"That bastard?"
"How arrogant..."
From Oboro's vast experience and perspective, Enel appeared no different from a petulant child in his eyes.
In fact, when viewed through his ancient wisdom, no one in the current pirate world held any distinction of age or gender. If one truly counted years... he couldn't even estimate how long his soul had wandered through existence.
"I'm a pirate," Oboro stated calmly, his voice devoid of anger.
"I heard there's a god here... so I wanted to come and see for myself."
"After meeting you, I've made up my mind... Are you interested in coming with me to the Blue Sea?"
"The Blue Sea? As a pirate?" Enel tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely considering the proposition.
"Yes."
"Yahahahaha..."
But the next instant, he erupted into laughter, a sound that was incredibly exaggerated and theatrical.
Then, abruptly, the laughter ceased, and his expression turned glacially cold.
"You don't seem to realize your own identity, mortal."
"The so-called god... to insects like you, symbolizes fear itself..."
"You must understand that when you speak to me, every word you utter must be preceded by a plea for mercy or a request for divine forgiveness."
He murmured these words while studying Oboro's profile. Then, his palm, still resting casually on Oboro's chest, erupted with crackling lightning, the electrical energy radiating outward in brilliant arcs.
Terrifying, swift bolts of electricity instantly enveloped Oboro's entire body, threatening to sear his flesh and reduce him to a twitching, screaming wreck.
"Don't be so cold... You've been here for quite some time, haven't you? Forget your unrealistic dreams. Landing on the moon? There's nothing there... not even your so-called homeland. Only endless desolation remains."
Enel was naturally reluctant to kill this intruder outright, the man had provided more entertainment than he'd experienced in months. However, the overwhelming power of his Goro Goro no Mi was sufficient to inflict excruciating pain and temporary paralysis while keeping the victim conscious. Normally, what he expected to hear now were agonized screams and the sight of trembling, convulsing limbs as his victim writhed in electrical torment.
But... he witnessed the man continue speaking with measured calm, seemingly oblivious to the lightning blazing across his body.
"..."
Enel, experiencing this impossible scene for the first time in his reign as god, was utterly stunned.
Observing more closely, he noticed that as the lightning 'struck' Oboro's flesh, the man was enveloped in a layer of black metallic substance that seemed to absorb and deflect the electrical current. Even his immaculate suit remained perfectly protected, completely unaffected by the devastating voltage.
"The Blue Sea is far more interesting than you think... there are many people significantly more powerful than you dwelling there."
"Since you call yourself a god, you should be the most powerful being in existence, not hiding in a place like this, deceiving yourself... correct?"
"Come to the Blue Sea... and prove your divinity."
Enel couldn't process Oboro's words at this moment. His mind had gone completely blank.
His only coherent thought was... how could the power he was so supremely proud of... have failed so utterly?
"You're capable... you arrogant bastard."
Enel's face darkened considerably, and when he looked up again, his eyes were now bloodshot with fury. He had no comprehension of what Oboro was proposing, but the man's attitude and tone filled him with immense rage! That complete indifference, that unshakeable calm... a total absence of the fear and reverence one should feel when encountering a god. Most infuriatingly... being asked to abandon his godhood and become a mere pirate?
What an insulting joke!
He was a GOD!
Abandoning his divine status to become a common pirate... Preposterous!
As for Oboro's elaborate plans and ambitious dreams, Enel subconsciously blocked them out, his emotions now controlling his every action.
"So what if you can resist my lightning?"
Enel smiled with cruel anticipation.
Without releasing his grip on Oboro, he spoke his next words, and in that instant, they were both engulfed in a blinding sphere of white-hot energy. This phenomenon resulted from the extreme concentration of electrical power. The temperature of the surrounding atmosphere instantly soared to unbearable levels, sending clouds of vaporized debris and molten rock into the air while creating an inexplicable electromagnetic field that distorted the very space around them.
After nearly fifteen seconds, wisps of residual lightning continued to arc through the superheated air, gradually dissipating into nothingness.
The air surrounding them shimmered and wavered due to the intense thermal radiation, creating visual distortions in the light and shadows...
The ground directly beneath had been scorched to a crisp, red-hot surface, revealing a perfectly circular crater of devastation.
At its bottom, streams of liquefied rock, true molten lava, flowed like rivers of fire.
Enel's eyes remained wide open, his pupils dilated in shock and disbelief. Because... the man beside him remained completely unharmed.
"Can we... talk now?"
Oboro whispered softly, gazing at Enel's increasingly distorted expression with mild curiosity.
Whoosh!
However, how could someone so consumed by blind rage possibly calm down at this point?
Enel maintained his ability to levitate by channeling his Devil Fruit power through his golden staff, using electrical currents and magnetic fields to achieve controlled 'flight.' But during his most recent attack, the golden staff beneath his feet had vanished, melted and reformed by the intense heat of his own lightning. The molten gold had been reshaped and cooled into a dramatically different form: a deadly spear.
Furthermore, he didn't need to physically hold the weapon, controlling it through electrical currents in a manner similar to telekinesis.
"Go to hell!"
Enel cackled with malicious glee.
He might present himself as a benevolent, almost Buddhist figure to his subjects, but his true nature was not only cruel... but utterly sinister.
Even if this intruder could somehow withstand his electrical attacks, he doubted the man would be able to resist the physical damage from a solid object moving at lightning speed! This was the perfect moment to strike, just after his electrical assault, when his opponent would be at his most relaxed and least prepared.
The golden spear, now crackling with residual lightning energy, shot forward from behind them like a streak of liquid gold, poised to pierce through Oboro's back and emerge from his abdomen in a devastating surprise attack.
Enel's hands continued to 'restrain' the man, preventing any possibility of dodging or defensive movement.
In his mind, this would be a stunning, fatal blow...
CLANG!
But soon, Enel's pupils contracted in shock.
He heard a resounding metallic impact, and without even turning around, his enhanced perception through electromagnetic waves provided immediate feedback.
The golden spear had stopped dead in its trajectory two meters behind them... as if it had collided with an invisible, immovable barrier. The entire weapon vibrated violently from the sudden halt, its deadly momentum completely negated.
"Ah... I still have to take decisive action..."
Oboro sighed with genuine regret.
His sigh didn't indicate reluctance to fight, but rather disappointment that he would have to kill Enel.
Just like his experience with the Golden Lion Shiki.
Oboro had felt genuine remorse for Shiki's refusal to join his crew.
Therefore, he maintained a certain tolerance for Enel's defiance.
However, similar to Shiki, their personalities were simply too rigid... too difficult to reshape.
Even now, Enel couldn't engage in rational discussion.
Enel had been Oboro's preferred candidate for a vice-captain position aboard his ship... but only if he willingly joined.
If there could be no agreement, then... elimination was the only option.
After all, Enel represented a valuable resource for the system.
Enel was undoubtedly gifted, his spontaneous development of advanced Observation Haki demonstrated exceptional natural talent. Furthermore, this ability was significantly enhanced by his Devil Fruit power... lightning could create electromagnetic fields and communication networks with vast coverage areas.
So when Enel heard Oboro's resigned sigh, his body instinctively began transforming into his elemental form, preparing to flee at lightning speed...
He was particularly confident in his supernatural velocity.
However... he was facing Oboro, and... a power completely beyond his understanding.
An indescribable aura erupted from the man before him, like a cataclysmic volcanic eruption of pure willpower.
The impact and overwhelming pressure... caused Enel's elemental transformation to suddenly stutter and slow.
He felt like a fragile vessel caught in a raging tsunami, his body and soul being violently tossed by invisible forces of unimaginable magnitude.
Then, a large hand, each finger crackling with distinctive black lightning, grasped his face like an iron vise.
"What?!"
It was only at this critical moment that Enel realized the true scope of his predicament.
His vaunted Mantra network... had completely failed him.