High above God's Island, the fierce battle continued.
Enel, having chosen close combat, utilized his exceptional Observation Haki to suppress both Ace and Luffy in a two-on-one fight. Rayquaza added to the chaos by firing indiscriminate Hyper Beams, forcing Ace and Luffy into a frantic defensive struggle.
That fire-user is definitely like me; physical attacks are useless against him. How troublesome. In that case, I'll deal with the straw-hat brat first, Enel thought, wary of Ace. He focused his assault on Luffy, his golden staff glowing with thermal energy from his electricity, making Luffy yell in pain from the heat.
However, as time passed, the duo seemed to adapt to Enel's rhythm. With seamless teamwork, they began to push the "God" back. Ace's Armament Haki and Luffy's rubber body allowed them to deal effective damage to Enel, while the damage Enel dealt back remained negligible. This "unfair" exchange prompted Enel to consider a tactical retreat.
"You fire-breather and you, Straw Hat, both of you wait! I'll be back!" With that parting shot, Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning and vanished into the sky.
"Bastard! Don't run! Come back and fight me for another three hundred rounds!" Luffy shouted, jumping up and down in frustration.
"Calling himself a God but running from a fight... how pathetic," Ace remarked, unimpressed.
Below, Nami and the others didn't care about the pride of it; repelling a "God" was reason enough to celebrate. They didn't ask for more.
Seeing Luffy's lingering irritation, Ace comforted him. "Don't worry. We'll head to his lair and corner him there. I doubt he'll have anywhere left to run."
"Yeah!"
Back on the ground, Ace scanned the area but couldn't find Aomori. "Where is he?" he asked curiously.
"He went to the God's lair to corner him first," Robin said with a smile.
"What?! Dammit, why didn't he take us?" Luffy's eyes darted around. He looked up at Rayquaza in the sky and yelled, "Hey! Can you give us a lift?"
Rayquaza didn't even blink, simply flying off on its own.
"..." Luffy pouted. "Can we eat it?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Nothing for it. We'll head out to find them at dawn. Everyone's exhausted; let's rest for a bit."
"I guess that's the only plan."
…
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Forced into a "tactical transfer," Enel felt his dignity had been stained. The only way to wash away the shame was to eliminate everyone who had witnessed it. He returned to his palace and casually electrocuted two Divine Soldiers into charred husks just to steady his nerves.
"The fire guy needs water to counter him, and for the straw-hat kid... I'll trap him in gold and let him suffocate!"
"Not a bad plan," Aomori said, clapping his hands as he appeared before him.
Enel narrowed his eyes at the sudden arrival. "You were one of that group from earlier? You dare face me alone?"
"I heard you can read minds. Why don't you try to see what I'm thinking?"
"If I did everything you asked, I'd lose face, wouldn't I?" despite his words, Enel habitually activated his Mantra.
A total blank? How? Enel was internally shocked but kept his cool. Good thing I didn't agree, or I'd be losing face again.
Aomori felt a strange mental force laced with faint electricity trying to probe him, but his own soul blocked it entirely. Feeling reassured, he stated his purpose: "Fight me. As it happens, I am also a wielder of lightning."
Surging lightning energy erupted from Aomori's body, swirling around him and illuminating Enel's startled face.
"You use lightning too?"
Surprise turned into deep contempt. Enel sneered, "I don't know where you got that low-grade imitation, but my lightning is the ultimate power!"
"Is that so? Then who was it that just got beaten by a rubber man and fled?"
"You bastard! Die!"
Enel snapped. He summoned a Lightning Beast that lunged toward Aomori with a roar. Aomori simply smiled and opened his arms, allowing the beast to pounce on him.
To Enel's horror, the beast dissolved into pure electricity and was absorbed into Aomori's body.
"Why? My lightning... it was...!"
Heh, Lightning Affinity LV7 isn't just for show. Ordinary bolts couldn't harm Aomori; they only served as fuel.
"So, what's your next move, Enel?"
"I'll tear you to shreds!"
BOOM!
A massive pitch-black thundercloud suddenly formed in the sky. Countless bolts of lightning rained down on the palace, leveling it to the ground. From then on, the roar of thunder never ceased.
…
The next morning.
At first light, Luffy was up and full of energy, waking everyone else. After breakfast, they set off for the shrine in the center of God's Island. With such a powerhouse lineup, they cut through the opposition like a hot knife through butter. The Priests were utterly defeated.
Along the way, Robin discovered a Poneglyph and happily committed its information to memory. They also encountered the native Shandians. Faced with overwhelming strength, their leader, Wyper, was forced to bring his men along, turning the group into a small army.
This brief interlude ended as they reached the shrine ruins. However, all that met them was debris, and a smiling Aomori.
"Aomori-jisan, where's the big-ears guy?" Luffy asked, looking around excitedly.
"Him? After I beat him, he took his ship and headed for the Endless Vearth," Aomori replied.
"What?! He ran away again?!" Luffy collapsed to the ground in disappointment.
"You beat him?" Ace didn't doubt the truth of it, but he wondered why Aomori hadn't captured Enel the way he had captured them.
Aomori had intended to keep him, but Enel had been surprisingly decisive. Once he realized he couldn't win, he immediately took the Ark Maxim and fled toward outer space. In a state of total defense, Aomori lacked the means to knock him unconscious quickly, so he let him go.
Besides, his primary goal was mostly met. Under Enel's relentless lightning bombardment, Aomori's Lightning Affinity had inexplicably reached LV8, further enhancing his control. He felt as though he was on the verge of becoming lightning itself, though a thin "membrane" still separated him from true mastery. Once he broke through that, he would master Elementalization and become a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user who didn't fear seawater.
…
With the tyrannical Enel expelled, Gan Fall reclaimed his throne. Under everyone's gaze, Luffy rang the Golden Bell that Aomori had intercepted. The clear chime echoed through the heavens, bringing a long-awaited peace to the Sky Island.
After a two-day grand banquet, it was time to part ways.
"Luffy, next time we meet, we might be rivals. Keep working hard," Ace said.
"Yeah, I will! I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy grinned widely.
"Pirate King..." Crocodile narrowed his eyes.
"Pirate King, huh? Quite the ambition," Aokiji remarked expressionlessly.
"Good luck. I think you can do it," Aomori encouraged Luffy before adding, "I'll have Rayquaza give you a lift."
"Aomori-san, thank you so much!" Nami cried, delighted at having a solution for getting back down to the sea.
After waving goodbye and watching the Going Merry sink into the Sea of Clouds supported by Rayquaza, Aomori turned to his companions. "It's time for us to head back, too."
Half a day later, Aomori's group returned to the Sabaody Archipelago. However, as they were about to land, Aomori stopped.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Kizaru, Admiral Akainu, and many Vice Admirals... such a luxury lineup. Are they here specifically to block me?
Using his Mind's Eye, Aomori was stunned by the scene.
It doesn't make sense. I haven't done anything that out of line. He frowned, unable to find a reason for being targeted. If only Absol were here; he could use Future Sight to see the consequences of landing.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked.
"It's nothing. We won't land there. We'll cross the Red Line directly from high altitude."
A major confrontation didn't fit his plans yet, and there was a hint of eeriness to this situation that made him cautious. He decided to play it safe.
"Tch, you're so fickle," Ace grumbled, having been put back in Seastone.
His protest went ignored. The group returned to an altitude of ten thousand meters and successfully crossed the Red Line. Once clear, Aomori lowered everyone to the sea and "borrowed" a passing pirate ship they were "destined" to meet.
Aomori glanced back at the shadow of the Red Line. "Let's go find Whitebeard."
…
At Sabaody Archipelago, near Grove 43.
Aomori's ship, the Blood Flag, was fully coated and docked quietly at the shore. Inside the cabin, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat with Admirals Akainu and Kizaru. They sat motionless, legs crossed.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's hand rang. He calmly picked up the receiver.
"Sengoku, the operation is a failure. Return."
"Failure?" Sengoku frowned. "We haven't even seen a shadow of the enemy."
"Your tracks were exposed. The enemy possesses exceptional detection skills. The next move requires more deliberate planning."
"Understood."
Hanging up, Sengoku stood up slowly.
Ordering us to deploy all our war potential only to suddenly call us off... these Five Elders are really... Sengoku kept a stiff face and ordered, "Mission aborted. We're heading back to Headquarters."
"Kizaru, call Garp back."
"Alrighty~" Kizaru nodded, turning into a beam of light and vanishing.
"Admiral, aren't we going to arrest Dark King Rayleigh?" Akainu asked.
"No need. That old man has been left behind by the era; he can't cause much trouble. There's no point in entangling with him," Sengoku replied. "Besides, a battle here would lay waste to Sabaody."
Akainu nodded grimly. "Understood."
Inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar, Garp and Rayleigh were sitting across from each other, one drinking wine and the other tea, "chatting merrily."
"You old geezer, to think you've fallen to this level."
"I'm not a pirate anymore; I have to make a living. One coating job pays for a week's worth of drinks."
"Bwahaha! Why don't you come back to Marine Headquarters with me as an instructor? Sengoku would surely pay you a fortune."
"No thanks. Keep that money for yourselves. At your age, you won't have many years left to spend it anyway."
"..."
The two old friends insulted each other with familiarity. After a battle of wits and tongues, the shameless Garp emerged slightly victorious.
"Garp, do you know about a man called Fire Fist Ace?" Rayleigh asked, swirling his glass.
"Ace? He's my grandson."
"As I thought," Rayleigh said, his tone suggesting he had already guessed. "Ace was here recently. I learned his true identity."
"Oh? Bwahaha! Is that brat doing well? He hasn't come home once since he set sail two years ago. Really now." Garp's expression didn't change much.
"Whatever the reason, thank you, Garp."
"Nothing to thank me for. Ace is my grandson," Garp said firmly.
"Heh, you haven't changed."
At that moment, Kizaru appeared and informed Garp of the withdrawal.
"Mission failure, eh? Seems the guy you're meeting is quite something," Garp laughed, standing up.
"Yes. He's the most exceptional young man I've ever seen. I suspect the next era will be inaugurated by him. It's an unstoppable wave composed of the youth," Rayleigh said meaningfully.
"Then I really look forward to meeting him."
Garp and Kizaru left the bar, leaving Rayleigh alone with his drink.
"In the face of a new era, us old folks don't get a turn on the stage anymore."
…
Using the Eternal Pose Ace carried, Aomori and the others sailed swiftly toward Whitebeard's location.
Ten days later, they finally sighted the Moby Dick, the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates. At the same time, they noticed another massive vessel sailing toward the Moby Dick just as they were.
"That pirate emblem is... the Red-Haired Pirates!" Aokiji, well-acquainted with them, immediately identified the ship.
"Red-Haired Shanks? A great pirate ranked among the Four Emperors alongside Whitebeard." Crocodile couldn't help but clench his fist.
"A meeting between two Emperors? What do they have to talk about? Surely not an alliance?" Out of habit, Aokiji began evaluating the global impact of this meeting.
"Was this also part of your calculations?" Ace asked, recalling Aomori's sudden decision to bypass the Red Line from above. Had it been to catch this exact moment?
Aomori actually hadn't known; he was just as surprised by Shanks' appearance. "What a coincidence. I thought I'd have to wait a few more days to see Red-Hair. But this works out. Let's handle them all at once."
It saved him the time of searching. As one of the Four Emperors, Shanks' decision would affect Aomori's future plans, even if it wasn't the deciding factor.
"Let's go, Ace. I'm taking you to see your Pops." With a wave of his hand and no trace of fear, Aomori steered the ship toward the two "Emperors of the Sea."