Entering the shrine, they headed directly to the chamber where Enel was residing.
To Rin's surprise, Enel didn't appear alarmed at their arrival. Instead, he sat comfortably on a lavish chair made of gold, casually biting into an apple and regarding them with a calm, smug expression.
"You're a little slow."
Enel took another crisp bite of the apple with a crunch, then said nonchalantly, "But the great me Enel doesn't mind. Now that you're here, you shall serve as my subordinates."
"What?"
Rin was briefly stunned.
Not only him, but Casa and Artoria too looked equally bewildered.
Rin couldn't help but chuckle and replied with mild amusement, "I think there's been a misunderstanding, Enel."
"Misunderstanding?" Enel tilted his head, his tone sharp with arrogance. "Didn't you come here to swear loyalty to me God Enel?"
"You're thinking too much." Casa crossed his arms and muttered flatly.
"So what's your purpose then?" Enel asked again, his intense gaze locked onto Rin.
Hearing that, Rin calmly replied, "Let me introduce ourselves first we're pirates from the Blue Sea below. I'm Rin Pandora, the captain. These two are my comrades, Casa and Artoria."
"And we came here with one purpose: to invite you to join us as a crewmate."
"From the Blue Sea? Pirates? And you're inviting me—the god who commands thunder to be your partner?" Enel's expression twisted with a sneer. "You're joking. I'm not someone who takes orders I give them. If anything, you should kneel before me."
He tossed aside the apple core, and sparks began crackling at his fingertips.
"I figured you wouldn't agree so easily but how about this? We settle it with a wager," Rin offered calmly.
"What kind of wager?" Enel narrowed his eyes, intrigued by the challenge.
Rin pointed straight at him and said, "If I win you join my crew, follow my lead, and become one of us. If I lose we'll acknowledge your authority and serve under you. Sound fair?"
"Good." Enel didn't even hesitate. "I am God. I cannot lose."
"Then you're in for a surprise."
Rin smirked and vanished.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Rin's body turned into a brilliant golden flash, completely vanishing from view. He reappeared behind Enel in a split second.
Though Enel's Observation Haki known as Mantra on Skypiea was activated and he sensed Rin's presence, he remained confident. No one can touch me, he thought smugly. My body becomes lightning.
But then, his expression changed.
Rin's right leg, clad in pure golden light and covered in Armament Haki, crashed into Enel's side.
BOOM!
Enel's body was flung across the chamber, smashing through the thick golden wall with a thunderous impact.
He groaned as he staggered to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, shock written across his face.
Holding his abdomen, he stared at Rin in disbelief. "How? How could you hit me?!"
"Why?"
Rin chuckled and raised a fist coated in glistening black Haki. "You're new to the powers of a Logia Devil Fruit, so you probably don't know this just because you can become lightning doesn't mean you're untouchable. This is Haki specifically, Armament Haki. It allows me to strike your real body, even if you're intangible."
It wasn't surprising that Enel didn't know about Haki. Skypieans lived in isolation and had little knowledge of the world below, especially someone like Enel who had no interest in others.
Gritting his teeth, Enel growled, "Even if you can hit me, you'll still die here you've angered me completely!"
His eyes narrowed coldly as he raised his arm. "Thunder Dragon!"
Crack-boom!
A serpentine bolt of lightning surged forth, twisting through the air with a deafening roar, transforming into a massive dragon-shaped current as it launched straight at Rin.
But Rin remained calm. "Light Speed Movement."
Zzzt whoosh!
He became a flash once more, dodging the dragon completely. A split-second later, the location he'd just vacated exploded in a blinding eruption of lightning, leaving a massive crater.
"Impressive… that's the power of the Goro Goro no Mi," Rin mused aloud.
There was no doubt Enel was a genius. With no formal training, he'd already mastered one of the most destructive Logia-type Devil Fruits and had developed it to a fearsome degree. He'd even awakened the basics of Observation Haki on his own and synchronized it with the fruit's ability.
If not for Luffy whose body is naturally immune due to the Gomu Gomu no Mi Enel wouldn't have been defeated at all.
Eiichiro Oda once stated in an SBS that Enel's bounty, had he descended to the Blue Sea, would have been no less than 500 million berries. That alone speaks volumes of his might and the terrifying power of his fruit.
But fate had cast him as a stepping stone in the story.
Back to the fight
As Enel prepared to strike again, he shouted, "El Thor!" sending pillars of lightning from above.
Rin evaded again, a golden streak zipping from point to point.
Casa and Artoria had already backed away from the battle, observing from a distance.
This was Rin's fight.
As the captain, it was his duty to recruit strong crew members on his own. If they interfered now, Enel would never acknowledge Rin's strength or authority.
After dodging the attack, Rin spotted an opening.
As the last bolt of lightning crashed down, missing its mark, Rin whispered: "Ghost Slash!"
Zzzzt—boom!
His body flickered again. In an instant, he appeared behind Enel once more.
His hand drew the Raikiri, the thunder-forged sword hanging at his waist, now enveloped in ghastly ghostly energy and coated in hardened Armament Haki…
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