"Ah, seems like I've got nothing to do now!" Enel muttered, pouting as he lazily watched the battle below.
But his eyes gleamed with sharp focus, betraying an intense seriousness beneath his seemingly bored expression.
For this operation, Enel hadn't joined Jack and the others in attacking Golden Lion's headquarters. Instead, Rosinante had strategically placed him here to keep a close watch on Golden Lion.
Although Rosinante and Bins had made full preparations, Rosinante still worried about unforeseen circumstances. So he assigned Enel to intervene if Golden Lion managed to break through Bins' Space Corridor, using his lightning to help stop him.
Originally, Rosinante had planned to rely on Katakuri for this task. Katakuri, while slower than Enel, could employ his Gravity Silence along with Future Sight to intercept Golden Lion if necessary—and even assist in defeating him.
However, Borsalino's appearance forced Rosinante to adjust his deployment, replacing Katakuri with Enel.
Though Enel now had impressive offensive capabilities—especially when combined with Shaxia's techniques—his true strength was still only at the Rear Admiral level. He was far too young and inexperienced to engage directly with someone like Golden Lion.
Even with Shaxia's support to launch devastating lightning attacks, Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit powers could easily manipulate the attacks themselves, turning them against Enel. Close combat was out of the question; Golden Lion could teach him a harsh lesson in mere moments.
Thus, Enel's role was limited to observation.
"Still… these two are utterly insane. Just watching them is terrifying. His awakened fruit ability is impossible to counter, and Golden Lion… floating objects at will and controlling them like that… if he controlled my Manrai Raiyū, it would be catastrophic! Truly, my Lord was right. This isn't a fight I can take part in yet. This world is full of formidable fighters. I thought with my Goro Goro no Mi and my training on the Sky Island I was strong enough, but clearly I have a long way to go. My Goro Goro no Mi still has huge potential; one day I'll surpass them… maybe even rival Lord himself," Enel murmured, his expression firm.
Since gaining the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel had quickly surpassed those in the BloodSworn Guard he once revered, easily defeating them and toying with them like a monster.
These victories had inflated his pride, but in recent encounters with true masters, his arrogance had been systematically crushed. And the current battle completely overturned his worldview.
The attacks tearing through the land, the Haki that made the heavens pale—these forces impressed themselves onto Enel's mind and soul, raising his standards for himself even higher.
Meanwhile, Golden Lion's face darkened as he struggled to escape Rosinante's Heavenly Fading domain, his attacks growing increasingly frenzied.
But Rosinante did not retreat. He was determined to trap Golden Lion here; letting him escape would spell disaster.
Thus, both fighters engaged in a relentless exchange, trading injuries blow for blow.
The more they were wounded, the more imposing their presence became. Their combat obliterated everything around them.
Golden Lion, having gradually adapted to the suppressive effects of Heavenly Fading, began to recover some of his strength. While still constrained, he could use some of his powers again, albeit with reduced effectiveness and greater energy expenditure.
Rosinante, meanwhile, relied on his sword to block Golden Lion's attacks while countering with his fists.
Though Rosinante's swordsmanship had improved tremendously—now at an intermediate master level—he still lagged behind Golden Lion, who remained a master swordsman. Even using his legs for combat, Golden Lion's technique was superior, leaving Rosinante barely able to defend with his blade.
Rosinante's true offensive power lay in his fists.
With all self-imposed restrictions lifted, his Extreme Collapse Fist – Critical Strike reached terrifying levels, delivering a blow that seemed capable of tearing heaven and earth apart.
Against anyone other than Golden Lion—a top-tier Marine Admiral—Rosinante could, in this state, obliterate them with a single punch.
Yet Golden Lion's body, reinforced with Haki, proved resilient. Even though Rosinante's critical strike had immense penetration, his own restrained state limited full power application. Despite rigorous training in power control, he could not unleash the Extreme Collapse Fist – Critical Strike to its absolute maximum.
Still, even under these limitations, Golden Lion was repeatedly forced to spit blood from Rosinante's punches.
The destructive force of these blows was beyond imagination, leaving both combatants locked in a furious, bloody stalemate.
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