Enel lay twitching in the smoking crater, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"I actually lost… to lightning itself?"
His gaze lifted to Shirogai, who descended from the sky with calm, measured steps. The look on Enel's face was not one of pain but of something far worse—shattered pride.
"Y… you could actually steal this god's power!" Enel rasped, his voice breaking with anger and fear.
The truth stung him deeper than his wounds. The thunder that Shirogai had unleashed was sharper, more controlled, and undeniably stronger than his own. It shook the foundation of his arrogance.
"A god's power isn't as weak as you made it out to be," Shirogai said evenly, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Face it, Enel—you're nothing more than a man with a little extra strength."
"Damn it! I am a god!" Enel bellowed, forcing himself upright, his golden staff trembling under the strain of his weight. "A god will never lose to some mortal from the Blue Sea!"
Shirogai's expression remained calm, almost entertained. "Your recovery is impressive. The Goro Goro no Mi does grant a natural resistance to lightning attacks. Still…" His gaze sharpened. "That last strike would have left even a Yonko unconscious for several seconds."
"Yonko? What is that supposed to mean?" Enel snarled.
Shirogai chuckled lowly. "In your terms, they're the four who could be called 'gods' of the Blue Sea—pirates whose strength far eclipses yours."
"Hmph! Lies!" Enel's eyes burned with fury, refusing to accept the words. "This god is the strongest in existence!"
From the sidelines, Nami scowled. "Strongest? You just lost to Shirogai! And you're still running your mouth—shameless!"
"Shirogai…" Enel hissed, glaring venomously at him. "So you're not Luffy. You thief… you dared to steal this god's divine power to fight against me!"
To him, it was impossible that he had truly been defeated. No—Shirogai must have cheated, robbing him of his rightful dominance.
"Pathetic," Nami sneered, folding her arms. "You're delusional. Shirogai is a Talent-user. He ate the Talent Fruit. He can learn the powers of other Devil Fruits! He only just copied your lightning, yet you—who've mastered it for years—still lost!"
"Talent Fruit…" Enel's face darkened even more. The thought gnawed at him. This stranger from the Blue Sea carried a power that sounded more divine than his own.
"No! I refuse to believe it!" he roared. Lightning surged violently as his body dissolved into a bolt that split the sky. His voice thundered through the clouds as he retreated. "This god is eternal! I'll destroy this world and then rule the New World itself!"
His words rang like a curse, but his back told the truth—Enel was running.
Shirogai let out a short laugh, watching the self-proclaimed god flee toward his temple. "Arrogant even in retreat. Truly fitting for someone who clings so desperately to divinity."
"Hmph!" Nami shot him a sharp look. "Why don't you chase him and finish it? He'll just cause more trouble!"
"No need." Shirogai shook his head, his calm smile returning. "Let him run. His time isn't now. The moment for god-slaying has yet to arrive."
"Always with your mysterious riddles," Nami muttered, pouting as she crossed her arms. "Truly worthy of a pirate who can clash with an Admiral—acting all profound."
Shirogai's smile only widened. "Think about it. If I struck down this 'god' chosen by both the Skypieans and the Shandians, what would happen? They'd simply crown me the next one."
"Wouldn't that be convenient?" Nami asked slyly, her eyes gleaming. "If you became their god, we could just take all the gold in Skypiea."
"There are no gods," Shirogai replied firmly, glancing between Nami and Robin. "And no saviors either. Ordinary people who want peace and happiness must fight for it themselves. Entrusting everything to another is nothing but an illusion."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Hmph. Listen to you, talking like some philosopher. 'The great pirate who fought an Admiral,' huh?"
Robin, however, studied him carefully, repeating softly, "One's destiny can only be fought for by oneself…"
"That's right." Shirogai's voice softened as he looked toward the crimson horizon. "Our fate belongs to us alone. Now…" His tone hardened. "Go. Protect the ones Enel intends to destroy."
The sea of clouds beneath him rippled in answer, as though alive. Vast portions of the island's cloud sea quaked and shifted, spreading outward to shield the land below.
---
In the dense jungle, a wounded man staggered forward. His breathing was ragged, his hand pressed desperately against a bleeding wound.
"I have to warn them… all of Skypiea must know!" His steps faltered, but he forced himself on. "That false god plans to destroy everything! Everyone has to escape!"
A sudden crack split the sky.
Zzzzt!
The heavens opened, and a colossal lightning bolt speared down toward him.
"No… no!" He sprinted frantically, terror in his eyes. "I can't die! Not now—I have to deliver this message!"
The bolt struck. The explosion thundered across the forest.
When the smoke cleared, the man lay on the ground—alive. Trembling, he looked around in disbelief.
"I… I survived?" His voice shook. "I lived through God's Punishment?"
That was when he noticed the figure. A pale silhouette stood beside him, shaped like a human but woven entirely from cloud.
"Wh-Who's there?!"
The figure only inclined its head before dissolving silently back into the sea of clouds. Within moments, it was gone, leaving no trace it had ever existed.
The man stared after it, terror and awe mingling in his chest. He could not know that these were the spirits of the Land of Finality, answering Shirogai's will—protecting those who dared resist Enel's tyranny.
---
High above, Shirogai hovered in silence. His gaze shifted toward the Going Merry,
"The greatest tragedy of this world," Shirogai murmured with a wry smile, "is that it asks a boy not even twenty years old to be its savior. What a cruel burden to place on one so young."
---