Chapter 280: Sakazuki Arrives
Seeing Rhodes' interest in the Devil Fruit, Caesar hesitated momentarily but ultimately didn't dare conceal anything:
"My lord, this is an artificial Devil Fruit created by that bastard Vegapunk—a failed product!"
He emphasized the words "failed product," his tone carrying obvious resentment.
Even this so-called failure was superior to anything he could create...
Caesar couldn't produce artificial Devil Fruits on his own. He could only manufacture a raw material called SAD, which was then traded to Dressrosa, where the Tontatta tribe cultivated it into SMILE fruits.
Rhodes smiled slightly. A genius scientist like Vegapunk was undoubtedly brilliant—admired worldwide and capable of influencing the course of an entire era.
But scientists of Caesar's generation were undeniably unfortunate, forever living in Vegapunk's overwhelming shadow.
Much like the Supernovas of Luffy's generation now lived in Rhodes' shadow.
What was once meant to be a brilliant era, a grand stage for many voices, now featured almost exclusively Rhodes' dominance. And the future would inevitably be the same.
"A Divine Dragon..."
Rhodes murmured softly.
The fruit's form closely resembled a legendary Eastern dragon, both in appearance and its ability to grant flight.
Rhodes suspected this artificial Devil Fruit might have been modeled after Kaido's Mythical Zoan-type Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
Perhaps the World Government, coveting Kaido's near-immortal vitality, had commissioned Vegapunk to replicate a similar Devil Fruit.
However, something went wrong during the process—some crucial element was missing, causing the experiment to fail.
Yet even in failure, it demonstrated Vegapunk's terrifying research capabilities!
Probably no one in this world understood Devil Fruits better than him.
"Vegapunk..."
Rhodes was genuinely intrigued. Both the Revolutionary Army and the World Government held this man in extraordinarily high regard.
From Vegapunk's various achievements, one could glimpse the terrifying nature of this mysterious scientist. Perhaps few people recognized his influence on the world, but in certain aspects, it likely rivaled—or even surpassed—that of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
After a moment's consideration, Rhodes stored the fruit in his dimensional storage space.
Caesar's eyes widened slightly at the sight. A Devil Fruit storage item?
It seemed this Thunder God Swordsman possessed even more secrets than he'd imagined.
Ordinary people couldn't access such advanced Devil Fruit-related technology.
Even worldwide, Devil Fruit storage items remained cutting-edge technology, possessed only by the most powerful organizations and individuals.
Meanwhile, as Rhodes' group continued moving equipment from the research institute,
A naval warship was racing through the waters not far from Punk Hazard.
"Vice Admiral Vergo, you must hold off the Thunder God Swordsman! I'm nearby and will arrive immediately!"
Sakazuki's deep voice came through the Den Den Mushi, and Vergo could clearly detect urgency beneath the words.
This newly appointed Fleet Admiral was eager to make his mark.
And Rhodes, alone and away from Dressrosa's defenses, presented an excellent opportunity.
Capturing the Thunder God Swordsman would significantly boost Sakazuki's prestige, silence critics within the Navy, and earn greater support from the World Government.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
With that, Vergo disconnected the call, glancing at the gradually enlarging Punk Hazard in the distance, then at the warship full of naval soldiers. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
He couldn't personally avenge Doflamingo, but he could leverage the Navy's overwhelming power to do it for him.
"Fire!"
Vergo ordered as the warship slowly approached Punk Hazard's shores.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As a Vice Admiral's vessel, Vergo's warship naturally possessed formidable firepower—enough to obliterate an ordinary pirate crew.
Shells bombarded the island, the thunderous explosions echoing across the area.
Inside the research institute, the ceiling trembled slightly, dust falling from above.
Caesar, Law, and the others' expressions shifted, unable to resist looking toward Rhodes.
"The Navy's arrived?"
Rhodes glanced at the remaining equipment and materials, saying calmly, "You all continue. Once you're finished, head straight through the gate to Dressrosa. I'll handle the Navy."
Without waiting for any response, his figure flashed and vanished from the research institute.
"Handle the Navy... the World Government is about to gain another formidable enemy,"
Caesar muttered to himself.
There were legitimate reasons why the World Government allowed the Yonko to dominate the New World unopposed.
First, the New World was treacherous—teeming with powerful pirates, and its unpredictable climate made large-scale naval operations extremely difficult.
Second, Kaido of the Beasts possessed near-immortality, making him virtually impossible to kill even if captured. Big Mom had monstrous natural defenses and commanded a vast empire. Whitebeard could unleash devastating tsunamis capable of annihilating entire fleets.
Each of them was incredibly difficult to eliminate—perhaps impossible.
As for Shanks... possessing the world's strongest Conqueror's Haki, he was similarly immune to overwhelming numbers. Rumors also suggested he maintained close ties with the World Government.
At this moment, Rhodes' spatial abilities undoubtedly placed him in that same category—nearly impossible to kill.
From this perspective, even Blackbeard currently fell slightly short of Rhodes.
Thinking about this, Caesar felt somewhat better. Being employed by a future Yonko wasn't so difficult to accept after all.
Meanwhile, Rhodes had returned to the icy side of Punk Hazard and arrived at the shoreline.
Gazing at the approaching naval warship continuing its bombardment in the distance, his sharp eyes easily identified Vice Admiral Vergo standing on the deck, his coat of justice billowing behind him.
"The Thunder God Swordsman..."
Vergo also spotted Rhodes, a flash of hatred flickering in his eyes behind dark sunglasses.
To be trusted by Doflamingo with a deep-cover infiltration of the Navy, Vergo's abilities and loyalty were both exceptional.
After learning of Doflamingo's death, he'd nearly rushed to Dressrosa immediately, but after calming himself, he'd devised this plan to lure the tiger from its den.
"You're finished."
Vergo hissed in a low voice, his tone cold and venomous.
Sakazuki was in nearby waters. Once battle commenced, the relocated Marine Headquarters would dispatch Admiral Kizaru as reinforcement.
With Kizaru's incredible speed, he would arrive within minutes at most.
Facing the combined might of a Fleet Admiral and an Admiral, Rhodes—trapped on this island—would have absolutely no chance of escape!
The naval warship gradually approached, stopping at a position roughly one hundred meters from Punk Hazard's shore.
Vergo dared not approach any closer, wary of a surprise attack from Rhodes.
It wasn't that he feared death—Vergo wanted to witness Rhodes' demise with his own eyes. If Rhodes were imprisoned in Impel Down instead, he would risk everything to infiltrate the prison and kill him personally!
"Cease fire."
He gave the order. The warship's cannons were useless against someone of this caliber anyway.
Hearing this command, the naval soldiers breathed collective sighs of relief.
After discovering their opponent was the infamous Thunder God Swordsman, many sailors were utterly terrified—especially those who'd participated in the Marineford War. Their teeth chattered with fear.
A monster that even Marine Admirals couldn't defeat—it was best to avoid provoking him when their strongest fighter was merely a Vice Admiral.
The scene fell silent, with only the faint sound of sea breeze remaining.
A short while later, an even larger naval warship swiftly appeared, cutting through the waves.
The imposing figure standing proudly on its deck, his coat of justice billowing dramatically in the wind, and the Fleet Admiral's epaulets on his shoulders instilled deep-seated courage in all the assembled sailors.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had arrived!
(End of Chapter)
[500 PS unlocks 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews unlock 1 Extra Chapter]
Thanks for reading—reviews are appreciated.
P1treon Soulforger has 40+ advance chapters