Chenos's body tensed, his expression turning solemn.
He knew how strong CP0 was.
Just the pressure radiating from this man alone made it hard for him to breathe—there was no doubt the gap in strength was terrifying.
But that was exactly what he needed.
Only by fighting the strong could he grow quickly.
Only by being pushed to the brink could he become stronger.
And in a place where he could be thrown into a life-and-death battle at any moment, strength wasn't optional—it was survival.
"Next, I'll attack you," the sword-bearing CP0 said calmly.
"You'll use what you've learned—Armament and Observation—to defend yourself. If possible, counterattack."
"Are you ready?"
"…Yes."
Chenos's eyes were still covered by the cloth, but his focus sharpened to its limit. He carefully sensed every fluctuation around him, refusing to miss even the slightest disturbance.
Though blindfolded, the world felt clearer than ever.
The flow of air.
The faint movement of wind.
Subtle sounds he'd never noticed before—
All of it was now vivid.
Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance—an irregular ripple in the airflow.
Here it comes!
From the left—
The wooden sword slashed down from the upper right toward his head.
Chenos instantly gathered Armament Haki on his forearm and struck upward with his palm.
Clang!
Despite it being a wooden sword and bare flesh, the impact sounded like metal crashing against metal.
"Damn it—are you trying to kill me?!" Chenos cursed inwardly.
He moved his arms rapidly, barely keeping up as he blocked blow after blow. The CP0 agent's attacks grew faster, heavier, more relentless.
Before long, even with all his effort, Chenos started falling behind. Strikes slipped through, the wooden sword landing again and again on his body.
"I told you," the CP0 agent said evenly,
"You're allowed to counterattack."
Chenos nearly swore out loud.
Counterattack my ass! I'm blindfolded! I can barely track the attacks—how am I supposed to hit back?!
Then—
He froze.
He understood.
To counterattack, he needed to sense farther.
Not just the attack itself—but everything around it.
He had to "see" the battlefield with Observation Haki.
Only by expanding his perception—by awakening deeper mental power—could he strike back.
At that moment, Chenos stopped moving.
Instead, he activated his Devil Fruit, absorbing the blows as they landed, and fell into deep thought.
To awaken the mind… I need extreme mental stimulation.
And what stimulus is stronger than anything else?
The answer was obvious.
Death.
"I warned you—don't use your Devil Fruit."
If Chenos had removed the blindfold, he would've seen it—
The wooden sword in the CP0 agent's hand was now wrapped in dense Armament Haki. It radiated a metallic sheen and a terrifying sharpness, as if it could cleave a person in two with a single strike.
Chenos couldn't see it.
But he could feel it.
The killing intent rolling off the CP0 agent washed over him like a tidal wave.
For the first time—
Chenos felt how close death truly was.
Thump.
Thump.
His heart hammered violently.
Every instinct inside him screamed.
Dodge.
You must dodge.
If you don't—
You will die.
THUMP!
At the edge of life and death, Chenos entered a strange state.
Though his eyes were covered and the world should've been pitch-black—
Shapes began to appear.
Black-and-white outlines, like an old television filled with static.
The image was crude and blurry, the range limited—but it was enough.
He could see.
And in that monochrome world, the clearest figure was the sword-bearing CP0.
In Chenos's perception, the man looked like a god of slaughter. Flames of killing intent roared around his body, while dark currents coiled around the wooden sword as he stepped closer.
Chenos clearly saw the CP0 agent raise the sword, preparing to bring it down.
Yet something felt wrong.
He could see the motion—
But he couldn't sense the intent.
From the standpoint of pure presence, it was as if the CP0 agent wasn't attacking at all.
So that's it…
Just as the blade was about to fall—
Chenos rolled in the opposite direction of the strike, then surged forward. Armament gathered in his right fist as he threw a powerful punch toward the CP0 agent's side.
The CP0 agent instantly redirected the sword, knocking Chenos's fist aside with the hilt, neutralizing the attack with ease. He followed up with another slash.
Chenos switched from fist to palm, borrowing the rebound from the hilt strike. He planted his hands, snapped his legs together, and stabbed forward with both feet.
Unhurried, the CP0 agent continued his swing, using the momentum to spin his body. His elbow crashed into Chenos's legs, deflecting the attack and sending Chenos flying.
Using the force of the blow, Chenos flipped several times through the air before landing, widening the distance between them and searching for another opening.
Then—
The strange state vanished.
The world spun violently.
Chenos felt like he'd been thrown into a whirlpool, dizziness overwhelming him to the point where he could barely move.
"Good," the CP0 agent said calmly.
"For your first time entering Observation Haki, you lasted far longer than I expected."
"That's enough for today. Lie down and rest. Don't move—the dizziness will pass soon."
Without another word, he turned and walked back to the tree.
Chenos lay sprawled on the ground, unable to even lift a finger.
Outwardly, the CP0 agent appeared composed.
Inside—
His heart was in chaos.
He had deliberately pushed Chenos, releasing killing intent, forcing him toward the edge—just to help him grasp Observation Haki more quickly.
He'd never intended to truly strike Chenos down. This was controlled pressure, nothing more.
In fact, he'd already prepared for failure.
If Chenos couldn't break through, he planned to explain the sensations afterward, laying groundwork for future progress.
But instead—
Chenos awakened Observation Haki on the spot.
Not only that—on his very first activation, he managed to exchange several moves with a CP0 agent before dropping out of the state.
Most people, upon first entering Observation, couldn't endure the mental strain. Dizziness or even immediate unconsciousness was common.
Chenos, however, had pushed through.
The CP0 agent had run out of words.
Such talent…
Should someone like this really be destroyed by the Celestial Dragons?
For the first time, doubt crept into his heart.
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