At this moment, atop the temple of Upper Yard, Enel leaned back on his divine throne. Tiny sparks of lightning flickered around his body, and his Mantra already blanketed the entire island.
The moment he noticed Ivan and his companions, a playful, mocking smile curled on Enel's lips.
"Oh, more Blue Sea dwellers have stumbled their way up here?" He toyed with a strand of lightning between his fingertips, thinking to himself, Perfect. I haven't had any decent toys in a long time. I'll have some fun with these tiny Blue Sea ants and see how long they can last in my trials.
But in the next second, the mockery on Enel's face froze. His pupils contracted sharply, and a look of utter disbelief washed over him.
He clearly perceived that the strange Blue Sea dweller had actually locked onto his exact position.
Across a vast distance, the man was looking right back at him!
For a moment, their gazes locked.
Once he confirmed that the Blue Sea dweller was staring directly at him, Enel couldn't help but shout in shock:
"Impossible! How can he also use Mantra? And how is his sensory range so immense?"
In his understanding, Mantra was an ability only the strong of Skypiea could master. Even if there were powerful people in the Blue Sea, it was impossible for them to possess such formidable perception—let alone lock onto his position after he had already deployed his own Mantra.
This sudden turn of events caused the arrogant Thunder God to feel a flicker of unease for the first time.
On the other side, Ivan retracted his Observation Color and spoke to Nami and Tashigi beside him.
"Found it. The Golden City is over there, and our target is waiting for us there as well."
With that, he walked steadily and directly toward the island.
However, before the two of them could go far, four figures suddenly shot out from the Sea of Clouds, blocking their path.
Ivan looked at the four and recognized them as the four Great Priests under Enel's command: the Ball Priest Gedatsu, the Rope Priest Shura, the Iron Priest Ohm, and the Swamp Priest Satori.
Soon, Gedatsu, who was as fat as a ball, stepped forward from the group.
He approached Ivan and his companion, looking down on them with contempt.
"Tiny Blue Sea dwellers, you are fortunate that your existence has been noticed by God. By some miracle, you have been granted a personal audience with Him. This is a supreme blessing for you; follow us immediately to pay your respects!"
Hearing this, Ivan knew that Enel had already discovered them.
Facing Gedatsu's arrogant expression, a playful curve touched Ivan's lips as he said indifferently:
"And if I insist on not going?"
The moment those words were spoken, the aura surrounding the four priests exploded, pressing down on Ivan.
Gedatsu bellowed fiercely:
"If you refuse to go, you are blaspheming God! To dare desecrate the divine—you truly don't know the heights of heaven or the depths of earth! Since you refuse to bow and obey, we shall break your limbs and drag you before the divine throne in chains!"
Ivan slowly looked up, sounding somewhat amused.
"Have you ever considered what happens if you're simply not my match?"
Upon hearing this, the four of them sneered in unison, their eyes filled with naked disdain.
"A mere weakling from the Blue Sea dares to spout nonsense in the domain of God? We are the noble priests who serve the deity, members of the invincible God's Army. What makes you think you can stand against us?"
With that, they stopped talking and struck violently.
Gedatsu moved first. His body became a blur, carrying immense momentum as he charged brutally toward Ivan.
But the moment he drew near, an invisible, colossal force suddenly erupted.
Gedatsu didn't even get close; he was violently blown away, screaming as he crashed heavily into the distant forest, plowing a long furrow through the trees.
The Sea of Clouds fell silent the instant Gedatsu was sent flying.
Because Ivan's attack had been too fast, no one except Nami could clearly see the details of how Gedatsu had been launched.
They couldn't even tell what kind of attack Ivan had used to repel Gedatsu so effortlessly!
However, while they didn't know the method, they realized that an Ivan who could easily defeat Gedatsu was not the cowardly Blue Sea dweller they had expected, but a powerhouse far stronger than themselves!
Realizing this, the hearts of the remaining three sank simultaneously. Their previous contempt and arrogance vanished, replaced by horror and anxiety.
They had never imagined that this seemingly ordinary Blue Sea dweller possessed such terrifying strength.
In their panic, the three looked at one another and immediately realized they could not fight alone.
Coordinating with a brief exchange of glances, they simultaneously unleashed their powers and charged at Ivan.
Only by attacking together and overwhelming him with numbers did they believe they had a chance!
In the next instant, lightning ropes, iron swords, and swamp mists intertwined, surging toward Ivan and sealing off all possible escape routes.
The three looked on expectantly; as long as they could deal with Ivan, the remaining woman would be no problem at all!
However, their imagination was far too optimistic. In the face of absolute power, all struggle is futile.
Ivan didn't move a muscle. With a casual wave of his hand, a terrifying Repulsive Force centered on him crushed the three priests.
Faced with such a horrific attack, the priests had no chance to resist. Accompanied by the spine-chilling sound of snapping bones, they were easily crushed and collapsed to the ground, completely stripped of their combat capability.
Ivan had no intention of showing mercy to vicious pirates and was about to finish them off.
At that moment, the entire sky suddenly darkened. Black clouds rolled and churned, and lightning flickered deep within the layers. A suffocating, terrifying pressure descended, enveloping the world.
Ivan looked up with a look of interest and turned to Nami.
"Leave these small fry to you. That 'high and mighty' god finally couldn't hold back and has decided to act personally. I'll handle his attack."
Though Nami was confused and didn't know what this so-called god was, she didn't ask.
Trusting Ivan was enough; he could solve everything with ease.
Thus, Nami decisively walked toward the four incapacitated priests and swiftly finished them off.
At the same time, deep within the clouds.
Perhaps enraged by Nami's actions, a pillar of lightning dozens of meters thick crashed down. Carrying a world-destroying divine wrath, it aimed directly at Ivan, intending to turn him and everything around him into ash.
Facing this terrifying 'divine punishment,' Ivan's expression remained unchanged.
With a slight movement of his fingers, his energy flowed, and a red and blue sphere instantly formed behind him, subsequently merging.
Very quickly, Hollow Technique: Purple took shape!
A massive, deep purple sphere appeared before him, floating silently.
As the pillar of lightning poured down, the deep purple sphere, under Ivan's control, shot upward at extreme speed!
Soon, the two collided!
However, the moment the lightning pillar and the deep purple sphere slammed into each other, the expected earth-shattering explosion did not arrive.