"I told you already no matter how hard you try, you'll never harm me." Rakuya stood before them, his face showing faint exasperation, almost as if he was tired of repeating himself.
"Damn it, what kind of ability is this?" The sword-wielding Elder's expression was dark, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
"He's unharmed again?"
"This must be a Devil Fruit ability. But how could there be a Fruit that controls water itself? That's impossible! Everyone knows Devil Fruit users are cursed by the sea. A 'Water Fruit'? Such a thing doesn't exist! Even Kuzan, with his Ice-Ice Fruit, still fears the sea!"
"Then what the hell is this power? Someone explain it!" The scar-faced Elder narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with suspicion.
The room fell silent. All four wore the same baffled look, unable to understand what kind of ability they were facing.
"Stop guessing. I'm not a Devil Fruit user. From the beginning, I've never eaten one."
"What? Not a Devil Fruit user? You think we're toddlers who'll swallow such nonsense?"
Rakuya didn't bother arguing further. His body reformed fully, and he swaggered over to a chair, lounging back with one leg crossed. He casually grabbed a fruit from the table and took a loud bite.
Crunch.
That single sound sent another shock through the Five Elders.
"He can ignore all attacks, yet still interact with physical objects?" The swordsman's gaze fell on the bitten fruit in Rakuya's hand, his eyelid twitching.
"Damn it. Just what kind of ability is this!" The tall, sharp-bearded Elder muttered, frustration clear in his voice.
"Armament Haki! Hardening!"
The Elder with pale-yellow hair and beard finally acted, recalling how Logia powers could be countered. His fist, wrapped in jet-black Armament, roared toward Rakuya's watery form.
Boom!
The punch tore through him, scattering water droplets across the floor.
"Hmph. Let's see you survive that."
The yellow-haired Elder smirked, glancing at the puddle spreading on the ground.
This time, the water didn't reform. It just sat there like lifeless liquid.
"He's dead?"
"So he was a Logia user after all? How did none of us think to use Haki until now?"
"A noisy clown blown apart by one punch. Now he's finished."
Relief briefly washed over them. The boy had been troublesome enough to make even them break into a cold sweat. They'd suspected he was a Logia, but until now, no one had tried Armament directly. Seeing him blasted apart seemed to confirm it.
Yet unease crept in almost immediately.
"No. If he was that easy to kill, why was the bald one captured?"
"And the Death Servant he was killed. That's even more bizarre. Who could kill him? Only we had the means to put him down permanently. Unless… unless Rakuya crushed him completely, body and soul."
"Stay sharp. This brat isn't dead."
Their instincts screamed caution. The four of them turned tense again, eyes scanning the room.
Then, from the wall itself, a shadow pushed outward. The surface dried and cracked, plaster peeling away as if drained of all moisture. A figure emerged slowly, step by step.
The Elders' gazes locked with Rakuya's eyes.
"Just as I thought."
The swordsman's fist clenched, his heart jolting.
"Even Armament Haki can't affect him?" The yellow-haired Elder pulled back his fist, his earlier disdain replaced with grim respect.
"I told you I'm not a Devil Fruit user. I've never eaten one. How many times do I need to say it?" Rakuya chuckled coldly, his eyes sweeping across the four of them.
"Then where does this ability come from? Besides Devil Fruits, who could grant such power?"
"If I said I was born this way… would you believe me?" Rakuya lifted his arm with a faint smile, blinking at them.
"Release the bald one, and I'll give you one hundred Devil Fruits!"
The scar-faced Elder finally spoke, gritting his teeth as he named his offer.
Truthfully, one hundred Fruits for a single Elder was more than fair. And Rakuya had already cast Kotoamatsukami on the bald man he was firmly under his control. Even if the Elders refused, Rakuya would eventually send him back.
But Rakuya only sneered.
"Didn't I already say? To buy him back, at least three hundred Devil Fruits."
"You little bastard! That's extortion! You jumped from eighty to three hundred? Who raises the price like that!" The swordsman's teeth ground audibly as he glared daggers at him.
"Extortion? Be reasonable. He's worth that much. If I were selling you a pig, I'd never ask this price. But if you think the bald one's worth as much as a pig, then fine give me a handful of Fruits and take him."
Rakuya's voice was calm, unbothered, as if the whole negotiation was a game.
"You brat! Who are you calling a pig!"
"I can't take this anymore! We're getting him out!"
"Attack!"
"Blade Gale!"
The room erupted.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Tables shattered, walls split, debris flying as the entire building shook under the onslaught.
"Blade Gale!"
The swordsman's robe snapped in the storm of energy, his sleeve whipping as a suffocating aura burst forth. His sword swept down, its aura spreading in ripples that warped the very air like waves under the sea.
Boom!
Blinding arcs of sword aura howled forward, solid and deadly, the white ripples tearing the room apart.
This time, Rakuya didn't dodge. His smile was calm, almost serene. He lifted his arm, palm open toward the incoming storm.
Without warning, he unleashed his power.
"Shinra Tensei!"
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