"Damn... the Vice-Captain is on another level! He cut right through a lighting!" one of the pirates exclaimed.
"Anyone with Haki can do that, rookie," another shot back. "Don't embarrass the crew."
"You think I'm an idiot? I was watching! There was no Armament Haki on that slash!"
A stunned silence fell over the pirates.
Cutting a lighting without Haki was unheard of.
It was as if Ron's single strike had rewritten the laws of the world they knew.
Most of them had never seen his true power firsthand, and now that they had, they were completely in awe.
So this is the power of a Great Swordsman... they thought.
Unbelievably strong.
Even Whitebeard, usually unfazed, glanced in Ron's direction with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
A swordsman who could cut a lighting without Haki wasn't impossible, but one as young as Ron was a true rarity.
In a voice so low only he could hear it, he murmured a name from his past.
'Ron... Ro... Roger...'
No one noticed the old man's private thoughts.
A soft, trembling voice broke the silence.
"Th-thank you for saving me..."
Ron looked down at the woman, Conis, whose beautiful face was a mixture of fear and a strange, steely resolve.
"Sir, my name is Conis," she began, her voice quivering.
She had just seen these men effortlessly defy Enel's "Divine Punishment," and her reverence was as great as her fear.
Taking a deep breath, she found her courage.
"Please, sir... save Skypiea!"
Her plea was desperate, but Ron didn't react immediately.
He wasn't a wide-eyed hero who would jump into a fight for a pretty face.
"Nothing in this world is free," he said calmly. "What can you offer us?"
The crew watched silently, trusting their vice-captain's judgment.
Hearing his question, Conis grew even more anxious, knowing she had to give him a reason.
"I... I can cook!" she said, listing her skills in a rush. "I can play the piano, the flute, I can sing... I can do anything! Please," she grabbed his pant leg, nearly kneeling as she begged.
"As long as you drive Enel away and bring peace back to our home, I'll do whatever you ask!"
Ron smiled.
It aligned with their goals anyway.
"Get up. I happen to need a maid. You'll do."
Besides, he thought, this is the perfect way to find Enel without arousing suspicion.
He was still puzzled why Enel hadn't shown himself.
Was the self-proclaimed god actually afraid?
"Thank you, my lord, thank you," Conis stammered, nervously getting to her feet.
"Do you know where Enel is?" Ron asked.
Conis nodded and was about to answer when a deafening thunderclap ripped through the sky.
A blinding bolt of lightning illuminated the scene, its crackling energy twisting in midair, manipulated by an invisible hand until it formed the outline of a man.
As the light faded, a figure materialized—Enel, his elongated earlobes unmistakable.
But this Enel was different.
His usual arrogant smirk was gone, replaced by a dark scowl.
His eyes darted between the pirates, flickering with a wariness that betrayed his facade.
He had clearly been observing them through his Mantra, and what he saw had shattered his confidence.
Seeing Conis with them must have been the final straw; he knew hiding was no longer an option.
He had to face them.
Seeing him finally appear, a smirk touched Ron's lips.
He knew that for someone as prideful as Enel, once a challenge was accepted, there was no running away.
"Took you long enough, you bastard!" Jozu roared, his simmering anger finally finding its target.
"I was starting to get bored!"
Enel's expression darkened.
He had endured their provocations for long enough.
"Ignorant insects!" he snarled. "The dignity of a god is not to be challenged!"
Gripping his golden staff, he struck the drum on his right shoulder.
"30 Million Volts: Thunderbird!"
A massive bird composed entirely of lightning erupted from the drum.
It spread its wings with a piercing screech before rocketing toward Jozu, ready to obliterate him.
"Interesting," Jozu's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Coating his fist in a shimmering layer of Armament Haki, he simply reached out and snatched the thunderbird from the air by its neck.
The creature shrieked and writhed, but it couldn't break his ironclad grip.
"Tremor Impact!" Jozu roared.
A transparent sphere of pure shockwave energy erupted from his fist.
With a final, crushing clench, he shattered the thunderbird into a million scattering sparks that vanished into the air.
The Skypieans and Shandian warriors watching from the shadows stood dumbfounded, their minds unable to process what they had just seen—a man catching and destroying lightning with his bare hands was an impossible sight for them.
Enel's jaw dropped.
He… he just grabbed my lightning? Impossible!
Madness crept into his eyes as he began frantically beating the drums on his shoulders.
"30 Million Volts: Thunder Wolf!"
"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"
A wolf and then a massive dragon, both formed from pure, crackling lightning, materialized in the air.
Roaring, they charged straight for Jozu.
This time, Jozu's grin widened.
A shimmering field of quake energy formed around both his hands.
He pulled his arms back as if drawing a massive, invisible bowstring.
As he did, the very air in front of him began to crack like glass under immense pressure.
"Sky-Splitting Arrow!" he bellowed, releasing the invisible projectile.
The arrow shot forward, tearing a silent path through the atmosphere.
The thunder wolf and dragon were obliterated before they even got close, dissolving instantly into harmless sparks.
The arrow, however, continued its path, streaking directly towards Enel.
Enel's eyes widened in terror.
He tried to transform into lighting, to evade, but it was too late.
The unseen arrow struck him square in the chest.
Thud!
He looked down in disbelief at the gaping, crack-like wound that had pierced his body.
He had been impaled.
He had never imagined he could be defeated, let alone so completely.
Then, his expression twisted in agony.
A violent tearing force radiated from the wound, as if invisible hands were ripping him apart from the inside.
With a final, desperate cry, Enel's body didn't shatter—it exploded into a chaotic storm of electricity that scattered in every direction.
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