Chapter 261: Ruthless Slaughter
"Incredible!"
"This battlefield is absolutely insane!"
The reporters who'd dared to venture into Dressrosa were true professionals—elite journalists second only to Editor-in-Chief Morgans himself within the World Economic Journal's hierarchy, with extensive field experience under their belts.
Yet even they found themselves utterly shocked by what they were witnessing.
"The boss might've misjudged this one—that Thunder God Swordsman is every bit as formidable as Blackbeard," one whispered urgently to his colleague.
They were currently maneuvering along the battlefield's periphery, carefully avoiding the heavy artillery bombardments while gathering intelligence, their hearts pounding with equal parts excitement and terror.
"The Goro Goro no Mi user, Jinbe the Knight of the Sea, Nico Robin the Devil Child, Trafalgar Law the Surgeon of Death... even the Blackbeard Pirates—the crew most likely to replace Whitebeard as the Fourth Emperor—couldn't match this force!"
"They've got a real shot at Emperor status, but only if they survive this battle first. The Marines will be here any minute now."
"We'll see soon enough..."
Meanwhile, in the heart of the combat zone, the battle had reached fever pitch intensity while simultaneously settling into a brutal stalemate.
Enel, Robin, and the other crew members were locked in combat against numerous Donquixote Family executives, while Jinbe clashed fiercely with Kalos.
None of these battles would conclude quickly—certainly not before the Navy's arrival.
"..."
Observing the devastated battlefield sprawling before him, Doflamingo's expression remained absolutely frigid, betraying no emotion whatsoever.
He was a ruthless tyrant through and through; casualties were merely statistics to him.
In Doflamingo's calculation, as long as he achieved final victory and eliminated Rhodes—this dangerous adversary—even losing most of his officers would prove worthwhile in the end.
The two CP operatives shared his cold indifference, their faces masks of professional detachment.
"Rankyaku: Kaze—Storm Leg: Wind Slash!"
"Niju Tobu Shigan—Double Flying Finger Gun!"
Their combat intelligence was extraordinary. After just a few brief exchanges, they'd clearly assessed the gap in raw power between themselves and Rhodes, shifting their strategy to delay tactics and preventing him from closing distance.
"Ashi Shave Ito—Foot Shave Thread!"
Simultaneously, Doflamingo launched a flying kick, his threads wrapped in dense Armament Haki as they pierced toward Rhodes like black spears.
Facing the coordinated assault from all three opponents, Rhodes' expression remained utterly unchanged. Gripping his sword with both hands, he unleashed a devastating thunder-infused slash.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The electrified sword energy swept across the sky with apocalyptic force—seemingly capable of cleaving heaven and earth in two.
Rhodes' thunder-enhanced slashes matched even Shiki the Golden Lion's legendary attacks—genuine Admiral-level devastation.
Therefore, despite Doflamingo and his companions' perfect coordination and independently executed attacks, they were still completely overwhelmed and swept aside by that single strike.
The slash's residual shockwaves tore through the air itself, continuing to surge forward with undiminished fury.
Doflamingo and both CP0 operatives' expressions shifted dramatically. They all deployed their abilities and Armament Haki defensively, but were still sent flying backward violently, blood spraying from their mouths, searing pain radiating across their blackened skin.
"This bastard's power..."
Doflamingo's expression turned extraordinarily grim, genuine disbelief flickering across his features.
He had developed the Ito Ito no Mi to near perfection, and when reinforced with Armament Haki, his strings became incredibly resilient—dozens or even hundreds bundled together made them extraordinarily difficult to sever.
Yet Rhodes' single strike was unbelievably powerful, comparable to those legendary swordsmen who'd reached the absolute pinnacle of their craft.
Whoosh!
Rhodes flashed into the air, then brought his blade down in a devastating overhead slash.
A brilliant arc of sword energy erupted forth, its terrifying sharpness tearing through the ground even before impact, accompanied by a piercing whistle that cut through the battlefield's chaos.
"Shit!"
Sensing the devastating power behind this strike, Doflamingo's expression changed sharply as he slammed his hands downward without hesitation.
"Kumo no Su Kabe—Spider's Web Wall!"
In an instant, countless threads erupted, rapidly interweaving to form a massive web, each strand coated with dense Armament Haki.
The next moment, Rhodes' slash struck home.
It immediately dented the spiderweb wall, the cutting sound echoing continuously as threads snapped repeatedly, the entire structure nearly collapsing instantaneously.
Whoosh!
Seizing that brief moment of resistance, Doflamingo barely managed to dodge, the sword energy slamming into the ground and carving a hundred-meter-long fissure directly through the battlefield!
The dissipating shockwaves tore outward, leaving a thin bloodline across Doflamingo's cheek.
Seeing Doflamingo in mortal danger, both CP0 operatives rushed toward Rhodes almost instinctively, each launching attacks from opposite flanks.
"Tekkai Shigan—Iron Finger Gun!"
"Tekkai Shogeki—Iron Body Impact!"
A devastating punch and a piercing finger strike converged on Rhodes from both sides simultaneously.
Rhodes smiled faintly, as though he'd anticipated this exact scenario.
"Raimei Arashi—Thunderstorm!"
Terrifying lightning power—accumulated throughout the battle—erupted with a deafening roar as two massive, dragon-like bolts of electricity burst forth from his body.
"Damn it!"
Neither CP0 operative had expected Rhodes' attack speed to be so phenomenal—he'd just unleashed a devastating sword slash and was already firing twin lightning strikes.
They attempted to evade, but caught mid-air, even their immediate deployment of Geppou to dodge proved insufficient—both were struck directly.
BOOOOOM!
Both operatives were blasted backward violently, their bodies crackling with electricity, charred black, and temporarily paralyzed by the voltage surging through their nervous systems.
Rhodes showed no mercy whatsoever. Kicking off the air itself with a shockwave, he pursued one of the CP0 operatives with lethal intent.
His aerial combat capabilities had improved dramatically following his battle with the Golden Lion. While still slower than his ground-based speed, his movements remained lightning-fast.
Afterimages streaked through the air.
Within moments, Rhodes caught up with the CP0 operative who'd been thrown back, raising his sword for an execution slash.
Seeing death approaching, the CP0 operative's eyes flashed with grim resolve. Rather than attempting to block Rhodes' blade, he instead launched a counterattack kick.
As one of CP0's elite agents—ranked just below captain level—he'd been conditioned and brainwashed since childhood, long since accepting death as an occupational hazard.
Slash! Thud!
The blade pierced through air, only momentarily hindered by hardened Armament Haki before tearing through flesh and bone, completely shattering the CP0 operative's skull. The residual force churned it into unrecognizable pulp.
Not everyone possessed Whitebeard's monstrous durability to survive losing half a head.
With such catastrophic trauma, this CP0 operative was unquestionably doomed.
But his final counterattack carried genuine weight—a thunderous kick, loaded with devastating force, slammed directly into Rhodes' abdomen.
However, Rhodes had already coated that entire area with substantial Armament Haki, turning it jet black and gleaming with metallic luster like battle armor.
THWAM!
Rhodes was knocked backward by the impact.
The immense force caused his blood to surge violently, though he didn't even cough up blood.
Witnessing this, the CP0 operative—whose head had been destroyed—immediately dimmed his fading consciousness, his body plummeting toward the ground below, rapidly losing all signs of life.
This marked the first high-tier combatant to fall in this decisive battle!
"Stings a bit,"
Rhodes landed gracefully, rubbing his abdomen casually, feeling moderate pain but nothing debilitating.
In retrospect, this CP0 operative's attack power was comparable to the legendary pirate Byrnndi World's devastating strikes.
However, Rhodes had systematically enhanced his physical capabilities before arriving at Dressrosa, improving his overall combat specifications. Therefore, despite the powerful kick causing his blood to surge internally, he'd sustained only minor injuries that didn't affect his combat effectiveness whatsoever.
At that moment—
Doflamingo and the remaining CP0 operative finally recovered from their momentary shock, witnessing this scene with expressions turning extraordinarily grim, genuine apprehension flooding their features.
Nobody had anticipated that such a relatively minor tactical error—not even a serious mistake—would result in immediate death.
The combination of extreme speed and coordinated striking power was truly terrifying.
Moreover, Rhodes' combat intuition was exceptionally sharp, his ability to seize opportunities and expand advantages absolutely remarkable.
"Seems like you won't last those two hours after all,"
Rhodes stated calmly, standing with sword drawn as he regarded Doflamingo with cold certainty.
(End of Chapter)