Hancock's eyes went wide.
She stared at Chenos like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Then, as if snapping back to reality, she hurriedly motioned for her two younger sisters to keep up. She moved closer to Chenos as they walked, her voice kept low but urgent.
"Can you tell me what's really going on?"
Chenos's mind raced as he looked at her.
In the future, Hancock would be rescued by the fish-man Fisher Tiger. After that, she'd be helped by Gloriosa, Shakky, and Rayleigh, and eventually make it back to Amazon Lily.
If he could build a bond with her now—back when she was at her weakest and most helpless—then when the escape finally came, he might have a chance to meet the Dark King himself: Silvers Rayleigh, the Pirate King's right-hand man, a monster at the very top of the world.
And if Chenos wanted revenge—if he wanted to ever lift a blade against the Celestial Dragons—he needed power.
Real power.
In the world of pirates, there were two shortcuts to terrifying strength: Devil Fruits and Haki.
As a slave, a Devil Fruit was a luxury he had no way of obtaining on his own.
So the best path left… was learning from Rayleigh.
And besides—
Right now, Hancock was vulnerable. If he could keep her alive, earn her trust, then maybe… just maybe… the future would change in ways he could use.
Chenos steadied his breathing and began to explain, quietly, carefully.
"Saint Charlos is a Celestial Dragon. If he's taking us to his palace, it's because he wants entertainment."
Hancock swallowed.
"Entertainment…?"
"He enjoys torturing slaves. And the 'games' change every time."
Chenos's voice didn't rise, but every word was heavy.
"I've seen drinking contests. Slaves forced to drink until they drop—whoever loses dies."
Hancock's face tightened.
"I've seen eating contests too. Whoever eats less… dies."
Her sisters behind her began trembling visibly.
"And Devil Fruit games," Chenos continued, his tone flat as if he'd long since run out of shock. "They make slaves eat Devil Fruits to see what ability appears. If the ability isn't interesting enough, they kill the person anyway."
Hancock's lips parted, but no sound came out.
"Once, they even made people compete over who could… urinate farther." Chenos's eyes darkened. "That one was ridiculous. But it was still life and death."
He paused for a breath, then said the part that truly mattered.
"But those are the milder ones."
Hancock's steps faltered.
"There's worse…?"
Chenos nodded once, slowly.
"I've seen two Celestial Dragons order their slaves to fight each other. Team against team. Round after round. The losers die. The winners fight again—until one side is completely wiped out."
His voice grew colder.
"That's the cruelest one. Every time they do it, a lot of people die."
Hancock's face drained of color.
The two girls behind her shook so hard their shackles rattled faintly.
Then, through the panic, Hancock forced herself to think.
If Chenos had witnessed that kind of slaughter… how had he survived?
She looked at him quickly, voice trembling but determined.
"Then… how are you still alive? Is there some trick? Some way to survive?"
Chenos gave a bitter laugh that held no humor at all.
"No trick."
He stared ahead, as if seeing something only he could see.
"Our side had a strong one. Someone who could kill the other side's slaves by himself. That's the only reason I made it through."
Hancock's breathing hitched.
"But…" Chenos's eyes narrowed. "Two days ago, that strong slave was killed by Saint Charlos."
Hancock's voice went thin. "Why…?"
Chenos's jaw tightened.
"Because he didn't crawl fast enough."
For a moment, Hancock forgot to breathe.
Then she whispered, shaking:
"So if it's a slave battle this time… and we don't have someone strong…"
Chenos didn't answer with words.
He simply nodded.
Hancock's eyes glistened, but she gritted her teeth and kept walking. Fear pressed down on her like a weight, yet she refused to break in front of her sisters.
As they moved with the line of slaves, Chenos quietly assessed the others.
There were men over two meters tall, hardened criminals with vicious eyes, and even beautiful women whose looks should've belonged in a palace rather than a chain gang.
But they all shared the same expression.
A dead, numb emptiness—like their spirits had already been crushed.
Soon, the suited guards led them to a massive palace.
The doors opened.
Inside, a bloated man with a transparent bubble helmet stood leering at a row of Devil Fruits laid out before him. He poked at them like toys, occasionally asking the people beside him questions in an impatient, lazy tone.
Chenos exhaled quietly—relief he didn't quite trust.
He leaned toward Hancock and whispered, "This time might not be a slave battle. Those are Devil Fruits. He probably wants slaves to eat them and show off the powers. It's entertainment for him."
Even so, the sheer waste made Chenos' stomach twist.
A Devil Fruit outside could be worth at least one hundred million beli.
Here, in a Celestial Dragon's palace, they were playthings.
Then Chenos remembered something else—something crucial.
This is when Hancock gets her power.
If the timeline didn't change, Hancock would be forced to eat a Devil Fruit here.
That meant—
As horrific as it was, this round might actually be one of the "safer" ones… as long as they kept their heads down and survived it.
Chenos lowered his voice further.
"Listen to me. Stay quiet. Don't draw attention. If you're chosen, eat the fruit, do what they tell you, and don't resist. It's disgusting, but… it might keep you alive."
Hancock swallowed hard, then nodded.
"I understand."
They were herded into the center of the grand hall.
Saint Charlos grabbed a Devil Fruit at random and strutted into the crowd of slaves, bubble helmet bobbing like some grotesque ornament as he began choosing.
His gaze landed on a huge man—over two meters tall.
Charlos' eyes lit up.
"You. Eat it. Let me see what kind of fun ability you get."
The big man accepted the fruit with the blank resignation of someone who no longer had the strength to fear.
He took a massive bite.
His face instantly contorted.
The taste was vile—so revolting it made his stomach seize and churn. He gagged, clamping a hand over his mouth, fighting not to vomit.
Because he knew the truth.
If he didn't swallow it, Charlos might shoot him on the spot.
Charlos burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! That face! That's it—that's the best part! Devil Fruits really are the worst-tasting things in the world!"
Chenos watched, expression tight.
To these monsters, human suffering wasn't even cruelty.
It was comedy.
"Now show me your power," Charlos ordered, voice dripping with impatience.
The slave drew in a shaky breath and activated the ability.
His body warped and expanded, turning into a massive lizard nearly two meters long. A savage aura rose off him as he bared teeth and claws, thrashing in a violent display.
Then—
Bang!
A gunshot.
A bullet punched straight through the lizard's eye.
The creature collapsed instantly, dead on the spot, and reverted back into a human corpse.
Charlos clicked his tongue.
"Tch. A Zoan. And it's a disgusting lizard."
That single shot made every slave's heart clench.
In this place, life and death depended entirely on the Celestial Dragon's mood.
One moment of boredom. One moment of irritation.
And someone would die.
Chenos' head filled with memories he didn't want—the kind that crawled up from the body's scars and made them ache again.
He felt it.
The old burns. The old wounds.
Even the branded mark on his chest seemed to throb.
And in spite of himself—
His gaze lifted toward Saint Charlos.
For a split second, murder leaked out of his eyes.
A cold presence swept over him.
Chenos immediately lowered his head, forcing the killing intent down, burying it deep.
From the corner of his vision, he saw a masked man in a black suit—one with a long sword slung at his waist—watching him.
That stare was sharp, clinical.
Dangerous.
Chenos kept his eyes lowered, expression empty, as if he were nothing more than a frightened slave.
Only then did the pressure ease.
And at that moment—
Saint Charlos picked up another Devil Fruit and turned toward Hancock.
"It's shaped like a heart," he said lazily. "So… let this girl eat it."
Hancock's entire body trembled.
For a heartbeat, she didn't know whether to step forward… or run