Victory is Inevitable

Chapter 140: Victory is Inevitable

"Ah ah ah!"

A person screamed in agony, their arm splattered with pink venom, instantly losing sensation. Their skin turned black, and the venom spread rapidly throughout their body, causing excruciating pain before they collapsed.

"These officers don't have much combat capability," Reiju commented.

Her fighting style was rather straightforward, as all she had to do was make contact with her enemies. After that, she simply had to wait for her venom to take effect, and very few people survived once they were poisoned by her.

"Indeed, they're called officers, but there aren't many strong ones among them," Rodney shook his head. He had originally planned to use Griffin's crew members to train a bit since Griffin, with a bounty of 360 million Berries, should have had a few capable subordinates, right?

Unfortunately, not a single one of them was formidable.

In the time that Brooke and Griffin had been fighting, they had already disposed of everyone in Griffin's pirate crew except for Griffin and another vice-captain.

The Vice-Captain's name was Angus, and he was a Devil Fruit user with the ability to transform into a black panther.

In his Zoan-form, he had incredible speed, making him the only formidable opponent they had encountered so far.

However, Rodney had his eyes on him now.

"Black Panther Charge!"

Angus transformed into a black shadow, but Rodney swiftly followed, his fists wrapped in thunder. Angus had excellent reflexes thanks to his Devil Fruit ability, allowing him to dodge Rodney's punch, but the force of the wind from the attack stung his face.

"What a terrifying guy," Angus quickly retreated, crouching on a tree. He grabbed a tree branch with his hands, extended sharp claws, and with a leap, aimed to take down Robin, who seemed defenseless, as a hostage to facilitate their escape.

"Kid, do you underestimate me? Am I that slow?"

Rodney ambushed Angus, grabbing his outstretched arm and squeezing it hard until Angus let out a painful scream.

He then lifted Angus over his head. "Lightning Release: Lightning Burst!"

Like thunder, a single powerful strike sent Angus crashing down.

Boom!

Lightning ran through the ground, causing the earth to collapse around Rodney, with him at the center.

As the dust cleared, Rodney emerged from the smoke, while behind him lay the lifeless Angus. The only person who could withstand this attack was someone with Susanoo, someone like Sasuke. In this world, you needed Haki, specifically Armament Haki, to defend against it. Not everyone had a body as rubbery as Luffy's.

"Puh! Is your speed really that impressive, or are you just underestimating me? There's nothing more to it," Rodney spat out, having completed his experiments with Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Meanwhile, Brook and Griffin were still locked in a fierce battle. Initially, Brook had the upper hand, but after Griffin unleashed Haki, the tide had turned. 

Brook hadn't yet mastered the abilities of his Revive-Revive Fruit, and the powers of the Soul-Soul Sword hadn't been fully unlocked, making it challenging for him to parry Griffin's relentless attacks.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, that was a close one! I almost lost there. Sonata of Darkness: Straight Through!"

Brook's cane sword thrust forward, and Griffin's eyes widened. He quickly dodged the attack, but his face was grazed by the blade, leaving a gash.

"When did that happen?"

Griffin wiped the blood from his face and replied, "My eyes are different from those of ordinary people. I can easily see the flow of the air. Combined with my swordsmanship, it's possible to kill you."

"Seeing the flow of air? Are you the President or something?" Rodney quipped. 

He didn't want to think too much about Griffin's ability; he just chuckled and enveloped himself in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode once more, saying, "Come on, let's go another round!"

"Your speed is impressive in this state, isn't it? Even Angus couldn't evade you. But you can't escape my eyes!"

Griffin had strong confidence in his unique ability.

"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"

The ground beneath Griffin suddenly elevated, lifting him off the ground. 

"Hakoku!"

"This is…No! Haa!"

The two clashed almost simultaneously.

Rodney wielded his blade covered in Armament Haki, and Griffin's sword also emitted a black Armament Haki. The swords clashed, creating numerous sparks in the air.

Rodney was always analytical. He'd realized that Griffin had used his unique ability to launch the attack that had injured him earlier, exploiting his extraordinary perception of air currents to make his attacks unpredictable.

He wondered if Griffin's power was a variant of Observation Haki or a unique ability that used Observation Haki differently. Some people were born with the ability to use Observation Haki in unique ways, such as Roger's ability to hear the voices of all things or Queen Otohime's ability to sense emotions.

Was Griffin's power related to Observation Haki in some way? Rodney couldn't say for sure, and right now, he didn't care. He chuckled and wrapped himself in Lightning Armor once again, saying, "Bring it on, Griffin Bedivere. Let's see what you've got!"

"This state increases your speed significantly, right? Angus couldn't dodge your attacks. But you won't escape my eyes!"

He had immense faith in his unique ability.

Griffin smirked. 

"You're in for a surprise, Rodney. This won't be an easy fight."