The man from the Blue Sea had brought a few Sky Island stragglers with him, and honestly, Wyper felt a little disappointed.
It wasn't that they were weak. By his judgment, those women from the Blue Sea had strength equal to his own. And the man leading them radiated the pressure of a true powerhouse.
But compared to Enel, it still didn't seem like enough.
"Enel, it's our first time meeting, and frankly..."
Caelan looked at Enel and sighed.
From his perspective, Enel didn't feel any stronger than Crocodile—just more proficient in Observation Haki.
He had already defeated Crocodile. There was no reason he couldn't defeat Enel.
And now, after his growth since Alabasta, Enel seemed even less impressive.
"Blasphemy! How dare you speak that way to God!"
The three priests exchanged glances, then lunged at Caelan simultaneously.
"Iron Cloud!"
"Swamp Cloud!"
"Attack!"
In an instant, three separate attacks came at Caelan from different directions, with no blind spots.
Enel simply watched. He wanted to see what Caelan was capable of.
Under Conis's worried gaze and Wyper's curious eyes…
"Boring."
Caelan curled his lip and casually swung his blade.
In a flash, all three attacks were obliterated. The priests were sent flying, severely wounded, and crashed to the ground.
Conis covered her mouth in shock. Caelan had defeated three priests with a single swing. Hope surged in her chest.
"A-Amazing! How is that possible?!"
Wyper shouted in disbelief, ignoring his own injuries.
It had taken everything he had just to defeat Shura. Yet this man had taken out three priests in one stroke. It was terrifying.
But even so, it wasn't enough. Enel could see through all attacks with his Mantra and could transform into lightning, making him immune to damage.
These priests were trash. They hadn't even laid a finger on him.
Enel's expression darkened. The way his priests performed was downright humiliating.
"Don't embarrass yourselves with this kind of trash."
Caelan said calmly. To him, defeating the priests was nothing special.
"Blue Sea man!"
Arcs of lightning crackled around Enel's body as he scowled.
This man had killed his Gate Supervisor, resisted his divine punishment, and now stood before him still speaking so arrogantly.
Ever since he had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, no one had dared challenge his divinity like this.
"Sixty million volts... Discharge!"
A bolt of lightning fired from Enel's fingertips toward Caelan.
Crackle!
To everyone's shock, Caelan's greatsword moved as if in anticipation. The blade, coated in black Haki, easily blocked the lightning.
Wyper watched in stunned silence, a bitter feeling swelling in his chest.
The lightning that had taken him down earlier had only been two million volts. This was thirty times more powerful!
Enel hadn't even used his real strength against him.
What was even more shocking was that Caelan had blocked it so easily.
These two... were far stronger than anything he could have imagined.
Maybe… maybe this Blue Sea man really could defeat Enel.
Wyper looked at Caelan's calm face, and for the first time, true hope bloomed in his heart.
"You can use Mantra? And that black energy… what is it?"
Enel's expression finally changed, and he exclaimed aloud.
He had seen it clearly—Caelan moved to counter the lightning at the exact moment it was released, just like Mantra.
That ability should only belong to him and his priests.
And the black aura that nullified his lightning, he had never seen it before.
For the first time, Enel felt something unfamiliar… danger.
"You're making too big a deal out of it. It's just Haki."
Caelan replied with a smirk at Enel's confusion.
Enel, who had never left Sky Island, was still far too inexperienced. If he had traveled the seas, he might have reached admiral-level strength.
Haki? What is that?
Enel didn't understand, but he could clearly read the scorn in Caelan's eyes.
The shame of ignorance and the rage of being looked down upon boiled inside him. Enel couldn't tolerate it. He didn't want to tolerate it.
Caelan's power was certainly strange, but it had to have limits.
But as a god, his power was limitless!
"Two hundred million volts... Thunder God!"
Enel released all of his power. Blue-white lightning surged around his body, transforming him into a massive god of thunder.
A colossal form, over ten meters tall, emerged. Lightning danced across its body like a divine storm, radiating a pressure as vast as the ocean.
Even though he hadn't attacked yet, Wyper, Conis, McKinley, and the others felt as if they were caught in a violent sea storm, suffocated by the immense pressure.
"This is his true form… the form of a god?!"
McKinley exclaimed, barely able to remain upright.
The others were also overwhelmed. In the face of such power, there didn't seem to be any hope of survival.
"What's going on? The lightning... it's closing in on us!"
Conis gasped, her body paralyzed by the surrounding static.
As Enel took the form of a massive thunder god, arcs of electricity filled the area, steadily eroding their bodies.
"How is this happening? He hasn't even made a move!"
Wyper shouted. Just standing near Enel was enough to begin dying.
To perish like this, without even a chance to fight back—what a miserable end.
Nami and the others were fine. Thanks to Caelan's training, their Armament Haki was nearing awakening, allowing them to leave the lightning field.
But they didn't have enough strength left to help Conis, McKinley, or the others.
Fortunately, Gan Fall suddenly arrived, flying in on his strange Pegasus, and rescued everyone from the lightning zone.
Just as they were about to thank him, Gan Fall waved them off.
"The danger isn't over. If he can't defeat Enel, we're all finished."
Gan Fall looked toward the battlefield with a serious expression.
Hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Caelan and Enel. This battle would decide their fate.
The enormous Thunder God had enough power to destroy all of Sky Island. It was like the legendary wrath of a god, come to bring the world's end.
"People aren't afraid of gods. God is fear itself. I am God!"
Enel laughed, proclaiming his divinity as the ants below him fled in panic.
Towering over ten meters tall, Enel looked down on Caelan, hoping to see fear in his eyes.
But there was none.
(To be continued.)
***
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