At the same time, in the core region of God's Country.
Enel, having been thoroughly educated by the storm of thunder Luffy had personally released, was sent flying out of the maelstrom of lightning like a kite with its string cut. His body was covered in charred wounds, wisps of white smoke rising from several spots, leaving him utterly disheveled.
Thump!
He crashed heavily into a clearing in the forest, bounced, and slammed against the trunk of a giant tree before finally coming to a stop.
He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, then raised his head to look at the figure wrapped in white flame-clouds in the sky, like a god of thunder descended to earth.
"Why... why can I still be hit even when I've turned into an element?!"
Enel roared.
Since obtaining the Goro Goro no Mi and becoming the god of Skypiea, this was the first time he had suffered such severe injuries, the first time he had felt the threat of death!
"I told you, I'm rubber." Luffy's lips curled slightly as he stated calmly. "And even if I weren't, hitting you would still be easy."
Have you, this 'god,' ever seen the 4 a.m. sun?
Do you think I trained my Armament Haki for nothing?
To be fair, Enel's strength wasn't weak, and the Goro Goro no Mi was a top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit.
The problem was his over-reliance on his fruit abilities. His personal physical combat skills and Haki training were far from adequate; even his so-called Mantra was more flash than substance.
Luffy not only completely countered Enel's fruit with his own, but also overwhelmingly surpassed him in physical combat and Haki!
"Is this... your confidence?"
Enel glared at Luffy viciously.
This guy was truly troublesome.
His own physical skills were being crushed. His fruit abilities were being countered. Even though Mantra allowed him to predict Luffy's movements, Luffy's speed and power often made those predictions useless, leaving him unable to dodge in time.
Damn it! He still had a trump card!
He should retreat first and bring his Ark Maxim over. With the power to destroy the entire Skypiea, who could stop him then?
Right, not running away. A strategic retreat.
But Luffy's killing intent had long since locked onto him. Fleeing would only expose even greater openings and get him killed faster!
In this situation, Enel went completely berserk!
"Straw Hat kid! You think you're the only one who can get big?!"
Enel let out a hysterical roar, pushing the power of the Goro Goro no Mi to its absolute limit.
BOOOOOOM!
A terrifying thunderous power erupted from within Enel's body. By madly raising the voltage to 200 Million Volts, he caused his body to enlarge massively, ultimately transforming into a lightning giant resembling the god Takemikazuchi!
The surrounding trees instantly disintegrated into flying ash under the leaking electricity!
Raijin Form!
The towering lightning giant stood astride Upper Yard. Bolts of lightning shot from his hands into the clouds, causing the entire sky's Knock Up Stream clouds to churn violently, making it look like the end of the world had come.
That colossal size and terrifying presence could be clearly seen by the people all the way on Angel Island, sparking widespread panic.
The Lord of the Sky, who had retreated into the distance earlier, saw this Raijin giant and very nimbly shrank back even further, its massive head almost burying itself in the sea of clouds.
Can't mess with that. Really can't mess with that.
"What the hell is that?!"
Sanji, who was currently battling the spider-haired Priest Satori, was also drawn by the sight of the sky-piercing lightning giant in the distance and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Daring to get distracted while fighting me? You're looking for death!"
Satori seized the opportunity. Jet Dials on his feet spewed gale-force winds, propelling him into a diving charge. His fist, powered by Jet Dials on his arms, smashed toward Sanji!
"You? Don't make me laugh."
Sanji's eyes turned cold, instantly snapping back to focus. Wind seemed to sprout under his feet as he powerfully kicked off the ground, leaping into the air to meet his opponent. His black dress shoe whipped towards Satori like a steel cable.
"It's useless! I've already seen through your moves!"
Satori used his Jet Dials to nimbly twist his body in mid-air, narrowly dodging Sanji's kick. At the same time, he opened his other hand, spewing a thick, viscous Swamp Cloud directly at Sanji's face.
"Then try this!"
Sanji neither dodged nor evaded. He chose to take it head-on!
He let the suffocating Swamp Cloud plaster itself over his face while simultaneously reaching out and precisely grabbing the arm Satori had attacked with. Using his body's falling momentum, he brought his leg up in a powerful, heavy axe kick, slamming it squarely into Satori's face.
Thud!
Satori was sent flying back as if struck by a battering ram, crashing into the ground even faster than he had come and creating a deep crater. He struggled to push his battered body up, wiping the blood that kept flowing from the corner of his mouth, and glared furiously at Sanji, who had landed smoothly. "Are you insane? Taking an attack with your face?"
"Fighting means doing whatever it takes."
Sanji held his breath, lifted his right leg, and thrust it into the Swamp Cloud on his face. He stirred rapidly a few times with a peculiar frequency and technique, then flicked his leg downward. The viscous Swamp Cloud was actually flung right off.
"Now that move of yours is useless against me."
Sanji let out a long sigh of relief and shook his foot.
He had to admit Satori's attack method was indeed troublesome. But once you grasped the force and understood the flow of the cloud's movement, it wasn't impossible to get rid of it.
Sanji had quite a bit of confidence in the skill of his feet.
On the other side, Zoro's battle with the Priest of the Trial of Iron, Ohm, was also reaching its climax.
"I never imagined someone could push Lord Enel to such an extent."
"But that's all."
"I'll finish you first."
Ohm, seated atop his giant dog Holy, adjusted his sunglasses. His gaze shifted from the distant Raijin giant back to the three-sword-wielding man before him. Ohm had great confidence in Enel's power.
"The fact that you're worth a hundred points means you have some skill. But I am different from you, who are barely worth a hundred. My score is only a hundred because that's the upper limit!"
"Iron Whip!"
Ohm gave a cold shout. The cloud-sword formed of Iron Cloud in his hand—a blade that could extend, contract, and was incredibly hard—lashed out like a venomous snake, stabbing towards Zoro!
Clang!
Zoro brought all three swords together, crossing them in front of him, forcefully blocking the swift attack. The immense power still pushed him back several meters, his feet carving two clear trails in the ground.
"Not bad power." Zoro raised an eyebrow in appraisal.
"I am the Priest in charge of the Trial of Iron, Ohm. To this day, the survival rate for my trial is zero!"
"As the strongest of the four Priests, dying by my hand is an honor for you."
Zoro was proud. Ohm was prouder.
"So you're a Priest." Zoro finally seemed to process this.
"Idiot! Didn't I introduce myself just now?!" Ohm yelled, infuriated by his reaction. He swung his Iron Cloud sword again, its tip shooting out like a living thing, aiming straight for Zoro's chest.
Truthfully, Zoro hadn't paid any attention to the other's status as a Priest. He simply viewed Ohm as a swordsman worth fighting.
What identity didn't matter.
As long as he was worth fighting.
Facing this tricky sneak attack, Zoro remained calm and unhurried. Raising his three swords, he unleashed one of his most practiced moves—"Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
***
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