On the open ground surrounding the Killion, thousands of people who had previously been knocked unconscious by Rorschach's Conqueror's Haki were now gradually waking up.
When they saw the ground around them covered in spiderweb-like cracks, everyone was startled.
The cracks extended in all directions, with light seeping up from beneath them, indicating that the earth below had been completely penetrated by these fissures.
"What happened here? Why did we all pass out?"
The Shandian warriors and members of the Angel Race looked at each other, confused about what had transpired.
At this moment, someone spotted two familiar figures standing on the Killion's rail and immediately began to call out.
"Wiper! What's the situation now? Where's Enel? Where's the Flame of Hope?"
"Chief Gan Fall!"
Thousands of people surged towards the Killion like a tide.
On the open ground in front of the Killion, Law stood silently, holding his long sword, along with Bepo, Pamela, and others, coldly watching the bustling crowd.
Some of the priests who hadn't died also woke up one after another but had already been tied up by Marine soldiers with various restraints, unable to move.
Suddenly, a white cloud drifted from the distant sky.
Behind that white cloud, a figure shimmering with electricity faintly followed closely.
A buzzing electric current sound filled the air.
"Enel!"
The moment they heard the electric sound, the thousands of people in the forest clearing all changed their expressions dramatically, looking up in terror.
On the ship's rail, Wiper and Gan Fall also stared intently at the sky.
Then, everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget.
A slender man with flowing silver hair, holding Enel, whom they all revered as a god, like a dead dog, arrived through the wind, his body flashing with brilliant electricity as he stepped through the air!
At this moment, everyone on the ground—
Whether they were Shandian warriors, Angel Race members, Enel's priests, or the Marine soldiers in front of the Killion—their minds were deeply shaken by this sight.
"Enel... the person he's holding is Enel!"
In the crowd, a trembling voice uttered what everyone was thinking.
Then, the entire forest of Jaya Island seemed to explode, reverberating with frenzied shouts of release.
"Enel has been defeated!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Enel is down!"
"We won! Enel has been defeated!"
Bang!
With a dull thud, Enel was casually tossed onto the deck by Rorschach.
Rorschach himself didn't stop, walking directly into the captain's cabin.
"Enel... really lost."
Wiper stared blankly at Enel, who was lying face up at his feet, somewhat unable to believe it was true.
Gan Fall's expression changed continuously, as if by magic, eventually settling into an ugly smile, and he knelt on the deck with a thud, the spear in his hand clattering to his side.
"It's not a dream, Wiper, this isn't a dream! Enel, he's been defeated! The nightmare of the Angel Race and the Shandians is over!"
He raised his hands to cover his old face, his voice hoarse and choked.
Enel, the god who had ruled Skypiea with absolute power for three years, deeply embedding seeds of fear in the hearts of every Skypiean and Shandian, had been defeated.
The one who defeated him was not an Angel Race member, not a Shandian, not the battle-hardened Wiper, not Gan Fall himself, nor Ace, the Flame of Hope whom they had placed so much hope in.
The one who defeated Enel was Marine Rear Admiral Rorschach from the Blue Sea, the very person their two tribes had united to attack.
This victory came so suddenly, so strangely.
So, so shameful.
Thud!
With a dull thud, Wiper's knees hit the deck hard, his hands braced on the ground, his head bowed, knocking his forehead against the deck, and he cried out in a hoarse voice:
"On behalf of the Shandians, I apologize to the Marines for our rash actions just now! We were too reckless, attacking you all without properly investigating the truth. I'm sorry! I, Wiper, the current chief of the Shandians, am willing to take full responsibility for this! Please deal with me as you see fit!"
"Me too!"
Beside him, Gan Fall, his face filled with shame, bowed his head to the ground. "It was truly inappropriate to simply assume you were evil based on subjective conjecture! Now, you Marines have defeated Enel and saved tens of thousands of our people in Skypiea. I am deeply ashamed! It was I who judged a gentleman with a villain's heart; you Marines are truly the heroes who saved Skypiea."
"Hmph! Now you know we're the heroes who saved Skypiea? I wondered why these people came in such a big commotion; turns out they thought we were bad guys! We're Marines, upholding justice!"
Bepo was clearly annoyed, looking unhappily at the vast sea of Shandians before him.
"Is the person Rear Admiral Rorschach is holding that Thunder God from Skypiea? Rear Admiral is truly too powerful! The battle in the sky just now was like a fight between gods, did you see it? That terrifying lightning."
Pamela's voice was filled with reverence for Rorschach.
"What Thunder God? Rear Admiral is the Thunder God!" Bepo declared emphatically.
Inside the captain's cabin.
"Brother Rorschach, did you hear the sounds outside? You've become the great hero who saved Skypiea again."
Hibari's face was alight with a bright smile, her lower body transformed into mist as she floated, extending her hands to help Rorschach straighten his cloak and collar.
"We came here to find the Golden City, not with the intention of saving Skypiea. As for Enel, hehe, his abilities are too powerful; they moved me. And his abilities can complement mine. So, I'm not the great hero they imagine; I have selfish motives."
Rorschach buttoned his chest, his eyes clear and bright, his mind calm, completely unaffected by the external voices.
Hibari gathered the soft silver hair that fell behind Rorschach's head, a hint of envy appearing in her eyes.
"Brother Rorschach, your hair is so nice! I wish I could master Life Return too; then I could change my hair's length whenever I want."
"Is Life Return meant for that?" Rorschach couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Why not? Hmph~, once I learn Life Return, that's how I'll use it." Hibari gave a delicate hmph, her body flowing like a wisp of smoke past Rorschach's cheek, landing on the ground in front of him, quickly re-forming into her human shape, looking up at Rorschach with a charming little face.
"Brother Rorschach, you've grown so much again. If you keep growing, you'll be three meters tall..."
Hibari, whose 1.75-meter height barely reached Rorschach's abdomen, had a somewhat complex expression.
In her mind, she faintly remembered Dous's teasing remark from back then.
'Rorschach, don't grow anymore. If you keep growing, you two won't be a match.'
Considering Rorschach's current age and growth rate, his height would definitely exceed three meters once he fully matured.
At that time, her not-so-short height, standing in front of Rorschach, would be like... like his daughter...
Seeing Hibari's furrowed brow, Rorschach couldn't help but smile and reach out to ruffle her head.
"Because I'm still young; I'm only fourteen, and my body is still developing, so of course, I'm growing fast.
Don't be discouraged, Hibari; you're only thirteen, aren't you?
As long as your physical strength can keep up, bone development is easy to keep pace with.
You have to believe in your lineage factor; your father is a Marine Admiral over three meters tall.
Maybe when you reach adulthood, you'll also be over three meters tall."
"I don't want to grow to three meters!" The mere thought of herself growing over three meters tall, either bloated and fat like a ball or thin like Kuzan, like a bamboo pole, made Hibari shiver.
That would be too terrifying.
At most, she only wanted to grow to the tall figure of Vice Admiral Gion.
"I don't want to be an Admiral anyway, so why be tall?" Hibari muttered softly.
Rorschach rose with a faint smile, about to stand up, when he suddenly blinked and looked at the Marine uniform Hibari was wearing, curiously asking, "Hibari, when you... when you transform into a cloud, does this clothes also transform into a cloud?"
"Ah?" Hibari stared blankly at Rorschach, not reacting for a moment.
"I mean... when you elementalize, is it... is it only your body that elementalizes, or does the clothes you're wearing also elementalize with you?"
Rorschach had wanted to know the answer to this question for a long time.
Back in Marineford, that Drake, with his leaky mouth, once complained about Kizaru.
He said that Kizaru's clothes, even if shattered, could recompose into light particles, so they definitely weren't ordinary fabric.
He probably wasn't wearing any clothes at all; his clothes were constructed from elementalized energy.
Drake had urged Rorschach to ask Kizaru back then.
Rorschach completely ignored him.
Are you kidding? Asking Kizaru such a question, did he want a light-speed kick?
Now it's fine, Hibari has become a Logia Devil Fruit user.
Asking her this question shouldn't... be a big deal, right?
"Brother Rorschach!"
Hibari stomped her foot, a blush appearing on her cheeks, making Rorschach feel somewhat at a loss.
"If it's inconvenient to answer, then you don't have to say anything. I... I understand."
Rorschach quickly explained.
"No, there's nothing inconvenient about answering."
Hibari pursed her lips, then suddenly took two steps closer and gently stood on tiptoe, "Brother Rorschach, first, look at the clothes I'm wearing, are they real?"
Rorschach was startled, then foolishly reached out and pinched Hibari's collar, which she had brought closer.
Inside the shallow neckline, Hibari's delicate, fair collarbone was visible, as tender as the finest jade.
Rorschach concentrated, twirling Hibari's collar between his fingers.
"The feel is real; this Marine uniform, it seems to be real."
Rorschach concluded.
"Mm." Hibari nodded, then, with a slight blush, she turned her body directly under Rorschach's eyes, transforming into a flowing white cloud that drifted into the air, only showing her charming face as she looked at Rorschach.
Where she had been standing, a Marine uniform lay piled on the ground.
Rorschach's mouth slightly opened, "This..."
In the air in front of him, Hibari, blushing, gathered and condensed her form, about to transform back into her human shape.
Rorschach was startled and quickly turned away.
"Brother Rorschach! Keep looking!" Hibari's voice came from behind him.
"I... I don't dare." Rorschach's throat moved.
"It's not what you think! Turn your head back!"
Hibari said, somewhat exasperated.
"It's not what I think?" Rorschach had a question mark above his head, his body stiffly turning around, his gaze slowly shifting to Hibari's body.
He saw Hibari's cloud-transformed body quickly condense, returning to her original appearance.
She was still wearing the Marine uniform.
"Huh?" Rorschach was stunned.
He looked at the uniform on the ground again.
That's right, it wasn't the same one.
Seeing the confusion on Rorschach's face, Hibari leaned forward again, standing on tiptoe, tilting her slender neck.
"Brother Rorschach, look again, are the clothes I'm wearing real?"
She turned her slightly reddened face away, revealing her soft earlobe.
Rorschach's throat moved, and he swallowed, extending his index finger and thumb to pinch Hibari's collar again.
This time, the sensation was distinctly different from before.
Not only was there no fabric feel, but with a little more force, the collar directly shattered, turning into ethereal mist.
When Rorschach pulled his hand back, the mist flowed back, re-forming into Hibari's collar.
"So... you're still not wearing anything, are you?" Rorschach blurted out.
"Brother Rorschach!" Hibari's small face immediately turned crimson, and she stomped her foot and turned away, letting out a delicate hmph from her nose, "Brother Rorschach is a pervert, I don't want to talk to you!"
Rorschach immediately broke into a sweat, raising his hands in surrender.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, I'm not a pervert, I'm just... just purely curious."
The atmosphere in the captain's cabin became a little strange.
Hibari's face felt like it was on fire, and it took her a long time to calm down. She turned to look at the surrendering Rorschach and couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"I told you it's not what you think. Although this clothes on me isn't real fabric, it can still be considered clothes. After eating a Logia Devil Fruit, the body can elementalize at any time and can create elements out of thin air. For example, I can create a lot of clouds at any time."
Hibari extended her right hand, and white clouds emerged from her palm, quickly filling half of the captain's cabin.
She pointed to the clothes on her body and said, "This clothes, of course, is also constructed from the clouds I create myself, and it's not much different from normal clothes. Even if... even if I disperse this clothes, unless I want to, there won't be... there won't be flesh and blood inside, but an elementalized body, a cloud."
After saying this, Hibari was so shy that she could barely stand steadily, her small body trembling slightly, and her voice also trembling.
Rorschach nodded foolishly and said, "Oh, so that's how it is. But, Hibari, you should still use full-body elementalization less often in the future, if you accidentally touch Sea Prism Stone, wouldn't it be..."
Bang!
A delicate cloud fist firmly hit Rorschach's forehead, knocking him to the ground.
"Brother Rorschach is a big bad guy, a big pervert! I don't want to talk to you!"
Hibari transformed into a cloud of mist, rolled up the clothes on the ground, and contracted and swelled in mid-air for a few seconds.
When the cloud re-condensed into a human form, she was already wearing her original Marine uniform, standing gracefully on the ground.
An elementalized body only needs to slip into the clothes and fill them like an inflatable object; dressing is very convenient.
Rorschach lay on the ground, his mouth twitching.
Damn it, Hibari thinks I'm a pervert.
Damn Drake, don't let me see you in Marineford, or you'll have hell to pay.
When Rorschach and Hibari walked out of the captain's cabin, the unconscious Enel had already been handcuffed with Sea Prism Stone by Law.
Wiper and Gan Fall, meanwhile, still had their heads bowed on the Killion's deck, not having risen.
On the open ground outside the Killion, the Shandian and Angel Race warriors, after the initial joy of Enel's defeat subsided, immediately felt an even more oppressive fear emerge in their hearts.
Yes, it was fear.
Because even the terrifying Enel, the god who could single-handedly suppress all of Skypiea, had been defeated by the owner of this ship.
So, if the other party also desired to enslave and rule them like Enel, they would never be able to rise again.
Therefore, although thousands of people were gathered in the forest, it was dead silent; no one spoke.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for the owner of this ship, the silver-haired man who defeated Enel, to appear.
"Clatter."
"Clatter."
Crisp footsteps echoed on the Killion's deck, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Pairs of eyes, filled with various emotions, converged on the towering bow of the Killion.
"Both of you, please rise. You did nothing wrong, and I have no intention of blaming you."
Rorschach's gentle voice sounded in Wiper and Gan Fall's ears.
But both men remained ashamed, their heads bowed, not rising.
Rorschach had no choice but to wave his hand, controlling the air currents on the deck to forcibly lift these stubborn men to their feet.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach! I..."
Gan Fall looked at Rorschach, opening his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Rorschach's raised hand.
Rorschach smiled and stepped forward, patting his shoulder, and also nodded to Wiper.
"I told you not to worry about me. Although I helped you defeat Enel, I'm not as great and selfless as you think. I came to Skypiea to find the gold in the Golden City. As for Enel, he attacked me first, so I dealt with him."
"Golden City?" Gan Fall was stunned.
Wiper's eyes, however, lit up, and he looked at Rorschach seriously, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, I know where the Golden City is. If you need gold, there's an endless supply there, it will definitely meet your needs."
"That's great. Don't worry, we won't take the gold here for free. You can have someone tally what supplies you need, and I'll arrange for them to be delivered." Rorschach said with a smile.
Wiper quickly waved his hand, "No need! On this Skypiea, gold is useless except for looking good. Rear Admiral Rorschach, you can take all of it."
Rorschach smiled and shook his head, "That won't do. But we can put this aside for now; there's no rush. Both of you should first calm your tribesmen; I see their emotions seem a bit unstable."
Wiper and Gan Fall's bodies trembled, and they looked at Rorschach with complex expressions before turning and jumping off the Killion, running towards their respective tribesmen, and beginning to loudly reassure them.
As the two spoke, the Shandian and Angel Race people gradually came to believe that Rorschach was not a second Enel and was not interested in ruling them.
And as the emotions of these thousands of people stabilized, a situation that even Rorschach found somewhat absurd arose again.
The Shandians here, and Gan Fall's Angel Race people over there, began to argue again about who was the master of this sacred land of Jaya Island, now that Enel was gone.
The Shandians said that 400 years ago, it was their ancestral land, and Jaya Island should belong to them.
The Angel Race said that with Enel dead, Gan Fall would return to the position of god.
The master of this sacred land would once again be Gan Fall, so this land was the territory of the Angel Race.
Four hundred years of war had long made the two tribes irreconcilable enemies.
At this point, no matter how Wiper and Gan Fall tried to persuade them, they couldn't stop hundreds, even thousands, of their tribesmen.
As they argued, it looked like it was about to escalate into a new war between the two tribes when Rorschach finally couldn't help but shoot a lightning bolt into the sky, instantly quieting the noisy scene.
Rorschach frowned, looking at the two groups of people, and said in a deep voice, "Are you... still going to fight?"
"Rear Admiral Rorschach, I..."
Wiper and Gan Fall, standing at the front of their respective crowds, both looked ashamed.
"Wiper, what do you Shandians want?"
Rorschach asked directly.
Wiper looked at his tribesmen behind him and clenched his teeth, "We want to find the Golden Bell of Shandora and ring it! To fulfill the promise our ancestors made back then and restore our ancestors' glory!"
Rorschach nodded and then looked at Gan Fall.
"Mr. Gan Fall, and you?"
Gan Fall looked at Wiper and said solemnly, "I think our two tribes can live together peacefully on the sacred land. After 400 years of war, it's time for it to end."
Rorschach looked at the two men and the people behind them expressionlessly.
After breaking through his limits, Rorschach's Observation Haki perception was now so keen that he could clearly sense others' true emotions.
At this moment, under his Observation Haki, Wiper and Gan Fall were relatively calm, their emotions restrained.
However, their tribesmen were still full of resentment and anger towards each other.
Clearly, the chasm caused by 400 years of war and slaughter would not disappear simply because a common enemy was gone.
Four hundred years of tribal annihilation, family destruction, and displacement—this kind of enmity could never be resolved by a single word from Rorschach.
On the contrary, when Enel was present, the Shandians and the native Angel Race of Skypiea actually got along more harmoniously.
Rorschach sighed inwardly, said nothing, but called out to the Killion, "Uncle Kuiliké! You can come out and meet the Shandians now."
(End of Chapter)
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