At that moment, a man appeared on the small island.
He wore a white pinstriped suit, a hat tilted neatly atop his head, and a pure-black glove on one hand. His gaze swept lazily over the crowd, as if he were just taking a casual stroll.
"Tut-tut-tut… how scary," he drawled.
"So many people in one place… and even the 'Liberation Hero,' Fisher Tiger. This is going to be troublesome~"
Borsalino's eyes moved from one face to the next. When he spotted someone trying to slip behind Chenos's back, his brows lifted slightly in mild surprise.
"Oh? Isn't this Dr. Shark, the mechanical research scientist?"
"How did you end up somewhere like this?"
"Or… did you betray the World Government?"
Borsalino's tone was slow and indifferent, almost like a neighborly uncle out for a walk.
But the pressure he radiated was absolutely real.
Not a single person there dared to move recklessly.
Chenos watched him with a deep frown.
He'd been too focused on recruiting Fisher Tiger—he'd overlooked something crucial.
This place was above Fish-Man Island, and from here, Marine Headquarters wasn't that far.
Borsalino—future Admiral Kizaru.
In the original story, Luffy hit a Celestial Dragon… and Kizaru showed up almost immediately afterward.
People joked that Kizaru was a "human outline artist," a wage-slave who only exerted as much effort as his paycheck demanded—but that was because he was dealing with Monkey D. Luffy, and he knew whose grandson Luffy was.
Chenos didn't have any Marine-hero grandfather to shield him.
Right now, the key question was simple:
Was Borsalino here to go through the motions… or was he serious?
If he was only playing it safe, they might all escape.
If he got serious… things would turn ugly fast.
Because even with nothing else, Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit was absurdly overpowered. It alone put him at an Admiral-tier level—he simply hadn't been promoted yet because the Admiral seats were already occupied.
After Borsalino called him out, Shark's body stiffened.
Then, as if deciding to stop pretending, he roared back like a man who'd already smashed the jar and didn't care anymore.
"So what if it's me?!" Shark shouted.
"I can't be here?! You already have Vegapunk! You don't need me anymore—so I'm not allowed to leave?"
Borsalino's expression sharpened a fraction.
"The research division is a place you enter… but never leave," he said mildly.
"If you escaped, then there's no helping it."
"I'll have to kill you."
As he spoke, Borsalino raised his right hand and extended a single finger toward Shark.
A pinpoint of light gathered at the fingertip—
—and fired.
Chenos stepped in front of Shark again and raised his palm.
The laser vanished into his hand.
This time, Borsalino frowned and tilted his head.
From far away, he hadn't been able to tell why his laser had disappeared—he'd assumed it was blocked.
But now, seeing it swallowed whole…
It hadn't been blocked.
It had been erased.
"Ohh~ scary," Borsalino murmured.
"To think you can stop my Devil Fruit power…"
"Young pirate—what's your name?"
Chenos lifted his own finger.
In Borsalino's slightly surprised gaze, Chenos fired a laser back.
"Returning it the way it came," Chenos said coldly.
"My name is Chenos."
Borsalino's eyes widened.
He could tell instantly—
That was his attack.
Meaning Chenos could reflect the attack back onto the attacker.
So my own shot is coming back at me…?
Szzzt—
The beam pierced straight through Borsalino's body.
But Chenos didn't feel relief.
He frowned even harder.
Because the attack didn't work.
Borsalino's body had already shifted into elemental form.
"A Logia… what a pain," Chenos muttered.
For anyone without Haki, Logia intangibility was practically invincibility. No matter how hard you hit, you couldn't touch them—while they could kill you with ease.
And Borsalino was worse than most.
His fruit was light.
His speed approached light speed.
Even against Whitebeard—the so-called strongest man in the world—if he couldn't win, he could always just leave. Almost no one could chase him down.
Long-range attacks were hard to infuse with Armament Haki, and even if you did, actually hitting Borsalino would be another matter—his movement speed was faster than bullets or air slashes.
The only reliable way to deal with someone like that was close combat.
But Borsalino wasn't the kind of man who would willingly fight up close against someone stronger in melee.
If he kept his distance and kited his opponent—
He could keep them pinned down forever.
Which created a near-hopeless situation.
Annoying…
Chenos was struggling to figure out how to fight him.
But Borsalino, too, was surprised.
This was the first time he'd seen a Devil Fruit that could reflect his attacks.
If that was true, then his ranged lasers were largely useless.
Then let's try this one…
Borsalino tapped lightly off the ground and leapt high into the air.
Once he reached altitude, he crossed his arms over his chest.
Both hands formed an "OK" shape—index finger and thumb touching.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
The moment Borsalino rose, Chenos felt danger flare.
He shouted, "Everyone—get behind me! Now!"
No one hesitated.
Fisher Tiger. Jinbe. Arlong. Shark. Tesoro.
All of them moved behind Chenos instantly.
Above, hundreds of glowing points formed in the air—
—then rained down at terrifying speed.
Chenos stood at the front with both arms spread wide.
An invisible barrier expanded outward from his body, wrapping everyone behind him like a defensive dome.
"Absorption Barrier!"
Hundreds of lasers slammed into the barrier.
One after another, they were swallowed—absorbed—drawn into Chenos.
For an instant, the sheer flood of energy made Chenos's eyes widen violently.
Veins bulged on his forehead and neck.
When the last laser vanished, Chenos staggered.
His legs wobbled, and he nearly lost his footing.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
He panted hard, as if something massive were pressing down on his chest.
But then he turned and checked—
Everyone behind him was unharmed.
Chenos finally let out a breath of relief.
And then he saw it.
Everyone's eyes were wide, staring behind him.
A chill slid down Chenos's spine.
…Behind me?
A low, lazy voice murmured right by his ear:
"Have you ever been kicked… at the speed of light?"
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