Chapter 20: Sacrifice
Disclaimer: I am currently planning an underground revolution to steal ownership of One Piece.
Previously:
Luffy fought Enel with every last ounce of strength he had, destroying the flying ship Arc the Maxim and severely injuring the god. Enel suffers a mental breakdown as his injuries begin to question his own perceived invincibility, just as Gan Fall, the former god of Skypiea, eats a Devil in order to challenge Enel, facing off against the Lightning man with power of the Metal Metal fruit…
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
The skies were still pitch-black from the Arc Maxim's stormclouds, but the ship's flaming wreckage brightly illuminated its entire impact crater. Black smoked poured into the dark skies, and the fires shone so brightly that it was easy to see even despite the darkness and devastation.
There was so much dust, so much smog that it was hard for Luffy to even breathe as he laid slumped against the stump of a tree, trying to control his injuries. He was wounded, weak, short of air and on the ground; but still, he kept his eyes on the confrontation of the new and old gods playing out before him.
Enel and Gan Fall stood facing each other, but the standoff didn't last; the tension reached its breaking point in seconds.
Enel's eyes were bulging with rage and horror. "You challenge me, Gan Fall?!" He snarled furiously, lashing his hands forward in a shower of blue sparks. His voice was crude and hoarse through a broken jaw. There was blood in his mouth. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
Gan Fall was already moving, jumping forward with surprising agility even as the ground depressed slightly under his weight. His skin was solid greyish silver that glinted with the reflections of many fires. Enel's lightning cracked around him, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
"You are no 'God', Enel!" Gan Fall growled, swinging around with his lance. "Just an insane boy wearing a man's body, a coward hiding behind too much unearned power. It is time somebody showed you just how fragile you really are!"
Just as he started to swing the large lance, the tip extended outwards with blinding speed, flattening into a brilliantly sharp edge that cut through the air in a flash. Enel blinked just as the blade slashed through his chest with a crackle of sparks. Around him, a dozen trees collapsed to the ground, instantly forming a large clearing. Enel's golden staff cut smoothly in half.
Enel's body was already reforming, unharmed. Gan Fall frowned and charged towards him, his fist blurring through the air. Enel reacted instantly, disappearing in a flash of sparks shooting backwards. Gan Fall's hand extended outwards into a bar of metal, redirecting Enel's dematerialised electricity body through the conductor. In an instant, two large thin metal plates shot out of Gan Fall's shoulders, forming two huge walls around the lightning. A capacitive trap.
"Do not think I haven't researched your abilities, Enel!" Gan Fall shouted, his body rippling and constantly reforming into different shapes while the electricity crackled around him. Gan Fall didn't even look human anymore; more like a huge lump of weirdly shaped iron twisting by itself. The air screamed as Enel struggled against the giant capacitor, even as it absorbed his immense voltage. "I know just to fight you!"
The electricity was being discharged and redirected through Gan Fall's abilities. The lightning just couldn't escape from the hunk of iron, so bulky that not even Enel's lightning could make a dent into it. Around him the metal continued shift and grow around him, while the capacitance discharge felt like Enel's whole body was being torn about. He did the only think he could do; he reverted to physical form.
And Gan Fall was waiting for him, his fist flashing outwards while his knuckles extended into two long steel spikes. Enel's Mantra only barely let him dodge the attack, but the sudden expansion of Gan Fall's hand caught him off guard while the metal glanced off his shoulder. Gan Fall's fist collided with the ground with enough force it left a smooth depression in the surface.
Enel gasped in pain, but lashed out with a powerful lightning fist that collided against Gan Fall's helmet. Enel's strength was monstrous, and a noise rang out like a hammer striking a bell as thunder clapped. The force took Gan Fall to the ground, but Enel screamed in hurt as the impact reverberated up his arm. His knuckles left a gouge through Gan Fall's head, but the old man's gaze was cold as the metal rippled around his body, reforming his broken skull as good as a new.
The god could only stare in shock, eyes bulging, before he transformed into lightning and discharged through the earth, escaping Gan Fall's iron capacitor. Gan Fall glared in annoyance, while around him the bulky metal structure started to deform, almost as if were melting, transforming into a puddle of liquid metal that was absorbed through Gan Fall's feet.
"You… you…" Enel panted, glaring at the old man angrily, as he clutched his shoulder. His face was so bruised and beaten he didn't look human; more like a swollen monster dripping blood. "… You… !"
"Make no mistake," Gan Fall said clearly. "There is a hierarchy among Logias. However, the Rumble Rumble fruit and the Metal Metal fruit are both equals."
Enel's eyes were maniacal. He seemed to be having trouble breathing. "That must be a scary thought for you, isn't it?" Gan Fall continued with an uncharacteristically cruel smile. "An equal."
"I have no equal!" Enel roared, the air cracking in power. "I am supremacy incarnate!"
Gan Fall didn't flinch. "Then why are bleeding so badly?" He asked quietly, with a smirk that caused Enel's chest to squirm.
Enel's hands were trembling, and it was more than just pain or anger. The 'God's' entire self-image was being decimated. His conceited beliefs, his self-righteous morals, and every layer of arrogance that he had built up over the years, was being torn apart. His entire world was crumbling around him. It was an agony worse than any pain he had ever felt before.
"You are no equal of mine," Enel snarled. "You are a senile old fool. You will not defeat me! You have failed in everything you have ever accomplished! You are pathetic!"
Gan Fall nodded. "All true," he said simply. "But with each failure I have learnt a lesson. With each defeat I have grown wiser, and stronger. Compared to you, well, you have never learned a thing in your life. That is why you cannot win here; I will ensure that you are defeated." Gan Fall smiled softly. "Come," he said quietly, dropping into an experienced pose. "I may be senile, but let us see if I can still take you to school!"
The thunder cracked through the air with the force of bomb. Gan Fall grunted and slammed his hand forward, just as an iron barricade with a conical edge emerged in front of him. The ground shook from the impact, but Gan Fall was already moving. With a fluid jab, the barricade shot through the air towards Enel, gouging through the ground in a shower of dust.
Enel dodged in a flash of light, spinning around Gan Fall with blinding speed as he shot lightning from every direction. Gan Fall took the attacks easily, his metal body glowing with heat. Enel's face twisted in fury.
Suddenly, Enel turned to stare at Luffy, lying in a barely conscious heap on the ground. A bolt of lightning shot towards the pirate with fury. Gan Fall had already pre-empted the attack.
"I will not allow you to hurt anyone else," he shouted firmly. "Forge!"
A circular dome of solid steel materialised around Luffy's body, covering him in an instant. The pirate could only blink as everything went black, but the lightning was absorbed easily by the protective shell.
"You do not have the power stop me!" Enel screamed, charging a more powerful blast from his fingertips. The air crackled intensely, and the thunder roared.
Gan Fall stepped in front of Luffy, absorbing the blast. His body winced as the metal exploded from heat, but reformed instantly. "On the contrary, I'm the only one with power to stop you," he muttered. "Magnesium!"
Instantly, several fine ribbons of grey metal threaded from Gan Fall's fingertips, spinning through the air towards Enel. With a blinding flash, the magnesium exploded in a flare of brilliant light. Gan Fall was already launching a spinning steel disk through the air.
The smoke covered everything. Enel could still phase through the attack easily via Mantra. "Was that supposed to blind me?" He muttered dismissively as the spinning disk phased harmlessly through his skull.
"No," Gan Fall said, while around them the ground started to crack. "It was supposed to distract you!"
Two metal cables burst out of the ground, instantly threading into a metal net around Enel. Gan Fall's hands weaved like an architect forging his creation out of air. "Your Mantra hasn't advanced a step in years! You cannot sense actions that aren't specifically intended to hurt you." The metal net formed a large sphere around his opponent. Enel's eyes widened in alarm.
Around him, the metal Faraday cage took form. Enel's lightning burst violently against its restraints as the air exploded. The lightning howled like a caged beast, while chunks of molten metal crashed through the air. Gan Fall grunted in exertion, but he reformed the cage even as the cables exploded from the heat and power. Gan Fall was already charging forward, remoulding his lance into a blade with spinning spikes.
Enel screamed as he lashed out with an arc of lightning to meet him. The sparks burned brighter than the sun as lightning and metal collided. The ground rumbled as the concentrated thunder shook the earth.
Wiper grunted with pain as he limped down the gentle hill, using the remains of the God-Slayer as a walking stick. His muscles trembled and his bones felt like they were about to collapse, but nevertheless he staggered towards the group standing on the scorched ground. Nearby, the motionless body of the giant python littered the earth.
"Wiper!" Laki shouted suddenly, noticing the chief approach. The Shandorian raiders all turned to stare; they were all injured, but alive. Wiper felt his heart cartwheel with sudden relief.
Instantly, a small shape launched itself around his lower torso. Wiper groaned in agony as Aisa wrapped her arms around him, so tightly he nearly toppled.
"You're alive!" Aisa screamed, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Thank the ancestors… !"
Wiper blinked. "Couldn't you hear me?" He asked, with strange gentleness.
Approaching him slowly, Laki shook her head. "Aisa has been overloaded with voices recently," she explained quietly, before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I'm glad you're ok…" She whispered.
'Ok' was an overstatement. Wiper was on the verge of death. He had more shattered bones that he count; and it hurt so badly that his head spun. He couldn't move his right shoulder at all, while the rest of his body screamed with every jerk. The berserker normally avoided skin contact, but now he just didn't have the strength to protest the hug.
Wiper looked around, to see the Blue Sea pirates standing with the raiders. He gulped as he noticed the swordsman he had fought being cradled over one of their shoulders, but there was absolutely no will to fight left. None of the Shandorians seemed to object to the presence of the 'trespassers' on their homeland.
Robin stood close to Aisa almost protectively, while keeping a close eye on her as she stared into the distance. Wiper glared around the pirates, but no one was paying him much attention.
"… Enel…" Wiper gasped. "Where is he?"
Nami was the one who responded. The navigator slowly raised her hand to point into the distance, towards the centre of the island, where a blinding light show burst over the trees. Wiper took a deep breath as he stared.
"Who's he fighting?" The berserker asked quietly.
"The old man, I think. Gan Fall," Nami replied simply. "I saw him eat this silver Devil fruit to match Enel's powers. I think Luffy is over there too."
"Luffy." Wiper muttered the word curiously. The sight flashed "You mean that flying kid who took down Enel's ship?"
"I still can't believe he can fly," Usopp muttered excitedly, bouncing up and down in his toad form. "I mean, how cool is that?"
He looked around with an eager smile. The rest of the ground stared at him until he settled down.
Wiper took a deep, wheezy breath. "We have to face him," he snarled weakly, staggering forward. "We have to finish Enel…"
Laki stared at him in shock. Braham looked alarmed. The old chief moved forward, slamming his hand outwards to stop Wiper. "No," the old man ordered firmly.
Wiper's face contorted in rage, but he was feeble that a gentle push nearly toppled him to the ground. "Out of the way…"
"Gan Fall is Logia now. Their battle is beyond anything that we could take part in," The old chief said simply. "If we interfere, we will only die needlessly or get in the way. We will stay out of the battle, lick our wounds, and prepare for the next fight."
"Move, old man!" Wiper grunted, shambling forwards. "I will kill that monster!"
A flash of rage passed through the old chief's face. The rest of the group was staring at the confrontation, but staying quiet. "What is more important?!" The old man demanded furiously. "The lives of your friends or your quest for revenge? That is the decision you must make now!"
There were tears pouring down Wiper's bloody face. "He destroyed the light of Shandora!" He screeched.
"Shandora is more than just a bell!" The old chief shouted, pushing Wiper angrily to the ground. "It is a country! It is belief, it is responsibility, it is duty to those who come after us! We will carry the light and the spirits of the ancestors inside of us, always, but we cannot afford to throw everything away!"
Wiper was a wreck. A bloody mess of torn skin and broken bones still screaming madly at the sky. Aisa watched him with wide eyes.
"Wiper…" She muttered quietly, clutching onto Robin tightly. Laki glanced curiously at the girl's unusual affection for the older woman, but didn't speak. No one said a word. From the distance, the thunder caused the ground to tremor.
Suddenly, a faint sound became louder, cutting through the tension. It was the sound of whistling - a jolly, upbeat song echoing through the air. Everyone looked around in shock, before slowly turning to stay at the unconscious python. Vivi's face paled of all colour.
"No…" She gasped. "Not him…"
The python's jaw twitched as a figure staggered out. He was covered in blood and slime, but still completely recognisable. Marcus grinned as he stared at the scorched earth and black skies.
"Well, that was unpleasant," Marcus exclaimed, rubbing his head. His skin was blistered and scorched underneath the grime. His eyes was still vividly intense though; an insanely bright blue. "It looks like I've missed the party!"
"Run!" Nami ordered loudly, bringing her sword forward. The cloud sword was still new and foreign to her, but she was quickly learning the basics. "Everyone who can't fight has to run!"
"As if I'd let you get away," Marcus said with a maniacal smile, strolling forward. "I came here to kill everyone, and, well, you're everyone!"
The Shandorians were looking confused, but most of the raiders were already readying their weapons. The group formed a large semicircle around Marcus, who just kept on walking straight ahead. The air was shimmering.
"Who is this man?" The old chief demanded, while Wiper groaned trying to pull himself up.
"A very bad man," Vivi replied quietly, summoning a small sandstorm in her hands. Next to her, Conis glanced around at the confrontation in shock, hiding behind the princess. The angel was a nervous, shivering shell. Coming face to face with Enel had terrified her to the bone.
"Ah, you're so sweet, beautiful," Marcus replied cheerfully, glancing around the raiders surrounding him nonchalantly.
"It's over!" Usopp croaked loudly, reading his huge body to jump. "Your two partners are dead."
Marcus just snorted. "Like I care. So long as I'm alive, it's never over." He glanced at Usopp curiously, examining the giant toad. "Say, that's Cane Toad model, right? Ha, I remember the killing the previous owner of that fruit. I pulled off his legs and beat him to death with them as he tried to crawl away. It was fun."
Usopp's face turned a sickly yellow, but strangely he didn't back down. Instead, Usopp, hyperventilating, screamed as he leapt into the air, crashing down upon Marcus in a huge toad belly flop. The Devil fruit hunter moved with blurring speed, slamming his hand into Usopp with a flash of red light. The toad croaked in pain as he rolled across the ground limply.
"Who's next?!" Marcus laughed loudly, as the air burst into demonic red glow.
The raiders opened fire and charged. Marcus never even appeared to pay them much attention as he cut through the group in a wave of backhanded strikes. The cloak of red light covered him like armour, absorbing any attacks that came near. Braham unloaded a stream of blinding bullets, but Marcus was laughing even as he grabbed his wrist and slammed him to the ground. Genbo roared as he fired his cannon, but the cannonball exploded before it even got close, flinging iron fragments everywhere.
Sanji was there in an instant, growling as he launched a barrage of ferocious kicks. Even as the blows collided, Sanji's shoes ripped apart and his trousers tore into piece. The chef screamed in pain, just as Marcus sent him flying with a casual punch.
"Come on!" Marcus roared, glaring around the group. Both Vivi and Nami struck out with a blade of sand and a lance of iron cloud, but neither did any damage. "Give me a real fight!"
Wiper staggered to his feet in agony. Marcus' gaze turned predatory as he settled upon the wounded berserker. "I remember you!" He exclaimed happily. "The tough guy, right?"
He moved towards Wiper viciously. Wiper could barely stand. Genbo and Laki tried to block Marcus, but neither of them stood a chance. Wiper roared in fury as they both dropped to the ground, just before Marcus' glowing red hand extended towards him. Wiper couldn't run, or even fight. He was left staring helplessly as that maniacal grin approached.
For one terrifying second, Wiper's whole life flashed before his eyes. It was short, bloody, and violent.
And then a shape jumped in front of them. The old chief's gaze was firm as he pushed Wiper out of the way, and shoulder barged Marcus firmly, jabbing up with his long sword. As soon as the old chief got anywhere close to the Devil fruit hunter, his robes were shredded and cuts appeared across his skin, but the old man never even hesitate as he struck out with the blade. For half a second, Marcus looked annoyed, but then the sword shattered and Marcus' hand wrapped around the old chief's throat.
"Chief!" Wiper screamed in shock and fury.
"Leave him alone!" Vivi shouted defiantly, glancing around the group. In a matter of seconds, Marcus had cut through them all. They were all injured and tired, except for Marcus, who didn't appear to know the meaning of the words.
"He doesn't have a Devil fruit!" Nami protested, while Marcus tightened his grip on the old man's throat. The old chief grunted in pain, his eyes wide and fearful. "He's meaningless to you!"
"Devil fruit?" Marcus snorted dismissively, while the red aura intensified. "This was never about the Devil fruits. Not really. I never gave a fuck about the Devil fruits or about the whole 'business'. That was all Isaac and Berrit."
The old chief's face was bulging red, but he didn't scream. "I'm a simple man," Marcus continued conversationally, the insane smile returning to his face. "I just like killing people. I love it. And Devil fruit hunting is one of the few jobs where you can legally do it professionally for lots of money."
His hand tightened. There was a snap of bone. The old chief turned limp. Wiper screamed like an animal. Marcus' eyes gleamed.
"Goddamn I love my job," he said happily, letting the dead chieftain's body drop to the ground while he raised his hands. "Come on! I'll butcher the whole lot of you!"
Wiper tried to tackle the man to the ground, but Marcus knocked him down with an absentminded swipe. Marcus was already focusing on Vivi and Nami with a psychotic grin. Around him, the raiders were still moaning on the ground. "It your turn now, beautiful," Marcus exclaimed cheerfully.
Chopper hesitated, but Nami ordered him to get the wounded to safety and the doctor ran away. Aisa was screaming while Laki collapsed on to the ground, but then Robin grabbed the girl and rushed her to safety. Both Nami and Vivi struck out together with a coordinate attack of sand and cloud, but Marcus just kept on walking through it casually. He was whistling again.
A flash of fear flashed between Nami and Vivi and they ran in opposite directions, attacking Marcus from both sides. Vivi lashed out with a flurry of sand, while Nami whipped the iron cloud blade around in series of attacks that smashed against Marcus' shield.
Conis didn't move. The angel was too shaken to even twitch as Marcus walked straight up her. Vivi screamed at her to run. Marcus just looked at her curiously.
"So many beautiful girls…" The madman muttered wistfully, before swinging his fist at Conis' head. She didn't even flinch, but her eyes were bulging and her body was trembling.
"Come on!" Marcus roared as his shimmering knuckles barrelled towards Conis. "Isn't there anyone left who can put up a proper figh—"
The explosion took them all off-guard. One second Marcus was ready to splatter Conis' brains across the ground, and then the next a torrent of flame struck him from behind. The shockwave caused him to stumble to the ground. All eyes turned the new figure, walking quickly across the ground.
Marcus' eyes were vicious as he turned to glare at the man walking behind him. Pagaya's face was as impassive as ever, but he was clutching his smoking bazooka tightly. Conis gasped at suddenly seeing her father woke towards him.
"I'm terribly sorry," Pagaya said apologetically, readying his bazooka for another shot. "But there's still me."
Marcus glared at him with confusion more than pain. Average height, fluffy beard, bald hair, narrow shoulders and a plump physique; Pagaya looked the very image of non-threatening. Except for the bazooka, of course…
"Who the hell are you?" Marcus demanded.
"Excuse me, but I'm a father and a Dial mechanic. And I will be your opponent," Pagaya announced loudly, levelling his bazooka again. Conis couldn't believe her eyes; her whole body trembling at the sight. Pagaya looked around, like a man suddenly guilty for intruding. "Unless anyone has any objections, of course."
As one, raiders and pirates alike felt their bottom jaws drop open in shock.
"Die!" Enel screamed launching out with blasts of power. The man was everywhere; shooting across the sky with blinding speed. "Die! Die! Die!"
Gan Fall didn't stop. His legs just kept on pounding forward, his body ripplng as he constantly forged and transformed metal structures. Enel was all lightning, chaos and rage. Gan Fall was as determined and as relentless as cold steel.
Enel flickered through the air, avoiding a stream of cables. "You can't match my speed, old man!" He roared, transforming into a bolt of lightning. Attacks streamed towards Gan Fall from all sides.
Gan Fall took them all; his skin glowed red hot, but he recovered quickly. "And you can't match my defence!" He replied, throwing his arms forward as metal rods twisted into the sky. "Let us see who can last the longest!"
The metal was morphing, rippling and twisting constantly into new shapes. Iron and steel structures folded outwards into more and more complex shapes, while wires shot everywhere trying to restrain the lightning that thrashed through the sky. All Gan Fall needed was to restrain Enel long enough to get one good blow in…
Lightning raged like gigantic beast thrashing against its bonds. The cables whipped through the air like a cage wrestling a monster the ground. Shards of molten metal crashed through the forest. The thunder was so powerful it split through solid steel, while the air crackled with lightning so intense that it illuminated the sky.
Neither Gan Fall nor Enel were in human form anymore. Enel was a lightning bolt flickering through the entire sky, moving as one with the storm, while Gan Fall was a living fortress iron grounded on the earth, twisting and manipulating himself to try and catch lightning from a hundred different directions, erecting new layers of defenses by the second, bristling with an entire array of lightning rods. Both of them were reforming their physical bodies constantly.
"This must be taking its toll on you, hmm?" Gan Fall muttered, with gasping breath. His mouth was an entire wall of the fortress of his body, ten feet long and wide. "You've been using your powers a lot. I wonder how much charge you have left."
"You are weak! Weak! " Enel roared, eyes bulging. It was hard to tell, but he was panting for breath as well. "I have the strength of God! I will destroy everything! I will kill everyone!"
The lightning shot straight towards Gan Fall, more furious than ever. Gan Fall glared as he lashed his many arms out. "Copper!"
His skin of iron turned to a shiny red-brown as the cables weaved out of his body and dug into the earth. The lightning struck him, only for power to be dissipated straight into the earth. The copper kept on pulsing through the air, transforming into a giant coil of wire next to Gan Fall. The old man gasped from the effort, but he kept on fighting as he drew more and more lightning into himself.
Enel, more a cloud of lightning than a man, growled while the coil absorbed his power like a parasite. The air hissed from the energy streaming along the copper wires. He screamed, pumping out more and more voltage through pure force of will. The air shone brightly.
Gan Fall shouted in shock as the metal overheated and exploded in a flash of light that sent fragments everywhere. The old man staggered upwards just as Enel charged forward, a blazing hand jabbing towards him. Gan Fall couldn't even react as Enel's hand pierced straight through his metal body, and he felt the pain as the charge caused metal to crack.
"I can hurt you too, old man!" Enel roared victoriously, as the heat remoulded metal and Enel lashed out with more voltage. "I am stronger!"
It felt like a stab through the chest. It was enough to make Gan Fall want to collapse, but somehow he kept on going. His arm transformed into a lance of steel, only to collide against a blade of lightning. The sparks flew everywhere.
"Fool…" Gan Fall growled. "You have no idea what true strength is!"
Everything was dark, but there was a persistent ringing around him. Luffy groaned as his eyes flickered open. It took a long time for him to gather the strength to pull himself up. He groaned with agony as he pushed the metal dome covering him away.
There was a pink, polka-dotted horse with wings standing above him. Luffy never had the strength to be shocked. Pierre neighed loudly for Luffy to move, before biting him and nudging him with his snout until he did.
"Ow…" Luffy muttered weakly. "Quit it…"
Around him, there was fire, smoke and thunder thrashing through the air. Luffy was so weak he could barely stand up, even with Pierre almost pulling him off the ground with his teeth. The Pegasus was prancing around in panic, wings flapping urgently trying to get Luffy to move.
"What is it…?" He slurred, recognising the urgency despite a spinning head. His breathing was wheezy, but his mind fought for the very last scraps of strength he had left.
Slowly, he managed stagger upwards, only to collapse across the horse creature's shoulders. The Pegasus whinnied with frustration, before dragging Luffy's limp across the ground, his arms clutching weakly around the horse's neck.
The sound of thunder was everywhere, so furious the ground was vibrating. Luffy's eyes flickered open to see red sparks and blue lightning clashing over the trees, but Pierre dragged him further into the forest. After a few minutes of numb pain, Luffy finally focused enough to stare the large black rucksack lying on the ground. Pierre whinnied desperately.
Words echoed around Luffy's head. Do you understand? You must look in that bag. It is vitally important. You will understand when you look inside…
Luffy grunted and slowly extended his hand, his trembling fingers clumsy trying to clutch the zip. When he finally managed to pull the zip upwards, the whole backpack toppled and spilled its contents out of the floor.
Luffy blinked. It took a long time for him to process what he was seeing, but there were soft, purple objects littering the ground. The back had been filled to the brim with fruit; some of it squashed, but most of it still fresh.
"Grapes?" Luffy mumbled, kicking a fruit with his toe feebly. His body was weak but he could breathe and focus better now. "What am I meant to do with this?"
"Are you kidding me?" Marcus roared with laughter as he stared at Pagaya. "Is this place so desperate for soldiers so they have to send schoolteachers at me now?"
"Mechanic, actually," Pagaya corrected helpfully. Marcus didn't pay him any attention.
"Pathetic," Marcus said dismissively, turning his back and returning to Conis. She was staring between Marcus and Pagaya with wide, fearful eyes. "I'd rather kill this pretty little bird than waste time with yo-"
The impact struck him squarely in the back. Even if Marcus' shield absorbed the force, the heat still caused Devil fruit hunter to wince. "It's rude to turn your back on people," Pagaya murmured quietly, reloading his bazooka.
Marcus glared. Pagaya's passive politeness was getting to him now. "You really do not want to want to make me angry," the Devil fruit hunter growled.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Pagaya said apologetically, pulling something out of his pocket and throwing it at Marcus casually. "Catch."
Marcus' hands moved instinctively, snatching the object out of the air. He barely had time to recognise it as a small shell-like object, but Conis recognised it instantly. It was an Axe Dial.
And as soon as the Axe Dial hit Marcus' shimmering aura, the shell fractured. The air cracked as all the energy stored in Dial released instantly, erupting in crisscrossing blades of slashing air that exploded in Marcus' hand. The Dial was too close to shred the force completely as it cut in a long slash into Marcus' hand, shoulder, and arm. The blood splattered across the ground.
"Bastard!" Marcus growled, staring at the wound with more annoyance than pain, before crushing the axe dial in his hand. Marcus just didn't feel pain like normal people did. The blood red glowing aura grew so intense that the ground started to crack.
Pagaya was already charging towards the Devil fruit hunter with a determined pace. "Please move away from here, Conis," he said simply, pulling the bazooka around to blast it straight into Marcus' face. The flames gushed everywhere.
"Father…" Conis gasped breathlessly, while Marcus tackled straight into Pagaya. Her father kept his distance, his eyes calm and calculating even as he sidestepped blow after vicious blow. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Nami rushed over and half-pulled, half-dragged Conis off the ground. Pagaya was still dancing around Marcus, carefully keeping his distance. He didn't move quickly or suddenly, but every dodge was collected and precise.
"Come on!" Marcus roared, slamming his fist towards him in lightning speed. "Fight me!"
Pagaya lifted his bazooka to counter, yet he was too slow. Marcus' hands wrapped around the nozzle and tore the weapon out of his grip with ease. Marcus grinned evilly, his fingers crunching from the metal bazooka.
"What are you going to do without this—" Marcus mocked, but Pagaya was already diving to the ground and covering his head. Marcus barely had time to look confused before the bazooka exploded in a huge fireball of debris.
Around him, everyone stared in awe. The Shandorians were still littering the ground, struggling to pull themselves up, while Usopp was unconscious and Sanji was limping. Nami stared at Pagaya in shock, while Conis huddled together with Vivi.
He did that on purpose, Conis realised slowly. Pagaya must have triggered his own weapon to self-destruct and then let Marcus snatch it out of his hands. Is that… is that really my father?
Pagaya stared at the fireball curiously as he pulled himself backwards, leading the fight away from his daughter. "I'm sorry," Pagaya said humbly. "But that bazooka proved fairly ineffective."
The fire cleared slowly. Marcus was still standing, but his skin was scorched. He barely had any clothes left. A chunk of his hair had been scolded off, while there were fragments of metal embedded in his chest. Still, he looked more angry than injured. "You bastard!" Marcus screamed, as the glowing burnt brighter than ever.
Pagaya didn't look surprised, angry, or even remotely distressed. He just nodded as he slowly unbuttoned his yellow, blood-stained shirt. Underneath, he was a wearing a thick vest covered in Dials of all shapes and sizes.
Marcus charged with blinding speed. Pagaya was already dodging with experienced grace. Marcus' fist brushed passed Pagaya, coming so close the red aura ruffled his beard.
"Excuse me, but your fighting style is very easy to predict," he said calmly, snatching a Dial from his vest and holding it up in front of Marcus' face. Pagaya placed his hand over his eyes just before he pressed shell of the Dial.
The light was blinding and instant. A Flash Dial, Conis realised, yet Marcus was caught off guard. He screamed blindly and lashed out madly, but Pagaya almost casually walked up next to him and held another Dial up to the side of his head. The cracked as an Impact Dial sent a pressurised air shockwave into Marcus. Marcus roared and launched himself at him, but Pagaya simply sidestepped and extended his foot.
Marcus tripped and crashed into the ground with enough force to shred the earth into a cloud of dust, yet Pagaya was already walking behind and pressing the Impact Dial to the back of his skull. The air cracked, and not even Marcus could absorb the blast when it was that close.
Conis watched in absolute amazement. Her heart was beating in her chest furiously, but at the same time her father looked so relaxed and composed. She had seen Pagaya become flustered just looking for his Waver keys, but now he was fighting for his life and he was doing so well he made it look easy.
That's a modified Impact Dial, Conis realised, staring at the shell Pagaya was holding. She had seen her father modify plenty of Dials before to get more speed out of a Waver, but she had no imagined it could be used like this. An impact Dial modified for a narrower, more concentrated blast and less recoil…
Around her, Wiper stared at Pagaya in shock, even as he was slowly dragged off the ground by Braham. Everyone around him kept the distance but watched the fight in intense astonishment. Somehow, Pagaya didn't look like he needed any help at all.
Pagaya's wrists were bleeding slightly, and his clothes were torn around the edges, but not badly at all. Even getting close to Marcus meant taking some damage, but with short, sudden attacks you could minimise the risk. Marcus' power to shred any energy that would otherwise hurt him was more troublesome, and meant that he had to get up close and personal for his Dials to have an effect.
"I'm going to kill you," Marcus growled angrily, pushing himself of the ground. The mud just made another layer over his already beaten body. "I'm going to rip your fucking head off."
Pagaya nodded, but his eyes were analysing his opponent coolly. Marcus looked furious, but Pagaya noted the way his eyes flickered uncertainly. After two close range Impact Dials, Marcus' head must be spinning. He was disorientated, and furious.
The angrier an opponent became, the more predictable their attacks were. An angry and disorientated enemy was a very easy enemy, so long as you attacked in the right way.
Marcus charged, faster and more powerful with an uppercut that caused the air to crack. It would have took Pagaya's head clean off if it landed, but the mechanic was dodging backwards. Marcus roared, lashing out with furious blows that Pagaya refused to even get close to.
"COME ON! " Marcus screamed. "HIT ME! Fight me properly!"
The Dial mechanic just snorted. "No."
He dropped two Dials onto the ground that instantly started to billow smoke. In seconds, a thick smoke screen covered the area. Marcus paused. His face was bright red with rage and veins were throbbing in his forehead, but for the first time there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He couldn't see a thing through the smog.
"Excuse me, but might I convince you to surrender?"
Pagaya's voice rang from the smoke, and it was nearby. Marcus didn't even hesitate. He just turned in the direction of the sound, slamming both hands forward as the air shone bright red. The shockwave burst from his knuckles, so powerful it ripped straight through the smoke. Marcus grinned in satisfaction, before suddenly realising that there was absolutely no one there.
"I'm sorry, that was a Tone Dial," Pagaya said simply, stepping out of the smoke from the opposite direction. There was no time to react as suddenly he pressed two Dials against Marcus' back and pulled the trigger.
The Axe Dials released with a splatter of blood. The crisscrossing blades of air cut into Marcus' back, sending the man collapsing to the ground with deep, distinctive wounds cut into the flesh.
"I see," Pagaya said quietly. "Your power allows you to destroy things. You use it passively to create an aura around you that no one can approach without getting hurt, and to absorb any attacks that come your way. You also use it to magnify your own attacks."
Marcus was spitting blood as he pulled himself up. "However…" Pagaya continued, adjusting his Dials as he talked. "Your power works in waves that are constantly being emitted from your body. If you attack in one direction, you also become completely vulnerable from the opposite direction. You cannot attack and defend completely at the same time. That is why my previous attack hit you when you were defenceless."
The Devil fruit hunter looked beyond furious as he staggered upwards, wincing from the pain in his back. It had been a long time since any physical attack had caught so deeply. Pagaya just looked at him innocently. "I'm sorry, did I miss anything out?"
Marcus wasn't laughing anymore. His gaze was psychotically cold. "I'm going to kill you," He growled under his breath, murderously. "I'm going kill you. I'm going to rip out your spine. No. One. Messes. With. Me!"
The smoke was clearing quickly. Conis gasped in shock as Marcus launched out with a ferocious series of strikes that caught through the air. Pagaya dodged most of them, but had to block one with the Axe Dial. It wasn't clean, and he still ended up taking a blow that cut through his arm. Marcus roared in bloodlust as Pagaya's blood splattered against the ground.
"I will destroy you!" He screamed, lashing out again and again in shockwaves of blood-red air. Even as Pagaya was caught off-guard and nearly stumbled backwards, his face remained completely impassive. Marcus shouted triumphantly stepping forward and thrusting outwards with a shredding shockwave.
There was a sudden explosion. Marcus just took a step and instantly a plume of fire exploded upwards from the earth. Marcus screamed in visceral agony as the flames scorched his body, before the glowing aura returned to him and extinguished the fire.
"Excuse me, I must have dropped a Flame Dial there," Pagaya said quietly, motioning to the hidden mine. "But appears you become vulnerable from below when you attack forward as well."
Marcus was gasping heavily now, struggling to stand straight. His body was suffering third degree burns that left him looking barely human. Still, Marcus was a beast, and Pagaya was rapidly going through his available Dials.
Conis stared at her father with unblinking eyes. He wasn't strong or fast, but somehow he was dominating the whole fight so badly it looked mildly unfair. Pagaya didn't even appear to be sweating.
"Is that really your father?" Vivi whispered breathlessly. Luffy had fought himself to the bone trying to beat Marcus, yet Pagaya was just one step ahead of him the whole time, while apologising profusely.
This is Dial Warfare on a level I've never even imagined, Conis realised in shock. There's no brute strength or even speed involved, just preparation and experience.
It was a sudden thrill to realise that her father, the clumsy man that was constantly getting lost, might actually be one of the greatest Dial masters in the sky.
Marcus charged again, but Pagaya dodged and spun around him, striking at the most vulnerable areas with precise, pressurised blows from the Impact Dial. Marcus lashed out with attacks, yet Pagaya just unleashed so many different Dials that the man couldn't keep up. Pagaya struck downwards, slashing at the back of Marcus' heels with an Axe Dial until the Devil fruit hunter was limping. Marcus relied on brute strength and his power; and Pagaya just calmly took advantage of that weakness.
Suddenly, the memory of Conis facing against Yama shot into her head. She had done the exact same thing…
"Yes…." Conis whispered quietly, feeling her heart flutter. "That's my father…"
"I will kill you! I will kill you!" Marcus was screaming that like a chant, despite the injuries that were taking their toll. He was angry and disorientated and making more mistakes, while Pagaya attacked with the same impassive precision. Ironically, Pagaya was proving himself to be the ruthless one. "I will kill you."
"How rude," Pagaya muttered, holding out another Dial. Marcus must have mistaken it for a Flash Dial and he closed his eyes quickly, only for Pagaya to jam forward and press it close to his forehead. The aura cut at his arm, but then Pagaya released the Axe Dial and the air cut straight across Marcus' forehead.
The precise but shallow wound was weeping blood, blocking Marcus' vision as he thrashed wildly. Pagaya pulled an Impact Dial out and threw it at Marcus' feet, causing it to explode like a grenade. The shockwave sent Marcus tumbling to the ground, while Pagaya dived in for another attack.
He was half a second too slow. Pagaya never had time to react as Marcus' hand wrapped around his right ankle. With a sickening crack, bone cracked and Pagaya toppled to the ground.
"Father!" Conis screamed in shock, rushing towards him.
"Stay back!" Pagaya shouted, his voice uncharacteristically firm. Conis hesitated.
Marcus's eyes were vicious as he grabbed Pagaya's arms so he couldn't accept. Pagaya tried to force his Axe Dial in his hand towards Marcus, but Marcus grabbed his wrist and forced the Dial inwards into the air. Pagaya winced as the blood-red aura started to cut through his body.
"Oh, I've got you!" Marcus spat, his face so bloody, burnt and bruised that he barely looked human. "Not so clever now, huh?"
Vivi gasped in shock, trying to rush forward, but Marcus was holding Pagaya like a shield. Nami glared at him, mind racing but unable to help. The sudden dread hit Conis' so hard that she nearly fell to the ground, breathing wheezily as she watched the psycho grab ahold of her father. Pagaya struggled not to scream in agony.
"You really pissed me off, you know?" Marcus snarled, clutching Pagaya's arms tighter. "Congratulations, because I get a little bit vicious when I'm pissed off! I'm going to enjoy this!"
The Dial mechanic thrashed, but Marcus' grip was stronger than iron. Marcus' grin returned, as he slowly glanced at Conis, tears rolling down her cheeks. Everybody was completely quiet. No one dared to even breathe.
"Is that your daughter?" Marcus asked in a quiet voice that sent shivers down Pagaya's spine. Marcus's grin widened. "She's a pretty little bird. Personally, I was saving myself for beautiful over there, but your daughter is cute too."
His voice became venomous. Pagaya wasn't screaming anymore. "You know what I'm going to do?" Marcus whispered. "After I kill you, I'm going to go for your daughter. I'm going to rape her," he said with a sickening smile. Conis glared at him in horror. "I'm going to force her on to the ground, and I'm going to rape her with your blood still splattered over my body. And then when I'm done, after I've mutilated her so badly that she's barely human anymore, then I'm going to crush her skull in my hands."
Pagaya was screaming in pain. The agony was still there, but he was barely even trembling. He was glaring at Marcus with a gaze that suddenly did not look so apologetic. It was a look that seemed so foreign on her father's face.
It was a look of absolute, pure ice-cold rage.
Marcus just grinned even wider. "She's going to die a horrible, horrible death," he continued gleefully. "And it'll all be your fault because you pissed me off."
There was a silence. The air became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Vivi stared at Marcus in utter horror, but the monster just grinned. Pagaya was deathly silent.
There was no warning for what happened next. One second, Marcus was holding Pagaya's arms straight upwards into the air, the Axe Dial pointing useless upwards, and then the next Pagaya just quietly let go of the Axe Dial and it dropped from his hands. Marcus' eyes widened in shock as the Axe Dial fell between them, but then Pagaya's right leg kicked upwards. His foot collided against the Axe Dial as he slammed the Dial upwards to Marcus.
Straight into the Devil fruit hunter's crotch.
Marcus screamed. It wasn't a maniacal scream, but more like a high-pitched, shrill cry of absolute horror and pain. The Axe Dial exploded between his groin and Pagaya's foot and there was absolutely no way he could stop an attack that close and personal. The blades of razor sharp air cut straight through flesh as the blood splattered everywhere. Marcus' scream was so loud it split through the air.
Pagaya staggered backwards, limping on his broken ankle but he didn't pause he instantly snatched a Dial off his chest and threw it straight into Marcus' open mouth. The Breath Dial cracked, and started to release flammable fumes.
Pagaya didn't even apologise as he clutched triggered a Flame Dial, igniting a huge fireball that exploded from the inside of Marcus' mouth. The impact sent the Devil hunter crashing backwards.
"Father!" Conis screamed rushing over to catch Pagaya as he crashed onto the ground. The man was bleeding heavily with broken bones.
No one moved or even breathed. They were all watching fight with hearts beating furiously. Marcus was lying on his back on the ground; his head smoking while the blood poured from his body.
Pagaya groaned as he pulled himself up weakly. Conis was there hugging him tighter than ever. Pagaya stared at the limp body of Marcus with deep breaths.
"Get back…" Pagaya muttered weakly, staggering up to his knees while cradling his broken ankle.
Conis stared at him. "What?"
"Please get back," Pagaya mumbling, gulping heavily. "It's not safe for you."
She heard the sound of movement behind her before she even turned. Conis' blood ran cold. Her eyes were wide as she watched Marcus slowly stagger upwards.
"… No…" She gasped, while Pagaya carefully pushed her behind. How he is still alive!?
Marcus was an absolute monster. There was no other word more fitting. His eyes were pure insanity as he glared Pagaya with frightening rage. His face was burnt and scolded and one side of his cheek had been blown off, revealing his jaw muscles and teeth that twisted his face into atrocious grin.
He screamed in pure rage, while around him the blood red aura shone brighter than ever. Conis could feel the heat on her face. The air around his igniting with his rage, while the ground cracked with every step.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" He screamed in a hoarse animalistic voice. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
Marcus staggered forward, panting and growling like a monster. "You will not kill me!" He roared, gasping for air. "I will never die! YOU CANNOT KILL ME!"
The pure madness was frightening. Conis screamed, but Pagaya's hand was on her shoulder, firm and reassuring.
"Conis…" He said gently. "Please leave. I will handle this."
She looked at him in horror. Her father had never seemed so firm and reassuring; the foundation on which she had built her life. "But…" She stammered, glancing down to his empty vest. "You don't have any Dials left…"
He smiled softly. "That's not true," he said softly, reaching into a secure pocket on his vest, and pulling out a large, grey seashell. "I still have this one."
It was Wiper who recognised the Dial first. The raider was still being supported by Braham weakly, but his eyes bulged as he saw the Dial in Pagaya's hand. "That's…" Wiper shouted loudly. "That's a Reject Dial!"
A Reject Dial. The very thought sent shivers down Conis' spine. Reject Dials were infamous in Skypiea; incredibly powerful weapons of destruction. How could he get a Reject Dial…?
A smug smile flashed across Pagaya's face briefly. "Sorry," he corrected, as he pulled his vest down, revealing a sash across his waist embedded with five bulky Dials. "These are six Reject Dials."
He staggered to his feet weakly, while the statement sent shockwaves running through the audience. Even Marcus paused, staring between the group as he tried to understand the declaration, but something about the way Pagaya said it caused him to hesitate.
"What the hell are Reject Dials?" Marcus demanded in a hoarse, slightly uncertain voice.
Six Reject Dials, Wiper thought in awe. One Reject Dial was enough to transform the God-Slayer into a weapon of mass destruction, but six. Pagaya had one on his hand and five around his belt. It was an attack that Pagaya had originally intended as a last-ditch attempt against Enel, but it seemed to be needed now.
A single Reject Dial had enough recoil to kill a man, but for six…
Other people were having the same thought he was. "We need leave!" Braham shouted suddenly, turning to the rest of the group. "Everyone needs to get as far away from here as possible!"
"Father…" Conis muttered in confusion, before she recognised the determination in Pagaya's eyes. It was firm, but sympathetic. Realised clicked. She shook her head, clutching onto him tightly. "No… !"
He pulled her away gently. "Leave, Conis," he muttered, staggering away.
She shook her head, but Vivi was suddenly there, wrapping her arms around Conis at dragged her away from the blast radius.
"No, father!" Conis screeched, tears flowing down her cheeks. Sanji was there, helping Vivi to lift her away. "No! You can't do this! No! "
Pagaya felt his hands tremble as he stared at his daughter. He wanted to say he was sorry, to beg for her forgiveness, but the words caught in his throat.
I've apologised too many times, Pagaya realised; I should have saved some apologies for when they really matter.
Instead he just smiled, and said, "Goodbye, my little angel." There was a tear falling through down his cheek. "Be brave. I will always be so proud of you."
Conis' screams could be heard even as Sanji hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her away. The pirates cast a last, sorrowful look at Pagaya before running madly. Pagaya just slowly turned to Marcus.
The Devil fruit hunter looked confused, and just a little bit nervous. Everyone around him was scattering for the hills. He was used to people running from him, but not like this.
"What's going on here?!" Marcus demanded, as his burning aura reached furious levels. Pagaya showed absolutely no hesitation as he limped towards him.
Pagaya's gaze was unyielding. It was an expression that said 'Oh dear, I'm going to have to kill this man now - what a shame'.
It was murderous, but in the most apologetic way possible.
"You will not kill me!" Marcus growled, but there was a twitch in his eyes. "I can never die! "
Pagaya smiled softly as he placed his hand gently on Marcus' shoulder, showing absolutely no concern as the aura shredded through his skin. For a second, a look of absolute fear settled over Marcus. Marcus had never felt fear before. It was paralyzing.
"I really am sorry about this," Pagaya apologised, just as he triggered the Reject Dials.
It wasn't an explosion. There was no fire or heat, or even much sound. There was just an unbelievable amount of pure force that disintegrated everything around him.
One moment, there were two men standing next to each other on a scorched ground. The next second, there was a dull boom, and then everything, the men, the ground, the surroundings, disappeared into dust.
"What's the matter, Enel?" Gan Fall shouted over the sound of raging thunder. "Your attacks aren't quite as powerful as before!"
"SHUT UP!" Enel screeched launching an arc of lightning the cut cleanly through a chunk of iron. Red sparks shot across the forest.
Gan Fall just grunted, while iron cables shot out of the ground. "You're losing energy! Get weaker!"
"NO!" Enel screamed, flickering through the sky in a bolt of lightning. His voice was becoming more and more unhinged with every attack, while his lightning was running wild, unfocused. There were no shapes in the lightning, just wild, raw energy flashing through air. The trees had been vaporised into dust, leaving an open clearing for the pair to trade blows. "I am God! "
"Oh, but even that's starting to fade isn't it?" Gan Fall demanded. "It must be frightening feeling the prove of your 'divinity' fade with every blow! You are not as all powerful as you would like to believe!"
He had to keep Enel off guard and unfocused. The god was still a powerhouse, but he was slowly weakening and quickly losing his sanity. Every taunt just served to push Enel further and further over the edge.
"I am stronger than you, old man!" Enel screamed, the lightning whipping through the air while the thunder cracked. The power cleaved Gan Fall's arm straight off, but it rematerialized a second later.
"You are a fool," Gan Fall retorted, launching half a dozen steel spinning disks with the flick of the wrist. Enel didn't dodge; his Mantra was failing along with his sanity. "You still do not understand what really makes a man strong!"
"I can destroy you!" Enel shouted, flickering away to avoid the cables threatening to restrain him. "That makes me strong!"
Gan Fall snorted. "No," he said in a quieter voice. "True strength comes from weakness. True strength is the ability to embrace your own weakness, and move through it."
"I have no weakness!" Enel bellowed, as the shockwave shredded the ground into dust.
"Yes, you believe yourself to be invincible," Gan Fall agreed, motioning to the wreckage of his ship. "And look where that's got you."
Enel scowled. "I told you to shut up!" He screamed, as the lightning burst outwards. A wall of metal slammed from the ground, threatening to trap him, and Enel zapped away.
Gan Fall was panting heavily. He was old and the Devil fruit did not change that. He fought with skill and patience, but he just didn't have the stamina for a drawn-out fight. He had to finish this now.
His taunts were working. He needed to push Enel into making a mistake. "With every defeat, with every wound and with every battle scar, I have become stronger, Enel," Gan Fall shouted. "That is what you cannot understand. You are destined to lose this fight!"
"Shut up!" Enel screeched madly. "I CANNOT LOSE! I AM GOD!"
He paused, glaring at Gan Fall just before he bellowed to the sky. "AMARU!"
The blue lightning struck downwards from the sky and Enel's body became swollen with electricity, growing to a humongous size. Enel suddenly transformed into a massive being of lightning, glaring down at Gan Fall with furious, crackling eyes.
"DIE!" Enel roared, in a voice that rumbled with thunder. The blue lightning struck downwards, with enough intensity to disintegrate iron. Gan Fall screamed as the power scorched his metal body.
Perfect, he growled, focusing all the strength he had left for one last attack. Enel had finally sacrificed his speed for raw power. Now, it just became a matter of who had the most left. This will be over quickly, Gan Fall thought to himself, his brow furrowing in determination.
Steel wires burst out of Gan Fall's body, threading into a massive net around Enel's giant form, and hammering down via huge metal spikes into the stone. The electricity roared, but Enel never stopped his attack. Even when Gan Fall forged huge copper pylons and started siphoning the power away, Enel just screamed louder and pumped more energy out.
"Let us see who the failure is now!" Gan Fall shouted, as metal and lightning danced over the earth. The whole ground tremored and splintered as the power was redirected into the earth. Gan Fall glimpsed the stone burn away as a giant crack cut through the ground. He smirked, forcing the metal spikes into the ground further. "Let us see what I can accomplish!"
The strain was incredible. It felt like Gan Fall was trying to chain down a hurricane. Everything glowed with pure blue energy while the solid steel structure split under the heat and force. Gan Fall could feel his metal body being worn away faster than he could regenerate, but still he pushed onwards as the wires tightened Enel's massive body.
I just need a bit more… Gan thought desperately, weaving the metal around Enel. The air was crackling louder than anything he had ever heard before. Just a bit more and then I'll be able to finish him….
"THIS ENDS NOW!" Enel's voice bellowed with thunder.
Gan Fall grunted and slammed both his hands together. "AGREED!" He shouted, the word ringing in that air like metal. His hands started to shift while Gan Fall focused every last ounce of strength he had left. "TITANIUM!"
His hands and arms morphed together, suddenly a bright silver edge shot forward. In the blink of an eye, his hands sharpened into a lance and shot outwards, cutting through the electricity with blinding speed.
And then Gan Fall felt a satisfying crunch as the blade cut through flesh and bone.
After that, his strength collapsed and the whole world exploded into blue light.
Everything went quiet. The lightning disappeared, while the metal structures collapsed to the ground. The earth was still trembling like an earthquake, while the crack through island grew larger. In the distance, the mountains started to move further away.
The attack caused the entire island of Upper Yard to split in half.
Slowly, near the centre of the devastation where the ground was still cracking away, a figure pulled himself upwards, clutching at his chest. Enel was panting and groaning in pain, his hand over the wound straight through the side of his stomach as he staggered to his feet. Blood was pouring out of the wound, but then Enel's hand started to crackle and he groaned in agony as the lightning cauterised the wound.
"I win, old man," Enel growled, glaring over the figure of Gan Fall lying on the ground.
Gan Fall's armour was gone; it had been scorched away by the lightning. All that was left was a frail, burnt old man lying on the ground, coughing up blood. Enel looked triumphant for half a second, before Gan Fall slowly started to chuckle.
Enel scowled. "Didn't you hear me?!" Enel demanded furiously. "I've won, you've lost again."
"Oh, I know," Gan Fall muttered through wheezy breaths, still chuckling. His skin was burnt and numb, and he could feel his heart failing. He knew that he was seconds away from death, but he kept on chuckling. "I was never capable beating you, Enel. That was never my intention."
Enel didn't respond, but just stared the ex-god angrily. Gan Fall smirked, staring at the Enel curiously. Around them, the island kept on crumbling away.
"You feel it, don't you?" Gan Fall murmured, staring at Enel critically. The god was panting for breath, clutching his wounded side as he struggled even to remain conscious. Enel's body was beaten and bruised, and he was absolutely exhausted. "You can feel the toll that the battle has taken on you. Even your strength is fading quickly."
Enel stared at him incredulously, panting heavily. Gan Fall just continued in a quiet drawl. "I am old," he sighed, his eyes flickering shut. "And I am tired of fighting. I may not have been capable of killing you, but I was still more than capable of weakening you for the next one."
"The next one?!" Enel demanded, still gasping for breath. His body was hurting more than it ever had.
Gan Fall just smirked, his eyes closed almost peacefully. "Yes, the next one," he muttered. "I never said that I would be the one to beat you. I told you that I would ensure your defeat."
His eye flickered open, relishing in the look of slow despair failing over Enel. "Now how's that for one last failure?"
Enel screamed. It was a raw, primal cry that split open the skies and brought down a pillar of blue lightning down open Gan Fall. The old man was smirking even as the electricity cut through his body and cut the earth to pieces. Enel just kept on screaming like a wounded animal.
And then, the lightning stopped suddenly. Enel's eyes bulged as he stared at his hands in shock, feeling his last reserves of power run out. His body was beaten and broken. He could barely breathe through the pain and his head was spinning. He could barely even stay conscious. For the first time in decades, Enel felt completely and utterly mortal.
His shoulders sagged. "No…" Enel gasped, feeling the tears run down his cheek.
About a hundred metres away, Luffy sighed as he pulled himself up from Pierre. His heartbeat was steadying, his strength returning slowly. The rest was exactly what he needed to prepare himself for round two. Gan Fall had bought him time to recover, and slowly Luffy began to understand.
The bag was filled with grapes. Gan Fall had been smart and he knew Upper Yard like the back of his hand. He spent all of yesterday and all the morning flying around the island, hunting for grapevines. Upper Yard was quite a small island, and there were only so many grapevines left in the wilderness.
Every single grape had been harvested and shoved into that bag. When a Devil fruit user died, the power reincarnates into a fruit of the similar type. With a little bit of work, Gan Fall had managed to ensure exactly where the Metal Metal fruit would end up.
Luffy watched slowly as a bundle of grapes in the pile took on a silver sheen as the swirls appeared over the fruit. Luffy slowly picked up the new Metal Metal fruit and stared at it for a long time. Next to him, Pierre was quiet, silently mourning the loss of his comrade.
Beneath him, the earth was rumbling. It felt like the island was being torn apart. Luffy felt his fingers clench into fists as he clutched the Metal Metal fruit tightly and started to walk away. It was time to finish this, and now he had the power to end it once and for all.
"I've got a god to kill…" He muttered under his breath coldly.
Author Notes
This chapter and the next one was originally planned to be combined. However, I want to stop the extra large chapters that I've been throwing out recently, so I decided to split them up here.
Next time, the fighting all comes to end, and Luffy finally getting his new Devil fruit powers…
"Go To Hell"…