As Saunders' gaze swept across the Shandian warriors, they tensed up immediately.
The priests, who had been formidable enemies in their eyes, were utterly powerless against this man. If he turned on them, they wouldn't fare any better than the priests.
"You're Shandians, right?" Saunders asked.
"We are Shandians. Who are you? What do you want?"
A boy dressed in a grass skirt, holding a rocket launcher with a fierce expression, stepped forward.
"Me? My name is Saunders. I'm from the Blue Sea."
"I want to make a deal with you Shandians," Saunders said with a smile.
"What deal?"
"I'll help you reclaim your homeland, and in return, you will submit to me."
Whether he subdued or killed Enel, this land would eventually be his. The Shandians were warriors. Although they couldn't be his crewmates, they could still serve him and manage this territory.
"You're going to help us reclaim our homeland?"
"Why?" Wappa asked in surprise.
"There's no special reason. You just need to decide if you're willing to accept the deal or not."
"I'll say this in advance: aside from the Golden Bell in Shandora, I want all the gold."
The Golden Bell, also known as the Light of Shandora, was the most cherished possession of the Shandians. Shandora was full of gold, and Saunders didn't need a bell, so he didn't plan on taking it.
Hearing that Saunders wanted all the gold except for the Light of Shandora, the Shandians started to believe that he genuinely intended to help them reclaim their homeland.
Someone with something to gain was more trustworthy.
"We can't make this decision ourselves; we need to consult with the chief," Wappa said after a moment of thought.
Reclaiming their homeland and reigniting the Light of Shandora had been the Shandians' obsession for centuries. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for it. However, such a major decision had to be made by the chief.
Moreover, Wappa wasn't sure if this man from the Blue Sea, who called himself Saunders, could really defeat Enel, despite showing powers similar to Enel's.
"Of course, if you have time, you can also help me find the previous God, Gan Fall. Angel Island will also be part of my domain in the future," Saunders replied with a nod.
There were some useful resources on Angel Island, like the various dials with special functions.
At the mention of Gan Fall, the Shandians' faces showed hatred.
"I can go back and gather warriors to fight Enel with you, but you have to promise to return our homeland to us and not give it back to the people of Angel Island," Wappa said.
Whether they could defeat Enel or not, Wappa felt that this might be their only chance to reclaim their homeland. The man before them was strong. Two priests and their followers had been no match for him. With the Shandian warriors joining forces, perhaps they really could defeat Enel.
As long as they could reclaim their homeland and reignite the Light of Shandora, Wappa thought it might be worth submitting.
"I'll return your homeland to you, but there's no need to gather the warriors," Saunders said.
"Besides, there's no time to gather them anyway."
In Saunders' Observation Haki, he sensed that Enel had already arrived nearby and would be there shortly.
This didn't surprise Saunders at all.
After losing two priests, facing an enemy who possessed similar powers, and hearing the threat that someone wanted to make him a subordinate, it was only natural that Enel would come to see for himself.
"What?" Wappa asked, confused. The next moment, his face changed drastically.
"Enel!"
Enel appeared before them, carrying a golden staff and floating in the air with a haughty expression.
The Shandian warriors raised their weapons, ready to fight at any moment.
"So you're the one who defeated my two subordinates and dared to say you'd make me your subordinate?" Enel sneered, hovering arrogantly in midair. He would have struck Saunders down with lightning from afar if he weren't curious about the man's power, which resembled his own.
"Yes, that's me. Think about it," Saunders replied, looking calmly at Enel.
"Yahaha! Do you really think that just because you beat two useless fools, you can defeat me?" Enel laughed mockingly.
This fool from the Blue Sea had no idea who he was dealing with.
"A god? You just got lucky and ate a Devil Fruit, and now you think you're invincible? You're delusional, Enel," Saunders scoffed.
There were many who had eaten Devil Fruits and become arrogant, but none had the gall to call themselves gods. Enel was simply ignorant.
"Then I'll show you my true power, Blue Sea dweller!" Enel was infuriated by Saunders' words and immediately activated his Rumble-Rumble Fruit abilities.
"Ikari!"
Lightning flashed from Enel's wrists, transforming into a linear thunderbolt that shot straight toward Saunders.
"Watch out!" Wappa shouted. He had seen Enel defeat powerful warriors in an instant with that attack.
But Saunders didn't move. The lightning struck him, and his body instantly turned into its natural elemental form, absorbing the thunder.
Seeing Saunders unharmed, the Shandians widened their eyes in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Enel's expression darkened.
In that brief moment, he had clearly seen it—the man before him possessed the same power as him.
This realization shook Enel, who had always believed himself to be unique. He suddenly felt his status being threatened.
"Who are you? How do you have the same power as me?" Enel demanded.
"You still don't get it, Enel? You're not a god. There are many people in the Blue Sea stronger than you," Saunders said calmly.
"You're just a lucky fool who stumbled upon power."
"Submit to me, and I'll show you a much broader world."
"Impossible! I am an all-knowing god!" Enel screamed, his voice crazed.
His entire body crackled with electricity as he attacked Saunders again.
"One hundred million volts—Discharge!"
A terrifying wave of lightning surged toward Saunders.
The Shandians, unable to withstand such overwhelming power, retreated in fear.
But Saunders remained unfazed. He raised a hand to meet the lightning. When it struck his hand, it didn't harm him at all. Instead, the electricity gathered in his palm, slowly forming into a ball.
When it came to controlling lightning, Saunders was leagues ahead of Enel.
Even Enel's ultimate two hundred million volts of electricity was just a basic move for Saunders.
"See, Enel? Your power is nothing," Saunders said as he casually tossed the lightning ball aside.
A massive tree was instantly split in half, and the ground was scorched, leaving a large crater where the lightning had struck.
The Shandians watched in terror, their faces pale. Wappa swallowed hard, looking at Saunders with newfound fear.
If that power had hit him, he would be dead.
Yet this man had played with it like a toy in his hand.
"This can't be! Why doesn't my power work on you?!" Enel shouted, his eyes nearly bulging out in disbelief.
The fact that his lightning had no effect on Saunders was shocking enough, but the way Saunders had casually absorbed and used his own power was beyond anything Enel could comprehend.
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T/N:
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