"So, the plan is simple," Imai said, her tone confident. "I bait Enel. You two handle anyone else who might try to interfere. I'll take care of him." She stretched, a smirk spreading across her face. "Easy, right?"
"The plan seems… flawed," Conis murmured, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
"No, it's perfect," Nico said calmly, sipping her tea. "There's no need to overthink it. Simple plans work best in situations like this."
"If you say so," Conis replied, clearly unconvinced but unwilling to argue.
Imai stood abruptly, her expression alight with excitement. She clapped her hands together. "All right! Let's get started."
The air felt different as Imai made her way down the path that led to the open area below Wagumoland. The clouds stretched endlessly, shimmering faintly under the sun's golden rays. The scene was breathtaking, but Imai's focus was elsewhere.
She paused, taking a deep breath. The sky felt alive here, humming with energy. The faint static in the air prickled her skin, a subtle warning. Her smirk grew.
"Show yourself, 'God,'" she murmured.
A sudden, sharp crack split the air.
ZZZ-CRACK!
A streak of lightning tore through the sky, aimed directly at her. The attack was blindingly fast, but Imai didn't flinch. Her arm shot up, cloaked in shimmering black Armament Haki, deflecting the lightning with a sharp crackle. Sparks danced around her, and she brushed a singed speck of ash from her sleeve.
From above, a figure descended. His body crackled with electricity, his presence suffused with an arrogant authority. Enel hovered, his golden staff glinting in the sunlight. His expression was one of frustration, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"You must be Enel," Imai said, tilting her head with mock curiosity. "The so-called God of Skypiea. What's with that face? Don't tell me you thought that little spark would actually hit me."
"Shut up and die!" Enel snarled, his voice echoing as his body erupted into a surge of lightning.
In an instant, he vanished.
Imai remained still, her eyes scanning the area. She smiled knowingly. "Finally using your powers the right way, huh? Too bad you still don't know how to fully exploit them."
"Arrogant fool!" Enel's voice boomed from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"Ah, there you are!" Imai exclaimed, feigning surprise.
The taunt worked. Enel materialized, his form solidifying just in time for Imai to spin and deliver a powerful, haki-infused kick. Her leg connected with his side, sending him hurtling through the air. His body crashed into the clouds, dispersing them in a spray of vapor.
Enel staggered to his feet, his golden staff clutched tightly. His pride and confidence wavered for a moment before he raised his hand to the sky.
The heavens roared.
Bolts of lightning rained down in rapid succession, striking the ground where Imai stood. The explosions were deafening, shaking the area with each impact.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Imai weaved through the strikes with ease, her movements fluid and precise. As she dodged, she noted the patterns in Enel's attacks.
"When you summon lightning, you're immobile," she muttered to herself. "And when you use your lightning form, the air shifts around you. Sloppy."
Enel's frustration was evident as his attacks failed to land. He stretched his arms, electricity coiling around them like living snakes. Two ropes of crackling energy extended from his hands, each one sparking with immense voltage.
"You like them?" Enel sneered. "These ropes can disintegrate anything they touch. You'll die screaming!"
He swung the ropes toward her, their whiplike movements unpredictable and ferocious. Imai dodged the first strike, but Enel manipulated the rope to swing back toward her.
"Not bad," Imai said, sidestepping with ease.
Enel grinned. "Predictable, aren't you? Let's see you handle this!"
Both ropes lashed out simultaneously, one from the front and the other from behind. Imai flicked her katana into the air, catching the forward rope on her blade. Sparks erupted as the blade deflected the electricity. The rope recoiled, dragging the katana with it.
Imai grinned. "Perfect."
The katana spun in midair, its trajectory altered by the rope's recoil. It sliced through the air with deadly precision, aimed directly at Enel.
Enel's eyes widened in alarm, and he tried to shift into lightning form to dodge, but before he could, a palm gripped his face.
"Too slow," Imai said, her voice cold.
Her grip was unrelenting, her haki-infused hand negating his transformation.
"You're too arrogant to see the flaws in your abilities," she said, her crimson eyes gleaming. "Goodbye, fake god."
With her free hand, she drove her katana through Enel's chest. His body spasmed as the blade pierced his heart, and his expression froze in a mixture of shock and terror.
Imai reached into his chest with her right hand, her fingers grasping something solid. She pulled, extracting both his heart and the treasure within—a glowing blue fruit, crackling faintly with electricity.
A wicked smile spread across her face as she held up the fruit, sparks dancing across her fingers.
"There you are," she whispered, her tone laced with satisfaction.
Enel's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Imai straightened, admiring the fruit in her hand. The air around her was still, the clouds silent witnesses to the death of a self-proclaimed god.
"Time to wrap this up," she said, turning back toward Wagumoland with a spring in her step.