"Ahem, am I going to die now? What a pity! I haven't fulfilled my dream yet. Not to mention the dream battleship, I haven't even completed an ordinary ship. Now, when I think about it, what have I been doing for the past twenty years..."
In the ruins of the main building, in a corner shielded by several pillars, Gray lay sprawled on the ground. After coughing up two mouthfuls of blood, he continued his self-pitying monologue.
"Is this kid okay?"
Rhodes felt a slight headache as he looked at Gray, who was still muttering to himself. He hesitated for a moment.
Do I want to make this guy my companion? Although his skills have been certified by Neru and are indeed quite remarkable.
However, given his incessant chatter, I have a strong urge to silence him!
"Nothing serious, just four broken bones."
After quickly assessing Gray's injuries, Neylu nodded to Rhodes.
The enemy's bombardment just now had been too sudden, and they hadn't anticipated the other side being so reckless as to open fire directly without regard for their family members still inside the building.
"Boss Kyle..."
The few gangster brothers who had managed to survive looked ashen. They had never imagined that their boss would so callously disregard their lives and directly order a cannon barrage to obliterate the entire building.
So, what were these people who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their family considered?
The weapons in their hands clattered to the ground, and these gangsters had completely lost the will to fight.
Even though they had been shocked by the strength of Rhode and his men, they had initially fought fiercely, but their morale had been utterly extinguished by their boss's cold-blooded actions.
These people no longer possess the will to continue fighting.
Rhodes mused inwardly as he glanced at the remaining few thugs.
He was not a perverse murderer, and faced with those who had completely surrendered their will to fight, he could not bring himself to swing his sword again.
Kicking away the rubble and splintered wood before him, Rhodes turned his gaze towards the courtyard in the center of the manor, where the battle had concluded.
"It's an evil spirit..."
Looking at the mangled remains of Felke Kyle scattered on the ground, and then at the purple-haired woman standing nearby, the gangster family's younger members turned pale and could barely stand.
Just moments ago, their boss, Kyle, the man who had led them to establish the powerful Felke family, had been brutally killed by the woman before them, offering no resistance whatsoever.
"Really? It's a complete mess again. That's precisely why I dislike using this combat form."
Looking around with disdain, a hint of disgust flickered in Nia's eyes.
She was the user of the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Cat-Cat Fruit, in its Black Cat form.
For some inexplicable reason, apart from the physical enhancements the fruit itself granted her, every time she utilized her Devil Fruit ability to transform, she invariably lost control of herself.
After entering her human-beast form, although her combat prowess would surge dramatically, correspondingly, she would also uncontrollably engage in actions she would normally never consider.
Not only would she toy with her enemies, but she would also employ cruel and brutal methods to dispatch them.
Thus, under normal circumstances, she rarely resorted to her fruit's power.
"You guys can leave now. I have no interest in the weak."
After surveying the situation, Rhodes spoke, and the surrounding gangsters immediately heaved a collective sigh of relief.
Their boss had been killed, and they now had no intention of continuing the fight.
Not to mention...
Be it the Catwoman who had tortured their boss to death, or the red-haired man who had remained unscathed under the intensive bombardment of artillery shells, neither of them was an opponent they could handle.
"Wait!"
Just as the gangsters were about to disperse, Nia suddenly called out to them.
"Settle my reward first! Bastards!" The anxious hearts that had just found a moment of peace were suddenly jolted, and all the younger thugs turned to look at Jason, who had miraculously survived.
"Please wait a moment. I will bring you the agreed-upon payment in full."
A complex expression flickered across Jason's face as he quickly walked towards the depths of the manor with a few others. If he had had a choice, he would have much preferred to hand over that portion of the reward back on the coast.
Boom!
"What!"
Accompanied by a gunshot and several screams, dozens of figures emerged from the shadows behind the manor. They all appeared to be young teenagers, yet each wore a manic grin on their face.
"A mere mafia family dares to meddle in that adult's business. Don't they know that the arms trade in the North Blue is controlled by the Donquixote Family?"
The leader had short golden hair and a ferocious smile etched on his face. He held a dying man in his grasp. It was Jason who had left earlier.
After casually assessing the situation, the man tossed Jason aside like discarded trash.
"They're just a bunch of low-class riffraff. Let me, Bellamy, clean them up for that lord!"
"Hey, Bellamy, you can't hog all the spotlight."
The newcomers completely disregarded the remaining people in the field. Instead, they were eager to show off their abilities. They attacked everyone before them with a variety of weapons. Although they looked like young teenagers, their actions were ruthless and efficient.
"Are you the boss of this Felke family? It seems like you've just been through a battle. But I'll let you know that the battles between real pirates are not something a low-level gangster family like yours can even comprehend."
After glancing around, Bellamy fixed his gaze on Rhodes. Among this group, the red-haired guy looked the most imposing.
Bellamy wore a wild smile. As he spoke, his legs suddenly began to transform. Lines appeared, and his legs coiled into powerful springs. Simultaneously, bursts of spring compression sounds echoed through the air.
Devil Fruit user?
Seeing the changes in the other man's legs, Nia was slightly taken aback.
The next moment, the spring compressed to its limit and unleashed, and the powerful kinetic energy propelled Bellamy's body forward with explosive force. With a grim smile, he raised his fist and aimed a powerful blow at Rhodes.
So fast!
Witnessing the incredible speed at which the opponent was hurtling towards her, Nia was momentarily shocked. The opponent's velocity was so great that even she would have had to rely on her Devil Fruit ability to keep up.
Snap!
Facing Bellamy's attack, Rhodes' eyes narrowed. He slightly shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the fist, and then his palm shot out, gripping Bellamy's face and abruptly halting his momentum.
Without allowing Bellamy any chance to react, Rhodes twisted his waist, seized Bellamy's head, and slammed it violently into the ground.
Boom!!
The terrifying force exploded upon impact, creating a large crater in the earth. Bellamy lay sprawled on his back, completely unconscious.
"Brother Bellamy!"
Seeing Bellamy knocked down and rendered unconscious after a single exchange, his companions were horrified.
Bellamy was a Spring Man who had consumed a Devil Fruit. He could transform any part of his body into a spring. The impact force released after compressing the spring was stronger than a cannonball.
This red-haired boy before me could defeat Brother Bellamy in an instant. Who is he?
This guy is truly strong!
Observing Rhodes ending the battle in the blink of an eye, Nia's eyes flashed with a strange light.
"So, can any of you shed some light on the situation?"
The battle having ended as quickly as it began, Rhodes looked at the group of newcomers and spoke calmly.
In the original timeline, this group should have encountered Luffy on Jaya Island and had some conflicts. He also had some scenes in the subsequent Dressrosa arc. It seems he's a peripheral member of the Donquixote Family?
However, they don't bear the Donquixote Family's symbols, so are they currently Doflamingo's lackeys?
(End of this chapter)