Chapter 263: Darkness
Facing the cascading waves of thread sweeping toward him from every direction, Rhodes frowned slightly.
The sheer volume was staggering.
Moreover—
While Doflamingo's raw attack power wasn't quite as devastating as Rhodes', it certainly wasn't weak either. It remained sufficient to breach Rhodes' defenses if he made even a single mistake.
He needed to exercise caution to avoid being completely surrounded by the threads—otherwise, he might genuinely find himself in serious trouble.
Rhodes' Observation Haki spread outward, scanning all directions with analytical precision.
Although threads occupied every vector, due to Doflamingo's positioning, some sections were closer, others distant, some densely packed, others sparse and thin.
Within moments, Rhodes detected a structural weakness and immediately rushed toward it.
Before even closing the distance, Rhodes slashed downward with devastating intent.
WHOOOOSH!
The electrified sword energy swept across the sky like an apocalyptic force, directly shattering the wave of threads and creating a viable opening.
Amid the raging winds, Rhodes moved like a streak of lightning itself, flashing through the gap.
The threads relentlessly pursued him, tearing through earth and stone, yet utterly unable to catch up.
"..."
Doflamingo remained completely calm. He was acutely aware of the fundamental gap between himself and Rhodes—a chasm that couldn't be bridged by Devil Fruit Awakening alone.
Therefore, Doflamingo had decided to utilize his Awakening purely to buy critical time.
Observing Rhodes charge forward, he retreated strategically, adjusting his position while simultaneously manipulating countless threads to intercept the assault.
The CP0 operative wasn't idle either, occasionally unleashing ranged attacks that—while insufficient to force Rhodes backward—proved adequate to momentarily freeze his advance.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the tense gazes of countless observers worldwide, all three combatants employed their respective techniques, moving at incredible speeds.
Threads and sword energy collided continuously, detonating into astonishing shockwaves that roared across the battlefield incessantly.
"Tate Shirasu—Shield White Line!"
Doflamingo swept both hands forward as white waves surged from the converted earth like tsunami forces, blocking Rhodes' incoming sword energy.
CRASH!
The sword energy pierced through atmosphere, shattering threads systematically.
Doflamingo crossed both arms before him, coating them in Armament Haki to deflect the residual force of the sword energy. As he flew backward, he flicked his fingers, sending threads behind Rhodes to entangle him from the rear.
"Rankyaku: Asuka—Storm Leg: Flying Bird!"
Simultaneously, the CP operative kicked outward, launching a sharp cutting slash aimed directly at Rhodes.
The air itself tore apart from the technique's velocity.
Rhodes remained utterly composed, casually flicking out a bolt of lightning to scatter the threads attacking from behind, then shattered the CP operative's Rankyaku with a single sword strike before charging toward Doflamingo once again.
Although Doflamingo's overall strength still remained inferior to Rhodes' even after his Devil Fruit Awakening, with the CP operative's tactical assistance, he'd successfully committed to a delaying strategy.
For a considerable duration, despite being frequently wounded by Rhodes' sword energy, the battle reached a genuine stalemate.
On the other side of the battlefield, under the coordinated siege of numerous Donquixote Family executives and hired combatants, Enel and his group's offensive momentum was being systematically contained. Due to factors like mounting physical exhaustion, they gradually fell into disadvantageous positions.
Dressrosa remained, fundamentally, enemy territory. Even with Enel's formidable individual strength, he couldn't withstand the relentless waves of attacks indefinitely.
Noticing this tactical shift, Rhodes' expression hardened with resolve.
The primary objective of this decisive battle was leveraging the Donquixote Family's reputation and influence to pave his path toward Emperor status.
Secondly, it served as baptism by fire for Robin, Enel, Law, and the others.
It was easy to imagine that conquering the New World and confronting the Four Emperors would involve countless battles both large and small—Enel and the others desperately needed this caliber of combat experience.
Finally, there existed the personal conflict between Rhodes and Doflamingo himself.
However—
Baptism through combat was one thing, but excessive casualties would completely betray their original intentions.
Rhodes' eyes flashed with determination. He suddenly unleashed his Haoshoku Haki—Conqueror's Haki—a tangible pressure that shook heaven and earth itself, sweeping across the entire battlefield in every direction.
WOOOOOOM!
In an instant, the vast majority of Donquixote Family's elite members below executive rank collapsed like wheat before a scythe, their eyes rolling back as they fell unconscious from the overwhelming spiritual pressure!
With significantly fewer supporting forces, Enel and his crew felt immediate relief from the mounting pressure and gradually stabilized their defensive lines.
"Don't you dare underestimate me!"
Doflamingo's rage exploded upon witnessing Rhodes—in the midst of their fierce battle—still finding capacity to deploy Conqueror's Haki to disrupt the main battlefield.
It wasn't that this maneuver would dramatically affect the overall strategic situation, but rather that Rhodes was being deliberately disrespectful!
While Rhodes' strength was undeniably overwhelming and dominant, Doflamingo remained a world-renowned pirate overlord himself—how could he tolerate such blatant humiliation?
He roared furiously, his hands flashing with violent motion as countless threads converged into sixteen extraordinarily thick spikes, their razor-sharp tips gleaming with purplish-black Armament Haki.
"Jūroku Hatsu no Seinaru Kyūdan: Kamika—Sixteen Holy Bullets: God Thread!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The obviously armor-piercing Holy Bullets shot through the air with devastating velocity, launching toward Rhodes in a densely packed formation that covered every possible escape vector.
Rhodes remained utterly unfazed. Sword in hand, he displayed absolutely astonishing swordsmanship—slashing, chopping, cutting, parrying...
In a single explosive moment, he unleashed sixteen perfect sword strikes, the blade light flashing like starbursts, sweeping away everything in its path.
Even the resilient awakened threads were instantly severed, losing all structural integrity and dissipating into the atmosphere.
The battle continued raging across Dressrosa.
Doflamingo was covered head to toe in wounds, his signature pink feathered coat torn to absolute shreds, his body painted with bloodstains, bones and muscles suffering severe structural damage.
However, thanks to the extraordinary repairing capabilities of his Ito Ito no Mi, his injuries remained contained, allowing him to barely continue fighting.
Doflamingo's willpower was undoubtedly extraordinarily strong to have endured this long, calmly dealing with Rhodes' relentless assault.
"Enjoy your arrogance while it lasts..."
"When the Marines arrive, it'll mark your execution!"
Just as Doflamingo cursed under his breath with venomous hatred, a strange power suddenly spread from underground, instantly affecting the entirety of Dressrosa.
In the underground factory, the sound of explosive detonations had just subsided, leaving thick smoke filling the enclosed space.
Bones stood there with a cold, expressionless demeanor, while not far away lay Trebol—his face deathly pale—and Sugar, who had collapsed completely unconscious.
The Dressrosa operation plan had undergone numerous refinements and revisions. Every single Donquixote Family member and potential adversary had been meticulously calculated and accounted for.
The Navy—the most likely intervention force—was naturally included within those calculations.
Exposing Dressrosa's hidden darkness represented undoubtedly one of the most effective methods to influence Naval response.
The Navy wasn't the World Government itself, nor was it comprised of CP agents. It was a righteous institution dedicated to maintaining order across the seas, and its operational actions required clear justification.
Exposing Dressrosa's darkness might not prove sufficient to force the Navy into outright defection, but it remained quite possible they would adopt a neutral stance and await direct orders.
After all, Rhodes' official status remained that of a Shichibukai—not a mere pirate.
"You are... Bones from Baroque Works?"
Trebol's face darkened with a mixture of profound shock and rising panic upon recognizing the man's iron-like physique.
He hadn't anticipated the enemy possessed knowledge of Sugar's existence and had specifically targeted her for elimination.
This represented an extraordinarily serious problem.
Dressrosa—the "pirate nation"—this passionate and vibrant country had always symbolized light itself, representing the greatest achievement of the Shichibukai system, and was frequently publicized by the World Government as a success story.
But when the darkness hidden beneath that manufactured light became exposed, this frequently promoted achievement would transform into a massive scandal, severely damaging the World Government's international reputation.
Most critically, this would inevitably trigger unpredictable changes regarding the Naval reinforcements currently en route.
Trebol understood with sinking certainty that something catastrophic was about to unfold.
However, he couldn't contact Doflamingo—
Because Bones had already charged forward and engaged him in direct combat.
Bones' growth rate had proven extraordinarily rapid. After mastering both types of Haki and combining them with his Devil Fruit ability—which proved exceptionally suited for combat applications—his fighting prowess had become genuinely formidable even by New World standards.
He was absolutely not inferior to Trebol, one of the highest-ranking officers in the entire Donquixote Family.
(End of Chapter)
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