Arthur stood silently before the fallen God.
The once-proud ruler of Skypiea leaned against the enormous roots of the Giant Jack, his white robes torn and scorched black in several places. Fresh blood stained the golden ornaments on his chest, while countless burns covered his body from the battle that had shaken the heavens only moments earlier.
The Golden Bell had already fulfilled a promise that had endured for four hundred years.
The war was over.
Yet Enel still refused to accept defeat.
His breathing remained uneven, but his golden eyes burned with the same arrogance that had ruled Skypiea for years. Even after losing to Monkey D. Luffy, he still believed no one in this world stood above him.
The ART Pirates stopped several meters away.
No one spoke.
The silence hanging over Upper Yard felt heavier than the clouds drifting across the White Sea. Broken trees lay scattered in every direction, their trunks split apart by lightning and battle. The once-sacred forest had become little more than a field of ruins beneath the afternoon sky.
Robin observed the man before them.
"So this is Enel..."
"The self-proclaimed God of Skypiea," Law finished.
"He doesn't look very godlike anymore," Sugar muttered.
Enel slowly lifted his head.
His gaze swept across the unfamiliar pirates until it finally settled upon Arthur.
Unlike the others...
This man stood without the slightest hint of caution.
No weapon.
No battle stance.
Only complete composure.
Enel narrowed his eyes.
"So..." His voice came out rough but carried the same pride as ever. "Another pirate has climbed into heaven."
"I heard someone claimed to be God." Arthur met his gaze without changing expression.
"And you've come to challenge me?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Enel's lips.
"No."
Arthur answered so calmly that the word itself seemed to erase the tension in the air.
"I came to see whether you deserved the title."
For a brief moment...
Neither man moved.
The wind drifted quietly between them, carrying the scent of scorched earth across the shattered battlefield.
Then Enel laughed.
At first it was only a quiet chuckle.
Soon it echoed across the ruined forest.
"You Blue Sea people are amusing." He slowly pushed himself away from the Giant Jack.
Every movement revealed another injury, yet his posture remained as proud as ever.
"You think defeating me once changes anything?"
Golden sparks crackled around his body.
Electricity danced across the broken ground beneath his feet.
"I am God."
The surrounding clouds answered with a low rumble.
Lightning flashed through the heavens as if responding to his declaration.
Koala instinctively shifted her footing.
"He can still fight..."
"He can," Robin replied quietly. "His Logia abilities hadn't weakened."
Law's eyes remained fixed on Enel.
"The injuries are real."
"But his Haki..."
"...is still sharp."
Arthur gave no response.
He simply watched as Enel raised the golden staff in his hand.
Thunder rolled across Upper Yard.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Countless arcs of lightning began converging above Enel, illuminating the ruined forest in brilliant flashes of blue and white.
"I'll erase every one of you."
The air vibrated.
Electricity spread through the ground like living veins, racing toward Arthur's feet.
Several members of the crew instinctively prepared to move.
Arthur raised one hand.
"No."
The single word immediately stopped everyone.
Enel's smile widened.
"Too frightened to fight?"
The lightning above him suddenly roared.
Millions of volts gathered into a single spear of pure electricity before crashing toward Arthur with terrifying speed.
"El Thor!"
The bolt descended from the heavens.
It never reached its target.
Arthur slowly lifted his eyes.
Nothing else changed.
Then—
An overwhelming pressure erupted from him.
It wasn't visible.
There was no explosion.
No wave of energy.
Yet the entire world seemed to freeze.
The lightning dispersed before reaching Arthur, unraveling into countless harmless sparks that vanished into the wind.
The clouds above Upper Yard trembled violently.
The birds hidden within the forest fled in every direction.
Even the broken branches lying across the battlefield quivered beneath the invisible force.
Robin slowly closed her eyes.
She had experienced Arthur's Conqueror's Haki many times before.
It never became any less overwhelming.
Enel's pupils contracted.
His heartbeat skipped.
For the first time in years...
Fear found its way into his mind.
His body refused to obey.
The golden staff slipped slightly in his grasp.
His breathing became shallow as an invisible weight pressed against every muscle.
"W-What..."
His voice faltered.
Impossible.
No one had ever overwhelmed him without touching him.
Not with lightning.
Not with strength.
Simply with presence.
Cold sweat rolled down his temple.
His knees trembled.
Every instinct screamed at him to kneel.
He fought against it with everything he had.
Arthur took a single step forward.
The pressure intensified.
Cracks spread quietly across the stone beneath Enel's feet.
The remaining sparks surrounding his body faded one by one until none remained.
Arthur stopped only a few meters away.
His expression never changed.
"A king..."
His calm voice carried effortlessly through the silent battlefield.
"...doesn't need to prove himself."
Enel clenched his teeth.
His entire body shook as he struggled simply to remain standing.
The title he had claimed for years...
The divinity he believed no one could challenge...
Collapsed in a single instant before a man who had never once called himself a god.
Arthur looked at him for one last moment before turning away as though the outcome had already been decided.
"Sabo."
The young man stepped forward from among the crew, a confident smile already forming across his face.
Arthur continued walking until he stood beside Robin.
Without looking back, he spoke.
"Finish your training."
Sabo rested one hand on the metal staff strapped across his back before nodding.
"Understood."
His eyes shifted toward Enel.
"I've been looking for someone exactly like you."
The pressure surrounding Upper Yard gradually disappeared.
Enel inhaled sharply, finally regaining control of his body.
Humiliation burned hotter than the pain of his wounds.
He glared past Sabo toward Arthur's back.
"So..." His voice trembled with restrained fury. "...you think this boy is enough?"
Arthur didn't even turn around.
"If you can defeat him..."
"Then you've earned the right to challenge me."
A smile slowly spread across Sabo's face.
He cracked his knuckles before taking several relaxed steps toward the former God.
The wind stirred once more between them.
Behind Sabo, the ART Pirates quietly withdrew to the edge of the battlefield, leaving the ruined clearing entirely to the two fighters.
No one intended to interfere.
Not even Arthur.
Because everyone aboard the Athena understood one thing.
This battle was never meant to decide the fate of Skypiea.
It was meant to determine how far Sabo had climbed since the beginning of his journey.
...
Sabo remained where he stood, calmly watching Enel recover his footing.
The former God drew several slow breaths, forcing the lingering effects of Arthur's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki from his mind. His pride had been crushed, but his fighting spirit remained intact. Lightning flickered across his body once more, dancing around his limbs like restless serpents.
He refused to accept that the battle was over.
Not yet.
His golden eyes settled upon the young pirate standing before him.
"So..." Enel's voice regained its usual arrogance. "You think this child is enough to defeat me!?"
Sabo smiled faintly.
"I'm older than I look."
"I don't care who you are."
Electricity burst violently around Enel.
"I'll kill you first."
Before the final word had fully left his mouth, his body dissolved into a flash of lightning.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath him.
In less than an instant, Enel appeared behind Sabo, his golden staff already descending toward the back of his head.
Sabo reacted almost on instinct.
His body shifted half a step to the side.
The staff missed him by barely a few centimeters before crashing into the earth, sending fragments of stone flying across the battlefield.
Without hesitation, Sabo spun and drove his fist toward Enel's ribs.
Enel vanished again.
The punch struck only empty air.
"He disappeared..." Koala narrowed her eyes.
"No." Law folded his arms. "He moved."
Another flash erupted above the battlefield.
Lightning rained down from every direction.
Sabo darted through the storm, weaving between bolts that shattered trees and scorched the ground wherever they landed. His movements remained composed, but it quickly became apparent that Enel's speed exceeded anything he had faced before.
Each time Sabo attempted to close the distance, Enel had already relocated.
Each attack arrived from a different angle.
Every strike seemed to anticipate Sabo's next movement before he made it.
"His Observation Haki..." Robin watched. "...is extraordinary."
"He spent years listening to an entire island." Arthur gave a slight nod. "He learned to hear intent before action."
"So that's your trick." Sabo clicked his tongue as another spear of lightning grazed his shoulder.
"You've already lost." Enel laughed. "You simply haven't realized it yet."
The sky answered with another deafening roar. Countless bolts converged above Upper Yard before descending together.
The battlefield vanished beneath blinding white light.
Smoke rolled across the ruined forest.
For several seconds...
Nothing could be seen.
Then a silhouette emerged from the haze.
Sabo.
His clothes bore fresh scorch marks, yet his expression remained calm. Tiny sparks danced across his skin.
Unlike Enel's lightning...
These were smaller.
Sharper.
More controlled.
"He understands." Arthur's gaze sharpened slightly.
Electricity continued flowing across Sabo's body.
Not to destroy.
To accelerate.
Every muscle contracted more efficiently.
Every nerve transmitted faster than before.
The power of the Spark Fruit surged through his body, heightening his reflexes until even the slightest movement around him became easier to perceive.
"Hm?" Enel immediately noticed the difference.
The next exchange lasted only seconds.
Enel struck.
Sabo avoided it.
Another attack followed.
Again...
Sabo slipped past it by the narrowest margin.
The gap between them began to shrink.
"So you're adapting."
"I have to." Sabo smiled. "My captain doesn't like excuses."
Enel answered with another barrage of lightning.
This time, Sabo did not retreat. He rushed forward. His body blurred beneath crackling sparks as he crossed the battlefield at astonishing speed.
The golden staff met his metal pipe with a violent clang.
Neither fighter yielded.
For several exchanges, the battlefield became little more than flashes of steel and lightning. Their weapons collided again and again, scattering sparks across the shattered ground.
Even so...
Enel still held the advantage.
His Observation Haki allowed him to predict nearly every attack before it happened.
Each time Sabo attempted to create an opening, Enel had already moved.
"Tch..." Sabo jumped backward. "So that's how it is."
He reached toward the back of his neck. Several strands of golden-brown hair slipped between his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Enel frowned.
Instead of answering...
Sabo smiled.
He blew gently across the hairs resting in his palm.
"Monkey King's Art..." The hairs scattered into the wind. "...One Becomes Many."
POOF!
White smoke erupted across the battlefield.
One figure became three.
Three became ten.
Ten became twenty.
Within moments, dozens of Sabos stood across the ruined forest.
Each carried the same iron staff.
Each wore the same confident smile.
Each radiated the same presence.
"How many are real?" Bepo blinked repeatedly.
"I... have absolutely no idea." Sugar scratched her head.
Enel's smile disappeared. His Observation Haki spread instinctively across the battlefield.
One heartbeat passed.
Then another.
Every presence felt identical.
"...Impossible." His brows slowly furrowed.
The first clone attacked.
Enel destroyed it with a bolt of lightning.
It vanished into a cloud of white smoke.
Two more appeared behind him.
Then five.
Then ten.
The battlefield erupted into motion.
Monkey King clones rushed forward from every direction, forcing Enel to move without pause. Lightning flashed across Upper Yard as clone after clone disappeared beneath devastating attacks, yet every one destroyed bought another precious moment for the original.
Arthur watched without speaking.
"He isn't trying to overwhelm Enel." Robin understood immediately.
"He's buying time." Arthur nodded.
While the battlefield descended into chaos...
The real Sabo remained perfectly still among his own duplicates.
His eyes stayed closed.
He listened.
Not with his ears.
With his Haki.
Every clash.
Every movement.
Every pulse of murderous intent.
For the first time since the battle began...
He stopped chasing Enel's speed.
Instead...
He began sensing where Enel wanted to appear.
Arthur's faint smile returned.
"There it is." Sabo slowly opened his eyes.
The world around him felt different.
The countless movements filling the battlefield no longer appeared random.
They connected.
Each intention naturally flowed into the next.
"So that's what Captain meant..." He could almost see Enel's decisions before they became actions.
Enel burst through another group of clones before immediately launching himself toward what he believed to be the final opponent.
"There you are!"
Lightning erupted around his staff.
He thrust it forward with overwhelming force.
Sabo moved first.
Not because he was faster.
Because he already knew where the attack would come from.
The golden staff swept harmlessly past his shoulder.
Enel's eyes widened.
"What—"
A metal pipe coated in Armament Haki slammed into his abdomen.
BOOM!
The impact folded Enel's body forward.
Before he could recover, Sabo drove his metal pipe upward, sending the former God crashing into the air.
His remaining clones vanished simultaneously.
Every strand of gathered electricity surged into Sabo's body.
Blue-white sparks burst violently across his arms and legs.
His muscles tightened.
His heartbeat accelerated.
His entire body seemed to become a single flash of light.
"In that case..." Sabo lowered his stance. "...this ends here."
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Then he disappeared.
Only a streak of blue lightning remained behind.
Enel had barely regained his balance in midair when Sabo appeared directly before him.
There was no anger in his eyes.
Only absolute focus.
His fist drew back.
Armament Haki wrapped around his hand as brilliant sparks gathered across his forearm.
"Spark Breaker."
The punch landed squarely against Enel's chest.
CRACK!
The sound echoed across Upper Yard.
The impact sent shockwaves through the surrounding forest before hurling Enel across the battlefield like a falling meteor.
His body smashed through layers of stone before finally coming to rest beneath the shattered roots of the Giant Jack.
Silence followed.
No thunder.
No lightning.
Only the gentle wind drifting through the broken trees.
Enel remained motionless.
The golden staff rolled from his hand before coming to a stop beside him.
Several long moments passed before Law finally spoke.
"...It's over."
Sabo exhaled deeply, lowering his fist as the sparks surrounding his body gradually faded. His breathing had become noticeably heavier, and fresh bruises covered his arms, yet a quiet satisfaction settled across his face.
This victory had not come through overwhelming strength.
He had earned it.
The surrounding air at that moment grew still.
Arthur stepped toward Enel's body before calmly taking an ordinary fruit from his storage ring.
Even Robin instinctively straightened. She knew that look. Arthur was about to reveal another secret that only his own crew had ever witnessed.
"This is...?" Koala asked quietly.
"A vessel," Arthur answered.
He walked toward Enel's body and knelt beside it. Resting the fruit upon the ground, he gently placed two fingers against its surface.
The surrounding air suddenly became unnaturally still.
Robin gently closed her book. She had witnessed this scene before.
"So your real target was his Devil Fruit from the start, Captain." Law folded his arms.
Arthur nodded once.
A faint silver light spread from his fingertips before countless delicate patterns resembling flowing brushstrokes wrapped around the ordinary fruit.
"[Heavenly Art]." His calm voice echoed through the silent forest.
The invisible current surrounding Enel's body abruptly shifted.
Tiny sparks of pale yellow lightning began escaping from the lifeless body, drifting upward like countless fireflies. Instead of scattering into the sky, they gathered before Arthur, drawn together by an unseen force.
The air crackled softly.
One by one, the sparks flowed into the waiting fruit.
The transformation happened slowly.
Swirling patterns emerged across its skin.
Its shape subtly twisted.
Its color deepened.
Until finally...
The ordinary fruit had completely changed.
The Goro Goro no Mi had been reborn.
Arthur picked it up and examined it for a brief moment before tossing it toward Law.
"...You're trusting me with this?" Law caught it instinctively.
"It's yours," Arthur replied.
Law stared at the legendary Logia resting in his hand.
One of the strongest Devil Fruits in existence.
Yet after only a moment, he gently stored it inside his bag.
"I'll keep it until the time is right."
Arthur gave a satisfied nod.
No further explanation was necessary.
Around them, the rest of the crew watched without surprise.
This was not the first time they had witnessed Arthur forcing a Devil Fruit to reincarnate before nature could reclaim it.
Even so...
The sight never became ordinary.
"No matter how many times I see it..." Robin smiled faintly. "...it still feels like watching history rewritten."
"I know Captain can do it..." Baby-5 nodded in agreement. "...but it's still hard to believe and understand how it works."
"I stopped trying to understand it a long time ago." Koala laughed softly.
"I still get goosebumps every time." Bepo scratched the back of his head.
"There are still many things in this world that people believe are impossible."
Arthur merely slipped both hands into his pockets. He turned toward the distant sound carried by the wind.
Far across Upper Yard...
Faint laughter drifted through the trees.
The celebration had already begun.
Arthur smiled.
"Come."
"Let's not keep today's heroes waiting."
The ART Pirates quietly left the battlefield behind, disappearing into the forest while the evening breeze carried away the last traces of lightning.
Behind them, the ruined battlefield slowly disappeared beneath the quiet evening breeze.
Not long afterward...
The solemn silence of the battlefield gradually gave way to music, laughter, and dancing.
The people of Skypiea and the Shandians had finally begun celebrating the end of a war that had lasted four hundred years.
...
Arthur had no intention of disturbing the celebration.
From the moment they entered the heart of Upper Yard, he had ordered every member of the ART Pirates to leave their flags aboard the Athena. Weapons remained sheathed, Haki suppressed, and even their overwhelming presence was carefully concealed. They walked through the restored Shandian village as nothing more than a group of ordinary travelers joining a festival beneath the open sky.
Bonfires illuminated the clearing.
The aroma of roasted Sky Fish and freshly harvested Sky Pumpkins drifted through the air while laughter echoed beneath the branches of Giant Jack. Shandians danced around the fires alongside Skypieans, celebrating the end of a war that had lasted four centuries. Musicians played unfamiliar instruments carved from cloud wood, and children ran between the tables carrying baskets filled with fruit.
For the first time in generations...
Upper Yard belonged to everyone again.
"Captain, try this!" Bepo enthusiastically handed Arthur a skewer piled high with grilled cloud shrimp.
"...Not bad." Arthur accepted it without hesitation.
"I told you!" Bepo grinned proudly before immediately reaching for another one.
A few tables away, Sugar had already begun arguing with several Shandian children over who could throw cloud berries farther. Every successful throw was answered with louder cheers until Koala finally stepped in, laughing as she reminded Sugar she was competing against children.
"They started it!"
"They're eight."
"They're still losing."
Nearby, Baby-5 was happily helping several village women prepare another round of food despite repeatedly insisting she was supposed to be a guest. Hancock sat beneath a large tree sipping warm tea while politely declining every third marriage proposal offered by overly grateful Sky Islanders. Robin listened attentively to an elderly Shandian recount stories passed down through generations, occasionally asking thoughtful questions that left the old man smiling with surprise.
"...How did we become part of this party?" Law simply folded his arms against a nearby tree.
"We accepted an invitation." Arthur glanced around the lively gathering.
"I don't remember anyone inviting us."
"They offered food." Arthur smiled faintly.
"...Fair enough." Even Law couldn't argue with that logic.
Hours passed peacefully.
Not once did anyone recognize who their unexpected guests truly were.
The people of Skypiea had spent generations isolated above the clouds. Few knew what the world's greatest pirates looked like, and even fewer would expect one of the Four Emperors to quietly sit beside them eating roasted fish while listening to folk songs.
For Arthur...
It was perfect.
No titles.
No fear.
No politics.
Only people celebrating the return of their home.
As the feast grew livelier, music echoed louder across the village. More and more people gathered around the largest bonfire at the center of the celebration.
Eventually, another loud burst of laughter erupted near the largest bonfire.
Luffy stood atop a wooden barrel with both hands raised triumphantly.
"I BEAT GOD!"
The crowd exploded into cheers.
"You sure did!" Usopp shouted proudly. "I knew Luffy would win!"
"You were hiding behind a tree the whole time," Zoro replied flatly.
"I was providing tactical support!"
"You were screaming."
"I was motivating him!"
"...Somehow that idiot actually pulled it off." Sanji sighed.
"You sound surprised." Nami crossed her arms.
"I am."
Carue flapped his wings enthusiastically while Vivi laughed beside him.
Everything felt...
Peaceful.
Then—
One Shandian child suddenly froze while staring across the fire.
His eyes slowly widened.
"H-Hey..."
He tugged at the sleeve of the elder beside him.
"...Who are they?"
The elder followed the child's gaze.
Several unfamiliar faces sat comfortably among the celebration.
Black-haired women.
Green-haired woman.
Bear mink.
Boys and girls enjoying the party.
And finally...
The man sitting quietly at the center.
Dark coat.
Calm eyes.
An unmistakable presence that somehow felt invisible until this exact moment.
His expression paled.
"...Wait..."
His voice barely escaped his lips.
"...That man...is dangerous"
The elder abruptly stood.
His movement drew the attention of those around him.
More people turned.
Then more.
The cheerful conversations gradually faded as one pair of eyes after another settled upon Arthur's group.
The quiet moment lasted only a heartbeat.
Then, true to his nature, Luffy shattered the silence.
He strode straight toward Arthur.
"Huh?" He followed everyone's gaze. "...Arthur?"
"WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!" Usopp nearly dropped his drink.
"EH?!" Chopper jumped so violently he almost fell backward.
"...How long have you been sitting there?" Sanji stared blankly.
"For a while." Arthur calmly finished another bite before answering.
"A WHILE?!" Nami exclaimed.
"We've been celebrating with you for nearly two hours," Koala replied innocently.
"TWO HOURS?!"
"The food's really good." Sugar raised another roasted skewer.
"I don't even know who you are, and you've been eating our food for TWO HOURS?!" Wyper couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"...We asked politely." Bepo raised one paw apologetically.
"...You did?"
"I think so."
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Gan Fall finally burst into laughter.
Everyone turned toward him.
"So that's why the guards kept reporting unfamiliar guests." The old God wiped tears from his eyes. "None of them dared interrupt the celebration because they thought you were invited."
"We were." Arthur looked completely unconcerned.
"...By who?"
"She offered us food." Arthur pointed toward a smiling little girl carrying another basket of fruit.
"I did!" The girl nodded enthusiastically.
Silence.
Then—
The entire celebration erupted into laughter.
"...You entered our village because a child invited you?" Even Wyper covered his face before shaking his head.
"That seemed reason enough." Arthur shrugged.
"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy threw his head back laughing. "I like this guy!"
"You already said that before at Alabasta," Zoro reminded him.
"I still mean it!"
"So..." Across the fire, Vivi met Arthur's gaze. "You really kept your promise."
"I said I wouldn't interfere." Arthur looked toward her.
"And you didn't."
"The story belonged to all of you."
For a brief moment...
Only mutual understanding passed between them.
No explanation was necessary.
Then Luffy without warning marched straight toward Arthur.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
"So..." The future Pirate King stopped only a step away before flashing his familiar grin.
"So?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"You said next time..."
"...you'd show us something interesting."
"I did." Arthur chuckled softly.
Luffy folded his arms.
"Come on!"
The rest of the Straw Hats immediately gathered closer.
Even Wyper, Gan Fall, and the Shandian chiefs quietly watched with curiosity.
Arthur slowly stood.
His gaze swept across every familiar face before settling on the massive silhouette of Giant Jack rising into the heavens.
"A promise..." He slipped one hand inside his coat. "...only has value if it's kept."
Silence swallowed the celebration.
No one knew what Arthur held.
But every instinct told them...
Before this night ended...
The sky would remember.
And every person standing beneath it...
...would witness a miracle that had vanished from history long before the Great Age of Pirates began.