...with Robin...
As the archeologist made her way through the remains of the ancient city, outcroppings etched with strange writing began to appear. Carved from the same blue-black stone as the poneglyph beneath Alabasta, their writing was illegible to most people. Most people, that is, except for Robin. Her eyes widened in recognition upon seeing the glyphs, and she hastily approached one such set of them.
"I would never have thought there would be completely untouched poneglyphs here", she gasped, gently resting her hand upon one of the ancient glyphs. Slowly, she began to translate the long forgotten words.
"Truth in the heart and the mouth sealed, we are those who record history, together with the sound of the great belfry", she read aloud, "That's right. Noland's diary said there should be a huge golden bell around here somewhere."
She paused for a moment, a grim look on her face.
"All the books in the city were burned. Its entire history was lost!", she said, "The golden city of Shandora was destroyed after fighting to protect the poneglyphs."
Walking into the town square, Robin came upon the massive beanstalk, piercing right through the island cloud into the skies far above.
"The belfry isn't here", Robin thought, "A once prosperous city that tried to protect history; what happened back then?!"
It was then that Robin noticed multiple sets of railroad tracks weaving their way throughout the city. Many were broken in some places, leaving behind only faint impressions in the dirt as reminders of their presence.
"Cart rails?!", Robin questioned, "It must have been used to move something big."
"YAHAHAHA!".
The raucous laughter barely even fazed the archeologist, and she only turned just enough to see the intruder. Sat atop a section of damaged wall was Enel, lazily tossing an apple up and down as he looked down upon the archeologist.
"Amazing, isn't it? The city has kept its splendor even after being blasted into the sky.", Enel bragged, as though he was showing off a prized possession, "The magnificent Shandora! The poor city was hidden in the clouds, with no one to admire it. I was the one who discovered it. My foolish predecessors had no idea of its existence."
"And you are?", Robin inquired suspiciously, unease slowly rising the longer she was in Enel's presence.
"God.", Enel stated, matter of factly, leaning forward slightly, "I'm impressed, you're an archeologist from the Blue Sea, right? It took us several months to find these ruins; was the process simplified by your ability to read those writings?"
Robin gave no answer, only continuing to stare uneasily at the self-proclaimed god.
"Unfortunately, the gold you seek is gone", Enel informed her, taking a bite from his apple, "You are a few years too late."
"The gold...now that you mention it, I didn't see it anywhere. You are the one who took it, aren't you?", Robin inquired.
"Yes, I am. That shining material suits me quite well", Enel proudly admitted.
"So you took the golden bell too?", Robin accused.
This caught Enel's attention, the god licking his lips as he leaned forward.
"Golden bell?", he inquired, eyes gleaming with amusement.
Robin then realized the god had no idea the bell even existed. Enel finished his apple and tossed the core aside.
"Very interesting! What did you learn from reading those runes?", he inquired eagerly, no doubt intending to take the bell for himself to add to his hoard. He was like a dragon, with a constant desire to add to his glimmering stash of precious metals and jewels. In that way, among others, he was no different than a pirate.
"Nothing new, unfortunately", Robin admitted, disappointed, "If it wasn't here when you arrived, then the bell likely didn't reach the sky. The Shandorians were really proud of their golden bell, but I was rather interested in the belfry."
Enel lurched forward, a look of deep concentration upon his face.
"Wait... IT IS!", he exclaimed, "It's here! The bell did reach the sky!"
This confused the archeologist, who listened as Enel continued his ramblings.
"400 years ago, when Upper Yard was born, that is when this island was blown into the sky. The ringing sound of a bell was heard throughout the country", Enel explained, "The old men here call it: "The Song of the Island". So this bell was made of gold!"
Enel sat up straight, barely able to contain his giddiness.
"Fascinating! As soon as the game is over, that is, in eight minutes, I'll just look around this place! Yahahahaha!", he cackled with glee.
Robin paid little attention to the supposed deity, more interested in the prospect of finding the belfry, and by extension, the poneglyphs it contained. If it really had reached the sky, then perhaps she could decode the glyphs to learn what really happened to Shandora? A sudden lack of laughter from Enel snapped Robin out of her thoughts.
"Oh, it seems a bug has reached the edge of the island", Enel remarked, his gaze shifting sideways, "And it seems a little lizard has come to join us."
A black blur blew past Robin, the resulting gust masking her hair wave wildly. It skidded to a stop about 2 meters in front of where Enel sat, revealing itself to be Saurus sat atop the back of a Nargacuga. The feline wyvern hissed and rattled its spiked tail in a show of aggression, which didn't faze Enel in the slightest. The god's grin widened as he stared down at the enraged rider.
"Such bravado, coming to your friend's aide", Enel mused, resting his chin against his open palm, "But how long will it last? After all, you were cowering before me just a few minutes ago?"
Saurus's kinship stone glowed, the edges opening to form a trident shape.
"Let the night guide your hunt. Kinship skill: Dark Thrash!", Saurus shouted, raising her kinship stone.
Noir let out an ear splitting roar as darkness slowly shrouded the ruins. No light could penetrate the dark shroud, that is until a pair of eeerily glowing red eyes shone through the shadows with murderous intent. The god had no time to react before the beast was upon him, lashing out with silvery wing blades before disappearing into the dark. It then struck again, slashing his back this time, before retreating. The beast struck again and again, each attack briefly illuminated by the crimson glow of the wyvern's eyes, as each consecutive strike grew in both strength and speed. When the final strike happened, the darkness faded, the Nargacuga's razor-sharp wing blade beheading the god with ease.
After the attack ended, the duo skidded to a stop in front of a stunned Robin. Saurus glared as she watched Enel's severed head dissolve into lightning, his heavily damaged body easily reforming without so much as a scratch. Saurus gritted her teeth in frustration as Enel's smug grin greeted them once more.
"Now, now, that was uncalled for", Enel taunted, drawing more of the rider's ire, "You should know better by now than to defy me."
"Yeah yeah, you're clearly a Logia user, that much is obvious", Saurus spat, this new information taking Robin by surprise.
The god chuckled faintly, slowly rising to his feet. Raising his right arm high above his head, the limb turned into a massive bolt of lightning. The bolt shot upwards, piercing the clouds and tearing a massive hole through them. Following the lightning strike, a loud rumbling could be heard far above their heads.
"YAHAHAHAHA! I invited your friends to join us down here in Shandora!", Enel cackled madly.
Looking up, Saurus and Robin could see multiple ruins falling from the sky, along with the giant python from before.
"YAHAHAHAHA! LET'S ORCHESTRATE THE FINAL ACT TOGETHER!"
...Saurus POV...
I watched in horror as the ruined town from above fell from the sky, bringing with it Zoro, Wyper and the giant python. Enel was cackling like a madman the whole time, thoroughly enjoying the destruction he was causing. Thick dust clouded the air, and I raised an arm to shield my eyes and face from the smothering plumes. The impacts of the falling ruins created an earthquake, threatening to tear apart the clouds we were standing on. Through the thick haze, I could just barely see two figures fall from the giant serpent's maw.
When the dust finally settled, the whole area was covered in dirt and rubble. A sudden shift in a large chunk of stone caught Robin and I's attention, and to my surprise, I could see Zoro lifting up the massive stone block with just one hand. As he shoved it off of him, I could see Chopper being held tightly in his left arm. The little reindeer was badly wounded, but thankfully alive.
"ZORO! CHOPPER!", I shouted worriedly, my eyes studying the swordsman's countless wounds, most likely from the priest, Ohm.
Zoro cursed at the rock for nearly crushing him, leaving Robin stunned at how he was still alive. He then looked up in surprise to see us.
"Ah, it's you guys! Where am I?", Zoro asked, looking around at the ancient city surrounding us.
"This is the city of gold we were searching for. However, there is no gold here", Robin explained.
"Let me guess, Enel has something to do with it?", I inquired, to which Robin nodded. I swore under my breath, before scanning the city, "There goes our little treasure hunt; Nami's not gonna be happy. Still, this place really is amazing; It's a damn shame Enel and his priests have tainted it with their presence."
A loud cry caught our attention, and we turned to see the giant python crying loudly to the skies. The beast's wailing was a mix of joy and sorrow, tears streaming endlessly from its gleaming eyes. It was like the cries of a young rath hatchling being reunited with its mother.
"Then is this... is this city its true home?!", I wondered, "I... see. It must've been blasted up here with the island. That certainly explains the size of it, it's got to be at least a few hundred years old."
Watching the great serpent wail pulled painfully on my heartstrings, and my face fell. Sadly, this emotional moment was ruthlessly brought to an end by a powerful bolt of lightning. It crashed down upon the unsuspecting serpent with a thunderous boom, our close proximity to the blast causing my ears to ring. My eyes widened as my pupils shrank due to the intense light. The snake's near impervious hide was no defense against the onslaught, the lightning charring skin and flesh without mercy. Noir shrieked and hissed beneath me, rearing back momentarily in fright. The others were equally horrified by the senseless show of violence.
By the time the lightning ceased, I felt as though I was nearly blind, my vision returning slowly. The python's head remained raised for only a few moments, before the charred and blackened beast fell with a loud crash. The impact shook the ground beneath our feet. The snake was barely breathing, eyes blank and blood leaking from its mouth. I was horrified, bile rising in my throat as Noir took a step back, the fur on her hackles still raised.
"WHEN DID YOU GET OUT?!", I heard Zoro shout. Turning, I was surprised to see Nami kneeling behind a rock face, peaking out to stare in horror as the grisly scene before her.
I felt my body relax, if only a little. Knowing she was safe meant Luffy was likely alive as well. This was confirmed when Nami informed us that Luffy was still alive, albeit still trapped within the snake's gut. She also informed us that Gan Fall had escaped as well. As she and Zoro bickered, I turned my attention back to Enel. He seemed to take great pleasure with his sinister act, grinning smugly down at the barely-living snake. Wyper snarled at the deity, nearly biting his cigarette in half. He raised his bazooka and fired, which Enel dodged with ease. Retrieving a dial from his pocket, Enel created an orb of clouds to sit upon, letting him hover above us.
"Yahahaha! What was that for? That's no way to return the favor of bringing you back your homeland!", Enel taunted, twirling his staff, before letting it rest against his shoulder, "Anyways, the game isn't over just yet."
"Game!?", Wyper hissed venomously, glaring incredulously at him.
"That's right. You and the others are all contestants of my little game", Enel explained, "It's a survival game! Of course, I'm also a contestant."
"Don't act so casual, smug bastard! We weren't exactly given a choice!", I thought, glaring, "We need to end this, here and now. Last thing I want is a repeat of Alabasta!"
"So... who here will be eliminated? Will you do it yourselves, or should I?", Enel inquired.
Between me, Zoro, Robin, Wyper and Gan Fall, we all refused to fight each other. It was decided; Enel would fall on this day!
Enel was not the slightest bit intimidated by us, chuckling with glee as we pointed our weapons at him in defiance. It was clear he had never felt fear before. Then again, with a devil fruit as powerful as his, what did he really need to fear? It wouldn't surprise me if he was capable of challenging a warlord.
"Yahahaha! You're going to eliminate me!?", he cackled in amusement, "I wouldn't expect less from the survivors of this game. However, do you know who you are talking to?"
"Yeah, a wannabe god who preys on peoples' fears!", I shouted.
This only made him laugh harder, making me grit my teeth and I tightened my hold on my hammer.
"It seems you don't understand what a god is", Enel mused, "The old man fighting for the prosperity of this country, the warrior fighting to return to his homeland, and pirates from the Blue Sea trying to steal the gold". Enel shook his head. "This world is filled with so many troubled lambs. Even the country itself has sinned greatly."
The way he said 'troubled lambs' sent a shiver down my spine. He seemed to get some sick, perverse pleasure from manipulating and tormenting others. No matter how many times the people of this land may have sinned, I had little doubt that Enel had sinned many times more. There was no attempt to fool the people into viewing him as some caring benefactor, like Crocodile. No, Enel was more straightforward with his intentions; he didn't waste his time winning the people's trust. He didn't care if he was viewed as good or evil, all that mattered, was that he had complete and total control.
"Instead of talking nonsense, why don't you tell me what you seek to accomplish here! And where are the militia members being held captive!?", Gan Fall bellowed, lance aimed straight at Enel.
"I simply seek to return, Gan Fall", Enel stated matter-of-factly.
"Return?", Gan Fall inquired, confused.
"Yes, I have a place where I should be, on the sky island where I was born, where people say god lives", Enel explained, "People call it Fairy Vearth, and there is an unlimited amount of earth."
Enel spread his arms wide, shouting to the sky.
"THAT IS THE IDEAL WORLD I SEEK! THAT IS WHAT I DESERVE TO HAVE!"
"Fairy Vearth?", I thought, bewildered.
Enel then looked down upon us with disdain.
"This island, this puny piece of earth is nothing, yet you've fought for centuries to control it!", Enel spat, "Do you understand? Your reason to fight is more philosophical, think about it. Not a cloud, yet born of the sky. Not a bird, but lives in the sky."
It was then that I could see something within him snap, not unlike Crocodile upon finding Alabasta's poneglyph. He was clearly insane, his deranged views of himself as a god having pushed him past the point of no return. He truly believed he was a god, and no force on heaven nor earth could change that.
"THIS COUNTRY DEFIES ALL THE LAWS OF NATURE! EARTH, MEN, AND GOD ALL HAVWE A PLACE THEY BELONG!", Enel declared, voice reverberating through the ancient city.
"You can't!", Gan Fall gasped, face becoming deathly pale as a cold sweat broke out across his skin.
"What do you mean 'you can't'? I am doing what any god should do. I am sending you all to where you belong: BELOW THE SKY!", Enel declared.
"BELOW THE SKY!? HE REALLY IS GOING TO CAUSE A GREAT COLLAPSE!", I thought, "BUT WAIT! IF WE FALL, WON'T HE FALL AS WELL?! LAST I CHECKED HE CAN'T FLY, RIGHT? HE MUST BE BLUFFING!"
"YOU WANT TO DESTROY THIS COUNTRY?!", Gan Fall accused.
"It's the law of nature", Enel replied casually.
This infuriated Gan Fall.
"DON'T THINK SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF, ENEL!", the old knight roared in anger, "GOD IS NOTHING MORE THAN A TITLE FOR THE LEADER OF OUR COUNTRY!"
"That's before I became god", Enel replied, grinning smugly.
I never imagined I'd see someone as even-tempered as Gan Fall lose their cool. The old knight bellowed in defiance, "THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD DON'T NEED A GOD!"
Enel straightened up a bit, eerily calm as a sinister smirked was etched into his face. He chuckled darkly, staring amused at the old knight.
"Yahaha. Ex-god Gan Fall, you've been worried about your precious militia, haven't you?", Enel inquired, "Six years ago, your followers lost to my army. This morning they finished their little 'job'. Like I said earlier, the only people left standing on this island, are us."
Gan Fall's eyes widened, his body going rigid. It didn't take long for him to realize the atrocities Enel had committed. He stood there, frozen in place as Enel cackled manically. The rest of us were equally horrified and disgusted.
"I didn't want to do it, but after I told them my plan, they went all berserk on me. YAHAHAHAHA!", Enel laughed, mocking Gan Fall.
"Th-that monster...", I thought, gripping the handle of my hammer tightly, eyes being shadowed by my bangs.
"Th-their families... on Angel Island...", Gan Fall barely managed to wheeze out, still trying to process everything.
"Oh, that right! Their families will need burials", Enel mused. It sickened me to my core, seeing him talk about murdering innocent people like he was discussing the weather. I could see the light leaving Gan Fall's eyes; he looked completely defeated, as though he was losing his reason to fight. Enel's joy seemed to rise upon seeing the knight in this state.
"He killed them... without even a second thought!", I growled internally, my mind flashing back to our battle against Crocodile.
At this point, Gan Fall completely snapped, throwing self control out the window.
"YOU FIEND!", he bellowed with rage, lance primed to gore as he rushed the cackling deity. Enel smirked, dodging just as the lance was within centimeters of him. This put him right next to Gan Fall, who had no time to react as Enel positioned his index fingers above and below where the knight's head was going. Sparks crackled along his digits, their power accumulating at his finger tips. As soon as the knight's head passed between Enel's fingers, he unwillingly connected the electrical currents, forcing him to withstand thirty million volts.
"SKY KNIGHT!", Nami cried out, mouth agape with fright.
"Old man...", Wyper gasped.
After a few seconds, Enel pulled away, letting Gan Fall slump to the ground.
"Gan Fall, in this world, there is a god: Me", Enel declared boldly, a manic look in his eyes as he grinned down at the knight.
"He doesn't care how many people he kills. We're all just pawns to him, lower than dirt!", I gripped the handlebar on Noir's saddle tighter, arm trembling with barely-contained rage.
"A devil fruit", Zoro growled, swords at the ready.
"A Logia no less...", Robin added, fear beginning to take its hold.
"Lightning?! Impossible! How can we win against that?!", Nami questioned, feeling utterly hopeless.
Upon growing bored with Gan Fall, Enel turned to us, arms wide open as though welcoming us.
"Good job surviving this far!", he congratulated us, although it just felt demeaning to me, "Now I shall travel to the Fairy Vearth, and all of you shall come with me! Once there, I will create a new God's land, and only those chosen by me may live there!"
"He really is mad! Why would we join him after all the horrible things he's done?!", I wondered, my head jolting up upon hearing Enel's crazy proposal. He didn't even care about his own followers, referring to them as useless and unfit.
"What if we refuse?", Robin inquired, clearly having no desire to go along with his delusions.
Enel was taken aback for a moment, brow raised in confusion as to why anyone would refuse his proposal.
"Refuse? Why? I've already decided!", Enel argued, "If you stay here, you'll fall into the abyss along with this country."
"True, with your power it is possible", Robin agreed, the fear from before now replaced with a surprise boost of confidence, "However, if you destroy this country, you'll lose that which you seek, no?"
"You mean the golden bell?", Enel inquired, "Yahahaha! Don't worry, judging from your earlier adventures, I can think of only one place where the bell could be."
That sudden spark of confidence was quickly extinguished, as Enel had easily figured out Robin's scheme. Enel's sinister smirk sent shivers down my spine, and beneath my hands I could feel Noir's muscles tensing.
"You seem surprised~ Did you really think you could trick me?", Enel mused, his calm voice a facade for his lethal intentions. He raised his left hand, index finger pointing at Robin as sparks crackled around his hand.
"You underestimate me... how shallow", the god said coldly, smirk fading, "I don't like shallow women."
In a bright flash of light, it was over, a loud, thunderous boom drowning out our horrified screams as Enel struck Robin down. I didn't even have a chance to cover my ears before the attack ended. As she slumped to the ground, Zoro rushed to catch her, sword positioned behind him to protect from any further attacks. He shielded her with his body, turning his head to glare hatefully at Enel.
Through ragged breaths resembling animalistic growls, Zoro hissed, "She's a woman!"
A smirked tugged at the corners on Enel's lips.
"Yes, I can see that", he remarked casually.
Fueled by white-hot fury, Zoro lunged at Enel. The god twirled his staff and brought it down in front of him, blocking a strike from one of Zoro's swords. Enel chuckled faintly, not struggling in the slightest to hold Zoro at bay.
"Hmm... nice, strong arms", Enel mused.
"YOU REALLY PISS ME OFF, ASSHOLE!", Zoro roared. He lashed out again, only for Enel to vault over him.
I took this opportunity to strike.
"Alright Noir, Foul Gas!", I commanded.
The Nargacuga opened her maw and unleashed a thick cloud of noxious gas. Again, the thin air allowed for the gas to spread freely, surrounding Enel. Behind us, Wyper raised his bazooka and fired a shot, intending to ignite the gas and trap Enel within the ensuing inferno.
Enel remained unfazed, unleashing a blast of lightning from his open palm. This tore through the gas cloud and destroyed the bazooka. The god landed on his feet shortly after, completely unscathed.
"You still don't get it? Such a pathetic trickle of power, that is all people like you can wield against me. Tsk, useless. I was simply inviting you to come with me to the Fairy Vearth, why did you start attacking me?"
"What a load of bullshit!", I hissed, making Noir lunge for the god, claws outstretched, "WHY THE HELL WOULD WE JOIN YOU ON YOUR STUPID VEARTH?!"
"Who the hell were you trying to invite?", Zoro growled, before lunging again, "BECAUSE I HAVE NO INTEREST IN THAT DREAM OF YOURS!"
"NO! YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM!", Nami cried, pleading for us to stop.
"KILLER FANG!", I commanded. Noir's eyes flashed red as she bared her fangs, the same red glint dancing briefly along their jagged edges.
"My my, it seems you two need to be taught a lesson", Enel mused, "On what God is!"
Noir's fangs attempted to clamp down on Enel's left shoulder, only to pass right through him. In that same moment, Zoro brought two of his swords down on Enel's midsection, the blades sliding through his electrical body harmlessly. Noir skidded to a stop about two meters behind Enel, claws digging into the stone beneath her.
"No matter how hard you try, you can't win", Enel stated, body reforming within mere moments, "With my overwhelming strength, I will teach you exactly what hopelessness feels like."
Before I could react, Enel turned and fired a beam of electricity straight for me and Noir. With her superior speed, Noir quickly threw me off her back with her tail, sending me tumbling to the ground just as the lightning struck her.
"NOIR! NO!", I cried, nearly blinded by the intense brightness of Enel's attack. Noir's agonizing shrieks lasted mere moments before she fainted, being dismissed by the Kinship Stone seconds after falling silent. I had no time to lament over her defeat before the bloodthirsty Logia turned his attention to Zoro, grasping Yubashiri and Kitetsu firmly by their blades. Zoro was stunned for a brief moment, before attempting to wrench his swords free. It was no use, though, as the God's lean form belied his terrifying strength.
"Losing hope and dying, such strangely similar things...", Enel mused ominously, before blasting Zoro with an onslaught of electricity. The swordsman's screams of agony were almost completely muffled by the thunderous boom of the attack, the loud noise forcing me to cover my ears. In my nearly blinded state, I could barely see, only able to sense Zoro's presence via his nearly inaudible cries of pain. I swore I could vaguely hear Nami screaming as well.
By the time the attack ended, Zoro had fallen to his knees, smoke rising in thick, dark plumes from his charred frame. I could see him trembling faintly, so faintly in fact, it was likely unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Despite the undeniable agony he was in, Zoro refused to so much as gasp once the attack was done, not wanting to give Enel any sort of satisfaction.
"For mortal men, death is the most terrifying thing", Enel mused coldly, looking down at Zoro apathetically. He then stomped down hard on Zoro's head, shoving the right side of his face into the hard, stone ground. "That's why men kneel with their heads to the ground and beg God for mercy!"
Enel sighed, becoming bored.
"It can't be helped. Men beg when terrified, it's in their nature", he said with a shrug.
My gaze slowly shifted from Enel, to my Kinship Stone, which flickered briefly before glowing faintly.
"I thought Crocodile was terrifying, but Enel, he's on a whole other level!", I thought, gulping, cold beads of sweat running down my neck and back, "I need to shut this down, FAST! Otherwise this whole island is doomed!"
I stared hard at my kinship stone, a faint vision of a Deviljho flashing before my eyes.
"It's risky, one well placed lightning attack and he's got me. But I need to disable that devil fruit of his, even if it's just for a few minutes.", I thought.
A clattering sound caught my attention, and I looked up in shock to see Wyper had abandoned his Burn Bazooka, opting instead to attack head on. He leapt at Enel, locking his legs firmly around Enel's waist and jabbing his open right palm against the God's chest.
"What the hell is he planning? Is it an Impact Dial?", I thought, shaking my head is disbelief, "No way that's gonna be enough!"
"What are you doing, committing suicide?", Enel questioned, bored. Upon trying to escape from Wyper's grasp, Enel suddenly found himself immobilized, his devil fruit refusing to activate. For the first time since arriving in this hellscape, I saw true fear in Enel's eyes.
"Tell me, do you know what Seastone is, Enel?", Wyper questioned, meeting Enel's now panicked gaze with a murderous glare, "I added some to my shooter, and it's draining your powers."
Taking this opportunity, Zoro quickly pulled himself out from beneath Enel's foot and backed away as fast as he could. By now, the mild panic Enel was experiencing had turned into full blown terror, showing through clear as day despite his attempts to remain composed.
"Eat, THIS!", Wyper snarled venomously, shoving his palm harder against Enel's chest.
"No! You're really trying to use the Reject Dial?! Your body can't take it!", Enel gasped, "Don't you want to live and own land?!"
"SHUT UP!", Wyper roared in his face, "I JUST WANT TO DIE, AND I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"
"W-w-WAIT DON'T DO IT!", Enel pleaded, making my lips quirk upward upon hearing him beg for his life.
"REJECT!"
Wyper's attack was just as loud as Enel's, the sheer size of the explosion taking me by surprise. If he really was using some sort of dial, then that thing must've been storing an unimaginable amount of power. Enel's screams of terror and pain were clearly audible, his voice rising many octaves. He couldn't even flail or thrash, the force of the impact keeping him pinned firmly in place. Blood poured from his gaping mouth, eyes rolling back in his head. Eventually his screams became more garbled, becoming distorted chokes and whimpers before fading into silence. When the attack finally ceased, we were all left gobsmacked. Wyper stood, bloodied and struggling to breathe due to the after effects of the dial. His whole body was trembling, legs threatening to give out beneath him, but he held firm. His left wing had been completely blown off during the attack, leaving behind nothing but a charred patch of flesh and the smoldering remains of a few feathers.
I watched in amazement as smoke rose from Enel's unmoving body, allowing a small sense of joy and relief to well up inside me. There wasn't a twitch of a muscle, no rising of his chest, nothing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. Trying my hardest to remain sane, I slowly pushed myself up, standing on shaky legs.
"So much for needing Sharptooth, I guess. Not sure if I'm relieved, or upset", I thought, slowly making my way over to Nami. Zoro had mostly recovered by now, albeit still a bit stunned. Nami ran over to help Robin and Gan Fall, while Wyper remained stone still, standing over the dead Enel.
Before I could even reach the others, Enel's body suddenly jolted violently, a mass of sparks crackling wildly around him in a blinding flash. Everyone's eyes were blown wide open in horror, their bodies going stone stiff. My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my throat. We all watched in horror as Enel's body slowly returned to life, limbs and digits twitching faintly before starting to move again. Like a zombie rising from the grave, he rose to his feet, staring us all down with that all too familiar, condescending smirk.
"No... fucking... way!", I gasped, taking several shaky steps back, "You... YOU DIED! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"
Enel's gaze shifted to me, and I stumbled back in fright. This resulted in me landing flat on my rear, leaving me to gawk in disbelief up at the resurrected god.
"What have I been saying? Just give up", Enel taunted, speaking down to us like we were children.
None of us were more traumatized though, than Wyper. The once fearless warrior was left shaking like a leaf in the wind, slowly falling to his knees. His head hung low as he slumped over, and I watched as this fear slowly morphed into hatred and rage.
Enel didn't even bat an eye.
"Oh my, you look awful, O Wyper the Warrior", Enel said mockingly.
Wyper slammed a fist into the stone beneath him.
"My name...is", Wyper growled, shakily pushing himself up, "NOT SOMETHING YOU MAY SO CASUALLY USE!"
The grin faded from Enel's face as he stared, unamused.
"For I am the descendant of the great warriors who fought to the death for their home eight hundred years ago!", Wyper declared, "Since that day... after the death of the great warrior Kalgura, four four hundred years, we have been searching for this place."
Wyper forced himself to his feet, no doubt under immense stress due to his previous attack.
"NOW I AM FINALLY HERE!", he roared, a deadly shadow covering his eyes, "Out of my way, DEMON!"
"Is he insane!", I thought, standing back up, "After sustaining that kinda damage... Enel's gonna tear him apart!"
Wyper lunged for Enel, no doubt aiming to trap him again using seastone. As soon as he got close, Enel swung his golden staff, the force of the blow shattering the dial-powered jets attached to his sandals. Without those, there was no way Wyper could disable him again. The warrior hit the ground back-first, all the while Enel smirked down at him.
"The same trick won't work twice, Wyper", Enel chided mockingly, shaking his head, "The seastone won't help you this time. Although I must admit it's impressive, surviving a blast from a reject dial. Quite the feat for a mere mortal."
Enel brought his staff up and tapped the outer right drum on his back ring.
"But you're still no match for me", Enel declared, lightning consuming the drum and forming the shape of a large bird, "Thirty million volts... THUNDER BIRD!"
With a flick of his staff, Enel fired the bird at Wyper, its monstrous beak opened wide to consume the injured warrior. Wyper had no time to escape, and was struck dead center by the attack. He cried out in pain as the bird's beak pierced right through his gut, before being consumed by lightning. As this was happening, I spotted Zoro out of the corner of my eye making a mad dash for the broken jet, no doubt going for the seastone. He grabbed the chunk of seastone and metal, charging at Enel while he was focused on Wyper. Unfortunately for him, the attack didn't last long, and as soon as Wyper fell, Enel's attention shifted to him.
Enel sighed, becoming ever so slightly annoyed.
"Oh, you want one too, swordsman of the Blue Sea?", Enel questioned rhetorically, tapping the drum furthest to the left. As before, lightning consumed the drum, quickly growing in size.
"Why not? GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT!", Zoro roared, charging the god blindly.
"THUNDER BEAST!", Enel boomed, his attack taking the form of a monstrous, snarling wolf. The beast snagged Zoro's right arm with a mighty paw, before biting down on him with electrified fangs. Zoro was met with the same fate as Wyper, being mercilessly electrocuted till his entire body was fried.
"Looks like I have no choice", I thought, Kinship Stone shining brightly. I could already feel the endless hunger and rage.
Behind Enel, a somehow still-conscious Wyper again rose to his feet. His eyes were completely blank, like those of a corpse, his body was bloodied and burnt, and yet he persisted.
"And just when I was about to deal with that girl and her little pets", Enel sighed, his irritation now clearly evident, "Why do you persist? Why not just die already? Isn't it best to just die quickly? Why continue this meaningless struggle?"
Wyper gave no response.
"You do realize that you and that pathetic woman are the only two left, and that this place will soon fall from the sky?", Enel questioned, "You are nothing more than a piece of trash blocking my way, why do you still stand?!"
"For my ancestors!", Wyper declared, now running on nothing more than pure determination.
"Tch, I was expecting something different. Not that you're actually conscious enough to do that", Enel sighed, his patience with the warrior having run out. He raised his right arm above his head, palm facing skyward as lightning covered and consumed the limb. Wyper's gaze was drawn skyward by a bright light.
"GOD'S JUDGEMENT!"
A massive pillar of lightning crashed down with a thunderous boom, completely swallowing up the wounded Wyper. The force of the blast sent massive waves of energy out in all directions, knocking me off my feet once again and sending the others flying. The energy kept me pinned to the ground, unable to cover my ears as the deafening sounds wracked my ear drums.
"Damn you Enel!", I hissed, my voice barely audible over the blast. My Kinship Stone glowed brighter, and I swore I could already feel dragon energy crackling around me.
Once Enel's attack finally ceased, after what felt like hours, there was a massive, still-smoking hole in the earth. Wyper was gone, either burned to ashes or fallen through the hole to his death. Enraged, I forced myself up, drawing the God's attention.
"Oh, planning to fight me? It's about time, I certainly hope you don't freeze up like last time", Enel taunted.
"You're done for, you murderous bastard", I thought, glaring as I raised my Kinship Stone. The blue light reflected in my dark blue eyes, making them seem as though they were ablaze. "No more of your games, Enel! You think yourself a god?! FINE! TIME TO MEET A GOD EATER!"
The stone shone brighter, almost turning white.
"CONSUME HIM, SHARPTOOTH!", I roared.
A massive orb of white light shone before me, slowly taking the shape of a monster. Two powerful legs held the beast up, and a massive tail extended behind it. A head formed at the front, which the beast raised to let out a deafening roar. When the light cleared, Sharptooth stood before me, eyes glowing red and gold as thick, acidic drool oozed past his countless, jagged teeth. Upon sighting Enel, his gleaming eyes narrowed, and he clawed at the stone ground beneath him.
"Another of your pets? A shame I'll have to slay this one too. You and your beasts would have certainly thrived once housed on the Fairy Vearth", Enel stated.
"I'd sooner see you dead", I hissed, "Dragon Shroud!"
Sharptooth's eyes glowed red as he roared to the heavens. Vast swaths of dragon energy surged along his body and past his jaws in a thick cloud, completely disintegrating any plants within a ten foot radius. I stepped up next to him, hammer at the ready.
I smirked, much to Enel's confusion.
"Breaking Crush", I said to Sharptooth.
The Deviljho roared and charged wildly forward, mouth opened and fangs bared. Enel smirked and didn't even bother dodging, no doubt expecting the attack to pass through his body harmlessly.
Sharptooth leapt forward once close enough, and, to Enel's horror, locked his jaws down on the God's left shoulder. Enel's eyes widened in a mix of pain and horror as the fangs sunk into his flesh, the contact allowing dragon energy to surge uncontrolled around his body. The force of the attack slammed Enel into the dirt, forming a small crater beneath him. Enel gritted his teeth and, with much effort, managed to form a blast of electricity that shoved the wyvern off of him. He quickly forced himself up, trying and failing to maintain his composure. He looked down at his hands, horrified to see small, red and black sparks dancing along his palms.
"Sucks, doesn't it? Being stripped of most of your powers?", I inquired, twirling my hammer, "Willing to bet this is your first time experiencing Dragonblight."
"W-what did you do to me?!", Enel gasped.
"Shut it, your powers are still somewhat there", I snapped, "Funny little thing about Logias like you; you guys are highly susceptible to Dragonblight. Not to the extent I'd like at times, but it's enough to seal away some of your power for a brief time."
I then charged at him, hammer raised. I jumped up, hovering over him briefly before slamming the hammer hard against the side of his head. This sent him flying into a nearby stone wall, demolishing it and kicking up a large dust cloud.
"But most importantly, it keeps you from becoming intangible!", I declared, watching Enel haul himself out of the rubble with great disdain, "You're done for, Enel! We won't let you terrorize these innocent people any longer!"
I pointed forward, Sharptooth following my gaze.
"Spread Dragon Breath!", I ordered, glaring daggers at the dumbfounded Logia.
Sharptooth opened his mouth, black and red sparks crackling within. He fired a beam of dragon energy at Enel, the blast consuming and destroying anything it touched. Enel leapt up using his staff, narrowly avoiding the blast. Sharptooth glared, following the god's path and redirecting the blast as soon as he landed. This time Enel was hit dead on, being blown back against a ruined building. Sharptooth used the blast to keep him pinned while I charged up an attack, water swirling around my hammer.
"There's no escape for you, Enel!", I shouted, charging forward alongside the beam. At the last second, Sharptooth ended his attack, allowing me to close in. I jumped up and swung the hammer down on Enel, which he quickly blocked with his staff. I could clearly see him struggling to hold me off, arm muscles straining as dragon energy sapped his power. Gritting his teeth, he delivered a sharp, upwards kick to my gut, forcing me off of him. As soon as I landed, he raised his hand, palm facing towards me.
"You insolent brat! You dare make a mockery of GOD?!", he growled, charging up electricity around his hand, "You can't stop my power! 20 MILLION VOLTS!"
The attack was too fast for me to dodge at this range, slamming into me and wracking my body with millions of volts of electricity. I was blown back, skidding along the ground for several meters.
"Damn, even weakened by Dragonblight he's still tough", I thought, hissing as I pushed myself up.
"I'll admit your little parlor trick caught me off guard, but you still don't stand a chance", Enel chided, tapping the drum on his left, "You'll get no more mercy from me. THUNDER BEAST!"
Again, a giant thunder wolf emerged from the drum, snarling as it lunged at me. Seeing this, Sharptooth raced forward and took the attack in my stead. He let out a cry of pain as the lightning wracked his body, his elemental weakness to it increasing the pain and damage. The attack exploded outward once finished, leaving Sharptooth to slam into the ground.
"Sharptooth!", I cried out, "You okay buddy?!"
The brute wyvern pushed himself up, glaring sideways at Enel and giving a defiant roar. His thick tail slammed against the stone ground as a puff of steam escaped his nostrils.
I nodded.
"Alright, give me a boost buddy", I said, readying my hammer. He nodded, letting me step on his tail before he launched me at Enel. Once airborne, I started spinning horizontally, holding my hammer out to build up momentum.
"Brave Cyclone!", I roared, smashing into Enel multiple times. He attempted to block again, but the second swing from my hammer easily forced past his staff and struck him right in the gut, followed by a third, then a fourth, then a fifth strike. The final strike knocked him back, nearly taking him off his feet. Once I stopped spinning, I turned on my heel and charged at him again.
"Hope you liked my last attack, cause I've got another ready just for you!", I declared, "BRAVE ASSAULT!"
The at the end of them hammer began spinning, creating sparks as it began to heat up. I shouted back at Sharptooth, "ALRIGHT BUDDY, LET'S SHOW HIM OUR TEAMWORK! BREAKING CRUSH!"
Sharptooth obliged, joining me in my attack on Enel. I swung down my hammer, end now superheated, which Enel again attempted to block with his staff. I swung again and again, each attack bouncing off while putting a huge strain on the god. For the final attack, I repositioned my hammer and went low, taking Enel's feet out from under him. Before he hit the ground, Sharptooth's attack struck him, slamming him face first into the dirt as he dug his fangs into him.
"Damn you!", Enel hissed, jabbing Sharptooth in the face with his staff and shoving him off. He then leapt several meters, before holding his hand out in front of him.
"LIGHTNING FLASH!", He roared, unleashing a massive, widespread blast of electricity from his palm. There was no avoiding this one, leaving us both to be caught in the uncontrolled torrent of electricity like a tidal wave. I cried out in agony upon being struck, the Deviljho armor leaving me more vulnerable to electricity than normal. I could hear Sharptooth roaring in pain, his cries several octaves higher than usual as the lightning coursed through his body. The attack also completely leveled the ground around us, with any plants or structures more than a few feet tall being blown in half. I heard Nami scream my name, and I felt great relief in knowing she hadn't been caught in the attack.
Once the attack ceased we both slumped to the ground, muscles spasming and twitching from the shock. As I tried to stand again, I watched in horror as Enel tapped the two upper drums with his staff. He smirked wickedly, flicking the staff forward as a giant thunder dragon emerged from the drums.
"Thunder Dragon!", he boomed.
The dragon let out a distorted, crackling roar before lunging for us, gigantic maw wide open to engulf us. We had no time to run before it was upon us, engulfing us in an agonizing ball of lightning. The force of the attack blasted us back, pushing us dangerously close to the scorched hole in the earth created by Enel's attack against Wyper. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I dug the Deviljho fangs on my elbows into the stone, preventing myself from being thrown into the hole. Sharptooth followed suit with his claws, the monstrous talons carving through the stone like a pickaxe.
As soon as the attack ceased, we forced ourselves up. As we rushed Enel, I saw him channel lightning through his staff, heating it up and melting the end. The golden rings were replaced by three barbed prongs, just like a trident. My eyes narrowed, and I let out a battle cry as I swung my hammer at him with as much force as I could muster. He spun his staff briefly before bringing it up to block my attack. Upon seeing Sharptooth coming for him, Enel shoved me off of him, before spinning the staff around and swiping at me with the trident end. The middle prong sliced my cheek, making me flinch. Enel then turned the spear on Sharptooth, imbuing the trident with electricity before stabbing at the charging brute wyvern. The Deviljho was moving too fast to change course, and could only veer off enough to prevent a lethal goring. The three prongs all dug into his side, Sharptooth's momentum causing them to be pushed in deeper and drag through his flesh. The electricity flowing through the staff left Sharptooth's otherwise nigh-impervious hide vulnerable to damage, and he howled as the prongs dug a two foot long gash down his left side.
Sharptooth veered off course, skidding to a stop and snarling at Enel. Unusually dark blood dripped from the wound on his side, hissing and bubbling with excess dragon energy as it dripped onto the ground. The smell of blood only increased his rage further, his muscles beginning to swell as a result.
Gritting my teeth and hissing, I wiped the blood off my cheek.
"Alright, so he can melt his staff using electricity and reshape it, good to know", I thought, gripping my hammer tightly. I looked down at my hammer, then to Sharptooth. "It's risky. This hammer isn't exactly meant to channel dragon element."
I called out to Sharptooth, "Aim your Spread Dragon Breath over here!"
A bit puzzled at first, Sharptooth complied, firing a beam of dragon energy at me. I took a deep breath, and swung my hammer, letting the momentum build as I spun around. The energy struck the end of the hammer, making the orb of Duramboros bone behind spinning wildly. Red and black sparks crackled around it, only increasing the speed as which it spun.
"Hmph, another of your little tricks?", Enel scoffed, tapping the drum on the right, "Not this time. THUNDER BIRD!"
"Just a little more!", I thought, trying not to falter or lose my footing as I spun. The dragon element traveled from the hammer to my arms, making me wince slightly from how unstable it was. The energy the expanded upwards and outwards, forming a tornado of red and black lightning. Enel's Thunder Bird slammed into the tornado, only to be cancelled out and torn asunder by the raging storm. Upon reaching the final rotation, I swung my hammer forward with a shout.
"DRAGON HURRICANE!", I roared, unleashing the storm of energy. The energy tornado ripped through the earth as it headed straight for Enel. Sharptooth quickly took cover, and I heard Enel's frightened shout just before the storm consumed him. Upon engulfing him, I could see bright blue sparks, no doubt Enel's attempt to fight through the tornado.
As I watched the storm rage on, I felt my strength waning, and I fell to one knee, my breathing becoming labored. My hands and arms were trembling from both over exertion, and the excessive use of dragon energy. I spotted Sharptooth trotting over to me, and I gripped his saddle to help pull myself up.
"It worked, but damn if it didn't do a number on me.", I thought, feeling absolutely exhausted.
Before either of us could get too comfortable, a loud bang sounded, drawing our attention. The tornado had fizzled out, and now a very injured, and VERY pissed off Enel stood before us. The dragon element had begun to eat at his body, leaving gashes and cuts littered all over his flesh, the blood oozing from these wounds starting to fizzle. His clothes were tattered and burnt in spots, and his once pristine golden staff was now marred by numerous long scratches. Similar scratches were also etched into the golden ring emerging from his back. His eyes were wide and bloodshot from both pain and burning rage.
"Fuck! This is bad! How is he still standing?!", I thought, panic now coursing full speed through my veins. Seeing lightning begin to creep up his right arm made my fear increase tenfold. Sharptooth stepped forward to protect me as I gripped his saddle tightly. The bright light from my Kinship Stone caught my attention, and I felt a small surge of joy upon seeing it was fully charged up.
"R-right, this is my chance", I thought, gulping and nodding, focusing my gaze on Enel, "Damn, there's a pretty good chance we won't make it out of this alive, but for the sake of my friends, and all of Skypeia, I must do this!"
I hopped on Sharptooth's back, watching as Enel charged up his attack.
"Your pathetic struggles or over, mortal. Time to face my judgement!", Enel declared, "GOD'S JUDGEMENT!"
I raised my Kinship Stone, the light becoming almost blinding.
"May your raging hunger devour the world, consume everything! Kinship Skill: HUNGER RAGE!", I roared.
Sharptooth's eyes glowed blue for a moment, before turning a vibrant crimson. He let out an earth-shattering roar as dragon energy surged wildly from his maw, quickly covering both of us and turning his dark green scales a demonic black. His eyes became nothing more than glowing red dots in a sea of wild dragon energy. Driven by his endless hunger, Sharptooth charged forward, right as Enel's attack struck. The massive pillar of lightning crashed down upon us, wracking our bodies with unfathomable pain. But we kept pushing through, Sharptooth's dragon energy pushing him onwards without even so much as a flinch. Using his powerful legs, he leapt up out of the column of lightning, leaving us hovering high above Enel's head for a few seconds. Sharptooth roared as we came crashing down, maw wide open as the red and black sparks formed a comet shaped like a dragon's head, mouth open ready to devour Enel. He had nowhere to run as the attack bearer down upon him, slamming into him with so much force that it obliterated the stone ground beneath us. This caused us to fall through the ground, through the clouds below us.
I could see the terror in his sky blue eyes as we fell, passing through layer after layer of clouds. The ultimate goal? The Blue Sea below.
"This is the end for you Enel! Once we fall into the Blue Sea, you'll perish in a matter of seconds! This is for all the lives you've taken!", I declared.
"Are you insane!? You'll perish as well!", Enel argued.
"SHUT UP! I TOOK THIS RISK THE MOMENT I BECAME A PIRATE!", I roared, "Unlike you, I don't fight to appease my own damn ego, I fight to protect others! And if that means sacrificing myself to save my friends from a heartless tyrant like you, THEN SO BE IT!"
...
Next time on Monster Hunter: Open Ocean...
Brave the Storm, Part 2! End of the Thunder God!