A/N: Hey guys. So with my original novel ''Can I Magic Please''. Indeed it doesn't show up on my profile. The reason is because it is going through a vetting process that will last about seven days before it can appear on my profile.
So if you want to support my dream of winning the WSA Awards 2026. You can just search ''Can I Magic Please'' right here on webnovel. It is easy to find as it is the only novel with that name. Thank you once again.
And Enjoy the chapter.
---
Inside the royal chambers of Dressrosa, the atmosphere was tense.
Polished marble floors.
Tall arched windows.
Advisors lined both sides of a long table, voices overlapping in controlled urgency.
At the head—
Riku Doldo III sat with his hands folded, listening.
"…It's becoming a problem."
"He's too dominant."
"The audience is starting to doubt the legitimacy of the matches."
One advisor leaned forward.
"All four matches… ended the same way."
Another nodded.
"…A single strike."
A third spoke, voice lower.
"…They've started calling him something."
The room went quiet for a moment.
"The One Cut Oni."
Silence followed.
Riku exhaled slowly.
"…That name spreads quickly."
Another advisor added—
"And with it, suspicion. Some believe the matches are rigged to build hype."
"…That's dangerous," someone else muttered.
"If the people lose faith in the Colosseum—"
"The entire system weakens."
The tension thickened.
Riku leaned back slightly.
"…Then what do you suggest?"
No one answered immediately.
Because the answer wasn't simple.
The doors opened.
All heads turned.
Riku Scarlett stepped in, composed… but with something sharp behind her eyes.
"…I have an idea."
The advisors exchanged glances.
Riku looked at his daughter.
"…Speak."
Scarlett walked forward, posture straight.
"…Make him fight Kyros."
Silence.
Then—
Murmurs.
"…Kyros?"
"The undefeated champion?"
"That would—"
Scarlett cut through the noise.
"It would restore faith instantly."
Her voice was firm.
"No one would dare call a match against Kyros rigged."
Another advisor nodded slowly.
"…That's true…"
"Kyros has never lost."
"Not once."
Scarlett continued.
"And if this 'One Cut Oni' truly deserves the name—"
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"—then let him prove it against the strongest man in the arena."
The room fell quiet again.
All eyes turned to the King.
Riku Doldo III closed his eyes briefly.
Thinking.
Weighing.
Then—
"…Very well."
The decision landed like a gavel.
"We will arrange it."
The advisors immediately began murmuring again.
"It will draw massive attention."
"Bets will skyrocket."
"The people will love it."
Riku looked toward Scarlett.
"…You've done well."
Scarlett bowed her head slightly.
"…Thank you, Father."
But as she turned—
Her expression shifted.
Subtle.
Hidden.
'This is perfect.'
'Now… he'll lose.'
'And then…'
A small pause in her steps.
'…I won't have to stand in front of him like that again.'
Her cheeks flushed faintly at the memory.
His smug face.
His confidence.
His words.
'I could beat him.'
Her jaw tightened slightly.
'Kyros will crush him.'
'And then everything will go back to normal.'
---
At the Royal Holding Room.
A much lighter atmosphere.
"…You're under arrest!"
A small voice echoed dramatically.
Giovanni stood in the middle of the room—
Hands raised.
Completely serious.
"…You'll never catch me!"
Across from him—
A tiny figure pointed forward with authority.
Riku Viola.
"…I already did!"
Giovanni gasped.
"…Impossible!"
Viola nodded proudly.
"I am a Marine Captain!"
Giovanni dropped to his knees dramatically.
"…Curse you, justice!"
The guards stationed around the room stood stiff.
Trying.
Failing.
Not to react.
Giovanni suddenly rolled to the side.
"ESCAPE TECHNIQUE!"
Viola pointed again.
"FIRE!"
Giovanni clutched his chest.
"…AGH!"
He stumbled backward, spinning once before collapsing onto the floor.
Dead still.
Viola blinked.
"…Did I win?"
A pause.
Then—
Giovanni cracked one eye open.
"…No."
He jumped up instantly.
"Second phase!"
Viola gasped.
"You're cheating!"
"There are no rules in piracy!"
The guards finally looked away.
Shoulders shaking slightly.
The door creaked open.
The room instantly quieted.
A royal messenger stepped inside.
"…Giovanni."
Giovanni turned.
"…Yeah?"
The man stood straight.
"…Your next opponent has been decided."
Viola looked up curiously.
"…Who?"
The messenger's voice carried weight.
"…You will face the undefeated champion."
A pause.
"…Kyros."
Silence.
Viola's eyes widened.
"The champion?!"
The guards shifted slightly.
Even they felt it.
Giovanni stood still for a moment.
Then—
A slow grin spread across his face.
"…Finally."
He stretched his shoulders slightly.
Eyes sharpening.
"…Now we're talking."
Viola tugged his sleeve slightly.
"…Is he strong?"
Giovanni looked down at her.
Then smiled.
"…Yeah."
A beat.
"…But compare to me....."
Outside—
The news was already spreading.
Through the halls.
Through the city.
Through the Colosseum.
The One Cut Oni…
Versus the Undefeated Champion.
---
Deep within the training grounds beneath the Corrida Colosseum…
Steel rang.
Boots scraped against sand.
A single man stood at the center of it all.
Tall.
Battle-worn.
Unshaken.
Kyros.
A sword rested against his shoulder as he looked toward the entrance.
"…So it's him."
A soldier stood nearby, slightly tense.
"…Yes. The one they call 'The One Cut Oni.'"
Kyros didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
He smiled.
Small.
Sharp.
"…Good."
The soldier blinked.
"…Sir?"
Kyros lowered his sword slowly.
"…I've been waiting."
His grip tightened slightly.
"…That day…"
A flash in his mind—
A brief moment.
A presence.
Cold.
Overwhelming.
Unexplainable.
Fear.
Kyros' smile widened just a bit.
"…He made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time."
The soldier swallowed.
"…You mean—"
"…Excitement."
Kyros stepped forward.
"…Finally… someone worth cutting."
---
Outside was chaos, noise and energy.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT'S THE PRICE?!"
"That's robbery!"
"I'm telling you, it's worth it!"
Crowds packed the streets, all eyes locked onto massive posters plastered across walls.
Two figures.
Two names.
One fight.
GIOVANNI vs KYROS
The ink hadn't even dried—
And the city was already boiling.
A merchant waved tickets in the air.
"LIMITED SEATS!"
"THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING!"
A man shoved forward.
"…Those prices are insane!"
Another shouted back—
"Then don't watch!"
"THIS IS KYROS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"And that Oni guy!"
"Four matches! Four one-shots!"
Nearby—
A large betting board stood tall.
Numbers shifting constantly.
Voices overlapping.
"ODDS UPDATED!"
"KYROS STILL LEADING!"
"But barely!"
"THIS IS THE CLOSEST IT'S EVER BEEN!"
The board read:
KYROS — Slight Favorite
GIOVANNI — Close Behind
A gambler wiped sweat from his brow.
"…This doesn't feel right."
Another nodded.
"…Kyros has never been this close in odds."
"…That Oni guy…"
"…He's not normal."
Amid the chaos—
One man walked calmly.
A long black cloak covered his form.
His footsteps steady.
Unbothered.
He stopped in front of one of the posters.
Stared.
"…Giovanni."
A vein popped on his forehead.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He reached out and tore the poster down.
The paper crumpled in his grip.
Revealing sharp eyes beneath the shadow of his hood.
Marco.
"…The hell are you doing…"
His voice was low.
Annoyed.
"…Fighting in a colosseum?"
A pause.
"…Did you quit being a pirate?"
He clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
The memory of their meeting surfaced.
"…That doesn't sound like you."
Marco sighed.
Then glanced toward a nearby ticket stand.
"…Guess I'll see for myself."
Moments later—
A ticket rested between his fingers.
"…Don't disappoint me."
NOT FAR AWAY…
Two more cloaked figures moved quietly through the crowd.
Close together.
Whispering.
"…You sure this is gonna work?"
The voice was uneasy.
Suspicious.
The other chuckled lowly.
"…Of course it will."
Underneath the cloak—
A twisted grin.
Caribou.
Beside him—
His brother.
Coribou.
Coribou scratched his head nervously.
"…I don't know, brother…"
"…This place feels dangerous."
Caribou waved him off.
"…Relax."
He tapped his chest lightly.
"…You're forgetting what I have now."
A low, almost gleeful chuckle escaped him.
"…The Swamp-Swamp Fruit."
His grin widened.
"…I tested it."
"…There's no limit."
Coribou blinked.
"…No limit?"
Caribou leaned closer.
"…Anything I touch…"
"…I can store."
"…Hide."
"…Disappear."
His eyes gleamed.
"…People included."
Coribou's eyes widened slightly.
"…You mean—"
"…Exactly."
Caribou looked toward the palace in the distance.
"…Princesses…"
"…Nobles…"
"…Anyone valuable…"
He licked his lips.
"…We grab them…"
"…and no one will ever find them."
Coribou hesitated.
"…You really think we can pull that off?"
Caribou laughed quietly.
"…Didn't we make it this far?"
"…This plan is foolproof."
He clenched his fist.
"…We're gonna make a fortune."
Coribou nodded slowly.
"…Yeah…"
"…A big one."
Above them—
Posters flapped in the wind.
The names bold.
---
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