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In truth, Roy had harboured suspicions ever since reading the report on the Sky Guard assault incident, which had mentioned Enel's eventual pardon and his apparent affiliation with an organisation linked to the Celestial Dragons.
After all, only a few organisations were connected to the Celestial Dragons; the two most prominent were the Five Elder Stars and the God's Knights.
The former served as the Celestial Dragons' Commander-in-Chief, wielding the world's highest authority.
The latter held life-and-death power over ordinary Celestial Dragons, embodying the martial might of the gods.
However, it was clear that Enel belonged to neither group.
As only 'Celestial Dragons' could join either organisation, the answer was clear:
Divine Blade, a subordinate organisation of the God's Knights.
Members of this organisation could participate in the Celestial Dragons' largest event: the triennial 'Slave Hunting Tournament'.
Those who ranked highly could become God's Knights and receive exceptional rewards.
Youji had initially been uncertain whether this organisation allowed 'non-Celestial Dragons' to join, but now he could confirm it without a doubt.
Boom!
As Youji finished speaking, dazzling thunderlight erupted from Enel's body once more.
"You bastard! How could you possibly know..."
A horrified gasp escaped his lips as an unprecedented gravity settled over Enel's expression.
Yes.
Youji's speculation had been correct.
Three years ago, when Enel was carelessly captured by the Sky Guard, a man appeared. He was a knight from the Limosif household of the God's Knights.
He took Enel and the precious chest that Enel regarded as his most prized possession, the very item that he had discovered in the ancient ruins alongside the Gorō Gorō no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit). The chest was originally intended to be the elite component of his 'Dream Ark'.
That chest was the key to his salvation.
The God's Knight had brought Enel to Mary Geoise. To Enel, it naturally felt as though he had arrived in paradise.
As previously mentioned, Enel styled himself as a 'god'.
He believed that 'God' had the right to possess anything.
He believed that 'God' had the right to kill any living being.
He believed that God was a superior being who should be clearly separated from humanity. He believed that God was the bringer of fear and despair to the world and that God's authority must never be challenged.
However, after witnessing the Celestial Dragons, meeting the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), encountering the God's Knights, and seeing the highest echelons of this world, along with their vast wealth, power, and influence, he finally realized the truth:
God had already ascended to the heavens.
He didn't need to create his own divine realm to rule the 'sky'; the world itself was the divine realm being ruled.
All he needed to do was become one of the gods.
And, by sheer coincidence, the gods offered him that very opportunity.
"You found this artifact. The esteemed lord is pleased. You also possess considerable power," One of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) declared.
"Be grateful you can join Divine Blade and gain even greater power. Hmm, your house will belong to the Limosi household."
As previously mentioned, Divine Blade is a subordinate organization of the God's Knights, so it naturally falls under the jurisdiction of a God's Knights member's household.
"After accumulating sufficient merits, you can participate in the 'Hunting Tournament' and earn the opportunity to be promoted to 'Celestial Dragon.'"
This was precisely why he obeyed 'Saint Ambokam.'
The latter was none other than the descendant of the God's Knight he served. For the arrogant and violent Enel, such self-restraint was undoubtedly a torment in itself.
But he had no choice: to fulfill his ambition of becoming a god, he had to suppress his true nature.
Until today, that is.
A mere mortal had dared to mention the existence of the 'Divine Blade' right in front of him! This left Enel both horrified and filled with an unprecedented joy. The existence of the Divine Blade and the God's Knights was a closely guarded secret, forbidden knowledge to mortals.
In other words...
"Capturing you and bringing you back for interrogation, no, even just killing you would earn me enough merit!"
With these words, Enel swung his spear once more without hesitation.
"Thunder God's Spear: Unleash, 100%!"
Blinding lightning erupted from the tip of his spear, even more potent than before.
A closer look at that moment would reveal ancient patterns beginning to materialize on his armor and spear, both of which had absorbed countless lightning strikes and were now pulsing with electric currents.
This was the 'power' he had gained upon joining the Divine Blade.
The Thunder God Armor and the Thunder God's Spear were weapons crafted for him using ancient Lineage Factor technology by Saturn, one of the Five Elder Stars and the "Scientific Defense War God." They allowed him to unleash the full potential of his Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), amplifying its destructive force.
Bang!
The Thunder God's Spear swept through the air, once more severing Youji's body and arms.
But...
"Is this the power you gained from being someone else's lapdog?"
The next instant, Youji's body dissolved into bands of light and reformed as quickly as it had been shattered.
"I must admit, the power is impressive," He remarked earnestly. "Too bad it's completely useless against me."
"Impossible!" Enel's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.
Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "I don't believe it! If once isn't enough, I'll kill you countless times more!"
Channelling immense lightning into the Thunder God's Spear and Armour, he reappeared behind Youji at blinding speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each thrust of the spear, amplified by the armor, a force capable of leveling a small island was unleashed.
But...
'..."
Youji didn't even attempt to dodge. He simply allowed his body to be repeatedly pierced and shattered, then instantly regenerated.
This incomprehensible restorative power left Enel utterly baffled.
Mythological beast devil fruits with such regenerative abilities weren't unheard of, for example, the phoenix-phoenix fruit.
But...
This guy clearly possessed Logia-like elementalization abilities, as well as an absurdly powerful physique and strength. This completely exceeded the knowledge Enel had acquired within the 'Divine Blade'.
"What exactly are you?"
Youji, however, had no intention of answering.
"I've already told you," He said, his gaze fixed on Enel, calm yet icy. "You can't bridge the gap between us!"
As he spoke, he clenched his claws tightly.
"And I don't have time to waste here with you any longer."
At that moment, Enel noticed something startling: beneath his opponent's scales, golden patterns seemed to flow ceaselessly.
[Sunflower Devil Fruit LV5 — cells can store light energy. Consuming light energy grants extreme vitality and comprehensive physical enhancement.
[Glint-Glint Fruit LV4: The body can incarnate as light and generate light energy.]
Yes.
The Sunflower Devil Fruit, obtained from Major Undertaker Drug Peclo, was the source of this spectacle.
In theory, this Devil Fruit requires continuous exposure to sunlight in order to absorb light energy and store it, thus maximizing its effectiveness.
However, in the hands of Youji, the Glint-Glint Fruit Devil Fruit User, it underwent an almost qualitative transformation.
The combination of infinite Light Energy and the terrifying vitality of the 'Tyrant Winged Dragon' made Youji an 'unstoppable, unkillable' monster in ordinary combat.
The only way Unique could kill him was in the same way that Zishu had killed Drug Peclo: by unleashing a destructive force that exceeded the limits of Light Energy storage and obliterating every cell in Youji's body, along with the Light Energy within, in a single strike.
However, it was clear that Enel lacked such power.
"No! I am the man who will become God!"
Nevertheless, Enel showed no signs of giving up. "You mere mortal insect! I cannot possibly lose to you!'
As he spoke, Enel's figure lurched backwards suddenly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He swung the shaft of his long spear, striking the drums behind him.
With each resounding beat...
Buzz!
His Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit) surged to its maximum potential. Countless bolts of lightning crackled around his body and coalesced into an enormous, illusory thunder phantom.
But in the next instant:
Buzz!
The massive, thunderous shadow began to compress abruptly.
Buzz! Buzz!
Through relentless compression, the lightning energy finally converged on the spear in Enel's hand and the armor on his body, causing them to emit a blinding thunderlight.
"Thunder God Armor! Thunder God Spear! Beyond the Limit - 120%!"
At that moment, Enel's face paled visibly, and his aura began to dissipate rapidly.
True to its name, this power was forged by exceeding his stamina's absolute limit.
"Though it can only last for less than five minutes, it's more than enough to kill you!"
"300 million volt Thunder God Spear!"
He roared, his spear tip poised to strike.
But...
"Five minutes?"
In the next instant, Enel saw a hand.
"It won't take that long."
It materialized beside him in a flash of light, and from start to finish, Enel's Heart Network hadn't detected its approach at all.
"I told you, I don't have time to play around with you."
When he heard Youji's low whisper, Enel felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Something was wrong; he could sense it.
The spear tip, imbued with his greatest power, struck his opponent's hand but failed to destroy it completely. It merely scorched the scale armor on the man's arm, leaving charred marks that were instantly repaired by sunlight-infused cells.
But this wasn't the strangest thing about Unique.
Enel could now see that the scales on Youji's body were faintly shimmering with a rainbow-colored glow. His arms, which should have transformed into wings in Beast Form, had clearly grown back. Yet the pair of wings on his back remained, and at that moment they appeared to have grown even larger.
Most bizarre of all were the phenomena swirling around Youji's body.
"Devil Fruit Awakening?"
That was Enel's first thought. But he quickly realized that something was amiss.
The wisps surrounding Youji were not the characteristic 'flame clouds' of a Zoan Fruit Awakening, but ethereal crimson ones.
It wasn't until moments later that Enel realized what was happening. The result was an overwhelming life force: muscles and heart pumping blood at an extraordinary rate and blood surging through his veins at blinding speed.
The crimson aura had fused with Youji's original golden light, creating an even more dazzling 'crimson-gold' radiance.
In that final moment, Enel caught a glimpse of Youji's eyes. Within those ferocious, vertical pupils burned an indomitable spirit. For an instant, that spirit caused Enel to experience a profound illusion.
He felt as though he had been transported to a vast, ancient land and was being stalked by an irresistible primordial creature.
Tyrant Winged Dragon Devil Fruit LV4
Additional effect: ancient form. This allows the user to activate the ancient bloodline by consuming a large amount of stamina for a short time. This transforms them into 'ancient form' and unleashes even greater strength and vitality.
"Run!"
Enel made his decision instinctively.
But it was already too late.
Bang!
A colossal wingspan materialized behind him, the Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) cover enveloping his fist. The force of the blow nearly made the air tremble.
'You said you wanted to stand in the heavens, alongside the gods?'
"Then I'll just confirm..."
The next moment, Enel felt something strike him.
Crack!
He heard the Thunder God Armour shatter and the Thunder God Spear splinter.
Crack!
He heard the island below crumbling under the impact, the ground splitting as the land sank gradually into the sea. Finally, he heard the sound of his body and ambition being crushed together, accompanied by Youji's indifferent yet chilling question:
"Do you think those pieces of trash you call "Gods" would die if they took this punch?"
The answer was obvious.
Enel could no longer respond.
At the same time, on Island 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago:
"Those wicked assholes..."
The Robust Man, who had been restrained and dragged away from Shakky's Rip-Off Bar by his companions earlier, rubbed his throbbing head as he stumbled out of his room alone.
He planned to get some sea air to clear his head and sober up.
"He used to be such a bold guy. Spending just a bit of time on Sabaody Archipelago has turned him into a coward."
As he had said earlier, he hadn't spent much time on the Sabaody Archipelago.
His original pirate crew had been wiped out, so he had come to join an old friend, hoping they would journey to the New World together.
—the"What are you talking about? A 100-million-berry Supernova being defeated in one shot by the boss of that tavern? There's no way that's possible, where would so many monsters even come from?"
Clearly, he didn't believe a word of it.
"Huh? What's all the racket?"
Just then, Robust Man opened his door and heard a tremendous commotion.
He frowned, his gaze snapping towards the source of the noise. It was coming from Island 1, and Islands 2 and 3 seemed to be in an uproar too.
Then...
"...Huh?"
His gaze froze.
Island 1 had vanished from his sight.
Yes, the original Island 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago was sinking rapidly.
Robust Man could still make out the crumbling ruins of the island faintly.
Bang! Bang!
A colossal figure with massive wings and a brilliant glow was flying slowly across the sky above the island towards another in the archipelago.
"What... what is that?"
Robust Man was at a loss for words.
'What's happening? What is that gigantic, luminous winged dragon?'
But clearly, no one could answer him.
Just then, a commotion erupted on another island in the distance.
...
The Robust Man instinctively turned his head.
There, on the nearby sea, he saw a battleship slowly approaching. The words emblazoned on its hull made him freeze. Then, losing his balance, he tumbled headfirst from the rooftop.
"Th-that... that's..."
The pain from his fractured bones, caused by the high fall, could not even overshadow the terror in his voice.
"How could he be here?!"
(End of Chapter)