While Luffy and the others were entangled with the giant snake and the priests, Wyper had already successfully climbed above the clouds where the shrine was located.
"How can this be? The shrine is... in ruins!"
Wyper's eyes widened as he stared at the sanctuary, which had already been reduced to rubble. A look of uncertainty and shock crossed his hardened face.
"What on earth is Enel trying to do?"
Looking at the charred marks on the broken walls, it wasn't hard for the Shandia warrior to determine whose handiwork this was. However, he couldn't understand why that damned "God" would tear down his own home.
Rumble!!!
Just then, a series of deafening thunderclaps erupted not far away.
"So you're over there, Enel!" Wyper was overjoyed. He gripped the Reject Dial in his left palm and, without hesitation, steered his Waver down through the clouds.
"This time, I will definitely kill you!"
"What's with all that lightning? Is it going to rain?"
Riding atop the giant dog's head, Luffy listened to the increasingly loud thunder with a look of confusion. The dimwitted captain looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and adjusted the straw hat on his head.
"Seems pretty interesting, though... Let's go, big dog! We're heading toward the lightning!"
"Woof!" Holy, the giant dog who obeyed anyone's orders, gave a low growl. Then, amidst the startled cries of a certain blue-nosed reindeer, he began sprinting down the Giant Jack. The sight of him running on two legs with that silly, vacant expression was truly absurd.
"Hiss—!" The Master of the Sky suddenly snapped out of its daze from the thunder. Flicking its crimson tongue, it pursued them without hesitation, forcing the female warrior Laki to dive out of the way in alarm.
"Damn it! Don't you dare run!"
Ohm was losing his composure. His Ordeal of Iron was supposed to have a 0% survival rate; it would be incredibly embarrassing if they escaped right under his nose.
—36-Pound Phoenix!
The sunglass-wearing priest was about to give chase when a sudden sense of danger hit him. He ducked his head just as a spiral-shaped slash grazed his scalp, carving a long gash into the rock behind him.
"Hey, hey, hey. Your opponent is me!"
Sheathing the Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro gave a wicked grin. He untied the green bandana from his left arm, tied it firmly around his head, and looked at Priest Ohm with eyes full of battle-lust.
"As long as I'm alive, don't even think about interfering with my Captain!"
"Oh, is that so..." Ohm's gaze turned cold. He raised his long Iron Cloud blade and growled, "Since you're looking for death, so be it."
—White Iron Brambles!
The white blade extended at an exaggerated speed, slashing violently toward the green-haired swordsman's throat!
Elsewhere, in the ruins buried beneath the clouds: The City of Gold, Shandora.
(That thunder... is it that 'God'?)
Nico Robin, who was carefully reading the ancient text on a stone monument, furrowed her brow. She looked up toward the source of the noise.
With a violent crash of thunder, several bolts of lightning suddenly exploded from above the clouds. The terrifying blue-white light momentarily illuminated the entire ruins, forcing Robin to instinctively cover her eyes. Under the fierce bombardment of those lightning strikes, the entire world seemed to tremble!
"Is that God fighting someone?"
Robin murmured to herself. When the lightning faded and she opened her eyes again, the beautiful archaeologist was shocked to find that the clouds covering the ancient city had completely vanished under the previous strikes.
A giant blue-white ball of electricity floated in mid-air. The jumping arcs of lightning produced a hum that sounded like a swarm of countless mosquitoes, sending a chill deep into one's soul.
Standing in the distance, Robin observed for a long time before she could faintly discern a humanoid silhouette within the light. It was God Enel, who had entered his strongest discharge mode.
On the other side, the figure standing on a flying carpet confronting the Thunder God was much easier to recognize. The familiar black robe, the silver-rimmed glasses, the silver-and-black hair, and that calm, composed expression—who else could it be but the Sorcerer?
"Sherlock!" Robin was stunned. She hadn't expected the most level-headed man in the crew to clash with Enel so quickly.
(The opponent is a Logia... how can you possibly attack lightning? And... what exactly is that long bolt of blood-red lightning?)
Looking at the blood-red lightning spear, Gungnir, hovering diagonally above Sherlock, cold sweat began to bead on the intellectual beauty's forehead. She hid behind a rock, quietly watching the situation unfold.
A dragon has a reverse scale; touch it, and you die.
When it involves the things a person cares about most, they are likely to do something truly insane. Just as Anna had once betrayed the Sorcerer when her faith collapsed, and just as Sherlock had been easily provoked by Blackbeard when his sister was mentioned.
For Enel, whose ark was destroyed and whose dreams were shattered, the feeling was even more intense.
Sherlock had deliberately provoked the Thunder God earlier to make him lose his mind. However, the Sorcerer hadn't expected that the lightning fueled by this rage would be so terrifying! He was truly experiencing what it felt like to be struck by divine retribution.
The upper limit for Mirror Reflection to deflect electricity was roughly around 100 million volts. That level was simply not enough to face Enel's strongest 200-million-volt discharge. If it weren't for that spear acting as a mysterious lightning rod that could absorb electricity, the Sorcerer would have likely been turned to ash by now.
(Alright, the Ark Maxim that could amplify his fruit power has been blown up, and his Mantra is completely Haywire. Now, what? What kind of attack can hit "Lightning"?)
At this moment, Enel's mind was filled with only one thought: tearing this damned four-eyed man into pieces. Never mind his bug-like Mantra; he was likely incapable of even normal thought right now.
(Armament Haki... how on earth do you learn that stuff!) Sherlock's expression was a bit bitter. He desperately wished he could acquire that useful skill as soon as possible.
Zzt! Zzt! The scalp-numbing sound of current rang out again. Enel naturally wouldn't give the Sorcerer time to think. He extended both hands, clearly preparing to discharge electricity again.
(Again??)
Sherlock narrowed his eyes and braced himself. The blood-red sparks on Gungnir flickered in and out. But unlike the previous series of lightning strikes, his Observation Haki didn't sense an intent to attack him this time.
(Could it be... oh no!) The Sorcerer's pupils shrank.
Crackle!!! The lightning exploded! The current surging from the overcharged Thunder God instantly formed a blue ball of lightning filled with a destructive aura, which shot toward...
Robin, who was watching from afar!
The speed of lightning was simply too fast. Before Robin could react, the massive ball of lightning was already about to swallow her.
Whoosh—! A crimson flash of lightning suddenly streaked from another direction, drawing a long, blood-colored trail in the air.
Boom!!! The deep blue and blood-red lightning collided instantly in front of the intellectual beauty. Like positive and negative poles neutralizing each other, both vanished into thin air. But even in that split second, the energy contained within those two terrifying bolts left Robin deeply shaken.
(Was I saved by him...)
Having escaped death, Robin instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. But when she looked toward the Sorcerer with a complicated expression, she was so terrified by the scene before her that she cried out again:
"Sherlock, watch your back!"
"?"
Sherlock, who had controlled Gungnir to block the strike for Robin, was momentarily stunned. Then, an unprecedented sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.
Zzt! Zzt! The blue lightning flashed.
"Die! Blue Sea dweller!" Enel, appearing behind the Sorcerer as if he had teleported, let out a roar of pure satisfaction. The madness and hatred in his eyes were almost tangible. Then, his massive body instantly erupted with a terrifying light that far surpassed all previous instances!
—200 Million Volts... Max Power Discharge!!!
Rumble!!! An unimaginably terrifying bolt of lightning exploded in mid-air!
In that moment, it felt as though the sky itself had been split in two by a giant, razor-sharp sword of lightning. The extreme heat caused the air to expand rapidly, creating a deafening thunderclap, and the blinding blue light was so bright it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.
"This is truly stupid..." Looking at the lightning that instantly filled his entire field of vision, Sherlock habitually pushed up his glasses. He really hadn't expected Enel to retain a shred of tactical clarity at this point.
Under this close-range strike, which could be called the Thunder God's strongest attack, the Sorcerer—having lost Gungnir as his ultimate lightning rod—couldn't hold out with Mirror Reflection alone. After holding on for a few seconds, his silhouette was swallowed by the endless lightning in the blink of an eye.
However, in the final moment before Sherlock lost consciousness, he faintly saw a large white dog sprinting down from the top of the Giant Jack.
And, sitting on that dog's head, there seemed to be an idiot wearing a straw hat...
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