Chapter 168: Such a Weak God
Crackling arcs of electricity flickered in the air before gradually dissipating, filling the dark, primeval forest with the sharp scent of ozone.
Once was coincidence, but after twice, everyone knew that the Blue Sea dweller before them possessed the same power as their god—commanding the same might of heaven itself.
"Stealing the power of the gods, mortal! You will be punished!"
Enel's expression darkened, yet a hint of arrogance remained in his eyes. As the user of the Goro Goro no Mi, he possessed more than just electrical attacks.
And just then—
Shing!
Rhodes unsheathed his sword with a sharp ring, then, grasping it with one hand, struck a diagonal slash.
Whoosh!
Having reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, Rhodes's sword energy had attained the limits of mortal capability.
A vast, silver-white flying slash suddenly burst forth, ripping through the air and hurtling toward Enel with force that seemed capable of severing everything.
Even before the slash reached him, Enel felt as if his entire being was being torn apart.
This terrifying sensation—like facing death head-on—completely obliterated any thought of resistance.
In a flash of lightning, Enel transformed into pure electricity, teleporting at high speed to dodge the sword slash.
This near-instantaneous movement ability was the source of Enel's continued confidence in looking down upon Rhodes.
Unfortunately, Rhodes hadn't expected to kill Enel with a single strike. As he launched the attack, he'd already pushed his Observation Haki to its limits while simultaneously activating his lightning enhancement to achieve superhuman reaction time.
In this heightened state of perception—far superior to that of ordinary people, where time itself seemed to slow down—Rhodes's body couldn't match Enel's teleportation speed, but he could predict where he'd reappear.
As Enel materialized, his vision barely adjusting from the lightning transition, he caught sight of a fist gleaming with a pitch-black sheen.
"Foolish!"
Enel sneered, not dodging this time. He stood there, calmly watching Rhodes's incoming punch.
His plan was simple.
He was the user of the Goro Goro no Mi, capable of transforming into lightning itself. No one could physically attack him.
While Rhodes could control lightning, he surely wasn't immune to high-voltage currents at close range—let alone the terrifying heat that accompanied such voltage.
A playful glint flickered in his eyes, as if he'd already witnessed Rhodes's excruciating pain from the shock.
And then—
BAM!
Enel was sent flying, slamming into an ancient tree nearby with a shower of cascading leaves.
He clung to it like a grotesque painting for a moment before slowly sliding down. Sitting on the ground in a daze, Enel took a long time to regain consciousness. He touched his nose, looked at his hand covered in blood, and devastation crossed his face.
"You... you actually managed to hit me?"
Enel's voice trembled with disbelief.
"Is this god... an idiot?"
Nearby, Robin watched Enel take Rhodes's Armament Haki punch square in the face, her mouth agape in shock.
Not far away, Priest Ohm, watching the battle, stood completely stunned. The deity they worshipped was actually injured?!
For a moment, he couldn't help but waver.
Could it be that their god was, as the Blue Sea man claimed, just an ordinary Devil Fruit user?
As for the pirate, his eyes blazed with excitement, as if injected with adrenaline.
He realized this so-called god couldn't defeat this young man!
Didn't that mean his imprisoned comrades could be saved?!
Many of his crew had escaped with him initially, but many more remained captive.
And now, hearing Enel's somewhat bewildered question, Rhodes smiled. "Take a guess."
He had no intention of killing Enel—otherwise, that first slash would have finished him.
There were two reasons for this restraint.
Most importantly, Rhodes hadn't yet learned the secrets of Enel's Mantra network or how to enhance his own lightning power.
Secondly, he desperately needed this capable subordinate.
The Goro Goro no Mi was incredibly powerful—a near-invincible Logia ability. Enel possessed considerable talent, and with broadened horizons, it wasn't impossible for him to reach the pinnacle and rival the Admirals.
Of course, with Rhodes's current abilities, even if he could temporarily subdue Enel and force his submission, he wouldn't allow him access to the outside world—and might even imprison him with Seastone restraints.
Rhodes had no way of guaranteeing his loyalty. If Enel experienced the world beyond and simply transformed into lightning to escape, Rhodes would be left completely vulnerable.
While he was confident his progress would surpass Enel's, there was no need to risk creating such a formidable enemy with immense mobility.
At that moment, Enel finally recovered from the psychological shock of his shattered worldview. Gnashing his teeth, his face filled with denial, he declared:
"Impossible!"
"Gods are invincible—impossible to defeat!"
He roared, swinging his golden staff forward.
In his fury, the strike was quite imposing.
However, with a simple upward thrust, Rhodes's blade—imbued with Armament Haki—sliced the golden staff in two like a hot knife through butter.
The scene of such a clean, decisive cut reminded Enel vividly of himself being bisected.
He jolted awake, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, instantly sobering from his rage-induced chuunibyou delusion.
Then, seeing the pitch-black fist coming straight at him like something from the abyss, Enel teleported away.
"That power is too great. I can't confront him head-on. I must leverage my speed advantage!"
Enel, no longer delusional, calmly analyzed the battle situation.
Leveraging his lightning-speed teleportation ability, he seemed to gain a slight advantage in several consecutive exchanges.
This caused him to revert to his arrogant self, boasting:
"Yahaha! You can't keep up with my speed, mortal! Have you witnessed the true might of the gods?"
His lightning teleportation was truly impressive—he could move almost anywhere instantly, with incredible speed and versatility. Even Admiral Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi was slightly inferior in this regard.
However, just as Enel seized an opportunity to teleport to Rhodes's right side, preparing to deliver his first decisive blow to this insolent mortal—
A black fist the size of a pot suddenly struck him in the abdomen.
WHAM!
Enel was instantly driven into the ground, nearly vomiting his internal organs.
He was completely stunned. Before he could react, he felt someone grab his ankle.
The next moment, the world spun violently.
CRASH!
He spat out blood as the faint sound of cracking bones echoed.
Rhodes grabbed his leg and, feeling he needed to teach this god a proper lesson, proceeded to slam him into the ground repeatedly.
The scene was like an adult thrashing a kindergartener.
Brutal and merciless.
It completely shattered Priest Ohm's inner faith.
Robin sighed:
"What a pathetically weak god."
(End of Chapter)
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