Chapter 317: Destroying Armament
Luke, in his half-beast form, was nearly four meters tall, with dark gold skin, wings on his back, and bulging muscles that, instead of appearing bulky, exuded a powerful and awe-inspiring aura.
He was enveloped in scorching black flames, his eyes flashing with cold light, and an aura of power gradually emanated from him. In a daze, a mysterious phantom appeared behind him, seemingly a terrifying beast.
At this moment, even the pirate captain felt a chill, trembling involuntarily in the face of Luke.
This was a suppression originating from the level of life itself, meaning Luke had developed his Devil Fruit to a very deep level, achieving a kind of near-primitive, materialized effect.
"Thunder God Swordsman..."
Luke gasped for breath, his body tense, his mind highly focused, ready to fight Rhodes to the death.
"Zoan-type Devil Fruit users are indeed resilient,"
Rhodes said, his gaze indifferent as he sized up Luke, seemingly trying to guess what Luke's ability was.
BOOM!
The next moment, he took a step forward, simultaneously focusing his mind, using electromagnetism as propulsion, and slamming his feet down, his body instantly breaking the sound barrier. A deafening explosion followed, and everything fell silent.
His body tore through the viscous air, like a fleeting shadow, instantly closing in.
BOOM!
The railing of the chair fixed to the ground beside him was blown away.
Luke's wild hair flew backward, black flames blazing in his eyes. Seeing the rapidly approaching figure, he took a step back and struck horizontally with both fists.
CLANG!
A terrifying shockwave rippled outward.
The blinding sparks illuminated the dim surroundings.
The terrifying force nearly broke Luke's wrist bones, his thick, steel-pillar-like feet sinking deep into the ground, a trickle of blood spurting from his mouth.
The sonic slash was powerful, worthy of being called a killing move, but at peak level, it wasn't considered a truly lethal technique.
This is because peak-level experts possess formidable Kenbunshoku Haki and astonishing combat intuition, making it almost impossible for them to fail to react.
Of course.
Reacting quickly doesn't mean you can dodge—it only means you have enough time to parry.
Thrown back by the recoil, Rhodes watched Luke, temporarily stunned by the sonic slash, his eyes calm. He unleashed a massive sword wave, the blade slicing through the air.
Luke, being one of the world's top Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, quickly recovered from his stunned state, sidestepping Rhodes's attack.
BOOM!
The sword wave swept across, tearing a nearly kilometer-long gash in the ground, shattering the walls of the venue and two buildings before finally stopping.
"Too powerful."
Nearby, many people paled, exchanging glances, all feeling they should retreat further.
They'd witnessed a powerful pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries be instantly obliterated by the aftershocks of the sword wave.
Huff.
Luke gasped for breath, feeling the pain in his internal organs from Rhodes's ferocious power. He wasn't a near-immortal monster like Kaido of the Beasts—his regenerative abilities had limits.
"If you continue to grow, perhaps in just two or three years, you could challenge the status of Kaido and Big Mom,"
Luke said, his voice heavy with a mixture of melancholy and astonishment. "Truly incredible talent. No wonder Marine Headquarters is so eager to eliminate you, even at the cost of provoking the hostility of major pirates in the New World."
Sakazuki's tough stance has displeased many powerful pirates, but many are simply unwilling to witness the birth of a super emperor and have chosen to wait and see.
Otherwise, the difficulties and attacks faced by the Marines would be several times greater.
Kuzan, who was overseeing the battle from afar,
was also somewhat silent. The last time he saw Rhodes was during the Paramount War.
At that time, although Rhodes claimed to be fighting Whitebeard one-on-one, he was actually just taking advantage of Whitebeard's age and weakness with his superior speed. In the end, Rhodes was caught off guard by Whitebeard and sent flying with a single punch, a truly crushing defeat.
Yet, in just over half a year, the Thunder God Swordsman had accomplished one earth-shattering feat after another.
His strength was no longer limited to speed—his physical prowess and both types of Haki were now top-notch, not inferior in the slightest.
Combined, he was even more formidable than Luke himself.
Luke, seeing this, was secretly pleased. His words weren't meaningless—he wanted to influence Kuzan, the former Marine Admiral, even if only slightly, as this might be the turning point.
At their level, raw strength was important, but mentality and conviction were even more crucial!
Rhodes glanced at Kuzan, not worried that Kuzan would hold back and deliberately let Kurman Luke escape.
On one hand, Kuzan hated Luke more than he did; on the other hand, having fought to this point, Rhodes was confident he could capture Luke.
The ebb and flow of power in battle was no joke.
Luke's regenerative abilities didn't come from nowhere.
However, just in case, Rhodes still accelerated his attack.
Whoosh!
A silver light exploded on the spot, and Rhodes appeared beside Luke, sword in hand, slashing down fiercely.
Luke lunged forward with both fists, blocking Rhodes's blade.
But at that moment, Rhodes's left hand, which was holding the sword, suddenly moved, gripping Kongōmaru at his waist and unleashing a sword-drawing technique.
Swoosh!
The sword strike was swift and unexpected—Luke was caught off guard and struck squarely in the chest. His Busoshoku Haki was sliced through, leaving a bloody gash on his chest and broken bones.
Pfft.
Luke coughed up blood, but remained calm despite the shock. He used one fist to block Raijin, while his other fist forcefully gripped Kongōmaru, preventing further damage, and simultaneously kicked out.
"Metsu Homura Geri!"
Black flames surged rapidly, almost forming a vortex, clinging to Luke's legs and unleashing a powerful impact that struck Rhodes.
Rhodes's two swords were both blocked. Fighting a martial arts expert in hand-to-hand combat was not a wise choice—he dodged backward.
"I was careless..."
Luke gasped, touching the sword wound on his chest.
It was visible that the wound on his chest was healing, but because the wound was so deep that his internal organs were almost visible, the healing process was slow and very troublesome.
His heart sank—he knew he couldn't continue like this.
"Metsu Busō!"
he roared, and the black flames on his body and his Busoshoku Haki trembled simultaneously. Gradually, the two slowly merged together, forming a unique shape.
It looked like burning Busoshoku Haki, giving off a terrifying aura.
BANG!
Luke stomped on the ground, charging toward Rhodes at a speed far exceeding his previous velocity.
"Hmm?"
Rhodes was slightly curious. Flames could actually fuse with Busoshoku Haki?
If this was due to Luke's Mythical Zoan ability, it wouldn't be surprising.
But if Busoshoku Haki itself could do this, it was quite interesting.
Flames are essentially a form of energy—if Busoshoku Haki could fuse with flames, it should also be compatible with lightning.
In that case, Rhodes could develop his abilities in this direction in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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