Chapter 322: World's Attention
"Let's fight. Wait for me on Marcus Island. I'll be there soon—let me test your strength."
Kaido stated his intentions bluntly, and Rhodes wasn't surprised in the least.
That suicidal maniac had sought him out—there was no option but to accept.
Reiju, standing nearby, went wide-eyed, her heart pounding.
A Yonko—Kaido himself—had just challenged the Thunder God Swordsman!
At this point, Rhodes was practically one of the New World's de facto emperors.
Though this wouldn't be an all-out war between pirate crews but rather a one-on-one duel between captains, it was still shocking enough to draw the attention of every major power in the world. This could become the stuff of legend.
Rhodes paused briefly—not to refuse, because refusing wasn't an option. However, he didn't want Marcus Island, which had just submitted to him, reduced to rubble.
"Kaido, you proposed this challenge, so I'll decide the time and place."
Kaido fell silent for a moment, then responded curtly:
"Fine."
Rhodes recalled the sea charts he'd studied, finally settling on an uninhabited island northwest of Dressrosa.
"Chesterton Island. Ten days from now, we settle this on Chesterton Island."
As he spoke, a faint excitement flickered in Rhodes's eyes.
The Yonko... the absolute pinnacle of combat power in the New World.
He'd been in this world over two years now. He'd already defeated a Fleet Admiral and an Admiral. Now he was finally going to challenge a Yonko?
"Alright. See you on Chesterton Island in ten days."
Rhodes ended the call, turned away, and a slight smile crossed his lips—widening until he finally couldn't help but laugh aloud.
A Yonko as the stepping stone to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship—it was indeed an excellent, tempting prospect.
Meanwhile, Reiju looked completely bewildered. Rhodes was about to fight a madman like Kaido, and he could laugh about it?
"This guy's insane too..."
Reiju muttered to herself, thinking of Yonji who'd been released. She wondered if her father would agree to Rhodes's terms; otherwise, she'd probably be stuck doing menial work for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile, in a relatively secluded underground space on Marcus Island, two CP intelligence agents stared at each other in stunned silence.
One of them swallowed hard, then shakily set down the black Den Den Mushi he'd been holding.
Black Den Den Mushi were specifically designed for wiretapping, capable of intercepting other transponder snail signals, though they were extremely rare.
"Ten days from now, the Thunder God Rhodes will face Kaido on Chesterton Island!"
"This intelligence must be relayed to the Five Elders immediately."
Mary Geoise, World Government Headquarters
The Five Elders were immersed in governmental affairs. As the supreme rulers of the World Government, they governed vast territories with power and influence surpassing even ancient emperors.
Correspondingly, the matters they handled and energy they expended were extraordinary.
"Revolutionary Army activity detected in the Kingdom of Bia in South Blue. Agents are spreading revolutionary ideology..."
"Dr. Vegapunk is demanding increased research funding, claiming he cannot further enhance the Pacifista units otherwise."
"The recent deaths of two major underworld figures have created instability with significant ripple effects. The slave supply has decreased considerably, and several Celestial Dragons have lodged complaints."
The Five Elders, with their formidable administrative capabilities, processed these matters efficiently.
They each took a sip of tea, preparing to rest briefly.
Just then, a knock sounded at the office door.
"Report! Emergency intelligence!"
Hearing the voice of their Intelligence Director outside, one of the Five Elders gently set down his teacup, his expression impassive.
"Enter."
The Intelligence Director pushed open the door, bowed deeply, and hurriedly delivered the earth-shattering news that had gripped the entire intelligence department.
"Reporting to the Five Elders—our agents on Marcus Island have just intercepted communications confirming that the Thunder God will face Kaido of the Beasts in a decisive battle on Chesterton Island in ten days."
Upon hearing this, the Five Elders' eyes widened almost instantly. They stopped drinking their tea, their penetrating gazes fixing on the Intelligence Director.
Even the seasoned Intelligence Director, facing all five Elders' scrutiny simultaneously, broke into a heavy sweat and trembled.
An ordinary person might have fainted from the pressure alone.
"How reliable is this intelligence?" asked the Elder wielding the Shodai Kitetsu.
"Extremely reliable," the Intelligence Director confirmed.
"So Sakazuki's scheme actually worked?" The Five Elders seemed genuinely surprised.
When Sakazuki had proposed this plan, none of them had expected success. They knew about the Beasts Pirates' business interests with Dressrosa and assumed no conflict would arise.
They hadn't expected that Sakazuki, despite being a straightforward military man, would see the situation so clearly and execute a plan that actually succeeded.
"It's largely coincidental. Kaido was probably itching for a fight anyway, and Rhodes successfully caught his interest."
"This requires careful planning. If handled properly, we might eliminate the Thunder God Swordsman with minimal losses."
"There will certainly be many spectators. We can't make an obvious move, or we'll draw hostility and become the first target."
"In that case, let the semi-retired Sengoku handle the logistics. He knows how to manage such situations."
"Sengoku is capable, but his strength isn't sufficient to deliver a killing blow. Send Gladius. He consumed the Paramecia Fast-Fast Fruit, making him one of the world's greatest snipers. At the critical moment, a single bullet should be enough to take the Thunder God Swordsman's life."
The Five Elders quickly finalized their strategy, then all wore satisfied smiles.
So simple.
Though not entirely unexpected.
Such operations had occurred before.
When Sengoku was Fleet Admiral, he'd even orchestrated similar conflicts, letting pirate factions clash while the Marines reaped the benefits.
It's just that there had never been a battle quite like this—a duel between emperor-class fighters.
Pirates, after all...
Meanwhile, Rhodes had already returned to Dressrosa.
Rhodes didn't hide news of the upcoming duel, and word spread quickly.
"Too reckless."
Jinbe was deeply concerned. He believed Rhodes could defeat Kaido eventually, but wasn't Rhodes still too inexperienced for this?
He intended to persuade Rhodes—even if it meant abandoning their base in Dressrosa and temporarily avoiding the fight. As long as one survived, there was always hope.
To convince Rhodes, he even enlisted Robin's help.
Robin shared his concerns. The longer she stayed in the New World, the more she understood the terror of the Yonko, and Kaido was among the strongest.
The World's Strongest Creature—whom the heavens couldn't bury and the earth couldn't destroy. The absolute strongest in a one-on-one fight!
But when they arrived at the King's Plateau, they were surprised to find that Rhodes had secluded himself in training.
"Could he be having another breakthrough?"
Jinbe wondered aloud.
"Very likely."
Robin nodded. "Rhodes never fights a battle he isn't confident of winning. Perhaps he really does have some assurance."
Both of them were close to Rhodes and knew he possessed some mysterious method of breaking through his limits that occasionally brought dramatic increases in strength.
(End of Chapter)
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