The five of them slowly closed in, forming a tightening ring around Chenos.
Instead of retreating, Chenos surged forward—straight toward the two towering brutes—exactly as he'd planned.
Seeing this, Saint Charlos burst into laughter and shouted smugly at the other Celestial Dragons,
"Ha! See that? That's my slave. Way stronger than the trash you lot brought!"
Shalria shot him a sideways glance.
"Hmph. That one of mine is Father's captain slave. Let's see if you're still laughing later."
Charlos waved it off arrogantly.
"Just watch. Even Father's captain slave will get crushed by my unkillable toy!"
The words had barely left his mouth—
Boom!
Chenos was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing hard into the wall and leaving a deep crater behind him.
The other Celestial Dragons immediately burst into mocking laughter.
"Is that your unkillable toy?"
"Looks pretty killable to me!"
"What the hell…?"
Chenos had charged according to plan, but before he could even reach the two brutes, the boxer flashed in front of him and drove a brutal punch straight into his torso.
The force was terrifying.
Even with his Devil Fruit absorbing most of the damage, Chenos was still blasted backward.
He'd barely hit the ground before pushing himself up—only for the swordsman to appear beside him in a blink, blade slashing downward.
Forced into a desperate donkey roll, Chenos narrowly avoided being cleaved in two.
But the moment he regained his footing—
Wham!
A massive snake tail lashed out, smashing into him from the side and sending him flying once again.
He slammed into the wall for a second time before finally dropping to the floor.
"Cough—!"
Chenos spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at the five opponents with renewed caution.
That exchange made one thing painfully clear:
His Devil Fruit had limits.
Once an attack exceeded his absorption threshold, the excess force still reached his body and caused injury.
That said, with the rebound ability acting as a buffer, he'd survived a combination that would have killed most people instantly—suffering only light internal damage.
That realization steadied him.
As long as I don't die… I can still win.
If he could seize even a single opening and unleash the damage he'd stored up, he was confident he could drop one opponent in one blow.
But his original plan was dead.
They'd clearly seen through it and wouldn't let him use the brutes as moving shields anymore.
"Unkillable! Get in there and smash them all!" Charlos yelled excitedly.
Seeing Chenos still standing, Charlos had instantly regained his earlier swagger.
Chenos sighed internally and walked forward again, his mind racing as he hastily rebuilt his strategy.
Speed-wise, I'm slower than the boxer and the swordsman.
If I try to move aggressively, they'll just catch my openings faster.
In that case… defense and counterattack.
He would lean fully into his Devil Fruit, let them come to him.
As long as they attacked first, all he needed was one clean chance—
One punch.
That was his only comfort right now.
All five relied on pure physical attacks.
As long as it stayed that way, his Rebound-Rebound Fruit could handle it.
If even one of them had some bizarre Devil Fruit ability…
I'd be dead already.
The boxer, the swordsman, and the one-eyed captain exchanged glances, their expressions growing grim.
They hadn't held back at all earlier.
Any normal person would've been pulp by now—yet this scrawny kid had only spat some blood and stood right back up, his body practically unmarked.
Combined with the Celestial Dragon's taunts about him being "unkillable," it was obvious:
This was a Devil Fruit user.
Probably not truly immortal—but absurdly tough.
With a silent signal, the three split apart and rushed him from different angles.
Chenos activated his Observation Haki, constantly adjusting his stance as he tracked their movements.
In the next instant—
The boxer closed in from behind.
The swordsman slashed in from the right.
And directly ahead, the one-eyed captain swept his massive snake tail toward Chenos in a brutal arc.
Chenos's thoughts snapped into focus.
Snake tail—I can tank it.
Punch—I can tank it.
Blade—no. That one I have to stop.
He didn't know for sure whether his rebound ability could absorb cutting damage—but he wasn't about to test it with his life on the line.
So he chose.
Armament Haki surged into his right hand as he shaped it into a dragon claw.
At the same time, he detonated the stored damage within his body, channeling it all into that single strike—
Straight at the blade.
His goal was simple:
If he couldn't be sure the blade wouldn't kill him—then he'd destroy the blade first.
What happened next exceeded even Chenos's expectations.
The instant his claw met the edge of the sword—
The blade shattered.
Not cracked.
Not chipped.
It disintegrated, like brittle ice touched by fire.
Chenos barely felt any loss of power.
Momentum carried his claw forward without slowing.
The swordsman froze in shock.
The Marine-issue saber he wielded wasn't cheap trash—it was standard equipment designed to fight pirates, sturdier than most weapons on the sea.
And it had just been erased by a single touch.
By the time the swordsman reacted, the dragon claw was already in his face.
No room to dodge.
No weapon to parry.
He raised both arms instinctively to guard his chest, grimacing.
My arms are done for…
Just… let me live…
BOOM—!
Chenos's claw obliterated both arms on contact, then tore straight through the swordsman's chest.
The rebound energy erupted outward, blasting a gaping hole clean through his torso.
The swordsman stared down at the empty cavity where his chest had been, mouth opening as if to speak—
But no sound came out.
He collapsed, lifeless.
At the same moment—
The one-eyed captain's tail smashed into Chenos from the side, sending him flying.
The boxer followed instantly, leaping high and slamming a crushing punch down onto Chenos's body, driving him deep into the floor.
And finally—
The two brutes, long ignored, seized the opening.
Each raised a massive fist—
And brought them crashing down toward Chenos buried in the ground.
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