"Another voice has vanished… and it was one of my priests."
Enel suddenly spoke after his "friendly" exchange with Ren.
"Your people are quite capable. Ohm may be a mere mortal, but few Sky Island gods could stand against him. Yet that swordsman defeated him in a single move—didn't even let Ohm use the advantage of his terrain. Still, that White Vine Prison of his means nothing to that swordsman, doesn't it? Hahaha, what an amusing turn of events."
The arrogant god spoke with detached amusement, not the slightest trace of grief or anger over his priest's death. To him, both Ohm and the swordsman who killed Ohm were the same—mere mortals.
Of course…that strength was still worthy of praise.
After complimenting Zoro, Enel stretched out his hand toward Ren.
"To be honest, why don't you join me? You can take the place of those four useless fools."
"No."
"Why not? That's an order from your god."
"Didn't our little chat make things clear enough?"
Ren grinned. "Or… could it be that your mind-reading isn't fine-tuned enough to read memories?"
"Reading memories? Why would I waste my time on something so boring?"
Enel shook his head. "Peeking into the hearts of fools only disgusts me. If I did that, there'd be far too many people on this island who deserved punishment."
He tilted his head proudly. "While Mantra isn't a perfect ability, when combined with my lightning-formed body, I can sense sound waves and read electromagnetic signals. Even this entire country lies within my gaze. From the moment you landed, I've been watching you. Your skirmish on Angel Island, your little scene with the Divine Soldiers—I know everything. And I know even more, you know."
"Oh? Like what?" Ren humored him, giving him the stage he so clearly wanted.
"You possess a weapon that can generate and control lightning. You think that'll let you challenge me, don't you?" Enel yawned, his mocking gaze fixed on Ren's slight change in expression. "Ren, I'll admit—you're the boldest mortal I've ever met. You're strong enough to command powerful subordinates, meaning you have real ability. And your courage—to raise your hand against a god relying on a single weapon—is almost admirable.
But I don't mind. The desire of a lamb to challenge its shepherd is natural law. Just as humans breathe, eat, seek wealth, reproduce—so too do lambs harbor ambition. If they were to abandon that, to reject desire itself, then the god must be at fault.
So, I won't condemn your arrogance.
However…Blue Sea dweller, remember this: obeying a god's guidance is also part of nature's law. Refuse it, and you become a rebellious lamb—an enemy of God himself."
Enel's tone was calm, almost conversational, but the crackling arcs of electricity around him betrayed his murderous intent.
"Not to mention," he added with a smirk, "you're actually thinking of slaying a god? Really, are you not dreaming?"
"I rarely do things I'm unsure of." Ren shrugged, his eyes narrowing as another Shikigami appeared in the distance, circling through the air.
"What are you looking at? Your trump card?" Enel turned lazily to glance at the strange floating being. "What is that? A Blue Sea creature?"
"A ghost," Ren replied, smiling faintly. "Even in the Blue Sea, few have ever seen one. Since you wish to flaunt divine majesty, why not show me your power? So far, I've seen nothing that proves you're any different from us."
"Heh. Blasphemous fool."
Enel rose from his cloud seat, twirling his golden staff. "You're really starting to irritate me, ignorant one. But since you wish to witness divine power, I'll oblige you. After all, you'll feel it for yourself soon enough. That will be your punishment."
The self-proclaimed Thunder God shifted his grip, lightning arcing from his fingers as the cloud beneath him exploded apart. He hovered in midair and raised his hand toward the sky.
Logia — Elemental Transformation!
His arm dissolved into pure electricity, tendrils of purple lightning dancing around him. Blinding arcs illuminated the heavens as a thunderous column surged upward into the clouds.
"Divine Judgment!"
At his command, the thunder pillar pierced the clouds—and then branched downward like a tree, splitting into hundreds of lightning bolts. Each bolt streaked across the sky toward the forest, drawn as if by invisible threads.
The thickest of them struck the Shikigami's area dead-on—yes, the area, not just the entity—for that single bolt was ten meters wide, expanding rapidly into a hundred-meter-wide explosion as torrents of lightning flooded in.
It was almost on par with Ren's Thunder Spear attack back in Alabasta.
Only this time…
The countless other bolts, overcharged with energy, detonated across Upper Yard, shaking the island itself. From above, the land looked as though it had been riddled with craters—hundreds of them, each over a hundred meters wide.
That… was the result of a single attack.
But even Enel seemed surprised. He stared at his hand, then at the rising pillars of smoke. His power was still as overwhelming as ever, yet—
"Wait… that's a bit too many."
Hadn't his control improved after training? Shouldn't a god's power be flawless by now?
"So this is… the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."Ren gazed at the devastated landscape, feeling the connection with his Shikigami fade. He wasn't saddened—only filled with admiration.
This was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a Logia-class power of lightning itself. Purer and more fearsome than any magic he wielded.
His Thunderstorm and Storm Day spells merely simulated weather phenomena through magical energy—borrowing nature's fury, never mastering it. Compared to this true elemental force, his own powers seemed pitifully small.
Yes—in a sense, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was nature incarnate. Enel's lightning could influence the weather across several kilometers, his domain encompassing the entire White Sea around Angel Island. Not covering it, but influencing it—a vast difference. Still, Ren couldn't help but envy such power.
But then—"Impressive ability," Ren murmured, "but soon, it'll be mine."
Enel turned sharply, realization flashing in his eyes. "That earlier trick—was that you?"
"I never hunt strong prey unprepared," Ren replied mockingly.
In the distance, one of his Shikigami crushed an Ender Pearl in its hand.
Castling—!
Before the lightning engulfed him, Ren vanished—his voice echoing through the air like laughter.
"Come find me, Enel. I'll show you what real power looks like."
Bzzzzzt—!
Thunder erupted from Enel's body as fury twisted his face. He immediately expanded his Mantra, locking onto Ren's presence. A moment later—
A bolt of lightning shot skyward and streaked across the heavens.
Meanwhile, Zoro emerged from the ruins, frowning, blade in hand. A Shikigami rose silently from the ground before him.
"I've fulfilled my promise," Zoro said.
The Shikigami tilted its head, relaying the message back to its master—then passing it along to another. Blue light shimmered over Zoro's body like starlight—and then he vanished.
Teleportation—!
'Has he arrived?'
Far away in a mountain ravine, Robin sat atop a rock. She suddenly looked up—a hand bloomed from a distant leaf, palm open, revealing an eye. Through it, she saw Ren appear in the distance.
That meant the battle with Enel was truly about to begin.
The moment she moved, the crow beside her dispersed into a flock, vanishing into the clouds. Almost simultaneously, a bolt of lightning tore down from the sky into the cloud lake below.
From it, Enel emerged—his feet crackling over the surface as cloud sharks rolled belly-up in the electric current. He ignored them, eyes locked on the figure before him.
Atop the altar tower, Ren stood calm, holding the Thunder Spear."So, you've noticed?"
"The metals of the Blue Sea—no, more like lightning rods, right?" Enel's lips curled. "That's what you're relying on to challenge me? I don't know how you did it, but there must be at least two hundred of them scattered across Upper Yard.
Yes, they diffuse my power, scattering my lightning and disrupting its precision. But do you really think you can challenge a god with mere tools?"
Lightning surged as Enel raised his golden staff.
"If that's your plan, I'll punish you more than anyone who's ever mocked a god!"
He was truly furious—not only at the provocation, but at being looked down upon. Did Ren really think mortal instruments could defeat divinity?
Mere lightning rods? Even if his power was scattered or redirected, the remaining energy was still enough to annihilate this insolent mortal a hundred times over!
"Relax," Ren said coolly, cracking his neck as purple-black Haki rippled over his skin. "Those are just appetizers."
He hadn't merged his bodies—his physical form was still far from capable of matching Enel in direct combat. But this fight wasn't about brute force. He needed versatility—responses to every situation.
And with his six templates, the transitions were seamless:
Clairvoyance, Keen Hearing, Divine Strength, Giant Form, Indestructible Vajra Body, Swallowing Rivers, Flame Mastery, Thunderclap, Invisibility, Translucent Body—a plethora of powers, but above all, Translucent Body.
Alongside it, Thunder's Protection shimmered into place, fueled by his Mana Crystals. Nami's Lightning-Avoiding Doll dangled at his waist.
In short—Ren was taking this fight very seriously.
"Oh? Then show me what you've got!"
Enel flicked his staff. A bolt of lightning shot forth like a beam of light.
Ren didn't dodge. He slipped on his sunglasses and tapped the Thunder Spear against the ground.
The blinding lightning abruptly bent midair—slamming into a nearby tree and blowing it apart.
"You insolent fool," Enel growled, teeth clenched. "How dare you extend your hand into a god's domain!"
He knew his opponent wasn't ordinary. Any other method of defense wouldn't have surprised him—but this… this felt personal. As though someone had defiled what was rightfully his.
"Are you angry?" Ren mocked. "Like coming home to find your wife entwined with another man?"
He lifted the Thunder Spear, grinning. "Try again if you like—but the result will be the same."
"So your weapon can control lightning," Enel said, taking a deep breath and forcing himself calm. He gripped his golden staff tightly, eyes narrowing. "If I'm right, you're trying to provoke me, aren't you? Trying to make me lose control—lose access to my Mantra? You think I can't see through that?
You underestimate a god's composure. I'm no lamb—and I have no lamb's weakness. In fact… I've already seen through you!"
"Oh? I think you're just pretending to be calm while raging inside."
"Bullshit!"
Enel cursed aloud, chest heaving before sneering again. "Your weapon can manipulate lightning, but it must have limits. Only a god can fully command thunder! A mortal like you can barely handle a fraction of it.
That's why you planted those rods everywhere, isn't it? Weak lightning gets absorbed by your weapon, neutralized. Strong lightning is diverted by the rods—leaving me in a situation where I strike with full force, but only a tenth of it hits!
And even that tenth is within your weapon's control range, isn't it?"
Ren's eyes narrowed, saying nothing. But his emotions told Enel everything.
"Hahaha! I can feel your tension. So it's true!"
Enel laughed, electricity dancing over his skin as he rose slowly into the air.
"Then let me show you what it truly means—to think like a god!"
A massive bolt shot upward into the clouds. Enel's body dissolved into countless sparks, merging with the storm. His cold voice echoed from the heavens:
"For a mortal who dared challenge a god, you've done well. But you think this is my limit? Fool. A god's wisdom is beyond your comprehension. Do you know what strategic retreat means? You're about to find out!"
The lightning faded. Enel was gone.
Ren stood alone atop the altar, twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"So much talk… and he still ran away?!"
(End of Chapter)