Peter raised his right leg, the one Enel was still clutching by the ankle. Seeing him stubbornly refuse to let go while unleashing endless streams of electricity, Peter stomped down with overwhelming force.
All of Enel's ribs shattered in an instant, and half of Peter's foot sank into his chest.
"AAAAHHHH——!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore from Enel's throat, and the current of lightning coursing through his body was forcibly cut off.
Peter spoke coldly as he pressed his foot down harder:
"You clown… who gave you the courage to claim yourself a god before the God of Destruction?"
Then, in a tone that allowed no refusal, he continued:
"Now you will answer me truthfully… do you have a ship ready to sail? Where is it?"
Enel writhed in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face. His fingers dug into the temple floor until they split open, but it did nothing to ease the pain Peter was driving into his body.
He screamed, begging:
"Spare me… I'll give you the throne of God… AHHHH!!!"
Peter pressed harder without mercy.
"Wrong answer. Think again… and try once more."
Enel shrieked in terror:
"Mercy! I'll tell you! The ship is north of the temple, the priests know exactly where!"
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"The priests? Where are they now?"
He scanned the temple, finding only a group of handmaidens trembling beside the divine throne. The priests were nowhere to be seen, but he could sense faint presences lurking in one corner.
His voice rang out sharply:
"Come out! You have three seconds to stand before me… or you'll never leave this place alive."
Not even a second passed before four figures rushed from the corner of the temple, throwing themselves at his feet.
One of them stammered, trembling:
"My lord, please calm yourself… we are the priests you seek!"
Peter studied their faces, vaguely recognizing them, but he didn't bother much.
He raised his hand, and a beam pierced through Enel's head. The so-called god let out nothing but a dying groan before collapsing into silence.
Peter turned his gaze upon the four priests, their faces pale with fear, and commanded coldly:
"The fat one will take me to the ship… the rest of you will gather every kind of Sky Shell. And one more thing—announce to the people of Skypiea that I am their new ruler. That won't be a problem, will it?"
All four cried out at once, sweat pouring down their brows:
"N-no, of course not!"
Peter chose one of them, leaving him frozen in shock, while the others hurried away. Shura, with his thin mustache, dared to ask nervously:
"My lord… we do not know your name. Would you allow us to know it, so when we proclaim your orders, the people will know who rules them?"
Peter replied coolly:
"I am Peter, God of Destruction. Now… begone."
The three priests scurried away without hesitation, leaving only Daigu trembling as he stood to guide Peter.
"God of Destruction… this way."
Peter motioned to Robin, Tina, and Nami.
"Let's go see our new ship."
They were about to follow when Nami suddenly stopped.
"Wait, I want to grab something."
She hurried back to where Enel had first fallen and bent down to pick up his massive golden staff, more than three meters long. Hugging it with delight, she ran back with a victorious grin.
"Now we can leave~"
Meanwhile, Shura, along with Ohm and Gedatsu, had fled swiftly through Skypiea's forests, only stopping when they had gone a great distance.
Shura gasped for breath:
"What do we do? Enel is finished… should we flee to other islands, or obey this man's orders?"
Ohm replied grimly, glancing over his shoulder:
"Flee? Impossible… they can fly. Better to follow his orders for now."
Gedatsu nodded in agreement.
"Hmmm~ That's true."
Shura finally relented, and the three of them rushed toward Angel Island, home of the Skypieans.
As Enel's top officers, their sudden arrival immediately alarmed the White Berets.
Their leader, McKinley, hurried to meet them.
"Honored priests! Welcome… do you bring new orders from God? Do you require the unit's support?"
Shura seized the chance to prove loyalty to the new ruler and barked:
"Commander McKinley, gather all the residents of Angel Island at once. We have an important announcement for them."
"As you command!"
Though inwardly hesitant, McKinley set off at once. Soon, the island's inhabitants were assembled in the main street of Kawaii, whispering in fear and worry over what new decree might threaten their lives.
Shura stepped forward, raising his voice:
"People of Angel Island… listen well, for we have an important proclamation!"
"The reign of God Enel has ended! By order of the new God, we announce the fall of the old and the beginning of the new!!!"
"From this moment forth, you have but one god—Peter, God of Destruction!!"
At first, the people only stared at one another in shock, unable to believe what they heard.
But when Shura repeated the slogan:
"The old god has fallen, the new god takes the throne!"
The crowd began to stir. Whispers spread, voices grew louder, until some even shouted openly.
"Impossible… did Enel really die?!"
"Unbelievable! He was invincible! For six years he ruled Angel Island without challenge—how could he fall so easily?!"
"But these are the priests themselves! Would they dare spread such a lie openly?"
"True… if Enel were still alive, divine punishment would have struck us already."
Gradually, the people were convinced of Enel's death. Their fear gave way to joy, and cheers erupted, celebrating the end of Enel's tyranny.
"These ingrates…" Shura muttered bitterly, watching the people's relief. Though he and his comrades had once served Enel as priests and led his conquest of Angel Island, it was hard to accept how quickly the populace rejoiced at their master's demise.
But Ohm tugged at his robe, giving him a calm look.
"Know your place… we have no ties to Enel anymore."
Shura forced a smile, thinking: This man changes loyalties faster than the wind… He couldn't help but admire Ohm's composure.
Then Shura raised his voice again:
"Silence, all of you, and listen!"
The clamor faded gradually.
"Now I declare the first order of the new God, Peter:
Everyone will immediately collect every shell (Dials) in Skypiea and deliver them to the God of Destruction!!"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd:
"Dials? Why would he want those?"
"Who cares… better that than our lives."
"True. I've got some rare ones at home, I'll hand them over—hopefully the new god is merciful, like Gan Fall."
"Merciful? With the title God of Destruction? Hardly…"
"Quit your whining. Just hand over what you have."
Shura then turned to McKinley, the White Berets' commander.
"You too will contribute part of your combat dials to be delivered alongside the citizens' to the new god."
Still reeling from the news of Enel's death, McKinley stammered:
"Y-yes… I'll see to it at once."
The soldiers and townsfolk dispersed quickly, hurrying to their homes. Among them was a girl named Conis, who glanced curiously at Shura and his companions, thinking to herself:
"I wonder… what kind of god is this Peter? How I wish I could see him with my own eyes…"
Meanwhile, Peter, with Robin, Nami, and Hina, followed Daigu into a cavern where a colossal ship awaited.
Daigu bowed respectfully.
"Lord Peter, divine emissaries… this is the vessel you seek—the Ark Maxim. It was built over years by the priestly order and is now complete, ready for use. Your arrival is most fortuitous; it is as though this ship was destined to be yours."
Peter looked up at the massive ship, its structure bloated and awkward. He muttered with disdain:
"Ugly… that fool Enel had no taste, turning a vessel into such an eyesore."
Daigu froze, sweat pouring down his face, terrified that the new god might reject the ship.
But Robin, Hina, and Nami paid no mind to the aesthetics. They were enthralled by the ship's size and the cockpit adorned with a strange face.
Nami, the most excited of all, clutched her golden staff and cried out, pointing at the face on the bow:
"Am I seeing things?! That… that's gold!! No doubt about it, pure gold!! What kind of god had such immense wealth to decorate his ship with solid gold?!!"
Daigu stammered, recalling:
"G-gold? Yes… I think I heard Lord Enel mention it. If you mean the metal of your staff, then much of the ship's systems and propulsion are made from the same material, aside from the outer wooden layer."
Nami's eyes darted between her golden staff and the 150-meter-long vessel. Tears of joy welled up.
"My god… this is the most beautiful ship in the world! My great lord, I love you!!"
While Robin and Hina remained silent, taking in the scene, Nami dashed inside with childlike glee, exploring every corner as if she'd found the ultimate treasure.
Peter, meanwhile, stared at the hideous face on the bow with clear disgust.
"Damn… unspeakably ugly."
Nami soon burst back out of the cockpit, shouting with wild excitement:
"It's true! Most of this ship is made of gold! We're rich!!!"
Hina, however, was less dazzled. She touched the golden base of the giant propeller and asked thoughtfully:
"Doesn't it make you wonder? If the Skypieans don't even know what gold is… where did Enel get so much of it?"
Peter turned to Robin, who had gone pensive.
"Robin, I suppose you've already figured it out, haven't you?"
She smiled faintly.
"I had my suspicions… but seeing this now, everything is clear."
Nami and Hina leaned in, eager to hear, as Robin began recounting the tale of Mont Blanc Norland and the legendary City of Gold…