At the entrance to the mining prison, Luo Chen stood looking up at the sky, his eyes burning with intense hatred and rage. He parted his lips. "Just wait, god. I'm coming, and I'll make all of Birka suffer the pain I've endured for more than half a year."
With that, he beat his wings and shot into the sky, heading toward the temple where he remembered being judged.
In a magnificent palace above Birka, a middle-aged man in divine robes sat with his eyes closed in contemplation on a throne symbolizing supreme divine authority. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he opened his eyes and stood, looking straight out in the direction from which Luo Chen was approaching. With a faint smile, he said:
"Revenge? Then I shall wait here for you. I hope you won't disappoint me." The man spoke confidently. The pair of enormous white wings on his back beat ceaselessly with his shifting emotions, whipping up a strong wind that scattered the furnishings throughout the palace. The two maids attending him clung to the throne, afraid of being caught up in it.
While Luo Chen was on his way, a major incident occurred in Birka. Enel, a former resident, led the four priests and fifty divine guards in an act of retaliation against Birka. Countless residents scrambled to flee through the streets as bolts of lightning struck down into the crowds from the sky. The four priests each engaged Birka's priests. Most of Birka's divine guards had been sent to capture Luo Chen, only to be subdued instead, leaving its defenses exceptionally weak. With no one to stop them, the other divine guards attacked the crowds.
"Aah!!!" The screams of Birka's residents rang out one after another as Enel's divine guards slaughtered their way through the crowds, excited and bloodthirsty. Birka's priests and divine guards were all held back by Enel's four priests. They wanted to save the residents, but there was nothing they could do.
Enel flew straight toward the temple above Birka, dealing with the foot soldiers who blocked his path along the way. Amid the incessant rumble of thunder, he drew ever closer to the temple.
"Hmm, an unknown enemy has intruded, and there seems to be a familiar presence mixed in. What's going on? Why are all sorts of problems cropping up today? Am I getting old? No, a god does not age," Kado, the god of Birka, said with a sigh. He then shook his head, cast aside his earlier thoughts, and began gathering his strength and resting his mind in preparation for the coming battle.
"Crackle!" Before long, lightning flashed at the temple entrance, quickly coalescing into a human shape.
"God Kado, are you here to welcome me?" Enel stepped out of the lightning and looked at Kado, the god of Birka, as he spoke calmly.
"I've been waiting for you for a while. I thought a little fellow would arrive first, but I didn't expect it to be you, Enel, the traitor who stole the sacred fruit," Kado said to him, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, you didn't expect it to be me, did you, God Kado? I'm sure you know why I've come today." Enel folded his arms and spoke to Kado with confident arrogance.
"Indeed. You must have come for my position as god, haven't you? What, are you going to use the power you stole from me against me?" Kado nodded, then looked at him and spoke.
"The strongest person should be the one to become god, shouldn't he? Kado, you're old. The position of god no longer suits you. Give it up, and I'll give you, Birka's previous god, a dignified death." Enel showed no fear under Kado's direct gaze and spoke with arrogant swagger once more.
"Ho ho ho, a newborn calf truly doesn't fear the tiger. Very well, then. Let these old bones teach you what respect means." With that, Kado tore open his shirt, revealing a powerful upper body, and prepared to teach Enel a lesson.
"Ha ha ha, come and try if you can! I'll show you what despair feels like, too. 30 Million Volt Thunderbird!" As soon as he finished speaking, countless bolts of lightning formed a bird in his palm and flew toward Kado.
"Ho ho ho, what a powerful move! But it's useless against me. Black Fist: Bone Setting!" Kado watched the thunderbird fly toward him without fear. He commented on it with interest, then casually threw a punch that shattered it. Lightning scattered in every direction, blasting several craters into the ground around him.
"Ah!" Frightened by their battle, the two maids cried out and turned to flee farther inside.
"Ha ha, old man, I didn't expect you to know how to enjoy yourself. But that's poison to a god, so let me get rid of it for you! 40 Million Volt Thunder Beast!" A blue, wolf-shaped thunder beast raced in the direction Enel pointed, straight toward the two maids.
"How shameless, Enel. I can't allow that. They've served me for many years, after all, and I can't let you kill them. Black Fist: Beast Shock!" Kado flashed to the thunder beast's side, and just as it was about to strike the two maids, a pitch-black fist, seemingly forged from steel, slammed into it. The vibrating force of the punch tore it apart, and lightning scattered. Under Kado's protection, the two maids remained unharmed.
"All right, are you two okay? It's going to get very dangerous here. Leave quickly," Kado said to them, standing up after the lightning disappeared. He then turned to face Enel.
"Ha ha, old man, you still have the energy to protect them? Aren't you afraid you'll exhaust yourself and lose to me?" Seeing that his attack had failed, Enel resorted to verbal attacks.
"Ho ho ho, what an unlikable brat you are. You've succeeded in making me angry. Be careful now. I'm going to show you what I can really do." Kado did not answer him directly.
"Crack, crack, crack." The sound of bones shifting rang out as Kado's body underwent a tremendous change. A giant bird appeared where he had stood, four meters long and weighing two hundred kilograms, with a wingspan that could exceed twelve meters, a fleshy growth at the base of its beak, and a bare, red face.
"Ho ho ho, it's been a long time since I took this form. More than twenty years, I suppose. It's been too long since I last met an opponent. I hope you can give me enough enjoyment, Enel," the giant bird cried, opening his beak.
The fruit Kado had eaten was the Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Andean Condor, said to be the fiercest of birds.
The Andean condor, also known as the Andean vulture or South American condor, was the sole species in the genus Vultur of the New World vulture family, in the order Falconiformes. It was generally 1.3 meters long, with a three-meter wingspan and a weight of eleven kilograms. Elegant in appearance like a gentleman, it had a tall, large fleshy crest on its head, resembling a top hat. Its irises were red, and its head and neck were bare of feathers. The pink lower part of its neck was adorned with white plumage, much like the collar of a coat. It lived on high peaks in the remote Andes Mountains of South America and was also frequently seen along the coast of Peru. Its powerful physique and broad wingspan had earned it the praise of being a "divine eagle."
It generally lived for around fifty years. Although the Andean condor was enormous and had excellent eyesight, its claws were short and blunt. It fed on carrion, though it occasionally attacked live animals, even beasts as large as calves.
Andean condors often circled high above mountains on the lookout. Their keen eyesight allowed them to monitor the movements of others of their kind within fifteen kilometers, and they could go two consecutive weeks without food.
The Andean condor was not only a giant among birds of prey, but also one of the world's largest flying birds and one of its highest-flying birds. Measurements had shown that its average flight altitude was 5,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level, reaching as high as 8,500 meters, second only to swans, which flew over Mount Everest at more than 8,800 meters during migration.
"A vulture? A rare Zoan ability. But before the power of my Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it's all nothing." Enel was somewhat surprised by Kado's ability, but he still spoke confidently.
Whoosh! A black streak of light grazed Enel's cheek and pierced the ground, leaving a crater.
"Hiss! Pain. This is... my blood. Is this your ability, old man Kado?" Enel had pushed his Mantra to its limit, detected the attack's path, and dodged the feather aimed straight at his face. Even so, the wind it stirred had cut him, leaving a streak of blood. He spoke as he wiped his cheek with his hand.
"That's right. This is the power mastered by generations of gods, the Blade of the Gods. The Blue Sea People also call it Armament Haki. It is another ability, distinct from Mantra," Kado explained.
"I see. No wonder you didn't teach it to me back then. But it doesn't matter anymore. Before this power, everything was worth it," Enel mused upon hearing Kado's words.
"Hmph. If you hadn't betrayed the temple, why would I have withheld it from you, my most outstanding disciple?" Kado revealed a shocking secret in a low voice.
Enel had always been the disciple of Kado, the god of Birka. Everything he knew had been taught to him by Kado, who had always regarded him as a successor. Kado had never expected him to betray the temple, steal the sacred fruit that had long been enshrined there, and flee for two years. He had returned only today, coveting Kado's position as god and seeking revenge against everyone in Birka.
"There's no use saying anything more to you now. Let our fists do the talking."
"Ha ha, that's right. Be a good god and give up your position."
"Enel!"
"Kado!"
The two charged into the sky. White light and black radiance collided, sending currents of air scattering.
"Screech!" With a cry, the vulture Kado had transformed into flew at Enel, his beak turning black. It struck Enel hard, pecking a large hole through him. Just as Kado thought the attack had worked, a Golden Staff swept heavily into his head and sent him flying down, kicking up a cloud of dust at the temple. Lightning appeared around the great hole through Enel's body, and it gradually shrank until it vanished completely.
"Cough! How is that possible? Armament Haki can't hurt him? That's impossible," Kado said, his face dark.
"Ha ha, yes, that ability of yours is strong, but you have to hit me with it first. The moment you attacked, I had already turned that part of my body into my element to avoid your attack." Afraid Kado wouldn't understand, Enel took special care to explain it to him.
"I see. But you shouldn't have said that. Vulture: Wing Slash!" With that, Kado beat his wings and charged into the sky again. When he reached a point several thousand meters above Enel, he used the force and speed of a downward glide to strike straight at him.
His black wings were as sharp as blades, and they gave off a piercing sound as they sliced through the air at high speed. Even Enel dared not be careless and raised the Golden Staff in his hands to block both wings.
"Screech! Screech! Screech!" Kado's black wings chopped viciously against the Golden Staff, sending out sparks amid the harsh noise of metal grinding against metal.
Seeing that the strike had failed, Kado kicked out with his claws, striking the staff and sending both Enel and the staff flying.
"Boom!" Dust billowed through the temple once more. Crackle! Lightning flashed where Enel was, and he appeared before Kado in an instant. "Lightning Metallurgy: Golden Halberd!" he said, then thrust the halberd at him at tremendous speed.
"Damn it, how can it be... so fast?" Before Kado could finish speaking, the halberd pierced him and he fell onto the plaza.
"Cough, cough! It lives up to its name as the strongest Logia fruit. Its speed is almost too fast to react to," Kado said, looking up at Enel. He had already returned to human form, his left hand pressed against the wound on his abdomen.
"Ha ha, what do you think, Kado... Master?" Enel returned to the ground and smiled at Kado.
"Don't joke with me. This old body hasn't decayed yet. It's not your turn to teach me a lesson." Kado spoke angrily as he shifted into his beast-man form. With a beat of the wings on his back and a push off the ground, he charged straight at Enel.
"Bang!" Kado's claws swept the halberd aside, and he slashed at Enel again with his wings.
"50 Million Volt Thunder Dragon!" A giant dragon made of lightning roared as it blasted Kado away, sending him high into the sky.
"Vulture: Stone Splitter." A calm voice rang out. Kado spread his wings and tore apart the lightning enveloping him. The electric currents scattered in all directions with thunderous booms.
"Enel, let me teach you how to respect your elders and teachers." Kado turned into a vulture again in midair, his beak turning ink-black as he flew toward Enel.
"Kado, you wretched old man, lie peacefully in your coffin!" Enel retrieved the Golden Staff, transformed it into a trident, and met Kado's charge with boundless lightning.