Time was passing, and the battle between Serperior and Enel continued, gradually turning into a contest of endurance.
Enel's attacks couldn't bring Serperior to its knees, and Serperior had difficulty hitting Enel; most of the time, Serperior was the one taking blows.
Only when exhaustion set in and its speed slowed did Serperior have a chance to strike Enel, but at those moments, Enel would retreat and return after a period of rest.
The battles usually didn't last more than a day, and as they continued, Enel began to notice certain issues.
In this most recent fight, he didn't appear during the day; instead, he used the cover of night to reach Apayado.
He chose not to launch a sneak attack, merely using his golden staff to strike the taiko on his back. This wasn't a prerequisite for using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, just Enel's personal habit, probably because he thought it looked cool.
The roaring thunder woke the drowsy Shandia People and the inhabitants of the Sky Island, also catching Serperior's attention.
"I understand your divine power is linked to the sun, under sunlight you recover faster, right? So, at night, can you still do such things?"
After several battles, he discovered Serperior's traits; under sunlight, it could not only recover its strength, but also enhance some of its techniques.
That's why he attacked at night, not because he lacked pride in avoiding a sneak attack, but he favored a battlefield advantageous to himself. The sunless night suited him better.
As Enel struck the taiko, the clash between serpent and man erupted again.
Initially, Enel would bring his priests and guards along, but once he realized they were mere ants to Serperior, he abandoned the practice.
Before heading to the Infinite Land, he needed some people to serve the gods; he didn't want his subordinates to be easily swept aside by Serperior.
The same applied to the Shandia People; they were no longer qualified to participate in this battle. If Enel hadn't preferred to deal with Serperior before them, their situation would have been even more difficult.
Serperior couldn't restrict Enel's movements; to avoid affecting Serperior's fight, the Shandia People could only watch from afar.
"Chieftain, should we just stand by and watch this invader go back and forth as he pleases across our homeland?"
"The Divine Envoy dispatched by the Ancient Gods will arrive soon. This isn't a battle we can interfere with, observing is the best course for now."
Nolan's battle with Enel continued, and Enel guessed correctly that as Serperior, Nolan usually relied on Synthesis for powerful regeneration during fights.
The sun thousands of meters above provided immense help, powering the Solar Beam without any charge time, offering swift recovery through Synthesis.
Leech Seed and Giga Drain found it tough to hit Enel; at night, Serperior's fight was far from easy, its stamina recovery hindered by Enel's attrition.
Dissent protected it from debuffs but did not boost excitement with declining stamina.
The Shandia People noted Serperior's weakness, only hoping it could endure until sunrise, but then, among them, a few youths exchanged glances and quietly slipped away.
...
"Wyper, will this work?"
The youths looked to the tattooed man at the front, Wyper, the strongest of the new generation of Shandia People, revered as a War Ghost, with aspirations from the Chieftain for the next leader.
At 18, his fiery youth compelled him, during Enel's previous incursions with his priests and guards, to lead his people into battle with them.
But with Enel alone now, he'd lost his opponent and refused to idly watch others fight.
This wasn't a duel, but rather an invasion of their homeland; facing invaders, there was no room for chivalry.
The opponent chose the night which weakened Serperior, while Wyper aimed to offer Serperior aid.
"It will work. According to the divine oracle, that guy is just a Devil Fruit user, and Seastone is his nemesis."
He hoisted something akin to a rocket launcher.
"The head of this is a gift from the Ancient Gods, filled with Seastone powder. It doesn't need to hit him; just exploding nearby will help the Divine Envoy."
Like the Navy's specialized Prison Bomb, it was a weapon designed to counter Devil Fruit users. The resulting powder renders them temporarily powerless and extremely weak.
In earlier battles, they'd used this, but Enel's speed allowed him to evade before detonation. Even an ambush was ineffective, prompting the Chieftain's inaction.
Cloaked in the night, Wyper believed he might seize this chance for success.
The group wielding rocket launchers advanced closer to the battlefield under night's cover.
.....
"Three Million Volts Thunderbird!"
A thunderbird formed of lightning burst from Enel's body, and as thunder cracked, Wyper and his group pulled their triggers, maximally muffling the launcher's sound.
However, they underestimated Enel's Observation Haki. Even though his focus was on battling Serperior, it still sensed its surroundings.
The moment Wyper and others launched their attack, he detected their ill intent and the sound of the rocket launcher.
The figure before Serperior turned to lightning, and as it recomposed into Enel, he was already before Wyper's group, untouched by the Seastone powder from the explosion.
"Mortals, who gave you the courage to meddle in a battle among gods?"
Wyper and friends couldn't foresee Enel pinpointing their location within seconds.
Wyper had no time to reload, reflexively swinging his launcher, but only knocked loose some sparks as Enel's shattered form quickly reassemmbled.
"You must pay the price for meddling in the godly duel."
Serperior noticed the disturbance but couldn't stop it in time; Enel's hand morphed into lightning, reaching for Wyper, his smile cruel—his true nature revealed.
Zzzap~!
Lightning flashed, but Wyper felt no pain. The intense light blinded him, yet through the haze, he saw another statue on the Totem Pole, the one belonging to Zeraora.
"So then, what gives you the confidence to call yourself a god?"