Chapter 249: King of Strength
Green Pepper spun rapidly, destroying everything around him. Rodney took a step back, revealing a smile, and clapped his hands on the ground: "Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"
A stone pillar suddenly rose from where Green Pepper was standing, sending him high into the air. Rodney continued, "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
High-temperature flames hit Green Pepper, but he turned the flames into a fiery dragon tornado and sent it back towards Rodney.
"Interesting!" Rodney's eyes lit up. He exerted force from both feet, causing the arena beneath him to crack. Leaving two footprints, he rushed towards Green Pepper in the air and clashed their black fists together.
Boom!
The shockwaves and chakra clashed for just a moment. Then the two separated, landing gracefully on the ground. Green Pepper, on the other hand, was sent flying off the arena, crashing into his two grandchildren.
"Big brother, are you okay?" Abu crawled out from under Green Pepper's body and helped his big brother, Old Cai, out. Old Cai still couldn't move; his body was stiff. Abu then turned to Green Pepper and stared in amazement. "Grandfather, your head!"
"What's wrong with my head?" Since being punched by Kaku thirty years ago, Green Pepper had been very concerned about his head. Now, hearing his grandson's exclamation, he panicked and touched his head. Huh?
It felt familiar yet unfamiliar.
As he moved his hand up, he realized that his flat head had returned to its former pointy shape. His prized possession, the Cone of Green Pepper, was back!
His treasure could be retrieved again!!!
The thought filled Green Pepper's eyes with tears. Who could understand the pain of seeing his treasure in front of him but not being able to retrieve it? That wealth was the accumulation of generations in their family. It was unfortunate that he couldn't open the Jewel Ice Bed and retrieve the treasure because of Kaku's punch.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Green Pepper felt overwhelmed with regret. He realized that all his resentment and anger were like a childish game. It was simply because he couldn't match up to others. He had lived for seventy or eighty years and still hadn't figured it out. He had truly been too stubborn.
"Thank you, Mr. Rodney," Green Pepper didn't hold back his identity any longer. To express his gratitude to Rodney, he knelt down, burying his pointy head in the ground and causing a crack to form in the earth. "I will never forget your great kindness. Please allow my two incompetent grandsons to follow you!"
He could see the potential in this young man, who had surpassed him in strength at such a young age. Rodney would undoubtedly continue to grow stronger in the future, and perhaps the Eight-Treasure Marines would become even more formidable.
Furthermore, getting his head back and being able to retrieve his wealth was a debt that had to be repaid!
Seeing this, Rodney reached out and helped Green Pepper up, asking, "Do you know what I want to do, old man?"
"I don't know, but I owe you my life, so it's not a problem for me to give it to you," Green Pepper said firmly.
"Alright then, welcome to my side," Rodney said as he helped Green Pepper up. He then turned to the audience and said, "Well, it seems that our little family feud has come to an end. Farewell for now."
"Mr. Rodney, are you giving up?" asked the referee.
"That's right, it's meaningless now. I'd rather not compete with them anymore. After all, they can't beat me. I'm looking forward to meeting some interesting people on the high seas. Haha, farewell for now." Rodney laughed and left with Green Pepper.
"Wait for me, grandfather," Abu picked up Old Cai and followed behind them.
"I can't believe it. Rodney, the one with the best chance of winning, has given up the fight. Unbelievable. So who will win this battle next? Let's watch and see!"
The battle continued, but Rodney and his group left to deal with their own matters. He said, "Green Pepper, in the future, Dressrosa will undergo significant changes. Please continue to stay hidden here. I will need your strength later."
"Of course!"
Green Pepper nodded, and then he saw Rodney transform into an injured person. He said, "Rod, you should leave for now. I'm going to destroy Doflamingo's hard work. Let's go, Green Pepper."
They left limping, as Rodney was severely injured. Soon, medical personnel took him away, and he lay on a mechanical bed. One of the medical personnel said, "Please don't move; we need to examine your body."
Rodney found something strange about these words.
Just as he was thinking, the medical personnel activated a switch, and the bed beneath him suddenly split apart, causing him to fall through. The bed then closed up again, waiting for the next person.
Rodney's feet clung to the wall as he disdainfully said, "Do you think this kind of contraption can trap me? What a joke. I need to find King Elizabello."
If he remembered correctly, King Elizabello joined this fight incognito to gain the strength for revenge. Unfortunately, due to his age and frailty, he failed and should be down here.
Underneath Dressrosa, there was an underground world built by Donquixote Doflamingo. It was typically used for illicit dealings, smuggling items like weapons, human trafficking, organs, and various precious goods. Anything profitable had Doflamingo's hands in it. Rodney was looking for the place where those "toys" were dealt with.
In Dressrosa, there was a disease known as the "human disease," where some toys began to think of themselves as humans. They became obsessed with people, causing a "disease" that made them cling to their loved ones, who had once been their families. However, due to the effect of the Buki Buki no Mi (Toy Toy Fruit), they forgot their true identity as toys. As a result, they felt anger and fear because of the toys' obsession.
These toys, driven insane, were labeled as having the "human disease." Doflamingo's high-ranking members would capture them, and then Sugar would turn them into toys, becoming new workers for the factory.
After being turned into toys, these people with robust physiques had much greater endurance than ordinary toys and could work tirelessly. However, over time, they would eventually break down.
Rodney's goal was to infiltrate the underground world and find King Elizabello and the unfortunate souls who had fallen into this place.
He slid out of a tunnel and landed steadily on the waste-covered ground. Looking around, he saw piles of garbage and some toys that had already lost consciousness. These toys weren't dead but rather in a dormant state. Their bodies were no longer capable of movement.
It was somewhat dim underground, but Rodney could still see his surroundings. He tried to avoid the toys as much as possible and went directly to an old man wearing a tattered helmet and a blue cloak.
"Hello, King Elizabello. I'm Rodney, and I believe you've heard of my name."
King Elizabello
's face under the mask showed shock. Rodney's voice was neither loud nor soft, but as soon as he said "King Elizabello," the fallen toys, as if summoned, forcibly stood up and saluted him.
They saluted their perfect king in their hearts!
(End of this chapter)