Jacob stood firm on the floor of God's Shrine, his blue flames flickering around him like an aura of dominance. Behind him, Kuina, Carina, and Desire kept to the side as he had ordered, their expressions tense.
Enel tilted his head, his smugness unwavering. "How peculiar… I expected screams of pain, yet you stand there, unharmed."
Jacob flexed his fingers, his flames intensifying. "Yeah, fire and lightning don't mix as you want them to."
Enel's golden staff clinked against the floor as he rested it on his shoulder. "Yahaha, Interesting… but pointless."
Without warning, a massive lightning bolt crashed from the sky, striking Jacob dead center.
BOOM!
The entire platform shook from the force, sending shockwaves through the air. Smoke billowed around Jacob's figure.
Carina tensed. "Jacob!"
But as the smoke cleared, Jacob remained utterly unscathed. His body, composed of blue fire, absorbed the heat effortlessly.
Enel's grin twitched.
Jacob smirked. "That all you got?"
For the first time in centuries, Enel experienced confusion and fear.
His eyes narrowed as he vanished in a burst of electricity.
Jacob's instincts screamed.
"Behind—"
CRACK!
Enel appeared right behind Jacob, his golden staff crashing into his side. Jacob barely dodged, twisting his body midair as he countered with a blast of blue flames.
But Enel was gone.
Another strike—this time from the left!
CRACK!
Jacob barely avoided it, his flames surging as he counterattacked, but Enel vanished again.
Jacob gritted his teeth. "Observation Haki… damn it."
Enel chuckled, reappearing atop his massive golden throne. "You realize it, don't you? You can't hit me."
Jacob clicked his tongue.
Enel was too fast. Even though fire and lightning didn't hurt each other, the problem wasn't power—it was speed.
Jacob's eyes flicked around, tracking every flash of electricity. He could barely react in time, his flames countering nothing but air.
The battle dragged on.
With each dodge, Jacob's mind worked faster.
Every strike.
Every teleport.
Every flash of lightning.
It was like watching puzzle pieces shift into place.
Then—
Jacob froze.
Something clicked.
His vision flickered. For just a moment—a brief instant—he saw a glimpse of the future.
Enel reappeared behind him, staff raised.
It happened precisely as Jacob had seen it.
Three seconds.
Jacob's lips curled into a grin. "Oh… Surprise, Motherfucker."
***
Yamato stretched her arms as she stood on the sacrificial altar, her purple and white nio-dasuki swaying in the wind. Around her, ferocious sky sharks circled, their jaws snapping as they leaped up from the sea cloud below.
Instead of fear, Yamato grinned.
"Oh! You guys wanna play?" She leaped forward, stomping on one of the sharks' heads, sending it crashing back into the clouds. Another lunged, but she grabbed it midair and flipped it over her shoulder.
The other sharks hesitated.
"Aww, don't stop now!" Yamato laughed, hands on her hips. "I was just getting started!"
Then—
A sudden shift in the air.
Her Observation Haki flared.
Without turning around, she twisted her body, her kanabo swinging in a deadly arc.
CLANG!
A spear—coated in burning flames—clashed against her weapon. The attacker, a winged man in an orange fur-lined jacket, hovered midair, his giant bird mount flapping its wings.
"You're quite the brute," the man sneered. "But you have trespassed upon God's domain."
Yamato tilted her head. "Oh?"
The man smirked confidently. "I am Shura, one of God Enel's priests. If you kneel now, I might spare—"
Yamato swung her kanabo.
WHAM!
Shura barely managed to block, but the sheer force sent him flying. He tumbled through the air, crashing through a floating ruin before catching himself.
His grip on his spear tightened. "You… idiot! Do you have any idea who—"
Yamato was already there.
CRASH!
A devastating strike from her kanabo dented his jousting lance and sent him downward.
His giant bird screeched, flapping wildly as it tried to follow, but it was too late.
Shura plunged straight through the clouds—into the endless abyss below.
Yamato pouted, resting her kanabo on her shoulder. "Oh, come on! That's it?"
She looked down at the cloudy void beneath her. "Geez… I hope he can fly."
After a moment, she shrugged. "Well, whatever! Let's find another strong guy!"
She hopped off the altar, stomping on a shark's head to launch herself forward.
The hunt for fun continued.
***
Lightning and blue flames clashed at blinding speeds, sending shockwaves through God's Shrine. The golden floor sizzled where Enel's lightning bolts missed their target. Meanwhile, Jacob's azure flames scorched everything in their wake, melting even gold.
Kuina gritted her teeth, her grip firm on Wado Ichimonji. She could barely follow the battle, her sharp eyes only catching glimpses of flashes of fire and lightning colliding. But her instincts told her—Jacob wasn't invincible.
Carina held her Sea Stone Jitte, her usually confident expression tense. Unlike Jacob, she wasn't a Logia user—if Enel turned his attention toward them, she'd be in danger.
Meanwhile, Desire…
She was shaking.
Her hands clenched her arms, her knees felt weak. She had thought she was strong—a pirate captain of her small East Blue crew. But this… this battle was on another level.
Jacob and Enel's speed had long surpassed what she could comprehend.
She was helpless.
Jacob's eyes burned red as he read the future three seconds ahead. Enel's Mantra (Observation Haki) was powerful, but Jacob was adapting.
For the first time, Enel's calm faltered.
"Tch!" Enel clicked his tongue.
He had never met someone who could keep up with his speed, let alone someone immune to his lightning. He was God! He was supposed to be untouchable!
Yet, Jacob was already there every time he teleported with lightning, waiting.
And the worst part?
Enel felt something he hadn't in years.
Fear.
The battle moved, racing through the sky, their elemental energies clashing like two gods fighting for dominance.
But Jacob's power didn't waver.
His blue flames roared, engulfing the sky and forcing Enel to retreat further and further.
And then—
A golden glint.
Jacob's gaze sharpened.
Ark Maxim.
Enel's floating ship, his ultimate creation, hovered just ahead.
A mad grin appeared on Jacob's face.
***
Nami grinned in satisfaction, arms on her hip as she hovered atop her newly crafted massive cloud. It wasn't just a random construct but a perfect fusion of her cloud manipulation abilities and the unique properties of Skypiea's clouds.
For the first time since arriving in Skypiea, she felt like she was getting the hang of things.
"Hah! Who's the genius now?" Nami boasted, flipping her hair back dramatically.
Kaya clapped her hands, genuinely impressed. "That's amazing, Nami!"
Porche, meanwhile, was rolling around in the sand, playing with a strange, fox-like creature named Suu. The little animal had been sniffing around curiously before deciding that Porche's hair was the perfect playground.
"Kya! Stop that, Suu! It tickles!" Porche giggled, hugging the fluffy creature.
But Conis and Pagaya…
They were pale.
Shaking.
Sweat dripped down their foreheads as they stared at Nami, their expressions mixed with fear and disbelief.
Conis's hands trembled her voice barely a whisper.
"T-That power…"
Pagaya swallowed hard.
"The only one capable of summoning thunder in Skypiea… was God Enel."
Kaya's eyebrows furrowed.
"Enel? What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head.
Conis and Pagaya glanced at each other, uncertain if they should speak.
Before they could answer—
A shadow loomed over them.
From the sky, a figure descended.
An old man in bulky, dented metal armor rode down on a ridiculous creature.
A pink, polka-dotted horse-bird hybrid flapped its wings.
It wasn't majestic.
It wasn't imposing.
It was absurd.
"…What in the world?" Nami blinked.
Porsche burst into laughter.
Even Kaya, who was usually polite, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
The old man cleared his throat, looking dignified despite his ridiculous mount.
"I am the valiant knight of the sky… the former god… the protector of Skypiea… GAN FALL!!"
A beat of silence.
Then—
Porsche laughed even harder.
Even Suu, the fox-like creature, let out a strange chirping giggle.