Above the temple in the skies over Birka, a blood-red figure stood in a deep crater blasted out by lightning. Before him was Kado, Birka's ruler and the one who held the position of god.
Kado no longer showed any signs of life. As a mark of final respect for a powerful warrior of his generation, Luo Chen had allowed him to die with the last of his glory intact, beneath his strongest attack.
"Hmm, what's this...?" After dealing with Kado, Luo Chen was about to turn and leave when he suddenly noticed a small booklet sticking out from Kado's clothing. It looked simple and unadorned, and was clearly very old. Puzzled, Luo Chen spoke in surprise.
Luo Chen bent down and picked it up. Seeing the words "God's Legacy" written on it, he opened it and examined the first page.
"Hmm, this... these are training notes on Observation Haki. Could it be...?" Luo Chen was stunned by what he saw on the first page.
It described how to train Mantra. He quickly recovered and hurriedly looked through the rest, turning page after page as their contents were clearly imprinted in Luo Chen's mind.
"Just as I thought. This records all of Birka's Haki training methods from the past few hundred years, as well as Kado's insights into developing his fruit's abilities." After reading it all, Luo Chen knew this was Birka's fundamental legacy. It was extremely important to him now, and also his stepping stone to the world of the strong.
"Should I give something this important to Enel?... Forget it, I'd better tell him about it." Luo Chen considered whether to let Enel know about it, then recalled his terrifying Observation Haki and decided to mention it to him.
After tucking it into his clothes, Luo Chen beat his wings, flew out of the crater, and headed toward the place where the lightning was most concentrated.
On the way, Luo Chen saw many people blindly loyal to Kado, their god, still holding their ground, only to be killed by the divine guards under Enel's command. Screams echoed in Luo Chen's ears one after another, but they did not move him. These were all people who had loudly cheered when he was declared a criminal, and he had no reason to intervene for them.
Soon, Luo Chen was very close to Enel. In the distance, he saw a figure standing on a mountaintop, his right hand raised high as he unleashed vast amounts of lightning. It was Enel himself.
In a flash of red light, Luo Chen arrived beside Enel. Seeing him, Enel stopped what he was doing and turned to greet him. "You're here. Have you taken care of him?"
"It's over. Kado passed away with all the splendor and glory of his life. Oh, right, there's also a book of Kado's training notes. Do you want it?" Luo Chen asked.
"Is that so? It's over. From now on, I'm the only god of the Sky Island Birka. I don't need that book. This ability is enough for me. If you want it, keep it." Enel fell silent for a moment after hearing that Kado had passed away, then continued.
He had also learned about the booklet and left the decision to Luo Chen. Clearly, he was very confident in his abilities. Even if it recorded a way to strike his physical body, he had nothing to fear. Even Kado, who had trained for decades, had fallen to him, so why would he fear someone who had only just obtained such a method and had yet to learn it?
"Mm, all right..." Enel's decision was also within Luo Chen's expectations. From their earlier interactions, he had gained a rough understanding of Enel's character. His arrogance would ultimately destroy him, yet Enel himself was still unaware of it.
"Oh, right, this is a good chance to introduce you to the others. From now on, the five of you will be my divine priests." With that, Enel brought Luo Chen before the other priests and introduced him to them.
"This is Satori of the Forest, the priest in charge of the 'Ordeal of Balls,' which has a survival rate of ten percent. He represents 'joy' among joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure." They first came to a cheerful-looking man shaped like a ball, and Enel spoke.
"Hello, I'm Satori. I hope we get along from now on." Satori held out his hand and was the first to introduce himself.
"Mm, hello. My name is Luo Chen. I hope we get along too." Luo Chen likewise held out his hand and shook Satori's.
"I wouldn't presume to say that, but before we go any further, I'll give you a warning: be careful of others, especially strangers."
"What..."
"Bang!" Before Luo Chen could finish speaking, Satori pressed his right hand against his chest and fired a shock wave from the Impact Dial in his hand, striking Luo Chen. Fortunately, Luo Chen reacted in time and covered that part of his body with red energy, blocking the shock wave.
"Is this a welcome gift?"
"Haha, I suppose it is. Looks like they're very welcoming!"
Afterward, Enel introduced him to the other priests one by one. His subordinates were also very strange and comical. Among them was Ohm, a bald swordsman with a long sword resting on his shoulder, who oversaw the "Ordeal of Iron," which had a survival rate of only zero percent, and represented "sorrow" among joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
There was also Shura, the priest in charge of the "Ordeal of String," which had a survival rate of three percent. He represented "anger" among joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, wore an aviator's cap and goggles, and sat cross-legged on a Three-Jo Bird.
There was also Gedatsu, the priest in charge of the "Ordeal of Swamp," which had a survival rate of fifty percent. He represented "pleasure" among joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. He was a bit of an idiot, and his bodily coordination seemed abnormal; he often rolled his eyes so far back that he could not see his enemies.
Enel also appointed Luo Chen as the fifth divine priest.
"Now that you're in place, the grand feast is about to begin." Seeing that Luo Chen had accepted his invitation and come here, Enel also began the victory feast he had spent days preparing for everyone in Birka.
"Ever since I heard you mention the victory feast, I've been curious about what this grand feast actually is. Could you tell me?"
"There's no rush. Once everyone is here, you'll understand."
"Mm, I understand." Luo Chen tactfully refrained from asking further.
Enel stood atop the mountain again, gathered a great mass of lightning, and sent it surging into the sky. Dark clouds gathered overhead, covering all of Birka. The intensity of the electric currents within them astonished even Luo Chen, giving him a terrifying feeling.
"Lord Enel, we're back. We've eliminated everyone who resisted, as you instructed."
"Yes, but most of them left here by boat. We couldn't intercept them."
Nearby, the fifty divine guards under Enel's command had returned and reported to him.
"I know. It doesn't matter if those people got away. You can leave now. The grand feast is about to begin," Enel said indifferently.
"Yes!" the divine guards said, saluting. They then went behind the Four Priests, formed ranks, and silently watched Enel.
"Hahaha, then I hereby announce that the grand feast... has begun."
"Oh!!!" The group cheered and celebrated.
"This is the grand salute announcing that I, Thunder God Enel, have officially become a god. Come, lightning-Raigo!" With that, he drew on the thunderclouds overhead and swung his hand down.
Drawn down by the lightning in his hand, the thunderclouds in the sky descended upon Birka with endless thunder and lightning. In an instant, lightning engulfed all of Birka, and the rumbling continued without pause.
On a distant mountaintop nearby, Luo Chen stood with Enel and the others, watching the "grand feast" Enel had created before them. He felt utterly shocked and excited.
"No wonder Enel later loses himself in his own ability. This is practically power on par with a god's! If it were me, I'd lose myself in this power too," Luo Chen said in shock as he watched the world-destroying power before him.
At that moment, some residents of the Sky Island Birka who had not yet evacuated also stared blankly at the scene before them, utterly silent.
After quite a while, the lightning gradually faded, revealing a deep, dark crater blasted out by the lightning. Birka had completely disappeared, utterly destroyed by Enel's ability.
"Birka is g-gone."
"How could this happen? My home is gone too."
"Is god punishing us? God, please give us our home back."
Among Birka's residents, the air was filled with cries of grief and repentance. Most of them knelt and prayed to their god to bring their homeland back.
"Hahaha, well? This grand feast is wonderful, isn't it? How awe-inspiring this banquet prepared by a god is!" As though driven mad, Enel reveled in the grand feast he had carefully prepared and asked Luo Chen and the others.
"It really was awe-inspiring. An exceptionally splendid performance," Luo Chen exclaimed.
"This is the power a god can wield. It fills us with awe," the Four Priests also said in shock.
"Lord Enel-no, god. Lord Enel, your power is unparalleled to us. That was a truly perfect performance." The divine guards voiced their opinions one after another, showering him with praise.
"Hahaha, such is the greatness of a god. Next, we'll find a land for god to rule and let god's radiance shine over the entire territory," Enel told them with a loud laugh.
"As you command!"
"Yes! Hurry and bring the Ark of God over here," a divine guard who looked like an officer responded, turning to order the other guards.
After receiving their orders, several divine guards hurried off.
Soon, a giant ship sailing on the sea of clouds came over and docked in front of Enel and Luo Chen.
"Mm, the ship's here. We'll board first, then look for god's territory. You should all hurry aboard too." With that, Enel was the first to board the giant ship, closely followed by the Four Priests.
Seeing them board, Luo Chen hurried after them. The group soon boarded the giant ship and sailed it in a certain direction.
"Where are we going? Have you decided on a destination beforehand?" On the giant ship, Luo Chen walked up to Enel and asked curiously.
"Crunch!" Enel picked up an apple and took a bite, then said to him indistinctly through his mouthful, "We're going to a new Sky Ishland. I hear there's rare earth there, the perfect place for me, the Thunder God, to live and rule."
"Is that so? I understand," Luo Chen said with a nod. He then turned and instructed the divine guards:
"Then call me when we get there! Until then, don't disturb me."
"Yes!" the group of divine guards shouted in acknowledgment.
Just now, they had learned that Enel had appointed Luo Chen as the fifth divine priest. Moreover, since he had earned Enel's approval, his strength was surely greater than that of every one of them, so they did not dare disobey his orders.
Enel had no particular reaction to this. He knew Luo Chen was going to train in the method that could catch his physical body, but he remained entirely unconcerned.
Luo Chen nodded, then walked to an open space at the stern, closed his eyes, and practiced the Haki training method recorded in Kado's training notes that he had obtained.
He first recalled the description of Haki. Haki was the latent power possessed by all humans in the pirate world. This power was an innate ability, and Haki was the latent power possessed by all humans in the ONE PIECE world. This power was an innate ability, the same as "presence" and "intimidation," existing like an instinct. However, the vast majority of people could not become aware of this power, or could not bring it out in their entire lives.
Observation Haki, meanwhile, was described as a power that allowed one to strongly sense the presences around them. It could detect enemies outside one's line of sight or further predict an opponent's movements. On Sky Islands, it was called "Mantra," a form of mind reading that could also be called "the power to hear." As long as a person was alive, their body could produce a special sound. Through these sounds, one could predict an opponent's next movement and position, and training could expand the range. More advanced users of Observation Haki could use this ability to hear the thoughts of others and even speak to them. High-level Observation Haki was very rare.