Above the White White Sea, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashing.
Enel stepped on empty air, descending slowly. His golden staff twirled lightly in his hand, long earlobes swaying in the wind. He looked down upon the three from his height.
"To gaze upon a God is a grave offense," Enel's voice was flippant, but the majesty of thunder gave him a terrifying presence, like a tolling bell of judgment.
Cavendish sneered, fingers lightly stroking his sword hilt, mocking, "God? More like a lunatic. With ears that long, are you perhaps an incomplete evolution?"
Enel's eyes instantly turned cold. His golden staff pointed sharply at Cavendish.
"Blasphemy against God deserves the ultimate penalty!"
Boom!
A blinding bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking straight at Cavendish.
However, just as the lightning was about to hit, a blazing pillar of fire erupted, colliding with the thunder mid-air.
Lightning and fire intertwined, exploding in brilliant light. The shockwave made the clouds churn.
Enel frowned, looking gravely at the one who had intervened.
"You are... fire?"
Ace grinned, flames burning fiercely on his fist. "Yep. You're lightning, I'm fire. Let's see whose is swifter… your thunder or my flame!"
The gravity in Enel's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a lazy tone. "Fire can be wielded by humans. But can thunder? Lightning is the supreme power!"
Ace cracked his neck, fighting spirit boiling. "Looks like I'll have to beat some sense into you!"
"You are fire. You should know better. No matter how you attack, you can't hit..."
Before he finished, Ace's entire body erupted in flames. His fist, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, smashed towards him.
"Foolish. I said it's useless..." Enel's gaze was disdainful. He didn't dodge or block.
But the next moment, his face contorted in intense pain. He was sent flying, crashing through several cloud buildings before stopping.
"There are people this stupid?" Ace was both amused and exasperated. His opponent had the Goro Goro no Mi. In a normal fight, hitting him would be very hard.
Enel pushed away the rubble, clutching his chest, eyes filled with disbelief. "How... how is this possible?"
He was lightning, an intangible form. Any attack should pass right through him.
So why... could this man hit him?
Enel flew back into the sky, staring fixedly at Ace. "Why can you hit me?"
Ace grinned, a metallic black sheen covering his fist. "This power is called Armament Haki. It can grasp the real bodies of Logia users like us."
Enel's expression darkened, 'Did this mean he could hit me, but I couldn't hurt him?'
All his life, he had been the lofty 'god', toying with mortals at will. Now the situation was reversed?
"Don't mock me!" Enel transformed into a flash of lightning, instantly closing in on Ace. His golden staff, wrapped in terrifying electricity, slashed down.
"30 Million Volts: Vari!"
The sky was torn by blinding lightning. A sea of electricity surged… electric serpents rampaged. Deafening roars filled the heavens.
Yet, the billions of volts of thunderstorm passed through Ace's body as if through air. His flame-formed body swayed slightly in the lightning, completely unharmed.
"Foolish. I said it's useless," Ace smiled, returning Enel's words. His fist, once again wrapped in black Armament Haki, shot forward. "But this is different!"
A rapid series of punches sent Enel staggering back. Even his lightning body couldn't negate Armament Haki attacks. The pain fueled his growing rage.
Watching Enel get pummeled, Cavendish couldn't help but ask, "Captain, didn't you say his Observation Haki is powerful? And lightning speed should be fast. Why is he taking every hit?"
Setsuna scoffed. "The complex explanation: He sees himself as a god and cannot allow himself to dodge a mortal's attacks. The simple explanation: He's stubborn."
Hearing their conversation, Enel was furious.
Of course he could dodge. But it had to be a graceful dodge, toying with his prey. How could he dodge like a pathetic loser?
However, their words reminded him of a conversation he'd overheard earlier.
'...attack during the split-second you're not elementalized.' Enel's eyes lit up, 'I understand. When he uses that power, he has to stop being elemental.'
Seeing Ace attack again, Enel forcibly took the hit. But the moment he was struck, a lightning spear shot out from his hand.
Both men flew backward. Though injured, Enel was thrilled.
"Hahahaha!" Enel laughed maniacally, finally regaining a shred of divine dignity. "Thanks to your earlier conversation, I found your weakness."
Ace gritted his teeth, looking up and shooting a resentful glance at Setsuna, who was spectating from afar.
'Captain clearly knew this guy's Observation Haki was powerful, yet he'd practically said it right in front of him.'
Setsuna crossed his arms, calmly stating, "This is all to train you. Only evenly-matched battles can truly draw out your potential."
Ace had a sudden realization, 'Right! I didn't enjoy being the bully or the bullied. This evenly-matched fight was exactly what I sought.'
'I'd almost misunderstood Captain again...' Ace felt a bit embarrassed, but his fighting spirit flared.
He already had the huge advantage of Armament Haki. Could he not defeat this long-eared guy?
"60 Million Volts: Thunder Beast!"
Enel tapped the drums on his back with his golden staff. Blue lightning transformed into a thunderous dragon.
Ace didn't dodge, crossing his arms before his chest. The moment flame met thunder, a deafening roar erupted.
Just then, a fist wrapped in black Armament Haki shot out from the flames, landing heavily on Enel's face.
Though Enel's Observation Haki was powerful, it hadn't reached Future Sight. The sudden attack sent him flying.
"He only used elementalization to avoid part of the attack!" Enel gritted his teeth in resentment.
He'd been waiting for the other party to fully dodge the lightning before countering with Haki. But the other party had canceled his elemental form before the lightning dissipated.
Ace laughed. "Your Observation Haki is strong, but the initiative in this fight is mine. I decide when to attack."
"Is that so? Then I'll make it so you can never attack." Enel grew fierce, spreading his arms. "100 Million Volts!"
A surging sea of lightning instantly enveloped several kilometers. Though not as vast as when used with his Ark Maxim, it was still shocking.
"Now, for kilometers around me, it's a sea of lightning. Let's see how you attack!" Enel laughed wildly.
Ace's expression turned serious. Admittedly, this guy's mastery of his Devil Fruit far surpassed his own. After all, he hadn't had the Mera Mera no Mi for long.
"But if I don't attack... who tires first? Me, maintaining my elemental form? Or you, maintaining this sea of lightning?"
Hearing Ace's words, the smile froze on Enel's face.