Chapter 272: Drought Jack
"Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea?"
Jack's gaze locked onto Jinbe the instant he disembarked from the vessel, fierce fighting spirit flashing within his eyes.
Kyoshiro, concealed in the shadow of Jack's towering figure, observed Jinbe with calculated interest, wanting to assess his diplomatic approach.
"Welcome to Dressrosa,"
Jinbe stated calmly, bowing slightly in formal greeting.
"Quite meticulous indeed,"
Kyoshiro's eyes gleamed with approval as he discreetly nudged Jack's leg, signaling him to proceed directly to their true purpose.
With permission granted, Jack's eyes lit up with barely contained eagerness. He'd endured constant scolding from Kyoshiro throughout the entire journey and was absolutely seething with pent-up aggression!
"We Beast Pirates don't waste time with empty pleasantries. Show us your strength!"
Jack clenched his massive fist, creating an incredible sonic boom that rippled through the harbor.
"Please, this way. There's a dedicated arena,"
Jinbe replied calmly, though somewhat surprised by the directness.
The Beast Pirates' operational methods were universally known.
Their captain was a suicidal madman, and while his subordinates weren't quite as extreme, they remained extraordinarily warlike.
This was precisely why Rhodes had dispatched Jinbe rather than the more diplomatically-inclined Robin.
Upon receiving news of Jack's requested sparring match with Jinbe, Rhodes smiled knowingly:
"Not bad. Very much the Beast Pirates' style."
"Their actual leader should be this elderly man, named Kyoshiro—the strategic mind behind the Beast Pirates,"
Robin commented casually.
Few possessed detailed intelligence regarding the Four Emperors' crew compositions, but this category didn't include Doflamingo, especially concerning the Beast Pirates with whom he'd maintained close business ties.
Rhodes and his organization, having completely inherited Doflamingo's legacy, naturally received this invaluable intelligence network.
"Let's observe personally."
Rhodes rose slowly and proceeded toward the training grounds.
Throughout the New World, strength always remained the primary standard for evaluating potential alliances.
With Doflamingo's capabilities, he certainly couldn't gain advantageous positioning in dealings with the Beast Pirates. Even possessing monopolistic control over artificial Devil Fruits, he'd still been significantly suppressed, resulting in reduced profit margins.
Rhodes, however, operated differently.
As a potential Yonko, he possessed sufficient confidence and strength to negotiate on equal footing with the Beast Pirates.
Artificial Devil Fruits possessed inherent flaws—perhaps even exploitable vulnerabilities—which Rhodes wasn't overly concerned about, but the Beast Pirates desperately required them.
Rhodes could leverage them to acquire Seastone, Paramecia-type Devil Fruits incompatible with the Beast Pirates' preferences, and legendary-grade swords.
The Training Grounds.
The previous Dressrosa battle had reduced numerous buildings to rubble, making reconstruction extraordinarily challenging. Therefore, Rhodes had directly ordered demolition of certain structures to create vast training grounds for military forces.
"It's Jinbe-aniki!"
"Who are those people? They look incredibly arrogant."
Someone couldn't suppress their exclamation upon witnessing the haughty Jack and his entourage.
The person beside them immediately covered their mouth and whispered urgently,
"Are you insane? Those are the Beast Pirates!"
"What?!"
The speaker immediately paled and fell into terrified silence.
Jinbe's group arrived at the training grounds alongside the Beast Pirates delegation.
Kyros—responsible for soldier training—had already received advance notice and dispersed the regular troops, positioning them around the square's perimeter to prevent potential incidents.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed as Jinbe and Jack the Drought arrived at the field's center, standing several dozen meters apart.
Jinbe was powerfully built and quite tall, easily exceeding three meters, but Jack proved even more imposing, approaching five or six meters in height.
Their mere presence exuded overwhelming pressure, inspiring instinctive fear.
The two combatants stared at each other intently, neither immediately initiating combat.
Jack awaited Kyoshiro's signal, while Jinbe waited for Rhodes' arrival.
This was Dressrosa territory. Although the nominal rulers remained the Riku royal family, everyone understood that Rhodes was the true king of this nation.
A commotion arose as the soldiers' defensive formation parted like a tide.
A young man in white robes slowly approached the arena.
He wasn't particularly tall or exceptionally muscular, yet he possessed an extraordinarily special presence. His eyes appeared unfathomably deep, like black holes, and his mere appearance commanded everyone's absolute attention.
The soldiers displayed expressions of profound reverence and fervent devotion, like believers witnessing their deity.
Even powerful figures like Kyros showed expressions of genuine awe.
"The Thunder God Swordsman..."
Kyoshiro's eyes narrowed slightly—this development proved somewhat unexpected.
He'd assumed Rhodes' occupation of Dressrosa would inevitably generate conflict with the local royal family, but he hadn't anticipated Rhodes enjoying such extraordinary prestige within Dressrosa itself.
Judging from the fervor radiating from the soldiers' gazes, he harbored no doubt that even if Rhodes chose to overthrow the regime immediately, these troops wouldn't utter a single word of protest.
"How did he accomplish this?"
Kyoshiro found it profoundly difficult to comprehend. Overwhelming strength could inspire awe and fear, certainly, but not this caliber of reverence and fanatical devotion.
After all, Kaido of the Beasts had ruled Wano Country for many years, yet his image among the populace remained that of a demon—seemingly impossible to alter.
Rhodes remained outwardly composed. This merely represented a subtle application of faith power manipulation.
He was Dressrosa's liberator, already possessing substantial prestige and enjoying widespread adoration.
For ordinary individuals, such adoration might naturally fade with time's passage.
But Rhodes, through strategic application of faith power, could solidify and amplify these emotions, thereby cultivating a large devoted following.
Naturally, this tactic only proved effective against weaker-willed soldiers. It demonstrated far less impact on powerful individuals like Kyros.
"Given their respective strengths, they'll probably need to fight until sustaining serious injuries before determining a victor,"
Rhodes remarked casually as he approached Kyoshiro's position.
"Whoever sustains injury and coughs up blood first shall be declared the loser?"
Kyoshiro suggested with a knowing smile, completely unfazed by Rhodes' imposing presence.
"Acceptable terms."
Rhodes nodded agreement.
With their consensus established, Jinbe and Jack naturally held no objections.
Both combatants retreated to a distance of roughly ten meters.
"Begin!"
As Kyros' authoritative voice fell, both Jinbe and Jack moved simultaneously.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both were absolute masters of physical combat, employing no fancy techniques—clashing immediately upon engagement.
BOOOOOM!
Two fists coated in dense Armament Haki collided, first producing a deafening roar.
Then the surrounding air vibrated violently, unleashing devastating shockwaves.
The ground cracked extensively, forming spiderweb patterns as both fighters channeled their overwhelming power into the earth itself.
BANG!
Both combatants retreated momentarily, then launched even more terrifying follow-up attacks.
Amid surging shockwaves, the two figures battled ferociously, moving with incredible velocity, their forms becoming indistinct—only afterimages remained visible.
They exchanged blows repeatedly, sparks erupting between colliding fists and palms in a breathtaking spectacle.
This caliber of battle proved completely incomprehensible to ordinary soldiers. Each clash shattered earth and stone, generating fierce winds that whipped across the arena.
"Jinbe's still somewhat outmatched."
Rhodes shook his head with mild disappointment. While ordinary observers couldn't perceive the tactical nuances, he could analyze everything clearly.
Although Jinbe's martial techniques proved more refined and sophisticated, Jack the Drought surpassed Jinbe in both Haki intensity and raw physical power.
That disparity alone wouldn't prove decisive.
The primary issue was Jack the Drought's incredible resilience and superhuman recovery capabilities. When struck by Jinbe's attacks, he seemed completely unaffected—not even breaking a sweat.
Sure enough, the outcome was determined relatively quickly.
Jinbe lost decisively.
(End of Chapter)
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