Let's return our focus to the battlefield.
BOOM—!!!
A sonic boom exploded. Barrett's figure turned into a blurry black afterimage. His speed was more than double what it had been before.
Facing this world-destroying dive, Rhett's smile instantly faded.
Rhett: I have to defeat Barrett and make him build me one.
He didn't dodge. He didn't even take a defensive posture. He just slightly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide, aimed at the descending black meteor.
Blood-colored mist appeared. It didn't spread. Instead, it condensed in front of his palm, instantly compressed, then expanded, rotating into a dark red vortex that seemed to swallow all light.
No earth-shaking noise. No violent outward Haki.
The next moment, the black meteor and the dark red vortex —
Collided!!!
Time seemed to freeze.
The kind of explosion one might expect didn't happen.
Barrett's full-power strike, capable of destroying mountains, hit the dark red vortex and... softened.
All the impact and Haki were frantically swallowed and annihilated by the deep vortex.
Barrett's pupils contracted. For the first time, disbelief appeared on his face. He could feel all his power being mercilessly decomposed and absorbed by that small vortex.
"How is this possible?!"
Rhett stood before his throne. Only his raised hand and the rotating, dark red vortex that was swallowing Barrett's full-power strike.
He looked at Barrett, whose face was twisted with effort, so close. The corner of his mouth curled into that infuriating smile. He softly uttered a few words.
"Too expensive."
"Five billion. For your life. A bit too expensive."
"Tch. A losing deal. I won't take it."
The moment the words left his mouth, Rhett's fingers suddenly clenched!
The dark red vortex, which had been swallowing Barrett's attack, suddenly stopped rotating. Then, with even more ferocious force — it exploded backward!!!
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!
A terrifying shockwave, combining Barrett's own power with Rhett's, erupted from Rhett's palm. It all slammed directly into Barrett's chest.
"GWAAAAH—!!!"
Barrett didn't even understand what had happened. He flew backward faster than he had come. A spray of blood erupted from his mouth. He shot across the sky of the Golden City like a black streak.
The entire Golden City was dead silent.
From Barrett's dramatic arrival, to him throwing down the treasure chest and launching his fatal strike, to Rhett casually sending him flying back with a single move...
Rhett had only raised one hand the entire time.
The whole process took less than ten seconds. The member nation kings of unknown strength watching the spectacle thought, "What? You looked so impressive, and that's all you've got?" But Whitebeard, Garp, and the others didn't look so relaxed.
A glint of interest flickered in Rhett's eyes. He knew that blow had landed solidly. But as a fighter's instinct, he didn't think it had defeated Barrett. If Barrett had been taken out that easily, Rhett would have been truly disappointed.
If Barrett wasn't strong enough, many of Rhett's plans would need to change.
---
Barrett leaped out of the crater on the island. His dark armor had a few dents and scratches. But the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even more fiercely. He stared at Rhett on the Golden City throne. His chest heaved, not from exhaustion, but from extreme excitement.
"Not enough! Still not enough! Rhett! Is that supposed to tickle me?!" Barrett roared. His feet slammed into the ground again. With a faint glow from his Combine-Combine Fruit, he shot toward the Golden City like a cannonball again.
This time, his speed seemed even faster. His power was more concentrated. The Haki on his fist was almost solid black-red lightning.
Rhett watched Barrett charge again. A flicker of assessment crossed his eyes. He still stood there. He didn't even take a fighting stance.
Just as Barrett's devastating fist was about to land —
Rhett's body slightly shifted. Remember, cool is a feeling.
BOOM!!!
Barrett's fist brushed past Rhett's clothes and hit the gold floor in front of the throne. The solid gold floor instantly exploded.
"He dodged?!" Barrett's pupils contracted. But his combat instinct made him instantly change his move. His other elbow swung at Rhett's head!
But Rhett's figure blurred again, as if it were just an illusion. The elbow passed through "Rhett" without resistance, hitting only air.
"An illusion?" Barrett was stunned.
But the next second, a sharp stinging pain came from his side.
STAB!
A blade of highly condensed blood mist silently cut through his armor. Sparks flew.
Rhett: Huh. If the Black Tide Greatsword can't cut through it, I want it even more!!! Bastard!! Are you showing off?!
"Urgh!" Barrett grunted. He saw Rhett had somehow appeared in another position. The "Rhett" that had been hit by his elbow slowly faded.
"Bastard! Playing these tricks!" Barrett roared. The thrusters on his armor exploded again. He charged at Rhett like a whirlwind. His fists came down like a storm.
"Combine · Hundred Burst Fist!"
"Ora, ora, ora!"
Countless Haki-wrapped fists filled the space around Rhett. They were too fast for the eye to follow, covering all escape routes.
Faced with this attack, Rhett finally moved. He didn't block directly. He didn't completely dodge either. Instead, like a small boat in a storm, his body moved in strange and subtle ways.
"Paper Art."
His movements didn't look fast. They even looked leisurely. But he always avoided the strongest point of each punch at the last moment.
The beauty of Paper Art.
When he couldn't avoid it, he formed a thin shield of condensed blood mist in front of him, or blocked with non-critical parts like his arms or shoulders.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The dull sounds of punches hitting flesh echoed continuously. Rhett kept getting hit. But his expression never changed.
Barrett grew more and more shocked and angry.
He could feel all his power hitting nothing, or being neutralized in a very strange way. His opponent was like a mist he couldn't grasp or break. Every seemingly solid hit gave him no real feedback.
"Are you just going to dodge?! Rhett!" Barrett roared. He threw a punch to push Rhett back and suddenly brought his arms together!
"Super Combine · Shackles!"
The armor on his arms instantly transformed, extending into countless black metal chains with barbs. They wrapped around Rhett, tightening! This time, it seemed real!
"Got you!" Barrett grinned fiercely, tightening the chains, trying to crush Rhett completely.