Chapter 52

Grandline, Paradise, Skypea

God. That is who he was and always had been meant to be. In his younger years, before he had acquired his power over lightning and thunder, his proclamations that he was destined for something greater had earned him ridicule and laughter. Until one day Enel had come upon a weird fruit and from that moment onwards he had known that everything would become different. Fate was calling him to his righteous kingdom. Fairyworth! And to reach it he had been bestowed with the means to achieve that. Now he was the culmination of natures fury, and nobody would be laughing about him anymore!

With a mocking grin on his face Enel observed his opponent, measuring if he was worth anything. True, the young man struck an imposing figure with his three meters in height and the defined muscles to support the height. Maybe a new bodyguard? Enel mused to himself. 'Let's test how good he would be at such a job now, shall we...'

Reaching a satisfying conclusion in his thoughts, god Enels body began to spark with blue electricity, covering him wholy. Raising his right hand towards the heavens, he grinned widely, and spoke the words that had brought him so much satisfaction, whenever he saw the fear in the inhabitants of the sky upon hearing them. "Judgement!" and snapped his hand down towards the ground. The following seconds everything was engulfed in blinding light, followed a few seconds later by a resounding boom only lightning could produce, signalling the arrival of his strike to judge his soon to be follower. Though after seeing that his opponent had disappeared before his very eyes, even with his enhanced perception of the world around him, made Enels eyes widen in shock.

Though only until a flaming claw ripped through his stomaches flesh, bringing a sensation to Enel which he hadn't felt since he was a small boy. Pain! Unberable, searing pain!

With an outcry of said pain, Enel watched as the claw, covered in blood eveporated his lifes nectar, only to rush upwards to his bowed head, attempting to rip Enels head from his shoulders. With reflexes god Enel didn't know he possessed, he transformed into a current of lightning, though without his fine control that he normally possessed, and smashed into the stony ground approximately 50 meters away from his prior position, ripping the ground apart due to the overload he would normally be able to control.

Pressing his hand to his stomach, Enel still couldn't believe his eyes, and so couldn't everybody else who was watching the god bleed onto the ground. He was lightning! How could a mere mortal rip into his flesh like this? How dare this peasant! He would pay for his insolence!

With a roar of rage Enels whole body transformed into lightning and grew in height, transforming into an imposing manifestation of the literal god of lightning: "Raijin!"

Robin, having seen a logia getting ripped into literally couldn't believe her eyes. This simply wasn't possible! How was he able to achieve that? Logias weren't touchable, and she knew. She had tried countless times in the past but always came out the lesser and yet here she was, being witness to something she had given up upon long ago as a hopeless endevour. After freeing herself from her astonishment Robins brain rebooted and she returned to her sharp-minded self.

'If Azul is able to hurt logia users than doesn't that mean I can be freed from A-Aokijis looming shadow? Please, please let it be so! Please don't let this be a dream!' Robin thought to herself, her whole body shaking, which gave Nami the impression that she was afraid, so she tried to calm her down with a soothing voice, not knowing that Robin wasn't afraid. No. Robin was excited! Freedom was finally in reach and she would be damned if she threw her chance away to live!

Azul meanwhile was observing his opponent who was transforming into the literal incarnation of the god of thunder and lightning, towering even over Azuls head.

'Truly, a logia based on thunder and lightning is a terrifying object of destruction... This man cannot be alowed to live on! The only worry I have is that someone else, much more dangerous may acquire his devilfruit after I have taken him out... No matter, one step at a time!' Azul thought to himself, making his eyes flash yellow and his body grow in height to match his opponents, fur growing all over his body, face elonggating and fangs sprouting from his snout, letting out an earthshattering roar, as the flames on his feet and arms burned brighter and billowed higher as if to challenge the heavens. With a chuckle Azul realized just how ironic this battles scene was. A gigantic wolf like creature challenging the incarnation of thunder and lightning.

'Who would have thought that myths and legends could be brought back to life in such an unsuspecting manner...'

With another roar, Azul vanished from his position, dodging a dragonic beam of lightning, which crushed the ground it impacted on, all the while thunder and lightning rumbled and cracked overhead in the sky as if it was the end of the world, Ragnarok!

Jumping to meet his opponent, Enel brought both of his fists up into the air and tried to strike his opponent down into the ground but got disappointed in the end. The beast, reacting too fast for Enel to realise, kicked against the air once more before twisting around his own axis, avoiding the hammer like attack meant for its head, bringing his right leg to bear with a whip like velocity onto Enels skull from the side, but against Enels expectations, didn't pass right through but instead with a crack impacted his actual skull, sending the god flying with a boom from the displaced air, smashing him through a few buildings until he came to a stop by rolling a few times, his head in a gigantic haze, not used to the bodily damage and pain at all.

With a groan Enel tried to stand up, having had to discard his Raijin form due to the strain it caused on his hurting skull, thanks to the kick of this damned beast!

Though his raging thoughts on how to turn around the battle into his favor were rudely interrupted by the beast appearing right before him, simply standing on air with flaming feet, though what happened next scared the living shit out of Enel. The beasts flames turned black, into a vapor like substance and before Enel could react were plunged into his c.h.e.s.t. At first he panicked, expecting burning pain. Though none came, until he thought his opponent had made a mistake and was preparing to grab onto his foes hand to shock the living shit out of the beast when suddenly without warning, his eyes turned black and a flailing pain engulfed his whole body, making him scream though the only thing that happened was his mouth opening, nothing coming out. Soon afterwards something ethereal was dragged out of Enels body, which he could barely see anymore, his eyes turning dim and dark and soon he could see no more at all, collapsing with a thud onto the hard and cold floor of the acient city below, becoming his grave along all the people who had died here in the past before him.

Everything was silent in the ruins. Everybody who was still able to keep his or her eyes open had spactated the duel between god and beast and were now watching as the beast turned back into his human form, the soul of the god still in his hands, twisting and turning in agony. Though some began to speculate who possessed more qualifications to proclaim himself a god between the two foes, after watching one rip the literal soul out of the other, before after inspecting it for a few second letting his black, vaporizing arms turn back into roaring red flames, burning the silently screaming soul into nothingness, until silence reigned supreme.

Viper, having witnessed the whole fight and now the death of his sworn enemy could finally fall back onto his homes and fatherlands earth, letting his tears run freely down his cheeks, completely submerging himself in the bliss of victory, even if he hadn't brought it to fruition of his own.

He cried in silence, remembering all his brothers and sisters that had lost their lifes in the struggle for their homeland and could now rest in peace.

Azul meanwhile walked back over to the group hidden behind the stonewalls, being met by Robins arms, wrapping around himself while slightly crying into his c.h.e.s.t, whispering so only he could hear:

"Thank you..." , before turning around, sitting down against the stonewall and submerging herself in the bliss that came with the knowledge that not everything was lost yet.

Joining her silently sitting leaned against the wall, Azul and Robin observed as Chopper kept on fussing over the charred Zoro, who was groggily sitting up, before standing up and taking in his surroundings, ignoring the docs fretting, though not for long as Chopper had gotten increasingly frustrated, suddenly morphing into his heavy point, smacking Zoro over the head, back into unconciousness, which made Azul grin in amus.e.m.e.nt until he closed his eyes and fell asleep, having completed what he set out to do for the day, and it never got old, the afterglow of the battle.