"Impossible! Impossible!"
"Why is my ability not working?!"
"I am a god!!"
"The one and only god!"
Enel was frantic, clearly shaken by the blow Sanders had just dealt him. His once unbeatable ability had now been rendered completely ineffective, a reality he could not accept.
"You're nothing but a frog in a well. There's a lot you still don't know."
Sanders frowned as he looked at the hysterical Enel. He was starting to lose interest in making him a subordinate. If this didn't work out, he could just kill him and take the Devil Fruit.
"I don't believe it!"
"MAX 200 Million Volts: Discharge!"
Enel roared as he gathered all the lightning in his body and released his strongest attack.
Sanders raised his hand and condensed a bolt of lightning, matching Enel's discharge.
"200 Million Volts: Thunder Strike!"
Blinding lightning illuminated the forest, and the terrifying energy lit up the surroundings.
"Retreat!"
Wyper's face was full of fear as he shouted, backing away.
"Is this the power Enel possesses?"
Wyper was horrified as he watched the terrifying scene unfold in front of him. This "god" they had long wanted to defeat wielded such earth-shattering power.
A monster!
This wasn't a power humans could possess!
But what shocked Wyper and the Shandians even more was that the person who had proposed a deal with them had the same terrifying power. It was beyond belief!
A deafening explosion echoed through the forest. Even though Wyper and the others retreated a thousand meters away, the shockwave pushed them further back.
The explosion also caught the attention of the Skypieans on Angel Island. They gazed in confusion toward Upper Yard.
Not far from Angel Island, an old man riding an ugly "pegasus" also noticed the commotion. It was Gan Fall.
"Are the Shandians attacking Upper Yard?"
After hesitating for a moment, he urged his pegasus toward Upper Yard.
"How could this be?!"
Enel was dumbfounded. His strongest attack had been easily countered by Sanders. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his previously arrogant demeanor was gone.
Before he could react, a large hand clamped around his throat.
"Submit or die!"
Sanders lifted Enel into the air and spoke coldly.
Too weak!
Enel's physical combat skills were far too inferior. Without the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Enel wouldn't even stand a chance against a Marine rear admiral with Observation Haki.
"Wh... why didn't my immunity work?"
Enel was horrified to find that his invulnerability, which had always protected him, had failed him. This was the ability that allowed him to treat others as insignificant insects. But now, that once powerful ability had stopped working!
The Shandians watched in disbelief.
The "god" Enel, who had defeated and expelled Gan Fall, was now powerless!
"That's Armament Haki, a power every strong person in the Blue Sea possesses. You've been living in ignorance, Enel!"
"Now answer me: submit, or die!"
Sanders threw Enel to the ground and looked down at him.
"Cough... Submit?"
"Yahaha, I am a god!"
"I am a god destined to reach the Infinite Earth!"
"A god... would never submit!!"
Enel's eyes turned red as he descended into madness.
It seemed the recruitment had failed, Sanders thought with a frown. But he wasn't too disappointed. If Enel wouldn't submit, getting the Rumble-Rumble Fruit would work just as well.
There were many talented people in the world. Among the Shandians, there was even a child born with innate Observation Haki. However, that child was likely still a newborn and not worth investing a Logia-type fruit into.
"You can now return and discuss your submission with your chief."
Sanders turned to the Shandians.
Wyper and the others snapped back to reality. They looked at Sanders with a mix of awe and reverence.
"I'll inform the chief of everything that happened here," Wyper said as he stepped forward.
Just then, someone in the crowd gasped.
"Enel is escaping!"
Everyone turned to see Enel transforming into lightning and attempting to flee.
"I am a god! I will reach the Infinite Earth! I can't fall here!"
Enel didn't want to die, nor did he want to submit, so he chose to escape.
But in the next moment, Sanders appeared in front of him and kicked him back to the ground.
Even with the same Rumble-Rumble Fruit, their speeds were vastly different. Using just his physical speed, Enel couldn't escape Sanders' grasp.
"You can go back now."
Sanders spoke calmly, placing a foot on Enel's head.
"Yes, we'll go back and discuss right away," Wyper responded, leading the Shandians away.
Sanders picked up the unconscious Enel and headed back to his ship. Once a Devil Fruit user dies, their power will reincarnate into a nearby normal fruit. His ship was stocked with various fruits, more than enough to claim the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
When Sanders returned to the shore where his ship was docked, he saw an old man in medieval knight's armor holding a lance, sitting on an ugly pink pegasus near his small boat.
"Gan Fall?"
Sanders immediately recognized the old man. He was the former god of Skypiea, Gan Fall.
Seeing Sanders holding the unconscious Enel, Gan Fall's pupils trembled.
Leaping onto his ship with Enel in tow, Sanders looked at Gan Fall and declared:
"From now on, both Skypiea and Upper Yard are my territory."
Sanders declared his sovereignty.
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T/N:
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