Koala’s life had been incredibly hectic lately.

As a member of the revolutionary army headquarters, she received a massive amount of intelligence reports every day. If it weren’t for her incredible martial arts skills and boundless energy, she would have been completely overwhelmed.

At night, Koala would drag her exhausted body back to her bedroom, feeling completely drained. She longed for the good old days when she would go on missions with her friends Sabo and Rhodes.

Unfortunately, Sabo had been deeply affected by his defeat at the hands of Ryu and, more importantly, Rhodes. He disappeared soon after to train in isolation, leaving Koala feeling a sense of sadness and longing.

“I’m feeling a bit peckish, I think I’ll grab something to eat first.”

As she pondered her next move, her Den Den Mushi rang suddenly, startled her. It was a fax, so she quickly picked up the device to receive it.

Almost immediately, a group photo popped up. It showed Rhodes standing proudly with his sword raised, standing atop the head of a massive black dragon, wreathed in thunderbolts. It was as if a god of thunder had descended to strike down the dragon.

“Wait… that’s a dragon?!”

Koala was completely stunned, her hand covering her mouth in disbelief. Even from the photo, she could feel the overwhelming and terrifying aura radiating from Rhodes. It was clear that this was no ordinary feat.

“This is a dragon, the legendary ultimate creature!”

“Is it really necessary to show off like this and brag about it in my face though?” Kalala said with a hint of bitterness and annoyance after a long silence. She continued to look through the documents, and then her expression suddenly froze as a few black lines appeared on her fair forehead.

In the lower half of the fax, there were close-up shots of plates of dragon meat, all looks incredibly delicious! 

There were red-braised dragon meat, sauce-blasted dragon meat, yellow-stewed dragon meat, curry dragon meat… The entire table was filled with dishes made from dragon meat, and not one of them was the same!

Even the soup was made from dragon meat, and there were even hundreds of skewers of dragon meat. Koala could feel her stomach protesting and she couldn’t stop drooling.

It wasn’t until she read the last sentence, “Don’t worry, I already ate your portion for you.”

That her suppressed emotions erupted like a volcano, culminating in a loud roar of anger and grief: “Rhodes!!!”

At that moment, the entire headquarters castle was shaken to its core.

…

In a certain area of the sea.

“The Dragon Slayer Swordsman? You mean that black dragon?” Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the newspaper in his hand, revealing a hint of regret.

He had been to that island before, but the Black Dragon was too weak at the time to even bother lifting a finger.

So Mihawk decided to let the Black Dragon grow stronger until it was worthy of a true battle, and then he would come to slay it.

Little did he know…

Mihawk shook his head faintly, a hint of curiosity and inquiry in his eyes.

“A Dragon-slaying swordsman at the age of seventeen or eighteen?”

“Perhaps he could be a decent opponent… grow quickly.”

His tone was lonesome, cold from the heights.

…

The birth of the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman quickly rocked the world, but its main influence was still confined to the world of swordsmanship.

Whether it was Zoro, who was currently hunting pirates in the East Blue, or the renowned swordsmen of various seas, or even the great swordsmen who had reached the pinnacle of their craft, everyone deeply etched the name “Rhodes” into their minds.

There were expectations, pride, longing, admiration, provocation, and defiance…

The title of “Dragon Slayer” was different from that of the “World’s Strongest Swordsman”; the latter represented absolute strength, while the former was merely an honor that would stir up the challenges of swordsmen.

The Island of Monsters and Barbecue.

Rhodes, Snowy, Vivi, Gates and others were discussing how to deal with the treasures left behind by the Dragon.

“Dragon skin and scales are good things, they can be used to make armor that is invulnerable to swords and spears. Alabasta has skilled leatherworkers who can handle it,” Vivi suggested.

“Dragon liver, dragon heart, and other parts are all precious. I’ll take care of them,” Snowy raised her small hand, brimming with excitement.

“Dragon teeth and claws can forge divine weapons,” Gates boasted, tapping his chest. “I know an ancient workshop in the Western Sea that has this material, and I guarantee they’ll help us for free.”

Rhodes stood quietly beside him, feeling for the first time the benefits of having capable subordinates. He didn’t have to worry about a thing; everything was being taken care of perfectly.

His eyes sparkled with contemplation as he reflected on the lessons of the recent battle.

The Black dragon was a legendary creature with tremendous strength, but it was weakened by its egg-laying and was ultimately defeated by Rhodes, who was “smaller” in size.

Rhodes had unquestionably reached a level of power that could rival the Vice Admirals of the Navy’s headquarters, and his odds of winning were high.

“For now, I cannot increase my Thunderous power. Instead, I will focus on strengthening my physique,” Rhodes declared, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath.

The stronger he became, the more he understood the profound truth behind the phrase “the body is the foundation of everything.”

Regardless of whether it was swordsmanship, physical techniques, or devil fruit abilities, they were essentially just forms of attack.

The body, on the other hand, was the most fundamental source of strength, speed, defense, recovery, and vitality.

Whitebeard, for instance, mastered the power of earthquakes, and his attacks were known as “world-destroying force,” making him the strongest man in the world!

And then there was Kaido, who possessed one of the strongest physical strength in the world, with near-immortality and was known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and sky.

Rhodes was still far from matching either of them, but he knew that his unwavering focus on strengthening his body would eventually lead him to new heights.

As he channeled the power of thunder to strengthen his body, every organ and even his cells were tempered and fortified. Day after day, his physique grew stronger and more formidable, making him a truly unparalleled prodigy.

“Now, my physical strength should already be at the level of a Rear Admiral in the Navy, much stronger than even the legendary Ryuma. However, compared to top-tier Vice Admirals like Oniwabanshu, I might still be a bit behind,” Rhodes mused to himself as he evaluated his combat prowess.

His earlier hunch was right: once his physical strength reached the level of a Vice Admiral, his overall combat power would skyrocket. He would become a pinnacle existence within this rank, even surpassing his opponents in terms of attack power.

That was how he was able to defeat the Black Dragon and effortlessly slay Nightblade even when he was injured.

“It’s already October 1521 according to the Sea Circle Calendar. Luffy will set sail in about three months,” Rhodes said, reminding himself of the upcoming Top War.

“There should still be half a year until the war. That’s enough time for me to push my physical training to the level of a quasi-Admiral.”

Rhodes frowned slightly, feeling a bit dissatisfied with his progress. For anyone else, his pace of improvement would already be considered lightning-fast, but he wanted to be even stronger.

He had envisioned that once he unlocks the third level of the Knowledge Book and became one of the Seven Warlords, he would have enough influence to be a force to be reckoned with. However, to unlock the fourth level, he would need to wield world-shaking power and be known throughout the world, from the Four Emperors to the World Government and even to the common folk.

To achieve that level of impact, he would need to shine brightly in the coming Top War, a world-changing event that could alter the course of history.

At his current rate of progress, he would at most be on par with Marco and Doflamingo by the time the war began. To truly influence the Top War, he had a long way to go.

“I wonder what changes this advancement will bring, it feels like it’s more than just a new talent,” Rhodes thought to himself, his eyes flickering with anticipation.