Enel was so angry he nearly spat blood on the spot.
Two Million Volts was enough to instantly incinerate an entire army, yet his opponent was treating it with such contempt?!
"Even rubber will explode when faced with stronger lightning!"
Enel, appearing utterly crazed, suddenly struck the large drum on his right shoulder.
Boom!
The drum's sound echoed, and brilliant lightning surged forth, rapidly taking the form of a vivid, lifelike blue giant bird, its body completely composed of electricity.
The giant bird spread its wings, let out a silent shriek, and shot towards Luffy at a speed almost impossible for the naked eye to follow!
"Thirty Million Volts: Raiton!"
Facing this lightning strike of far greater power than before, Luffy still neither dodged nor evaded. He even took the initiative to meet it head-on. His body was once again engulfed by the violent electricity, but protected by his rubber constitution, most of this lightning—enough to melt gold and sever iron—was rendered harmless. The small portion that seeped in was quietly absorbed by him instead.
Time to recharge.
"You."
To Enel's shocked gaze, Luffy passed straight through the Thunder Bird and appeared before him once more, then aimed another punch squarely at his already swollen cheek!
Smack!
The sound was crisp and loud.
Enel was sent flying again, the other side of his face rapidly puffing up to match the first. Symmetry achieved.
"Three times! Three times!!"
Enel clutched his face, humiliation and fury threatening to shatter his reason. "I'll kill you! I will definitely kill you!!"
Why did this guy keep punching people in the face when he fought?!
He descended into complete madness, gripping his golden staff with both hands and rapidly, consecutively striking the four large drums on his head and shoulders!
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Even more vast and terrifying thunderous power surged forth from the four drums, converging around him.
The lightning was blinding, impossible to look at directly. A heart-palpitating aura of destruction spread out!
Finally, all the electricity coalesced into an enormous, distinctly scaled and plated blue dragon of lightning, its horns and whiskers ferocious!
The Thunder Dragon coiled behind Enel, its dragon head held high. Its cold, electronic eyes locked onto Luffy, radiating a terrifying might that seemed capable of annihilating everything!
"Sixty Million Volts: Rairyū!!"
With Enel's hoarse roar and the downward swing of his golden staff, the colossal Thunder Dragon let out a sky-shaking roar, writhed its massive body, and dove down towards Luffy with a momentum that promised to crush everything in its path!
The air along its trajectory was ionized, emitting sharp, crackling pops!
This time, Luffy finally did not try to tank it directly. Watching the roaring dragon descend, a trace of an excited smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"You've been discharging electricity for so long. Isn't it my turn now?"
Luffy grinned, showing his white teeth. "I just wonder, have you, this so-called 'God,' ever been struck by lightning yourself?"
Before the words even finished, Luffy's body began to swell. White, flame-like clouds swirled around him like a gossamer garment.
He did not fully enter the Nika form, but instead mobilized a portion of his awakened power. Simultaneously, he released without restraint all the electrical energy he had absorbed from Enel's attacks and compressed within himself!
BOOOOOOM!
For a moment, it was impossible to tell who was the real God of Thunder.
Violent blue lightning erupted from within Luffy's body, spreading over him like a bursting dam. Countless thick bolts of thunder and electric serpents danced wildly, instantly filling every inch of space around the altar.
The sky seemed to transform into a sea of lightning; the earth trembled. The entirety of Upper Yard shuddered under this sudden, terrifying thunderstorm.
Luffy stood at the center of the tempest, his body entwined with destructive arcs of light, the white flame-clouds fluttering amidst the electricity, as if the true master of thunder had descended.
Nami and Vivi stared, dumbfounded, at this scene far beyond their imagination, their mouths hanging open for a long time.
"Can a human really reach this level...?"
"With this kind of power, he would be the one truly worthy of being called a god..."
Nami suddenly realized that her captain, without her noticing, had grown strong to a degree she could scarcely comprehend.
At this moment, Enel, who had just unleashed his powerful move, the Thunder Dragon, was dumbstruck.
The scale and power of the thunderstorm ahead far surpassed his own, as if its caster had turned the entire sky into his personal stage.
The ferocity and madness on Enel's face completely froze, replaced by a trace of incredulous fear!
"Impossible!"
"This is my technique!"
"I am the god!"
God?
Luffy shot back with a retort: "You're a lunatic, you mean."
Just as Luffy and Enel were clashing...
Zoro and the others had also stepped into the land considered sacred by the Sky Islanders—God's Country, Upper Yard.
This vast land, the only one floating upon the White-White Sea, was filled with ancient forests and ruins, standing in stark contrast to the pure white sea of clouds surrounding it. This was the holy land of the Sky Islanders.
They hadn't ventured far when several Divine Soldiers, wielding strange weapons and with Jet Dial wings mounted on their backs, leaped out from the bushes.
"Blue Sea dwellers! I'll be taking your points now!"
The Divine Soldiers charged forward with a clamor, grinning viciously as they stretched out their arms, aiming their open palms at Zoro.
Zoro couldn't even be bothered to fully draw his swords. He merely flicked his thumb, allowing a small sliver of Wado Ichimonji's cold gleam to show, and then an invisible flying slash roared forth!
Swish!
The Divine Soldiers at the front only felt a sharp, fierce gust of wind rush towards them. The clothing on their chests was instantly torn apart, and they were violently sent flying backwards, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"D-did you just... finish them?" Usopp stared, slack-jawed.
"Hmph. Just small fry." Zoro sheathed his sword coolly, but his gaze was caught by a shell that had dropped from one of the fallen Divine Soldiers.
Usopp picked it up curiously. It was a peculiarly shaped white shell, slightly heavy in the hand.
"Is this... a Slash Dial?"
Recalling Conis's illustration guide, Usopp's eyes instantly lit up. "It's said this shell can absorb and release slashing attacks! With this, could I, the great Captain Usopp, unleash flying slashes like Zoro?!"
Usopp tried pressing the shell as he had seen demonstrated. The shell activated, releasing a slash that cleanly severed a large tree ahead.
"Whoooa!" Usopp nearly let out a monkey-like cheer.
Zoro cast a glance at the excited Usopp and threw cold water on his enthusiasm. "Relying on external tools is ultimately inferior. What's important is relying on your own strength."
Usopp really wanted to retort.
Not everyone is a monster like you and Luffy.
He'd lost count of the times he had just fallen asleep only to see Luffy getting up to train.
"So you do have some skill. No wonder your point values are so high. But where's that hundred-point guy? Did he run away after learning I was coming?"
An unfamiliar, mocking voice drifted down from above.
The group looked up.
A man wearing goggles and a pilot's outfit, riding a giant vulture, was circling above them.
"And who are you?" Sanji asked lazily, cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"I am the Sky Knight in charge of the Trial of Strings—Shura!" the man declared arrogantly from his high vantage point.
***
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