"A giant elephant has been spotted near the territories of the Celestial Dragon," Enel said.
"Oh?"
Ian's eyes instantly lit up.
An elephant.
In this world, there should be only one elephant worth making such a fuss over, right?
"So, what should be done?" Enel asked indifferently.
"Go, Enel," Ian said.
"There's a country behind that elephant—go and conquer it."
"Also, there's something hidden in that country. Bring it back for me."
Somewhere near the territories of the Celestial Dragon, in the New World.
The ocean roiled endlessly.
Even though at this very moment, the weather in this sea area was calm, with only a gentle breeze on the surface, and the currents below were perfectly still.
Even so, the sea was unprecedentedly turbulent.
And all of this was simply because an elephant was walking across the ocean.
Not just any elephant—this was a creature too massive to be described merely as "huge." Half of its four legs were submerged in the sea, yet its back already pierced through the clouds.
A true embodiment of the saying: feet on the earth, head in the sky.
Anyone who laid eyes on this monster would inevitably marvel at the wonders of this world.
What kind of ecosystem could possibly give birth to such a creature?
Crack!
Suddenly, above the giant elephant, a bolt of lightning gathered from afar.
The lightning condensed into the shape of Enel. The usually indifferent man couldn't hide his shock as he looked down at the colossal creature.
Too big.
A creature this enormous actually exists in this world!
In its presence, he felt as insignificant as an ant.
Insignificant?
Enel suddenly frowned.
A mocking sneer curled on his lips, and his right arm instantly transformed into brilliant blue lightning.
"God's Judgment!"
A spear of lightning shot forth, striking the top of the elephant's head.
A dazzling flash erupted atop the elephant, lightning crackling and leaping incessantly.
But—
Enel narrowed his eyes.
Too small.
The destruction he caused was far too minor. The explosion, limited to just tens of meters, meant nothing to a creature spanning tens of thousands of miles.
The lightning blasted a hole in the elephant's head, but it only tore through the decayed surface of the millennia-old body.
It wasn't until several seconds after the explosion that the massive body of the elephant began to tremble.
"Roar!!"
It bellowed, a loud and resonant cry that spread powerfully across the vast sky.
The enormous nose, as massive as a pillar of the sky, swung about, seemingly trying to see what was happening above its head.
Enel let out a cold sneer. In the next instant, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and struck the giant elephant's back directly.
His Observation Haki had already thoroughly scouted the situation atop the elephant.
This giant elephant stretched over twenty thousand meters in length, effectively a walking island upon the sea.
On its back lay a dense forest, and at the center of the forest sat a little-known town.
The inhabitants of this town were a peculiar people.
The Mink Tribe.
They formed the nation known as the Mokomo Dukedom.
They seemed to be a mix of humans and animals, possessing human physiques with distinct animal traits.
Living on the back of the elephant, they were nearly isolated from the outside world, with little knowledge of it.
But today, Enel's arrival would forcibly drag this nation out to sea.
Crack!
A brilliant bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the heart of the town.
"What?"
The residents of the Mokomo Dukedom had no idea what had happened. All they could see was the dazzling lightning erupting at the center of their town, shooting into the sky like a pillar of light reaching the sky itself.
Enel stood atop a residential building, unleashing his lightning without restraint.
He didn't understand the subtleties of conquering a nation; schemes and political maneuvers were foreign to him.
He only knew one simple truth.
Power decides everything.
"It's a human!!"
Finally, some of the Mink Tribe noticed Enel's presence.
With their cries, more residents turned their astonished gazes toward him.
"An invader!!"
The shouts of terror spread quickly.
Soon, from the wide buildings before Enel, a group of Mink Tribe warriors armed with weapons charged forward under someone's lead.
"The Three Musketeers of Inuarashi!"
"And Duke Inuarashi!"
"Now we're safe!"
The Mink Tribe cheered in relief.
"Human! Stop your actions!!"
The one known as Duke Inuarashi was a fur-covered man with the appearance of a dog, wielding two curved blades that looked like fangs.
"Oh?"
Enel stopped his electricity, examining the guy with keen interest. "So, you're the leader of this country, huh?"
"I am indeed the ruler of the Mokomo Dukedom! Duke Inuarashi!"
Inuarashi man pointed his curved blades at Enel. "Human! Speak your purpose!"
"So, that means you're the strongest here, and everyone obeys your orders?"
Enel nodded lightly.
That made things very simple.
"Yahahahaha! Thunderstorm."
With a cruel smile, Enel raised his right hand.
His right arm transformed into lightning, shooting into the sky in an instant.
A brilliant storm erupted above, countless bolts of lightning striking down.
Guided by Enel's Observation Haki, the falling lightning hit precisely the mink soldiers of Duke Inuarashi's musketeer squad behind him.
"Waaah!!"
The Mink Tribe naturally had the ability to manipulate static electricity, but their power was no match for Enel.
In just an instant, every member of the musketeer squad was screaming, nearly charred to ashes by the lightning.
Inuarashi froze.
Then, furious, he leapt into the air, swinging his curved blades and slicing at Enel as if to cut him into four pieces. "What are you doing!!"
His speed was fast, and the force was strong.
But even Duke Inuarashi, leader of the entire Mink Tribe, had lived in isolation for years and had no knowledge of Haki.
Enel's body returned to normal in the next instant.
"What?"
Inuarashi turned back in horror.
He didn't understand!
"Ian says you need to submit," Enel raised his right hand again. Countless lightning bolts sparkled from his palm, converging into a massive sphere of electricity in the sky.
Inuarashi's pupils shrank to tiny points. Inside that sphere, he could sense the aura of total destruction!
"So, choose," Enel said calmly, his eyes meeting Inuarashi's in terror,
"Submit, or be destroyed."
**********
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