Chapter 73: The Gap
Enel, the user of the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, possessed an almost godlike connection to electricity. His Observation Haki, which he called "Mantra," could cover the entire island of Skypiea. Anyone who dared speak against him would be struck by divine lightning. His surveillance was near-total.
Netero felt the invisible web of observation pressing down on them. He chuckled, stroking his beard. "Hoh hoh hoh... Interesting ability. But I wonder... can his Mantra penetrate a proper En?"
As he spoke, a massive surge of Nen exploded from the Chairman.
It wasn't a simple Ten or Ren. It was a perfectly spherical, high-precision field of control—En.
The field expanded rapidly until it reached a radius of five hundred meters. The invisible web of Mantra that had been watching them was pushed back, blocked by an impenetrable wall of Aura.
Far away in Upper Yard, Enel sat up straight on his throne, his face showing genuine shock for the first time.
"What is this? My Mantra... it's being blocked by some unknown energy field? I can't penetrate it at all?"
He tried to force his Mantra through, but the energy field was solid as a rock. It was a clear message: No entry.
Knov pushed up his glasses, analyzing the situation calmly. "Observation Haki is, at its core, an application of life energy or spirit. Since it uses energy to sense targets, a stronger energy barrier can block it."
"Right now, Enel can only sense the outer boundary of the Chairman's En. He has no idea what's happening inside."
"Precisely," Netero nodded, satisfied. "Everything has a counter. If he uses energy to listen, we use energy to block. That is the beauty of Nen."
Kyle walked up to Netero, marveling at the size of the field. "Old man, is this your En? I estimate the radius is at least five hundred meters! Does it have any special effects?"
Netero looked at Kyle's eager eyes and gave a cryptic smile. "There's a rule among Hunters: If you want intel on your opponent, you have to get it yourself."
"You don't expect an enemy to just tell you their ability, do you? unless they're the type who needs to explain the rules for it to work."
"Fair enough!" Kyle's fighting spirit ignited. Before the words were out of his mouth, he leaped back, taking a combat stance opposite Netero.
His Nen began to boil, arcs of electricity flickering around him.
Netero's eyes lit up with excitement. He wanted to see just how much Kyle had grown after gaining the power of lightning.
Morel and Knov exchanged smiles and retreated to a safe distance with Knuckle and Shoot. Morel shaped some clouds into comfortable chairs, and they sat down to watch the show.
Kyle didn't hesitate. His aura exploded.
Netero gauged Kyle's output and raised an eyebrow. His potential Aura capacity has reached 160,000... an increase of 50,000 from before! Is that the boost from the Devil Fruit?
"Such a strong Aura," Netero said, feigning worry as he touched his cheek. "Looks like I might lose this one. Just don't hit me in the face, alright?"
Kyle remembered all the times Netero had said that before beating him black and blue. He wasn't falling for it again.
His anger fueled his battle aura. Blinding arcs of electricity wrapped around him, forming a radiant Lightning Armor.
Zzzzt—!
Kyle turned into a bolt of lightning, charging straight at Netero.
But even with lightning speed, as he got close to Netero, he felt time seem to slow down.
Just as his fist was about to connect, Netero's fist was already buried in his face.
POW!
Kyle flew back faster than he had arrived.
But in mid-air, he hurled a ball of condensed lightning at Netero.
Netero watched the relatively slow projectile without concern.
Meanwhile, Kyle stabilized himself and charged again. His fist glowed with concentrated Ko. Just as the lightning ball neared Netero, Kyle shouted:
"Thunder Flash Strike!"
In an instant, Kyle vanished from his position thirty meters away and reappeared exactly where the lightning ball was, his fist already in motion toward Netero's face.
It was a sure-hit... or it should have been.
Netero simply sidestepped. The punch missed by a hair. In the same motion, Netero kicked Kyle in the stomach.
"Urk!"
Kyle flew back again like a broken kite. He scrambled up, gritting his teeth. "One ball isn't enough? Then how about ten? A dozen?!"
Kyle realized he couldn't beat Netero with a single strike. He had to overwhelm him with relentless attacks, searching for a tiny opening, just as Meruem had done.
"Kyle's using the lightning balls as teleportation coordinates," Morel analyzed from the sidelines. "He's planning a war of attrition."
Knuckle watched, dizzy from the speed. "Master, Kyle's ability is insane. Do you think he's surpassed the Chairman?"
Morel shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. Kyle's growth is fast, but the gap is still huge."
"Is the Chairman holding back that much?" Knuckle asked, surprised. He thought Netero, being old, would have maybe 100,000 aura capacity at best.
"Knuckle, you underestimate him," Morel said seriously. "Right now, the Chairman's capacity is at least 400,000. In his prime? Probably over 800,000."
"400,000?! 800,000?!" Knuckle gasped. "How can a human have that much Nen?" His master, a top-tier Hunter, had around 70,000.
Knov adjusted his glasses. "Enhancers are different. Aside from stat boosts, they have the fastest Aura growth rate. Add decades of supreme training... that is the gold standard of the world's strongest Hunter."
On the battlefield, Kyle fought with increasing ferocity. The rhythm was frantic.
Dozens of lightning balls flickered around the arena, giving him infinite angles of attack. He was a streak of light, striking from everywhere at once.
But no matter how fast he moved, Netero dodged effortlessly, countering every attack at the precise moment Kyle's momentum died.
Half an hour later, Kyle's face was a swollen mess. Netero looked like he'd just taken a leisurely stroll; he even seemed to be enjoying himself.
THUD!
With one final counter, Kyle's strength gave out. He collapsed, his face unrecognizable, gasping for air.
"Not bad, not bad," Netero teased. "I almost couldn't keep up. Next time, I might actually lose."
Kyle touched his swollen cheek, too tired to retort.
He channeled his remaining lightning energy. Tiny arcs danced over his face, stimulating the cells. The swelling began to vanish visibly. In moments, he was back to normal.
"My, my," Netero said, sounding disappointed. "Healing that fast? I can't even keep a souvenir of my victory."
Kyle rolled his eyes. He finally understood the depth of the "malice" hidden in Netero's "don't hit my face" comment.
This fight had made one thing painfully clear: even with a powerful Devil Fruit, the gap between him and the true peak was still vast.