"You!"
Enel's heart burned with fury. That smile on the opponent's face felt like a cold blade stabbing straight into his chest; it made him feel both humiliated and helpless.
"I want you dead!"
With a furious roar, Enel erupted. Despite the pain in his body, he forced himself to stand, and in that moment, dazzling blue lightning surged around him.
"Fifty Million Volts!"
However, before he could even release his lightning attack, a fist rapidly enlarged in front of him and, with a thunderous boom, smashed directly into his nose.
Crack!
The sharp sound rang clearly in Enel's ears. Along with it came even more intense pain and dizziness.
Once again, after crashing through a series of buildings, Enel was left sprawled out like a starfish on the ground.
Both punches had struck Enel squarely in the face, shattering his arrogance and pride in an instant.
He wielded the Goro-Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), possessed the Mantra (Kenbunshoku Haki-style precognition), yet when facing this detestable young man, he felt utterly powerless.
Simple and unchanging punches, yet Enel couldn't comprehend them.
"How could such punches hit me?"
"My elementalization didn't even activate. Mantra couldn't predict him. He just hit me, just like that!"
Enel couldn't believe it, but had no choice; this was the truth.
The wind brushed against his battered, cracked face. The sharp pain made him grimace, but even that grimace brought more pain; his heart was full of humiliation and rage.
"Still want to keep fighting?"
That irritating voice came from above, and once again, that face filled his vision.
"Bast--!"
He opened his mouth to curse, but the fist was already crashing down again.
Boom!
The ground instantly cracked apart. Enel's body was pounded into a curled-up shrimp-like shape, blood spurting from his mouth. It felt like all his internal organs had been rearranged.
"Here's a piece of life advice, submit to me."
As Enel's twisted body fell again, Qin Yi leaned in close, smiling as he said these words in front of his face.
"I'll… I'll kill you!"
Enel gritted his teeth and weakly growled.
In response came yet another punch, so powerful it made Enel's eyes bulge out. The ground beneath him shattered even further.
Behind Qin Yi, Ace and the others approached.
"Moments like this, where His Majesty goes all out, pretty rare," Ace shook his head.
"This guy's so violent, I've never seen him go this hard before," Buggy said, pouting.
"I'm wondering if His Majesty might just beat him to death," Sanji, lighting a cigarette, said with some curiosity.
"His goal is clearly to bring this guy under his banner. If he can harness the power of the Goro-Goro no Mi, it would be a huge boost to Qin's Nation," Robin said, her eyes flashing.
As far as she knew, Qin's Nation already had Crocodile (Sand) and Fire Fist Ace, two powerful Logia users. If they added Enel, a third Logia user, to their ranks…
The Marines have three Admirals, all of whom are also Logia users.
In that sense, if Enel submitted to Qin's Nation, its combat power would match the visible might of the Marines.
"This is turning into a very exciting situation," Robin muttered, deep in thought.
If Qin's Nation gained the strength to directly oppose the Marines, then its power would rival that of the Four Emperors of the New World. And because of the special location it occupied, Qin's Nation was bound to have a deep impact on this world.
You could imagine, if Qin's Nation took control of half of the first half of the Grand Line, what kind of world would that create?
At this moment, Robin had come to deeply understand Qin Yi's ambition, and his boldness.
"But even if he controls the first half of the Grand Line, there's still a gap in power between him and the Marines and the World Government."
"Where exactly does his confidence come from, to think he can challenge the entire world?"
This was the one thing Robin could never figure out.
Even the Four Emperors of the New World had never dared to try taking on the entire world. At most, they stood as equals to the Marines. The world was simply too vast, relying on pirate strength alone, there was no way to oppose it all. So where did this newly emerged king get his overwhelming confidence from?
During her time in Qin's Nation, Robin had noticed something: it wasn't just Qin Yi who was confident. The other generals, even the soldiers, their eyes were filled with undisguised ambition and unwavering self-assurance toward the world.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Up ahead, Qin Yi was repeatedly punching Enel. Blood sprayed everywhere, it was a brutal scene.
For someone as manic and arrogant as Enel, Qin Yi had long decided that the only way to deal with him was violence. He showed no mercy at all.
"Submit?"
"Bang!"
"I'll ask you one more time. If not, I'll beat you to death!"
"Bang!"
No one knew how many punches had landed by now. Enel, barely clinging to life, finally had all his stubbornness crushed. Weakly raising a hand, he admitted defeat.
In his heart, this smiling young man in front of him wasn't a human at all, he was a demon. A complete bastard, more wicked than Enel himself. The wicked are punished by the wicked. Being the one on the receiving end, Enel couldn't outlast his opponent. All he could do was submit, humiliated.
"Very good."
Hearing Enel finally surrender, Qin Yi smiled and nodded with satisfaction.
He raised his right hand, and a streak of blue lightning crackled into view, making the joy on his face even more apparent.
"Not a bad ability!"
Then he called over Ace and the others.
"Heal him. Then, I'm giving you three days, gather everyone on Skypiea to this island."
"With Enel here, that should be easy enough."
As he spoke to the four of them, Qin Yi's eyes sparkled. A good idea had already formed in his mind.
Half a day later, Enel awoke with bandages wrapped all over his body and face. His eyes scanned the four others around him with rage, but the moment he saw Qin Yi sitting cross-legged on the divine throne, his whole body shuddered.
A shadow. This man was the shadow looming over his soul.
"Enel, since you're awake, good."
"Gather all the people of Skypiea onto this island!"
"Dust to dust, earth to earth, this island should return to its homeland."
Qin Yi's eyes were deep and calm as he spoke.
The Island of the Gods was home to vast reserves of gold, an essential resource for expanding any power.
"This is my domain! How can those mortals---!"
Enel started to argue, but after one glare from Qin Yi, he swallowed his words in fear.
"Trying to argue with His Majesty? This brat..." Buggy chuckled quietly in the back.
"Move out tomorrow. Don't waste any more time." Qin Yi ordered again.
The next day, the five of them departed to deliver Qin Yi's command.
"All citizens of Skypiea, hear me! Your god is now showing great mercy!"
"Get your asses to the Island of the Gods immediately!"
"Anyone who disobeys shall face divine punishment!"
Three booming proclamations echoed across the island, carried by Enel through Mantra.
At that moment, Wyper and the other Shandia warriors still guarding the Island of the Gods were completely stunned.
"Has he gone mad? He's summoning everyone onto the Island of the Gods?"
(End of Chapter)
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