The masked men in black suits standing near the Celestial Dragons… were almost certainly CP0.
And if there was one thing Chenos knew, it was this:
Just look at Lucci.
If CP0 moved, a newly awakened Devil Fruit user like him wouldn't last a second.
So he had no choice but to face the giant—hoping the man was "just" a brute with muscle, not some monster trained in killing.
Then his eyes landed on the hammer.
Chenos nearly cursed himself on the spot.
What "ordinary person" carries a hammer that big?
That thing had to weigh at least a thousand a ton—no, more. It was absurd.
At this point, he could only bet everything on his Devil Fruit.
His brain kicked into overdrive, calculating.
The giant was broad-shouldered, built like a wall, wielding a massive warhammer—almost certainly a pirate type who relied on raw strength. Just from the weapon alone, you could tell his power was terrifying.
But—
Three meters tall, swinging a weapon like that… meant one thing.
He wasn't built for speed.
That style was a moving siege engine. A bulldozer.
And Chenos?
He was barely around one and a half meters tall, thin as a stick.
Speed and agility were his only advantages—and they were huge ones.
On top of that, his Devil Fruit could absorb damage, which dramatically increased his margin for error.
Even if he got clipped, he might still survive.
He quickly scanned the giant's body, then frowned.
The man was too thick.
Muscle bulged everywhere. With Chenos's current strength, punching any part of that body would be like hitting a stone wall.
There was only one meaningful target.
The head.
But the problem was obvious.
The head was too high.
To hit it, he had to bring the giant down first.
So the plan was simple:
Attack the legs → knock him down → finish with the head.
Plan confirmed.
Do it.
Chenos moved first, sprinting straight in.
The giant watched the scrawny "bean sprout" rushing him and sneered. He lifted the hammer overhead and slammed it down.
BOOM—!!!
The ground exploded.
Stone cracked and split outward as dust roared up in a cloud.
And in that same instant—
A shadow shot through the dust, sliding low.
The giant glanced down and saw Chenos had somehow dodged the hammer strike completely. He'd slipped in with a clean sliding tackle aimed at the giant's shin.
The giant's eyes narrowed. He'd expected to feel impact—expected his balance to shift.
He even started to brace, ready to use the hammer as support if he got knocked off-center.
But then—
Chenos's foot connected.
And the giant felt… almost nothing.
No force.
No wobble.
No pain.
"..."
The giant tilted his head at Chenos, confusion written all over his face.
It was practically saying:
That's it?
Chenos looked up and met his gaze.
Then, with the most awkward smile in the world—
He gave a little greeting.
"…Hi?"
The truth was, Chenos's plan had been perfect on paper.
He'd aimed to strike while the giant's center of gravity was committed downward, when all his power was focused into the hammer. The moment his foot lost support, he should've toppled.
Everything had gone according to plan…
Except for one fatal detail.
Chenos's body was too weak.
So weak that he couldn't even knock the giant off balance.
Which led to this humiliating scene.
Chenos tried to slip away.
But the giant raised one foot—like a boulder—and stomped down.
Chenos saw the massive sole descending.
He was about to roll away—
Then he stopped.
Because he felt it.
That swelling energy inside him—the power he'd absorbed from Saint Charlos's gunshots earlier.
It was still there.
It was too much.
And suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Isn't this… the perfect moment?
If he wanted to knock the giant down—
What better time than when the giant had all his weight on one leg?
Chenos planted both hands on the floor and snapped his legs upward, body twisting into a motion like a carp flip.
His feet aimed straight at the giant's supporting leg.
And he roared:
"Rebound—!!!"
The stored force he'd absorbed from those bullets condensed into his toes and exploded outward.
BOOM—!!!
Chenos's feet shot forward like cannon rounds.
They pierced straight through the giant's foot.
The momentum didn't stop.
It tore up through the man's leg, ripped through his torso—
And burst out from his shoulder.
When Chenos landed, breath ragged—
He realized what he'd done.
The giant had been split clean in two.
The entire hall fell into dead silence.
No one had imagined that a skinny little slave—barely taller than a child—could kill a three-meter brute.
And not just kill him.
But tear him apart.
Hancock covered her mouth with both hands, staring at Chenos like she'd seen a ghost.
A moment ago, she'd thought he was about to be crushed under that stomp.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he'd turned the situation upside down with a strike so brutal and dazzling it left her breathless.
"Ha… hahaha! Good! Very good!"
Saint Charlos was practically vibrating with excitement.
"You—uh… what was your name again? Doesn't matter! You did great!"
"Tonight, you get extra food!"
To be honest, Saint Charlos hadn't even expected Chenos to win.
He'd only wanted a humiliating little show—something amusing where the "unkillable toy" lost in a funny way.
When he saw Chenos's sliding tackle do absolutely nothing, his face had gone ugly.
Lose if you must—but don't lose that pathetically.
And then—
Chenos delivered a miracle.
One kick.
Two halves.
Saint Charlos strutted up to Saint Charlmark, chin raised high.
"Oh? And who was it just now that said they'd smash my toy into minced meat?"
Saint Charlmark snorted.
He pulled out a pistol and fired at Chenos.
Chenos didn't move.
The bullet hit him—
And vanished into him, absorbed completely.
He remained untouched.
Saint Charlmark's face twisted in frustration, and he shouted at CP0 beside him:
"Kill that bastard!"
The masked agent didn't even flinch.
In a flat voice, he replied, "My lord, CP organizations cannot interfere in a 'game' between two Celestial Dragons."
Saint Charlos laughed again, loud and cruel.
"Hahahaha! Charlmark, you're pathetic."
"Can't handle losing, so you want to call CP? What, you think I'm like the trash outside?"
Saint Charlmark clenched his jaw, forced to swallow the humiliation.
He glared at Saint Charlos.
"Just wait. Next time I'll bring a stronger toy."
"I'll smash yours into pieces."
With that, he turned to leave.
Then Chenos spoke, calm as if he were casually commenting on the weather.
"Saint Charlos-sama… weren't you two gambling?"
Saint Charlos's eyes lit up instantly.
He spun around.
"Charlmark! Stop right there."
"According to the wager, the Heavenly Tribute assigned to you this time is mine."
"Hahahaha! Looks like you won't be buying any new toys!"
Saint Charlmark's gaze snapped to Chenos.
The killing intent in his eyes was so thick it felt like it could cut.
He stared at Chenos's face, as if carving it into memory.
"You… just you wait."
He pulled out a golden key, tossed it to Saint Charlos, then stormed out.
The moment he was gone, Chenos exhaled—and immediately smacked himself lightly across the mouth.
Idiot.
Why did he have to run his mouth?
Now he'd been marked by another Celestial Dragon.
And that kind of attention…
Never ended well.