One Piece: Heaven-Defying Talent

"It worked." Drej grinned, delivering a powerful kick to the back of Cavendish's neck.

But in the blink of an eye, Cavendish vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Drej muttered, alarmed. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and a cold blade gleamed as it emerged from his chest.

Looking down, he saw Cavendish standing there, his western sword piercing through. Moments later, a flurry of cold, relentless strikes erupted, each one driving deeper and deeper into him. Cavendish unleashed a storm of sword strikes, reducing Drej to a motionless figure riddled with cuts.

Drej collapsed immediately, but Cavendish, still entranced, turned his focus, fighting off a rising sleepiness.

Joz watched the scene, a corner of his mouth twitching. "Hey, brat, what do you think you're doing?" he shouted.

Before Joz could finish his sentence, Cavendish's figure blurred and vanished. Suddenly, Joz sensed an intense, cutting aura from behind, slamming against his diamond skin.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A series of metallic impacts echoed as Cavendish's rapid strikes hit their mark—but none could pierce Joz's impenetrable diamond armor.

Joz let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Kid, with those little sword skills of yours, you're still a long way off."

Confidence swelling, Joz added, "I can even block Hawkeye's strikes—do you really think your blade has a chance?"

Indeed, Joz had earned his pride. Hawkeye, the world's greatest swordsman, had never managed to break through Joz's defenses. There was no way a mere Cavendish could succeed where he had failed.

But then, Cavendish locked eyes with Joz and disappeared once more.

Joz's eyes widened in shock, instinctively bringing his arms up to shield his face.

*Clink!*

Cavendish's sword met Joz's arm, narrowly deflected by the diamond defense.

Joz scowled, "Cavendish, you brat! Trying to gouge my eye out?"

Watching nearby, Bartolomeo hastily activated his Barrier-Barrier Fruit, encasing himself in a protective shield. "This guy's getting faster and faster. If this keeps up, I'll be shredded to pieces!" he muttered. Making a mental note, he vowed, *I need to train my Observation Haki so I can predict every one of his moves. And someday, I'll get my hands on an attack-type fruit. Then, I'll be invincible—offense and defense!*

As Bartolomeo strategized, Cavendish continued his relentless assault on Joz. With a wild look, Cavendish aimed his sword at Joz's only vulnerable spot: his backside.

*Thunk!*

A scream, echoing with pain and humiliation.

"Cavendish, you little b*****d!" Joz roared, infuriated. Without hesitation, he unleashed the power of the String-String Fruit. Countless silk threads surged forward like a tidal wave, ensnaring Cavendish in a cage.

Despite his agility, Cavendish couldn't escape the threads and was soon bundled tightly, drifting into a forced slumber.

Joz, clutching his injury with a hand that came away bloody, glowered. He couldn't believe what had just happened. His honor, his pride—tarnished.

Bartolomeo, witnessing the scene, gaped in disbelief. "Damn, Cavendish really... went for it," he thought. But as he held back a laugh, Joz caught his eye, and Bartolomeo's amusement quickly turned to fear.

In an instant, Joz wrapped Bartolomeo in a cocoon of threads, pulling him close. "Didn't I tell you to go help Rebecca? What are you still doing here?"

"I didn't see anything, I swear! I was looking away the whole time!" Bartolomeo stammered, eyes wide with terror.

Joz's expression darkened further. "You little rat! If you breathe a word of this, I'll smash your skull into dust!"

Bartolomeo nodded furiously, his survival instincts kicking in. "I didn't see anything, truly!"

Satisfied—if only slightly—Joz released him and gestured toward Cavendish. "Take him back to the ship and throw him in the brig."

Bartolomeo gulped. "Uh... I think I'll keep my distance. You know how he gets when he's asleep—if anyone gets close, he transforms and unleashes those lethal slashes..."

"Relax. My threads have him completely restrained. He won't be able to move unless I release him."

Bartolomeo was still unconvinced. "Not worth the risk. Let's just wake him up."

Steeling himself, Bartolomeo approached Cavendish, who lay motionless. Just as Bartolomeo reached out, Cavendish's face twisted, and his body began to rise, hands clenched tightly around his sword.

With a wicked grin, Cavendish struggled against the threads, eyes locked on Bartolomeo.

"Oh, perfect!" Bartolomeo smirked, slapping Cavendish in his restrained state. "Wake up, you brat, wake up!"

"Dead cockscomb! I'm awake already!" Cavendish growled, seething with fury. He strained against his bindings but remained powerless.

*Smack! Smack!*

Bartolomeo slapped him a few more times. Enraged, Cavendish bellowed, "I swear, I'll kill you, rooster-head! I'm fully awake!"

Realizing Cavendish had snapped out of his trance, Bartolomeo hesitated. But before he could release his hold, the threads binding Cavendish dissolved.

Both men froze for a heartbeat, and then Cavendish smirked, his hand tightening around his sword. With deadly intent, he lunged toward Bartolomeo.

Bartolomeo reacted instantly, summoning his barrier just in time to block Cavendish's strike. He let out a relieved sigh, muttering, "Good thing my Observation Haki's sharp. That could have been bad."

Turning to Joz, Bartolomeo's expression shifted. He'd finally caught on. Joz had set him up.

"Uncle Joz! I swore to keep your secret—I'd never tell anyone about... you know," Bartolomeo began, struggling to suppress a smirk. "So why are you messing with me?"

But as the words left his mouth, Bartolomeo regretted them. Joz's face grew dark as a storm, and Bartolomeo, cursing his loose tongue, forced a grin, bracing for the repercussions.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.