Seeing Gecko Moria's brazen words, and that his companions had no intention of stepping forward, Enel decided he might as well use this man to scratch his itch for a fight.
The others remained silent, essentially giving their consent. Do what you want, we're not getting involved.
"Kishishishi, let me see what you're made of," Gecko Moria said with a laugh, though the threat in his words was clear.
"I was just thinking the same thing. Let's see if your title as a Warlord is well-deserved," Enel retorted with a sneer, unfazed by Moria's taunt.
When it came to trash talk, Enel feared no one.
"Hand over your shadow!" Moria declared, no longer mincing words and preparing to attack.
"Come and get it, if you have the skill!" Enel stood ready, watching Moria with vigilance. Despite strategically looking down on his opponent, he was a long-established powerhouse, and Enel was taking him more seriously than anyone.
"Brick Bat!"
With a wave of his hand, Moria sent a swarm of shadow bats tearing toward Enel.
"Cloud Bird!"
Enel quickly shaped the clouds into a giant bird that flew to meet the shadow bats. The two attacks collided, neither gaining an advantage.
"A Logia-type? No wonder you're so arrogant. But Logias aren't invincible, you know," Moria said, having gleaned some information about Enel from his technique.
"It's more than enough to beat you," Enel said arrogantly, showing no regard for Moria whatsoever.
"Damn you!" Moria was furious. Do people not respect a Warlord like him anymore? He was a man who had escaped from the great pirate Kaido with his life!
The other three Warlords had watched their brief exchange. They had to admit, the current Enel was no weaker than them. The man certainly had the right to be arrogant. His earlier provocation was likely just to stop them from harming the members of the Donquixote Pirates. So they are loyal and righteous.
They saw through Enel's intentions, but they had no plans to do anything about it. After all, they were at odds with both the Marines and other pirates. They would help whoever offered the greater benefit. Enel's provocation meant nothing to them; they would still act if they saw a reason to.
"What, you don't want to test my abilities?" Enel ignored Moria, turning his gaze to the Pirate Empress, Crocodile, and Kuma.
"Arrogance comes at a price. Don't compare me to the others. Sables!" Crocodile's voice was cold. Since Enel wanted to see what he was capable of, he would certainly satisfy his curiosity.
He quickly formed a desert tornado in the palm of his hand and sent it hurtling toward Enel's face.
"A Logia? A worthy opponent. Sea of Clouds Current!" Enel was excited to see Crocodile use his true power. Without fear, he launched a counterattack.
Crocodile's desert tornado grew larger as it spun, while Enel's Sea of Clouds Current was like a waterfall from the heavens, relentlessly crashing against the tornado, trying to stop it.
Watching their exchange, Moria subconsciously compared their power to his own, trying to gauge the gap between himself and the others.
"Boring men," Empress Hancock had no intention of wasting her time on Enel's provocation. While they were fighting, she began her own harvest.
Pirates were a greedy and lecherous bunch—no, it should be said that all people have greed in their hearts. The Marines were no exception when faced with the Empress's stunning beauty. They unsurprisingly became her most devoted sycophants, willing to turn to stone for her.
If one were to name the greatest knight in the world of pirates, it would be the Lustful Cook, Sanji. Of course, one could also call it the way of the sycophant.
A large number of Marines and pirates were turned to stone, lost in the Empress's beauty. To them, death was perhaps a form of pleasure—what greater honor than to die at the hands of their beloved goddess?
The highest realm of sycophancy is to willingly and unreservedly offer everything, including one's life. Without a doubt, these men had succeeded.
Unfortunately for them, their devotion was unreciprocated. The Empress looked down on them with utter disgust.
Bartholomew Kuma stood to the side, playing with his own paw pads. These men didn't receive the same treatment as Master Luffy, who would be asked, "Where would you like to travel?" They faced the most brutal of bears.
Enel, having fought two of the great Warlords to a draw with two moves, turned his gaze to the Empress and Kuma. "Didn't I say, no more fighting?" he demanded.
"Insolent man, stand down! Whatever I do will be forgiven, because I am just that beautiful!" The Empress was not intimidated by Enel's questioning. Instead, she was disgusted by his attitude, as if seeing a reflection of her own arrogance.
Kuma, on the other hand, continued to do his own thing. We're all pirates, why the hell should I listen to you?
"Don't think I won't hit a woman," Enel's face grew cold at the Empress's words.
Not all men in the world are driven by lust. Every true powerhouse has an astonishing resistance to beauty. In their hearts, strength is the most important thing. Women, power, treasure, and status—with strength, all of it is within easy reach.
"Insolent fool! Mero Mero Mellow!" Hancock struck a heart pose, firing a beam of love at Enel.
Enel sensed no danger from the attack and simply allowed the Mero Mero Mellow to pass through his body.
"How is that possible? There is no one in this world who is not affected by my beauty!" Hancock was shocked and in disbelief to see Enel completely unharmed.
There were many in the world who were immune to her beauty; the Empress had simply seen too little of it. As the youngest and only female member of the Seven Warlords, her appointment had more to do with Amazon Lily behind her. That was the power of a nation. Plus, Hancock's own strength was acceptable, which is why the World Government had recruited her.
She was still too young.
"Go back and practice," Enel had no patience for women. What did it matter how beautiful you were? He, Enel, would strike you down all the same.
He appeared in an instant before the stunned Hancock and went to slap her across the face. If that slap landed, Hancock's pride would be shattered.
"Damn you! What are you doing?!"
Seeing Enel's move, the sycophants powered by love couldn't sit still, and they began to curse him. Unfortunately, their strength was lacking, or they would have surely thrown themselves in front of their goddess to take the blow for her.
Salome was very clever. Seeing her master in a daze, she quickly carried her away.
But Enel was relentless. He wouldn't be satisfied until he landed that slap.
Feeling the power in Enel's palm, Hancock's beautiful face frosted over. She immediately used her signature move, Perfume Femur, her smooth, fair leg exposed to the air as she kicked at Enel's body.
Hancock's move was a treat for the sycophants. They all stared lecherously at her Perfume Femur, praising her technique. Though violent, the move did not detract from its beauty or its mysterious allure.
Enel, of course, had no intention of taking the Empress's kick. He changed his slap into a punch and met her Perfume Femur.
The Empress used the force of the impact to leap away. Salome moved quickly, dutifully carrying her.
Hancock tossed her beautiful, long, straight black hair, her golden snake earrings sparkling in the sun. She struck a graceful pose on Salome, deeply capturing the hearts of her sycophants.
Though her pose was beautiful, her heart had sunk. Only after clashing did she realize how strong this man was. She had to be cautious. She had no desire to risk her life for the ugly World Government. Just being here made her feel sick.
Enel naturally paid no mind to the Empress's thoughts.
"Not bad."
Seeing the Empress retreat, Enel spoke, offering a slight compliment.
He didn't press his advantage. The lesson had been sufficient. He had no desire to fight a woman—not because he looked down on them, but because Hancock posed no real threat to him, and he couldn't muster any interest.
Seeing that Enel wasn't pursuing her, Hancock relaxed slightly.
Moria and Crocodile, seeing the two stop fighting, had no intention of attacking again either. They acknowledged that their opponent was strong. Besides, if you could slack off, who wouldn't?
Working diligently for the World Government? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
As for Kuma, just as Enel was about to test him, he was stunned by the commotion from Doflamingo's side and naturally gave up the idea.
Just as the probing on Enel's side had stopped, the probing on Doflamingo's side had just barely concluded. The scene was a wreck, and at the same time, the real battle between the three was just beginning.
A battle of epic proportions was about to unfold.