Chapter 270: Improvement
One month later.
King's Plateau, Dressrosa—Training Grounds.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Rhodes and Jinbe exchanged strikes—fists and palms colliding repeatedly, detonating with violent concussive force as the surrounding air vibrated from their impacts.
Both combatants moved with incredible speed, dodging and weaving through their exchange. For several remarkable minutes they remained evenly matched, which proved genuinely astonishing.
One must understand that Jinbe was a master of Fish-Man Karate, his physical combat techniques absolutely superb, with few capable of rivaling him in pure martial arts.
BANG!
Another powerful collision erupted.
Both fighters were forced backward, separating by over ten meters as they stood facing each other.
"Your strength has improved dramatically once again."
Jinbe panted heavily, staring intently at Rhodes while speaking with trembling disbelief:
"And the intensity of your Armament Haki has also increased substantially?!"
His tone overflowed with genuine shock, as though he'd witnessed something impossible.
One month wasn't particularly long, yet neither was it brief. For combatants of their caliber, improving strength even marginally within a month was considered exceptional progress—but Rhodes' advancement could only be described as a quantum leap!
The surge in physical power and Armament Haki intensity proved sufficient to suppress Jinbe in close-quarters combat.
If it weren't for his absolute mastery of hand-to-hand techniques, his skill at deflecting incoming force, and his marginally superior explosive power, he'd probably have been thoroughly dominated.
"More or less,"
Rhodes smiled knowingly. The faith power accumulated during the Dressrosa battle proved no less substantial than what he'd gained from the Marineford War.
However, what troubled Rhodes was discovering that the further his body evolved, the greater the energy consumption required. Evolving from slightly over ten percent to twenty percent had consumed most of his accumulated gains, leaving insufficient power for further advancement.
But it remained adequate.
Twenty percent evolutionary completion made Rhodes' physical strength surpass even Jinbe's—probably not inferior to a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user like Jack the Drought.
Naturally, this referenced raw strength and stamina reserves. His recovery capabilities still couldn't compare to genuine Zoan-type monsters.
As for his Armament Haki improvement, that had occurred almost accidentally.
When Rhodes discovered the remaining faith power proved insufficient for bodily evolution, he'd experimented to determine if he could enhance his Armament Haki's intensity instead.
After all, Armament Haki represented a form of energy fundamentally originating from one's body, so perhaps the approach remained feasible.
And then he'd discovered it actually worked!
Although the energy expenditure proved significant, the remaining faith power had successfully boosted Rhodes' Armament Haki, surpassing ordinary pirates' levels and approaching Jinbe's mastery.
"Incredible."
Jinbe was an exceptionally composed individual, rarely losing his emotional equilibrium, but Rhodes' progression rate proved genuinely terrifying—he couldn't suppress his amazement.
"You also need to train diligently and strive to surpass the natural limits of Fish-Men."
Rhodes smiled encouragingly.
Jinbe's current strength roughly equaled, or perhaps slightly exceeded, the unawakened Doflamingo's capabilities, but likely remained inferior to the awakened version.
The awakened Doflamingo, in terms of Devil Fruit mastery, had essentially reached Admiral-adjacent levels—seemingly comparable to the Three Calamities or Sweet Commanders.
If Jinbe wished to continue playing significant roles in future conflicts, he couldn't afford complacency. He needed to grow substantially stronger.
"I'm truly ashamed of my limitations."
Jinbe's tone carried embarrassment and helplessness.
Although he wanted to explain that at this stage, further strength improvements proved extraordinarily difficult, with Rhodes serving as a living counterexample, he couldn't bring himself to voice such excuses.
Just then—
Robin rushed onto the training grounds, looking directly at Rhodes with grave concern as she declared,
"Something serious has occurred."
"Hmm?"
Rhodes frowned with immediate attention.
Time rewinds slightly.
Punk Hazard.
This location had transformed into an apocalyptic landscape—ice and magma continuously eroding each other, filling the sky above the island with perpetual white mist.
At the boundary between frozen wasteland and molten hellscape, two tall men lay collapsed.
One of them leaned against a massive boulder, panting heavily as his trembling arm struggled to light a cigar. Despite his condition, the tall man couldn't suppress laughter.
He'd won. He'd actually won.
This victory carried immeasurable importance to him personally.
Pirates possessed dreams, the Navy upheld justice, and Sakazuki's justice was Absolute Justice. He intended to eliminate pirates systematically and bring order to the world.
To achieve such justice, he required that position.
Although winning this decisive battle didn't automatically guarantee him the Fleet Admiral position, his opponent had lost a leg, and with the Five Elders' backing, even if Sengoku and Garp opposed the appointment, their objections would prove meaningless.
Fleet Admiral!
This represented every Navy officer's ultimate aspiration, and Sakazuki was no exception. He felt profound exhilaration.
"Kuzan..."
Sakazuki's gaze fell upon the unconscious figure lying nearby, and he experienced momentary hesitation.
He and Kuzan had entered the Marines during the same period—colleagues for decades, though their diametrically opposed philosophies of justice had made them bitter ideological enemies.
Sakazuki understood his colleague intimately.
Having lost this decisive confrontation, Kuzan would most likely resign from the Marines entirely.
Such tremendous strength becoming an unstable variable on the seas represented genuine concern.
Sakazuki remained loyal to the World Government because it maintained order and stability throughout the world.
Better to live as a dog during peaceful times than as a man during chaotic eras.
Sakazuki's personal experiences had instilled profound hatred for pirates, and he genuinely didn't wish to eventually face his colleague and nemesis across a battlefield.
After considerable internal debate—
Sakazuki abandoned the notion of executing Kuzan while vulnerable.
This wasn't motivated by friendship. At this juncture, such sentiments were utterly meaningless. He was simply considering the probable reactions from Garp and Sengoku.
If he killed Kuzan here, those two would likely never accept it, and the Fleet Admiral position might experience renewed turbulence.
Almost the instant he released that murderous intent, approaching footsteps echoed.
Sakazuki reluctantly turned his head, witnessing an elderly white-haired man slowly approaching.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
Sakazuki's heart skipped anxiously. Fortunately, he hadn't committed any irreversible actions—otherwise, who knew what this legendary man might do in response.
He understood that Garp had always harbored significant dissatisfaction toward him.
"..."
Garp remained utterly silent, yet radiated suppressed presence—like an ancient humanoid beast capable of shattering the earth itself.
Sakazuki experienced genuine apprehension.
In these circumstances, with no witnesses present, if Garp genuinely intended to kill him and declare Kuzan the victor instead, nobody would ever know the truth. Even if the Five Elders harbored suspicions, they could only accept the outcome with private reservations.
Garp glanced at him briefly, seemingly deducing the younger man's anxious thoughts, then—too irritated to engage further—carefully lifted Kuzan and departed without additional comment.
In this timeline, Sakazuki had failed to kill Ace.
Therefore, only minor friction existed between Garp and Sakazuki—not yet escalated to the level of mortal enmity.
After Garp's departure, numerous footsteps rapidly approached from the distance.
A contingent of Marines, accompanied by medical personnel, quickly arrived and respectfully transferred Sakazuki onto a stretcher.
Although the man was currently covered in severe frostbite and so weakened he could barely move independently, he likely represented the next Fleet Admiral—nobody dared show the slightest negligence.
After boarding the warship, Sakazuki received a critical phone call.
"This is Sakazuki."
"Since you've achieved victory, prepare to formally assume the Fleet Admiral position." An aged, authoritative voice transmitted through the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes, sir."
Sakazuki replied with utmost respect.
The speaker represented one of the World Government's rulers—the Five Elders themselves.
Even as Fleet Admiral, he would continue serving their directives.
"Recover from your injuries thoroughly and restore the Navy's prestige to its former glory."
The aged voice concluded and terminated the transmission.
"Excellent!"
Finally receiving official confirmation, Sakazuki's face remained carefully expressionless, though his heart surged with profound satisfaction.
"Red-Haired Shanks, Blackbeard, Kaido of the Beasts, Big Mom... and the Thunder God Swordsman."
One figure after another flashed through Sakazuki's mind. In his perception, these individuals represented destabilizing elements threatening the seas' stability—all requiring systematic elimination.
All for Absolute Justice.
(End of Chapter)
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