The melodious chime of the Golden Bell still echoed in the air, but Cheng Xiaoyu's figure had already vanished from the luxurious hotel above the clouds.
He was like a gust of wind, coming and going without a trace, only a faint residual scent of Shadow in the air proving his presence.
At the same time, the residents of Sky Island were immersed in jubilation.
They sang and danced, celebrating the defeat of "God" Eneru and the joy of the Golden Bell ringing once more.
No one noticed a red-haired girl leading several scarred figures towards the Merry.
As agreed, she had to take the heavily injured Straw Hat back to the ship for treatment, leaving the rest to Cheng Xiaoyu.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xiaoyu stood atop Eneru's Ark, Maxim.
This colossal vessel, powered by shells and driven by electricity, lay quietly anchored at the edge of God's Island.
Inside the Ark, flashing electrical currents and complex instruments were everywhere.
Cheng Xiaoyu was not interested in these technological creations; his gaze was fixed on the Ark's control center—a giant compass-like device.
"Tsk, tsk, this thing is quite advanced…" Cheng Xiaoyu marveled, examining the compass.
He stretched out his hand, gently stroking the smooth surface of the compass, feeling the electricity flowing through it.
Just then, a weak voice came from behind him: "Get lost! Don't block the way!"
Cheng Xiaoyu turned around to see Eneru struggling to get up from the ground.
He was covered in injuries, his hair standing on end, clearly having been hit hard by Luffy's Gum-Gum Golden Rifle.
Eneru glared at him fiercely, saying nothing.
He endured the severe pain in his body, walking step by step towards the control compass.
Going to the Infinite Land was his last hope.
"Still thinking of going to the moon?" Cheng Xiaoyu's figure flickered, blocking Eneru's path.
"Save it, I've come to take you in."
"Who are you?!" Eneru asked through gritted teeth.
"Cheng Xiaoyu."
Like a man's name, like a tree's Shadow!
"Never heard of him."
...
Ahem...
Cheng Xiaoyu coughed a few times, trying to cover up the awkward atmosphere.
"You're always cooped up here on Sky Island, so I don't blame you for being out of touch," Cheng Xiaoyu said.
"What do you want to do?" Eneru asked warily, despite his severe injuries, the "God's" dignity remained, and his eyes flickered with fighting spirit.
Cheng Xiaoyu shrugged, "Didn't I just say? Of course, I'm taking you in."
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Xiaoyu's figure instantly vanished from the spot, leaving only a faint wisp of Shadow, like a ghost.
Under the enhancement of advanced Armament Haki and Observation Haki, the heavily injured Eneru had no chance to elementalize.
Although his Mantra could briefly foresee the future, it was still inferior to Cheng Xiaoyu's advanced Observation Haki.
Cheng Xiaoyu's speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Eneru and delivered a heavy punch to his back.
"Pfft—" Eneru spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the deck.
"Cough, cough…damn it…if I weren't so heavily injured now…"
Eneru struggled to get up but found himself powerless, only able to lie on the ground, glaring furiously at Cheng Xiaoyu.
"Don't say it, I'm just taking advantage of your weakness to finish you off."
Cheng Xiaoyu stood up, no longer paying attention to Eneru, and walked directly towards the control compass.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Eneru saw this and quickly shouted.
Cheng Xiaoyu ignored him, engrossed in studying the compass's structure.
"This thing is quite complex…" Cheng Xiaoyu muttered to himself while fiddling with the compass.
"Don't touch it! You'll destroy it!" Eneru struggled to stop Cheng Xiaoyu but was powerless.
These things had consumed Eneru's energy for many years; his dream was to be an astronaut and set foot on the Infinite Land.
"Don't worry, you won't be needing it," Cheng Xiaoyu said coldly, with a hint of mockery. He slowly raised his right hand and gently hooked his index finger.
In an instant, on Maxim's deck, countless dark Shadow Spikes burst forth from the Shadows beneath Eneru, like bloodthirsty venomous snakes, pouncing on him.
Eneru's pupils constricted; the chilling aura emanating from these spikes sent shivers down his spine.
He knew that if he were hit by these spikes, the consequences would be unimaginable.
With his severely injured body, he dared not be careless; with a thought, Elementalization!
His entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly disappearing from the spot, narrowly dodging the attack.
In that instant, Eneru first electrocuted his heart to accelerate its beating, then teleported via the ship's electrical conductors!
Like the Glint-Glint Fruit, Eneru's speed after elementalizing was as astonishingly fast as lightning!
"Oh? To have such reaction speed in this state, truly impressive! As expected of the helmsman I've set my sights on!"
A hint of admiration flashed in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes as he controlled the Shadow Spikes to pursue relentlessly, giving Eneru no chance to breathe.
"Helmsman? What nonsense are you talking about?!" Eneru roared, dodging the attacks.
He, the great God of Sky Island, how could he be someone else's helmsman!
Eneru's speed after elementalizing was extremely fast, flickering all over the Ark, dodging the Shadow Spikes' attacks.
"It's useless, you can't escape," Cheng Xiaoyu sneered.
A dark sniper rifle—Shadow Assault—silently appeared in his hand.
Every bullet of this gun was imbued with advanced Armament Haki, and combined with advanced Observation Haki, its power was astounding.
"Bang!"
A dark bullet cut through the air, accurately hitting Eneru's head, which had just materialized.
Eneru didn't even have time to scream; he was shot in the head!
Advanced Observation Haki combined with bullets imbued with advanced Haki—the power was terrifying!
The "God" had fallen!
Cheng Xiaoyu walked with steady steps to Eneru's motionless body.
He slowly squatted down, extended his index finger, and gently poked the part of Eneru's head that had been shot through.
Once, twice, thrice…
"Get up!"
Cheng Xiaoyu's low voice, imbued with an undeniable command, echoed on Maxim's deck.
However, only endless silence responded to him.
Eneru's body still lay quietly on the ground, without any reaction.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood up, letting out a soft sigh, a hint of helplessness in his expression. "Seriously, it's so hard to find a suitable helmsman."
"What's the point of staying in a small place like Sky Island and proclaiming yourself a god?"
Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze fell back on Eneru's corpse, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"Follow me and witness the great waves of the New World!" Cheng Xiaoyu said softly.
"In three years, I'll set you free, and then you can go to your dreamed-of Infinite Land!"
Before Cheng Xiaoyu's words finished, the Shadow beneath Eneru began to change.
It violently churned like boiling ink, constantly twisting, deforming, stretching, and contracting, like a living entity struggling to break free from some constraint.
Gradually, the edges of the Shadow began to sharpen, and its outline became distinct, finally condensing into a dark human figure.
At this point, Cheng Xiaoyu finally had an infinitely charged power bank!
From then on, his Shadow would also gain the ability to fly!