One Piece: Fist of the World

Rhodes's Mastery and the Journey Ahead

North Blue

"Phew~~ The wind is so noisy today!" Rhodes stood on the small balcony on the second floor, feeling the sea breeze, and was in a very good mood. This was the third day after they left Tiger Shark Island.

In Neo's Youth Training Manual, the training principles of the Six Powers were recorded in detail, along with many key points and his own experiences. However, "Knights Never Die Barehanded" was as unreasonable as ever. When Rhodes held the longsword seized from Onigumo, the weapon completely transformed to his liking. Both the characteristics of the weapon itself and the various usage techniques of its original owner were openly accessible to Rhodes without reservation. At this point, Life Return was no longer a secret to Rhodes. With the combination of the two, Rhodes had mastered all Six Powers in just two days. He had also figured out the secret of the Six Powers, the Six Kings Spear, which gathers all the body's strength and instantly bursts out as a shockwave, as he explored it. I think in just a few days, I will be able to master it.

"Are you finally willing to put down the longsword you captured?" Seeing Rhodes walk out of the room empty-handed, Nia couldn't help but tease him. Ever since she handed over the training manual that Neo gave her to Rhodes two days ago, Rhodes had been studying it intently. While the results looked good, Rhodes would occasionally leave his room during these two days to experiment with the Six Powers on the ship. However, almost every time, Rhodes held the longsword seized from the Navy in his hand, waving it in front of them. It was as if he was constantly emphasizing that he had defeated a veteran Vice Admiral and seized his personal weapon.

"Has the novelty worn off?"

"I guess so." It was not convenient to talk about his "golden finger," so Rhodes waved his hand casually and changed the subject.

"Tsk, it turns out that all men are the same; they don't care anymore after the novelty wears off."

"Don't read too much into it!" Rhodes crossed his arms and interrupted Nia's dangerous topic. "When it comes to seeking novelty, cats are even more so."

"That's right! I just get bored easily!" Nia nodded generously.

"Neru, how long do we have until we reach Reverse Mountain?" Without continuing to discuss this topic, Rhodes turned to Neru and asked.

"It should be here in about an hour." Neru glanced at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "The weather is nice today, which is good news. After all, we don't have many people. If we encounter bad weather again, I would be a little worried."

"Although I don't believe in things like fate, we are pretty lucky."

Law's Questions and Rhodes's Confidence

"By the way, Rhodes, how strong is the Vice Admiral?" Shortly after Rhodes walked out of the room, Law also emerged from his infirmary. Seeing that Rhodes had come out of his study state, Law finally couldn't help but ask this question. Yesterday's newspaper had published the news of their rampage on Tiger Shark Island. Along with their news, another piece of breaking news also appeared: "Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, Onigumo, fights against Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

After reading the newspaper, Law learned that Doflamingo arrived at Tiger Shark Island shortly after they had left. It seemed that Rhodes's previous judgment was correct: after Gladius was killed, Doflamingo couldn't help but travel directly from the Grand Line. If they had stayed a little longer on Tiger Shark Island that day, they might have run into each other. However, what Law wanted to know now was something else. The battle between Doflamingo and the Vice Admiral failed. Did this mean that their strengths were considered close? And Rhodes had won the one-on-one battle with the Vice Admiral. While the outcome of a battle couldn't be inferred by this simple conversion, as it was affected by various factors—limitations of the venue, influence of status, or even Devil Fruit ability restraints—Law still wanted to know: What kind of strength did the Vice Admiral, who fought Doflamingo to a stalemate, possess?

"Very strong!" Rhodes thought about it for a moment, then gave a fair evaluation. "Although I was slightly better in that battle, that doesn't mean the opponent is weaker than I."

"The reason why I knocked him away instantly was because I kept adjusting my rhythm during the fight with him, which gave him the illusion that my physical strength was not sufficient and was gradually declining."

"And when I burst out with all my strength in an instant, it's no surprise that he was caught off guard and was knocked away by me."

"However, he should not have been hurt. If it weren't for you, Law, using your ability to bring me back to the ship instantly, I'm afraid our fight would have continued." As a veteran Vice Admiral and a hawkish general in the Navy, there was no doubt about Onigumo's strength.

"But if we fight again now, I can beat him!" Rhodes clenched his fists, full of confidence.

"You probably want to know more about Doflamingo's strength." Rhodes patted Law on the shoulder. "Don't worry, even if that flamingo appeared in front of me now, I would knock him away with one punch!"

"Who's worried?" Law unconsciously tightened his arms around Ghost-Cry. "If possible, I would rather defeat him myself!"

"Then you have to train hard! I forgot about this matter these two days. Don't worry, I have time now, and I will train you hard!" Looking at the smile on Rhodes's face, Law's heart couldn't help but contract. If possible, it is also okay to practice step by step.

Unused Devil Fruits

"Boss Rhodes!" Penguin and Shachi pushed Law aside and looked at Rhodes with expectant eyes. "Those two ability users, can you take out their fruits now?"

"Take out the fruit?" Genos, who was lying listlessly on the recliner with Cici, pricked up his ears.

"You haven't dealt with them yet?" Hearing what Penguin and the others said, Rhodes was slightly stunned. He thought these two men had been killed long ago.

"No, but we did put a lot of fruit around them," Neru began to explain. "Because the supplies on the ship were not very abundant, to save food, we only fed them a little water in the past two days."

"To be honest, they were both seriously injured. I was worried that they would die suddenly." Having said that, Neru glanced at Genos, who was lying there like a salted fish. When they first got on the boat, Nia wanted to have a sparring match with Genos, but after Genos discovered the lounge chair on the boat, he decided to stay there and just lie there to sleep or fish every day.

"What kind of devil are you? Why don't you give them a quick death?"

"Of course, for this kind of thing, we have to wait for you, the captain, to give the order!"

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With Rhodes's rapid mastery of the Six Powers and the impending arrival at Reverse Mountain, the crew seems to be on the cusp of a new Chapter. The mention of the two captured Devil Fruit users also hints at potential new powers. What do you think will be the immediate consequences of entering the Grand Line, and how might the crew decide to utilize these Devil Fruits?