Chapter 169: Ark Maxim
The dense forest erupted in continuous roars.
Leaves and dirt flew everywhere.
The sight of their god being ragdolled sent turbulent shockwaves through the minds of nearby pirates and Shandian warriors drawn back by the battle. Their worldviews were in complete chaos.
Who the hell was the god here?!
When the dust settled, Enel lay practically embedded in the earth, his entire body swollen and battered. His once impassive face—now swollen like a pig's head from Rhodes's "special attention"—was barely recognizable.
The first blow had stunned Enel, preventing him from transforming into his elemental form to dodge, and he'd been thoroughly pummeled.
Of course, Rhodes had controlled his strength and delivered no fatal blows. While Enel looked miserable, his actual injuries were relatively minor.
But the psychological damage to Enel was immense.
He lay on the ground, eyes fixed on the sky, looking utterly devastated.
He didn't know who he was, where he was, or what his purpose was...
"Boss, you want to subdue him?"
Robin said with a smile as she slowly approached Rhodes's side.
With her perceptiveness and intelligence, she could easily discern Rhodes's intentions—otherwise, this so-called god would already be dead.
"Something like that."
Rhodes dusted off his hands, a hint of satisfaction on his face. He had to admit, this brutal fighting style was quite cathartic.
"The Goro Goro no Mi truly is a terrifying ability."
Robin nodded slightly. Even though Enel had been beaten so badly by Rhodes—nearly completely dominated—in Paradise, becoming a Warlord would be child's play for him, and a formidable one at that.
If he could master Armament Haki, he could take it even further and rival the Navy Admirals.
This time...
Enel took a full fifteen minutes to recover from his daze, his entire body aching.
The sharp pain stirred rage within him, but he also realized his injuries weren't actually serious. Could it be that this demon wasn't as powerful as he thought?
As this thought crossed his mind, a glimmer of confidence gradually returned to Enel. However, the shadow cast by his recent thrashing was too overwhelming, and he didn't dare continue fighting this devil of a man, Rhodes.
Yes—in Enel's eyes, this young Blue Sea dweller was nothing short of a demon, a natural nemesis sent to counter this god.
He stood tremblingly, pointing his broken golden staff at Rhodes, and roared:
"No one can defeat me! No one!"
This scene—as if he were about to unleash a devastating attack—gave Priest Ohm a glimmer of hope.
But before anyone could react further, Enel, the God of Skypiea, suddenly spun around, transformed into lightning, and before everyone's stunned gaze, he flashed away from the spot... and vanished... vanished... vanished...
A gentle breeze blew, stirring dust from the ground.
The dense forest suddenly fell silent, as if a flock of crows had flown overhead.
Several dark lines appeared on Robin's delicate forehead.
Where was his pride?
Where was his dignity as a god?
Rhodes couldn't help feeling a metaphorical toothache.
Enel transforming into lightning and fleeing instantly was genuinely impressive. At least it was difficult for Rhodes to stop him without being prepared.
However, after hearing those last defiant words Enel had left behind, Rhodes knew where the fool had run off to.
It could only be Enel's trump card—the legendary flying ship, Ark Maxim!
Ark Maxim was specially constructed by Enel based on his own Devil Fruit ability. Not only could it fly through the sky, but it could also use onboard equipment to create massive thunderclouds, thereby releasing lightning waves powerful enough to destroy entire cities and islands in one strike!
In fact, Enel had planned to destroy Skypiea after Ark Maxim's completion, then journey to the Fairy Vearth—his so-called "endless land."
"Can't let this guy destroy my territory."
Rhodes stroked his chin and said to Robin:
"Stay here and don't wander off..."
"I'll go deal with that chuunibyou."
Without waiting for Robin to respond, he suddenly leaped upward, using Geppo to propel himself several times before rising above the thousand-year-old trees to survey the area.
As he recalled, Enel had built Ark Maxim inside his own palace, and that palace was located atop a giant vine in the center of Upper Yard.
So all he needed to do was find that vine.
Such a massive vine would be difficult to spot from within the dense forest, but viewing from above made it easy to locate.
He estimated the distance and opened a spatial door directly to the vine's base. Gazing at the endless, hazy clouds overhead, he had difficulty estimating the exact distance, so he used Geppo to rapidly ascend.
As Rhodes climbed, Enel had already returned to his palace.
Two others were present. One was Gedatsu, the only remaining of the Four Priests, and the other was the Divine Squad Captain who managed Enel's soldiers—a rotund man.
"You—who are you?!"
Priest Gedatsu was shocked when he saw the newcomer. If this strange-looking individual hadn't just transformed from lightning, he would have attacked immediately.
Enel's face darkened at those words.
Of course he wouldn't explain. He simply struck out with a cold lightning bolt, teaching his subordinate a lesson.
Seeing this signature ability, everyone in the palace realized this swollen pig-headed figure was actually their god. They couldn't help but reveal traces of shock and disbelief.
How was this possible?
How could a god be beaten like this?
No, that couldn't be right. It must be that the gods had taken a liking to corpulent forms recently, so this was intentional!
Sensing the strange looks from those around him, Enel ignored them and simply asked coldly:
"Is Ark Maxim ready for activation?"
"Kami-sama... it can be activated, but it hasn't been tested yet."
The rotund Divine Squad Captain spoke cautiously. The god seemed in a terrible mood. Could it be he wasn't fat enough? He did have some expertise in that area!
"No need for testing. I'm activating it now."
Enel nodded. Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly felt sharp pain throughout his body. His mouth twitched. While secretly resenting Rhodes, he activated his Mantra network, attempting to locate Rhodes's position.
"Hmm? That demon is gone? Wait, why are there so many rats in the forbidden territory again?"
Enel began his search at the battle site. He didn't find Rhodes, but instead discovered a new group of Blue Sea dwellers.
"Damn it! Move out immediately and eliminate all those mortals!"
Enel knew Gedatsu and his men were no match for Rhodes, so he simply sent them to deal with the new arrivals.
"Yes, Kami-sama!"
Gedatsu and the others immediately responded and departed.
Enel reactivated his Mantra network, spreading it inch by inch across Skypiea.
But almost instantly, his expression froze, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.
He realized that demon had already climbed up the giant vine—not far from here!
Enel, utterly terrified, transformed into lightning and rushed behind the palace, arriving at Ark Maxim's construction site.
Here, numerous gaunt workers—mostly Skypieans with a few Blue Sea dwellers mixed in—had been captured by Enel to labor on Ark Maxim's construction.
"Get out! You're all useless now!"
Enel roared, dashing onto the Ark and merging directly with the golden vessel, rapidly powering it up.
RUMBLE!
The workers finally reacted to the roaring sounds and fled in panic.
Having been here so long, and with Enel never hiding his intentions from them, they undoubtedly knew something of the Ark's purpose.
We must escape!
Escape now!
Otherwise, everyone will die!
(End of Chapter)
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