"Whew! Kagasi, I'm back. The people on this island live pretty simple lives, but today I ran into a man who has been to Skypiea."
Liya climbed aboard the family's merchant ship, carrying large bundles of rarely sold Skypiean goods.
"No problem. What's his name? And where are the photos?"
Kagasi swiftly took the luggage from his wife. Nearly two years of life in the merchant fleet had left his strong body with several new scars—each a mark of danger survived.
"His name is Roger. Here are their photos. His wife, Rouge, is a very gentle woman."
"Roger?!"
Finally found him! A sharp glint flashed through Kagasi's eyes as he immediately ordered the ship to set sail, putting as much distance as possible between them and Baterilla Island.
...
Somewhere Else—New World
"Young Master, where exactly is this 'Raijin Island' you agreed to meet Charlotte at? And why is it called that?"
Enel pressed his swollen, bruised left eye, hoping to distract Doflamingo from the beating he'd just received.
"Raijin Island is one of the islands along the Fish-Man Island route. As for why it's called that, you'll understand soon enough.
Now, focus!"
With that, Doflamingo clenched his Haki-coated fist and flashed forward at high speed.
...
As they neared the island, Doflamingo made the wise decision to lower the Numancia Flamingo onto the sea's surface.
The surrounding waters were rough and turbulent, with fierce gales roaring through the air—an apocalyptic scene.
Yet, not a single drop of rain fell.
"Young Master, is this naturally occurring? It looks like someone else is already here!"
Enel's swollen eye flickered with astonishment as he gazed at the island, where bolts of lightning continuously struck the desolate terrain. While he himself had no fear—being the wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—he couldn't comprehend how anyone else could survive in such a place.
"It could be a natural phenomenon... or the work of a previous Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, whose awakened power permanently altered the weather."
Given how bizarre the islands of the Grand Line were—especially in the New World—Doflamingo had no way of knowing the exact reason for Raijin Island's existence. But he didn't need to know.
As long as he could exploit it, that was enough.
His gaze darkened as he fixed his sights on the island, his voice icy cold.
"Go, Enel. This island was always meant to be yours."
"Hah! Young Master, I will claim this island for you!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning and disappeared from the ship.
...
As he drew closer, Enel felt an unfamiliar longing rising from deep within him.
The moment he set foot on the island—
Zzzzzzt! Zzzzzzt!
The lightning strikes intensified, as if celebrating his arrival.
"Hahahahaha! Such immense POWER! This electricity surpasses the reserves in my body by at least ten times—no, even more! Young Master, I am invincible now!!"
Countless arcs of lightning coiled around Enel, slithering like serpents drawn to their master.
Merging seamlessly with the surging electricity, Enel shot toward the island's inhabitants at its center.
...
Raijin Island—Central Region
A towering observatory pierced the sky, doubling as a lightning rod to protect the surrounding homes and citizens from Raijin Island's relentless storms.
Yet, at that moment, bolts of lightning began to strike the outer buildings.
The residents huddled beneath the observatory, gazing calmly at the turbulent sky. They were used to the heavens throwing tantrums a few times a year. But this time, the storm was out of sync with its usual pattern.
Atop the observatory stood a man in a tailored suit, his gold-rimmed glasses lending him a noble air more than that of a scientist—Dr. Tesla.
Having just been pulled from his laboratory, he peered up at the sky with a hint of confusion.
"Something's off. Why is the lightning's activity spiking? This isn't the rainy season... Are new pirates throwing explosives into the storm clouds again?"
"Doctor, have you found the cause?" the village chief asked.
"It's unusual. Have the villagers arm themselves. Any pirates stranded in this weather will be desperate enough to attack the village."
"Understood, Doctor. I'll handle it."
The village chief grabbed a gun crackling with residual electricity and strode away.
Moments later, the pirates arrived on cue.
Boom!
Jenomie deflected a laser bullet with his Haki-coated fist, shaking his hand afterward as the residual heat nearly cooked his fingers.
Glancing up at his special lightning-resistant umbrella—already full of holes—he cursed inwardly. Damn it. If the ship's protective coating hadn't been damaged when they surfaced from Fish-Man Island, they wouldn't have been forced to land in this hellhole.
Now, with most of their crew wiped out, only a few remained.
Taking a deep breath, Jenomie turned to his subordinate.
"Zelov, beast form—charge!!"
"Boss, the umbrella's too small! It doesn't even cover me! Awooo!!"
Standing at a towering four meters, Zelov clutched a tiny, ordinary umbrella—comically undersized for his massive frame.
"Shut up and take the secret medicine! Charge ahead! We'll cover you! Abor, Sigo, the village has no lightning! If we don't break through, we're all dead!"
Jenomie's bloodshot eyes burned with desperation as he and his two comrades leaped toward Zelov.
Stuffing three pills into his mouth, Zelov dropped to all fours. In an instant, his form expanded—a massive fifteen-meter-tall rhinoceros materialized where he once stood.
"Interesting!"
A deafening voice rolled through the skies, drowning out the thunder, the gunfire, and even the screams.
As the thunder abruptly ceased, an eerie silence fell.
Zelov barely had time to rejoice over the sudden lack of lightning before he looked up—
And his eyes filled with terror.
"Boss! What the hell is THAT?!"
The island's original inhabitants also turned their heads skyward.
Amidst the clouds, a colossal face formed from gathered lightning, staring down at them.
Like a god gazing at insects.
Jaws dropped. Eyes widened in stunned disbelief.
For the first time in his life, Enel felt truly complete.
His body's electrical capacity had always been finite—at most, he could store 100 million volts.
But now...
It was as if the entire island's lightning had become a part of him.
A limitless wellspring of power.
Emerging from the storm, Enel hovered above the ground, his voice cold and commanding.
"Submit or perish."
"So, it's just a Devil Fruit user?! You're just a Logia-type brat! Die!!"
The secret medicine had pushed Zelov into a fearless frenzy. His three-meter-long, blade-sharp rhino horn glowed black with Haki as he charged.
"Zelov, NO!!!"
Jenomie cursed himself. Damn it, they shouldn't have given Zelov all the pills! Attacking a lightning Logia on his own turf—was he an idiot?!
Zelov's fate didn't matter. But he needed to survive!
"Gungnir."
The sky split open.
The colossal face of lightning cracked, revealing a bottomless chasm of raw power.
And then—
A single, blinding spear of light descended.
BOOM!!!
Light and heat obliterated everything in its path.
Screams vanished. Shadows flickered before the world turned white.
When the light finally dimmed—
The earth itself had been reshaped. A vast crater remained, its surface crystallized by the intense heat.
The air shimmered, still radiating searing energy.
And of Zelov, there was no trace left at all.
-----------
+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg