In the palace, Enel looked at the four additional corpses on the ground, his gaze unwavering.
He raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning, leaving four charred bodies where they lay. The acrid smell of burnt flesh permeated the grand hall.
"Nice technique," a teasing voice echoed through the hall, "but the smell isn't very pleasant."
Enel looked up toward the entrance and saw Chiga standing there with his hands in his pockets.
"Blue Sea man, I have to admit you have some skills. But if you think this is enough to give you the illusion that you can challenge a god, then I can only say—your end won't be pretty."
Still hearing Enel refer to himself as a god, Chiga couldn't help but chuckle softly. When he looked at Enel again, his gaze was calm and indifferent as he said,
"Before these eyes, no one can call themselves a god."
Enel felt a strange discomfort under Chiga's gaze. Deep in his heart, he sensed something unsettling—those eyes had the weight of divinity, as if looking down on all beings from above.
He couldn't stand it.
"Die! You blasphemer! Inazuma!"
Enel's arm turned to lightning and fired upward.
Chiga didn't move. A deep purple energy surged around him, and a spectral ribcage formed—his Susanoo.
The lightning struck him directly with a deafening crackle, but aside from scorching the ground beneath his feet, it left Chiga completely unscathed.
Enel narrowed his eyes, examining the skeletal defense with a serious expression.
"So this is how you block divine punishment, huh? Not bad."
"Perhaps," Chiga said coolly.
He dispelled the Susanoo, raised an arm, and smirked. "You're pretty good at playing with lightning, huh?"
Enel's brow twitched. He, who considered himself the god of thunder, found Chiga's words deeply provocative.
He slammed one of the giant drums on his back—BOOM!—and a massive thunderbird burst forth.
"30 Million Volts – Hino!"
Enel looked at Chiga triumphantly. This wasn't like the earlier Inazuma attack—this was a powerful offensive born from his divine drums. He was confident this Blue Sea man would be reduced to a crisp.
But the next moment made his eyes widen. Even a bit of snot slipped from his nose.
Chiga raised his arm—lightning surging around it—accompanied by a sharp, bird-like chirp. As a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user himself, Enel could clearly sense the power of the lightning gathered in Chiga's hand.
But… he was the one with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Why could this man from the Blue Sea use lightning ?
His brain buzzed with confusion.
Chiga looked at the lightning in his palm with a trace of nostalgia.
He had created the Chidori back in the Naruto world, reconstructing it from memory—a technique once pioneered by Kakashi.
It had taken down many formidable foes. But ever since he'd come to the world of pirates, he hadn't had the chance to use it.
With his fingers together, he pointed his palm at Enel and said with a grin,
"Come on. Let's see whose lightning bird is stronger—yours or my Chidori."
"Don't get cocky! I am the true God of Thunder!!"
Enel roared and swung his arm. The thunderbird behind him screeched and dived toward Chiga at blinding speed.
But with the power of the Rinnegan, nothing could escape Chiga's sight. He thrust his Chidori-covered hand forward.
The Chidori and thunderbird clashed violently. The hall echoed with static and screeches. Then, a mournful cry rang out—Enel's thunderbird disintegrated into a burst of lightning.
Only the Chidori's sharp screech remained, proclaiming its dominance.
Enel's face darkened as he stared at Chiga's still-glowing hand, feeling an unbearable sting—not from the lightning, but from the humiliation.
If Chiga had used a different ability, he could've brushed it off. But lightning? That was his domain. It felt like a slap in the face.
Chiga flicked his wrist, dissipating the Chidori, and asked lightly,
"What's wrong? Looks like our God of Thunder isn't that great at using lightning after all."
"You bastard… you're just a mortal!!"
Electric currents surged across Enel's body. He vanished with a zap, reappearing at the center of the hall and spreading his arms.
Lightning exploded outward from his body, flooding the entire hall in a chaotic storm.
Chiga didn't back down. He also spread his arms.
That piercing bird cry rang out again. Electric currents surged around him, clashing directly with Enel's storm.
In the blink of an eye, Enel's lightning was completely devoured by Chiga's. The electric field crawled toward Enel and engulfed him.
Enel sneered. Even if he lost that clash, he was lightning itself—how could lightning hurt him?
The moment Chidori Current touched him, Enel's body convulsed violently, wracked with pain. His form flickered, caught in a brutal storm of his own element.
After several seconds of torturous spasms, he finally crashed to the floor, a wisp of smoke trailing from his open mouth.
Chiga lowered his arms and walked toward him, occasional sparks still snapping around his body.
Midway through, Enel's body twitched. Electricity flickered once again, and he croaked out,
Thump-thump-thump. His nearly-stilled heart kicked back into rhythm under the lightning's stimulation. Color slowly returned to his face.
Enel stood up unsteadily, his eyes locked on Chiga.
"Why… why was I hurt by lightning? I'm the God of Thunder…"
"Heh, maybe," Chiga said casually, "you ate a fake Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
Enel stood frozen. Normally, he would've laughed off such a ridiculous claim and blasted the speaker into dust.
But after that last shock… a seed of doubt was planted.
Seeing his reaction, Chiga couldn't help but laugh.
Of course, the fruit Enel ate was real. The reason he could be harmed was because Chidori Current was infused with chakra, a special energy that acted much like Haki—capable of striking Logia users when used properly.
Naturally, no one in the world of One Piece would know what chakra was.
Which made fooling Enel all the more amusing.
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