BOOM!!!
After Wyper's furious roar, the entire sky suddenly dimmed.
Merry stared at the sky in disbelief, thinking it was some powerful spell. With her bell-like voice, she followed up laughingly and shouted into the heavens,
"Enel!"
"You stupid bastard!!!"
BOOM!!!
Another deafening thunderclap echoed through the sky.
The corner of Wyper's mouth slowly curled upward.
His plan had worked!
After realizing the overwhelming strength of these Blue Sea people, Wyper's mind had immediately begun plotting.
He knew that Enel's Mantra was far stronger than Aisa's—by countless times!
The entire Land of God lay within its range.
Not to mention, he had just spoken such blasphemous words.
Judging by the rules Enel had set in the Land of God, it was clear he was an extremely selfish and petty man.
And sure enough!
A massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a water barrel, suddenly crashed down onto Wyper.
BOOM!!!
Bound tightly to the deck, Wyper's already dark skin was instantly scorched into charcoal.
A wisp of black smoke puffed from his mouth.
Yet the corners of his lips were still turned upward.
"Hah~"
"It worked!"
"Y-you… are you okay?"
Seeing this, Merry's eyes widened in disbelief.
So that "spell" was actually summoning lightning to strike yourself…
Merry's strength was about the same as Wyper's, and if you excluded Armament Haki, her raw physical toughness might even be inferior to his thick, rugged hide.
If that lightning had struck her, Merry definitely wouldn't be feeling good.
Yet the lightning summoned by Merry's insult hesitated, gathering in the sky as if uncertain.
Enel wasn't a complete idiot—he was simply ignorant and inexperienced.
That spiritual pressure that had frightened him earlier had made him sense the existence of a true god.
So when facing the people on that ship, Enel had actually thought things through.
But in the end—
Because of the experiences of his childhood—
The arrogance in his heart won out!
He absolutely would not allow anyone to look down on him again!!!
BOOM!!!
Another bolt of lightning descended violently, striking Merry.
Crackling like a roaming dragon, electric arcs instantly danced across Merry's body!
Wyper, who had been wondering why the lightning hadn't fallen sooner, burst into laughter.
The effect of the lightning was even better than he had imagined!
After all, as the strongest warrior of the Shandia tribe, Wyper had once nearly defeated Enel, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, through clever use of dials.
Now, lightning's power erupted on Merry's body with unmatched brilliance.
At that moment, even the sun in the sky seemed to dim.
The entire space was filled only with Merry, glowing like a lightning sphere and radiating divine thunderlight.
Because of Enel's earlier hesitation, the bolt that struck Merry carried nearly twice the voltage of the one that struck Wyper!
"Ahahahaha!!!"
Seeing his scheme succeed, Wyper laughed wildly!
"Enel!!!"
"Aren't you the god of Skypiea!?"
"Then come over here if you've got the guts!!!"
Szzzt…
The final streak of blue-white light flashed.
The lightning around Merry finally dissipated completely.
"Chirp!!!"
Wutian immediately cried out in worry.
Merry's body, now covered in scorched brown burn marks, suddenly pitched forward.
Step!
Her feet spread apart as she stomped heavily onto the deck!
After regaining her balance, she waved one hand toward Wutian behind her, black smoke puffing from her mouth.
"Wutian, go back into the cabin!"
"Chirp chirp chirp!!!"
Wutian propped his fin-like tail straight against the deck, staring at Merry with concern.
"Don't worry about me!"
"Luffy and the others will be back soon!"
Merry's determined eyes shone with an unyielding light!
Because in her perception, something really was rapidly approaching!
Crack!
A flash of lightning!
Before Merry's visual nerves could fully capture that extreme-speed figure—
A thunderbolt descended from the sky, exploding between Merry and Wyper.
Scattered lightning surged through the air.
Merry instantly moved in front of Wutian, shielding him from the oncoming violent attack.
With Wutian's physical toughness, even the slightest contact with lightning could be life-threatening!
The shockwave from the lightning stirred up a fierce gale, blowing through Merry's hair.
Her gray-black cloak rustled loudly.
Blue-white lightning continued to surge violently before her.
Wutian stared at Merry's long shadow beneath the blazing light.
Tears slowly traced down from his bean-sized black eyes.
Powerless, he could only turn around instantly, his fin-like thick tail pushing off the deck.
In just a few leaps, Wutian disappeared into the cabin.
Crack!
The lightning dispersed!
Bare-chested, with long earlobes, thunder drums mounted on his back, and a white headscarf tied around his head—the god of Skypiea, Enel, descended onto the Going Merry.
"ENEL!!!"
Seeing the figure within the lightning, Wyper stopped his childish taunts.
His furious eyes locked onto Enel.
At this moment, he had only one wish—that Luffy and the others could defeat Enel!
With that mysterious technique the Blue Sea man had used to knock him unconscious, Wyper believed their strength surpassed Enel's!
This was his instinct!
And also the most important part of his plan!
After roaring, Wyper's mind quickly regained calm. He suddenly shouted at Merry,
"Run!"
"You're not his opponent!!!"
"Hm?"
Noticing Wyper's reaction, Enel immediately turned his gaze to Merry.
"Is it you who dares to profane the existence of god?"
A solemn, thunder-like voice suddenly exploded in Merry's ears.
Status sometimes truly changes a person's mindset and behavior.
Long accustomed to standing at the top, Enel now possessed an imperial pressure that few even on the Blue Sea could rival!
This was mainly because—he truly regarded himself as a god!
Merry stepped back, spreading her legs into a fighting stance.
Her body, just injured by lightning, was still emitting faint white smoke.
Charred flesh lay exposed, with sizzling blood trickling out.
"Get off this ship!!!"
For the first time, the usually sweet-voiced Merry roared in anger.
Enel's eyes instantly sharpened.
God's authority could not be challenged!
"Foolish mortals!"
"Who gave you permission to speak to god like that!?"
"Lightning Strike!"
A thick bolt of lightning burst forth from Enel's golden staff.
The electric light twisted and coiled through the air like a living serpent!
At incredible speed, it slammed straight toward Merry!
...
Smack!
A crisp sound, mixed with static.
A palm coated in Armament Haki directly shattered that powerful lightning into countless sparkling fragments!
Merry completely ignored her hand, now once again scorched by electricity, and stared resolutely forward.
"I won't fall for the same move twice!"
Jet-black Haki slowly enveloped Merry's entire body.
Step…
Enel instinctively took half a step back, shock flashing across his face.
From this delicate little girl, he actually felt a trace of danger…