The Man Who Could See Proficiency Became a Legend

A voice rang clearly in Enel's ears.

"Stringbean, if even you can tell she's no match for you, do you think I can't?"

Enel had kept his Observation Haki active the entire time. The moment Dongze finished speaking, he felt an overwhelming presence lock onto him.

That presence was far stronger than when Dongze had used that strange sword technique.

He felt like prey caught in the sights of a predator at the top of the food chain. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Before he knew it, sweat covered his palms.

Terror clung to him like a shadow. His heart seized with the inexplicable certainty that he might cease to exist in the next instant.

As his composure crumbled, his mind tipped toward hysteria. The calm vanished from Enel's eyes, leaving only madness.

"Blue Sea monkey, don't push me too far! I'll take you down with me if I have to!"

"Output—max!"

"Two Hundred Million Volts—Thunder God!"

Enel finally unleashed the strongest move currently available to him as a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

In an instant, he summoned two hundred million volts of lightning throughout his body and wrapped himself in it. He looked like a thunder god descended to earth.

A stray bolt fell from beneath him into the White Sea, punching straight through its thick cloud layer. From a distance, one could even see the still-surging Knock Up Stream below. The power was terrifying.

Meanwhile, an invisible little sword darted through the air. It flashed in from afar and appeared before Dongze, then beside Robin. With another flicker, it materialized above the head of Enel's Thunder God form.

Space seemed unable to restrain it. Like a mischievous child, it flitted back and forth among them.

Though it could not be seen, its effects were frightening. Wherever it passed, space itself seemed to cave in, as though eroded by time.

This was none other than the first Sword Intent Dongze had comprehended: Erosion Sword Intent.

When its proficiency reached 400,000, his Golden Finger had suddenly revealed that Sword Intent could leave his body and attack on its own, no longer confined to the weapon in his hand.

Dongze had witnessed the power of Sword Intent in his previous two battles. As his ultimate trump card, he had not intended to use it.

Enel was strong, but his weaknesses were just as obvious. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was absurdly powerful, arguably the pinnacle of Logia abilities, but Enel had neither achieved Awakening nor developed its power nearly enough. He could not use Armament Haki, and his physical training had serious gaps.

With Dongze's current mastery of Haki, he had more than enough to overwhelm Enel.

He had not expected Enel to pull this at the end. Dongze had been helping Robin grow stronger recently, but she did not have his Golden Finger to track her progress in real time. She also handled their daily affairs, leaving her less time to train. She could not possibly improve as quickly as he did.

Enel had been right: Robin was no match for him yet. To protect her while finishing the fight, Dongze chose to use Sword Intent.

Ding!

Erosion Sword Intent struck the Thunder God. After a soft chime, nothing but blinding white remained above the White Sea.

How Do You Want to Die?

"Mm..."

At the apocalyptic sight of their clash, Robin's legs gave out, and she sank to the ground.

In less than a month, she had seen her understanding of the world shaken again and again.

Had anyone ever seen a man split heaven and earth with a single sword stroke?

Had anyone ever seen the collision of two people's auras tear open the sky?

Had anyone ever seen human strength move mountains and fill seas?

Before all this, Robin would have slapped anyone who told her such things.

"Get lost! I don't have time to entertain your nonsense!"

But she could no longer say that. Only heaven knew what she had been through lately.

Following Dongze meant she no longer had to worry about her future, but every few days he left her too shaken to stand. It was almost more excitement than she could bear.

Her legs were still weak even now!

As a scholar from Ohara, she had read about the wonders of this world. She had never known clashes between the powerful could look like this.

Boom!

Crack!

A sudden explosion split the air and stabbed at her eardrums. The next instant, a scene like a nuclear detonation unfolded.

A huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

A mysterious power erupted, carrying the stillness of death and a desolation that eroded all things. Enel suddenly realized that even the violent lightning wrapped around him was being affected.

It was dwindling at a terrifying speed. From its maximum of two hundred million volts, it dropped by ten million in less than a breath.

And it showed no sign of slowing. A chill ran down his spine.

His armor of lightning still protected him, but if he stayed any longer, he would be at death's door.

With no time to consider anything else, he detonated the violent lightning and instantly transformed into his element.

Roughly one hundred and eighty million volts exploded at once. Calling it a force of destruction would be no exaggeration. The terrifying current obliterated the entrance to the White Sea.

Even the trees, poor conductors though they were, were pierced by the immense current when it exceeded their breakdown voltage. Everything in sight became ruins.

High above, Dongze stood in the air using Shave and Geppo, with Robin now at his side. A flicker of admiration crossed his eyes as he surveyed the scene.

"No wonder it's called the strongest Logia fruit. That destructive power lives up to the name!"

The violent explosion had destroyed the Sword Intent he had just released. After all, lightning naturally carried an intensely fierce power.

Enel had not yet comprehended that power. For now, he was merely wielding the strength granted by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit without restraint.

If he truly comprehended it, the fruit would probably have achieved Awakening, and his strength might approach that of an Admiral.

Had that been the case, Dongze would not still have strength to spare after fighting him.

Dongze's gaze sharpened at the sight of Enel staggering in midair, barely able to stand. He prepared to strike while Enel was down.

If he waited for Enel to recharge, subduing him would take much more effort.

Just then, a ding sounded in Dongze's mind.

He stopped short. He had heard that sound before.

Last time, he had tried to exploit a bug, only for his Golden Finger to patch it immediately.

He had wondered whether his mysterious helper might have a mind of its own.

It had been quiet for days, and he had only just put the thought aside. Was it back now?

He glanced over the panel. Sure enough, a line of text had appeared.

Thunderclap Sword Intent: (Available for comprehension. Explore on your own! 0/1,000,000)

The words "explore on your own" sent a chill through his crotch. He had discovered Iron Head Skill by accident long ago, and before he fully understood his Golden Finger, that path had been painfully difficult.

Later, while toughening his body to eliminate every weak point, grinding proficiency in Iron Crotch Skill had almost made him ascend on the spot.

Now his mysterious helper had suddenly offered him this option. He could only smile bitterly.

His first thought about comprehending Thunderclap Sword Intent was getting struck by lightning. Feel it enough times, and surely he would get the hang of it.

But this was lightning. His Armament Haki was strong, yet even someone as hardheaded as Chinjao would not dare take a blast like that head-on.

Not even Garp would face a bolt from the heavens directly.

Can I pass on this Sword Intent?

For a moment, he genuinely wanted to give up. But after things had reached this point, if he only dodged without fighting back, the overgrown child before him would probably go berserk.

Non-Contention Sword Intent would be useful, but if the lightning never hit him, whether Thunderclap Sword Intent would activate was another matter.

He knew his mysterious helper: it was shamelessly cautious. (Author: Oh, stop complaining. You're no better. You've got a helper like that, and you still try to exploit bugs. Talk about shamelessly cautious!) If he did not get struck, it would never lend him a hand.

Dongze even wondered whether it resented him for not choosing Iron Head Skill.

But even if he had chosen Iron Head Skill, that would not make his head truly lightning-proof. Who knew whether he would survive a bolt?

(Ghost: Give me a break! A bolt like that would reduce even the ancestor of all ghosts to ash!)

"Looks like I have no choice."

Dongze looked toward Enel and regained his composure. Before Enel could recover and recharge, Dongze activated his max-level Geppo and Shave.

He vanished from the spot. Carrying another person slowed him slightly, though, and afterimages appeared in the air from time to time.

Enel gave a bitter smile as Dongze approached. He was exhausted. To survive that terrifying explosion, he had been forced to remain in his elemental form.

Maintaining that form drained even more stamina, and he had yet to recover.

He had assumed Dongze would have struggled to avoid the explosion too. Who could have expected this?

Those thoughts remained unspoken. Had Dongze known what Enel was thinking, he would certainly have had something to say.

Was that not why he had trained Iron Crotch Skill in the first place?

The next instant, Dongze arrived in front of Enel.

At the sight of him, Enel cursed weakly, "Blue Sea monkey!"

"You bastard!"

"Kill me or torture me. This god won't even flinch! Come on!"

Dongze's eye twitched at his bravado. Enel was nowhere near that resolute. Unless he had trained Iron Crotch Skill too, Dongze would never believe him.

(Author: Enough, Dongze! You had to train Iron Crotch Skill. Do you really need to keep bringing it up? Dongze: Let's see you train it, then! You monster!)

"How do you want to die?"

The Pawn Makes His Debut, and the Second Poneglyph

The wind lifted a dandelion seed and carried it away. With no way to know where the gust would blow, the little white parachute held countless possibilities.

People were much the same. Above the White Sea, Enel stared wide-eyed at the finger poised against his brow, gleaming with Ryuo.

His pupils suddenly dilated. He seemed to be recalling his life: how fortune had favored him, how he had become a god, and how he had come to regard all living beings as beneath notice.

Had it all passed without a trace, or had it been a life full of wonder?

He could not say. He only knew he wanted to enjoy the beautiful sunlight a little longer.

And the promising land of Vearth.

After a long while, surprise flickered in his eyes.

He could feel that the Blue Sea man before him had used that move again.

The move that could extinguish even lightning.

Why was he still alive?

"You...?"

"I planted that Sword Intent in your brain."

Enel met Dongze's gaze and shuddered involuntarily.

What had he just heard?

Dongze had put that thing—whatever it was—inside his head. Was his skull about to burst?

"Why?"

"Stupid question."

"What will happen to me?"

"If I choose, that Sword Intent can destroy your entire brain in an instant. Even turning into lightning won't save you!"

Enel activated his Mantra to check Dongze's claim. In the next instant, his face went as black as a pot.

Near his pineal gland, a tiny sword radiating an aura of erosion flickered in and out of sight. He would never have noticed it without looking closely.

He knew that aura all too well. He would never forget the thing that had nearly eroded his Thunder God form moments ago.

"You..."

Enel clenched his fists, furious but afraid to speak. His life was now in Dongze's hands.