"Ghost Aura: Three Slashes!" Hathaway continued her ferocious assault. Even in the face of the so-called 60-million-volt Thunder Dragon, she showed no fear—only increased aggression.
Thunder roared across the sky as sword energy and lightning clashed violently. The light was so intense that ordinary people couldn't even keep their eyes open, and looking directly at the flashes could leave them blind.
"Boss, the Queen of Lantis is that strong? Why would someone like her even want to join us?" Robin, though familiar with Hathaway after several days together and aware that she was the queen of the Landians, was still shocked by her sheer power. Facing a barrage of lightning, she remained calm and formidable.
"No need to overthink it. She won't become a threat to us. Trusting others can lead to betrayal, but trusting no one at all can be even more dangerous," Rosen replied.
"I see," Robin said thoughtfully. It made a certain kind of sense.
But Rosen wasn't focused on Hathaway's strength. What truly impressed him was Enel's Devil Fruit ability. From their brief exchanges, Rosen could already tell that Enel's destructive potential was comparable to that of an admiral.
Hathaway's swordsmanship was close to that level too, and in her explosive state with the Yang Blade, she wasn't lacking at all. In fact, her Armament Haki and close-combat ability were far superior to Enel's.
While Enel's Observation Haki had a wide range, it lacked flexibility in high-speed combat. Even if he predicted her movements, Hathaway's attacks often reached him before he could react.
Overall, Hathaway could hold her own in a direct fight with Enel. But victory would be tough—after all, he was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, with insane speed and destructive power.
However, if the fight dragged on for half a day or more without outside interference, Rosen believed Hathaway could come out on top. Her battle experience was deep, her Haki overwhelming, and her fighting instincts razor-sharp. By contrast, Enel's past battle against Luffy showed weak combat intuition. He relied too heavily on overwhelming power.
"Impossible!" Enel's expression grew heavy. Despite his fierce attacks, he still couldn't bring her down. As the self-proclaimed god of Skypiea, how could he fail against a mere woman from the Blue Sea?
"Discharge! One hundred million volts!" Frustrated and humiliated, Enel unleashed an immense bolt of lightning. Hathaway sliced through it with her Haki-infused Yang Blade, though her arm and body went momentarily numb.
"Lightning's not easy to guard against," she muttered, eyes burning with fighting spirit. She was looking for an opening to get close to him.
"The plan could work," Rosen thought. "If we burst forth with overwhelming force, we could capture Enel. But now's not the time—he's staying in the clouds, where he can escape easily. Not the right moment."
Unless Enel came down and stayed grounded, Rosen wouldn't make his move. Otherwise, even an admiral might not be able to catch him at that speed.
"You're powerful, woman. How about becoming my subordinate? Come conquer the endless lands with me. This world is too dull! Yahaha!" Enel, though furious, admired her strength. He was always interested in recruiting useful talents.
"No thanks. You're too weak," Hathaway replied with disdain. Enel was strong, no doubt—even if his strength came mainly from his Devil Fruit—but power was still power.
"In that case, die. You can perish along with your Blue Sea comrades. Let's see if they can handle what you can't," Enel said with a cruel grin. His arms turned to lightning as he melted back into the clouds. Suddenly, countless lightning bolts began to flicker in the clouds above, an ominous, uneasy energy spreading rapidly.
Thunder rumbled—loud and unending. Crackling bolts leaked from the clouds, arcing through the air, evoking primal fear.
Lightning has always been one of mankind's most ancient and instinctive fears.
"What is this, the end of the world?"
"Ten Thousand Thunders!" A miniature version of Enel's ultimate attack formed. Despite being a "small" version, it still blanketed the entire island—and its primary target was Rosen and his group.
Enel felt a tinge of regret. If only his ark had been complete, he could have generated an even larger range of thunderclouds. That flying ship was made specifically to amplify his abilities and rain destruction across wide swaths of land.
Crackling and roaring, bolts of lightning fell like torrential rain. Dozens of them streaked down toward Rosen's location in an instant.
From within the clouds, Enel watched, waiting to see Hathaway's reaction. If she went to save her allies, she would create an opening—and he'd strike.
But she didn't move at all.
Did these people not matter to her?
Of course they did. But she wasn't worried—because the man below would protect them. Even in the face of annihilation-level lightning, she had faith.
This was Enel's fatal mistake. He had stirred a hornet's nest. Maybe this fight would've dragged on, but he had pushed the wrong buttons. Hathaway remained unshaken.
"You're looking for death!" Rosen hadn't planned on acting just yet. Revealing his full strength too soon might make it harder to deal with Enel in the future.
But targeting the bystanders—his own crew? That he wouldn't allow.
Only a few of them could withstand even a single hit from Enel. If they got hit repeatedly, even the officers would be in danger. Daz Bones might hold out for a while, but Mr. 5 and the others were still far too weak.
And that was with the benefit of bloodline-enhancing drugs. Without them, even Daz Bones wouldn't last long.
"Hellburst Cluster—Black Prison Rounds!" Golden sand rose around Rosen, forming 33 bullets of blackened sand charged with Armament Haki. They aligned into three clusters and launched with explosive force. The projectiles collided with the lightning, detonating and dissipating the electrical barrage.
"Sandstorm!" Though there was no natural sand on the cloud island, Rosen had prepared—he wore an auxiliary suit of golden sand armor. For a battle like this, against a single high-level foe, it was enough.
Clearing mobs required far more sand.
"No way—my lightning!" Enel was stunned. His massive lightning barrage had been intercepted by a Blue Sea native—head-on.
Lightning still poured down, even surrounding Hathaway. But the force behind it was weakening.
Then Rosen launched himself into the sky on a swirling sandstorm. In an instant, he was face-to-face with Enel and delivered a Haki-infused punch straight to his face—before Enel could react.
The blow deformed Enel's entire face, knocking him senseless as he went spinning through the clouds.
Who was this guy?! Enel had been careless, but this other Blue Sea native was terrifyingly strong too?
Had he spent too long in his self-proclaimed divine kingdom? Did he no longer understand the true strength of the outside world? Was everyone from the Blue Sea this powerful? It made him question everything.
"Don't let him escape!" Rosen shouted to Hathaway as he struck. Since he'd already revealed himself, there was no holding back. The two of them charged into the clouds together, chasing the disoriented Enel.
Enel, enraged and panicking, understood that continuing the fight would be dangerous. He turned into lightning and fled into the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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