Hey, hey, Rhett. Where did Enel and the others go? I don't see them!
Look outside.
Silence.
A dead silence, as if crushed by an immense force.
The once blue sea now had a faint reddish tint. Pieces of ships floated around. From simple sloops to well-equipped three-masted warships. All kinds of debris.
Where there was blood, there were Sea Kings. So there were also Sea King corpses floating on the water.
This blood-stained sea was the clearest boundary drawn by the "Mist Lord" Rhett.
Not just anyone was qualified to enter this feast.
The small pirate crews, opportunists, and desperate souls who had overestimated themselves and tried to sneak in or just catch a glimpse of the legend had become nutrients for this blood-red sea. They were decorations warning others.
At the edge of this silent "decorative zone," on a particularly tall golden spire, a figure sat alone.
Enel.
He sat with his back to the radiant light of the Golden City. His large gold earrings dangled. He was shirtless. One hand rested casually on his bent knee. The other hand held a half-eaten apple, which he nibbled on.
Beneath him was the blood-red sea and countless wrecks.
Behind him was the ultimate celebration and golden fantasy.
What could he do? He was the only area-type fighter left in the Blood Dawn Pirates.
Rhett: To use the word "fighter," you really had to put a lot of words in front of it.
"Tch. A bunch of noisy..." He took a bite of the apple, complaining vaguely. "Fighting over some yellow rocks and paper... So boring."
His Observation Haki had long covered the sea. The chaotic emotions of greed, fervor, fear, and a little sincere joy from inside the city were, as his Observation Haki grew stronger, very noisy when open.
In comparison, the silence outside, composed of fear and death, felt cleaner.
Light footsteps came from the shadows behind him.
Lena carried a tray with some fresh fruit and a glass of water. She walked quietly to his side and sat down. She didn't say anything. She just set the tray down. Then she hugged her knees and followed Enel's gaze to the blood-red, silent sea.
"This god doesn't like the noise of banquets. Have you finished eating?"
"I came to keep you company."
"Ah... this god doesn't need company. That... if you insist on sitting here, I don't have a problem with it."
Lena looked at him like she had discovered a new world. "Wow~"
Enel felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "What are you looking at? Is there something dirty on me?"
Lena grinned and shook her head. "You just said 'me,' didn't you?"
"Mortals are so troublesome!"
She saw the wreckage. She smelled the blood in the wind. But there was no fear in her eyes.
"I brought you something to eat." After a moment, she spoke softly. "The food in the city is too sweet. You probably wouldn't like it."
Enel glanced at the fruit on the tray. He made a noncommittal sound. He didn't refuse. He didn't take it immediately either. He just continued eating his apple, still looking into the distance.
In the distance, there were countless pirate ships. All kinds. But they didn't dare approach because Enel was there. Those without invitations weren't worthy of the banquet.
Enel was basically the Golden City's security guard.
Rhett: Old Enel, you carry too much weight. Sob.
On the distant sea, no ship dared to come closer. If you crossed that line—
"Crack"—a bolt of lightning would strike.
Enel didn't say anything. But he said everything.
They knew. That was the Mist Lord's thunder god. The divine punishment.
He was the physical representation of that blood-red boundary.
Anyone who tried to cross, whether human or Sea King, had their fate displayed in this sea.
Enel finished the last bite of his apple and casually threw the core down.
He clapped his hands. He finally picked up one of the fruits Lena had brought. He lazily leaned back against the golden spire and closed his eyes.
The celebration inside continued, the noise shaking the sky.
The blood-red sea outside remained silent, a silent warning.
And he, the Thunder God Enel, rested at the boundary between the noise and the silence.
---
The shadows at the edge of the plaza twisted. A tall, thin figure in Gothic-style clothes stepped out. He yawned and wandered toward the top of the wall.
It was Moria.
"Kishishishi... So noisy. These guys have too much energy..." He had been manipulating public opinion artificially. "Is it time for a shift change? Enel must have gotten bored a long time ago..."
He climbed up to the highest golden spire. Sure enough, Enel was sitting there with his back to him. Lena was sitting quietly beside him.
"Hey, Enel," Moria said lazily. "I'm here to take over. You go find some fun in the city. I'll rest here for a while."
Enel didn't open his eyes. "Hmph. Not needed. This area has just reached a level of quiet that this god finds acceptable. If I let your noisy shadow take over, it would only disrupt the balance."
Moria was confused. ????
Since when did he talk so pretentiously?
Then he noticed that not only was Lena sitting next to Enel, but there was also a plate of fresh fruit that clearly wasn't prepared by Enel himself.
His small eyes changed — mischievous.
He looked at Enel. He looked at Lena. Lena smiled politely at him. Moria looked at himself — he was the clown!!
In an instant, the confusion on Moria's face disappeared.
"Oh~~~" He dragged out the word, his voice full of mockery. "So that's it... 'Not needed'... 'Acceptable level of quiet'... I get it, I get it!"
He nodded emphatically, making a "I completely understand" expression. He winked at Enel.
"I was being presumptuous. I interrupted someone's 'private time' and 'quiet standards,' kishishishi... Little Perona asked me for a few zombies for the kids to practice on. I'll be going now!"