"Captain!"
The White Berets stared in shock at their leader, McKinley, who roared at the heavens with his head tilted back.
None of them had ever imagined that Mckinley—who had always treated every command from God as more important than his own life—would one day publicly insult Enel himself.
Tears welled in their eyes as they looked at him, unable to accept what they were witnessing.
"Captain! What are you doing?!"
"God, the Captain must have been bewitched by that woman! This isn't his true will!"
"Get away from me! All of you, leave!"
Mckinley stepped back, glaring as he barked at the God Squad members trying to approach.
"This is my decision alone, and it has nothing to do with the rest of you!"
He knew what fate awaited him—obliteration by God's Punishment.
"Enel, I've tolerated you for too long!"
Though fear twisted his features, Mckinley grit his teeth and shouted at the sky, his voice trembling.
"You… bastard who eats like a man but acts like a tyrant! Do you even deserve to be called God?!"
A thunderous roar erupted above them.
Rumble!
A violent surge of lightning split the night, a world-ending thunderbolt that lit Angel Island as if it were midday.
"God is furious again."
"Captain… why did he provoke Enel?!"
"The Captain is finished…"
The islanders' expressions were numb. This was the first time so many bolts of God's Punishment had fallen in a single day.
Boom!
The lightning pillar struck where Mackinley and Conis stood, expanding outward in a blinding glow.
The people of Sky Island had already evacuated, watching with conflicted hearts as the bold yet kind enforcer was swallowed by divine wrath.
Had even Mckinley reached the breaking point against this false god?
"Captain!"
Some White Berets collapsed to their knees, sobbing as they watched their leader disappear inside the pillar of thunder.
Sizzle…
The violent energy slowly dispersed, fading into faint sparks that drifted into the sky.
"Captain!"
The White Berets gasped in shock as Mackinley and Conis emerged—completely unharmed.
Mckinley trembled, his legs nearly giving out. "Damn it, I thought I was done for…"
He sank onto the cloud beneath him, staring at it in disbelief.
"So there really is a power protecting us…"
He recalled the moment before the strike. The island cloud beneath his feet had swelled, shaping into strange humanoid forms. They raised their hands, releasing a pale mist that wrapped around him and Conis. The lightning had been drawn into it… and vanished.
…
High above, Enel stood with several of his fallen God Squad members lying behind him.
"God's Punishment?" He turned in surprise toward Angel Island, where the thunder still fell.
"Hmph… a blasphemer dares to unleash my divine power in my name?!" His teeth clenched.
"This is heresy! My authority has been stolen… by a Blue Sea dweller!"
Enel had already abandoned God's Country, planning to destroy Sky Island completely by morning using the Ark Maxim. He hadn't unleashed a single bolt tonight.
No—the Punishment the people had seen… belonged to someone else.
…
"God's authority?"
Floating calmly in the sky, Shirogai lowered his hand, lightning still shimmering around it. A faint smile crossed his face.
"A technique belongs to whoever can wield it."
His gaze swept over both the Shandia warriors and the trembling Sky Islanders.
"Gods once inspired fear in mortals. Now mortals will wield that same fear against you, Enel."
With a flash, his form dissolved into lightning and vanished into the night.
…
Below, the Straw Hats slept soundly after a night of laughter around the bonfire.
Robin and Nami rested peacefully in the tent their crewmates had given them.
Nami murmured in her sleep with a sly grin, "Gold… Berries…" before rolling over.
Robin's breathing was soft and steady.
Zoro sat cross-legged by the embers, eyes closed but alert, Observation Haki flowing around him like a silent net.
Luffy and Sanji leaned against the Cloud Wolves, snoring in perfect rhythm.
Chopper slept so deeply that half his body dangled in the Cloud Wolf King's mouth, antlers sticking out comically.
Gan Fall dozed beside Pierre, exhausted from battle.
And under a nearby tree, Shirogai reclined with his hands behind his head, eyes closed as if asleep. A quiet smile tugged at his lips.
Sizzle.
A stray bolt of lightning descended, merging silently into his body.
Only Usopp was absent.
…
"Captain McKinley, stand strong!" The White Berets supported him as he staggered to his feet.
"You all see it now, don't you?" he shouted hoarsely. "As Conis said, there truly is a power protecting us! Do you still doubt?!"
Conis stepped forward, voice steady.
"Enel intends to destroy Sky Island at dawn. He plans to leave aboard a ship called the Ark Maxim."
"I believe her!" Mackinley declared. He shoved aside the God Squad members clinging to him and turned to the crowd.
"Wake everyone! Tell them the truth—this false god is about to bring ruin upon us all!"
The Sky Islanders looked at one another. Then, panic surged.
"Wake up! Enel is going to destroy Sky Island! Run!"
…
The night before dawn.
Chaos swept Angel Island as families packed in terror, clutching their children and treasures.
"Run! We must flee before the false god destroys everything!"
"Where are the boats?!"
"They've already been taken!"
Torches flared across the island as fear spread like wildfire.
…
Near the altar, Usopp rubbed his eyes, squinting through the mist at the Going Merry.
"Huh? Who's hammering the ship at this hour?"
A small figure in a raincoat tapped gently at the Merry's hull.
"Chopper?" Usopp squinted, but when the figure turned, smiling faintly…
"A ghost!" he shrieked before fainting flat onto the ground.
The figure paused, then continued its work, whispering softly.
"I can still take you forward…"
…
High above, Shirogai's smoke clone floated silently, watching the Merry's spirit mend the ship. He said nothing, simply keeping watch until the apparition faded with the first light of dawn. Then, he too dissolved into the morning sky.
…
As dawn broke, the decisive battle with Enel was about to begin.
---