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SLAP! SLAP-SLAP-SLAP!
Crisp slapping sounds echoed through the silent forest.
A fair-skinned young man with large earlobes lay on the ground, his face rapidly swelling with the rhythmic slapping as he continuously muttered incomprehensibly.
"Hey! If you're not dead, get up!" Apparently tired of slapping, Atlas impatiently got up and kicked Enel, who was lying on the ground.
He hadn't expected the guy to be so fragile, fainting after just one kick. What a weak physique...
"Hmm...?" Finally, Enel scrambled up from the ground, looking completely bewildered.
He touched the swelling on his face in confusion, then took a step back, his eyes fixed on Atlas. What... just happened?
"You can touch me?" Enel's face showed no pain or anger, only a profound confusion. According to his own tests, no attack should have been able to harm him!
"That's Armament Haki. It can hit the substantial body of a Logia user... Oh, right, the ability you have should be the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
As Enel was a future subordinate, Atlas didn't hesitate to enlighten him.
Hearing Atlas's explanation, Enel wasn't moved to tears with gratitude; instead, he charged forward again.
His body wreathed in lightning, he looked like a thunder god descending.
At the same time, he unleashed his Observation Haki, trying to predict Atlas's attack trajectory—a trick that had never failed him.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was truly one of the most powerful Logia Devil Fruits. Even Enel, who had only recently acquired the ability, could unleash immense power.
"Lightning!" This was the first ability Enel had developed after obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and it is currently his only one.
The roar of thunder emanated from his body as a brilliant torrent of lightning erupted with immense force.
POW!
With his hands in his pockets, Atlas casually lifted his right leg, coated it in Armament Haki, and planted a kick directly onto Enel's long face!
Although Enel's Observation Haki had awakened, his physical strength was still too weak.
Even though his Haki 'saw' Atlas's attack, his body couldn't react in time.
Moreover, Atlas's mastery of Observation Haki was far superior to his, so he had no choice but to take the kick head-on.
"Well? Want some more?" Atlas asked coolly, looking at Enel as if he were a playful child, even though Enel was a few years older.
"..." Enel fell silent. He could already feel the gap between himself and the man before him—a chasm that a God's Fruit could not bridge.
"What is your purpose, really?" Enel couldn't believe that such a powerful man's goal was merely to invite him to the Blue Sea.
"I told you, my goal is you." Atlas frowned. Did I not hit him hard enough?
But he patiently explained, "In the Blue Sea, we Marines are the largest power. Our main duty is to uphold justice and fight criminals and pirates."
"An ability like yours is called a Devil Fruit where I come from. After eating one, you become hated by the sea."
"Devil Fruits are divided into three types: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. Of course, there are more detailed classifications, which I can explain to you later."
"I mentioned before that you are a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, so..."
"Justice...?" As if recalling his tragic childhood, a mocking expression appeared on Enel's face. Does such a thing really exist?
"I can go with you to the Blue Sea and become your subordinate, but there's one thing I have to do first."
Enel was self-aware enough to know that the situation was not in his favour; he couldn't possibly escape from this man's grasp.
Besides, he planned to see the Blue Sea anyway. He might learn a few things by following him. He could always leave later when he became stronger.
Yes, in Enel's mind, he had only just eaten the fruit, which was why his strength was temporarily no match for Atlas.
"Revenge?" Atlas had some idea of what Enel had been through.
From the hatred in his eyes, he could guess the general story—something like Naruto, facing unprovoked curses and humiliation, though their choices in response were vastly different.
Hearing this, Enel's head snapped up. Tears were streaming from his eyes. He clearly harboured an extreme hatred for the residents of Birka. "
That's right! I'm going to destroy this island!"
"But... can you actually do that?" Atlas was blunt.
The Enel of a few years from now could undoubtedly do it, but in his current weak state, even using the basic abilities of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a struggle, let alone destroying an entire island.
"..."
"Alright... want me to help you punish the people of this island?"
Atlas asked half-jokingly, seeing Enel's devastated expression. He was no saint; he wouldn't try to persuade Enel to let go of his hatred.
Humans can never truly empathise with one another. He didn't know what kind of hell Enel had been through, so he had no right to judge his actions.
"You... will help me?" Enel was incredulous. "Aren't you a Marine of justice?"
Atlas chuckled. "Justice has never been about mercy. Since the reason they ostracised you was your lack of wings, how about we make everyone on this island lose their wings?"
"I believe that's a far more severe punishment than just killing them."
Hearing this, Enel's eyes lit up. That's right. There is no greater torment than taking away the very thing they pride themselves on.
"Then... I'll take that as a yes!" SNAP! As soon as he finished speaking, Atlas snapped his fingers loudly.
"Slash with a thought!"
"Aah!" "Aah!" A cacophony of screams suddenly echoed throughout Birka.
The heart-wrenching pain was so intense that even Enel could feel it from a distance. An unparalleled sense of satisfaction washed over him.
Enel felt more than twenty years of resentment pour out like a flood, but at the same time, he gained a clearer understanding of just how terrifying Atlas was. Such a method... It's just too bizarre.
On this day, the residents of the Sky Island Birka were terrified because they felt... the punishment of a god!
Their pride and joy, their wings, were sliced as if by a sharp blade, splattering blood everywhere!
The residents of Birka were so frightened that they ignored the intense pain in their backs and immediately fell to their knees, praying toward the temple for forgiveness, begging for the god's mercy.
Meanwhile, Enel stared in disbelief at the relaxed Atlas.
The screams still echoed in his ears, and his Observation Haki told him that what had just happened was no illusion.
The man before him had truly fulfilled his promise with a single snap of his fingers, which meant he could take the lives of everyone on the island at any moment!
"Well, is your wish fulfilled? Welcome to the Marines." Atlas was unfazed by Enel's shock. Achieving that feat was actually quite simple.
As long as he used his telekinesis to compress air into blades, he could cut anything within the range of his Observation Haki, just like the vacuum slashes created by Tempesta Kick.
Of course, it was sufficient for clearing out fodder, but its effectiveness would be greatly reduced against those who had trained in both types of Haki to a certain level.
The warship in the White Sea finally set sail again. This time, the only addition to the ship was Enel.
As a Vice Admiral of Headquarters, Atlas naturally had the authority to recruit subordinates without needing to ask Sengoku for permission; he just had to report it later.
As for the Golden City of Shandora on the Sky Island, Atlas currently had no interest. Getting involved with it would be too much trouble, and he wasn't a pirate who did whatever he pleased.
Besides, wasn't the Gold-Gold Fruit more appealing? He would definitely have to help Tesoro get it from Doflamingo later.
"Hey! Who are you, big-ears?" Elsewhere, Luffy was staring wide-eyed at the newly boarded Enel, trying to strike up a conversation with his usual familiarity.
"What did you call me, brat?!" A vein throbbed on Enel's forehead. Although he didn't sense any malice from Luffy, he still couldn't accept being called "big-ears."
POW!
"Ow, that hurts! Why'd you hit me, big-ears!" Luffy whined, clutching the large bump on his head.
Enel didn't use his Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Although he didn't yet understand what kind of organization the Blue Sea's Marines were, he figured a group that prided itself on justice wouldn't allow its members to harm each other.
Using his Rumble-Rumble Fruit on a child would result in either death or serious injury. However, Enel clearly didn't realise Luffy's monstrously tough constitution.
Atlas naturally noticed the commotion between Enel and Luffy and even had a mischievous thought: it would be very interesting if he found the Gum-Gum Fruit and had Luffy eat it.
However... Atlas stroked his slightly stubbled chin, thoroughly searching his memory for information about the Gum-Gum Fruit.
The Gum-Gum Fruit should be with the Marines right now. In the original story, in the year 1511, the then-CP9 agent Who's-Who was responsible for escorting the Gum-Gum Fruit to Mary Geoise.
He ended up encountering the Red-Haired Pirates on a peninsula, and the result is obvious. So, the fruit is most likely in the Marines' collection.
Atlas decided to ask Sengoku when he returned to Headquarters.
The Marines usually categorise their collected Devil Fruits according to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, so if he looked for it, he should be able to find it quickly.
--Marineford, Sengoku's Office--
"Pfft! You brat, why did you bring my grandsons here?" Garp's eyes widened, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he stared at the three kids behind Atlas.
"I saw that they were staying in Foosha Village and it didn't seem very safe, so I took the liberty of bringing them back to Headquarters..."
But before Atlas could finish his explanation, Luffy poked his head out from behind him and declared in a firm voice, "I'm going to be the Fleet Admiral!"
"..." Sengoku, who had been watching the show, looked at Garp, speechless. He's not even Fleet Admiral yet, and your grandson is already after his position.
"Puahahaha! What did you say?"
Garp, as if he had misheard, cleaned his ear with his left hand while his free right hand moved to grab Luffy's small body and bring him close to his large face to ask again loudly.
"I'm going to be the Fleet Admiral!" Luffy's tone remained firm.
POW!
"Hahahaha! Luffy, you've finally seen the light! I'm going to train you into a powerful Marine!" Overjoyed, Garp didn't forget to give Luffy a Fist of Love.
"Aah! That hurts..." Luffy cried out in pain, his resolve to become Fleet Admiral only growing stronger.
"Admiral Sengoku, the main reason I brought these three kids here is to have you arrange for them to be educated in the Marine academy."
"I believe Vice Admiral Garp thinks so, too, right?" Atlas smiled at the scene and stated his intentions for the three boys.
"But..." Garp looked worriedly at the silent Ace, feeling uncertain. Atlas doesn't know Ace's identity, does he?
"Oh, right, let me introduce them to you, Admiral Sengoku! This is Luffy and Ace; they are Vice Admiral Garp's grandsons."
"The blond one is Sabo, a very talented young boy. That's why I specially brought them to Headquarters to receive the best education."
Atlas didn't mention Ace's last name. However, he still saw a flicker of something unusual in Sengoku's eyes when he introduced him.
Feeling more at ease, he continued, "I personally believe that justice knows no age or status. I'm sure you agree, Admiral Sengoku?" Atlas deliberately emphasised the word "justice."
Sengoku didn't speak, but stared intently at the three boys, then nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Let's arrange for the three of them to be trained in the Marine academy." As if having made a momentous decision, Sengoku let out a long sigh.
Seeing this, Garp also looked relieved, his face breaking into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Now, let's talk about you." No longer focusing on the three boys, Sengoku turned to Atlas.
"Me?" Atlas was puzzled. He hadn't caused any trouble recently, had he? What could it be?
"In light of your defeat of the Golden Lion, Headquarters has decided to grant you a codename and appoint you as an Admiral Candidate! We'll give you a few names later for you to choose from."
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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