In the World of One Piece: I Can Copy Any Talent

Enel stared at the disappointment written all over Noil's face, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "You bastard! How dare you insult God's dignity!"

Noil picked at his ear, then swung Demon Moro at him. "You're so loud!"

Driven by one of his talents, Enel crackled with electricity and sneered, "You don't even have Seastone! What are you going to hit me wi—"

Slash!

A bloody gash tore across his chest.

Enel froze. Then the pain hit, and he screamed, "Damn it! Why? It hurts!"

A strange warmth flowed through the cursed blade and into Noil, instantly restoring his stamina.

Noil had barely spent any energy to begin with. The power that strike fed back into him nearly overwhelmed him.

Realizing he could no longer ignore attacks, Enel clutched his wound and shouted, "What kind of sword is that? How can it cut me?!"

Wyper had moved his guerrilla comrades to safety. Now he stared fixedly at the layer of Haki coating the cursed blade.

He punched the ground in frustration and murmured, "If I had that power..."

Honestly, if Enel had eaten anything other than a Logia Devil Fruit, Wyper might well have crippled him, no matter what fruit it was.

Wyper's resolve far surpassed most people's. More importantly, Enel had a rotten personality...

Enel sent shocks through his body to rouse himself, then swung his arms into the four Thunder Drums behind him and roared:

"I'll show you the power of God!"

The War Ends

Bolstered by flashes of lightning, the drums' thunderous beat shook everyone to the core. Their deafening roar swallowed the entire palace.

Wild currents wrapped around Enel. His body of lightning swelled until, in an instant, he had become a blue thunder giant.

The giant was a little pudgy, though, with a noticeable beer belly.

"200 Million Volts: Amaru!"

Enel's voice rang from the giant's mouth like a proclamation from the heavens, echoing in every heart.

He looked down at Noil, who seemed no bigger than an ant, and laughed wildly. "Mere mortal! Behold the power of God!"

With his roar, a colossal hand of lightning slammed toward them.

The terrifying current and overwhelming force left the Shandians stunned.

Was this Enel's true strength?

One slap like that could destroy all of Upper Yard!

Noil calmly watched the descending palm. A sharp violet gleam lit his dark eyes.

His Armament Haki gathered so densely it was almost tangible, pouring into Demon Moro. The already sinister blade looked stranger still.

Since combining two gold-tier swordsmanship talents and training relentlessly, swordsmanship had become Noil's strongest means of attack.

Flames surged beneath his feet. Riding a towering tornado of fire, Noil drew his sword and met Enel's lightning hand head-on.

The sky, once filled with blue lightning, held nothing but a pitch-black sword flash.

Demon Moro's world-splitting strike cleaved through the thunder giant. Even the electricity filling the air seemed to vanish.

Noil hung in the sky like a man who had defied the heavens and slain a god!

Wyper stared at him in shock, his mouth open wide enough to swallow Aisa whole.

Defeating the priests in one blow was one thing, but Enel too?!

Noil landed gracefully and sheathed Demon Moro. He ran a hand through his black hair with deliberate flair, then looked at Enel, who lay unconscious and coughing blood.

Should I kill him and take the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?

But Ark Maxim, the ship Noil wanted, needed an enormous supply of electricity. Noil was only one person, and he would certainly need to swap talents again later.

Looks, swordsmanship, the three types of Haki, and physique made six talents he could combine and lock in. Of his four remaining slots, he wanted to combine three kinds of Devil Fruit abilities.

If he combined two Logia talents, plus a Zoan talent and a Paramecia talent, he could end up with three absurdly powerful dark-gold talents.

He would be versatile and nearly unstoppable, with one slot still free for swapping in talents from his catalog.

Hmm... Perfect plan!

In that case, he would keep Enel alive as a portable battery.

A few humbling experiences in the Blue Sea ought to sort him out.

Of course, that did not mean Noil would pass up the Rumble-Rumble Fruit talent.

He had used up his Copy Cards copying two of Hawk-Eyes's talents. Luckily, after getting on good terms with Hawk-Eyes, he had received another.

Now that one was gone too...

Noil replaced the Bear-Bear Fruit with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit talent. He had little need now for a fruit that simply enhanced his physique.

The Bear-Bear Fruit had served him well while he was starting out. But now...

Setting aside the Clone-Clone Fruit, he had fire, lightning, and sand: three Logia abilities, each among the finest on the seas.

Noil gladly claimed Enel's ability. Wyper walked up and asked, "What are you going to do with him?"

Noil picked Enel up. "Don't you want to kill him for revenge?"

Wyper shook his head. "I can tell he's useful to you. I don't care whether he lives or dies."

"Enel isn't the only one Shandia has a grudge against. We have a grudge against every god of Sky Island."

Noil nodded. He had been thinking about it the wrong way.

Enel was not the reason the Shandians had lost their homeland.

Four hundred years ago, when Upper Yard was hurled into the sky, Sky Island's rulers had tried to seize it and started a war.

Enel was just like the gods before him. Wyper probably hated him and Gan Fall about equally...

Hmm?

Noil glanced to the side and chuckled. "Speak of the devil."

Wyper looked over, the tension snapping back into his body.

"The former god, Gan Fall. That bastard's here."

Wyper raised his Burn Bazooka and aimed it at the man flying overhead on a winged horse.

The bird that had eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit spread its wings. Astride it, Gan Fall looked like a knight of the skies.

Gan Fall stared at the palace where the thunderous noise had come from. "Enel... was defeated?"

He had come after hearing the commotion above Upper Yard. He had never imagined that someone as powerful as Enel would be defeated, let alone carried around by a Blue Sea man!

Noil tossed Enel to Wyper and called up to Gan Fall, sword in hand. "Old man, quit looking down on me from up there. Come down and talk!"

Gan Fall's white brows drew together, his thick white mustache twitching. "Who are you? Why are you with the Shandians?"

Wyper narrowed his eyes and was about to shout back when Noil suddenly moved.

A black sword flash streaked toward Gan Fall with annihilating force.

The devastating slash flew past him, stripping every last hair from the mustache on one side of his face.

Cold sweat broke out across Gan Fall's body. Noil's icy voice reached him:

"I said, come down!"

Unlike Enel and the gods before him, Gan Fall wanted to end the war between Shandia and Sky Island.

But the Shandians had lost their home. Time and a few rounds of talks could not erase that hatred.

In the Original Story, Enel had sought to destroy everything on Sky Island. Only after both sides suffered through that disaster had they reached an agreement to make peace.

Now that Wyper was one of his own, Noil did not want the war to continue, but he had no problem helping Wyper vent some anger.

Threatened with death, Gan Fall said nothing more. He obediently guided his winged horse down.

He dismounted and gave Noil a respectful bow. "Sir, Enel..."

Noil cut him off. "I beat him. I'm taking him with me. Don't worry, he won't hurt you again."

Gan Fall glanced at Enel on Wyper's shoulder. "May I ask why you've done this?"

Noil gave a cold laugh and pointed at Wyper. "I made an agreement with the Shandian warriors. I'm helping him out."

"And there's one more thing."

Noil looked between Wyper and Gan Fall, his tone leaving no room for argument. "From now on, Upper Yard belongs to the Shandians. Gan Fall, you can continue ruling Sky Island."

"I don't care whether you trade with each other or hold grudges. But there must never be another war here!"

A Kiss

Gan Fall hesitated, but Wyper agreed at once. "All the Shandians want is their homeland. As long as no one tries to seize Upper Yard, we have no reason to fight!"

Seeing Gan Fall waver, Noil's gaze turned dangerous. "What are you thinking? Do you still want a war?"

Gan Fall shook his head. "Of course not. War only brings tragedy."

"But Upper Yard has risen into the White Sea. It's become part of Sky Island. If it's ruled separately, the people of Angel Island..."

Noil cut him off. "That's not my problem. Besides, your ancestors stole the Shandians' home and forced it into your territory. Don't act like you're the victim."

He shifted Demon Moro in his hand, a faint threat in his voice. "Wyper is going to be my companion. I'll help him with his problems."

"If I come back to Sky Island someday and find you're still pulling the same stunts..."

Gan Fall understood. Noil stood with Wyper, but when it came to the two peoples, he wanted neither side to dominate the other.

So be it. Angel Island and Upper Yard had a long history of bloodshed, but at least they could try speaking as equals now.

At the very least, the man powerful enough to defeat Enel had not helped the Shandians take revenge on the Skypieans.

Something occurred to Noil. He patted Wyper's shoulder. "The Lamp of Shandora from your homeland—the Golden Bell—should be somewhere nearby."

Wyper's eyes lit up again. "Where?!"

Ringing the Golden Bell would honor the spirit of the great warrior Calgara and send word to his dear friend Noland in heaven. Wyper had carried that mission since birth.

It was the goal he had fought for all this time!

Noil rested a hand against his cheek and thought.

Right. Where did they find it in the Original Story again?

"I've read the writing in the Shandora Ruins. Based on what it says, I think it's farther up the vine."

Robin's richly feminine voice reached them as she led Langi and Aisa across the battlefield with graceful steps.

Noil looked up. Farther up the vine?

Enel was this close and never noticed it?

Fortunately, Noil had commandeered Gan Fall's winged horse. It carried them up with ease.

On a lonely bank of Island Cloud stood a Golden Bell, tilted to one side and covered in green moss and vegetation.

A familiar stone tablet was set directly beneath it.

Robin's eyes lit up. "A Poneglyph?!"

Wyper gazed at the Golden Bell, overcome with emotion. The National Treasure of his homeland, the Lamp of Shandora, had finally returned to Shandia after four hundred years!

Noil stayed beside Robin and quietly waited for her to finish reading the Poneglyph.

After a while, wonder showed plainly on Robin's face. "The Pirate King and Laugh Tale... the true history..."

Robin drew in her astonishment, but emotions stirred in her bright eyes that no one else could see.

Excitement and hope.

Noil looked at her and smiled knowingly.

This was one of the reasons he had brought Robin to Sky Island.

Robin had always seemed mature and strong, yet when Noil was with her, he sensed a deep weariness and uncertainty beneath it all.