The golden, translucent barrier appeared instantly.
The next second—
The massive lightning pillar engulfed Karl and Hancock entirely.
The surrounding forest was devoured by thunder, the ground blasted apart.
Yet Enel's expression slowly changed.
Because through his Mantra—his Observation Haki—
He could clearly sense that the two intruders were completely unharmed.
Alive.
Active.
Not even weakened.
"How…?"
The lightning faded.
Karl stood there smiling at him.
"God?"
"That's it?"
Crack.
Enel's fist tightened.
His lips twitched violently.
"Thirty Million Volts — Thunder Beast!"
He struck the drum behind his shoulder.
Lightning surged outward and formed into a massive wolf-shaped thunder beast that lunged toward Karl with terrifying momentum.
Karl calmly raised Raven.
Only when the lightning wolf was nearly upon him did he swing upward in a diagonal slash.
The Thunder Beast split apart instantly.
Destroyed.
Karl lowered his center of gravity.
His left leg burst forward.
And he vanished.
At first, Enel had been surprised that Karl could disperse his lightning construct.
But when he saw Karl attempting to attack him with a blade—
He laughed.
"Mortals will always be mortals."
He was lightning itself.
A Logia.
Untouchable.
Through Mantra, he even predicted Karl's trajectory—
A slash aimed straight at his chest.
He didn't move.
Go ahead.
Cut me.
If I get hurt, I lose.
He had absolutely no concept of Armament Haki.
And then—
The blade touched him.
His pupils shrank violently.
The wild grin vanished.
An indescribable tearing pain exploded across his chest.
"Aaaagh—!"
He screamed.
And collapsed.
A massive gash stretched from shoulder to pelvis, blood pouring out in torrents.
Hancock blinked.
"Is he… stupid?"
Enel lay trembling.
"How… can a mortal… touch a god…"
His consciousness faded rapidly.
Only one thought remained.
Run.
Escape.
If he survived—
He could rebuild.
This man… was a god-slayer.
If he had known earlier…
He would never have allowed this to happen.
His body began dissolving into lightning.
But—
Karl stepped forward.
Placed his foot firmly on Enel's head.
"Running?"
"Too late."
Enel's consciousness went dark.
Karl scratched his head.
"I held back…"
And nearly killed him anyway.
He had no intention of killing Enel.
The Goro Goro no Mi was far too valuable.
So Karl condensed Holy Light.
"Purification."
White radiance flowed over the wound.
The massive gash visibly closed.
In three minutes, the injury was completely healed.
Enel remained unconscious.
To prevent escape—
Karl placed a pair of stylish Seastone cuffs on him.
Now they only needed to wait.
"Darling," Hancock said thoughtfully, "is he mentally unwell?"
"He kept calling himself a god."
"And didn't he know about Armament Haki?"
Karl carefully wiped the blood from Raven's blade. The weapon had a slight obsession with cleanliness.
"Isn't it possible," he said calmly, "that he truly doesn't know Armament Haki exists?"
"So he believed I couldn't hurt him."
Hancock looked genuinely stunned.
Karl then casually conjured a bucket of water and dumped it over Enel.
"Splash."
Enel jolted awake.
He tried to raise his hand—
But his body felt powerless.
His strength was gone.
"What have you done to me?!" he demanded.
Karl looked down at him.
"First of all—stop calling yourself a god."
"You ate a Logia Devil Fruit. That's it."
"If you were truly a god, would you look this pathetic?"
Enel gritted his teeth.
He tried summoning lightning.
Nothing.
No response.
"Oh, right," Karl continued casually. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Karl. This is my lover, Hancock. We're from the Blue Sea."
Enel's expression shifted.
"The Blue Sea? The mortal realm?"
Karl almost laughed.
"You've never even been there, have you?"
"So what?"
"In the Blue Sea, people like you are everywhere."
"They're called Devil Fruit users."
"Your power is just… more specialized."
Enel frowned.
"Then how did you injure me?"
Karl raised his hand.
Armament Haki coated his palm in deep black.
"This is Haki."
He explained briefly.
Observation.
Armament.
Conqueror's.
He even outlined the fundamentals.
Why?
Because Enel had potential.
Tremendous potential.
A Logia on par with the Admirals.
With proper training—
He could become another Admiral-tier powerhouse.
And if Karl one day became Fleet Admiral…
Having his own "lightning monkey" under him wouldn't be bad.
If Enel refused—
Karl wouldn't force him.
People had choices.
When Karl finished, Enel's gaze turned thoughtful.
So his Mantra…
Was simply Observation Haki.
And his lightning—
Was merely a Devil Fruit ability.
And there were many more like him.
"You told me all this…"
"Are you inviting me to join… what was it… the Marines?"
Karl grinned.
"I am."
"Interested?"
Enel gave a cold laugh.
"Become a Marine? No."
"My only interest… is becoming a true god."
"And frankly…"
"Piracy sounds more suitable for me."
"Freedom."
"No restraints."
Karl's smile faded.
"Be careful."
"You're standing in front of a Marine."
Enel sneered.
"If I refuse, will you let me go?"
Karl was silent for a moment.
Then he crouched.
Gripped Enel's throat.
Locked eyes with him.
"I can let you go."
"But you must agree to one condition."
Enel narrowed his eyes.
"What condition?"
Karl's voice was calm.
"God-slaying."
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