Chapter 162: Competition
At that moment, Nami trotted over with feigned displeasure:
"Finally found you, Rhodes. Last time you left without saying goodbye—Nojiko was furious!"
Looking at the attractive girl before him, dressed as a desert dancer and revealing much of her fair skin, Rhodes smiled and said:
"I'm truly sorry."
"Hmph."
Meeting Rhodes's gaze, the fearless Nami who ruled the Straw Hat Pirates felt strangely guilty for some reason. She tilted her head slightly and snorted softly, like a younger sister throwing a tantrum.
"Hey, is this your friend?" a cute voice called from below.
Rhodes lowered his head slightly, looking at the Straw Hat Pirates' doctor and adorable mascot, and couldn't help but smile. "Hello, little reindeer. I'm Rhodes."
"Huh?!"
Chopper was startled. "This is the first time someone's recognized me as a reindeer! You don't think I'm a tanuki?"
"..."
Rhodes had forgotten about that running gag.
"Waaaah!"
Chopper immediately hugged Rhodes's leg, crying tears of joy. "You're my best friend!"
"The legendary Warlord of the Sea, Dragon Slayer Rhodes, is surprisingly approachable."
At another table, Sanji lit a cigarette with a hint of surprise in his voice.
Chopper was usually quite wary of strangers.
"..."
Zoro remained silent, his eyes deep as he recalled the scene he'd witnessed—controlling thunder with mortal hands!
"Hey, Rhodes, I heard you defeated Sabo?"
At that moment, the eldest of the three brothers spoke, his words full of competitive spirit, as if ready to stand up for his younger brother.
"Ace, don't be like that."
Sabo looked embarrassed. He'd accidentally let that slip when introducing Rhodes.
Ace ignored him, staring at Rhodes intently, his eyes filled with provocation and confidence.
"And?"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. While he hadn't technically defeated Sabo himself, their previous battle alongside Ryuji had been effectively the same.
"Want to spar outside the city?"
Ace's eyes lit up with fiery determination.
Rhodes nodded. He also wanted to test the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander to gauge his own current level.
The two slowly walked out, but Nami anxiously asked: "Why are you fighting so suddenly? Luffy, aren't you going to stop your brother?"
"This is gonna be awesome!"
Luffy laughed and followed them out.
Sabo, Zoro, Sanji, and the others followed suit, each one excited.
For them, both Fire Fist Ace and the Dragon Slayer were masters on a distant level. Witnessing such a showdown in person would be truly exhilarating.
Especially for Zoro.
Outside the city lay vast desert terrain.
When Nami arrived, the entire desert was engulfed in flames and lightning, the brilliance so intense it was impossible to make out anything clearly.
Only silhouettes could be seen as two figures clashed fiercely, their attacks radiating earth-shaking energy waves and dazzling displays of light!
For the Straw Hat Pirates at that moment, this power was simply unimaginable.
It was like watching a blockbuster action film, their eyes nearly popping from their heads, their expressions uniformly shocked.
"Rhodes has gotten even stronger!"
Sabo sighed softly. After months of grueling training, his physical and mental abilities had reached new heights, his strength significantly increased, and his confidence restored.
Of course, he didn't think his improvement meant he'd surpassed Rhodes—after all, Rhodes was also a relentless practitioner. He'd simply hoped the gap would have narrowed.
Instead, the gap had widened. What a crushing blow!
He'd been planning to spar with Rhodes himself!
Ace and Rhodes passed each other, and Ace suddenly clenched his fist and swung forward.
Woosh!
A torrent of flaming fists swept forth, overwhelming the sky. The terrifying heat distorted the air and cracked the earth—the scene was apocalyptic.
"Hiken! That's Ace's signature move! Such overwhelming firepower." Sabo's eyes flickered slightly.
"Such attacks may be powerful and spectacular, but they're not particularly effective against true masters..."
Observing the scene, Rhodes calmly shook his head.
Logia Devil Fruit users were undeniably powerful. Even relatively weak Logia like the Smoke-Smoke Fruit or Swamp-Swamp Fruit were sufficient to dominate Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line.
But at the highest levels, purely relying on Logia abilities wasn't particularly advantageous.
After all, the strongest individuals in the pirate world possessed such abnormal physiques that elemental attacks alone weren't very effective.
Rhodes's entire body flashed with lightning. In a flicker, he dodged the fire fist barrage and appeared on the opposite side.
"Hotarubi!"
At that moment, two flame spears condensed into solid forms suddenly pierced forward, tearing through the air and emitting terrifying, scorching heat.
"Now that's a more refined technique."
Rhodes chuckled softly, suddenly swinging his sword horizontally.
Clang!
A sound like metal clashing rang through the air.
Ultimately, the flame spears were no match for Rhodes's direct sword strike. They held for only a moment before shattering into countless sparks.
"Hmm?"
Rhodes paused momentarily, then retreated without hesitation.
Almost immediately after his retreat, the sparks from the shattered flame spears trembled and exploded.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
It was like a hundred artillery shells detonating simultaneously.
A massive shockwave, accompanied by flames and smoke, swept outward, forcing the spectators to retreat.
"Tch, he dodged that too!"
Ace clicked his tongue in disappointment. The Dragon Slayer was simply too fast—the flames could barely keep pace.
Meanwhile, having evaded the explosion, Rhodes gripped his sword with both hands and slashed fiercely downward.
"Thunder Dragon!"
BZZZZT!
Terrifying lightning gathered and compressed, transforming into a ferocious Thunder Dragon gleaming with brilliant silver-blue light, roaring forward.
Ace's expression darkened at the sight. He extended his right hand, and with a sizzling sound, a torrent of flames even vaster than his fire fist burst forth, charging toward the Thunder Dragon.
"Enjomo!"
BOOM!
The Thunder Dragon and the flame torrent collided like the clash of a blue world and a golden world, weaving a terrifying web of destructive energy.
With a tremendous explosion, the area erupted in an astonishing blast. The ground's surface burned and cracked, then shattered completely. Black fissures spread densely, each crack half a meter wide.
One could only imagine the devastating destructive power of these two fighters!
"This is too insane..."
Nami was completely stunned, murmuring in disbelief.
Chopper shrank behind Nami. He'd never imagined that Rhodes, who'd been so gentle moments ago, harbored such monstrous power within.
"Awesome!"
Luffy was incredibly excited.
"Looks like we're still a long way from being truly strong."
Sanji and Zoro exchanged glances, both seeing the same determination reflected in each other's eyes.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (40+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01