"Rumble..."
Enel appeared in midair, surrounded by countless bolts of lightning. His eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed to be struggling to control his Devil Fruit powers.
Lin Yuan looked up and saw the veins bulging on Enel's body as he used his powers. He shook his head helplessly.
Although the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was known as the strongest Logia Devil Fruit, it was far too early for Enel to unleash any real power with a body that had been weak for years.
Still, Enel had managed this much right after eating it, which Lin Yuan thought was decent. At least the fruit hadn't gone to waste.
"Are you done yet? With your stamina, if you don't attack soon, you'll probably collapse from exhaustion."
Hearing Lin Yuan's slightly mocking words, Enel's eyes grew even redder. He gritted his teeth and said,
"Don't underestimate me. I'm Thunder God Enel!"
"Boom..."
A thunderous crash shook the sky. Lin Yuan didn't move, instead watching Enel helplessly as he fell from the sky.
Although the attack had come crashing down, it had missed by more than a little. Lin Yuan hadn't even felt like dodging.
Some stray lightning struck him, but it couldn't harm even a hair on his body.
"Bang..."
Enel slammed into the Sea Cloud, leaving a large crater. He was utterly spent.
Lin Yuan curled his lip and appeared beside Enel in an instant, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Well, well, isn't this our great Lord Thunder God Enel? How did you end up like this? Your body's no good-you're way too weak. I doubt any woman would have you in the future."
"And that so-called strongest Logia Devil Fruit was wasted on you. If I'd known, I would've fed it to a dog. It probably would've done better than you-at least it wouldn't be this weak!"
Lin Yuan looked down at Enel, his face full of teasing and mockery. His words struck hard at Enel's nerves.
"You bastard!"
"Pfft..."
Under Lin Yuan's verbal assault, Enel's face alternated between red and pale. Finally, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
"Tch..."
Lin Yuan stepped forward and nudged Enel with his foot. Seeing that he really had passed out, he clicked his tongue in annoyance, then picked Enel up and tossed him onto the Flame Clouds before slowly heading toward Upper Yard.
"Ugh, my head hurts. Where am I?"
An hour later, Enel woke up, his entire body aching and weak. He struggled to sit up and warily surveyed his surroundings.
"Awake? Come over and have something to eat!"
Lin Yuan was sitting nearby, roasting meat. He held a stick and occasionally turned the game he had just caught.
Seeing that Enel was finally awake, he spoke.
"Where is this?"
When Enel saw Lin Yuan, a complicated expression appeared on his face before he asked the question.
"This place isn't far from Shandora. I came to look for something. Can you move? Eat something and get your strength back. You're far too weak."
Enel's face twitched violently, but he was in no position to do anything and could only swallow his anger.
He struggled to his feet, walked over to Lin Yuan, and plopped down beside him, looking utterly dejected.
"Am I really this weak? Even after getting the sacred relic, I'm still so weak. I could clearly feel that I could control lightning, so why?!"
"Heh, you only just got the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the sacred relic you mentioned. It's already good that you can use its powers. How strong did you expect to be?"
"But you clearly look younger than me. Why are you so strong?"
Lin Yuan fell silent for a moment without answering. Seeing this, Enel immediately looked at him eagerly.
"Uh, probably because you're weak, and I was born gifted!"
Enel: ...
Enel wanted to bite Lin Yuan to death. If he could have beaten him, he probably would have struck him with a thunderbolt of judgment already. Was he weak? He was malnourished.
"All right, since you asked, I'll tell you!"
Lin Yuan turned the roasting meat again, a smile on his lips.
"These Devil Fruits can indeed bring about incomparable changes in a person, but if you want to grow strong, you need to be strong yourself."
"No matter what fruit you have, if your body can't keep up, you'll never become a strong fighter."
"There are a great many Devil Fruits in this world-if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred. In the Blue Sea, eating a Devil Fruit doesn't mean you'll become strong."
"Only after becoming strong can you bring out a Devil Fruit's full power."
Lin Yuan paused to let Enel digest what he had just learned.
"As for how to become strong, you can actually do it without relying on a Devil Fruit. In the Blue Sea, many great pirates renowned throughout the world aren't Devil Fruit Users."
"Devil Fruits are just one way to grow stronger. The Three Types of Haki are also especially important."
"Haki? What's that?"
It was the first time anyone had explained how to become stronger to Enel, so he immediately pressed for answers.
"Heh, there are three types of Haki in total: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki."
"The first two can be awakened through training. As for Conqueror's Haki, only one person in a million has it. It's the qualification to become a king."
At this point, Lin Yuan smiled and glanced at Enel.
"As for you, you've already awakened Observation Haki. It's that feeling that lets you sense things and predict what's coming. I'm sure you've felt it."
Enel finally understood. Indeed, during all those years struggling to survive on Sky Island, he had been able to anticipate and sense danger, allowing him to avoid many perils.
"So that's what it was!"
"What else? But you've still got a long way to go. Follow me from now on, and I guarantee you'll become one of the strongest fighters on these seas."
As he spoke, a trace of a domineering aura emerged from Lin Yuan, as though everything would submit at his feet.
Enel was also shocked by Lin Yuan's presence. Feeling that domineering aura, he finally realized that Lin Yuan had only been playing with him all along.
If Lin Yuan had really wanted to fight, he probably would have killed Enel in an instant.
"Eat more meat. One of the things you need to become strong is the ability to eat, especially meat. Those few rotten apples of yours can't compare."
Enel's face reddened. A little embarrassed, he took the roasted meat Lin Yuan offered him and immediately took a bite.
"Um, can I ask, with my current strength, would I count as strong in the Blue Sea you mentioned? Where would I rank?"
Enel spoke apprehensively. Even now, although Lin Yuan had dealt him a crushing blow, he could still feel the powerful force inside him.
Lin Yuan shot Enel a sidelong glance and spoke with evident disdain.
"You? As you are now, you'd probably be killed in less than a week in the Blue Sea. There are plenty of people stronger than you-at least eight hundred or a thousand."
Enel stiffened and asked, somewhat unwilling to accept it,
"How is that possible? What about your strength, then? Where would you rank?"
"Hahaha, me? Of course I'm the strongest. Even in the Blue Sea, nobody could possibly defeat me."
This time it was Enel's turn to curl his lip. He didn't believe Lin Yuan. Although Lin Yuan was strong, claiming to be the strongest was an insult to his intelligence.
"All right, I'll follow you from now on. But once I've grown stronger, I'll definitely challenge you again!"
"Hahaha, good! I'll be waiting!"