This was precisely one of the reasons Kaido had come to Sky Island.
As a man who knew the future, he was well aware that he was on a collision course with the Straw Hat pirates. He understood exactly what kind of enemies he would eventually face. It wouldn't just be Monkey D. Luffy and his crew. It would be every major power they had befriended along their journey.
Kaido didn't need to be a genius to figure it out. If he defeated Straw Hat in Wano, he wouldn't just be done with it. The Red-Haired Pirates would come for him. The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates would come for him. The Revolutionaries, led by Luffy's own father, would come for him. Even the Marines might use the chaos as an excuse to make a move. That was always the problem when you opposed a force of destiny like Straw Hat—you beat the kid, and suddenly all his powerful older relatives and friends show up for revenge.
Looking at the current strength of the Beasts Pirates, he knew that his top commanders—the All-Stars and the Flying Six—were no match for that kind of alliance. They were strong, but they weren't monsters on that level. When the time came, he would once again have to carry the entire war on his own shoulders. And no matter how strong he was, even he couldn't fight the entire world alone.
To prevent that future, he had to strengthen his crew now, gathering as much overwhelming combat power as he could. He needed the strength to face the inevitable encirclement.
And Enel was a perfect candidate.
The man's potential was undeniable. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was arguably the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit in existence. On top of that, his Observation Haki, which he called Mantra, was so advanced it could cover an entire island. With proper training and real-world combat experience, he could easily become as strong as an All-Star, and perhaps even reach the level of a Marine Admiral.
Kaido already had King, the "Wildfire." Adding Enel, the "Lightning," seemed like a natural fit. Besides, what was wrong with the Three All-Stars having four people?
Kaido's offer hung in the air, sending a shockwave through Sky Island. After the initial surprise, the inhabitants began whispering among themselves, their expressions a mix of hope and fear. Gan Fall, in particular, saw a glimmer of hope. If this monster named Kaido could truly take Enel away to the Blue Sea, then Sky Island could finally be free from his tyrannical control.
Enel was also surprised, but his surprise quickly turned to pure rage. Using his Mantra, he could hear the hopeful whispers of the "ants" below, and it pushed his arrogance to the surface.
"Hey," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You're far too arrogant, aren't you? You actually want a god to become your servant?"
"No," Kaido corrected him calmly. "Not a servant. A subordinate. A partner. Family." He had a strange fondness for the character of Enel from the stories he knew, and so he was willing to show a little more patience than usual.
Unfortunately, Enel completely ignored the sentiment. "Is there any difference?" he asked, his face darkening.
With that, Kaido's patience ran out. "It seems words won't convince a brat like you. Fine. Let's make a bet, shall we? Since you claim to be a god, you shouldn't be afraid of a simple wager."
"What kind of bet?" Enel asked, his eyes narrowing.
Kaido took the large sake gourd from his waist, took a long gulp, and wiped his mouth. "It's simple," he said, his voice booming. "I'll stand right here. I won't move an inch. You can hit me with all your strongest attacks. If you can make me take even a single step back, then I'll forget everything I said. I'll even grant you one wish. But if you can't… you join my pirate crew. How about it?"
The declaration stunned everyone. In a hidden corner of the island, the Shandian warriors, who had been drawn by the earlier battle, listened with utter disbelief. They knew firsthand how terrifying Enel's power was; he had defeated them time and time again. Yet this man was offering to stand still and take those attacks head-on.
"Is he insane!?" one of them whispered.
Enel's expression turned grim, lightning beginning to crackle around his body. He could sense that this monster from the Blue Sea was incredibly strong, but this was a level of disrespect he could not tolerate.
"Hey, hey… If you want to die so badly, then don't blame me for granting your wish!" Enel roared. He struck the tomoe drum on his right shoulder. "Thirty Million Volts—Thunder Bird!"
In an instant, dazzling lightning erupted from Enel's body, converging in the air and taking the shape of a giant bird of thunder. It shot forward and swallowed Kaido's figure whole, enveloping him in a storm of raw electricity.
Watching this, both Gan Fall and the Shandians flinched, remembering the searing pain of that very attack. The memory of that intense electricity coursing through their bodies was still vivid.
But what they saw next was unbelievable. The burly man in the sky, still engulfed in lightning, stood there completely unfazed, as if nothing was happening. He even sounded bored.
"Hey, brat," Kaido's voice rumbled from within the thunder. "Is that your strongest attack? Are you trying to tickle me?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"What!?" Enel's eyes went wide with disbelief. As the god who had ruled Sky Island for six years, he was supremely confident in the power of his Devil Fruit. He had never met anyone who could remain standing after one of his attacks. He had expected the man to be strong, but for his divine power to not even make his opponent frown was something his mind refused to accept.
"No… impossible…" he muttered. He shook his head, refusing to allow such a thing to be real. "In that case…"
This time, Enel struck the drums on both his left and right sides simultaneously. "Sixty Million Volts—Thunder Dragon!"
The power instantly doubled. A massive dragon made of pure lightning roared and coiled itself around Kaido's body, emitting a piercing shriek of electrical energy.
And yet again, to everyone's utter shock, Kaido simply raised a hand, examining the lightning coursing over his arm with a sneer. "Alright, I'm starting to feel something now. It's enough for a good back-scratch. Come on, try again!"
"No way!" someone screamed from below. The Sky Islanders looked on as if their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.
Enel was trembling, not with fear, but with rage and disbelief. "Impossible… This bastard… Impossible! In that case…"
Enraged, Enel used his golden staff to strike all four of the drums on his back at once. "One Hundred Million Volts—Three Divine Beasts!"
The power of the lightning nearly doubled again. From the drums behind him, three thunder beasts—a giant bird, a wolf, and a dragon—flew out and swarmed Kaido.
The sky crackled and roared with unimaginable power. But to everyone's gaping astonishment, the man at the center of the storm remained motionless, not even bothering to frown. He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the energy around him.
"Alright," Kaido said, his voice cutting through the thunder. "It's been a while since I've felt this kind of tingling sensation. Is that all you've got, brat? If this is your limit, you can't even break through my body's defense."
At that moment, Enel truly wanted to scream. Everything that was happening completely defied his understanding of the world. What he didn't know was that Kaido was still only in his base human form; he hadn't even transformed into his stronger hybrid state.
With a grim expression, Enel roared in frustration. "Impossible! In that case, let me show you my strongest technique!"
He raised his hands to the sky, gathering all the power he could muster.
"Two Hundred Million Volts—Raigou!"
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