Meanwhile, the surveillance room was already in an uproar.
"Thunder Power?"
"How is that possible? Equipment malfunction?"
All the Revolutionary Army soldiers were in disbelief, as if they'd seen a ghost.
"A sword... unleashing thunder..."
Koala looked solemnly at the fishman Hatchan. "Rhode doesn't seem to be a Devil Fruit user, nor does he belong to any special race. That leaves only one possibility."
Her tone was filled with awe, as if shocked by her own deduction.
But after eliminating all impossibilities, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
"Exactly."
Hatchan took a deep breath, his eyes brimming with astonishment and a hint of excitement. "It seems we've all underestimated this young man's swordsmanship talent."
"To reach the level of a swordmaster at such a young age is already astonishing enough. Yet, it turns out that wasn't even his limit."
"At just sixteen, he's grasped his own unique Sword Intent."
"And one infused with the might of thunder, no less."
Koala shook her head, murmuring, "This is truly..."
Usually sharp-witted, she now found herself at a loss for words.
As high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army, though not versed in swordsmanship themselves, they were well aware of the distinctions among swordmasters.
From ordinary swordsmen to those who comprehend the Breath of All Things, capable of condensing slashes into a fine line to cut steel—or even unleash Sword Aura.
Beyond that were the elite swordmasters who had grasped their own Sword Intent, like Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division Commander "Flower Sword" Vista, whose swings scattered petals, or "Thunderbolt" El Drago, whose blade crackled with lightning.
After a long pause, Koala finally snapped out of her daze and chuckled. "Still, this guy's clearly too green. His physical strength is nowhere near his swordsmanship level."
"In a real fight, any decent swordmaster could probably thrash him."
Despite her petite appearance, Koala was a formidable martial artist in her own right. Naturally, she wasn't dazzled by Rhode's flashy display of crackling lightning, instantly seeing through his paper-tiger facade.
"Even so, his potential is unimaginable. Compared to him, Sabo is only slightly stronger at best."
Hatchan shook his head and sighed softly. "Looks like I won't be able to teach him much longer."
When a student's talent is too great, the demands on the teacher rise accordingly—just as it had been with the young Sabo.
To the nearby Revolutionary Army soldiers, their conversation might as well have been in another language, incomprehensible yet awe-inspiring.
Only when Hatchan compared Rhode to Sabo did they finally grasp the significance.
Sabo was the protégé of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon, a prodigy whose strength and talent were unparalleled. He was all but guaranteed to become one of the organization's future pillars.
That Rhode could be mentioned in the same breath spoke volumes.
Unconsciously, every single one of them committed the name "Rhode" to memory.
...
At the black ape's carcass.
Not long after Rhode had left.
A figure dressed in unusually skimpy attire suddenly appeared on the scene."Who killed this monster?"
Nia frowned slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed. The last time she had come to this island, her strength had been weak, and she had been chased around by this black ape in a frantic mess. This time, she had returned to settle the score.
Yet, to her surprise, when she arrived at the scene, all that remained were two severed halves of a corpse—oh, and an arm.
"It's a sword wound."
She stepped closer, examining the clean, sharp cut with a faint burnt smell, and said with slight gravity, "To cleanly slice through the black ape's tough body in one stroke, only a swordmaster could do this."
"Among the reserve forces, there are many skilled swordsmen, but only two swordmasters—one is Shano, captain of the First Squad, and the other is that newcomer Rhode, who just got promoted."
"Rhode is definitely not the one. That kid is pathetically weak in strength—just talented in swordsmanship."
"Shano has improved so much this past year." Her tone was solemn as she reached her conclusion.
Judging from the scene, it seemed Shano had only needed two or three strikes to kill the black ape she had been dreaming of defeating.
Nia admitted—this was something even she couldn't have done.
This was the sharpness unique to a swordmaster!
"Hmph."
Failing to exact her revenge, Nia was filled with resentment, but there was nothing she could do. She could only turn and leave.
Time passed minute by minute.
In every corner of the island, bloody battles were taking place!
Although the strength of these beasts surpassed that of the new recruits like Rez, humans had one advantage—intelligence! The beasts on this island lacked wisdom, relying only on primal instincts.
As night approached,
the beasts became increasingly active. Most of the reserve forces, even the squad captains, sought safe places to rest, unwilling to move around at night.
The jungle at night was a nightmare for humans—beasts roamed freely, and visibility was poor.
Under a towering tree,
Rhode had lit a large fire and was leisurely preparing dinner.
Tonight's menu included roasted rhino, roasted white elephant, roasted whole deer…
"Too bad I don't have enough utensils to make more variety."
Rhode sighed regretfully, his desire for a spatial ring growing stronger.
This was the intense longing of a true foodie!
By the fire, Rhode gnawed on a tender bird leg while reflecting on the day's events.
Today's battles had earned him four points of energy—four times the efficiency of regular training! Combat truly was the fastest way to gain energy. Later, he'd undergo lightning tempering at night, which would give him another point. Perfect.
"But there's still a long way to go before reaching a thousand."
Rhode felt the road ahead was long, so he took another big bite of the bird leg.
This bird resembled a turtledove but was much larger. Rhode had snatched it right out of the sky, plucked its feathers, and roasted it. The meat was incredibly tender and delicious—just a little seasoning made it mouthwatering. The rich aroma lingered, earning it a spot on Rhode's list of top-tier delicacies.
"I must set sail someday and taste all the world's delicacies!"
"I've heard there are dragons in this world—wonder what dragon meat tastes like…"
As an heir to the Great Chinese culinary tradition, Rhode's craving for good food was boundless.
Just then, Rhode suddenly felt the earth begin to tremble, as if a thousand horses were stampeding in the distance.Then, he heard the distant howls of wild beasts, filled with panic, as if they had been frightened.
"What's going on?"
Rhode frowned slightly, stopping what he was doing and looking into the distance.
A nimble and agile figure suddenly came sprinting from afar.
"Nia?" Rhode blinked, somewhat puzzled.
But she looked rather disheveled—sweat covering her forehead, clothes slightly messy.
Rhode grew even more confused. With Nia's strength, how could she be chased so desperately? There shouldn't be any creatures on the island strong enough to do that—otherwise, ordinary recruits would stand no chance.
Yet, in the next moment, he understood.
The recommendation votes are so few...