Before the guards could even form a proper defense, the battle-hardened pirates surged forward. Though the Skypiean warriors knew the terrain and wielded unique Dial weapons, they were steadily overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity and numbers of the Blue Sea pirates.
"Impact Dial!"
"Breath Dial!"
The attacks from the various Dials were unorthodox, but the pirates quickly adapted. Within minutes, the guards were all subdued, their pristine white wings now dirtied and crumpled against the cloud floor.
Bellamy's spring-like legs were coiled to their limit. He sneered, looking down at the guard captain pinned beneath his foot. "You talk of a 'God' with strength like this?" The glow around his toes intensified dangerously. "Die!"
Just as his Spring Hopper was about to unleash—
KRAKOOM—!!!
The very sky exploded.
Blinding lightning turned the sea of clouds stark white. A pillar of thunder over two meters thick tore through the heavens and struck the earth with cataclysmic force.
"GYAAAA—!!"
Bellamy's triumphant roar became a piercing shriek. His body convulsed violently within the lightning's embrace. His Spring-Spring Fruit ability was utterly useless.
Dazzling electric serpents writhed over his form. His orange hair stood completely on end. His skin blackened and charred at a horrifyingly visible rate.
In a single, horrifying instant, the once-arrogant pirate rookie was reduced to a smoldering, blackened husk, collapsing to the ground with a sickening thud.
"Wh-What was that...?"
The remaining pirates stood frozen, staring upward in terror. The clouds above churned like a boiling cauldron, countless arcs of lightning dancing within them.
At the heart of the storm, a god-like figure hovered silently—
His long, pale hair floated as if weightless. The earrings dangling to his waist swayed and chimed. His bare torso was marked with intricate, glowing tattoos of lightning. Four large, round Drums of Thunder floated behind his back. Most chilling of all were his eyes, devoid of any mortal emotion, holding only the cold, detached indifference of a deity gazing upon insects.
"Blasphemers?" Enel's voice was soft, yet it seemed to detonate directly inside their skulls, carrying a psychic tremor. "Perish, insects."
He raised a hand languidly, elegantly pointing a single index finger toward the crowd.
"Divine Judgment."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!
Dozens of thunderbolts rained down from the sky simultaneously!
Each one found its mark with unerring accuracy. The blinding, bluish-white light illuminated the entire cloud sea.
The pirates who were struck didn't even have time to scream before being instantly incinerated by the tens of thousands of degrees of heat.
The air filled with the acrid stench of ozone and charred flesh. The ground was littered with smoking, human-shaped scorch marks.
The surviving Skypiean guards were now prostrate, foreheads pressed to the cloud floor, trembling uncontrollably. "God Enel... Divine punishment has descended..."
On the Straw Hats' side, Zoro and Sanji had shifted into ready stances, their expressions grim. Chopper hid behind Robin, peeking out with wide, terrified eyes.
Usopp's knees knocked together audibly. "Th-this guy is no joke..."
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, a rare, serious intensity burning in his eyes. "This guy... he's strong."
Ron's lips curled into a slight, intrigued smile. "The Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit... a truly excellent ability."
A tomb-like silence fell over the area, broken only by the faint, residual crackle of electricity in the air.
The pirates who had been so boastful moments before were now paralyzed, their faces twisted in pure, unadulterated horror.
A few who had hung back and survived felt their legs give way, teeth chattering uncontrollably. "L-Logia... and the most powerful one, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!"
Enel hovered mid-air, his long hair floating in the static-charged air. He narrowed his eyes slightly, savoring the waves of terror radiating from the ants below.
Their trembling limbs, ashen faces, and horrified stares—it was all immensely satisfying.
A true god should make mortals quake in fear!
However, amidst this atmosphere of dread, Robin's attention was captured by something else entirely.
Above the charred corpses, countless orbs of light were slowly drifting upward. Some were crimson like fresh blood, some azure like the deep sea, others pure white like polished jade...
They hovered gently over the remains, pulsating softly as if alive, emitting an almost hypnotic glow.
"Nami-san," Robin whispered, "do you see those orbs of light?"
"Orbs? What orbs?" Nami looked around, bewildered. "I don't see anything but... well, the bodies."
"..."
Robin's pupils contracted slightly. She understood now—only she could see these lights!
[Ding! Attribute Orbs detected.]
The system's notification chimed in her mind, and Robin's heart beat a fierce rhythm against her ribs.
This was the power of her Ephemeral Echoes System!
The abilities these pirates possessed in life were now manifesting as collectible orbs, waiting for her to harvest them!
A sharp, calculating glint flashed in Robin's eyes. She quietly activated her Hana Hana no Mi powers.
Taking advantage of everyone's focus being locked on Enel, in the unseen blind spots—between charred limbs, behind smoldering rubble—slender, graceful hands silently bloomed into existence.
Tap.
The first finger made contact with a crimson orb labeled [Strength]. Like a drop of water seeping into sand, the orb vanished into the fingertip.
Simultaneously,
A crisp notification sounded in Robin's mind:
[Ding! Strength +1!]
A wave of warmth suddenly coursed through her body. Robin could feel her muscle fibers trembling subtly, as if infused with new vitality. She subtly clenched a fist and found the power in her knuckles had indeed increased.
Immediately, more orbs were touched and absorbed—
Tap. Tap. Tap...
Each faint, ethereal sound was accompanied by a system prompt:
[Ding! Agility +1!]
[Ding! Visual Acuity +2!]
[Ding! Swordsmanship Comprehension +1!]
...
Robin's eyes widened slightly. She could feel her body undergoing a miraculous transformation.
Her vision sharpened dramatically, far clearer than before. She felt she wouldn't need reading glasses even for the finest script.
Fragments of combat techniques she had never learned flashed into her mind.
Most astonishingly, these enhancements were instantaneous!
When she absorbed a [Swordsmanship +1] orb from a pirate who had been a skilled swordsman, Robin's wrist unconsciously performed a perfect, fundamental slashing motion—a movement she had never practiced, yet now felt as natural as breathing.
Enel's gaze swept over the area as if he had sensed a slight disturbance. Robin immediately schooled her features into a mask of fear, blending with the crowd, but from the corner of her eye, she watched the last few orbs vanish into her blooming hands.
At the same time,
Within Ron's mind, a series of rapid-fire notifications chimed.
[Ding! Host's subordinate has gained attributes! Triggering tenfold return...]
[Strength +10!]
[Agility +10!]
[Visual Acuity +20!]
[Swordsmanship Comprehension +10!]
...
A massive, surging power flooded Ron's body at ten times the rate! Every attribute Robin had just acquired was being amplified and mirrored back into him, supercharging his own physical and mental capabilities!
....
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