"Hiss—"
Marianne drew in a slow breath.
If one looked carefully, it was possible to see that both her complexion and skin had taken on a faint bluish tint.
She wasn't injured.
Rather, in order to counteract the intense heat generated by the lightning strikes, she was continuously using Painting Magic to create an icy chill around her body, preserving the functionality of her Wax-Wax Fruit ability.
Keeping her eyes fixed on Enel, Marianne carefully rotated her wrist to prevent stiffness caused by the low temperature.
There was no helping it.
The weakness of the Wax-Wax Fruit was high heat.
She had to constantly use magic to maintain a low surrounding temperature so that the wax coating would retain its integrity under the assault of lightning.
"Damn it!!"
Electric arcs crackled around Enel as his expression darkened further.
The golden trident in his hand glimmered with a sharp metallic brilliance under the enhancement of electricity.
Yet—
he did not attack immediately.
Since becoming the ruler of Skypiea, he had never encountered an opponent this troublesome.
His normally devastating lightning had actually been easily blocked by that thin layer of wax-like substance.
And then there was that bizarre paintbrush ability!
He had nearly capsized in the gutter just moments ago, and Enel had no desire to experience that again.
For a moment—
neither Marianne nor Enel made the first move.
In Marianne's eyes, Enel's movement speed was far too fast.
Combined with Observation Haki, most attacks could be avoided.
Previously, she had only managed to seal him because of his arrogance.
Now that he had broken free, attempting the same thing again while he was on guard would be vastly more difficult.
And in Enel's eyes—
the Wax-Wax Fruit perfectly countered his lightning.
That forced him into close combat.
But Marianne's bizarre Painting Magic made him reluctant to approach recklessly.
I can't let this drag on any longer.
That thought flashed through Marianne's mind.
She had a faint sense that Enel was preparing something.
The battle had to be decided quickly.
The longer it continued, the worse it would become for her.
"Yahahahaha!"
Suddenly, Enel burst into laughter.
Confidence returned to his eyes.
"No matter how much you struggle, you cannot escape the power of a god."
"Even if you can resist lightning…"
"…then I'll simply destroy this entire island along with you!"
BOOM!
A bolt of blue lightning erupted from Enel's body and shot into the sky, crashing into the thunderclouds above.
In an instant, the already dense storm clouds began collapsing inward, gathering toward a single point.
A terrifying power began brewing overhead.
Seeing this, Marianne's eyes shifted slightly.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"If this level is what you call a god…"
"…then I've seen far more gods than you could ever imagine."
Having experienced the battle at Sabaody, Enel was hardly anything special in comparison.
What truly troubled Marianne was the captain's order to capture him alive.
At that moment—
"Hm?"
"Hm?"
Both Enel and Marianne turned their heads at the same time.
From the outer edge of the battlefield, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were walking over.
The presence of the Straw Hats had already been noticed during the battle.
However—
neither Marianne nor Enel had paid them any attention.
And now these people actually dared to step out on their own?
Sensing the indifferent gazes of both combatants, Luffy flashed a bright grin.
"Zoro, Sanji—they really did notice us already!"
"As expected."
Sanji replied with narrowed eyes, a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Though the tension in his body clearly betrayed his nervousness.
Zoro said nothing.
His gaze remained extremely focused on Marianne and Enel.
His hands never once left the hilts of the swords at his waist.
Luffy grinned and shouted toward them:
"You two are really amazing!"
"I won't interrupt your fight!"
After saying that—
Luffy plopped down onto the ground and rested his arms on his knees.
Zoro and Sanji stopped mid-step.
The corners of their eyes twitched.
THUD!
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?!"
Zoro finally exploded and slammed a fist down on Luffy's head.
He had originally thought their captain was stepping in to interfere.
After all, that self-proclaimed "god" clearly didn't look like a good guy.
Especially after declaring his intent to destroy the entire island.
And yet—
Luffy had merely sat down.
Sanji's cigarette dropped from his lips.
His expression stiffened.
"You moron, what are you doing?!"
Luffy clutched his head.
"That hurt!"
"If we've already been spotted, then of course we should be out in the open!"
RUMBLE!
A thunderous roar shook the sky.
Within the dense storm clouds crackling with electricity, a gigantic black sphere of lightning began to form.
A brilliant smile spread across Enel's face.
He knew that the troublesome dark-red-haired woman could no longer stop him.
"Blue Sea pirates…"
"You came for the Golden Bell, didn't you?"
Enel tilted his head slightly, looking down at the three with arrogance.
The moment he said that—
"So, you really do know where the Golden Bell is!"
Luffy's eyes widened with excitement.
Enel let out a cold snort.
His expression darkened.
"That is not something you are worthy of seeking."
"And you, troublesome woman."
"The heavens should contain only clouds, birds, and gods."
"Nothing else has the right to step into divine territory!"
"As expected…"
"Only the Endless earth is fit for a god!"
"You, and Skypiea itself…"
"…all of it shall be destroyed!"
Enel rose into the air, floating above them.
At the same time, he lifted the golden trident and pointed it first toward Luffy and the others.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Discharge!
Three nearly straight bolts of lightning fired instantly from the trident.
Not good!
Zoro and Sanji's faces changed first.
They immediately moved to dodge.
But lightning was simply too fast.
The moment the thought of evasion arose in their minds, the blue bolts had already reached them.
Only at that instant—
did Zoro and Sanji truly understand how terrifying Enel was.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, both of them were blasted black and smoking, collapsing into a crater.
Seeing how easily he had defeated them, some of the frustration Enel had accumulated from fighting Marianne finally eased.
However—
before he could feel pleased—
he noticed something.
Luffy, who had also been struck by the lightning, was completely unharmed.
Enel froze.
How is that possible?!
"A perfect opening!"
The moment Marianne noticed Enel's stunned reaction, her eyes lit up.
"ZORO! SANJI!"
Seeing his crewmates instantly heavily wounded, Luffy glared at Enel furiously.
"You bastard!"
Gum-Gum Gatling!
Both of his arms stretched out, unleashing a barrage of punches toward the airborne Enel.
However—
what appeared dense and incredibly fast to ordinary people meant absolutely nothing to Enel.
A single flash of blue lightning—
and he effortlessly avoided every strike.
"Damn it!"
Enel's face twisted with fury.
It wasn't Luffy's attack that enraged him.
It was the fact that another person who could resist lightning had appeared.
Suddenly—
Enel's expression changed.
He whipped his head toward Marianne's direction.
She was still standing there—
but according to the perception of his Mantra, the figure standing on the ground was not Marianne at all.
"Got you."
A familiar voice sounded from directly behind him.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story? You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon!
Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
The story has been completed on Patreon! patreon.com/AminaSim
Next Bonus Chapter at 5800 powerstones.