"So, Luo Chen, are you finished already?"
Enel stood outside the vast, deep cavern his power had created, looking at the scene of rumbling lightning as he spoke.
"Bzzzt!!!"
All he got in response, however, was the crackling of lightning coursing through the cavern.
"Boom!!!"
Just as Enel thought he was dead and was about to turn and leave, a crimson torrent erupted from the cavern entrance. A blood-red figure stepped out of it, and the torrent gradually flowed back into his body. By the time the figure took another step, he had returned to his original form. It was Luo Chen, who had been struck by Enel's El Thor.
Whoosh!!!
Luo Chen withdrew the Armament Haki covering his body. Just as Enel's lightning had been about to strike him, Luo Chen had hurriedly summoned all his energy to protect his entire body. Combined with his still-imperfect Armament Haki coating, it had barely been enough to withstand the attack. Once again, he stood before Enel and spoke.
"Well, Enel, are you going to attack again?"
His tone was utterly calm, as though he had paid no attention to the attack just now.
"...Hahahaha!!! No. I've had my fill of fun today. I, your god, hereby declare... Luo Chen, you have officially left my service. You are no longer one of my priests."
Enel stared at him for a while before making the announcement. Then he turned, walked over to his throne, and closed his eyes, appearing to rest and recover the strength he had just expended.
"Is that so? Then it's time I left this place too.
"Oh! Right. As for what happens next, I won't interfere as long as no one bothers me!"
With that, he left the temple without delay and flew back to his territory.
"I hope you won't disappoint me, warriors of Shandia, and the Straw Hat Pirates from the Grand Line."
Luo Chen found a large tree and sat cross-legged against its trunk, concealing his voice so that Enel and the little Shandia girl could not sense his presence.
As for Enel, he had originally intended to use his ultimate trump card, Thunder God, against Luo Chen.
But just as he was about to act, his Observation Haki suddenly sensed that the voice of the priest Satori had disappeared. This gave him other plans, so he abandoned the idea of continuing the fight and let Luo Chen leave safely.
Inside the temple, Enel lay sprawled on his divine couch, recovering the strength he had lost in the battle.
The attendants at his sides seemed to want to speak but hesitated. After a while, Oyama, the captain of the divine soldiers, finally could not help asking him a question.
"God, is it really all right to let Lord Luo Chen leave so easily? Won't there be consequences?"
He sincerely voiced his doubts and confusion to Enel.
"It's fine. Besides, just now, I sensed that Satori's voice had suddenly disappeared. Do you know what that means will happen?
"That's right. The upheaval on Sky Island has begun. I intend to start a survival game. The priests and divine soldiers, myself included, as well as those pirates from the Blue Sea and the warriors of Shandia, will all be drawn into it. Even he is no exception. That's why I let him leave.
"Oh, and notify the divine soldiers guarding the previous god's guards. Tell them to put aside what they're doing and prepare to join the game. It doesn't matter anymore. It won't matter if those people leave.
"Because... the Ark Maxim is complete. Next, we'll begin our plan. Also, have the other priests come here. I have some things to tell them."
With that, Enel turned into lightning and left, leaving the attendants and maids staring at one another.
"Honestly, he's given someone else the job and gone off on his own again."
Oyama, the captain of the divine soldiers, spoke helplessly before going to summon the priests.
Meanwhile, at the Shandia settlement, Wyper had gathered the other powerful warriors in Shandia's largest tent for a meeting, preparing and planning the best way to attack Enel.
A little girl was secretly hiding outside the entrance, listening to them speak, when Satori's and Gan Fall's voices suddenly disappeared from her senses. The shock made her stumble into the tent, and everyone looked at her in surprise.
"Aisa, what are you doing here? This isn't a place you should be!"
Wyper spoke sternly, fixing Aisa with a fierce glare that frightened her into hiding in the arms of the warrior Laki.
"All right, Wyper, don't be angry. I'm sure Aisa didn't mean to."
Laki tried to calm him down, then lowered her head to comfort Aisa and gently asked what had frightened her so badly.
"Just now, two voices suddenly disappeared. They were the voices of the priest Satori and Gan Fall.
"And a little while ago, the priest Luo Chen appeared at the temple, and Enel's voice was there too. But not long ago, that man's voice suddenly disappeared. It should have something to do with Enel."
With Laki coaxing her, Aisa explained what had frightened her so badly.
"Great! Now that the balance among the priests has been broken, this is the perfect chance for us to attack. Go notify everyone else and get them ready. We'll attack Enel together."
After hearing Aisa's account, Wyper excitedly pulled open the tent flap and walked out.
"This day has finally come, and so has our chance. I should go make preparations too. I'll be off."
After speaking, Braham also went out to notify the others.
Before long, the warriors of Shandia gathered once more at the call of Wyper and the others.
But this time was different. Not long ago, not only had the priest Satori and the previous god, Gan Fall, been defeated, but even the man who had always stood in the way of their ancestors' dream had been beaten.
It was very likely that Enel had defeated him, but so what? It was good to watch their enemies fight one another. Even if Enel was stronger than the man who had obstructed them, they did not care.
At Wyper's call and under his leadership, the warriors of Shandia set out once again. Their goal was Enel's head and the lighting of Shandia's flame... to ring the Golden Bell and fulfill their ancestors' wish.
Elsewhere, after defeating the priest Satori, Luffy and the others rode the Crow along the cloud current to the altar, where they reunited with Nami and the others.
There had been a minor incident along the way. They had encountered a Shandia attack halfway there, but the Shandia warriors, eager to press on, did not continue the confrontation. Instead, both sides restrained their desire to fight and left.
"Hahaha, I knew it! Without the great Usopp to lead you, you couldn't do anything! Don't worry, the great Usopp has come to save you now. With me leading everyone, we'll definitely make it out of here."
Usopp stood on the ship, speaking smugly, and told them how he and Luffy's group had defeated the priest Satori together. Naturally, he embellished the story, vastly exaggerating his own role as he boasted.
"Hehehe! I'm glad you're all okay. But that trial was really fun. I want to do it again."
Luffy laughed as carefree as ever, still hoping for another chance. In his eyes, there had been no danger to the trial at all.
Back at the temple, three priests had arrived at the entrance at Enel's summons. They began fighting again over the matter of guarding the holy land, until Oyama, the captain of the divine soldiers, could no longer stand watching and called out to stop them.
"Honestly, you're quarreling again in the presence of Lord God Enel. Stop at once! Don't be so presumptuous."
His voice brought them to a temporary halt. They glared at one another, none of them making the first move.
"He told us to come, but he's nowhere in sight himself. Is Lord Enel joking with us?"
At last, the short-tempered Shura pointed at the divine couch as he spoke.
"Is Lord Enel not here? Then what did he call us here for?"
The dimwitted Gedatsu spoke while rubbing his arms.
"I, your god... have been here all along!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out beside them, and then-
"Crack!!!"
A bolt of lightning struck among them, turning into a human figure in the blink of an eye and sending the priests flying. It then turned back into lightning and returned to the divine couch. Sitting down, Enel spoke in a tone that was haughty yet calm.
"I am your god... Enel."