The moment Enel's lightning crashed down, Souta Kiryuu and Kuma sensed his arrival through Observation Haki.
"Blue Sea dwellers who defy God's laws—be annihilated!"
Divine Judgment!
Enel's mocking voice echoed across the heavens as three blinding pillars of lightning descended upon them.
"Hmph!"
Souta's body transformed instantly, his form swelling into a monstrous half-dragon. Ancient draconic horns curved wickedly from his skull, and his powerful arms rose to meet the storm. Alone, he absorbed the impact of all three lightning strikes.
At the same instant, Kuma vanished. Against a Logia, there was only one way to fight—get in close and hammer them with Armament Haki.
But Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit granted him blinding speed. As Kuma lunged, Enel's form dissolved into lightning, his body flickering across the air to evade.
Then—an oppressive, suffocating aura erupted. Black-and-red lightning crackled wildly across the sky. Enel's elemental body faltered, dragged unwillingly back into human form.
"Boom!"
Kuma's massive paw strike, drenched in Armament Haki, slammed into him. The so-called thunder god spat blood midair, eyes rolling back.
Souta Kiryuu, cloaked in writhing arcs of electricity, stepped forward with his colossal dragon-clad fist. His punch hammered Enel into the ground with brutal force. The arrogant god's eyes bulged before his consciousness flickered out.
The people of Skypiea froze. Their god—the invincible Enel—had been crushed in less than a single second.
The White Beret guards lay sprawled, their jaws dropping to the floor. None of them could believe what they had witnessed.
As Enel fell, Bege exhaled a long plume of smoke and opened the gates of his fortress. Out came Vegapunk, Law, Laffitte, the Tontatta, and several scientists.
"So this is to be our territory now?" Vegapunk's eyes glittered as he gazed across the pristine clouds of Skypiea. For the first time, he could work in peace. Already, he was eager to use Law's powers to begin splitting his consciousness into avatars.
"It's so soft!" Princess Mansherry squealed, bouncing happily on the cloud-ground, while Leo stayed close, guarding her every step.
"Could the fabled golden city, Shandora, really be here?" Laffitte soared overhead, his pure white wings catching the attention of every Sky Islander below. To see a Blue Sea man fly with wings? It was almost too much.
"Captain Kiryuu and Kuma are unbelievable…" Law clenched his fists tightly, awe burning in his chest. "A Logia user, crushed in less than a second! If I had that kind of power, I'd take on Doflamingo myself."
Kuma reappeared at Souta's side, his gaze steady. "Your Conqueror's Haki… it's different." His tone carried weight. Souta's unique Haki had forced Enel's elemental form into solidity—a rare, terrifying power. Kuma now understood how Souta had once escaped Admiral Kizaru at Punk Hazard.
"Bind him with seastone!" Souta ordered, tossing Enel's limp form toward Vegapunk and the scientists. They carried seastone cuffs and even seastone-powder bubble guns, perfect tools for suppressing Devil Fruit users.
Once Enel was shackled, Souta finally looked away.
Moments later, Enel's four priests burst onto the scene, only to stop dead when they saw their god already broken.
"From now on, I am your leader! Do you understand?"
Souta's body surged, scales spreading as he assumed his full dragon form. Flames and lightning coiled around him like divine judgment. The priests, the soldiers, and the islanders themselves collapsed to their knees, trembling before the overwhelming power of their new god.
"Law, Laffitte—take control of them. Vegapunk, Bege—come with me. We need to choose a site for the laboratory."
Together, Souta and his companions advanced toward Upper Yard, the lush green island once barred by Enel's decree.
It wasn't long before a cry rang out.
"Gold! So much gold—it's really the City of Gold, Shandora!"
Bege, the hardened mafia don, lunged forward, scooping up chunks of gold scattered like stones. His eyes gleamed with raw excitement.
"No more funding problems!" Vegapunk and the scientists scrambled after him, their hands trembling as they clutched the golden stones. Their research would no longer be bound by poverty.
Souta, meanwhile, strode toward the half-built ark—Maxim.
"Vegapunk, this airship must be completed. Revise its designs, improve its engineering, and make it mass-producible. I want an aerial fleet more advanced and powerful than Shiki the Golden Lion's."
Vegapunk and Wolf's eyes lit up instantly. They rushed forward, poring over the schematics. Wolf had once attempted to invent a flying machine, nearly dying in the process—saved only by Law's Ope-Ope Fruit. With Maxim, their dream could be realized.
From a wooden crate came a small, desperate voice.
"Papa! Papa! I want to come out!"
Bonney's hands pounded weakly against the wood. But though she longed to see the light, her body had only undergone part of her stem-cell transplant treatment. For now, exposure to natural light could kill her.
"Patience, Bonney." Kuma's voice softened, rare warmth glimmering in his eyes. "The doctors said no more than three months. Then you'll be healed." His gaze flickered with happiness. Soon, she would be healthy again.
…
Inside the shrine at Upper Yard, Souta Kiryuu seated himself upon the golden throne without hesitation. Law and Laffitte had already brought Skypiea's soldiers and priests under control, stabilizing the island.
Word of Enel's defeat spread quickly. Gan Fall, the wandering knight, rushed to meet this new god. Meanwhile, the Shandian warriors, long enemies of Enel, seized their chance to reclaim their ancestral homeland. War drums thundered as they attacked Upper Yard, led by the fierce Wiper.
But Souta and Kuma led their forces with unstoppable might, crushing the rebellion like dry twigs. Wiper and his guerrillas were captured alive, and the Shandian chief was summoned to kneel.
"If you refuse to abandon war and vengeance," Souta's voice rumbled, "then I will erase your tribe myself."
The dragon's decree spread across Skypiea. Enel's laws were abolished—Upper Yard would no longer be forbidden. Both Angel Islanders and Shandians would be permitted to live, plant, and prosper there together.
The Shandian chief bowed deeply. "We will accept your rule. But… allow us to ring the Golden Bell, just once."
They had fought for centuries, weary of endless war. Now, with Gan Fall's acceptance of this new god, and Souta's unexpected mercy, they longed only for peace.
And so, a new era began upon Skypiea.