"Shadow Guard!"
The shadows on the ground morphed into a shield, floating in front of everyone.
Lightning struck it, countless electric arcs sparking wildly, splintering and igniting nearby houses, but the shadow shield held firm.
"Another ability user? Controlling shadows? Hmph… not bad, but compared to me, it's nothing. My lightning is the strongest!"
"Only I deserve to be called a god!"
Enel muttered disdainfully.
He was slightly surprised but still didn't take it seriously.
Nami, too, was startled by the sight.
The pineapple-haired man calmly eyed Enel, who had attacked him. "Controlling lightning, so you're Enel?"
"Oh? People from the Blue Sea know my name? Why? Are you admirers, wanting to join me?" Enel said, intrigued.
"Join you? You're one arrogant brat. Do you know who we are? You think you're worthy of our loyalty?" a subordinate Beasts Pirate, their guide, sneered at Enel, looking at him like a country bumpkin.
His loud voice shook the air, rousing Robin, who had just fainted.
"Robin!"
Seeing Robin awaken, Nami and Zoro, lying on the ground, called out with relief.
"Ugh… What's going on?" Robin, confused by the dozens of exoskeleton-clad people and dogs around her, muttered.
(What happened to me? Did I pass out? How long was I out? Why are there so many strange people?)
(What's the situation here?)
Nami scurried to Robin's side, whispering an explanation in her ear.
"Hmph! I don't care who you are. Before a god, you must remain humble, or face divine punishment." Enel said with a cold smirk.
He had no interest in those below Skypiea.
"Idiot! I'm with the Beasts Pirates! You really want to die, daring to talk to us like that?" the Beasts Pirate guide shouted again.
Enel, Zoro, Nami, and nearby Skypiea natives didn't understand.
They only worried for this arrogant pirate subordinate.
But Robin, once Crocodile's associate and well-informed, had her pupils shrink, her body trembling. "Beasts Pirates! You're with the Beasts Pirates?"
"Oh? Among these bumpkins, there's finally someone with some knowledge!" the subordinate said proudly.
"Robin, what's wrong? Are the Beasts Pirates that famous?" Nami asked, noticing Robin's trembling.
Others turned to the dark-skinned woman who'd just regained consciousness.
"More than famous… It's nearly impossible for any normal pirate not to know them…" Robin took a deep breath.
The group was shocked, their gazes toward the newcomers growing serious.
"So famous that normal pirates can't not know? But we don't!" Nami frowned.
The Beasts Pirate subordinate's face flashed with anger, ready to yell.
Shikamaru raised a hand to stop him, lazily eyeing Robin, Nami, and the others. "So you're not normal pirates."
Robin sighed helplessly.
"Zoro definitely doesn't know either!" Nami declared.
"I don't." Zoro shook his head.
"So he's not a normal pirate either!" Robin said, frustrated.
The Straw Hat Pirates she followed—where were the normal ones?
A childish, idealistic captain.
A swordsman obsessed with training and constantly lost.
A thief fixated on money.
A cook consumed by women.
A long-nosed liar…
And a cowardly reindeer…
"So what are the Beasts Pirates, exactly? Robin, explain clearly!" Nami rolled her eyes.
"Sigh… The Beasts Pirates are Kaido's crew, one of the Yonko in the New World!"
"Yonko—do you know what that means? They're the four strongest pirate captains in the New World. Each rules the seas like an emperor. Even the Marines acknowledge their status and power, not daring to wage war against them lightly."
"They represent the pinnacle of strength."
Robin explained gravely.
Nami's mouth fell open, her expression shocked. "Stronger than the Shichibukai?"
She recalled Crocodile, his terrifying sandstorm form, nearly invincible.
"Of course. The Shichibukai bow to the Marines—how can they compare to the Yonko?" Robin nodded.
Nami swallowed hard.
Even Zoro showed surprise. "Stronger than the Shichibukai…"
He thought of Dracule Mihawk.
"Hmph! Yonko? Before a god, they're mere mortals." Enel said arrogantly, striking the drums on his back with his golden staff.
*BOOM!*
"30 Million Volt Thunderbeast!"
*ROAR!*
Countless blue lightning bolts formed a giant thunderbeast, roaring and charging at Shikamaru and the others.
"Damned bastard, daring to belittle Kaido-sama and attack us! You must be tired of living! I'll punish you in Kaido-sama's name!" the Beasts Pirate subordinate raged.
He was about to attack, but Ninja World Kiba leaped forward first. "Haha! An interesting Logia-type Devil Fruit. Let me test it—whose is stronger, your Logia lightning or my ninjutsu!"
Kiba clasped his hands.
"Lightning Release: Thunderball Tornado!"
Lightning erupted from Kiba, forming a tornado of electric spheres, hurtling toward Enel's thunderbeast.
"What? Another Goro Goro no Mi user?" Nami and Zoro exclaimed in shock.
Robin frowned.
"How is this possible?!"
Enel's mouth gaped, snot dripping, as he stared wide-eyed at the colliding lightning monsters.
*BOOM!*
A blinding flash exploded.
The two thunderbeasts clashed briefly before Kiba's Thunderball Tornado shattered.
Enel's thunderbeast continued toward Kiba.
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion and lightning flash engulfed Kiba's body.
Seeing this, Enel relaxed, laughing smugly. "Hahaha! I don't know how you used an ability only a god can wield, but a copycat is just a copycat!"
"There's only one god, now and forever! You can't defeat me! Hahaha… Burn to ash under divine punishment!"
"Haaa… As expected, Enel's lightning is stronger. No wonder he calls himself a god, ruling Skypiea for years." Nami sighed, relieved yet slightly disappointed.
Robin glanced at Kiba's teammates, noticing none seemed worried.
Was this confidence in their comrade? Or were they all cold-hearted?
*SZZZT!*
The final lightning faded, and visibility returned.
Kiba, hit by the 30 million volt Thunderbeast, casually patted his smoking body. "Not bad. This is the Goro Goro no Mi's power? Indeed, ordinary lightning can't beat you."
"Y-Y-Y-You…" Enel's snot flowed again, his face terrified as he shouted.
"Why aren't you afraid of my lightning?! This is impossible!"
He staggered back in fear.
"Why doesn't Enel's lightning affect this guy?" Nami muttered.
"You used Haki?" Robin, knowledgeable, noticed the black coating on Kiba's body.
"Haki? What's that?" Nami yelled.
Enel and Zoro perked up.
"A latent power all humans possess, an innate ability—presence, killing intent, fighting spirit. By controlling these intangible feelings, willpower becomes a weapon. This immense power is called Haki."
"Among them, Armament Haki not only greatly boosts destructive power but also enhances defense, even allowing one to strike elementalized forms, making Logia-type Devil Fruit users vulnerable."
Robin explained.
"Countering Logia-type Devil Fruits?" Zoro's eyes gleamed, seeing hope to defeat Logias.
"Sounds incredible." Nami gaped.
Nearby Skypiea natives began to grasp parts of it.
Enel laughed derisively. "Nonsense! Counter Logia Devil Fruits? My power? Ridiculous! I'm a god! Gods can't be defeated by anything! 60 Million Volt Thunderwolf!"
He roared, about to attack again, but Kiba's figure blurred into a shadow, reappearing before Enel.
Enel's hand, mid-drum strike, froze. His pupils shrank, thinking, (So fast!)
*BOOM!*
A powerful, heavy punch aimed at his face.
Enel instinctively elementalized.
But…
*BAM!*
The solid punch struck his face.
Enel's face contorted, spit flying, teeth knocked out!
His body flew nearly a hundred meters from the blow!
The ground split into a trench, thick smoke rising.
Nami, Skypiea natives, and others gaped, shouting in shock. "H-He got hit!"
"Enel was hit!"
"How is this possible?!"
"How did this guy do it?!"
"So strong!"
Zoro's eyes sparkled, growing more intrigued by Haki.
"As expected, no one from the Beasts Pirates is weak. As New World rulers, they're too strong for those outside it…" Robin muttered.
"Hey, long-eared guy calling yourself a god, you okay? I didn't use much strength. You're not dead, right? That'd be a hassle for us." Kiba's smug voice rang out, full of vigor.
Bullying the weak felt great!
He understood why people loved showing off.
"Damned bastard! You've truly angered a god!"
"200 Million Volt Thunder God!"
Enel's furious voice echoed.
A massive lightning burst erupted.
A giant lightning figure pierced the smoke, appearing before everyone.
Countless bolts danced around it, its aura terrifying.
"He transformed!"
"Enel's not easy to deal with."
"I've got a bad feeling. We should get back."
Skypiea natives panicked, many retreating.
Nami's expression grew anxious.
"You who dare challenge a god! Die!" Enel roared, his thunder god form extending a hand, countless lightning bolts surging forward.
Nearby buildings crumbled, the ground melted.
The blinding lightning made it impossible to look directly!
Shikamaru and the others facing the lightning showed shock.
"No wonder he's this mission's target. The Goro Goro no Mi is impressive. An attack like this, faced physically, maybe not even dozens in the Empire could withstand it."
"His mastery of the ability isn't great, though." Shikamaru muttered. "But with ninjutsu, it's a different story."
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
Shikamaru lightly clapped his hands.
The ground before him rose into a thick earthen wall.
*BOOM!*
The fierce, terrifying electric current struck, melting the earth, but the wall slowly repaired itself, blocking the lightning completely.
"Damn it! You control earth? Are you an earth god?" Enel snapped, slightly shaken.
Nami exclaimed in shock. "An earth fruit? Is this another Logia ability? No… wait, that guy used shadow-related powers earlier, now earth-related ones! What's going on? How can he use two different powers?!"
"Having two powers at once is impossible… unless… unless…" Robin continued Nami's words, her face growing grave.
"Unless what, Robin?!"
"Unless it's the same power as Pirate King Roger! The otherworldly power called Ninjutsu! These people… they've mastered Ninjutsu?" Robin shouted.
"Oh? Quite a knowledgeable woman. Not only aware of the Beasts Pirates but also Ninjutsu. Impressive!" Shikamaru's voice came from behind the wall.
"It's really Ninjutsu. Then Enel's done for." Robin said, relieved.
"Done for? Nonsense! Even if you're an earth-controlling god, you can't defeat me, the lightning god!" Enel yelled, his thunder god form rising, raising his right hand again. "God's Judgment—"
"Water Release: Great Explosion Jutsu!"
Shikamaru leaped from behind the wall, spewing a massive flood.
Enel, startled, hurriedly switched abilities, flying skyward.
Though Enel dodged, those on the ground couldn't.
Most were swept away.
Nami clung to Zoro and Robin, braced against a house, desperately resisting the flood's impact. "What's with these people?! Why can they use abilities like this too?! It's cheating!"