However, in the very next moment, Enel let out a sinister snort, his expression twisting into something ferocious.
"I don't know what you're really plotting!?"
"But if you're still clinging to some impossible fantasy… then I advise you to stop wasting your effort!"
As he spoke, Enel—harboring an inexplicable sense of unease—didn't wait for Zoro and Sanji to fully settle into their stances. He struck first.
The gleaming golden staff pointed straight toward the cloud-shrouded heavens. A bolt of electricity shot upward, and in an instant, countless arcs of lightning illuminated the entire cloud layer.
The next moment, two thunderbolts as thick as water barrels crashed down toward Zoro and Sanji.
"Divine Judgment!!!"
Boom—!!!
Terrifying lightning, like a ravenous beast, swallowed both of them whole.
Seeing this, Enel's face twisted into an expression of nervous arrogance as he burst into manic laughter.
"Hahahaha!!!"
"Watch closely…"
"Before the power of a god, all of your struggles are nothing but pitiful and insignificant!!!"
Lightning flooded the world, turning everything into a blinding sea of thunder.
Only after several dozen seconds did the roaring storm finally begin to subside.
However…
The instant the lightning completely vanished, the grin on Enel's face froze.
Hiss—
At the final moment of fading thunder, a cigarette suddenly extended outward. Using the residual heat from the lightning, it ignited with a sharp spark.
The cigarette then rose smoothly and settled into Sanji's mouth.
"Hiss—"
Sanji took a drag and slowly raised his head. His clothes were scorched black in places, but his body was completely unscathed.
"Perfect for lighting a cigarette~"
He looked up at Enel and gave him a faint smile.
"Y-You bastard!!!"
Enel's face instantly contorted with rage.
Just as he gripped his staff and prepared to strike Sanji again—
A teasing voice rang out from his side.
"Big-eared guy, thanks for the lightning!"
Zoro grinned. "I'll repay you with this slash!!!"
Crack—!!!
The metallic dragon abruptly spread its massive wings.
Lightning that should have already dissipated surged forth once more, spreading wildly along the dragon's wings.
At the same time, Zoro's eyes—completely engulfed in lightning—burned with overwhelming ferocity!
Rooaaar—
A faint dragon's roar echoed through the air.
Zoro raised Narukami high in his right hand, his body turned sideways, the blade aligned directly with Wado Ichimonji.
In that instant—
The lightning surrounding the metallic dragon obeyed like disciplined soldiers, transforming into roaring streams of energy that poured madly into Zoro's right arm.
ROAR—!!!
A clear, impassioned dragon's cry rang out across the ten-thousand-meter-high sky.
Narukami—its deep-blue blade forged by thunder.
Though ranked only as a Ryo Wazamono, in this moment it resembled a ferocious lightning beast baring its fangs at Enel.
Sandai Kitetsu, exuding sinister malevolence, and the pure, solemn Wado Ichimonji stood on either side like divine guardians.
"Three Sword Style Secret Technique—Three Thousand Worlds—Narukami—Thunder Roar!!!"
Whoosh—!!!
The heavens darkened.
A single azure line appeared, slicing the world cleanly in two.
The next second, everything returned to normal.
Zoro had already appeared behind Enel.
"Wh-What… how is that possible!?"
Enel stared in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened.
And what terrified him even more—
A deep, bone-revealing gash had opened across his chest.
Blood streamed down steadily.
"Damn it!" Enel cursed.
Lightning crackled as he sealed the wound with electricity.
But before his words even faded, a scorching heat slammed into him head-on.
His skin flushed bright red as searing pain overtook his senses.
When he turned—
A dazzling vortex of flames came roaring straight at him!
The scattered fire dyed the clouds crimson, like a burning sunset.
Then came Sanji's furious roar:
"Diable Jambe—Rotating Burn STRIKE!!!"
Boom—!
Already wounded by Zoro, Enel was engulfed once again by endless flames.
Instinctively, he tried to disperse into lightning to escape—but a long leg coated in Armament Haki slammed into his chin, sending him flying.
The flames coiled around him like living serpents, following him into the air, striking and burning his body without mercy.
"D-Damn it…!"
Enel cried out in agony, barely opening his eyes to look downward.
Below him stood Sanji, clad in blazing flames like armor, holding a cigarette between his fingers as he calmly exhaled a plume of smoke.
Crack—!
Lightning flashed.
Regaining control, Enel immediately turned intangible, escaping the flames.
But compared to a minute earlier, his body was now riddled with injuries.
"Damn it! What's going on!?"
"How did those two suddenly become this strong!?"
Enel muttered in disbelief high above the clouds.
Suddenly—
Zoro and Sanji appeared at his sides once more.
Lightning and raging fire surged toward him again.
Realizing their strength, Enel had no time to think. He could only rely on his lightning form, using speed to evade their relentless assault.
But—
Under the effects of Facade, their overall capabilities had skyrocketed.
The once-untraceable lightning speed was no longer absolute.
Slash—!
A swift blade intercepted the aurora-like streak of lightning, forcing it to halt.
Having already been cut twice, Enel panicked and reverted to his physical form midair.
At that very moment, Sanji—propelled by blazing flames and moving at near-lightning speed—ambushed him again, kicking his body into a sharp C-shape.
Wrapped in fire, Enel crashed like a meteor into the White Sea below.
The balance of the battle was completely overturned.
Although Facade wasn't a permanent buff and constantly consumed Pokémon energy—
Once Zoro and Sanji's bodies and minds could keep up with Enel's speed, their raw strength became utterly overwhelming!!!
In less than twenty minutes, a charred, bloodied figure covered in slash marks was thrown onto the deck of the Going Merry.
Zoro and Sanji followed soon after, exiting their Facade state, their bodies visibly weakened.
"Tough bastard, that one," Zoro muttered.
Standing on Grassy Terrain, both he and Sanji let out long sighs as their bodies began to recover.
If Enel hadn't been so arrogant—refusing to believe he could lose to two "Blue Sea" men, stubbornly clinging to his so-called thunder god ultimate until the very end—
Even if he couldn't defeat them under Facade, he could have escaped.
"Well done."
Red stepped forward with a light smile, securing a Seastone chain around the unconscious Enel's arm. He then signaled Usopp to drag the "infinite battery" into the cabin for later handling.
Clapping his hands, Red turned toward Luffy and Ace, a faint smile on his lips.
"Alright. There's no one left on Sky Island who can interfere with us now."
"Have Nami and Usopp clean up Enel's remaining subordinates. Once that's done, we can begin our plan."
"Got it!"
Luffy and Ace answered in unison, their eyes filled with solemn resolve.
…
…
Three days later.
The New World—inside the royal palace of Dressrosa.
After receiving Red's video through an advanced Video Den Den Mushi, Donquixote Doflamingo burst into wild laughter, his pink feathered coat shaking violently.
"Fufufufufu!!!!"
"So this is your plan, Red!?"
"The Straw Hat Pirates… Monkey D. Luffy…"
"It seems the new era is about to arrive."
A strange light flickered in Doflamingo's eyes as his fingers tapped the table.
After a moment, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed a familiar number.
The call connected quickly, and a sharp, raspy voice answered:
"Yo~ Didn't expect you to call me."
Somewhere in the world—inside the headquarters of the World Economy News Paper.
Morgans stared at the Den Den Mushi, which was gradually taking on Doflamingo's features, his expression filled with confusion.
Doflamingo, watching Red's video on mute, suddenly let out a playful laugh.
"Morgans, I've got something here that I think you'll be very interested in."
"Trust me—if you've got the guts, your newspaper will become the center of the world's attention for quite a while."
"Fuhahaha! What nonsense are you spouting, JOKER!?"
"There's news in this world I wouldn't dare publish!?"
"Are you underestimating me!?"
Morgans leaned back in his chair, wearing an arrogant grin.
Hearing this, Doflamingo laughed even harder.
"Fufufufu…"
"I hope you can keep that confidence."
A dark gleam flashed in his eyes.
"I've sent you a video through a secure line."
"Watch it first. Then give me your answer."
"But no matter what…"
"I hope you remember what you just said."
As the advanced Video Den Den Mushi activated, Doflamingo transmitted the footage and waited calmly.
The vast hall of Dressrosa fell silent.
But—
The silence didn't last long.
Less than ten minutes later, a frantic Den Den Mushi ring shattered the calm.
"Buru buru buru! Buru buru buru!"
Perhaps sensing the caller's urgency, the ringing was unusually sharp.
Doflamingo picked up the receiver leisurely.
Instantly, the Den Den Mushi's eyes turned blood-red, its breathing rapid.
"Doflamingo!!!" Morgans shouted, forgetting even his usual titles. "What you sent me… is it all real!?"
"Of course," Doflamingo grinned.
"Do I look like I have time to fabricate something like that?"
"Faking this wouldn't be easy anyway, would it?"
"…!"
After a brief silence, Morgans seemed to calm down.
"I didn't expect you to still have connections with Whitebeard's people."
"So tell me—why send this to me?"
"I've heard things aren't exactly peaceful in the New World right now."
"Fufufufu… That's exactly why things are getting interesting," Doflamingo replied darkly.
"So—what's your choice?"
"Me?" The Den Den Mushi representing Morgans flashed sharply, then burst into laughter.
"Fuhahaha!"
"Who do you think I am!?"
"I'm the president of the World Economy News Paper—Morgans!!!"
"There's nothing in this world I wouldn't dare report!"
"This news—I'm publishing it for sure!!!"
…
…
The New World—on an island ruled by the Whitebeard Pirates.
The colossal Moby Dick was docked at the harbor, but the once lively ship was eerily desolate.
The deck was completely empty.
At this moment, every member of the Whitebeard Pirates was gathered in the center of the island's city.
Under everyone's gaze, Marco held an unanswered Den Den Mushi for a long time.
In the end, he could only set it down in frustration and turn to Whitebeard and the others, shaking his head.
"No luck, Pops."
"Julius and the others can't be reached either."
"I see…" Whitebeard replied quietly, seated atop a massive stone block, his eyes flickering slightly.
At that moment, the Third Division Commander, Jozu, stepped forward urgently.
"Pops, we can't wait any longer!"
"We have to do something now!"
"The Marines are deliberately avoiding direct confrontation while hunting down our brothers outside!"
"If this continues, we'll just keep losing strength!"
"Calm down, Jozu," Marco said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"The Marines wouldn't act without preparation."
"Gathering everyone now might put them in even greater danger."
"We should follow Pops' decision."
"Damn it!!!"
Boom!
Jozu slammed his fist into the wall, collapsing the entire building.
But it was nothing more than helpless rage.
No matter what he did, the brothers they had lost would never return.
"Damn you, Teach!!!"
Jozu looked up, murderous fury blazing in his eyes as he roared from the depths of his throat—voicing the hatred shared by every member of the crew.
That bastard had not only committed the greatest taboo at sea by murdering Thatch, but had also handed decades of Whitebeard Pirates' intelligence to their greatest enemy…
At that moment, hatred burned in every pair of eyes, as if they wished to tear him apart, to drink his blood and eat his flesh alive!!!
No punishment could ever extinguish the flames of fury in their hearts.
Just then, a bandana-clad pirate came running.
He held a newspaper high as he pushed through the crowd, shouting as he approached:
"Pops! Pops! This is bad!!!"
"Look at today's news!!!"
"Ace—he…"
(End of Chapter)