Chapter 320: Undercurrents
"I'm leaving first."
Kuzan, severely injured by Luke's dying counterattack, dared not linger. He glanced warily at Rhodes before flashing away.
His cooperation with Rhodes was merely a mutually beneficial arrangement, far from based on trust.
Whoosh!
Kuzan was fast—in two or three flashes, he disappeared from sight.
If Rhodes wasn't mistaken, Kuzan would likely head out to sea. With his freezing power, the open ocean would be the best place to heal.
"Good riddance."
Rhodes had no intention of stopping Kuzan—he was quite satisfied with this cooperation.
Without Kuzan's freezing power, he might be able to defeat Luke, but he couldn't kill him.
Without the ability to kill, the deterrent effect would naturally be greatly reduced.
"I underestimated the power a peak-level expert can unleash in the face of death."
Recalling the ferocity of Luke's final act, forcibly leaving two marks on Kuzan, Rhodes shook his head slightly, ceasing his thoughts.
"It's better to complete the established goal as soon as possible and harvest a wave of Faith Power.
Strengthening myself is the key."
"It's over, this is terrible..."
"I'm so stupid, really!"
Reiju's expression changed drastically as she watched Rhodes, who'd just killed Luke, walk step by step through the sky.
She realized that due to the shock of Luke's death, she'd forgotten to escape.
"Ugh..."
At this moment, Yonji, who'd been stunned by Rhodes's Haoshoku Haki, finally regained consciousness.
His eyes were dim, his head was fuzzy, and the scenery in front of him was blurry.
"What's going on?"
Yonji shook his head, confused as to why he was like this.
After a while, he recovered a little, then looked around, and froze on the spot, his face full of question marks.
What happened?
Where is the venue?
Where did such a huge venue go?
Yonji was completely dumbfounded.
Seeing this, Reiju sighed softly, resigned to her fate, and hoped that Rhodes would spare her for the sake of the Germa family.
At this moment.
Rhodes strode across heaven and earth, his white robes spotless, seemingly floating in mid-air, causing everyone to bow their heads.
Whether underworld tycoons, bosses, or even the kings of the shadows, all bowed to this invincible powerhouse.
"I believe Dressrosa can become the ruler of the underworld."
He glanced at the spontaneously gathered crowd below, paused, and said calmly,
"Does anyone have any objections?"
"No objections."
Without the slightest hesitation, everyone bowed their heads.
Stepping on the corpse of a peak-level expert to declare his sovereignty—with such power, who dared utter a word of dissent?
Everyone felt a sense of unease.
Kurman Luke had attempted to use this conference to rule the underworld, but in the end, he'd only paved the way for the Thunder God Swordsman.
On the shore.
Gazing at the center of the island, Kuzan seemed to sense what was happening there.
He coughed lightly, blood appearing, but he paid no heed, his eyes flashing.
Although this cooperation had achieved his expected goals, it had also made him deeply understand Rhodes's formidable strength.
That young, supreme powerhouse had already displayed his unique, invincible aura.
"This is probably not good news for the Marines."
With that, Kuzan sighed softly and walked step by step toward the sea.
Whether it was good or bad, it didn't concern him much at the moment, and the World Government was too large and powerful for him to worry about.
Kurman Luke is dead!
This news swept through the entire underworld like a hurricane and spread rapidly throughout the New World.
As a peak-level powerhouse who'd dominated the seas for decades, Kurman Luke's prestige extended far beyond the underworld—he enjoyed a high reputation in both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds, and even Doflamingo had held him in high regard during his lifetime.
Such a super-powerful expert was dead.
So suddenly, without any warning.
Many people had just heard news of the Kurman family's attempt to unify the underworld and were still marveling at Kurman Luke's ambition—they never expected that the next news would be Kurman Luke's sudden death.
The Thunder God Swordsman! Kuzan!
Although two top-tier experts made their moves, it was clear to everyone that only the Thunder God Swordsman truly fought—Kuzan was merely responsible for preventing Luke from escaping.
"Defeating the Fleet Admiral wasn't enough—that young monster has now climbed to the top by stepping on the corpse of a top-tier expert."
Marine Headquarters.
"His eagerness to prove himself means he's not confident enough to deal with us,"
Issho calmly analyzed, unfazed by Rhodes's achievements.
Given Rhodes's strength in defeating him, cooperating with Kuzan to kill Luke wasn't unacceptable.
"..."
Sakazuki understood this, though his expression was somewhat unpleasant.
Seeing his nemesis's prestige steadily rise while he could only eliminate less important pirates was truly frustrating.
Issho seemed to sense Sakazuki's emotional fluctuations but didn't expose him, only saying,
"Rhodes has almost wiped out the core members of the Kurman family, leaving many of their peripheral businesses ownerless. This will be good news for our advance."
The Kurman family was one of the giants of the underworld, and also an obstacle to the Marines' advance in the New World.
Sakazuki nodded slightly, suppressing his emotions, and after a long pause said,
"Perhaps we can instigate a conflict between the Thunder God Swordsman and the Yonko."
"In that case, we can simply reap the benefits."
Squard's assassination attempt during the Paramount War had failed, a regret Sakazuki had always held, and now a similar scheme had arisen.
With this thought in mind, Sakazuki's mind immediately became active.
"Red-Haired Shanks won't work—that guy isn't one to cause trouble, and it's unlikely he'll clash with Rhodes."
"Big Mom is holed up on Whole Cake Island. Unless it involves her own interests, she rarely shows herself. It's possible, but unlikely."
"Blackbeard has been keeping a very low profile recently, so that's probably out of the question too. That leaves only Kaido of the Beasts..."
Sakazuki analyzed point by point.
Issho didn't dislike Sakazuki's schemes at all. For the Marines, pirates were targets to be eliminated, regardless of the methods used, as long as the result was good.
Besides, planning and strategy were also forms of strength.
Otherwise, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku wouldn't have been known as "The Resourceful General."
"I've heard that Dressrosa has dealings with the Beasts Pirates, seemingly some trade,"
Issho said in a deep voice. "I'm afraid the two won't easily clash."
"No,"
Sakazuki shook his head. "You haven't been in the Marines long, haven't had contact with Kaido of the Beasts, and don't understand that monster."
Sakazuki pondered for a moment before saying,
"That guy is a true madman."
"Economics and interests are completely outside his realm of thought. We just need to create an opportunity for battle, or rather, pique that madman's interest in Rhodes, and he'll rush over to cause trouble for Rhodes without hesitation."
"Whether it's a full-scale war or a decisive battle between captains, it's all good."
(End of Chapter)
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