Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

Enel's facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, and his entire body erupted with blinding and chaotic lightning. He gritted his teeth, the anger of being offended completely overwhelming his reason.

"How dare you threaten an omnipotent God?!"

Enel casually picked up the golden staff that was placed to the side.

His body instantly transformed into a dazzling blue lightning bolt, accompanied by deafening thunder, crashing through the dome of the Shrine of God and hurtling towards Ace's location.

"You ignorant insect! I'm going to burn you to ashes!"

Chapter 66 An Arrogant God or a Frog in a Well?

The thunder grew closer.

Ace stood in the center of the ancient ruins, looking up at a broken stone pillar in front of him. Blue lightning fell from the clouds, not dissipating immediately, but gathering into a human shape at the top of the pillar.

Enel sat down cross-legged, as if the divine retribution from before had never happened. He held an apple in his hand, took a bite, and then looked down at Ace.

"Hahaha, you managed to catch God's greeting, you're more resilient than I thought." Enel chewed on an apple. "Your companions also defeated two priests. Those trash may only be fit for amusement, but they still belong to me. Destroying God's things must be punished."

He casually tossed the apple core aside, and it landed right at Ace's feet.

Ace glanced down at him: "You call yourself a god?"

“On this island, I hold the power of life and death over everyone.” Enel stood up, the electricity between his fingers flowing along his golden staff. “Your every move, every word you utter, even your heartbeats, are all within my web of consciousness. I rule the sky, and my power is the rule here.”

"There's a group of people in Qinghai who call themselves creators." Ace kicked the apple core aside. "They at least control the World Government, the Navy, and a lot of resources. You occupy a piece of land that came up from Qinghai four hundred years ago, bullying a group of people who don't even have the means to resist, and you have the nerve to call yourself a god?"

Enel paused, the arc of electricity between his fingers pausing: "You have no idea what you're facing."

“Mind Net is nothing more than Observation Haki.” Ace looked at him. “You can amplify radio waves with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which does allow you to hear further. But that has nothing to do with omniscience or omnipotence. You don’t even know how many strong people there are in Qinghai, yet you hide in the clouds and proclaim yourself a god. You’re just a frog at the bottom of a well.”

Ace didn't deny Enel's talent. His Observation Haki, covering the entire island, combined with the near-instantaneous speed of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, made him a formidable opponent even in the Blue Sea. The problem was that Enel had never encountered anyone capable of striking a Logia-type user directly. His six years of rule over Skypiea didn't force him to address his weaknesses; instead, it led him to mistake the advantages of his Devil Fruit for proof of his invincibility.

Enel swung his arm, and a bolt of lightning shot out from his palm: "You're asking for death!"

This attack no longer brewed from high above; a bolt of lightning several meters thick pierced the ruins at close range, instantly turning the spot where Ace stood into a scorched crater. Electricity surged wildly along the cracks in the stone slabs, setting the vegetation along its path ablaze.

"Hahaha! This is the price for offending God!"

The laughter stopped quickly.

As the smoke cleared, Ace stood at the edge of the crater, his right arm covered in Armament Haki. The lightning, struck by that layer of Haki, was diverted to either side, leaving only dense scorch marks on the ground.

"You just said that your power is the rule?" Ace flicked away the remaining arcs of electricity from his arm. "Then this rule is far too easy to break."

“Impossible.” Enel stared at the black arm. Having lived on the Skypiea all his life, he had never seen anyone shield themselves from lightning. “How could a human possibly withstand the wrath of a god!”

He raised his five fingers, and several bolts of lightning shot towards the ground. The lightning blocked Ace's surroundings from different directions, successively piercing through the stone slabs, broken walls, and vines overhead, with the blasted debris mixed with the lightning crashing down.

Ace took two steps forward, shattering the oncoming rock with his left fist, his right arm, covered in Armament Haki, held horizontally in front of him. Lightning struck the hardened metal and was diverted to both sides, the remaining current dripping into the ground along the edge of his trench coat. He walked through the exploding arcs of electricity, still closing the distance.

Enel abandoned his position on the pillar after his long-range lightning strike failed to repel his opponent. His figure suddenly transformed into lightning and vanished from the top of the pillar.

Ace's Observation Haki activated. Electricity converged on his right, and Enel was already close behind. The golden staff, heated red-hot by the lightning, swept across Ace's temple with intense heat.

"Thunder Metallurgy!"

Enel anticipated Ace's movements and was certain his strike would hit. However, Ace didn't dodge; his left arm was covered in Armament Haki, and he met the blow head-on.

The golden staff struck Ace's arm, sparks flying from the point of contact. The force, powerful enough to shatter rock, failed to subdue Ace's arm; instead, it sent Enel's hands numbing.

The accumulated lightning at the tip of the staff exploded simultaneously, blue light creeping along Ace's left arm towards his shoulder. Armament Haki blocked the strongest layer of voltage, but a small amount of current still managed to penetrate the air and seep into his muscles. Ace's fingers were briefly numb, but the sensation returned after circulating his energy for a full cycle.

Enel seized this moment as an opportunity, twisting the staff, intending to slide it off his arm and strike his throat. Ace flipped his left hand upwards, his five fingers already gripping the golden staff. Enel yanked twice in succession, but the staff seemed stuck in rock, unable to retract even an inch.

The intense heat from the staff couldn't penetrate the Armament Haki, and the electric current was similarly blocked from the skin. The stone slab at Ace's feet couldn't withstand the force of their collision; it first dented downwards and then cracked into several pieces. His upper body, however, didn't even sway.

"What exactly is that black layer?" Enel pulled hard on his staff, but the staff didn't budge.

Ace gripped the red-hot gold with his five fingers, an electric current coursing through his palms, but he couldn't let go: "Too weak."

Armament Haki gathered in his right fist and flowed outwards from the fist.

"Since you're so eager to become a god, then let me see if the blood you bleed after being beaten is red."

The fist tore through the air, heading straight for Enel's abdomen. Enel immediately released his golden staff, his upper body disintegrating into lightning before the fist could make contact.

Ace's fist passed through the afterimage, the remaining force propelling him forward. The forest behind him seemed to have been plowed by an invisible giant plow, rows of trees snapping in half, creating a blank strip hundreds of meters long in the woods.

A dozen meters away, the lightning reformed into a human shape. Enel clutched his abdomen; although he hadn't been hit head-on, the force of the punch that grazed his body still made his internal organs churn.

Elementalization doesn't mean disappearing into thin air; it means transforming the body into lightning-like movement. Ace's punch speed was already approaching the limit of his reaction time. Even though his mind-reading network clearly detected the attack, he still only had time to neutralize the impact at the vital points. The fist, enveloped in Armament Haki, grazed the lightning, and the residual shock had already penetrated his body.

The warning from his Observation Haki was correct; the problem lay with Enel himself. Having relied on his elemental form and lightning speed for so long, he had never systematically trained in close-quarters evasion. His Psychic Eyes could already see the angle at which the fist would land, but his limbs and torso couldn't react in time, so he hastily dispersed his abdomen into electricity.

It was so close.

He looked at Ace's fist and finally realized that the black power could not only block lightning, but also strike his elementalized form. Had he been even half a step slower, that punch would have already landed on him.

Ace threw the golden staff he had stolen to the ground: "In Qinghai, there are countless people who can use Haki. Your Devil Fruit is indeed very strong, but besides using your mental network to predict the future and transforming into lightning to dodge, what else can you do?"

He stepped over the charred stone slabs and walked toward Enel.

"You possess the most advanced abilities on the high seas, yet you haven't practiced any decent physical skills, nor have you ever been hit by a truly powerful opponent. Once someone gets to your true form, your limited combat experience will be completely insufficient."

Enel retreated step by step, his expression growing increasingly grim.

“You can remain invincible here only because no one on Skypiea understands Haki.” Ace stopped in front of him. “If you were in the Blue Sea, a guy like you wouldn’t even be able to step through the gates of the New World.”

"Shut up!"

At the same time, the taiko drums behind Enel roared, and electricity surged into his body from all sides. The clouds overhead grew thicker and thicker, and countless thick bolts of lightning forked in the clouds, illuminating the entire ruins in alternating light and shadow.

"I am God, and God will never be defeated!"

Enel raised his golden cudgel only to realize his weapon had been taken, his hand pausing for a moment in mid-air. This small mistake made his expression even more grim. He struck the taiko drum on his back with lightning, the electricity transforming into two thunderbirds that soared into the clouds, continuing to fuel the charge accumulating above.

Enel rose into the air. Lightning followed his movement, filling the sky, and the high pressure caused the air to explode with continuous booming sounds.

"Qinghai man, you think you can withstand lightning? Then try it and see if you can survive this time!"

The thunderclouds continued to expand, now covering the ancient ruins. Compared to the previous two attacks, the electricity gathered this time was enough to wipe out large swathes of islands.

Ace looked up at him, his fists covered in Armament Haki. The next moment, crimson-gold flames ignited from his fists, and the heat wave swept away the remaining arcs of electricity around him.

"It seems there's no point in talking to a frog that's never left the bottom of a well."

Ace took a step forward, leaving a long trail of flames behind him.

"Then I'll wake you up first, and then show you how big the outside world is."

Chapter 67 Shattering Enel, the Cheap Stake of the Infinite Land

Thunderclouds pressed down in layers over Apayado. The wind in the forest grew stronger, and broken branches were swept into the air, only to be quickly charred by lightning.

Enel hovered below the clouds, his golden staff striking the thunder drum behind him repeatedly. With each vibration, the lightning gathered around him expanded. After three consecutive thunderclaps, the electricity converged in the air, transforming into a blue lightning dragon tens of meters long.

"I am an invincible god! How dare this insect from Qinghai stand before me!"

Enel pressed his golden cudgel downwards: "Sixty Million Volts Thunder Dragon!"

The thunder dragon opened its mouth and swooped down, distorting the air with its intense heat wherever it passed. The ruins below, just as the lightning swept across them, shattered into pieces, and exposed metal quickly turned red and melted.

Ace glanced up but didn't dodge. He pulled his right arm back, his blood and energy surging along his shoulder and back towards his fist, his Armament Haki instantly covering his entire arm. Crimson gold divine fire then rose from between his fingers, enveloping his fist and forearm.

As the Thunder Dragon lunged at him, Ace shattered the ground with a single step and met it with a punch.

"Divine Fire - Breaking Army!"

The crimson pillar of fire pierced straight into the thunder dragon's mouth. The high-level flowing cherry blossoms attached to the fist wind tore through the outer layer of lightning first, then crashed into the thunder dragon's belly. The massive body formed from electricity began to crack from the head, exploding into countless blue light spots in the blink of an eye.

The remaining arcs of electricity struck the ruins, sending rubble flying everywhere. Ace emerged from the scattered sparks, his steps unwavering.

Enel tightened his grip on the golden cudgel: "A lightning dragon with 60 million volts was shattered with a single punch?"

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had never disappointed him in the past. Whether they were Skypiea residents or Shandia warriors, once struck by lightning, they had no chance to fight back. But this Qinghai man didn't even use darkness; he shattered the lightning dragon head-on with just his Haki and flames.

Ace stopped in the middle of the ruins, looked up and asked, "Is this the source of your confidence to call yourself a god?"

"Shut up!" Enel's temples bulged with veins, and lightning surged around him. "Don't look at me like that!"

Blue-white electricity surged from his body, completely engulfing him. The lightning gathered more and more, and the figure enveloping him expanded accordingly. Moments later, a giant formed from lightning stood above the ruins, its head almost touching the low-hanging thunderclouds.

"Two hundred million volts Thor!"

A series of loud crackling sounds erupted from the high-voltage current. The ancient trees nearby burst into flames before even touching Thor's body. Enel raised his two massive lightning fists and slammed them down at Ace on the ground: "Let me show you the true power of a god!"

A giant fist blocked the sky above. Ace stared at the descending lightning, a hint of interest finally appearing on his face: "That's more like it."

He took a breath, and the dormant Beast bloodline within him awakened. Crimson-gold flames shot into the sky, pushing away the nearby blue lightning. Two fiery wings unfurled from Ace's back, and fine scales spread down his shoulders, covering his arms and legs.

Half-Beast Transformation: Vermilion Bird Form!

Ace bent his knees and pushed off the ground, shattering and melting the stone slab beneath his feet. He flapped his wings and soared into the air, raising his right leg high, his Armament Haki and Crimson Gold Divine Fire converging simultaneously on his calf.

"Flowing Cherry Blossom - Vermilion Bird Seal!"

The leg collided with the thunderous fist, and red and blue light exploded outwards simultaneously. The shockwave swept across the sky above Apayado, tearing the clouds horizontally and revealing a hole thousands of meters in the sky.

Thor's fist stopped.

Enel continued to increase the electricity, but his arm still couldn't fall. The divine fire wrapped around Ace's leg wasn't extinguished by the lightning; instead, it burned into Thor's arm along the point of contact, and the outline formed by the electric current began to become unstable.

"Got you?"

Ace's wings snapped shut behind him, and he flashed past the thunder fist. As the sonic boom exploded in its place, he had already bypassed the giant fist and slashed into Thor's chest.

Enel's psychic vision had anticipated his path. The moment the thought of dodging crossed his mind, Ace's hand pierced through the outer layer of lightning and gripped his throat.

You can see it, but you don't have time to act.

Ace had been training with Seastone shackles for years, pushing his body to a level that was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Now, with the added boost from the Suzaku form, Enel's untrained body simply couldn't keep up with the predictions of the Psychic Array.

A high-level Armament Haki pressed down along his five fingers, and just as Enel was about to transform into his elemental form, his physical form was forcibly locked in place. The Thunder God avatar surrounding the two of them shook violently, and large gaps appeared in the electricity on its chest.

Ace gripped his neck and said, "Your mind control is very useful, but your physical skills are too poor. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is at least half wasted in your hands."

As he spoke, his left fist had already retracted to his waist. Layers of domineering aura compressed onto his fist, causing the surrounding air to whistle sharply.

"Divine Fire - Collapse Star!"

The fist slammed into Enel's abdomen, but there was no large-scale explosion outside. All the force passed through his flesh and flowed directly into his body at the moment of contact.

Enel's body arched violently, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. He spat out blood, mixed with shattered internal organs. The electricity supporting his Thor form instantly went out of control, and the massive lightning giant burst open from his chest, shattering into a shower of sparks.