More than a month had passed since Wright's promotion to Admiral.
The world had finally settled after the grand event, and the new arrangements within Marine Headquarters were gradually falling into place.
Smoker and Rosinante were promoted to Vice Admirals, Hina to Commodore, and both Tashigi and Cavendish had begun their practical field training. Once this term's Elite Training Camp concluded, they would return under Wright's command.
Alongside Captain T. Bone and Major Kuina, Wright's subordinates were nothing short of formidable, rivaling even those under Admirals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, who had held their ranks for years.
As an Admiral, Wright's scope of duties differed from the three veteran Admirals.
Thanks to his ability to teleport directly back to headquarters from anywhere in the world without relying on a Lightforged Beacon, Wright had become the most strategically mobile of the four Admirals.
Thus, he embarked on a campaign, starting from Reverse Mountain and sweeping across the entire Grand Line all the way to the G-5 Branch in the New World.
Along the way, he inevitably heard about Enel's exploits.
Since his battle with Ace on Whisky Peak, Enel had been on a rampage, utterly overwhelming the new generation of pirates in this era.
A monster like him had no place in the so-called "Paradise" of the first half of the Grand Line.
This year's rookie pirates were suffering—terribly.
On the Marine side, Admiral Wright was systematically purging "Paradise." On the pirate side, the self-proclaimed "Thunder God" Enel was bulldozing through every crew he encountered.
At least two of the seven sea routes from Reverse Mountain to the Sabaody Archipelago had become pirate graveyards!
Enel's dominance in "Paradise" was absolute. The name "Thunder God" echoed across the Grand Line, and Marine Headquarters placed an unprecedented initial bounty of 100 million Berries on his head!
Enel was acting more like a pirate hunter than an actual pirate—fleeing at the sight of Marines and ruthlessly annihilating any pirate crew he encountered without a second thought.
Worse yet, he faced little to no resistance. On the rare occasions he felt bored, he would send his Four Priests to handle the job while he watched. But most of the time, opposing pirate crews were utterly helpless against the terrifying power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and were completely wiped out.
And the Marines? They couldn't catch him.
Not because they couldn't defeat him—but because they simply couldn't pin him down.
Enel's Mantra—which had covered all of Upper Yard and Angel Island back on Skypiea—still retained an astonishing range in the Blue Sea.
With his Mantra constantly active, Enel could sense Marine ships long before they detected him, allowing him to disappear instantly. At best, if he was feeling playful, he would strike them with a bolt of lightning as a greeting…
At least in "Paradise," the title "Thunder God" was nearly divine.
And so, Enel grew arrogant.
As he gained a better understanding of the Grand Line, an idea solidified in his mind: "The Marines in the first half of the Grand Line are all weaklings."
Thus, despite Wright's strict order forbidding him from attacking anyone outside of pirates, Enel started entertaining some dangerous thoughts.
Just as Wright's promotion ceremony ended and he was in the middle of cleansing one of the Grand Line's seven routes, Enel encountered an unusual Marine vessel.
Though not well-versed in Marine ships, he could tell that this one was smaller than standard battleships.
"Dodging Marines all the time is suffocating for a god…"
Enel had begun referring to himself as "this god" again. Seeing this relatively small Marine vessel, he couldn't suppress his growing urge.
"If I destroy them at lightning speed, they won't have time to call for reinforcements. No one will trace it back to me!"
"Hmm… This should work. I'll sink this ship completely to vent some frustration!"
And so, Enel struck.
And then, Enel's tragedy began.
The moment Enel transformed into lightning and landed on the deck, summoning his thunder dragon to obliterate everything in an instant—
A jet-black fist crashed into him, slamming him brutally onto the deck!
"'Thunder God' Enel?"
With a single punch, Zephyr sent Enel coughing up blood. The former Admiral frowned slightly, recalling what Wright and Sengoku had told him about certain… plans.
"You really don't know how to behave, do you? … But it seems like your luck is particularly bad."
Enel felt like his bones were about to shatter from that one punch. As he struggled to recover, he heard Zephyr's words.
Bad luck? That didn't even begin to describe it.
Back on Skypiea, he had been living comfortably as a god—until he met Wright, who beat him down, stripped him of his godhood, and cast him down to the Blue Sea.
Then, just as he planned to dominate the early Grand Line, he ran into another Logia user—Ace—resulting in an endless stalemate.
Now, after just over a month of smooth sailing, he had wanted to let off some steam—and ended up facing a Marine powerhouse who wielded Armament Haki!
With great difficulty, Enel lifted his head, only to feel even more miserable.
Damn it! His Mantra could sense people's presence and speech, but it couldn't discern their faces!
And this burly old man in front of him? He was the second-most-discussed figure after Wright at the Admiral's promotion ceremony—Wright's mentor, former Marine Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr!
One of the world's strongest warriors—why did I have to run into him?!
"Yeh… Yehehehe…"
Enel forced an awkward smile, more painful than crying. "Zephyr… Chief Instructor, this is all… cough… a misunderstanding!"
"This god—cough cough—I mean… I was just joking! That's right!"
"Yehehehe… I'll be on my way now!"
But before Enel could react, Zephyr grabbed him by the neck, hoisting him effortlessly into the air. The sheer force of Zephyr's Armament Haki made Enel feel like his spine might snap at any moment.
Ever since Wright had discovered Zephyr's developing asthma over a year ago, he had insisted on a full-body restoration treatment.
With his Holy Light, Wright completely healed Zephyr's internal injuries, chronic ailments, and old battle wounds, restoring him to his peak physical state.
For seasoned warriors like Zephyr, aging didn't diminish their peak power or explosive strength—it only reduced endurance and resilience.
They could no longer fight for days on end—but for short bursts? Their strength was just as terrifying as in their prime.
And Zephyr, in his prime, was a true Marine Admiral.
The man standing before Enel now was stronger than he had been a few years ago!
"You know my connection with Wright, and I know yours with him."
Zephyr waved off the Marine trainees, then raised an eyebrow at Enel.
"Drop those reckless thoughts and stick to the agreement. At this rate, your invitation to the Seven Warlords shouldn't be far off."
"Since you ran into me, I'll let you go and won't report this to Wright—just know that this ship has a Lightforged Beacon. Meaning…"
Zephyr flashed a wicked grin, sending shivers down Enel's spine. "If we needed to, Wright could teleport here instantly. And if he finds out what you did… you're finished. Not even I could stop him from killing you."
Enel nodded frantically, his mind flashing back to the terrifying memory of being one-shotted by Wright's sword.
"T-Thank you, Chief Instructor! I… I won't do it again!"
"See that you don't."
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