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"This… this level of disrespect." Terbol said, with anger, "Doffy, You have to do something…"
Dolfamingo's hands twitched as strings around it started weaving, but right then…
Luffy grinned, he had thought over things. Wouldn't it be better if he killed of Mingo right here. That could work out in his favor in the long run. No dressrosa… he could take over it and gain notoriety along with other things.
And Sanji seemed pissed as well and if he fought he could gain some experience and strength against Mingo. Regardless if he wins or not. After that he could just finish it up.
No one knows Mingo is here, especially not the World Government. If they did, Morgan who was keeping an eye on them would have notified me. So as Mingo was acting alone, he could kill him here and now.
And if they did find out later, he could just make up a story of how Dolfamingo was trying to hunt him down or something and he had to end it. They were pirates after all. So he had to finish him.
'The string string fruit would be good fruit for Vivi…' Luffy thought, already making plans of what he was going to do after Dolfamingo's demise.
The only caveat to this whole thing was that, Luffy didn't know if this Dolfamingo was a string clone or not. But considering there were quite a few members of his crew here, he might be the real deal. Also to Luffy's haki he did seem real. But then again, Luffy hadn't seen a clone to base his judgement out of.
Just as both pirate crews grew tense a call rang stopping both of them.
"Pereperepereperepere… Pereperepereperepere…" A small transponder snail buzzed out from Terbol's pocket, bringing all of their attention to him.
"Pereperepereperepere… Pereperepereperepere…" At the same time, Sanji's pocket buzzed with his own transponder snail. A basic one, not the black one they used for encrypted call.
Both parties frowned and received the call, at the same time.
"This Fleet Admiral Sengoku speaking," Sengoku said from Doflamingo's transponder snail.
"It's your Grandpa, you shitty brat." Said Garp while munching on chips from the Straw Hat's offical transponder snail. "Eh… why can I hear Sengoku's voice from there… is this thing echoing?"
"It's doing the same here… weird," Sengoku said.
"Eh… who cares. Oi brat you there?"
"Yeah, and before you ask Mingo is in front of me. That might be causing the eco issue." Luffy said musing, "Also, make it quick old man, I was just going to beat his ass."
"Shitty brat! Is that how you speak to your elders!"
"That's not the important part, Garp. Tell your grandson to not fight against Doflamingo. A fight between two Warlord will weaken our forces against Kaido." Sengoku said. "Can you hear me, Fallen Hero Luffy?"
"Yeah," Luffy said casually, "But I think Kuina or Sanji here would a more of a fit, if something does unfortunately happen to him… they are strong enough for it. I would have offered Zoro, but recently he got a promotion to my Vice Captain… so…"
"Why you!" Dolfamingo growled, while Garp laughed in the background.
"Bahahhahahahha!"
"Please do no such thing!" Sengoku said, already feeling stressed, "Also, what Doflamingo did with putting Blackbeard against you was wrong, but…"
"I did what now!?" Dolfamingo asked not knowing what the Fleet Admiral was saying. He grabbed the transponder snail, "Listen old man, if I wanted to eliminate the new brat, I would have done it myself… I'm no coward!"
"Oh, that's gold coming from a man who wrongfully accused the captain of stopping one of your slave ships." Kuina said, humming. "Or maybe is it, that, someone is trying to put you both against each other…"
All parties including the marines stopped for a second.
"Huh… the girl makes sense," Garp said breaking the silence.
"But who would want to put two Warlord against each other?" Sengoku asked. "…anyway, it doesn't matter. Both of you, are prohibited to fight."
"Yeah, Luffy don't beat up the stringy brat, or Sengoku will cut up my week's supply of chips." Garp seriously added. "Okay, I have to go… Bogard is brewing good tea. Bye!"
With that Luffy's call ended.
"Tea? That damn Garp! That's my tea!" Sengoku said from the other transponder snail. "I have to end the call. But Dolfamingo and Luffy, no fighting… it's a direct order from the five elders." With that, he also ended the call.
"Huh, well that happened…" Luffy said before glancing at Dolfamingo. The Warlord was pissed off so much that he was shaking in his place. He didn't like being orderd around, but with what happened.
It did make sense. He wondered why the island of Jaya was so destroyed. Before leaving the island Bellamy had reported that Blackbeard was fighting against the new Warlord.
And it seemed someone had set it up and made it look like Luffy did it. And he could also presume that the same person destroyed his own slaver ship and put the blame on Luffy. So while he was pissed Dolfamingo didn't want to fight either, since Luffy seemed to calm.
'Only a fool or a king remains unafraid in front of danger.' Dolflamingo thought, and his instincts told him not to test what Luffy was.
"Is that… is that you Law?!" Baby 5 asked, making all of them move their heads toward the girl who was standing a bit far from the port and was looking at a surprised Law, who was clearly trying hide from sight.
'When did she get there…' Almost a collective thought ran through their minds. Though that wasn't important.
Luffy on the other hand wanted to face palm knowing what might have happened.
"Law?!" Dolflamingo recognized the kid and his grin widened, jumping from where he was as he landed near Law. And with one swift motion, Law found himself struggling to breath as Dolfamingo held him up by his throat.
Law was too surprised and terrified to do anything. With everything that had happened, his body hadn't recovered, unlike the Straw Hat crew members. So he didn't manage to break free and was caught.
"Well, if it isn't Law. You managed to survive long enough… Fufufuf…" Doflamingo said, grabbing Law by the throat.
"Young Master… you promised that you wouldn't kill Law!" Baby 5 called out, but she was ignored.
"Oh, yeah? I forgot!" With his other arm pulled back Doflamingo glared at Law who looked pale, "Now die!"
322
With his other arm pulled back Doflamingo glared at Law who looked pale, "Now die!"
But he was stopped when two cold metals touched Doflamingo's neck. It was Zoro's swords, and he had a deadly look in his eyes. "Don't even think about it."
Doflamingo's grin strained as he growled. He recognized the pirate, one of the Straw Hats, a very well-known one, "What do you think you are doing, swordsman… didn't you hear about the old men stopping us from fighting each other? I'm not here for any one of you crewmates. So, get your sword off me, pirate hunter"
"Well, he's part of my crew." Zoro answered smoothly, a grin on his face. Then he looked at Law, "You are, right?"
Law, who was at the death door, couldn't believe how shameless Zoro was. This wasn't the right time to ask that question. But at the same time going over all things, he took a leap of faith. He gave Doflamingo a shaky grin to spite him as he agreed, "Yes, Vice Captain!"
"Would you look at that, he's already getting good in his role." Kuina smirked, while Sanji grinned.
"Shishishi… well, now this changes things," Luffy said, walking up to Dolfamingo. Steam started to appear around his body as he entered his Lion Man state, easily matching Dolfamingo's height. "Do anything… and I assure you, I will cut you so finely that you wouldn't be able to stitch yourself back up."
Dolfamingo looked pissed as he moved his strings to attack all of them, but stopped when Luffy unleashed his own Haki, Zoro doing the same. But unlike Dolfamingo's Haki, it was devastation. It was as if pure chaos and death were staring at him in the eyes. Daring him to do anything.
The air hummed from the sheer power, as the ground beneath them rumbled and crackled. The air pressure alone was distorting the surroundings as the clouds above were splitting with them at the center. Even the glasses around the mock town that survived the previous day shattered.
Red and black lighting cracked around from Luffy, and Zoro making Doflamingo's own show of Haki as a mere child's play.
"Tch… show off." Sanji said a bit jealous that Zoro got something that he didn't. Looking awe at the sheer pressure his Captain and Vice-Captain was emitting. "Both of them…"
Kuina didn't say anything, just smirked as she tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword.
"Monster…" Anchor grumbled, unlike them he had to struggle to keep standing. Cold sweat running down his head. But at least they could stand the onslaught.
As for the Donquixote crew, the air was suffocating to breathe, as they choked and fell trying to breathe. Even Doflamingo felt fear crawl under his skin, his instincts telling him to get as far away from the beasts as possible.
"Bitch, I dare you…" Luffy said, grinning with his fanged teeth. "I double dare you…"
"I-I will go…" Doflamingo said, putting Law down. Knowing he would be fighting a losing battle. Not only did he feel danger from Luffy, but Zoro as well… that, that wasn't even considering the girl who took down Crocodile and the blond-haired cook who seemed way too eager to kick his head off.
Luffy grinned, "Good," before his hand blurred forward and punched Doflamingo on the stomach.
"Gah!!!" The string user bent over a bit, the sheer force of the disgusting punch leaving a permanent mark on his gut. Dolfamingo tried to keep himself from budging from his spot where he was standing, but around a second later, his body finally caught up, and now realized just how hard he had been hit.
He fell over, coughing blood and spit. Just what kind of power was that? His organs were damaged and even his back felt like it had fractured from that punch.
Dolfamingo was furious, he was caught off guard. That bastard… he growled, as he mentally commanded his strings to move and attack. Damn the consequences! But he was a bit too late, as Luffy had already kicked him in the side.
His body bent around Luffy's leg, before he was thrown away, going through the Flamingo-style figure-head of his ship, destroying the front sail, and stopping at the second one.
"Young Master!" Several voices called out. Finally snapping out of their daze. But unlike Doflamingo, they were terrified to even move against the new Warlord.
Luffy snarled, "Leave the island before I change my mind and put the bastard's head on a pike." He said, but no one moved too afraid or slow to process what he said. "Now GO!" Like a lion, Luffy roared, and the rest of Doflamingo's crew scrambled as they left for their ship.
Luffy could have killed them here, but he didn't. Not wanting to get on the bad side of Sengoku and the elders just yet. In the grand scheme of things, Doflamingo wasn't a threat.
But he still might pose some trouble in the future. That's why he planned to kill him in the upcoming War. This way, Law could have his revenge way sooner and Luffy wouldn't even need to get the blame for it. He could play it off as a casualty of war.
'You live a few more days, Mingo. But don't worry, next time I will make sure you don't live.'
Doflamingo was already knocked out, and with no one willing to test Luffy's statement, they ran with their tail behind their legs.
As the ship left, Luffy finally looked at Zoro, and Law. "Don't tell me, you guys were lost in the forest for an hour." He said with amusement.
Zoro grumbled while not looking at his Captain's eyes, while Law massaged his neck sorely.
Even he found it stupid that they were lost in the destroyed jungle for so long. Just what did he get himself signed into?
— — — —
A/N: Law's in the crew! Yay!
323
"So it's a goodbye brother…" Luffy said, looking at Ace and Masked Deuce who were on their small raft powered by Ace's flames. At night it made their ship easily visible, "Are you sure you guys don't wanna go to a sky island?"
Ace shook his head, "Well, to be honest. I was also looking forward to it a bit… but well, things came up." He said. Not saying that Whitebeard's health was getting worse or that Marco had called him to return. Even though he trusted his brother, Marco cautioned Ace from telling anyone about the news.
Though that wasn't the only reason, Marco was also getting a bit overwhelmed as Kaido and his crew were getting a bit too rowdy with their power grab, and were attacking islands that were under the protection of Whitebeard. So Ace had to go and take back his position as leader of the Second Division.
Luffy nodded, "Well, take care then…" He said, behind him the rest of the Straw Hats were also saying their goodbyes.
And some (Chopper, Johnny, Yosaku, and Bartolomeo) were even crying. Ace had made quite a bit of an impression on them.
"I'll be pissed if you guys miss dinner," Sanji said, tossing them a large bag. A large bag filled with food. "So don't forget to eat, you shitty bastards."
Seeing the food Ace almost teared up, "Sanji… join my crew."
Masked Deuce snorted, while Luffy just laughed.
"See, my crew has the best cook!" Luffy said with pride, while Sanji just grumbled like an old man. Not handling it too well due to all the praise.
"Shut it, shitsticks! I only take praise from Women!"
"Just take the compliment, dart-brow!" Zoro said, before turning to Ace, grinning, "Next time, I will win."
Ace just smirked. "We will see whose flames are the strongest."
"Hey, don't forget about me," Kuina said from the side, "Next time, you'll have to watch out… also take this." With that, she threw a letter that Ace caught.
"Oh, is that a love letter for me…? You shouldn't have~," Ace teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
Kuina made a face of disgust, shattering Ace's confidence. "That's for Whitey Bay… just give it to her, she'll know what to do." Not even acknowledging what Ace said before.
Ace looked down almost as if a sad cloud over his head, all the while Masked Deuce patted his back.
"Anyway, jokes and existential crises aside… we will miss you," Luffy added, "You did make a good training dummy…"
Ace's brow twitched in annoyance, before he huffed. "Yeah sure… just take care." He said, before looking at Sabo. "You too."
Sabo coolly nodded. "Don't worry, unlike you guys, I have a good track record of avoiding problems."
Both Luffy and Ace just rolled their eyes, before sharing a laugh.
After that Ace looked at Robin, "Take care, little sis." He said, before flexing his right arm, "If you have any trouble, don't forget to call."
Robin just chuckled, not pointing out that by age she was older. It seemed Ace's ego wouldn't let him consider anyone bigger than him. "Sure… take care." She said softly.
She would be lying if she said she wouldn't miss the fire user. He might be hot-headed at times, but Ace was a good man.
"It's time to go!" With that Ace didn't stop anymore. And powered up his raft, Striker. Flames came out from the back, as it roared like an engine, before blasting off. All of them saw him sail away, lighting up the dark sea. His small ship was even visible as it passed through the horizon.
"So COOL!!!" Chopper, Johnny, Yosaku, Bartolomeo and even Usopp said at the same time.
Luffy whistled, "Gotta get myself one of those…"
Hearing that Anchor who was on the side hummed rubbing his chin. "Maybe we could do something with the small boat-bike thing…" he muttered.
Usopp blinked, looking his way, "You mean the old thing that the monkey brothers found in the deep sea?"
Anchor nodded, and was about to speak when Robin interjected.
"A waver… it's called a waver." She said, "I had looked up the old books in the storage… and from the description, I think that's called a waver."
While Luffy had his own knowledge, the Straw Hat crew also knew about the sky islands due to the books they got from Little Garden. Mainly, the log books had detailed much about the sky islands.
How they were completely different and how there were ways to get up there. Funnily enough, Tsurara Oikawa also mentioned the first time they went there was with the help of the Knock-Up stream.
"Wow, really?" Usopp said, "Did it mention anything on how it works…? I didn't find any engine in there…"
Robin nodded, "It said something about 'dials' and how 'wind dials' or 'breath dials'…something that's made out of shellfish, might be something local to the sky islands… those were the main things that operated them."
"Huh… but we didn't see something like that, did we?" Anchor asked Usopp, who shook his head. "Well, at least we know what to look for…"
Luffy grinned. It seemed Robin was making herself quite useful. "You have anything else we might do before going?"
Robin hummed, "Dirt…" she said, getting a few glances from the crew. "In the Sky Islands… dirt or earth is very valuable. They call it 'Vearth' there… so it would be wise if we took some. It can be exchanged as a currency as well, as I'm pretty sure Bellis have no value up there…"
Luffy looked at Usopp, "How much earth can you shrink down in a few barrels?"
Usopp blinked, "I don't know."
Luffy smiled, "We'll have to find out then."
With that, the rest of the crew started preparing for their journey.
324
The rest of the crew started preparing for their journey. Mainly stocking up on food and other stuff. Luffy also remembered to take the remains of the Pacifista, they were already in their storage, shrunk down to have space for other things.
The Going Merry was prepared with wings that could help the ship glide up the Knock-Up stream. Cricket and the Monkey brothers helped with the ship's work, and were also coming along for the journey.
Though, Luffy did mention that they would need to get into his Grand Fleet if they did find the City of Gold. And of course, all of the Gold was to be theirs, unless Luffy shared some of them.
Which Luffy did intend to share, as he also wanted to gain Cricket's trust. Unlike in the canon, Cricket here was a competent pirate and a good fighter.
Not as strong as his ancestor Noland who could decapitate a sea king with one swing of his blade. But he had the potential.
Cricket had been slacking off for a few years as he mostly halted his journey to clear Noland's name, but even with that, the guy had decent strength.
Still, he was nothing exceptional like Law or Kid. But hey, those were future Yonko candidates. If he wanted to spread his Grand Fleet he would need people that were not only strong but people that were loyal to him.
And with how fearlessly Cricket had acted against him, when finding out that it was Luffy's fault that the island was getting destroyed. It gave him a good look into his character.
Cricket wasn't a coward.
And if that kind of man joined his Grand Fleet in the future, him and his crew could help his bounty-hunting organization learn how to look for treasures under the sea.
He had plans for him in the future.
So along with packing a few tons of Dirt or 'Vearth' with the help of Usopp, they had nothing much else to do for now. The Knock-Up Stream only happens five times a month. And there was a very good chance of it happening today or tomorrow.
So after getting everything packed up. All of the crew, plus a few more boarded the Going Merry.
"The first thing after joining your crew, I get dragged along to a possibly suicidal journey," Law said, giving Luffy an exhausted look. "All of you guys are maniacs…"
"Aw… you are going to make us blush~" Sparky winked, getting a groan from the newest member of the crew.
Like everyone in the crew, he didn't appreciate the first day of training. But at least he was conscious, Beppo on the other hand was knocked out cold. The poor mink couldn't keep up, it seemed.
Still, even with their injured bodies, Law and Beppo were tough as nails. Luffy would have started their training much later, but they wanted to start immediately. And even though they were injured, both of them were doctors and knew their bodies enough to take the training.
Though, Sparky might have gone a little overboard. Just a little…
As the Going Merry floated on the open sea waiting for the knock up stream, the crew sang, laughed, and enjoyed their moments like there was no other. Sanji even gave them a feast so the night was a very fun one.
As soon as the sun peeked through the horizon, the sea started to shake and grumble.
Luffy grinned, "It's time."
"Everyone move! Move!" Nami shouted orders, as the wind started picking up. Momoo wasn't pulling the ship anymore, the sea king was in his shrunken state and was with Hatchan on the deck of the ship with others.
Still, even without Momoo pulling the ship, the Going Merry was going a lot faster due to Sanji giving it a speed boost.
"You heard the chums!" Sanji called, "Move!"
The crew hurried moving their ship to optimal position. They could see a part of the sea had sunken down considerably and were bubbling up, indicating the place of the Knock-Up Stream. The Going Merry made it in time, just as the sea started to rise up.
"Masira… I'm scared!"
"Me too Shoujou!"
Both of the monkey brothers hugged each other as they started to cower, only to get bonked in the head by Cricket.
"Grow some spines!" Cricket growled, "Or just shut up… why did you guys even come in the first place!"
""We couldn't leave you boss!"" Both of them cried out at the same time.
On their side, one could see Beppo and Chopper holding down on the mast of the ship. While Zoro napped carelessly without any worries. Sabo also sat on the ship without much worries as well, jotting down things on a notebook.
Sabo could use the information of the sky islands in the future to have bases above the clouds. So he wanted to note down anything noteworthy for the future.
Johnny and Yosaku were celebrating with a small dance by going round and round each other, while holding hands. Already used to the dangerous adventures of the crew.
Even Usopp had a somewhat manageable panic on his face. If it was the previous him, he might have shat his pants. But his main confidence came with the fact that he knew Geppo, so in case he fell off, he could get back up.
Nico Robin also had a smile on her face. It wasn't every day one could get to see an island in the sky.
"Hey, Hatchan… do you think we will find any Mermaids there?" Barto asked.
The six-handed fishman in question looked at him with a paralaxed expression. "How did you even come to that conclusion?"
"Well, I heard Mermaids were like angels… so?" He shrugged as he stood straight preparing for his orders.
Before Hatchan could say anything Luffy called out, "You are up, Barto!" He said, "Do it!"
"Aye aye Captain!" He said as a green barrier started taking shape beneath the ship. Barto was struggling, sweat pouring down from his face, but kept up with the massive construct that layered over the ship's haul, "All done Cap!"
Luffy grinned, "Nami, you are up!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" She said, as she stretched her arms as orange liquid started pouring out from her hands, covering the wings, and making them stronger and longer in length. "All done," she said with a grin.
Like everyone back in Alabasta, she had to also go through training. She ate the Maple logia fruit after considering everything.
While not as powerful as other logia, it made up for it thanks to Nami's creativity. Especially after she was trained by Mr 3 who had similar powers to her. Back in Alabasta, Galdino had helped her with her powers. That's why she was able to do these kinds of things.
Depending on how much she concentrated, Maple could be hard as steel or be soft as honey. So it could be used for a lot of stuff, and was durable enough to last.
"Sparky! Sanji! Be ready!" Luffy called, his "If the push is too much, slow it down… too slow speed it up."
Both of them nodded.
"And lastly…" Luffy looked at the rest of the crew that were already looking a bit pale from either fear or excitement. "Hold on to the ship for your life… this is going to be a bumpy ride!"
And just like that, the Knock-Up Stream roared out from the ocean like it was a lion, pushing the Going Merry sky-high!
While Luffy laughed and the crew panicked, the Going Merry was relatively safe for the ride. But of course, things wouldn't remain the same.
325
A/N: Ahoi lads, this is the start of Skypiea. So before that let's go with some power-scales. Also Luffy was a bit late to reach Skypiea, so Enel has already started his rampage, though he is doing it much slower as he doesn't have to hurry like he did in Canon.
Anyway, power-scaling—
Luffy's current power is greater than Doflamingo and Jack. But he's equal if not weaker than Katakuri currently. (Mainly because of Katakuri's Advanced O. Haki. Though it can still be overpowered with sheer speed. Like Kaido did against Luffy. That's why I'm making him equal or weaker than my Mochi Boy.)
Amongst brothers, Ace is still the strongest, and is still the petty king! Lol.
Mainly because of Devil Fruit awakening. (Logia Awakenings will be treated as Original power-up in my story. Not weather changes, like how it's hinted. It's similar but different at the same time.)
Anyway, after Ace is Sabo. Sabo also awakened his C. Haki during the Blackbeard fight. And he also has Advanced Armament Haki. He might not have a devil fruit yet. But it's bound to change in this arc.
Sadly for now Luffy is still the weakest Sibling. Though not for long. Okay, maybe for a bit more longer. Heheh…
I would rate Sparky and Zoro similar when it comes to practically in a fight.
Same with Kuina and Sanji.
Some might wonder how Zoro is similar to Sparky in terms of power?
Zoro has all three Haki. Sparky has only Observation Haki. That is true.
But… only having Haki doesn't mean you will be the victor of a fight.
Some might forget this but let me remind you…
Logias seems all-powerful in the first half of the Grand Line. But the users get overconfident, and bam, a Haki punch and you dead.
But don't forget it goes both ways.
Logias depend too much on their fruit abilities.
But Vergo did something similar. He had an arguably higher tier of Armament Haki. He could cover his full body with it. But Law cut him up like veggies on a chopping board with his fruit powers alone. (This will come in later when discussing Enel's powers)
Haki is powerful, but it's not the end-all be-all. Logias are powerful, but it's not the end-all be-all. (This is taking into account only normal haki, not advanced application or df awakening. As things can go either way from there.)
I hope you are understanding why I'm saying this.
Zoro might have power and badassery by his side. But Sparky has shown abilities of quick thinking and cautious action. So they were evenly matched.
Aside from that Coby and Gin are on a similar tier.
The other members of the crew fall under them when it comes to powers. With the exception of Law. Mainly because of how his powers work.
Anyway, aside from the Straw Hats, let's talk about Enel.
Some will say, In canon, Luffy was able to beat him because of the natural weakness Enel had to his fruit. While I do agree with this statement, you are forgetting one thing here.
That is Enel's speed. Enel sucks at speed. Even though he's fast as lightning.
Why? Cause even CP9 Bluno was blitzing Luffy in Enis Lobby at the first time. Not to mention other characters like Kaku or Rob Lucchi.
Even though I change a lot of stuff in my fic. I usually stick to canon material. For One Piece, most people downplay characters power and mainly speed.
Like when it is written in a way that Whitebeard's powers could destroy the world. It's said for a reason. Just because it's not DBZ and you aren't blowing up planets doesn't meant the old goat isn't powerful.
In the Marineford, his quakes were creating tsunamis in islands that were way far in the grandline. Even the navy admirals were warry that he was trying to sink the island.
One can see things in many way, I see them as how Oda tried to convey a character. For Whitebeard, the reason why he wasn't going all out, even in his old age and half dead state was that his children might die if he used all of his powers.
Anyway, when it comes to speed, many fans also try to justify and disclaim how speedy One Piece characters are. Like people still think that Kizaru isn't light speed, or that he can only go light speed when doing 'Yata no Kagami'. That's just being disingenuous.
In many places Oda clearly stated he is at and above light speed. It's not only him.
(Of course, if you go by real world logic, that kind of speed would destroy the world. But we are talking about One Piece here. Logic has it's own meaning here. So basing it off real world won't justify how it's written.)
Even right after time-skip, Luffy was casually dodging light bullets from Pacifista. Which are made to replicate Kizaru's powers. And we know how Vegapunk is a perfectionist. So of course those attacks are at light speed.
And even before the timeskip, Zoro when fighting Kuma was dodging his paw attacks. Which are said to be also at light speed. Though he was doing it with much difficulty.
So as I see it, there are several characters in One Piece, that show above light speed feets. (Shanks, Kaido, Big Mom, Katakuri, Doffy, Garp, all Admirals and also Kizaru…)
But you might ask, how can Kizaru go above light speed, when he is light human. (Again friend, you are thinking in terms of real world logic.)
Kizaru might be light, but he's also human. So his base speed is light, but he can go above that cause he's also humans. That's why even though some characters might show light speed feets, Kizaru still might be the fastest, due to him going faster the light.
Anyway, that's why I say Enel's speed is good. But it falls short as we even saw Nami and Gan Fall react to his attacks. Not to mention, he couldn't dodge Luffy's punches.
He could get hit by Luffy, I admit, that was a shocker to him. (pun intended) But that doesn't mean, he would let himself get hit, unless he isn't able to. That's why in terms of speed, he's very lacking.
But when it comes to destructive power. He's a different beast. I would put his destructive capabilities at first commander level. The amount of distruction he can do is just surreal.
Why?
Well, other than Whitebeard's fruit, I don't think any other fruits have shown that high of a level of destruction capabilities. Even without Armament Haki, his power has a very good chance at destroying any island if he tried.
Who needs ancient weapons when you have that?
But… he also lacks durability. My man is a glass canon, though and through.
So for my story, I made his speed appropriate to how most of you would lik, almost giving him some 'freeza' treatment. [i.e: he trained!] And also boosted his defense. But there's a reason for that. I won't just make any character stronger and not explain it.
So I hope you understand that.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Enjoy the story.
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The people of Shandora all had downed expressions. They looked like people that had given up on life. All around them was destruction.
Amidst the desolate landscape, lay the haunting remnants of a once-thriving village, now reduced to nothing more than a ghostly shadow of its former self. The air was heavy with silence, only interrupted occasionally by the eerie whispers of the wind through the scorched ruins.
The small houses that once stood proudly side by side were reduced to charred and crumbling skeletons. Their walls, once painted with vibrant colors and adorned with quaint decorations, stood blackened and cracked, barely recognizable. Historical buildings were also not spared from the cruelty.
Not only that, whatever happened, made sure to kill every live-stock, to destroy every saved-up crop. Leaving nothing behind for the Shandorans.
The Shandorans themselves were injured. With every one of them having bandages wrapped around their wounds. The villagers that were made up of proud warriors seemed lost in their defeat, as if they just survived a losing war.
"Wyper… we have to do something." Raki, the female warrior asked. "We lost almost half of our tribe… we can't go on like this. This… this is no way of living."
But the proud warrior known as Wyper didn't speak. Looking down on the ground.
"Answer us, damn it!" She said, holding him by the collar, "We have nothing to live for!"
But he didn't say anything. She growled before asking another thing.
"Don't answer us, then. But tell us at least, why did you bring that man here?!" Raki interrogated as she pointed at the injured old man that was sitting on the floor.
Though unlike them, he looked more of a knight rather than a member of the tribe. It was Gan Fall, the former leader of Skypiea. He also seemed barely alive.
Wyper didn't look her in the eyes, he looked down on the floor, "I couldn't just leave him be." He said after a while, "The old man might have been our enemy… but he's the only reason I'm alive. And I… I just returned the favor." He said, "I couldn't just leave him be… or Enel would have killed him."
Raki huffed massaging the bridge of her nose, "It doesn't matter anyway." She said, "Our hidden village was found out by Enel anyways. So it doesn't matter…" she said mostly trying to convince herself rather than the others.
Raki wanted to say more, but Kamakiri put a hand on her shoulder. "Stop it, you two." He said, sighing, "What's done is done… and like you said. Enel already knows the location of our village… he destroyed everything… And it's not like we can leave the village either."
Enel had warned them that he would kill anyone if they even tried to leave their village. And with what the man did previously, no one was eager to find out if he was bluffing or not.
"But we have to do something…" Aisa, the little girl, called out.
The others looked down. Over the past few days, things had been terrible. Enel and his lackeys were causing havoc. Killing off people randomly, either they be Shandorans or Skypieans. No one was safe. It was almost as if they were unhinged.
It almost seemed as if he didn't care about ruling the place anymore. It was so much that the former ruler of Skypiea, Gan Fall had come seeking out their help.
The man even begged the Shandorans to help him overthrow Enel. But at the time, Wyper had refused. Not trusting the former leader as Gan Fall might want to take the seat for himself if they helped him.
Rather Wyper wanted to place a Shandoran in the ruling seat. If not him, then any one of his tribesmen. So he gathered every able fighter and attacked. They didn't need anyone's help. Or that's what they believed. But they were wrong, very much so.
The power of Enel was unimaginable, and so was the power of his four guards. Every one of the Shandoran warriors that day were defeated, some were killed, while others barely managed to survive.
Seeing no other way Wyper stayed back, allowing the remaining Shandorans to escape. But even he too would have been killed if Gan Fall didn't make it in time. He took him away, and even nursed him back to full health.
Only then did Wyper realize that the old ruler really was genuine about fixing the relations between the two groups.
But things didn't end there, just a day after, Enel started to destroy Angel Island and kill off its people, to send a message to Gan Fall. Seeing the people in distress, Gan Fall came out, and Wyper went along with him.
The two warriors fought side by side, Wyper even using the reject dial, but even then it was a loss. Some battles just couldn't be won.
After that, rather than killing Wyper, Enel made a sadistic move and came to their village. Somehow, in some way, Enel managed to find their village.
Their village was always a hidden one. A seemingly small land mass that was covered by fog-like clouds that hid them. And for generations, the location of their village was hidden. After getting kicked out of Upper Yard, the Shandorans made this place their home. But now… but now it was destroyed.
But that wasn't the end. Enel also gave out a final massage.
Starting today, Enel was going to throw random lightning attacks for their defiance. He would only stop after three days. But in the meantime, the Shandorans were prohibited from leaving the village, or they would be killed.
Once a safe haven for the Shandoran people now became their own prison. Enel was going to do the same for the inhabitants of Angel Island. Just because the self-proclaimed god felt like it.
This was the reason why the people of Shandora were in distress, they could see the sun rising. But today no one wanted that, all of them were scared and worried as to who Enel might target.
326
"We have to do something!" Kamakiri said, "We can't just give up… that bastard… he's already killed so many… I can't see this happening."
Wyper said nothing, just looked down, "It's no use…" he said, "We fought with everything we had… maybe this is just it. Maybe there's no other way. And now that he knows the location of our village… we won't be able to escape either." He then looked up, with fire burning in his eyes, "If there's no other way, at least I'm going to go down with a fight! Those that aren't able to fight, and the women and children need to leave from here. Maybe find another place to stay… but at least I will fight here!"
The people of Shandora looked at each other and nodded. Some were preparing to leave their already destroyed homes. While others prepared to fight against Enel.
"I also agree with you," Gan Fall said, holding up his lance, "The last thing this old man can do is fight before his death."
But just then a large crackling sound came, horrifying the people around.
"W-what happened?" Raki asked, looking towards the east. "That sound came from Angel Island… please don't tell me he's already starting?!"
"Agh!" Aisa screamed, holding her head and crying, "He… he killed one of the people in there… I heard his aura snuff down. He— He actually killed one."
The others didn't know what to say. Aisa might have been young, but she was the most gifted mantra user. Her range was enough to even cover the Angel island and Upper Yard. In some sense, her use of Mantra was even better than Enel's.
"We… we have to do something. It won't be long before we are targeted…" But Kamakiri couldn't even finish his words; he was also struck by Enel's lightning, "Aghhhh!"
The others shielded their eyes, and instinctively backed away, except a certain someone.
When the light faded out every one of the Shandorans were surprised to see something. While they expected the worst for Kamakiri, the Shandoran was still alive, but there was a reason for that.
Gan Fall had come in and grabbed Kamakiri, taking some of the burden of the attack and grounding it with his spear. Even though, both Kamakiri and Gan Fall were heavily injured due to this, no one died.
Raki and everyone looked shocked. "He… he saved Kamakiri." She said, before quickly kneeling near both of them, checking their pulse, "They are alive for now. But we have to do something, or else both of them would be dead."
While Gan Fall's sacrifice did save the young Shandoran, Enel's attack was just too strong. It was as if almost every one of the Shandorans could hear Enel's mocking laugh.
Seeing all of this, the old leader of the tribe looked on in the vast distance and wondered if there was anything they could do.
Just then the white cloud-like ground beneath them started to rumble.
"Don't tell me, Enel's attacking again?" Raki said, looking horrified.
"No," Wyper said, "It's not Enel… it's the Knock-Up Stream!"
Just then, from the Horizon, a massive pillar of water rose up from the White Sea. The speed of the water pressure was so much that the fog lifted around the area, making them see the water pillar that stretched to the sky.
Luckily the Knock-Up Stream was a bit far from their hidden island. But near their shore, or else their home might've been completely destroyed today.
All of the Shandorans were surprised as they hadn't had a Knock-Up Stream near their village for years.
All of the people grabbed something to steady themselves so they wouldn't fall. After getting kicked out of Upper Yard four hundred years ago, the Shandorans started living a bit far from it; it protected them for years before Enel found them.
And now seeing a Knock-Up Stream so near, they wondered if things were going to get even rougher. Because for them, the Knock-Up Stream was the main reason that brought the start of their demise.
Every Shandoran knew about how once Upper Yard was an island down below, before getting kicked up here. And so the people of Shandora hated it.
Soon, the rumbling stopped and the Knock-Up Stream stopped flowing. Though all of the people there could hear a sound coming from above.
They looked up, and saw a small dot in the sky. But it was no dot in the grand scheme of things.
"Is that… is that a ship?" Wyper asked dumbfoundedly. "How did a ship manage to get that high?! Didn't they stop at the white sea below?"
"That's not the question you should be asking, dumbass!" Raki said, "The ship is going to fall on our home if we don't do anything?!"
Hearing that everyone panicked, but a voice called out calming them. "Nah, I will just catch it." The voice said with confidence that eased the worries of the people.
But then all of them blinked, not recognizing the voice from one of their own.
They snapped their heads to the side, at the newcomer that seemingly appeared between them.
They saw a well-built young man that wore a straw hat. He might be young, but he gave out an aura of confidence and power. On his back was a black naginata that looked just as deadly.
"Who are you?!" All of them asked at the same time.
Luffy grinned, holding his hat, "Shishishi… I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm going to be the strongest man alive!" With that, he jumped into the air, before grabbing the falling ship mid-air without any difficulty.
"Wait, am I seeing things or Is he just standing in the air with a ship on his shoulder?" Braham asked, while the others nodded.
"J-just what is happening today?!" The old chief finally said.
All of them looked at the scene dumbfounded as the young man alone carried the ship down to the shore, his smaller size not even struggling with the weight of the ship.
"That's… that's so COOL! I'm sure he can help us!" Aisa said, running towards where the young man had docked the ship.
"Wait, Aisa!" But it was too late.
327
"That was downright FUN!" Bartolomeo said, punching his arms up in the air. "We made it to the Sky Islands! Woo-hoo!"
"For an island up in the sky… isn't this too white? I barely see any ground up here." Kuina said.
Around them, other than the White Sea, the Shandoran village was covered in white fog. So the crew was a bit underwhelmed by the sight.
When Luffy had jumped out of the Going Merry to catch the ship and bring it to the shore, most of the crew members were still hanging on to the ship for dear life. So, they didn't see the Shandoran village or its villagers.
By then the fog had also covered up the village.
"We could be dead?" Robin merrily suggested.
"Don't say that!" Usopp called out. Along with him, Chopper, Beppo, Penguin, Shachi, Masira, and Shoujou nodded. It seemed not all of them shared the enthusiasm.
"Pussies," Gin snorted, not minding the complaints of his crewmates. "Huh, the air feels fresh around here."
"Not only that… it's also very thin." Coby said.
"So you figured that out," Zoro said, "Good for you. I'm going back to sleep for now."
"All you do is sleep." Kuina pointed out.
"Shut up, woman!"
"…"
"Agh… why did you freeze my clothes? Now they're all wet."
Kuina didn't look at him, just minding her own business. The rest of the crew was also getting used to the change of air pressure. But due to all the training, it didn't take them even a minute to adjust. Though the newer members of the crew did take a bit longer.
Beppo, Shachi, and Penguin were on the floor. Along with them were the monkey brothers Mashira and Shoujou. They couldn't handle the sudden change. Though Law and Cricket were doing better than them.
Shachi and Penguin were also a bit overwhelmed with what was happening. After waking up, not only did they find that most of their crewmates were dead, they also found that they were members of the newest Warlord's crew.
They didn't mind the change, especially when Law mentioned how they helped with dealing with people that had attacked their crew. Still, seeing so much happening rapidly made them aware of how weak they were. Especially considering the others in the Straw Hat crew being monsters.
In the meantime, Luffy came back to the Going Merry, to see over his crew.
"You know I could have just slowed down the ship…" Sparky said. "You just wanted to show off didn't you?"
"I don't know what you mean?" Luffy shrugged with a knowing smile.
Sparky just rolled his eyes, before jumping up Luffy's shoulder. "You know, never mind."
"Hoh! The island is made up of clouds!" Nami said in glee as she walked out of the navigation room with her own log book. "I can't wait to document the weather phenomenons here."
"If you don't mind, I would like a copy of that too…" Sabo politely said. "This information could help us in the Revolutionary army."
"Sure thing, piper." Nami said, sticking out her tongue, "But it will cost a pretty penny."
"The last thing we will have to worry about is Money, if we are right about the City of Gold," Luffy said, musing at his wife's antics.
"Hm… I wonder if we will find a poneglyph here in Skypiea…" Robin said, humming a tune.
Luffy glanced at her, "Who knows… an ancient city like that should have something related to the ancient times at least." He said, shrugging, "But I have a hunch that we might find something there…"
Hearing that Robin smiled, a genuine one. "Let's hope we do, then."
"Is this… is this Skypiea?" Cricket asked, looking around, and checking the old map they found from the broken ship. "I thought it would be a lot bigger. Though, it's really hard to see with all of this cloud-like fog around here…"
"Yeah!" Masira said, showing the log pose, "It's still pointing to the east…"
Nami blinked and looked at her wrist, where there was a log pose, "How did I miss that…" she then scratched her head. Hearing the commotion, everyone in the ship was looking at her, "Guys, I think we didn't make it to Skypiea, yet."
"I thought something similar." Luffy said, "Though, I did see people here… I think Cricket should ask them about Skypiea. Who knows, they might know something about this place."
"This isn't Skypiea, silly." A small voice called out. Bringing everyone's attention to the small figure. "Well, this is part of Skypiea… but it's not the main island. The main island is near Upper Yard, and Angel Island… is a bit further to the east."
"Is that…"
"A small angel?"
"Is she lost?"
"How did you get on the ship?"
"Do you want Candy?"
"Guys, shut up." Nami said, shutting everyone up, as she walked up to the small child and kneeled down, "Well, aren't you just adorable? What's your name?"
"Aisa." She said, "What's yours?"
"Nami…" the navigator said, softly smiling and giving the girl candies made out of hard maple.
The small girl took it in her hand before she started enjoying the treat. "That's sweet!" she cheered.
Nami smiled, patting her on the head, "Hey, Aisa you seem to be from this place. Can you tell us what this place is…? And why is there so much fog around? It's hard to see here."
"Oh, that… well, the clouds around here are a bit hazy. It's a good place where we built our village to hide from the others… though, now it's pretty much destroyed." She said with a somber tone.
Seeing this Nami felt sorry for her. In some ways, she could see herself in her sorrow. It was as if she was seeing herself going through Arlong's torture all over again. She couldn't help herself as she wrapped the smaller girl in a hug, "It's going to be okay, all right?"
Aisa didn't know what to say, she just sniffed crying on her shoulder. The others in the ship didn't know what to say, though all of them felt sorry for the poor girl. It seemed even up here, conflict was a common thing.
After a while Nami separated from the girl, giving her a smile. "I don't know what happened. But I'm sure we can help you… though, can you help us in return? We don't know a lot. And me and my friends are looking for something…"
Aisa looked at her for a bit, before she nodded, "I can… but can you really help us?"
"Anything for you dear!" Nami said sweetly.
"Really…? Then you have to help us kill someone," Aisa said quickly. Not wanting to beat around the bush.
328
"Really…? Then you have to help us kill someone," Aisa said quickly. Not wanting to beat around the bush.
Nami's smile froze, not knowing what to say. This wasn't something she was expecting of a seemingly young girl. However it also made her realize how serious the situation was.
"Huh, children these days." Luffy said, shaking his head, "Back in my days. We used to kill our own enemies." Gin and Barto, who was on the Captain's side, nodded along. Sabo just rolled his eyes, his brother was overly dramatic sometimes.
"Don't encourage her," Nami growled at her husband. She then turned to Aisa. "I'm sorry dear… but aren't you too young to, you know… kill?"
"I was eight, when I started killing," Robin added. "It's really not that hard. You just have to plan really well, to make them suffer."
"Huh, I like that." Gin added, "But I went gung-ho first then asked questions later."
"Oh, god! I just realized that I'm in a crew full of monsters." Coby said, in half horror and half amazement. While he did say that, Coby knew his crewmates enough to know that they wouldn't kill unless necessary.
Even Usopp who was listening to the conversation by the side didn't comment on it. He knew from experience that sometimes killing bad guys is the only option to protect your loved ones.
"We are pirates, not saints. But still we don't kill indiscriminately," Gin said, rolling his eyes. He then looked at Law who was listening in to the conversation, "What about you, new guy."
"I used to kill for Doflamingo when I was little… so I'm in the same boat," Law admitted. Not minding sharing his own story.
It might not be long, but there was a sense of brotherhood between the crew that made him relax more and be honest about things.
"Oh, so you used to work for a Warlord, isn't that just funny," Robin said, she was of course still wearing her mask. So Law didn't know her identity, aside from her name.
While Law might have joined the crew, the crew was a bit reluctant to share all of the information with him. One could say, he was still being monitored.
Anchor was in the same place, but he had helped them back on Sakura island. So the crew was a bit relaxed around him.
"Oh, Robin-san you say the sweetest of things…" Sanji said, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of ice cream. He spun with elegance, before presenting it before the young girl, "Hope you like chocolate ice-cream."
"Umu… it's sweet!" Aisa said enjoying her treat. Completely forgetting why she came here.
Nami sighed, but before she could say anything A voice called out.
"Aisa!"
Everyone looked out from the ship. A man of the Shandoran tribe came running, his form being visible as he stepped out on the shore, out of the fog. He had a spear in his hand and was ready to attack, but stopped when he saw all of the Straw hats. It was Wyper, "Hey, you give us back Aisa!"
"Oh, yeah?" Gin asked, smirking. Resting one of his tonfas on his shoulder, "Or else what?"
Wyper growled but before he could do anything, Coby slapped Gin on the behind his head, "Don't mind him." He said, before looking at Wyper, "Aisa, I think your friend is here."
The little girl in question quickly finished her ice-cream. Getting a little brain freeze before jumping to the railing on the ship, "Wyper… they told me, they could help us! I found help."
"Well… ugh, get back here," Wyper said, a bit annoyed but he was much more tame than Luffy had expected.
What Luffy didn't know was that his stunt of showing off his strength and power had made Wyper much more reserved to his more violent actions. Also, unlike others, Wyper knew Mantra, and as a warrior, his instincts warned him to not do anything stupid. It was almost as if they were much more of a threat than Enel. But Luffy didn't know that, unlike him, others were actively trying to conceal their powers.
'Did something happen?' Luffy wondered, 'Well, their place was pretty wrecked. Did Enel already find it? We did get here pretty late. The canon Luffy was here on Skypiea at least a week ago by my estimation. Let's see…'
Luffy grabbed Aisa, making her yelp, before jumping down and placing the kid on the floor. "Here you go."
Other than Wyper, many of the other Shandorans came out from their village. Some Luffy could recognize, some he couldn't.
"Ugh… thanks." Aisa said, before turning to Luffy, "But you will help us right? You are strong."
"Yup, to both." Luffy grinned, ruffling up her hair, "But we can't just kill anyone… he needs to be a piece of scum at first. We don't kill innocent people."
"Oh, Enel is worse than scum," Aisa said, regretting her words immediately. The girl was wide-eyed, and so were the other Shandorans.
"What have you done!" Wyper said, in horror. With his mantra he could sense Enel already being around the area.
Everyone knew a bit about Enel's super-hearing powers. He couldn't listen to everything all the time, even though he tried to portray as such, it wasn't possible. But with a ship coming from the Blue sea, in which many powerful fighters Enel took the opportunity to get near in case something like this happened. He wanted to listen to what they were talking about and also make a presence.
So when Aisa cursed him, he attacked with a bolt of electricity.
The Shandorans that came looked on in horror as time seemed to slow down for them as they watched the lightning bolt descending towards the small girl.
"Aisa!"
Wyper moved immediately, trying to shield the smaller girl. But it wasn't needed.
Right before the lightning could hit Aisa, another bolt of blue lightning and fire shot off from the Going Merry and kicked away Enel's lightning. It was Sanji, and he was pissed.
"You attacked a small girl in front of me!?" Sanji said with twitch of anger and fury in his voice. "You might really have a death wish, huh."
Wyper, Aisa, and everyone that wasn't part of the Blue sea group, looked on, dumbfounded at what just happened.
A man just kicked away Enel's attack, and not only that, but survived it without any visible injury.
"You are gonna kill me?" Enel seemed amused, as he crossed his arms and looked down on him.
"Oh, a arrogant one… huh, I'm gonna enjoy this." Sanji said as flames danced around his feets, with sparks of electricity.
Luffy mused as he looked up. He was impressed, Sanji was easily able to react to Enel's attacks and made him realize just how far Sanji had come.
Luffy wanted to fight Enel himself, as for somereason, this Enel was much stronger than what he expected. But considering Sanji's powers, he could give it to his chef. He did need to fight someone strong to get more used to his powers.
'Enel is way faster then he should be, so Sanji might have a hard time here…' Luffy thought internally, 'But if he beats him. Then he will catch up to Kizaru's speed in no time. Hehe… my crew's the best.'
There was another boom of lightning and a flash in the sky, and like that, the arrogant man came, "Do you know who you are speaking to, blue sea dweller?" Enel asked as he stood on the air with a voice of arrogance and malice. "You will regret making me come here."
"Sure thing, shitstick, but I'm gonna make you regret it for attacking Aisa first," Sanji said. Flames danced around Sanji's feet and started to gain a tint of blue to them.
Seeing Ace's flames go blue gave him some ideas. Though his body still wasn't able to handle the strain of blue flames. He needed to up his armament haki for him to be able to do it. And with what he could guess, fighting against the new bastard would need more then his flames.
"Oi, Sanji…" Luffy called out, "And don't hold back. This guy might be as strong as Doflamingo. Also, take the fight elsewhere, don't want anything happening to the crew or the ship…"
"Sure thing captain."
"Foolish blue sea dweller, do you really think you can…" Enel couldn't even finish his sentence as he was kicked in the face by Sanji.
Blood and teeth fell out as his body went soaring through the clouds, his brain was still processing what just happened.
Sanji followed through, his flames dancing with sparks of electricity generated by his speed. His speed was unreadable, several times the speed of sound. However, it didn't break the sound barrier or create a large boom.
Sanji had found this an efficient way to move around silently and also conserve speed. And he was going to use that to beat the shit out of this arrogant man.
All the Shandorans had their jaws dropped at what just happened, as they looked on in awe and fear towards the Straw Hat pirates.
"See, I told you, these guys can help us." Aisa called out, "They even gave me candy!"
NOTE:
I made Enel a menace like he should be. Without changing things too much. I did give him a bit of a back story, but other than that everything remained the same.
Also in my defense. I don't usually make the enemy strong like other fics. No, as you have seen a bunch of times. I have made allies such as Cricket and Law to be stronger then they should be at this time. Or even made up strong characters like Anchor and Sinbad. So of course there will be some changes here and there.
This is my story. With AU involved. So I took some creative liberties.
Also, don't worry. I will mostly keep other antagonist characters like the Admiral or Yonko crew the same level. It's just the pre-timeskip characters that should have been strong, in my opinion, that I'm changing.
Hope this makes sense. Anyway, have a nice day.
——–
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Sanji moved fast, kicking off through the air with his fastest Geppo, each step, breaking the sound barrier multiple times as he moved toward his target. As he moved the clouds parted, making way for the speed demon.
Meanwhile, Enel was still flying through the air, not processing what just happened. 'Did… did someone just hit me? How dare?!'
With another push Sanji gained up to the lightning bastard, bringing forth his leg as flames covered them. "Diable Jambe: Grill Shot!"
Enel who was just recovered mid-flight, saw that attack coming, and growled. Morphing his golden staff, into a blade, dodging the attack, and intending to cut of his opponenet's leg.
But to his surprise, his golden weapon broke when trying to damage him, and Sanji kicked him to the side kicked him before he could do anything.
"Gah!"
As Sanji's feet sank into Enel's gut, Enel also found his powers reducing as a sense of weakness overtook him. A feeling that he was unfortunately familiar with. 'Sea stones…'
That's all he could think before his body was sent his body hurling to the ground in an angle. Breaking off a few trees before stopping in a sizable crater.
Sanji came down, fixing his suit with a snarl on his face. "Get up, bastard. I'm not done with you yet." He said, smirking.
Hearing that Enel snapped his eyes open, his eyes crackling with electricity. The pain he felt from Sanji's two attacks were fuel for his power, "Foolish blue sea dweller! I will show you what true power is."
His form levitated up, with lightning crackling through his system. He glared at the blue sea dweller, as his golden staff fixed itself due to his powers.
Just form the short exchange Enel knew he had to take this seriously, or else he would be in trouble. But luckily it seemed that he was faster then the Blue sea dweller, he was just caught off guard that's all.
Sanji came down into a half squat, preparing to attack. While Enel turned the staff into a dangerous-looking trident.
He said nothing, turning his body into lightning, zipping right towards the pirate. Sanji didn't back down either, his observation haki flared up as he used Geppo to bounce through the air which would make his captain proud. With that, both fighters met at the middle.
Boom!
A large explosion occurred as sparks of black lighting due to Sanji's haki and blue lightning due to Enel came off from their initial clash. Both fighters looked at each other, with a hint of surprise, one thing became clear.
"So you know Mantra?"
"Is that what they call observation haki here?" Sanji said as he ducked under Enel's spear before almost kicking his head off. But at the last moment Enel dodged it, "Still, it won't save you from my kicks."
When an opponent's intent was hard to read, it became obvious that the other had observation haki. Still, they could each sense each other's aura, making it harder for get in a sneak attack.
"It won't change anything," Enel snarled, "I will show you what true terror is."
"Please, you can't top off anything that I haven't already seen."
Enel just growled as he continued his assault. His trident managed to hit Sanji a few times already, but surprisingly, it didn't draw blood. On the other hand, Sanji was having a hard time hitting Enel as he was fast as lightning.
While Sanji had a bit of an advantage at first due to his shoes having sea stone soles at the bottom, Enel had an easy counter for that.
Just not getting hit.
A very effective way to avoid damage.
Sanji's observation haki was good. But Enel's was better. Why wouldn't it be, he had prided himself on improving it. He had worked on it for years, but even then he was impressed with Sanji's own abilities.
He was reading through Sanji's movements a bit quicker. Reading through his intent a bit faster.
That's why Sanji wasn't able to hit him. Not with his current speed at least. 'Shit! Captain wasn't kidding about this guy… his speed might be even faster then his own lightning.' Sanji thought. 'If I push it maybe I can hit him and end the battle quick. But I'm not in a hurry…'
Enel on the other hand was able to stab and attack Sanji with his lighting. But due to Sanji's exoskeleton and durability due to all the training. The attacks weren't doing much.
Instinctively both of them knew that they weren't going all out. Both having good reasons.
While Enel was more or less being stubborn, not trying to put in any effort. Wanting to prove himself that he was not a threat. Sanji was doing it for something else.
Enel was a opponent that attacked him with a true intention to kill. So his haki was improving. This was also why he wasn't using armament haki either. Focusing on Observation, instead, trying to improve it. Sure his exoskeleton was receiving cracks, but he needed to improve his observation haki if he wanted to get strong.
'And besides, Sabo and that Marimo are watching me. I have to make it look like a show.' Sanji thought, he, of course, picked up their aura, 'Who knows with Robin-chan's powers, she might be watching me as well.'
"Hey, why are you dancing like that?!" Enel growled, with disgust seeing Sanji noodling through the air, with hearts in his eyes. "Vari 50,000,000 V!" Enel said as he shot off a stream of lightning at Sanji.
But rather then avoiding it, which was a bit difficult at Sanji's current speed. He tanked the attack. With flames and a burst of armament haki, he completely removed the after-effects. "Hey, I was having a moment here!" Sanji complained.
"That was a direct hit!" Enel asked in surprise. "You? What are you?"
Sanji smirked, "Just your average cook from the blue sea!"
330
"That was a direct hit!" Enel asked in surprise. "You? What are you?"
Sanji smirked, "Just your average cook from the blue sea!"
With that he attacked, engaging Enel in a close fight, pushing his fire and observation haki to the maximum extreme.
While Enel's lightning was strong. But due to him growing up, in Germa kingdom. He was used to getting hit by lightning attacks from his brothers. Always pointing out, how their powers were superior to his own. So he was used to shrugging of high volts of electricity. And combined with his devil fruit's power to generate electricity, gave him a passive resistance to it.
Yes, in that aspect. Sanji was a counter to Enel. Though he is resistant to lightning. Not immune to it. If he wasn't careful, he would be in trouble. The damage would add up and he would lose.
Kicks and blows were exchanged, and crackling of lightning and sparks of flames laced the battlefield. Each strike was stronger than a canon shot, that shook the air, and ground below.
Their fight was devastating, destroying anything that was remotely close to them. Even the guards of Enel, and the people of Skypiea knew something big was happening in the upper yard. It was as if two forces of nature were clashing against each other.
And even then both of them weren't going full at it. Enel because of his pride, and Sanji because of his own benefit.
.
A few moments ago, back with Luffy and the others,
The people of Shandora were awed at what they saw…
"See, I told you, these guys will help us." Aisa called out, "They even gave me candy!"
All of them looked at the Straw Hat pirates with new light.
"I-I thank you for saving one of our child." The first one to speak was the old leader of the tribe, making everyone look at the old man. He came forward, like everyone he was also injured.
But even then at the old age, he stood like a veteran warrior. He came forward patting Aisa on the head. "This little one has always been a bit rowdy… but I thank you." He said to Luffy, before turning towards where Enel and Sanji went, "Still, you might want to send help for your friend. Enel… he might be arrogant, but he is powerful."
"I know… but don't underestimate Sanji." Luffy said, moving his head towards the ship, "Still, just to be safe… Zoro, Sabo, why don't you guys go… keep an eye out for Sanji. And if it's an emergency, only if it's an emergency, intervene."
Luffy also noticed something strange. Enel shouldn't have been this strong, based of his canon knowledge. But he was much more a threat. That's why he cautioned Sanji at first. But still, sending back up won't be too bad.
"Sure…" Zoro grunted, "Here goes my nap time. I haven't even eaten breakfast yet."
Saob chuckled, "Well, let's get going Mr. Vice Captain."
Zoro grumbled a bit embarrassed by being called by the new title. With that both of them used Geppo to fly towards where the battle was happening.
While the Straw hats, (and those that were on the ship) were used to seeing people run in air. The people of Shandora wasn't.
"Amazing… did the blue sea dwellers develop the ability to fly recently," Raki asked, the others also wondered the same.
Luffy grinned, "Well, not quite." He said, before looking over his shoulder, and gesturing towards Cricket to come down, "You see we didn't actually come here to fight Enel or whoever that was… You see my friend here…" he said pointing at Cricket who came towards him. "Has an interesting theory… Well, it was actually my theory. But are you guys aware of Montblanc Noland?"
Hearing that name, the chief's eyes widened. A look of recognition flashed through his eyes. He then also noticed Cricket, who looked hopeful.
But that wasn't the main thing the old chief noticed, no it was the chestnut shape on his head. "You… are you a dissident of the Great Hero Noland?"
Water started dropping from Cricket's eyes. Seemingly hearing his ancestor getting called by something other than a liar. "I-I am…"
.
Current time, one the Upper-yard,
Enel stabbed forward with his golden trident, but Sanji ducked under it in the nick of time, kicking Enel in the jaw. Or at least trying to, at the last moment Enel backed off, holding up his palm discharging a lighting bolt that made Sanji back away, dodging it.
Though Enel had prepared for that, a small black lightning orb had missed Sanji's detection. And when he backed off, he accidentally touched it, falling for the trap.
ZZzzz
"Agh! Shit…" Sanji hissed, gritting his teeth. Enel grinned, using the chance to slam Sanji on the head with his gold-made hammer, which made the cook drop out of the sky. And into the upper yard.
"Yahahaha! You are no threat to me!" Enel had noticed that sharp attacks did little to no damage, that's why from time to time, he switched it up to hit Sanji with blunt weapons instead.
Sanji growled as he supported himself inside the caterer. He stood up, before falling to his knees. It seemed all the lighting attacks were adding up. 'He caught me off-guard…' The only reason why he wasn't incapacitated was because the clever use of Life return that he used to protect his nervous system from getting too much damage.
Seeing Sanji kneel Enel smirked, a smug expression on his face. "Did you finally see the difference between our power?" he said, smirking, "Tell me your name, blue sea dweller. You have peaked my interest."
"Sanji," the cook said, "what was your name again? Eel?"
"Enel," the self proclaimed god said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "I will say for a blue sea dweller you are strong. Join me then… your power could be useful…"
"Yeah, sorry. But I'm not going to get recruited by some half-washed battery." Sanji snorted. "And besides… I have more than one reason to be on the crew." He said, running his fingers through his hair, "They are hopeless without me."
Enel was a bit irritated by the lack of respect. But he didn't give up. "They must rely on you… your strength I mean. Don't you see…"
"I will stop you right there, while I'm strong. I'm not even the strongest in my crew, my captain. He's a monster. But his sister though… *ahem… like I was saying, your recruitment pitch needs a lot of work…"
Enel snarled, lighting crackling around his body. "Be stubborn then! You will certainly regret it."
With that Enel came forward, this time. He was faster then before, his attacks stronger than before. Utilizing the speed aspect of lighting, every attack was fast as a thunder bolt. Enel stabbed, and shot, while Sanji kicked and attacked. Both doing their best to win.
'This guy is on a whole another level… and he's still holding back.' A small smile appeared on his lips, 'This is getting fun.'
While others might have saw this as Enel going all out. But from experience, Sanji knew Enel was still holding back.
Enel on the other hand was surprised by how strong Sanji was. 'He's able to keep up with my lightning speed. And somehow he's improved his mantra in this short time… that's… how's that possible? It's getting harder and harder for me to read him.' He thought, 'It seems I have to put a bit more effort into it. I need to get rid of his shoes. Other than that he shouldn't be a threat.'
With that in mind, Enel attacked, putting more effort into it. His lightning attacks became faster, faster then any normal lightning and deadlier as well. Sanji was struggling to keep up, but he was also had something up his sleve.