Rumble—!
The earth groaned as if a colossal dragon were thrashing in its depths, producing a deafening, cataclysmic roar.
Countless people looked back in horror toward the source of the tremor. A blinding radiance illuminated the world, a light that shamed the sun itself. A massive, cobalt-blue beam of energy descended like a divine blade, as if intending to split the entire city in two.
In an instant, before the terrified eyes of the populace, the terrifying beam effortlessly cleaved through everything in its path: buildings, cobblestone streets, and the very bedrock beneath. The earth was torn asunder, and the sea was parted. The cut extended from the city center, stretching for countless kilometers out across the ocean, leaving behind an abyss, a canyon-like chasm.
In the city, anything that stood in its way was obliterated. On the sea, any ship that dared to block it was smashed to splinters.
Everyone who witnessed this scene stood with their jaws dropped, rendered utterly speechless. It was only long after the dust had begun to settle that the survivors finally snapped out of their shock.
Deep within the charred "canyon," faint arcs of electricity still crackled, serving as a chilling reminder of the sheer magnitude of the power that had just been unleashed.
"I... am I... still dreaming?"
"What... what kind of joke is this?"
"What kind of monster has the power to cause such destruction with their own hands?"
"No! I want to go home!"
From the members of the Chris Pirates to the scoundrels of the Big Mom Pirates, everyone stared dumbfounded at the chasm cutting through the city and the abyss still healing in the sea. The towering tidal waves whipped up by the attack had already swallowed countless vessels. Had there not been so many powerful fighters on both sides to mitigate the damage, half of the combined fleet would have been wiped out in a single stroke.
"The power of lightning... that bastard Enel..."
Dimitri's mouth twitched. He looked on with a grim expression at the canyon, twenty or thirty meters wide and impossibly deep. He could even faintly hear the roar of water far below; it was possible the strike had severed the very foundation of the island.
To use such a devastating technique on such a crowded battlefield meant that the number of casualties among their own allies might rival those of the enemy. Even if they won against the Big Mom Pirates, the post-battle casualty report would be littered with a terrifying number of "missing in action."
Out at sea, the Germa 66 fleet had been sailing in a tight formation, but the beam had sliced right through the center, instantly reducing one of their snail-ships to scrap. The subsequent tidal waves triggered by the "abyss" in the sea had swallowed two more warships.
Even worse, the tip of the lightning beam had clipped the formation of the pirate mercenary fleet, nearly striking the Gran Tesoro itself.
"You have to be joking. Is this kind of power even possible for a human?"
"What is this? A slash from a 'God'?"
Tesoro and Buggy stood with sweat beaded on their foreheads, their hearts racing with a lingering dread they couldn't shake. It was too terrifying.
Forget the pathetic Buggy; even Gild Tesoro, a man hailed as a "monster," knew he wouldn't have the slightest confidence in blocking that beam. Tesoro was certain that if it had struck the Gran Tesoro, it would have sliced the ten-thousand-meter-long golden ship in half as easily as a hot knife through butter. He would have been powerless to stop it.
"Fufufufufu..."
Doflamingo pulled at the corner of his mouth, forcing a laugh to mask his own shock. "I felt that lightning... was that Enel's attack? Truly, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit lives up to its reputation as 'one of the strongest Devil Fruits.' To wield such power… this is nothing short of world-ending."
While the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's tremors caused more widespread destruction to islands and oceans, the sheer cutting power and intense, concentrated heat of this lightning beam far exceeded the destructive potential of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit when it came to single-target lethality. Doflamingo suspected that not even a Yonko would dare to face that attack head-on, unless it was that suicidal freak, Kaido of the Beasts.
Huff… huff… huff…
Enel gasped for air. Arcs of electricity flickered erratically across his Tengu-like lightning armor, signaling that he was losing his hold on the form. Yet, he forced himself to maintain it, for the figure standing before him had not yet fallen.
"Al… almost died... cough—cough, cough…"
Katakuri stood at the edge of the canyon, his body charred black. His left arm and shoulder were completely gone, his body spasming periodically, and over half of his skin had been reduced to carbon.
Even though he had turned his body into mochi to minimize the damage, a mere graze from that lightning beam had left him in this state. Katakuri shuddered to think what would have happened had he taken the hit head-on; he doubted there would be anything left to bury.
"Tr-truly a terrifying, god-like might..."
Zephyr stared in awe, his face pale. He couldn't help but recall Shiki the Golden Lion. Shiki's ability to turn ships and islands into meteors had been terrifying enough, but if he were to face an attack like this, his ships and islands would be sliced into dust in seconds. It was entirely possible he'd be killed in the process as well.
"You're one stubborn man! Huff… huff…"
Enel panted, eyes locked onto the swaying Katakuri. Suddenly, before Katakuri even moved, the ground beneath them liquified into mochi, erupting into two massive donuts. From within them, two pitch-black arms surged forth, hardened by Armament Haki and stretching out with lightning speed.
WHAM!
With a thunderous crack, Enel, who had only just reacted to dodge, was caught squarely between the two massive, jet-black palms.
A violent gust of wind whipped out. Enel was crushed between the dark fists, and fissures began to spread across his lightning armor.
"This guy..."
Zephyr's expression darkened. He never imagined that even in this state, Katakuri would still have the strength to counterattack.
"RAAAH!"
The two black arms retracted, and Katakuri let out a hoarse, ragged roar. He poured every ounce of his remaining strength into his ability. The ground for a vast radius turned to mochi, and donut after donut erupted, each sprouting long, Armament-hardened arms.
"Mochi Anemone!!!"
Countless giant arms stretched out at 0.3-second intervals, transforming into an endless barrage of fists that hammered into Enel from every conceivable angle.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
The sound was like a giant bell being struck repeatedly. Enel's lightning armor buckled under the relentless assault, cracks spreading until it began to shatter into fragments of raw electricity. The force of the collisions sent shockwaves tearing through the air, pulverizing the already ruined ground and flinging debris into the sky.
CRASH—!
With one final, heavy blow, Enel's lightning armor disintegrated completely into harmless sparks. He vomited blood and was sent flying like a black blur, smashing through dozens of buildings until he vanished into the dust and smoke of the ruin-choked horizon.
THUD.
As the attack ceased, Katakuri stumbled. His legs gave way, and with a final, ragged cough, he vomited a fresh spray of blood and collapsed face-first onto the ground.