One Piece: Heaven-Defying Talent

"Huh? My ability isn't working?" Koby frowned slightly as he looked at Trebol in front of him. This guy's sticky powers seemed to completely nullify his attacks.

A wave of thick mucus rushed toward Koby, and he swung his fist again, smashing the air in front of him with fierce intent. The space fractured into countless pieces, and cracks appeared throughout the slime—but it immediately reformed, sealing itself back together.

Watching this, Trebol manipulated the mucus from a distance, sending it from all directions to surround Koby.

Koby's entire body was quickly encased in the sticky substance, immobilizing him. He struggled to break free, but the slime's adhesive grip was too strong. His Devil Fruit powers seemed useless here.

"Helmeppo!" Koby shouted. Helmeppo grinned as he replied, "Don't worry, brother, I'm here to save you!"

For so long, Koby had been the one to protect Helmeppo, but now the roles were reversed. Helmeppo was thrilled. Without a second thought, magma began to bubble up from his body, the intense heat instantly drying and cracking the mucus encasing Koby. In an instant, Koby was free.

"Koby, you're too careless." Helmeppo wore a proud look—he finally had the chance to rescue Koby.

Trebol was one of Doflamingo's most trusted confidants. Through the Marines, he had access to top-tier elixirs, potions, and training, making him incredibly powerful. With just a touch of his Devil Fruit powers, he could summon vast amounts of mucus, and this slime was especially effective at absorbing and dispersing shockwave attacks. Despite Koby's formidable Shock Fruit ability, Trebol's mucus greatly minimized its impact, rendering Koby's attacks nearly useless.

Moreover, Koby's Haki was still developing; it wasn't yet strong enough to challenge someone like Trebol, who could rely on the resilience of his slime. But Helmeppo, with his Magma Fruit, was uniquely suited to counter Trebol's powers.

"Helmeppo, I'll leave this guy to you. I'm going to take care of Vergo," Koby said. Helmeppo gave a helpless smile. "Fine, I'll handle this slug. After all, I'm the only one here who can burn through this mess."

Helmeppo's confidence grew, while Trebol sneered. "Brat, you really don't know your limits. Do you think you're a match for me?"

As his words echoed, Trebol unleashed a massive wave of slime, rushing it straight toward Helmeppo. But Helmeppo retaliated with an eruption of red-hot magma, which swept across the battlefield and collided with the slime, generating a fierce, bubbling explosion.

"Koby, take Rebecca and go! I'll handle things here." With that, Helmeppo braced himself for the fight, as Koby nodded and turned to Rebecca.

Inside the palace, Doflamingo's guards—a swarm of pirates from the Donquixote Family—descended upon Koby and Rebecca. Drawing his sword, Koby wielded it with precision, activating his Shock Fruit powers. With each strike, he shattered the space before him, sending shockwaves that defeated waves of pirates with ease.

"Rebecca, let's go!" Koby called, moving forward quickly. Rebecca followed closely behind, now realizing the strength of Doflamingo's men. If she tried to fight each one, she'd be drained by the time she faced Doflamingo himself.

"Thank you, Koby," she said gratefully.

Just then, a dark figure shot out from the shadows, aiming directly at Rebecca.

"Rebecca, watch out!" Koby's expression changed as he swiftly pointed behind her, shattering the space where the shadow lurked. In an instant, the dark figure was forced backward, revealing Vergo standing a short distance away.

Vergo scowled, realizing he'd missed his chance to catch Rebecca off guard. If his sneak attack had succeeded, she might not have survived.

"Thank you," Rebecca said, breathing a sigh of relief. Koby nodded solemnly. "It's my duty. Rebecca, I'll handle this guy. You go after Doflamingo."

"Alright. Be careful," she replied, then sprinted deeper into the palace.

Vergo moved to intercept her again, intending to exhaust her before she reached Doflamingo. But Koby stepped in, punching with enough force to fracture the air between them, stopping Vergo in his tracks.

Vergo sensed the danger and quickly coated his body with Armament Haki, shielding himself.

Koby held his sword, Luo Bai, tightly and stared down Vergo. "If you stay here and don't interfere, I might spare you."

Vergo laughed. "Bold words for someone so young. Let's see if you can back them up!"

With that, Vergo charged toward Koby.

Meanwhile, Rebecca pushed her way through the palace corridors filled with Doflamingo's soldiers. She struck them down one by one without using her True Qi Fruit powers, relying on her physical skills to knock them aside. "My target is Doflamingo! Don't throw away your lives," she shouted, but the soldiers kept coming, undeterred.

Rebecca, realizing she needed to end the confrontation quickly, summoned her True Qi power, activating her Electric Dragon Technique to surge past the remaining soldiers and enter the depths of the palace.

There, in a dimly lit throne room, sat a man with a sinister grin, donning pink glasses and draped in a fur-lined coat—the notorious Doflamingo himself.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

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