devil Fruit inevitably regenerate there?
If even that couldn't seal it, then even Seastone-based isolation would be difficult to achieve. At most, the pressure would slightly exceed the ocean's natural constraint, yielding perhaps a one-in-ten-thousand success rate.
Successfully creating the camouflage mask must have been extraordinarily fortunate.
"But I'm different."
Rhodes's lips curved slightly, recalling the alternate dimension of his Door-Door Mastery.
What isolation could be more powerful than spatial separation?
He could even fill the space with seawater and use a Seastone container to increase pressure further.
If that still failed, he'd be genuinely speechless.
"Next step is locating a spatial-type fruit. I wonder if Capone Bege's Shiro Shiro no Mi has reincarnated yet."
Rhodes stroked his chin and made his way to East Army headquarters to bid farewell to Betty.
"Want me to arrange a ship for you?"
Betty's attitude was considerably more relaxed than during their first meeting.
"No need. I could use the exercise anyway."
With that, Rhodes ascended skyward using Geppo.
"Such dedication to training! No wonder he's so powerful at such a young age."
An officer exclaimed, watching the white-clad young man depart via Moon Walk.
The others nodded in agreement.
Simply having talent wasn't intimidating—but having talent and outworking everyone else was truly terrifying.
"I'm certain he'll reach peak power by our next meeting."
Betty murmured. The others fell silent, then excitement flickered across their faces.
A great pirate-level warrior could be considered a formidable general, but a peak-level warrior was a powerhouse capable of influencing world affairs—a figure even behemoths like the World Government had to treat with respect.
The Dragon Slayer they considered both talented and hardworking hadn't actually crossed the sea using Geppo.
After ensuring he was beyond the Revolutionary Army's sight, Rhodes opened a door in empty air, traversed several hundred meters through the alternate dimension, and crossed the vast ocean—returning to Loguetown.
After the chaos caused by Luffy, Loguetown seemed considerably quieter.
Rhodes didn't care. He'd returned to retrieve his swords.
During the mission, he couldn't use his own blades, and he'd been reluctant to leave them aboard ship, so he'd temporarily entrusted them to Tashigi.
Considering the girl's love for swords, it had been an appropriate decision.
Loguetown's Marine base was forbidden territory for East Blue pirates, but for Rhodes, it was like walking on flat ground. Following the familiar presence, he quickly located Tashigi's room and pushed the door open.
At that moment, Tashigi sat on her bed clutching a sword, her head nodding sleepily.
The sound of the door opening wasn't subtle.
Tashigi's eyes flashed open with instant alertness, leaping to her feet. Upon recognizing Rhodes, she exclaimed with delight:
"Rhodes-san! You're finally back! Mission accomplished—here are all your swords!"
Rhodes accepted Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri, about to thank her, when she yawned tremendously and collapsed onto the bed, eyes closing as she practically fell asleep on the spot.
"..."
Rhodes was startled by this. Looking closer, he noticed distinct dark circles under her eyes, and her normally healthy complexion had taken on an unhealthy pallor.
He muttered:
"Has this girl not slept for three days straight?"
Quite possible.
In fact, that's exactly what happened.
Rhodes had entrusted Tashigi with a high Grade blade and a Skillful Grade blade. This responsibility terrified her so much she couldn't sleep, fearing she might lose them.
"Really... a foolish yet endearing personality..."
Looking at the girl's slightly innocent sleeping face, Rhodes's expression softened. He gently removed Tashigi's shoes, adjusted her sleeping position, and covered her with a blanket.
After a moment's consideration, Rhodes used controlled lightning to temper Tashigi's physique.
By now,
Rhodes's mastery of Thunder had reached near perfection—moistening everything silently. Tashigi felt no pain whatsoever, only a comfortable sensation like soaking in a hot spring.
She slept even more soundly.
(End of Chapter)
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