"This is the power of the thunder god. Are you afraid now, insect?"
Enel looked down at Caelan, his voice booming like thunder.
"You can't become a true powerhouse by relying solely on a Devil Fruit."
"Pathetic false god."
Caelan raised his head and met the gaze of the towering thunder god without flinching. His voice was calm and steady, but it resonated louder than any thunder crackling through the sky.
Seeing Caelan mock him so directly, Enel was incensed.
He was the true god, the one who commanded thunder, the one none could question.
Yet, again and again, his divine authority had been challenged by this mortal. It was the ultimate insult. And such blasphemy would be met with divine punishment.
"I'll obliterate you with thunder today!"
Enel roared, the sky rolling with thunder in response.
The massive Thunder God raised its right arm, blazing with blue-white lightning, and brought it down like a mountain crushing the earth.
"You've abandoned your only advantage. Now you've ensured your defeat."
Caelan shook his head, sentencing Enel with a cold and final tone.
The only real threat Enel posed to Caelan was his speed in lightning form. But Enel, blinded by rage, had given that up.
This Thunder God form might look overwhelming, but it was just a giant target.
"[Noble Phantasm]: Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads!"
Caelan raised his massive sword, gathering mana and power within his body into its edge.
The pressure surged skyward, scattering the thunderclouds above like smoke.
Boom!
Under Enel's stunned eyes, a colossal shockwave shattered the Thunder God's right arm. A heartbeat later, the entire Thunder God was obliterated.
Enel's Mantra sensed the danger, and he instinctively tried to become lightning to escape. But the wave moved faster than his thoughts.
Caught in the blast, he lost all breath and presence within that immense burst of energy.
Without the Thunder God's protection, the energy continued on, piercing the island itself. It even tore through the sea of clouds, carving out a massive trench that took a long time to mend.
The thunderous impact and spectacle of battle left everyone stunned, unable to react for several moments.
Caelan sighed, shaking his head slightly.
"Thank you, Mr. Caelan!"
Conis jogged over and bowed deeply.
Behind her, McKinley and his soldiers stood flushed with awe, unable to form words.
They had come expecting to die, never imagining they would witness such an epic battle. A so-called god had fallen before them—completely outmatched.
After the brief moment of joy, McKinley quickly sent several men to deliver the news back to Angel Island.
"Enel... is really dead?"
Gan Fall muttered, still in disbelief, as though sleepwalking.
The man who once defeated him and all his priests with ease, the self-proclaimed god who had ruled the sky for six long years, had truly fallen?
"Yes. Dead. Ashes-in-the-wind kind of dead."
Caelan answered with certainty as he looked at Gan Fall.
Enel had been completely annihilated, his body reduced to ash and scattered into the sky.
If someone could still return from that, then Caelan would be willing to call them a true god.
Hearing Caelan's confirmation, Gan Fall burst into tears, his whole body trembling.
The tyrant god of thunder was finally gone. This land was finally free again.
He had once dreamed of a warrior from the Blue Sea falling from the sky to defeat Enel.
He never thought such a fantasy would actually come true.
Beside him, Wyper stared at Caelan, questioning everything he had ever known.
Was this man really just a human? The Thunder God Enel had filled him with hopeless despair. But Caelan's counterattack was so overwhelming, so effortless, that it didn't feel real.
As a descendant of the great warrior Kalgara, this was the first time Wyper felt he could not raise his weapon against someone.
The thunder god they couldn't defeat—before Caelan, he was as fragile as a child. The gap was too enormous.
…
Back on Angel Island, everyone stared at the sky above Upper Yard in silence.
Massive thunderclouds churned above, and bolts of lightning occasionally flashed down.
They knew this power all too well. It was the power of God Enel.
"God is angry. Those Blue Sea people... and Conis... they're finished!"
The residents whispered in despair.
Pagaya, Conis's father, was already weeping, grief-stricken. Would his daughter even survive this?
If he had been there, he would have stopped her. He was old. He should have gone in her place.
But under such divine wrath, no one could survive. Not even the strongest warrior.
Then, suddenly, a massive beam of light pierced through the thunderclouds, dispersing them entirely.
The lightning ceased. The clouds vanished. A clear sky returned above Upper Yard.
That Blue Sea man… had really defeated Enel's power?
Could he really stand against the god of Sky Island?
The residents of Angel Island found it hard to believe. How could an omniscient, omnipotent god be defeated?
Soon after, McKinley's messengers arrived with the truth.
"The warrior from the Blue Sea, Caelan Alaric, has completely defeated Enel!"
One of the young warriors rushed through Angel Town, face flushed with excitement as he shouted the news.
"God has been defeated?!"
The people cried out in disbelief.
They had lived under Enel's rule for six years. None of them could imagine a power strong enough to overcome his.
But the spectacle they had seen in the sky… and now this news, delivered by warriors who had been there… it had to be true.
"Enel is dead! We're free!"
The entire island erupted in cheers and celebration.
For six years, they had been shackled in fear. One word of disrespect could mean death by divine punishment.
But now, those chains were broken. The island felt liberated for the first time in years.
They regretted not having the courage to go and witness it themselves, to see the face of the Blue Sea warrior who had brought down a god.
"Then... Conis is still alive?"
Pagaya asked, voice trembling.
"Of course. Thanks to the strength of Warrior Caelan, everyone is safe!"
The soldier who delivered the news smiled, full of admiration and gratitude.
"Good… that's good…"
Pagaya finally relaxed. The tears hadn't yet dried on his cheeks, but now they were replaced by a smile of pure relief.
Conis lived.
Enel was dead.
Angel Island had hope again.
…
Outside Upper Yard, the Shandian elder stood with Aisa and Raki, gazing up at the sky anxiously.
"Aisa, what do you sense?"
Even though he saw the thunder clouds vanish, the elder still could not fully believe it.
Aisa closed her eyes and used her powerful innate Observation Haki to scan the battlefield.
"Enel's presence is gone."
"The presence of the Blue Sea man wiped him out. He's even more powerful than a god."
Aisa opened her eyes, still in shock.
She had been tracking the battle with her Mantra the entire time. She had watched the Shandian warriors fall, seen Wyper collapse, and she had begun to lose all hope.
Then Caelan arrived and the invincible god had fallen.
"Good… very good! Let's go thank the mighty warrior from the Blue Sea."
The elder cried tears of joy and began walking with Aisa and Raki toward the battlefield.
They had followed their ancestors' vow for generations, to reclaim Upper Yard and reignite the light of Shandora. Now, that dream was finally in reach.
Halfway there, the elder suddenly paused and turned to Raki.
"Go back to the village and tell everyone the good news. Bring some gifts. We must honor him properly."
(To be continued.)