In a single, terrifying instant, the very nature of the battlefield shifted fundamentally. The solid earth, once rigid and unyielding, began to ripple and flow as if it were liquid. The ground turned a stark, bone-white color, surging upward in massive waves that crashed against one another. Countless thick threads erupted from the stone, transforming the landscape into a roiling ocean of string.
These were not the thin, nearly invisible wires Doflamingo had used previously. These new formations rose like the tentacles of a giant sea monster, their tips stained a glossy, ominous black as they were coated in high-level Armament Haki.
It was a display of power that went far beyond the standard abilities of a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. The thinnest of these new strands was as thick as a water barrel, and they writhed across the broken ground like venomous snakes, locking their sights on the figure hovering in the sky.
The spectators watching from the sidelines could only stare in shock. The sheer scale of the transformation was breathtaking.
"So, this is the power of a Warlord of the Sea," one of the onlookers whispered, their voice trembling. "To think he developed his Devil Fruit ability to the point of affecting the environment itself... It's a monster's strength."
High above the chaos, Enel looked down at the shifting white ocean with a rare expression of seriousness. His arrogant smirk had vanished. Through his powerful Observation Haki—his Mantra—he could feel the immense threat radiating from the earth below. He recalled the warnings given by King earlier. This was not a simple trick; this was the pinnacle of Devil Fruit mastery.
"A Devil Fruit Awakening?" Enel mused, electricity crackling softly around his shoulders. "Very well. Let us see if this so-called 'Awakening' can stand against the judgment of a God."
Enel raised his hand toward the writhing mass below. He did not hesitate. The air around him began to hum and vibrate with intense energy.
"Micro Electromagnetic Cannon... Rapid Fire!"
Blue-white sparks condensed instantly at the tip of Enel's thumb. The energy was compressed to a frightening degree, forming a sphere of pitch-black lightning. He did not stop at one. With a series of deafening cracks, he fired orb after orb, the projectiles tearing through the air faster than the eye could track.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky screamed as the lightning shells rained down.
On the ground, Donquixote Doflamingo watched the incoming bombardment with a wide, manic grin hidden behind his red sunglasses. He raised his hands like a conductor leading an orchestra.
"Fufufufu! Not enough!"
At his command, the Haki-coated tentacles surged upward to intercept the lightning. What happened next defied the logic of the natural world.
Normally, lightning would incinerate fabric, tearing through it with immense heat and penetrating power. But these were no ordinary strings. As the black lightning orbs collided with the white tendrils, they did not explode on impact. Instead, the Armament Haki threads acted like hands, catching the spheres of pure energy out of the air.
The tentacles coiled around the lightning, their grip tightening. Doflamingo clenched his fist, and the threads mirrored the motion. With a violent squeeze, the lightning orbs were crushed, detonating harmlessly within the grasp of the strings.
Enel's eyes widened. "Impossible..."
He had no time to process the shock. Doflamingo did not pause his offensive. With a flick of his fingers, the Warlord sent the massive tentacles shooting into the sky, aiming to strangle the God of Skypeia where he hovered.
Enel was arrogant, but he was not a fool. Seeing the black-tipped spears rushing toward him, he immediately dissolved his physical body into pure electricity. He zipped through the air, attempting to reform at a safe distance.
However, the battlefield had changed completely. Before, Doflamingo had controlled perhaps a dozen strings. Now, the entire earth was his weapon.
The sky became a cage. Every time Enel tried to move, a new wall of white thread blocked his path. The strands wove together rapidly, forming a dense, impenetrable spiderweb that spanned the heavens. Doflamingo, a master of Observation Haki in his own right, predicted every path Enel attempted to take.
Enel moved at the speed of lightning, but there was simply nowhere left to go. He was being herded, forced into a smaller and smaller space, unable to launch a counterattack.
Watching from the edge of the destruction, Ulti leaned forward, her eyes wide.
"Whoa," she exclaimed, tilting her head. "That Doflamingo guy... his Haki isn't half bad, is it?"
Beside her, the towering figure of Who's-Who let out a sigh of exasperation. He adjusted his mask, looking down at the young girl.
"Hey, Ulti, don't be stupid. You shouldn't underestimate Doflamingo," Who's-Who warned, his tone serious. "Even ten years ago, his bounty was roughly equal to yours is now. Furthermore, he is one of the rare few chosen by the heavens to possess Conqueror's Haki. If Kaido-sama hadn't been training us personally during this recent period, you wouldn't even stand a chance against him."
Ulti bristled at the comment, her temper flaring instantly. "Hah?! What did you just say, Who's-Who? Are you saying I couldn't beat him?!"
"I am stating a fact, not a joke," Who's-Who replied calmly, ignoring her outburst. "No one who climbs to the position of a Warlord of the Sea is weak. Even Gecko Moria, who looks like a wreck now, was once capable of clashing with Kaido-sama for several days. Moria only became weak because his spirit was broken. Doflamingo is still in his prime."
A deep, rumbling voice interrupted them.
"Who's-Who is not wrong, Ulti."
Kaido, the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, took a swig from his massive gourd and looked down at his subordinates. His sheer presence made the air feel heavy.
"You are my children," Kaido said, his voice low and grumbling. "I do not wish to lose any of you due to foolish arrogance. Remember this well: on the Grand Line, you cannot afford to ignore or underestimate anyone who has carved out a name for themselves in these seas."
If anyone else had lectured her, Ulti would have screamed and headbutted them. But this was Kaido. Her loyalty to him was absolute. Hearing the genuine concern buried in his rough words, her anger vanished, replaced by a beaming expression.
"I understand, Father!" she cheered. "I'll remember it, I promise!"
"Mm," Kaido grunted, nodding in satisfaction.
Who's-Who watched this interaction with a helpless shake of his head. Ever since Ulti had awakened her own Conqueror's Haki, she had become a terrifying force of nature. Motivated by a desire to impress her brother and Kaido, she had trained with insane intensity. Her strength had skyrocketed.
If this were the past, Who's-Who thought, glancing back at the battle, she would already have the power of an All-Star. But now... the standard has raised.
He felt a surge of confidence in the future of the Beasts Pirates. Only those who had endured the hellish training in the volcano could understand the monstrous progress they had all made. The training methods Kaido had taught them were nothing short of magical.
Perhaps, Who's-Who mused, clenching his fist, one day I will possess enough power to rival a Marine Admiral.
Back in the sky, the situation had become critical.
Enel had nowhere left to hide. The white spiderweb had closed in, trapping him like a fly caught by a predator. For the first time in a long while, Enel felt the cold pressure of a disadvantage.
This struggle exposed a critical weakness in the self-proclaimed God: his lack of combat experience against high-tier opponents.
It had only been four months since Enel had descended from the Sky Islands to the chaotic waters of the Grand Line. Before that, his Logia-class Rumble-Rumble Fruit was so overwhelming that he rarely had to dodge, let alone think strategically. On the Sky Islands, he was untouchable. This complacency was exactly why he had struggled against the rubber boy, Luffy, despite possessing superior firepower.
Since joining the Beasts Pirates, Enel had grown stronger, but he still hadn't fought enough life-or-death battles against cunning veterans. Doflamingo was different. Doflamingo was a pirate who had clawed his way up from the bottom of the underworld, surviving in the most treacherous seas in the world.
Doflamingo's trap was perfect.
Enel hovered in the center of the contracting sphere of threads, his expression grim. He looked at the walls closing in on him. He hadn't expected to be pushed into such an awkward corner.
However, Enel was not the same man he was four months ago. Thanks to Kaido's guidance, he had learned that raw power wasn't enough; he needed adaptability.
"You think this creates a cage for a God?" Enel muttered, his eyes narrowing.
He raised his left hand. The hum of electricity spiked, becoming a high-pitched shriek. Dazzling blue light flooded his palm, but instead of shooting it outward, he condensed it. The lightning shifted shape, stabilizing into a solid, vibrating blade of pure plasma extending from his hand.
He focused his Haki and his element into a single, cutting edge.
"Raikiri!"
Enel slashed his hand forward in a horizontal arc.
The blade of lightning tore through the air with a thunderous roar, slamming into the incoming wall of Haki-infused threads. The immense heat and concentrated voltage severed the connections instantly. The inescapable net that Doflamingo had so meticulously woven was sliced cleanly in half, falling apart into harmless strands of white string.
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