One Piece: The Devil Fruit Collector-Chapter 277: It’s Just Calling for Backup, Who Doesn’t Know How to Do That?

Looking at the mark appearing on Hebi, the Five Elders' breathing nearly stagnated.

As the few people in this world who knew the most about the truth of the world, the moment they saw that mark, they all realized what it was.

"Is that the special contract bestowed by that Lord to the initial twenty kings?"

They all knew.

Compared to them, the initial twenty kings had also signed contracts with Lord Imu.

But the difference was that back then, the rebellious Queen Lily hadn't yet betrayed Him, and the power Lord Imu held was still at its peak. So the wishes carried by each of the twenty kings were extremely massive — far exceeding those of their descendants.

But—

"No."

They heard Hebi's sneer.

"This one didn't sign any contract with your master, nor does this one carry the ambition of the Abyss."

As the words fell, the Five Elders noticed with astonishment that Hebi's dismembered body was changing.

Wisps of starlight circulated across his form, and his body clearly began to remold at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Whether it was the Gyūki's venom, the Underworld's freezing air, or the injuries from Itsumade's evil fire — all seemed to have never existed.

"What this one and this one's colleagues carry is the contract made with the Boss. With the stars."

At the same time, the aura erupting from Hebi clearly began to strengthen from its original weakness.

"Contract... of the stars?"

The Five Elders naturally understood his meaning.

"Star Lord..."

A terrifying guess arose in their hearts.

They had always known that Imu cared very much about Star Lord. They also knew that at God Valley, Imu had suffered a loss at Star Lord's hands and perceived certain things — thus viewing Star Lord as His greatest enemy, surpassing Joy Boy and Davy Jones.

But undoubtedly, Imu never told them the whole truth.

Or rather, for that "God," the truth itself was something He was unwilling to accept.

The Five Elders only roughly knew that Star Lord possessed extraordinary abilities and had the means to kill God's Knights.

But until today, they only faintly grasped the deeper fact.

Star Lord probably didn't just have the ability to kill God's Knights. That mysterious Lord of The Zodiac even had the means to sign contracts with others and grant abilities — just like Imu.

So—

"No wonder the abilities of you Zodiac members can't completely match the Fruit Encyclopedia — you are all creations of contracts, just like us."

"What you all carry... is the essence of Star Lord!?"

"Is Star Lord also a 'God'?"

As Saturn shouted, sharp and burning light erupted in his eyes.

Because in that moment, he had another very bold idea.

Why could Star Lord become a God?

Was he born a God, just like Lord Imu?

Or — did he ascend to that throne through some means?

The moment he considered the second possibility, Saturn's breathing quickened.

He didn't look at his colleagues. He didn't know if they harbored the same ambition.

But he at least knew what he should do now.

"Continuously destroy his body with Conqueror's Haki — don't let him fully recover!"

With a low shout, the Five Elders decisively moved to attack again.

After witnessing the rapid recovery of Hebi's body, they already understood: what the other party possessed was a true immortal body, just like theirs.

And what they needed to do was continuously destroy his body before he could recover, until—

"Maintain him in this state and bring him to Mary Geoise!"

Even Saturn found the situation absurd. Immortality had always been their greatest trump card against others, yet they never imagined facing an opponent with the exact same ability.

Without needing his reminder, the remaining four Five Elders had already moved.

Itsumade flapped its wings. Fengxi lowered its massive body. The Sandworm burrowed underground. The Bakotsu gripped its long sword once more.

They each activated their abilities, their figures surging toward Hebi.

But—

"Gravity Field: Over-Limit Pressure!"

They had barely taken a step forward when their figures suddenly halted.

Intense Conqueror's Haki and terrifying gravity struck simultaneously. The Sandworm at the very front had its body crushed and snapped by the surging gravity.

"Halt! You five monsters — eat my staff!"

Before the Five Elders could even react, a booming staff strike plummeted from the sky.

BOOM!

Accompanied by intense Conqueror's Infusion, the massive tusks of the Fengxi shattered almost instantly, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Hahahaha! Let me test my hand too — Winged Dragon of Ra Strike!"

From above, plummeting sunlight accompanied a hearty laugh as the Winged Dragon of Ra, clad in golden feathers, shot Itsumade out of the sky.

And before Saturn's Gyūki could react, his spider-like appendages suddenly went light.

Purple blood spilled across the ground. Intense venom sprayed outward. His figure lost support and fell.

"Void Slash: Spider Slash!"

A low voice. A slash emerged from thin air, cleaving Saturn's body in two. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

As for the galloping Bakotsu — it discovered a half-dragon, half-human figure appearing in its path.

Zzt! Zzt!

A lightning spear interwoven with electricity and Conqueror's Haki clashed fiercely with the Kitetsu in the Bakotsu's hand.

BOOM!

Thunder crashing from the sky shattered the Bakotsu's body into pieces.

Yes — interceptors had appeared before each of the Five Elders.

Of course—

VMMM!

Merely an instant later, the injuries on the Five Elders' bodies recovered under the effect of the contract.

But scanning their surroundings now, their expressions were filled entirely with gloom and horror.

"Impossible... there shouldn't be anyone around. In front of my ability, even other Fruit abilities can't hide..."

Itsumade's puzzled voice stopped in its throat.

Because the Five Elders could all see it now.

Around where Hebi stood, on the ruins of the originally empty Instein Island, magic circles identical to those from their own descent had formed out of thin air.

But unlike the Five Elders' circles, what was engraved within these was not a pentagram — but swirling clusters of stardust.

And within that swirling starlight, several illusory figures constructed from scattered light stood waiting.

The Sea Beast Mask atop each figure's head was enough to prove their identities.

Toratora. Saru. Tori. Nezumi. Tatsu.

The ones who had intercepted the Five Elders were precisely five other top executives of The Zodiac.

[Starlight Magic Circle · Long-Distance Teleportation]

And looking at the near-dumbfounded expressions of the Five Elders, a smile seemed to form beneath Hebi's mask.

"It's just calling for backup. If you can call for yours — why can't this one call for his?"

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