"Golden fire!" Tesoro, transformed into a colossal golden giant, roared. He drew back his immense fist and swung it at Rhodes, the blow threatening to engulf Nia and Baccarat. Rhodes stepped forward, shielding the two, and met the attack with a powerful straight punch. As his fist launched, dark Haki enveloped his body, exploding outwards.
Boom!! The two fists collided. Despite the golden giant's fist being many times larger than Rhodes's, the clash was evenly matched. "You're quite capable!" Rhodes narrowed his eyes, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Then how about you try my blow?"
Rhodes retracted his fist, lowered his waist, and unleashed his full power: Six Kings Gun!
A devastating shockwave erupted, infused with Rhodes's powerful aura, striking the golden giant's fist. Snap— Under Tesoro's disbelieving gaze, the golden giant's fist cracked instantly and then crumbled.
"How is that possible?" Tesoro exclaimed.
"It seems that your gold is vulnerable," Rhodes taunted.
"My power is invincible!!" The golden giant roared, as if personally wounded. Gold surged from the ground, repairing its shattered arm and expanding its body further. "I am the richest man in the world because I can control gold! I can control everyone with wealth, and people without money will achieve nothing and will only be controlled!"
"Too narrow-minded!" Rhodes shook his head. "Money? It's just a number! Whether it is Bailey or gold, they only have value because they are recognized by people. Once no one recognizes them, Bailey is just a pile of waste paper, and gold is just a pile of metal."
"But only fists are the absolute truth of this world. The one with the biggest fist is the one who rules! Gold or wealth is only controlled by the strong! You who hold the gold will only be defeated by me who holds the strong fist, as a footnote to my success!"
"Then come and defeat me and see!" The golden giant roared, clenching its even larger fist and punching at Rhodes. Terrifying heat gathered on its fist, a powerful, destructive force brewing. This was the ability Tesoro had developed after his Gold-Gold Fruit's awakening: the effect of molten gold fire, generating heat as powerful as a large-scale explosion.
"Really? I'm not very good at dealing with large-scale attacks like this," Rhodes admitted. He drew Huazhou, holding it with both hands. He squatted slightly, gathering all his strength.
Is this guy a swordsman? Tesoro wondered, seeing Rhodes draw his weapon. No matter, no one can escape this blow!
"Hegemony!!" Facing the golden fist, Rhodes unleashed all his power through Huazhou. The next moment, a colossal columnar shockwave shot forth, visible to the naked eye. It struck Tesoro's golden fist with devastating momentum, making the air shriek.
Boom!!! Under the terrifying shockwave, Tesoro's golden fist was instantly pierced. The shockwave continued, tearing a massive, circular hole through the golden giant's chest.
"How could it be!" Inside the giant, Tesoro's face was contorted in shock. His Devil Fruit had awakened, and the Golden Giant was his ultimate awakened move, the one that had allowed him to fight Doflamingo head-on and force him into an alliance.This mere "little devil" had just pierced his Golden Giant! What was that strange move?
"It's amazing, worthy of being the giants' ultimate move!" Rhodes nodded, observing the result of his "Hegemony."
This technique concentrated all of his body's strength, combined with a specific stance and special force application, channeled instantly through his weapon and perfectly infused with Haki. It unleashed maximum power, far exceeding his usual attacks.
However, it came with a heavy toll, both on the user and the weapon.
Rhodes gripped Huazhou, feeling its strain. He could use it a few more times, but at this rate, Huazhou would likely be scrapped.
"You are very strong!" Tesoro's voice boomed from the golden giant. "But you can't defeat me with just this!" Gold surged wildly, rapidly repairing the golden giant, restoring it in moments. "The move just now must have put quite a strain on you! How many times can you use it? And my gold is endless!" Tesoro controlled the golden giant to assume a defensive stance, surrounded by swirling golden pillars.
"It is indeed troublesome, the ability of the Devil Fruit after awakening." Rhodes frowned at the surging golden ocean. An awakened Paramecia user like Tesoro could manipulate the surrounding environment, turning the battlefield into their home turf. The longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for him.
In that case. Rhodes gripped Huazhou again, adopting the stance for Hegemony. Haki instantly wrapped around Huazhou, turning it pitch black. Two more times, and he would be completely defeated.
"Hegemony!" The terrifying columnar shockwave blasted out again, directly piercing through Tesoro's golden giant with overwhelming momentum.
|======|
Rhodes continues his decisive battle against Gild Tesoro, who unleashes the true power of his Gold-Gold Fruit awakening. Tesoro's "Golden Giant" and its "golden fire" attacks, capable of large-scale destruction, prove formidable. However, Rhodes showcases his overwhelming strength and Haki mastery, shattering the giant's fist with a Six Kings Spear attack. He then critiques Tesoro's worldview, asserting that "fists are the absolute truth" and that wealth is ultimately subservient to true power.
Tesoro responds by demonstrating the Golden Giant's rapid self-repair and its evolved ability to produce molten gold. Rhodes counters with Hegemony, a powerful, concentrated attack channeled through his weapon, Huazhou, which pierces the Golden Giant's defenses. Recognizing the strain this technique puts on him and his weapon, and acknowledging the difficulty of fighting an awakened Devil Fruit user on their home turf, Rhodes resolves to end the battle quickly, launching another devastating Hegemony attack.