"Erase about six or seven years of his memories first."
Souta Kiryuu instructed Vegapunk and Kuma as he glanced at the unconscious Enel. By now, Enel had ruled over Skypiea for four years. Two years before that, he destroyed his homeland, Birka.
That cruelty, Souta reasoned, likely stemmed from the destruction of Birka. If they could cut away those years, perhaps the arrogant "god" could be tamed.
"…Fine."
Vegapunk adjusted a strange machine, its helmet tangled with countless tubes, and forced it onto Enel's head.
"The Paw-Paw Fruit allows abstract concepts like pain or memory to be quantified. That makes it easier to extract memories within a specific timeframe."
Vegapunk's tongue flicked in excitement as he explained, clearly fascinated by Kuma's ability. Even science struggled to grasp the mechanics, yet Kuma's fruit could make the intangible tangible.
The machine whirred to life. With Kuma's ability amplifying it, a shimmering paw-shaped bubble formed above Enel's head—his memories compressed into a glowing sphere.
Enel, who had been spitting curses moments ago, fell eerily silent. His eyes, however, still burned with fury as they glared at the trio.
"This sphere contains six to seven years of his memories. Once shattered, they'll be gone forever," Vegapunk explained. "But someone must bear them."
"I'll do it." Souta reached out calmly. "I want to see what this bastard has been up to."
He pressed his hand into the paw-shaped sphere. A torrent of memories surged into his mind—like watching a film in fast-forward.
He saw Enel destroying Birka, rampaging through nearby sky islands, recruiting the Four Priests and an army of "God's Soldiers," before finally conquering Skypiea.
He witnessed Enel easily defeating the previous god, Gan Fall, and taking over the land of Apayado. Apples from Apayado became his obsession, and he ruled as if the land itself belonged to him.
He saw the brutal suppression of the Shandians and Skypieans, Enel's discovery of the blueprints for the Ark Maxim, his obsession with gold and lightning to build it, and finally, his ambition to fly to the fabled "Endless Vearth."
When the vision ended, Souta narrowed his eyes. "…Not enough. Take another year."
"Understood."
Vegapunk and Kuma repeated the process, drawing another glowing sphere from Enel's head. This time, the god's arrogance faltered. His gaze held less disdain and more unease.
Why am I here?
Why is my divine power gone?
Why does my body feel weak?
Panic flickered across Enel's face. The techniques he had only just developed… now useless.
Souta skimmed through the memories of that additional year. He realized Enel had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit by chance in Birka. It took him nearly two years to master its destructive potential—enough to wipe out his homeland.
If they had caught him right after developing his "Raigo" technique, his combat strength would still be formidable without being uncontrollable.
Satisfied, Souta turned to him. "…Time to test if you're worth keeping."
Dragging Enel into a sealed chamber, Souta unleashed his aura. His arm transformed into a clawed dragon's talon, sparks of lightning dancing across its scales, while Lunarian flames erupted across his body.
The terrifying sight made sweat bead on Enel's brow.
"You… you can use lightning too? And flames?!" His voice wavered. This man wasn't just strong—he was a monster who eclipsed the gods of Birka a hundredfold.
"I know your powers, Enel," Souta said coldly. "Your lightning. Your immunity to weapons. I'll give you a chance: fight me. If you win, I'll let you go. If you lose, you serve under me."
He unlocked the Sea-Prism cuffs.
The instant his power returned, Enel sneered. "Yehahaha! Without those cursed cuffs, you'll never catch me!" His body burst into lightning, hurling a massive thunder dragon toward Souta.
But Souta didn't flinch.
"You only get one chance."
He met the thunder dragon head-on, half-dragon form roaring. Then, his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward. Black and crimson lightning laced the chamber, shattering the air.
Enel screamed as his elemental form unraveled, his body forced back into flesh and blood under the suffocating weight of Souta's will. Terror twisted his face.
Why… why can't I maintain my elemental form?!
Souta blitzed forward. His fist, wreathed in Armament Haki, slammed into Enel's stomach, folding him in half and sending him crashing to the floor.
"Remember this, Enel," Souta said coldly. "Even Logia users can be crushed by Haki."
Grabbing him by the throat with his blackened claws, Souta lifted him off the ground. "Try to turn into lightning now."
Enel thrashed, but the Haki binding him made it impossible. For the first time, he tasted fear. He realized—elemental intangibility wasn't invincible. His Seastone shackles had bound him before, but this man's Haki… even worse.
The dragon-man before him was the embodiment of power, his presence dredging up the primal fear Enel had felt as a child.
"D-Don't kill me!" Enel broke, his arrogance crumbling. "I'll serve you. Birka is nothing but ash—I hated that place! I won't die for it. I'll be your soldier!"
Souta's grip loosened slightly. "…Not a soldier. A commander. From now on, you'll be known as Raijin."
Enel's eyes widened. "Raijin? And you… what kind of god are you, then?"
For the first time, the self-proclaimed god bowed his head.