"Luffy?!"
"Tra-guy?!"
"Sanji?!"
Wisps of smoke drifted from their bodies, carrying the acrid stench of scorched flesh. The onlookers stood frozen, unable to process the scene before them.
What was this?
In less than ten seconds, three of their primary combatants had been taken down. And this wasn't even the endgame!
"As I thought... the injured Enel from back then is worlds apart from the one at full strength now!" Smoker bit down hard on his cigars, a flicker of trepidation passing through his eyes.
Back then, he and Vergo had been urgently deployed by Admiral Borsalino to the Kingdom of Bivins to counter the Chris Pirates. Vergo's opponent had been an already-wounded Enel.
Admiral Borsalino had mentioned afterward that the "Thunder God" Enel possessed strength nearly on par with an Admiral; he was only slightly lacking in physical martial arts, Haki, and combat experience.
In truth, the World Government had agents lurking in the shadows back then, prepared to assassinate the weakened Enel. However, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was too overwhelming. Enel's movement speed rivaled Borsalino's own, and the agents couldn't find a single opening to strike. Ultimately, they were forced to abandon the attempt.
"Is this all you've got?" Enel kicked at Sanji's prone form, a dismissive sneer playing on his lips.
"White Out!!!"
Smoker struck. A barrage of smoke-enhanced punches blurred through the air, trailing thick white plumes.
BOOM!
"30 Million Volts... Hino!"
Enel struck the drum on his left shoulder with his golden staff. The drum erupted in a blinding radiance, and lightning surged forth, shaping itself into a massive, snarling beast of electricity that charged forward.
CRASH!
The swarm of smoke-fists dispersed the lightning beast, but the resulting electrical discharge swallowed Smoker whole. A piercing light filled the room, forcing many to shield their eyes.
"Everyone, get back! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit has a massive area of effect!" Smoker's voice suddenly rang out.
WHOOSH—
A moment later, the thick white smoke expanded, surging into the air to reform Smoker's upper torso.
"You aren't the only Logia user here!"
With a roar of fury, Smoker dove toward Enel, gripping his Seastone jitte.
CLANG—!
The jitte collided with the golden staff. The impact of two immense forces sent a shockwave through the air, whipping up a gale-force wind.
Enel looked at the weapon and frowned. "That nauseating sensation... Seastone, I take it?"
Smoker didn't bother answering. His smoky lower half snaked around behind Enel, solidifying into legs to deliver a powerful kick to Enel's back.
Zzzt—Zzzt—!
Arcing electricity jumped across Enel's skin. He vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving Smoker's kick to strike empty air.
Almost simultaneously, a bolt of lightning manifested behind Smoker, rapidly forming into an arm gripping a golden staff. It swung with blinding speed toward Smoker's head.
WHAM!
Smoker couldn't react in time. The staff, now coated in Armament Haki, slammed into his skull.
The sheer force turned Smoker's mind blank. He was sent careening sideways, crashing into a wall dozens of meters away. Stone shattered and dust billowed as he punched a hole through the structure, leaving only his legs dangling out from the debris.
"Vice Admiral Smoker!"
"Smoker-san!"
Tashigi and the G-5 Marines cried out in horror as they saw their leader literally beaten into a wall.
"Yahahaha! Perish beneath the power of a God!"
Enel threw his head back and laughed arrogantly. He raised his left hand high, and a brilliant halo of lightning gathered above his palm.
THUD... THUD... THUD...
Right then, a series of heavy, rhythmic vibrations shook the floor. Everyone turned to see a colossal shadow, nearly twenty meters tall, emerging from the corridor.
As the figure stepped out of the darkness, the crowd gasped. It was a giant.
The giant had close-cropped grey hair, wore brown leather armor, and carried a massive metal greatsword. A skull-emblazoned metal belt sat at his waist, and he strode forward on bare feet.
"Hey guys! Look who I brought!"
Usopp was perched on the giant's shoulder, waving frantically at the Straw Hat crew.
"Usopp!"
The crew shouted in relief; they had feared he was lost.
"Sloan?!" Caesar's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "He actually released the Giant Sloan!"
This giant was Sloan, a warrior from the Kingdom of Elbaf. In their quest to research giants and uncover the secrets of their longevity, Aeridar and Enel had covertly abducted two giants from Elbaf. Sloan was one of them; the other was being held on Alvis Island.
Technically, it was Law who had released Sloan. However, Sloan had been frozen for most of his captivity, and his body hadn't fully recovered when Law thawed him out, leaving him unable to join the initial fight.
Later, while Usopp was retreating from Building B, he had taken a wrong turn while dodging falling debris and stumbled upon Sloan. The two had teamed up to find the others.
"Damn it! That giant must be killed!" Jason barked, pacing irritably.
If word got back to the giant kingdom of the New World that the Chris Pirates were capturing giants for human experimentation, it would ignite a global firestorm. While the Chris Pirates didn't fear them, drawing the enmity of Elbaf was a headache they didn't need.
"It's you... Enel!"
Sloan's eyes fixed on Enel, and his fury ignited like a wildfire.
He had been captured by this very man two years ago and treated as a lab specimen ever since. To a warrior of Elbaf, there was no greater humiliation!
"It's that monster from Water 7!" Usopp shrieked. Having finally recognized Enel from his perch on Sloan's shoulder, he nearly died of fright.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Sloan roared, raising his massive metal greatsword and charging forward. He swung the blade down at Enel with a force that tore through the air.
"Nooo! Stop! That guy is a monster!" Usopp wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face as Sloan attacked.
"Idiot. You actually think that will work on me again?" Enel sneered, showing nothing but contempt for the Elbaf warrior.
CRASH—!
The greatsword slammed into the reinforced floor, gouging a massive crater and sending a shockwave of dust and debris rippling outward.
Zzzt—Zzzt—!
Within the settling dust, a brilliant blue light flared, accompanied by the screeching of ten thousand birds.
"20 Million Volts... Discharge!!!"
In an instant, a blinding surge of high-voltage electricity crawled up the metal sword. In a fraction of a second, the current traveled through the blade and surged directly into Sloan's massive body.
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