"Really, as a captain, I can't even find a decent enemy."
Rhodes scanned the battlefield with a lack of interest.
It was rare for Law to be so full of fighting spirit, and his opponents were his inner demons, the Donquixote Family. Rhodes felt genuinely awkward about competing with him for enemies again.
Most importantly, after the few exchanges just now, Rhodes could sense that although Gladius wasn't weak, Rhodes should be able to defeat him steadily.
Over there, Nia and the dachshund were locked in a fierce struggle. People with Zoan-type Devil Fruit abilities possessed impressive resilience. Although that guy was no match for Nia, he had managed to endure for so long without completely collapsing.
However, judging by his current state, he should be going down soon.
As for the other members of the Donquixote Family, thanks to the efforts of Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo, they had basically been subdued.
Of course, Gladius's assistance was also a factor. His multiple explosive attacks had inadvertently taken out many of his family members.
"Hey, Gray, why are you lying on the ground too?"
Rhodes looked at Gray, who was sprawled aside, strangely.
"You're not hurt at all."
"Hahaha…"
A hint of sarcasm laced Gray's expression.
"I was pretending to be the one getting thrashed so no one would bother me."
"You are remarkably candid."
"What else can I do? I'm just a powerless scientist!"
Gray suddenly became agitated and jumped up, pointing towards the two battlefields where intense fighting was still ongoing.
"I was wrong. I should never have gone to Mignon Island in the first place. If I hadn't gone to Mignon Island, I wouldn't have boarded your ship. If I hadn't boarded the ship, I wouldn't have…"
"Since I'm no longer needed on the battlefield here, I'll go look for the Donquixote Family's treasury."
After glancing at Law's battle, Neru sheathed his weapon and addressed Gray.
"Let's go together. According to the intelligence we gathered earlier, the Donquixote Family is likely the largest weapons supplier in the North Blue, and there might be many interesting weapons."
"Okay!"
Gray, who had been lost in his thoughts, sprang to life in an instant, following Neru expectantly. The two of them headed towards the rear of the manor.
"Damn you guys, you don't take me seriously at all!"
Although in the thick of battle, Gladius still noticed Neru's actions. Seeing the two completely disregard him and walk straight towards the back of the manor, the veins on Gladius's head bulged, and his simmering anger almost completely overwhelmed him.
"Full Body Explosion!"
Gladius's body instantly expanded like a balloon.
Upon using this technique, his entire body would continue to inflate, and the power unleashed upon explosion far surpassed that of ordinary attacks.
More importantly, when his body detonated, millions of explosive hairs would be released simultaneously. These hairs would instantly pierce all objects. Additionally, his hair contained enough potent poison to paralyze people instantly.
Let's end them completely with this move!
Such thoughts flashed through Gladius's mind, and the next moment, his body was on the verge of complete detonation.
"ROOM—Scalpel!"
Sensing the danger of this attack, Law's ability activated instantly. He first manipulated Gladius's body to appear at the farthest edge of his ability's range, and then suddenly swung the [Kikoku] in his hand, slicing directly through the entire main building. He then controlled the falling debris towards Gladius, creating a barrier between the opponent and everyone else.
"It's unstoppable!"
With Gladius roaring, his body expanded to its limit, and with a deafening blast, a terrifying explosion instantly swept through the entire town.
The shockwave generated by the explosion destroyed over 90% of the buildings in the town almost instantly, and the highly poisonous strands were launched in all directions along with the blast. Countless people collapsed to the ground instantly, wailing feebly, unable even to stand.
"That was dangerous. I almost got hit. Were those things hair?"
Nia patted her chest, a look of relief washing over her face.
It was fortunate to withstand such an explosion at close range. Those hair strands shooting out in all directions were dangerous, her instincts screamed.
"Luckily, you were there, skinny dog!"
After patting Manudo's head, Nia felt quite satisfied.
At the moment of the explosion, she had swiftly subdued Manudo and held him up in front of her as a shield.
Fortunately, although the other party was a skinny dog, he had blocked all the flying hair remarkably well for her.
After observing the dense hair covering the other person's body and the wounds caused by the piercing hairs, Nia felt a mix of relief and slight regret.
The battle isn't over yet!
"Sorry, I misjudged it."
Rhodes offered a wry smile and looked at Gray, who had fallen to the ground, his body stiff.
After all, he wasn't particularly skilled with a sword and hadn't been able to block all the flying hair strands.
"I..."
The corners of Gray's mouth twitched slightly.
He had been hiding at the back, so why were the few people standing in front of him unharmed, while he was the only one unfortunately struck?
"What do you want to say?"
Rhodes moved slightly closer.
"I was wrong, I was from the beginning..."
"Alright, shut up."
Ignoring Gray's murderous glare, Rhodes forcefully closed his mouth. Under the effects of the paralyzing poison, he couldn't control the muscles in his face at all and couldn't even speak again for a while.
"Don't worry, this isn't a lethal poison."
Neru said after a brief analysis.
"It will only paralyze his body for a while. Of course, if he can't get help, that's another story."
"Can you handle it, Law? If not, I'll switch in."
Rhodes shouted at Law.
"What a joke, I can end this battle in just one minute."
Annoyance flickered in Law's eyes.
It seemed he would have to go all out, otherwise those guys would never let him live it down.
However, Gladius's last attack was truly troublesome. Fortunately, Bepo and the others hadn't been hit.
A trace of caution appeared in Law's eyes as he glanced at Bepo and the other three.
A little further ahead, Gladius's body had recovered and was rapidly approaching him.
If we let this guy unleash that move again and again, it'll be bad.
The shockwave from the previous explosion wasn't something Bepo and the others could withstand. If one of them were accidentally caught by that attack at close range, they would be seriously injured, given their physical capabilities.
Not to mention Gray, who was practically an ordinary person.
Then…
"ROOM——"
The blue sphere of light enveloped the entire area once more.
Feeling the ability field surrounding him, a hint of ferocity flashed in Gladius's eyes.
He hadn't expected that Trafalgar Law, who had betrayed his family, could have grown to this extent, especially Law's ability, which was so troublesome.
However, even if Law could evade everywhere with his ability, as long as he prolonged the fight, the outcome would only favor him. After all, judging from Law's performance, his Devil Fruit ability consumed a significant amount of stamina.
Moreover, compared to his advantages in dodging and agility, Law had no obvious strengths in attack.
When Law attempted a close-range attack and the two sides closed in, the battle would be over!
A red light flickered in Gladius's eyes.
Now!
As a piece of rubble in front of Gladius vanished, Law's body appeared directly before him.
With such an ability, he chose a head-on assault, too naive!
A fierce glint ignited in Gladius's eyes, and his arms swelled up instantly as he swung his hands outwards.
"Black Feather Arm Cannon!"
Extending his arm to its limit, he would launch the hardened armor fragments encasing his arm together at the moment of explosion. So far, no one had managed to escape unscathed from this attack!
"Heart Shock!"
Discarding the sword [Kikoku] in his hand, Law extended both hands, ignoring Gladius's swinging arms, and before the opponent's arms could explode, he pressed his outstretched thumbs against his chest.
The terrifying electric shock erupted, Gladius's eyes suddenly rolled back, and his entire body instantly lost consciousness. The previously swollen arms also rapidly deflated.
Thump——
Gladius collapsed helplessly to the ground. Just as Law had predicted, the battle was over in one minute!