Enel, struck down by the colossal wax siege crossbow, suddenly felt the malicious intent of all Skypiea pressing down on him.
"These insects dare to defy a God? How laughable."
Clutching his injured arm, Enel stood before the golden mass of his Ark Maxim, the grand ship that represented six years of his ambition. Arrogance twisted his face, though unease flickered in his eyes.
"I have no time to waste on weaklings. With [Mantra], I'll amplify my power and erase you all!"
He sneered, stepping toward the gleaming Ark.
Whoosh!
The next instant, the Ark Maxim dissolved before his eyes. One moment it was there, the next it was gone, leaving an empty cavern in its place.
"What?"
Enel froze, his widened eyes darting across the chamber. "Where's my Ark? Where is my grand vessel?"
A calm, mocking voice echoed from above.
"Enel, Did you lose something?"
Enel's body flared with lightning as he looked up, rage twisting his features. "You! The blasphemer from the Blue Sea!"
He shot upward in a flash of thunder, glaring at Shirogai Yamikuro, who floated in midair with an infuriating smile.
"Where is it? Where's my Ark Maxim, I spent years building that thing?" Enel roared.
Shirogai casually tossed a small, pitch-black cube into the air, its surface glowing faintly like a puzzle box.
"Right here. But I'm afraid it doesn't belong to you anymore," he said with a faint smirk.
"Arrogant fool! Do you think stealing my creation makes you a God?"
Enel transformed into a streak of blue-white lightning, diving toward the cube with fury. The theft of his Ark meant the collapse of everything he had plotted for years. He would not accept it.
"Perfect timing," Shirogai murmured.
He stretched out a hand, his gaze locking on Enel's streaking form.
"Absolute Zero, Ice Coffin."
Crack!
A colossal coffin of deep-blue ice materialized at the cavern's mouth, sealing the space in an instant.
"—!"
Enel's elemental lightning body flickered, and for the first time he was forced to reform into flesh. Cold enveloped him as his body was encased within the giant coffin.
"What is this… ice?" he gasped, his body seizing from the numbing frost.
Unfamiliar sensations clawed at him — weakness, dizziness, pain. He panicked.
"Damn it! If this continues, I'll lose consciousness!"
Sizzle!
He forced his body into lightning again. "Electric Light!"
His crimson-white lightning vibrated violently, heating the air with destructive energy. The frozen walls cracked under the strain, shards shattering as he broke free, crashing back to the ground with ragged breaths.
"This man's power… it's terrifying," Enel muttered, eyes narrowed at Shirogai. For the first time, doubt shook his belief in his own divinity.
The realization gnawed at him. He was not this man's equal.
"Blasphemer, I'll never forgive you! Someday, I will—"
Before he could finish, his body flickered as he attempted to escape.
Shirogai's voice cut through the air. "Did I say you could leave? Absolute Zero, Time Freeze."
Suddenly, silence.
The entire cavern froze — not with ice, but with a stillness beyond time. Dust suspended midair, invisible microbes halted, and even Enel's lightning form hung unmoving, trapped by an invisible, absolute freeze.
Only Shirogai walked freely, stepping calmly through the frozen air as if climbing stairs. He stopped before the immobilized Enel, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Pathetic. Fleeing the moment you can't win. That doesn't look like a god to me. More like a petty thug."
Enel's body was bound, unable to move or speak, though his mind screamed in defiance.
"I am a God! I am—"
Shirogai reached out and clamped his hand around Enel's neck. The thunderous body reformed instantly, forced back into human shape, trembling in his grip.
"Do you think elementalization can save you? Can you still use it?" Shirogai asked coldly.
Enel's eyes widened as he realized the truth. His body refused to obey. His power was gone.
"My lightning… where is my divine power?"
Shirogai leaned close, his voice a whisper at Enel's elongated ear.
"Your Devil Fruit is already mine. If you refuse to cooperate, I'll kill you and take it permanently."
The words dripped with quiet killing intent.
Enel's mind broke. His proud arrogance shattered, replaced with a hollow emptiness.
"I am a God… No… he… he's the God…"
The oppressive freeze lifted. Dust drifted again, and the cavern returned to normal. Shirogai stroked the cloth wrapped around Enel's head almost playfully.
"You heard the announcement earlier, didn't you? I started a little game. The God-Slaying Game. Sounds fitting, doesn't it?"
Enel's blank stare answered nothing.
Shirogai chuckled, tilting his head. "Guess who the final boss of the God-Slaying Game is?"
Enel swallowed hard. "You… you mean me?"
"Correct," Shirogai said with a mocking nod. "So you can't leave. If you run now, I'll just play the villain myself, and my companions could use a sparring partner."
He released Enel's neck and tossed him aside like discarded trash.
"Better you play the role of villain for me. Less effort."
Enel's hands twitched as he regained some control of his Devil Fruit, but he dared not move recklessly. His gaze locked on Shirogai, trembling with fear.
Shirogai stood calm and harmless on the surface, yet in Enel's eyes, he was a monster far more terrifying than any God he had ever pretended to be.
____
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