It did not take long for Teach to return from Birka to God's Land after securing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, but by the time he arrived, night had already fallen.
Enel was still running.
He had not stopped.
By now, he had long since reached his physical limit. What carried him forward was no longer strength or stamina, but sheer willpower.
His body moved on instinct alone.
Steps landed automatically. Arms swung in rhythm. His breathing, refined through hours of repetition, had become mechanical. The act of running itself had been carved into his muscles.
In truth, Enel's performance was already sufficient.
There was no rigid standard for joining the Nightfall Pirates. This was never a competition against others. It was a test against himself.
Even so, everyone was curious.
They wanted to see when he would finally stop.
So despite the late hour, many bored crew members remained, surrounding Birka Town as they watched Enel move forward in the distance. The scene was monotonous, yet strangely compelling.
Enel stood at the edge of collapse.
Both mentally and physically, he had been drained dry. His stamina was nearly gone. He looked as though he could fall at any second.
And yet, he did not.
At this critical point, something unseen was holding him upright. An invisible force sustained him, pushing him forward step by step.
He did not know whether he had already passed the test.
So he could only continue.
Only push himself further.
Around the Nightfall Pirates, there were also a few Birkan civilians.
Most of the Birkans had barricaded themselves inside their homes. After learning that their god and three thousand divine guards had been completely wiped out, fear ruled the town.
Still, seeing that the Blue Sea pirates made no move against civilians, and seemed to largely ignore them, a handful of bolder individuals finally stepped outside.
Even so, their fear did not fade.
The town was large. Most of the Nightfall Pirates were either gathered at the central temple or drawn away by Enel's trial. Those who dared to emerge stayed far from them, choosing empty streets and remaining cautious at every step.
A small group of Birkans gathered at the edge of the town, watching Enel from afar.
"Boss Enel…" they whispered.
These were his subordinates. Orphans he had taken in.
They were worried.
Enel, however, was no longer aware of anything around him.
Time lost meaning.
Deep into the night, his consciousness finally gave out.
His eyes closed.
His body slackened.
Momentum carried him forward as he collapsed mid-stride, crashing toward the ground.
"Boss Enel!"
The Birkans cried out in alarm and rushed forward instinctively.
Before they could reach him, a tall figure appeared in front of them.
Wallace.
None of them knew when he arrived.
Up close, his presence was overwhelming. His aura pressed down like solid iron, heavy and unyielding. Fear and vigilance filled their eyes.
As the Steel-Steel Fruit developed further, Wallace's body radiated a metallic pressure. His skin looked ordinary, but touching it felt like touching cold steel.
If this continued, his body would truly become steel.
Half of Big Mom's constitution.
Big Mom's Iron Balloon combined hardness with flexibility. Ordinary attacks bounced off her body, while greater force was absorbed and dispersed.
It was a monstrous, nearly invincible physique.
Achieving even half of that through a Devil Fruit was already terrifying.
"Take him away first," Wallace said flatly. "There's a doctor on the ship. His body needs treatment."
It was unclear who he was addressing.
Without waiting, Wallace bent down, lifted Enel with one hand, and slung him over his shoulder.
He turned and walked away.
The Nightfall Pirates were already prepared. Enel was transferred to a stretcher and carried toward the nearby quarters.
Shura and the others stared for a moment, then exchanged glances and followed in silence.
Inside a quiet chamber, only Teach and Redyat were present.
Redyat stared at the Devil Fruit in Teach's hand, his expression filled with disbelief.
"This is the harvest from this trip?" he said slowly. "I never imagined it would appear on a sky island. But… it makes sense."
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
A legendary ability that had vanished from the seas for centuries.
The strength of a Devil Fruit was not defined solely by its ability, but by the person who wielded it.
Rankings changed with eras.
Because users changed.
The most famous Devil Fruits were etched into history by the people who mastered them.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was hailed as the strongest Paramecia because Whitebeard had wielded it with world-shaking power.
Centuries ago, another figure had risen.
"Thunder Emperor" Saia.
Through talent and perfect mastery of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he became the strongest man of his era.
He was not a pirate.
Nor was he aligned with the World Government or the Marines.
He was a king.
A king of a New World nation unaffiliated with the World Government.
He began as the prince of a small country. With lightning as his weapon, he seized the throne and displayed power beyond belief.
Relying on strength alone, he annexed neighboring kingdoms and forged a major power.
Though the world was composed of islands, some vast islands housed multiple nations. Those lands were fertile ground for endless war.
Before Saia's rise, his island was fractured, divided among seven or eight warring states. Borders shifted every few years.
Saia crushed them all.
He shattered armies, slaughtered royal families, and silenced resistance. By himself, he unified the island.
The name "Thunder Emperor" echoed across the world.
His fame spread throughout the New World.
And he did not stop.
Expansion followed conquest.
Pirates were defeated with ease. Kingdoms were destroyed or subjugated. World Government member nations fell, and Celestial Tribute was lost.
That was when the World Government acted.
A Buster Call was issued.
An Admiral led the fleet.
Its destination was Saia's kingdom.
The result was annihilation.
Lightning erased the fleet from the sea.
The world witnessed the true terror of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Invincible.
Unstoppable.
Even the World Government could no longer move against him.
But time itself is undefeated.
Saia aged.
He died.
The empire he forged collapsed overnight.
Disconnected islands broke away. Subjugated kingdoms rebelled.
The island that had housed his kingdom was later erased entirely.
Its destruction was absolute.
No one knew where Saia died. No one found his body.
But the legend remained.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit earned its reputation as the strongest.
After Saia, it appeared several more times. Each appearance brought bloodshed or birthed another top-tier powerhouse.
Then it vanished.
For centuries.
Until now.
The crew knew these stories well. They were recorded in historical biographies recovered from Ohara, books that certain members favored.
Knowledge for interest, not obligation.
"Are you going to eat it?" Redyat asked. "Now?"
Teach was silent.
He wanted it.
How could he not?
And even if he chose not to eat it, he would never hand it to someone else.
Not even someone he trusted.
Some powers had to remain his alone.
Redyat knew part of the truth.
Teach's body was abnormal.
A dual Devil Fruit user.
Possibly more.
The Nightfall Pirates' flag hinted at it.
Redyat also knew Teach's goal.
The Dark-Dark Fruit lacked raw offensive power.
Teach needed destruction.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was his true target.
The Crush-Crush Fruit was a backup.
And...
The Chop-Chop Fruit.
I wonder how Buggy is doing now.
Far away, in the South Blue, a man in a clown outfit sneezed violently.
"Achoo!"
Buggy rubbed his nose. "Who's talking about me? It's gotta be Shanks, that bastard! I've finally found his trail. He's in this sea!"
"Captain Buggy, why do you hate that Shanks guy so much?" a crewmate asked. "You chased him from the East Blue all the way here. He's the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates, with a bounty of two hundred million!"
"You're new, huh?" another pirate said with a grin. "They used to be on the same ship. Shanks made Captain Buggy lose a treasure map to an incredible treasure."
"What?! Then of course he wants to kill him!"
Everyone knew it.
Buggy was obsessed with treasure.
His cabin was filled with maps.
Once, a crewmate spilled water on one.
Buggy tore the man apart and hung his head on the bow for three days.
Alive.
His Chop-Chop Fruit allowed such cruelty. (T/N: Does it really? new info to me lol)
"Don't underestimate Captain Buggy," another pirate said proudly. "His bounty's one hundred forty million now. The Chop-Chop Fruit is terrifying!"
They had seen him train.
They believed.
If not for treasure hunting, Buggy would have risen faster.
In the West Blue, while searching ruins, they once stumbled into a hidden Marine operation.
Buggy destroyed them.
That was how his first bounty was earned.
Since then, it only climbed.
Buggy the Clown.
A Supernova in his own right.
And somewhere far above, lightning slept, waiting for its next master.