Facing the four high priests who stood at the ready, he curled his lips into an exaggerated grin.
"Fsshhh... So these are the so-called envoys of the gods?"
As expected like captain, like crew.
Ritter was gentle toward his crew, but when it came to outsiders, he was downright arrogant and ruthless. (As someone who once served the Celestial Dragons, I'd know.)
Moriah, too, seemed to be evolving in that direction.
"You barbarian from the Blue Sea!" Shura shouted from atop his firebird, spear leveled straight at Moriah. "Prepare to receive divine judgment!"
Gedatsu made the first move, his nosebleed tracing a crimson arc through the sky.
Ritter winced. Honestly, just plug the thing already. Charging in while bleeding like that? It's disgusting and seriously low-SAN.
With a loud blast from the Jet Dial beneath his foot, Gedatsu accelerated to near-invisible speed.
"Iron Body: Cloudsteel!" he roared, his fist cutting through the air straight for Moriah's face.
But then
The shadows moved.
A pitch-black hand rose violently from the deck, fingers splayed wide. It intercepted Gedatsu's charge effortlessly.
"Too slow," Moriah sneered. "You need more seasoning, kid."
His shadow, grinning with rows of razor-sharp teeth, seized the priest's head and slammed him into the clouds.
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking echoed through the sky.
"One down," Moriah declared coolly. "Checkpoint complete."
Twisting his massive scissors at his fingertips, he chuckled. "This? This is way lighter than when the captain trains me. Come on, I need some pressure here."
He snapped his fingers.
From the deck, his shadow surged upward, forming a towering wall. Dozens of shadow blades shot out like missiles.
The firebird beneath Shura let out a shrill cry as it was shredded mid-flight. Thin strings of cloud shot toward Moriah from every direction but the moment they touched the shadow wall, they were torn to pieces.
"Two down."
"You really underestimated me," Moriah smirked. His shadow suddenly swelled, tearing through the domain of string clouds like paper.
Satori's Shock Dial blast barely had time to expand before shadow serpents slithered in and crushed it like wet paper.
"Your little toys…" Moriah's scissors flashed coldly. "...are trash, bro."
"Three down," he said, yawning. "Getting kinda boring. Anyone here actually worth my time?"
On a floating brick of cloud, Ohm sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut. He had his full power activated, yet... nothing.
"Why… can't I read you?" he asked, his voice beginning to shake.
"Oh? Why do you think?" Ritter's voice echoed from nowhere. "Maybe because I'm cloaked in Armament Haki?"
At the exact moment the Shadow Horn Spear pierced Ohm's chest
"That's why you're gonna die. You just know too much."
Above the battlefield, Perona floated lazily in midair, her ghosts holding up glowing signs that read "Zombie +4."
"Moriah, you're so slooow~" she whined, swinging her legs while her Sound Dial repeated, "Lady Perona is the cutest!"
"Captain wiped them all," Moriah declared, laughing maniacally. "Just small fry. Didn't even get to warm up!"
On the peak of the temple, Enel's fury ignited. Since declaring himself a god, no one had dared question his authority.
"Two Hundred Million Volts: Raijin!"
His furious roar made the sea of clouds churn and tremble.
Ritter cleaved through the bolt with a single swing.
"Moriah, take a break. I'll handle the rest."
He tilted his head. "So this so-called god... all he does is hide behind clouds and throw lightning?"
Enel's golden staff surged with blinding light.
"Two Hundred Million Volts: Judgment of God!"
Ritter didn't even flinch.
The massive Black Tide Greatsword, coated in Armament Haki, casually swept forward. Crimson sword aura split the sky.
"Your Observation Haki's decent," Ritter commented, suddenly appearing behind Enel. "But..."
Even Ritter felt a bit guilty. This was starting to feel like stealing candy from a toddler.
"No way… My Raijin form..."
"Oi! Don't tell me... your Raijin form stopped working?" Ritter taunted, though his hands showed no mercy.
He stomped on Enel's reforming thunder-form, blood mist flowing into the injuries.
"In the New World, everyone uses Haki. Your world's way too small, Enel."
Enel let out a scream. The blood mist was devouring his lightning, but worse it was disrupting his elemental cohesion. Each time he tried to reassemble, the mist corroded him instantly. The effect was terrifying.
Armament Haki and elemental transformation weren't a one-way counter. If your Haki wasn't strong enough, you couldn't harm an advanced Logia. But right now, Ritter was straight-up bullying Enel for his lack of Haki mastery.
And you have to admit the result was explosively effective. Watching yourself slowly dissolve? That's not just torture. That's a horror movie.
Enel collapsed before the shattered golden shrine, his long earlobes hanging limp. Faint sparks still danced weakly around his body, but they couldn't break free from the blood mist.
His golden staff lay broken in two. The once-arrogant gleam in his eyes had been replaced by sheer disbelief.
"Why..." he croaked. "Why doesn't my lightning work on you?"
Ritter stood before him, the Black Tide sword resting on his shoulder. He looked down at the so-called god with a cold smile.
"I told you. Your vision's too narrow."
"That 'Mantra' of yours sure, it can sense all of Skypiea. Impressive gift. But your fighting style? Like a kid playing with batteries. It's pathetic."
He crouched down, crimson eyes locking with Enel's.
"You don't understand real power."
Enel gritted his teeth. "What… do you want?"
Ritter bared his teeth in a grin.
"I want your submission."
You might think Ritter was being unusually arrogant here. But don't forget this was all part of his plan. When it came to teenage edgelords, nothing lit the fire like a healthy dose of dramatic posturing. ("I will ignite the oceans ROAAAR!")
Enel's expression twisted then he burst into laughter. The sound was shrill, nearly unhinged.
"Submit? I'm a god! There's no way—"
BAM!
Ritter's punch landed square on his face. Armament Haki cracked down mercilessly, and Enel was sent flying, blood spraying from his nose. He crashed through several golden pillars before coming to a stop.
"A god? Please." Ritter flexed his fist. "Try playing god in front of CP0 next time they're still enjoying their nap. You think someone who doesn't even know Haki has the right to call himself divine?"
He held up two fingers.
"You've got two choices. One, die right here. My patience is very limited."
"Two... join the Blood Dawn and become my crew member."
Ritter's gaze was ice-cold.
"I'll show you real power. And then you'll understand that your so-called 'invincibility' was just a frog's dream at the bottom of a well."
Enel's breathing turned ragged. He stared at Ritter, shaking.
"You… can really make me stronger?"
Ritter smiled. It was a smile filled with absolute confidence.
"Stronger than you ever imagined."
Conqueror's Haki burst forth, pressing down on Enel like a tidal wave. Ritter didn't say a word he let Enel feel it.
After a long moment of one-sided "diplomacy," Ritter finally withdrew his Haki.
Enel, now trembling, slowly got to his feet. Then, in silence, he dropped to one knee. That proud head bowed.
"I... submit."
Ritter nodded in satisfaction. He placed a hand on Enel's shoulder.
"Wise choice."
The blood mist retracted, and Enel felt his strength gradually return.
"From today forward, you are the Thunder God of the Blood Dawn! Hahahaha!" Ritter turned and walked back toward the Blumarine Jackson.
"Don't disappoint me."
Family... this is what we call a MASSIVE success.
Enel watched Ritter's back as he walked away. The contempt was gone. In its place burned a ferocious, near-maniacal resolve.
"Ritter…" he whispered. "Just what are you?"
Had he looked more closely at Ritter's face, he'd have seen a grin fit for a returning dragon king so smug it was practically leaking through his pores.
Perona floated over, beaming as she flew alongside him.
"Welcome aboard! Lord Ritter is going to become the strongest man in the world, you know!"
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