Chapter 307: An Unexpected Person
"Integrating the underworld? What a grand ambition!"
Rhodes glanced at the intelligence Robin handed him and laughed.
Doflamingo was incredibly powerful back then, using his Celestial Dragon status to control both the legitimate and criminal worlds, expanding his underground trade worldwide, but he never considered integrating the underworld.
He merely became the core of the underworld's trading network.
While he had some influence over other forces, he was far from being able to integrate and dominate them.
"The Kurman family is qualified in terms of both strength and experience, and they've mostly integrated small and medium-sized forces, with relatively few major pirates. It all depends on Luke's capabilities."
Robin paused, her beautiful eyes looking at Rhodes, and said,
"The underworld is a force not to be underestimated. If there's a chance to unify it, it might increase our chances of victory..."
These high-ranking members had already learned about the Giant Squad's situation and had gained some confidence for the upcoming decisive battle.
"We can try..."
Rhodes stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.
"However, ordinary methods will probably be difficult to subdue them, and I don't have much to offer in terms of incentives."
Robin said expressionlessly, "Just kill those who resist, and we'll subdue them all."
"..."
Rhodes glanced at Robin in surprise. She was indeed quite ruthless...
but...
she was domineering enough—he liked it!
Besides, consolidating the underworld should also bring a large wave of Faith Power, right?
To resist the Marines, not only did they need to expand their power, but further strengthening himself was the most crucial thing. If he possessed the dominance of peak Whitebeard, how could the Marines dare to start a war so easily?!
Marcus Island.
The nearby hot spring island, famous far and wide, appears incredibly prosperous on the surface, but in reality, it is one of the bases of the Kurman family, a top power in the underworld.
The Kurman family's intention to consolidate the underworld certainly wasn't without reason.
For this gathering, the Kurman family spent a fortune, spearheading a large-scale underground auction, and it was rumored there was even a Logia-type Devil Fruit among the auction items!
Rhodes arrived through a portal and found Marcus Island bustling with activity, filled with burly men and beautiful women, most exuding a menacing aura—clearly ruthless individuals.
However, these people weren't causing trouble, as many men in black patrolled the streets.
Rhodes knew these men in black were special forces trained from childhood by the Kurman family.
Although Rhodes had easily defeated them, they still posed a significant threat to ordinary strong individuals—otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to surround the giants.
"A hot spring?"
Rhodes sensed the subtle change in his surroundings and couldn't help but smile softly.
The last time he'd soaked in a hot spring was when he was learning swordsmanship from Momousagi.
He wondered how his teacher was doing lately.
Rhodes sighed softly—a decisive battle between the Marines and him was inevitable, and his teacher must be having a tough time.
"Never mind, I won't dwell on it. My teacher is powerful—the Marines shouldn't target her just because of her relationship with me."
Rhodes shook his head, much like Garp and Dragon.
His son was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, yet Garp remained a Vice Admiral in the Marines.
"Let's find a hot spring to relax in."
Rhodes wasn't in a hurry to cause trouble for the Kurman family, especially since the auction hadn't started yet.
Rhodes's plan was simple:
crush the Kurman family, intimidate the underworld, harvest Faith Power, and unify the underworld's forces.
"I wonder how strong Luke is. If he's not good at escaping, maybe I can try to kill a peak-level combatant?"
Defeating a peak-level expert wasn't difficult, but killing one would be incredibly challenging.
Although Rhodes had a speed advantage, others might have special methods, such as flight or spatial abilities like the Doa Doa no Mi.
No peak-level expert should be underestimated!
After some inquiries, Rhodes arrived at the most famous hot spring in the area.
Entering the hot spring establishment, Rhodes learned this was a natural hot spring, so the price was high, but that didn't matter.
Stepping into the men's section, the undressed Rhodes immediately felt a wave of heat.
The room was very large, at least several hundred square meters, and because it was an outdoor natural hot spring, there wasn't much decoration—just stacked stones.
Rhodes walked a few steps further toward the hot spring pool. Just as he was about to step into the water, he suddenly paused, for he saw a familiar figure.
The man, equally surprised to encounter Rhodes, also looked astonished.
The two naked men then faced each other on opposite sides of the pool.
"I never expected to run into you here,"
Rhodes broke the silence, stepping into the hot spring water.
Marcus Island is a renowned hot spring island, so the quality of its hot spring water is undoubtedly top-notch, far superior to the wild hot springs Rhodes used to soak in.
Rhodes felt himself begin to relax—it seemed the recent pressure from the Marines had indeed made him somewhat tense.
"Ara ara, I never expected to encounter the renowned Thunder God Swordsman here. What a coincidence!"
the man said slowly, though somewhat weakly.
As a Devil Fruit user, while soaking in the hot spring wasn't quite as draining as seawater, he still exercised some restraint.
"Aren't you afraid I'll attack now, former Marine Admiral, Kuzan-san?"
Rhodes rubbed his shoulders and smiled slightly.
"I don't recall having any grudge against you."
Kuzan didn't care—he knew Rhodes somewhat, and he wasn't a villain who killed indiscriminately.
"That's true."
Rhodes nodded. Kuzan had left the Marines, and regardless of any deeper reasons, the two of them weren't enemies at this moment.
"I heard you defeated Sakazuki—it's unbelievable, considering I suffered a crushing defeat at his hands."
Kuzan exhaled.
"Sakazuki does have some strength. I only had the advantage of Haoshoku Haki."
Rhodes laughed.
"Sakazuki? Not a bad name."
Kuzan was taken aback, then smiled:
"In any case, a win is a win. I'm afraid I'm no match for you."
Kuzan sighed, feeling rather old—after all, Rhodes wasn't even half his age.
"What are you doing here?"
"Taking revenge..."
Kuzan paused slightly, not hiding anything.
He used to be a Marine Admiral—there were many things he couldn't do—but now that he was out of the Marines, he was no longer bound by those constraints.
Naturally, he wanted to settle scores and grievances!
"Taking revenge?"
Rhodes showed a hint of interest, gesturing for him to continue.
Kuzan glanced at him, and after a long pause, said expressionlessly:
"There's nothing I can't say. The Kurman family here was once defeated by me. They couldn't beat me, so they could only target some of my comrades, companions, and even family members..."
"At the time, I had to consider the bigger picture and couldn't act recklessly, but now... heh."
A meaningful laugh echoed.
(End of Chapter)
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