"I... I was cut?"
A terrifying chill spread through Enel's soul. He stared dumbly down at his chest.
The sensation of the sword slicing through his skin, shattering bone and flesh, tearing apart his organs… it was all so vivid.
The wail of death enveloped him, leaving him unable to make a sound.
His vision was rapidly graying out. The loss of life spurred his organs to release massive amounts of adrenaline, making the world seem to slow down before his eyes.
'Damn it! Didn't I just obtain divine power? Why am I being killed so easily?'
Thud!
Enel's body hit the ground. The pain in his back gave him the feeling of being alive again.
"Damn it! You damn mortal!"
Sniveling, he struggled to get up, wanting to reassemble his body.
But the sensation of being pierced by the blade had been etched into his very being through Muramasa's deathly aura.
Even though his conscious mind ordered his body to reform, his subconscious still believed his body should be in a severed state.
Thus, Enel could only continuously dissolve into lightning to reassemble, only to shatter again, over and over.
He writhed pathetically on the island cloud in a pitiable state.
"Kuina, well done."
Sakura steered the Waver to the shore, clapping as she approached the two.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to Sakura-nee's teaching~."
Kuina sheathed her swords and walked back to the group, scratching the back of her head.
"Alright, time to welcome our new crewmate."
Sakura ruffled Kuina's hair and led the crew towards Enel.
Within the flickering thundercloud, Enel's resentful face coalesced. His humiliated, furious gaze fell upon Sakura.
"It was you! From the very beginning, you were interfering with me!"
A hand emerged from the lightning, grabbing Sakura's pants leg. "Using such underhanded methods to secure victory... do you have no honor as warriors? How despicable!"
"Hahaha, seems he's not convinced yet."
Sakura found it amusing. She turned and gave Tiger a look.
The tall red Fish-Man showed a knowing smile, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards Enel.
"Wait... what are you doing?"
Barely managing to reform his limbs with lightning, Enel scrambled away in disarray.
"Don't... don't come any closer!!!"
The future God of the Sky Island bellowed, eyes wide with fury.
Then he saw it. The six-meter-tall red Fish-Man bent down and reached out to grab his leg.
'???'
In that moment of stunned disbelief, Enel's thoughts raced.
'What is wrong with these Blue Sea people? The swordswoman cutting lightning was one thing...'
'But this red one is even more absurd! He's just grabbing me with his hand? What's going on?!'
"Kid, let me teach you a lesson today. Logia types are powerful, but they aren't omnipotent!"
Tiger gripped Enel's leg. The grip strength far surpassing a human's made Enel's face change.
However, this agonizing grasp also forced his scattered body to coalesce back together.
"Fish-Man Karate: Over-the-Shoulder Throw!"
Tiger's Armament Haki captured Enel's true body, even coiling around him, nullifying his elemental intangibility.
Enel, being swung around, felt the world spin before he was slammed by Tiger into the rock-hard island cloud.
Crack!
Numerous fissures spread chaotically. Earth and stone fragments flew into the air.
But the one who bore the brunt of the impact and recoil was Enel, still clutched in Tiger's grip.
Coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood, contusions large and small on his body oozed blood.
Enel, deeply embedded in the crater, rolled his eyes back, consciousness fading.
"Hmm, a sturdy body. He does possess considerable combat talent."
Releasing his grip, Tiger walked back to Sakura, nodding in appraisal.
"Hahaha, see? I told you."
Sakura walked forward, intending to give Enel some treatment.
Just as her hand was about to touch Enel, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
Instantly, a hand wreathed in electricity shot out, grabbing Sakura's shoulder. Current surged into her body.
His other hand pulled a dagger from behind, pressing it against the girl's neck.
"Don't move!"
Having taken a hostage, Enel, like a wounded beast, held Sakura in front of him. His eyes, filled with ferocity, swept over Kuina and the others.
"Hey now, don't do that. You'll get hurt, you know."
Sakura looked down at the dagger at her neck, offering a kind warning.
"Who cares?! You're a hostage now!"
Enel increased the pressure, driving the dagger into Sakura's skin.
Poof!
The captured Sakura promptly burst into a puff of smoke.
Enel's pupils contracted. His vision started to darken, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Until...
A gripping sensation came from his shoulder, rendering his body immobile. A fist followed, whistling as it smashed into his face.
"See? I told you you'd get hurt."
Accompanied by Sakura's laughter, Enel spat out another large mouthful of blood.
His powerless body went limp, crashing to the ground. The man, unable to muster an ounce of strength, gasped for breath on the cloud.
"You people... just how... how are you doing this?"
Being repeatedly thwarted, having the lightning ability he'd just acquired shattered again and again... the pride that had just begun to swell in his heart was now utterly crushed.
"Of course, it's something we're born with~"
Sakura sat cross-legged beside him, her smile radiant. "This level is something even children in the Blue Sea can do!"
Hearing this, Tiger and Kuina held their breath, simultaneously raising their hands to cover their mouths to avoid laughing too loudly and disrupting Sakura's scheme.
"I don't believe you! You're lying to me! Cough, cough, cough!"
Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes as Enel broke into a violent coughing fit.
"How could I be?"
Sakura put on an expression of being wronged, waving a hand to beckon Leviathan behind her. "Leviathan, give him a demonstration."
The sound of the earth being trodden rang out.
The dainty shipgirl, merely five years old and weighing 500 tons, strode forward. A layer of black Armament Haki appeared on her hand.
She raised her hand, then threw a punch!
A soul-shaking, terrifying presence stirred up a storm as the fist aimed for Enel's head.
"Wait, wait a minute… I believe you! I believe you!!!"
Foreseeing his imminent messy demise, Enel struggled to open his mouth, letting out a piercing scream.
The fist swirling with darkness halted just before hitting his face. The shockwave from its tip spread out, blowing away the surrounding island clouds and creating a large crater.
"There you go~ all settled~."
Leviathan winked at Sakura, munching on potato chips as she retreated to the back.
"You... you Blue Sea people... what exactly are you?!" Enel asked, heart still pounding.
'Not just the adults, even a child of seven or eight possessed such terrifying power?'
'Just what was the situation down in the Blue Sea? Was it hell or a battleground of demons?'
'No wonder our ancestors chose to abandon the vast lands below and retreat to the sky islands.'
"So, do you want to possess this power?"
Sakura interlocked her fingers, resting her chin on them. "If you become my shipwright, I wouldn't mind teaching you how to use this power~"
The girl's words were like a demon's whisper, lingering at the edge of Enel's heart, making him swallow several times.
"I... I can..."
Enel raised a hand, wanting to grasp the wider world.
Sakura smiled and took his hand.
"Ah, of course you can!"