Enel turned into lightning and flashed to a far distance. Bringing his hands together, he pulled them apart. A line of jumping lightning formed in a perfect arc.
It then expanded into a vertical circular lightning net suspended in the air. One after another, lightning dragons glowing blue charged toward Shanks.
The pirate stepped forward and a white sonic boom ring burst beneath his feet as he rushed toward Enel.
"It's useless."
A spinning sword aura carved a path ahead and shattered the charging lightning dragons one by one.
Crackle!
Enel suddenly appeared above Shanks.
His weapon had changed to a golden trident. From above, he thrust downward at the pirate.
Gryphon braced backward. At the same time, Shanks twisted his body and flipped, kicking upward.
Bang!
Their calves collided.
Enel felt a jolt of alarm. 'This man's Haki…'
Pain shot through his leg. Shanks' Haki was clearly far stronger than his.
Through the force of the clash, Enel once again turned into lightning and blasted backward, reappearing far away. He became lightning again and rushed straight at Shanks.
Using the diving speed of lightning, he reformed his body at the instant he reached striking range.
Sometimes it was a blade. Sometimes a fist or a kick. All attacks were wrapped in Haki.
For a moment, Shanks seemed surrounded by thunder, assaulted from every direction. Sonic booms exploded across the sky as white smoke billowed.
Yet it still had no effect. The fight stalled.
Crackle!
Enel reappeared in the sky and raised both arms. Countless bolts of lightning gathered above his head.
They condensed into a lightning sphere over a hundred meters wide and were hurled at Shanks.
The sphere shot out as a blur. Just as it was about to spread out, then regroup right in front of him, a blade of light pierced through it.
Enel shifted his body, moving aside by a single inch.
The lightning-fast slash cut across the lightning-formed neck and sliced the skin, making a wound open on Enel's throat.
Splurt!
Beneath that streak of light, another hidden slash followed. It stabbed straight into his chest, but condensed Armament Haki blocked it in time and dispersed it.
Two slashes.
One aimed at the neck, one at the heart. If he had not dodged, death would have been certain.
Blood slowly flowed from the wound on his neck as Enel's expression remained calm.
"So fast."
His heart, however, sank slightly.
Almost the instant the blade light appeared, the slash had already arrived. Still, the flaw of this kind of attack was obvious. Its power was not strong enough.
If it had been a normal slash, even if he managed to dodge part of it, half of Enel's neck would likely have been cut off by now. That was not even mentioning the strike aimed at his heart.
Seeing that the attack had been narrowly avoided, Shanks also restrained his presence.
The two sides stared at each other for a moment.
Then Shanks slowly withdrew his blade, adjusted his posture, and let himself fall freely toward the sea below.
Enel flashed away. In a crackle of lightning, he instantly reappeared on the warship.
There was no point in continuing the fight.
Neither side could truly deal with the other. Enel's Devil Fruit abilities and major techniques had failed to break through, while Shanks' instant slashes had also been narrowly evaded.
Dragging it out would only waste time. It would not lead to greater damage.
This was also the result of Sakazuki adjusting combat power based on each Emperor.
Each of the Four Emperors had their own traits, so force allocation had to be precise.
For example, previously when Kaido had ambushed Enel with lightning created through his ability. Even though Enel was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, a distance of ten thousand meters meant nothing to lightning.
Even if Enel reacted the instant Kaido launched the attack, it had already arrived.
Once he was pinned down, that ten-thousand-meter diving strike left him seriously injured in an instant.
Kaido and Big Mom could both control lightning, which made them unfavorable opponents.
That was why the most suitable match for Enel was Shanks.
Enel might currently be weaker than Shanks, but it was very difficult for Shanks to finish him off. His speed was too fast, and his magnetic field perception directly countered Observation Haki Killing.
If Kuzan or Borsalino were sent instead, their chances of victory would be even more slim. Just the issue of Observation Haki suppression alone made it impossible.
The same applied in reverse.
If Enel or Borsalino were sent to deal with Knox's side, they would not be able to protect the soldiers.
Lightning and light were not solid substances. They could not block the surging steam.
Destroying the steam spears was easy, but the soldiers behind them could not be protected. The casualties would be severe.
* * *
On the sea, aboard the Red Force.
Tap. Tap.
Shanks landed lightly and raised a hand to stop his crew from speaking.
"You can release my companions now, Grand Admiral of the Marines."
Bullet let out a feral grin and released his arms. Yasopp and Hongo retreated from him at the fastest speed they had ever moved.
Bullet slowly stood up from Shanks' seat and said, "As expected of someone called an Emperor. You really do have something special."
Shanks smiled faintly. "You flatter me. But the Marines' large-scale advance has put me in a difficult position. I have to give my men an explanation, don't I?"
Bullet chuckled. "What explanation do you need? Let the subordinates settle it themselves. If you want to blame someone, blame your pirates for being useless. Prepare yourselves to face the Marines fleet."
He cast a sideways glance at the furious Lucky Roux.
"Also, keep your idiots in check. Don't interfere in the lower-level fights; you don't have the right to flip the table. Not killing you just means the time isn't right. Taking it slow is more fun."
Shanks' expression darkened slightly. Such provocation would anger anyone.
Boom!
The sea around the Red Force erupted.
Red Conqueror's Haki collided with a blue demonic phantom. Lightning exploded and thundered across the sky…
* * *
On the warship.
Enel looked at the returning Bullet.
"Settled?"
Bullet smiled as he replied, "It wasn't a negotiation. It was a notice. High-level fighters stay out of the lower-level battles. Anyone can flip the table, but they'll suffer more if they do."
There were faint white marks on his body, clearly left by attacks, though none had broken through his defense.
The most serious injury was a sword wound that had pierced the skin and exposed some flesh.
* * *
On the Red Force.
Shanks wore a grave expression as he looked at Yasopp and Hongo being bandaged.
That beating could not be avoided after all. With Bullet pushing his speed to the limit, the Red Hair Pirates simply could not stop him. Attacks landing on him were also difficult to break through his defense.
Even Shanks' heaviest slashes could be endured by Bullet, allowing him to act without restraint.
Shanks took a deep breath and turned his gaze toward the direction of the Red Line.
Thinking of the information Bullet had revealed, his expression sank. If it was true, then it was no ordinary trouble.
"A warning, huh… Sakazuki…"
**
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