"Hmm?"
Vice Admiral Doberman, still standing aboard the warship, was equally bewildered by the unfolding situation.
He lowered his binoculars, wondering what the enemy was planning. Then, in the next instant—
Whoosh—!
A roaring sound of flames erupted overhead as a blazing crimson glow instantly lit up the faces of everyone aboard the three warships.
"What?!"
Sensing the anomaly, Doberman jerked his head upward. His previously calm expression twisted dramatically, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.
High above, the sky had been torn open, revealing a massive void. A colossal meteorite, wreathed in raging flames, was plummeting straight toward their position.
Its surface churned with lava-like patterns, radiating an blinding fiery light. It was like a fallen sun. The air in its wake warped into shimmering transparent ripples from the intense heat, spreading outward in waves.
To the Marines aboard the three warships, the entire sky had turned a dark, ominous red beneath the meteorite's glow. It felt as if the end of the world was descending.
In the few seconds everyone stared upward in stunned silence, an overwhelming wave of heat washed down from the heavens.
"How is this possible?!"
Doberman looked up with his mouth agape and eyes wide, an indescribable shock surging through his body.
No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, it was obvious that this enormous falling meteorite had almost certainly been summoned by the blind swordsman from earlier. Yet he simply couldn't fathom what kind of power the man possessed to call down a meteorite as an attack.
It was like the work of a 'God.'
"It's a meteorite!!"
"Run… everybody run—!!"
Some of the quicker-thinking Marines, witnessing this scene that resembled divine punishment, immediately screamed in terror. Regaining their senses, they scrambled toward the ship's railings, clearly intending to leap into the sea for any chance of survival.
Right then—
The meteorite, trailing a long tail of crimson flames, hurtled closer. Its massive shadow that blotted out the sky engulfed everyone below.
"Damn it… I don't believe this!!"
Doberman stared at the meteorite overhead—at least several hundred meters in diameter—his heart sinking into bottomless despair. Filled with unwillingness and disbelief, he roared at the sky.
Then he drew his long sword and fearlessly leaped into the air, charging toward the gigantic meteorite with resolute eyes.
"Hoo-ah—!!!"
With a hysterical roar, Doberman swung his sword with all his might, unleashing a barrage of crescent-shaped slashes toward the meteorite above.
However, the attacks proved utterly useless.
The moment they touched the meteorite's blazing crimson flames, most of their power dissipated. They only managed to chip away a few fragments of rock.
Finally, under Doberman's horrified gaze, the meteorite slammed into him with a thunderous crash. Without losing any momentum, it carried him along as it continued its rapid descent.
Boom—!!!
A deafening, earth-shattering explosion reverberated across the sea. The meteorite, still wreathed in flames, smashed directly into the three warships below.
In an instant, the three vessels—each over a hundred meters long—exploded violently with no resistance whatsoever. The meteorite then drove the wreckage deep into the sea, unleashing massive waves that surged wildly outward.
When the flames met the seawater, a vast cloud of scalding steam erupted, spreading rapidly in all directions. The towering waves rolled forward and eventually crashed against the walls of Water 7 before slowly receding.
The terrifying commotion was so intense that even the civilians sheltering inside the city heard it clearly. Fear flickered across their faces.
At the meteorite's impact site, after the churning, superheated seawater gradually calmed, shattered planks and pieces of warship wreckage slowly floated to the surface. Along with them were several Navy soldiers, their uniforms torn to rags and bodies covered in terrible burns, drifting motionless on the water. It was impossible to tell if they were dead or alive.
Everything else had been swallowed by the vast ocean without a trace.
While Will and Issho were each handling the Marines and warships in their sectors—
After Eneru had fired lightning to effortlessly destroy three massive cannonballs, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and vanished from his original position.
When he reappeared, he was already standing at the bow of one of the warships.
"Hmm?!"
The two Marines originally stationed at the bow quickly turned around upon sensing the disturbance.
What they saw was a strange man with long earlobes, wearing a white hat, loose pants, and four drums on his back. He had suddenly appeared at the prow and was now sitting cross-legged there, looking as if he owned the ship.
Faced with this abrupt situation, cold sweat immediately broke out on the two Marines.
"Yeahahahahaha~!"
Eneru tilted his head slightly as everyone on deck turned to stare at him. He let out a hearty laugh and casually raised a hand in greeting.
"Hello, Marines."
Before the two Marines beside him could even retreat—
Eneru, still wearing that benevolent smile, extended both hands and lightly pressed his index fingers against their foreheads.
"Not good! Get out of the way—!!"
Vice Admiral Momonga, standing on the deck, reacted instantly. He shouted anxiously at the top of his lungs.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Zzzzt—!!
The piercing crackle of electricity echoed across the deck as two bolts of lightning shot through the heads of the two Marines, one on each side.
The struck Marines were charred black, white steam and crackling arcs of electricity rising from their bodies. Only after they rolled their eyes back and collapsed with a thud did the rest of the Marines on deck snap out of their daze.
"Damn bastard!"
The Marines closest to the scene flew into a rage. They raised their rifles and aimed at the enemy standing at the bow.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!!!
A hail of bullets tore through the air, trailing wisps of gunpowder smoke as they streaked toward Eneru.
But when the bullets struck him, they simply passed straight through his body, leaving neither wounds nor blood.
Only faint flashes of lightning flickered briefly in the gaps before they seamlessly closed again.
"Hmm? This guy… Could he be a Logia Devil Fruit user?!"
Vice Admiral Momonga, with his wealth of experience, immediately reached this conclusion. The opponent's complete immunity to bullets was far too similar to the elementalization ability of Logia users.
"Who the hell are you?!" Momonga demanded, his expression grave. He slowly drew the long sword from his waist, eyes sharp and vigilant.
"Me?"
Eneru paid no mind to the hostile tone. He looked up at the speaker with interest. Seeing a man whose presence was even stronger than those CP9 agents, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Yeahahahahaha~! Is my identity really that important?"
"But if you insist, I'm just a kind-hearted 'traveler' who came to send you on your way."
Since he was no longer a 'God' and couldn't think of a better cover, he simply borrowed the 'traveler' identity that Will often used. He figured it worked just fine.
"Arrogant fool!"
Momonga raised his sword, a black coating of Armament Haki spreading from the hilt across the blade. His expression remained deadly serious as he declared loudly:
"How dare you openly oppose the Marines? Today, I, Momonga, will capture you!"
His words immediately rallied the surrounding Marines once more.
"Oh?"
Eneru raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face.
"It seems you're quite confident in your own strength."
Though he spoke casually, the moment he saw Haki coating the opponent's blade, he became inwardly vigilant. For a Logia user like him, Haki was one of the few things capable of harming his true body. Even with elementalization, he needed Observation Haki to evade attacks perfectly. If the opponent was too fast or their Haki was strong enough—close to Will's level—he might not be able to react in time.
So despite the opponent's aura being far weaker than his own, Eneru did not let his guard down.
"Hmph."
Vice Admiral Momonga snorted coldly, a sharp glint in his eyes. His expression stayed serious.
"Enough talk. Let me test your strength!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he vanished from his spot, sword in hand, and launched a direct assault.
Eneru's eyes flickered. His powerful Observation Haki instantly locked onto the opponent's presence. Without hesitation, he channeled the energy within his body, his lips curving into a slight smile as he gazed forward.
"Electric Flash—!!"
A brilliant bluish-white light erupted from his body. The intense, blinding flash forced all the Marines present to instinctively shut their eyes and turn away. Even Momonga, who had been charging in for close combat, was momentarily blinded and forced to halt mid-stride.
"Lightning Forging Iron—!"
Seizing the opening, Eneru placed his right hand on the metal armor plating beneath him and stood up. Using the extreme heat carried by his lightning, he melted the steel with his bare hands and reshaped it into an exquisite trident as he rose.
In the next instant, Eneru flashed forward with a smile, disappearing from the bow and reappearing directly in front of Momonga. He thrust the glowing red-hot trident fiercely at his opponent.
However, Momonga was also skilled in Observation Haki. The moment Eneru vanished, he sensed the attack coming.
Clang—!
He swiftly swung his sword, blocking the scorching trident. The clash produced a harsh metallic screech.
Eneru did not relent. The trident in his hands continued its relentless assault.
Clang! Clang! Clang—!!
The two weapons collided repeatedly, sending showers of sparks flying outward. The surrounding Marines watched with anxious expressions, but being far too weak, they could do nothing to help.
"Not bad, not bad at all. This guy makes for an excellent training partner," Eneru thought with satisfaction as he pressed the attack. The opponent's strength was perfect for honing his skills—including the Armament Haki he had only recently begun cultivating.
With that in mind, the steel trident in Eneru's hand instantly turned jet black. It sliced through the air with vastly increased speed and power, stabbing toward Momonga's left shoulder.
"Hmm?!"
Momonga's sharp eyes caught the change. He quickly raised his blade to block the incoming strike once more.
"Armament Haki… And he hasn't even used his lightning generation ability yet. This guy's base strength is no joke either."
From past experience, most Devil Fruit users focused heavily on developing their abilities and rarely invested much effort into physical training or Haki. Cultivating those was far more grueling compared to relying on fruit powers. But the tall man before him clearly didn't fall into that category. His close-combat ability alone was formidable.
This realization made Momonga feel a twinge of anxiety. His mission was not to fight this man, but to destroy the city ahead. If they dragged this out, the Buster Call could be disrupted, leading to unforeseen complications.
In contrast, Eneru was in no hurry at all. He knew that as long as he kept this leading Marine occupied, the three warships couldn't threaten the city. With Will and Issho handling the other directions, he had nothing to worry about. That was precisely why he chose to fight this Marine in close combat—to sharpen his Armament Haki and combat techniques. How else was he supposed to eventually surpass that terrifyingly strong man?
However, once Momonga realized the situation was unfavorable, he blocked the next strike and immediately retreated a distance. While Eneru showed a brief look of surprise and didn't pursue right away, Momonga swiftly pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, dialed it, and issued a stern order in a grave tone:
"Everyone, listen up! Ignore everything else! Immediately aim all cannons at Water 7 ahead and commence full artillery bombardment on the city!"
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