Infinite Anime [188-190] (Patreon)

Chapter 188: Is Enel Just Boasting?

Just as Gusion was feeling curious, he heard another notification from the Endspace.

[Detected: The Pioneer has awakened Conqueror's Haki. Reward will be automatically converted into an upgrade for this skill.]

Immediately, Gusion felt a wave of dizziness and disorientation, as if something was forcibly being crammed into his soul.

After a brief moment of discomfort, Gusion stepped out from the ruined building, his eyes shining with delight.

He checked his Conqueror's Haki skill. The panel had changed significantly.

[Conqueror's Haki]

Skill Level: 6/40

Skill Effect: At the current level, the Pioneer can use Conqueror's Haki to intimidate targets, friend or foe. Any target whose Spirit stat is 30 points lower than the Explorer's will faint instantly; those 40 points lower may even be scared to death.

Targets whose Spirit stat is not higher than the Explorer's will suffer a significant intimidation effect, entering a confused state for 1-3 seconds and taking 30% more damage during that time.

Targets with Spirit only up to 5 points higher than the Explorer's will hesitate briefly after being intimidated.

At the current skill level, targets with Spirit more than 5 points higher than the Explorer are unaffected.

Skill Branch - Advance Conqueror: The Pioneer can consume a certain amount of soul energy, imbuing Conqueror's Haki into their attack, dealing an extra 150% magic damage, which can critically hit and is affected by other crit modifiers.

Skill Review: Unleash your kingly potential.

[]

With his Conqueror's Haki jumping up five levels, its once-mediocre control effects had become quite practical. Plus, the higher level allowed Gusion to use the Advance Conqueror skill.

He'd studied with Kaido for a long time—not for nothing. Even though he hadn't awakened this Haki back then, he'd already grasped the principles of Advance Conqueror, so getting the new skill now didn't surprise him.

Gusion's hand reached for the demon-sealing sword at his waist; he couldn't wait to try out his new powers. His offensive multiplier was now impressively high.

"Mr. Gusion?" Snow Wind called out, snapping Gusion out of his daydream.

"Coming," Gusion replied, quickly stepping forward to help the others carry the boat. This was the trouble with the Summit of High West route.

Not every path had the White Sea to sail on. When you hit a dead end, you had to carry the boat over. Without the strength, the Ballon Terminal would be your endpoint—just come up, take a look at Sky Island, and head back.

In the original story, it was rumored the Red Hair Pirates had a route to Sky Island, allowing fast travel between the New World and Grand Line, but Gusion didn't know that route.

In Endspace, Explorers watched anime together and left comments. Some theorized Red Hair used a giant vine connecting the islands, originating from Elbaf, the land of giants.

Gusion wasn't sure about that theory—he hadn't seen any giant vines on Sky Island, only White Sea, so they had to honestly sail and find their own way.

According to Gan Fall, the old god of Skypiea, nine out of ten people die on the Summit of High West route. But Gusion's group hadn't encountered much danger on their ascent.

They figured the real danger was lurking beneath the White Sea above. On the way to Sky Island Birka, there were likely threats hidden under the surface.

"Sister Snow Wind, shouldn't we explore a bit before leaving? It'd be a waste to miss out on exploration points," whispered Snow Cake. Sky Island was a special map with lots of hidden lore not even mentioned in the original. Solving puzzles here would net tons of exploration points.

"We'll explore, but not here. Let's move on first," Snow Wind replied, her beautiful eyes glancing at Gusion. "Don't you think he's in a hurry?"

"Oh, then let's go. I don't want him testing his sword on me," Snow Cake said earnestly. He was convinced Gusion was a dangerous powerhouse, and from the start Gusion had looked eager to try out his new abilities.

"Wow, Page One, look! There are huge fish in the clouds! They must taste amazing!" Ulti and Page One, excited by the new route, had never seen anything like Sky Island. If not for Gusion stopping them, the two Devil Fruit users would've jumped in to swim.

Gusion, sitting at the bow, checked his remaining time. He was indeed in a bit of a rush—not just to fight, but because he had only about a week left. He'd asked Snow Wind, and her team had completed a hidden quest for a month extension, just like him.

Whether he could reach Sky Island Birka in time was uncertain. He didn't have Red Hair's ability to cross the seas in a day; only Red Hair knew the secret routes.

There were fast travel methods on Sky Island, but the White Sea was vast and hard to navigate.

So all he could do was hurry the boat along.

"Brother Gusion, you're exploiting child labor!" Ulti complained. She and her brother hadn't even had fun on the boat before Gusion had them pedaling below deck, powering the Wano-made pedal-boat.

When the wind on the White Sea wasn't enough, this was their only means of travel.

"Nonsense! In Wano, I'm famous for being against child labor. We even made strict rules after the factory reforms," Gusion said with a smile. "Didn't you say you wanted to get stronger? This is training."

"Training?" Ulti paused. "You can get stronger by pedaling?"

Gusion handed her a lollipop. "Without basic fitness, how will you get stronger? I train every day too."

With the lollipop in her mouth, Ulti stopped complaining and started pedaling hard. As for Page One, Gusion left him to his sister—she'd naturally put him to work.

Honestly, Gusion could pedal himself, but it was boring. He'd rather leave it to the others and meditate up on deck.

He considered waiting for King to catch up, but couldn't be sure if it'd be King or Aramaki first. Safer to just move ahead—if neither could catch up, that was good news.

This Sky Island map was the best fit for their current strength; there weren't any unbeatable enemies for Gusion, unless the Pioneer on the other side played dirty.

…

For several days, they sailed through three sky islands, even passing a small one famous for meteorology, just as in the original. The science there was advanced.

Gusion stayed a while, trading rare materials for research data, and bought a high-tech motorboat. In an instant, they upgraded from manpower to advanced tech, so the siblings no longer had to pedal.

With this tech, their speed soared. At last, on the sixth day, they reached Sky Island Birka.

"What a huge sky island! There are so many people—it's just like the surface!" Ulti exclaimed, amazed.

Gusion and the other explorers were seeing legendary Birka for the first time. They knew it was a large, inhabited sky island, but hadn't expected this scale.

According to Enel in the original, Birka was his hometown before he destroyed it.

By his estimate, there were about six years left until Enel destroyed it.

On the bright side, Enel might not be as strong as he was when the story began; on the downside, after becoming God and being a shut-in, maybe Enel's power had even declined.

Regardless, Enel with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was not an easy opponent.

People are still biological creatures—electric shocks cause convulsions and paralysis, and high voltage means instant death.

Enel didn't even need to attack; just standing there, he could shock anyone who challenged him—totally unfair.

Gusion believed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was among the strongest Logia fruits, though Enel hadn't fully developed it.

Compared to destructive power, even the Magma Fruit was lacking. Magma was about 1,400°C, but natural lightning could reach over 100 million volts and 30,000°C, several times the surface temperature of the sun.

And in terms of speed and mobility, lightning was far superior to magma.

So why did Enel lose to Luffy?

Gusion saw two possibilities, assuming this world followed real physics:

The world revolves around Luffy, the protagonist, with plot armor so strong that even deus ex machina ensures Enel's defeat.

Enel… was just boasting.

Yes, maybe Enel had no idea how many volts he could actually produce and was just making up numbers.

That was very likely. Besides, it's common for powerful characters to name their moves with exaggerated terms—just like Kaido and Big Mom's "Conquest of the Sea" doesn't actually split the sea, and Gusion's "Mountain Collapse" can't literally bring down mountains.

So Enel probably just thought shouting out "random high volts" sounded cool—a move name, nothing more.

If he really had a billion volts, even Kaido couldn't hold up. After all, Kaido's fate after a magma bath was unknown, let alone facing a billion volts and thousands of degrees of heat...

As for Haki, Gusion had run some experiments: Ryou could insulate against electricity to a point, but not against super-high voltage.

So if Gusion wanted to hunt Enel, he'd need to proceed with caution and first figure out Enel's true limits.

Right now, though, his main target wasn't Enel, but the Pioneer from the Divine Space.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was strong, but not essential. However, one of the nine unique Origin Seeds was a must-have.

Chapter 189: Lightning Strike

In front of the temple, a man in an orange jacket approached, looking at the sacred spring with some annoyance, but still dutifully reported, "Another group entered the country today."

He was Shura, one of Enel's priests. The title was self-appointed; Enel wasn't well-liked in Birka, and only those who shared his ideals followed him and called themselves priests.

Technically, they were like gods and mortals, but in reality, Shura and the others just saw Enel as a powerful companion, not some sacred figure.

That's why Shura was so hostile to Body Killer, who had only been there for a short time but already enjoyed Enel's favor—eating, sleeping, and living with Enel, taking the priests' place.

Shura suspected Body Killer had ulterior motives, but after being scolded by Enel for jealousy, he no longer dared mention it.

Body Killer had asked him to monitor newcomers to Birka every day for the past two weeks. Though annoyed, he still reported regularly.

Enel had agreed, since Body Killer said he had many enemies from the Blue Sea and might be hunted.

Enel was happy to solve Body Killer's problems, but Body Killer declined, preferring to wait and watch.

Those arriving at Birka had behaved well, spending money and not causing trouble, like tourists—which made Shura doubt Body Killer's claims. If these were his enemies, they seemed pretty friendly, raising doubts that Body Killer was up to no good.

But seeing Enel trust Body Killer and spend every day with him, Shura couldn't say anything.

"Another group, eh? How many?" Body Killer asked with a smile, ready to set his trap.

His own time was almost up; if he didn't act today, he might not get another chance.

Currently, Birka had attracted various Explorers, mostly from the Divine Space, with a few strong ones from Endspace.

Among them was the infamous Endspace curse-user, Black Lily.

Body Killer had held back, not leaving or letting Enel go out. All to wait for the main event—Gusion.

After days of waiting, he'd been disappointed not to see Gusion, but today a final group arrived, catching his attention.

"Six people, two are kids," Shura reported, clearly unhappy.

"Oh? Describe them," Body Killer asked.

After hearing the description, Body Killer's smile couldn't be hidden. "Good work. Don't worry, Enel always trusts you the most."

Now he was sure Gusion was in that group.

He'd gotten info from within the government, though he'd never seen Gusion's face before the bounty poster came out—he'd planned things out and headed straight for Sky Island.

Body Killer couldn't guarantee everything—maybe the newcomers were Explorers, or maybe Yonko Pirates or Marine Admirals.

If Marines showed up, he'd reveal himself as a Navy Captain and get their help. If Yonko came, he'd run—especially if Gusion brought Kaido, he'd jump off Sky Island without a second thought.

Luckily, fate was on his side: only Explorers had gathered, no top-tier powerhouses.

Enel was strong, but currently an ally. Body Killer could have Enel help deal with Gusion, as long as he landed the killing blow.

Origin Seeds belonged to whoever claimed them. If you killed the owner, they transferred to you.

Having experienced the power of the Chaos Origin Seed, Body Killer was determined not to miss any chance to collect more. If he could get all nine, he'd be the strongest in the space.

Gusion, what is your Origin Origin Seed's ability?

…

Meanwhile, Gusion and his group had just arrived at an ancient building on Birka.

"So the rumors were right: the people of Sky Island might really be from the moon, also founders of the Ancient Kingdom," Snow Wind said, reading and analyzing the ancient text on the wall.

"Oh? So the rumour Lunarian really existed?" Gusion asked, interested. The island wasn't big, so finding his target wouldn't be hard; he was curious how his enemy would act.

Time was running out for everyone—Gusion doubted his opponent could keep hiding.

He sensed Sky Island was about to erupt into chaos. With so many Explorers' time running out, a battle for the loot was inevitable.

For now, their focus wasn't sightseeing but gathering exploration points.

Gusion found Snow Wind to be quite clever—she'd analyzed and deciphered ruins on every island, earning world exploration points for the whole team.

As a bystander, he also gained points—nothing to lose.

"I think so. I've studied murals back home too—the moon people migrated down in three groups," Snow Wind nodded. "Shandia's people have small wings, but Birka's are larger—different genes."

"It makes a difference?" Gusion asked, surprised. He'd thought everyone looked the same in the manga.

"Of course. Shandia's wings are small and straight; Birka's are larger and curved, more bird-like, making flight easier. Shandia's are almost decorative," Snow Wind explained. "As for the Lunarians, I suspect they were the highest caste on the moon—almost godlike, since they could create energy."

"Fire?" Gusion looked at the mural, which resembled the "Enel's Moon Adventure" manga, showing three kinds of figures.

Snow Wind nodded. "Yes, they controlled fire—could generate heat, then electricity, so the moon's mechanical lifeforms worshipped them as gods. They were the highest of the three lunar races."

"Then why did they go extinct?" Gusion wondered. Other than King, only the Seraphim clones remained.

"Who knows? Based on the history, those moon migrants likely founded the Ancient Kingdom on the Red Line. Moon people weren't all united—those with big wings came to Birka, small wings to Shandia, Lunarians to the Ancient Kingdom," Snow Wind analyzed. As a leader, she needed both brains and brawn.

Gusion paused. "Wait, Shandia also had the Shandians, right? Weren't they originally Blue Sea people brought up by the Knock-Up Stream? But they also have wings."

Snow Wind glanced at Gusion, making him uncomfortable.

"The Shandians were also moon people—just those who moved to the Blue Sea. They're the same race as Shandia's people; a thousand years ago, all one family," Snow Wind explained. "So all their fighting is pretty tragic—they never realized their genetic kinship."

Nearby, Ulti yawned. "Brother Gusion, Sister Snow Wind, have you really traveled to so many places?"

Snow Wind and Gusion were a bit embarrassed—they couldn't admit it came from the manga. Gusion pinched Ulti's cheek. "Did you forget I was a traveler? I've been almost everywhere in this world—though Birka is new to me."

"So, you've been to all the same places?" Ulti asked through puffed cheeks.

Gusion paused, realizing he and Snow Wind spoke so smoothly because they both knew the lore. He looked at Ulti and thought, "Aren't you supposed to be too dense for this in One Piece?"

He stuffed a candied apple into her mouth and had Page One drag her away.

"How did the Ancient Kingdom lose? Didn't they control the Ancient Weapons?" Snow Cake wondered aloud.

"Who knows. Maybe Joy Boy was just a tragic hero," the party's priestess joked.

Gusion was about to echo her, but suddenly turned alert, looking deeper into the city.

A bolt of lightning struck, its dazzling flash visible even from a kilometer away.

The thick column of lightning made Gusion's expression grave. Was Enel really just boasting?

"Adventure time's over. I suggest you all hide and wait to go home," Gusion said, grabbing his sword and heading toward the chaos.

Apparently, an Explorer had tried to grab a Deadman's Chest—but on Birka, it wasn't their turn to fight each other yet.

Because absolute power, godlike and above all, was delivering divine punishment by thunder.

…

On a rooftop, Enel retracted his finger and yawned, asking Body Killer, "So, was that him?"

Body Killer smiled. "Doesn't look like it. Too weak—died in one hit, so can't be my enemy."

Chapter 190: Heaven and Calamity

The lightning strike was like the curtain rising on a grand drama, its thunder the drumbeat of war.

With that thunder, all of Birka plunged into chaos and panic.

"Enel! Was that your doing!? You killed my customer!" a middle-aged man shouted from under his awning, looking at the charred corpse in horror.

With only tens of thousands of residents, everyone knew Enel—who, despite his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers, was not respected, just seen as a troublemaker dreaming of Fairy Vearth.

Like a child watched by neighbors, even if he gained world-ending power, to them he was still just a kid.

"Huh?" Enel, sitting atop a building, veins bulging, snapped, "Old man, do you want to die!?"

"You've gone too far, Enel! It was one thing when you just messed around, but now you've killed in public—I'll tell the elders. They'll judge you!" others shouted, furious.

To them, these outsiders had entered legally, spent money, behaved—and were welcome. For Enel to strike down a customer was intolerable.

"Idiots. These Blue Sea people are pirates—criminals from below. Did you really think they'd behave forever? I'm just protecting everyone in advance!" Enel sneered. "Go tell those old geezers if you want. If they interfere, I'll kill them too."

Enel's priests shuddered—things were getting out of hand. The elders still ran things, and most Sky Islanders respected them. If conflict broke out, the island could be destroyed.

The priests agreed with Enel's logic but didn't want Birka destroyed—it was their home. Even young and rebellious, they weren't heartless enough to wipe it out.

Enel too wasn't completely unrestrained—he obeyed some order, having grown up here.

But even self-control has limits. With more and more people berating him, Enel snapped. "Noisy insects!"

Thunder crashed down, blasting the street.

The Explorers, previously just watching, ran in terror. Still, one unlucky third-tier Explorer couldn't dodge in time and was struck.

In an instant, he was charred and twitching on the ground.

If Enel had been serious, he'd have been instantly killed. That's the terror of lightning.

Not every One Piece local could use Haki. Without Armament Haki, a lightning strike was like being hit by a high-voltage current—instant heart failure.

This wasn't manga logic—here, lightning could kill.

The fallen Explorer didn't even get up before another bolt struck.

Enel wasn't targeting him—just cleansing the street in a rage, intending to kill everyone.

After a few more hits, the unlucky Explorer's life was extinguished, leaving a corpse.

"Lord Enel!" Shura called out, trying to intervene. "But this is—"

"Shut up!" Enel snapped. "Just a bunch of lowlifes daring to question a god's authority—shouldn't I deliver divine punishment!?"

Shura, seeing Enel's rage, dared not speak further.

Thunder rained down like the end of days. Screams and cries filled the air, the stench of burnt flesh and a sickening sweetness lingering.

Watching this hellish scene, Body Killer grinned fanatically. "Yes, this is the power!"

Enel wasn't surprised, thinking his friend was admiring his divine might. He felt no discomfort at the people's suffering—only a sense of liberation.

He'd suffered enough disdain; now, killing freely felt amazing.

If he'd known it'd feel this good, he'd never have held back. Just kill all the lowlifes.

With Body Killer's help, he'd made great progress on the Ark Maxim—he could leave Birka and continue his work elsewhere.

"God, save us! Enel, you're a demon!" a man cried, holding his daughter's charred corpse.

They'd grown up together—how could Enel kill so mercilessly?

"You'll be punished by heaven!" someone cursed, crawling in blood after being half-crushed by debris.

"Punished by heaven?" Enel laughed twistedly, feeling utterly godlike, high above all.

"I am God. I am the heavens! Who can punish the heavens?"

He spread his arms, thunder swirling, striking everywhere—not just one street, but the whole island.

Just then, his Observation Haki sensed mortal danger—a mist-piercing arrow shot through the thunder net, aimed at Enel atop the building, like a mythic arrow fired at the sun.

At hypersonic speed, a kilometer meant nothing. The arrow was imbued with dark red Ryou, a harbinger from hell.

BOOM—

The building exploded under the arrow's force, smoke billowing skyward.

Only after the tower fell did the sonic boom echo down the street.

At the far end stood a muscular man in black, drawing another arrow, his Haki suffusing it like water.

Everyone was stunned—when the thunder stopped, all eyes were on the archer.

"You think you're the heavens?" Gusion's cold voice called into the smoke. "Then I am Calamity."

He'd planned to wait for the Divine Space Pioneer to show before acting.

But he hadn't expected Enel to start a massacre. Clearly, the Divine Space Pioneer was lower than he'd hoped—probably watching from above while Gusion couldn't bear the scene.

He was forced into the open first, but it didn't matter—whoever came at him, he'd take them on.

"Calamity?" came an angry voice from the smoke, thunder clearing it away.

Enel floated in midair, bleeding from his shoulder—his Observation Haki hadn't saved him, caught off guard while smug.

He'd managed to dodge partially, but the arrow still grazed him, causing serious injury.

He glared at Gusion. "Body Killer, is it him?"

Body Killer crawled from the rubble, dusting himself off, a bit surprised. "Yes, that's my enemy."

Enel's face darkened. "Body Killer, I can't keep our agreement. This guy dared make a god bleed—I'll kill him myself."

Body Killer frowned but nodded. "He's yours."

Gusion's strength had exceeded expectations. Kaido hadn't come, but Gusion had improved rapidly, even learning Ryou.

If the arrow had been aimed at him, Body Killer would already be dead.

But now he was ready—Gusion wouldn't get another chance.

Gusion didn't exchange words; he loosed another arrow. With his ghostly power, the Barbarian King Bow's shots roared like dragons, flames swirling toward Enel.

Enel took it seriously now, moving with lightning speed, his Logia form dodging the attack.

He'd learned: his powers couldn't block these Haki arrows—he had to dodge or be killed.

As Enel and Gusion clashed, Enel's priests flew in.

They hadn't realized the enemy's strength, still believing in Enel's invincibility and rushing to block Gusion.

They thought they only needed to delay him for a moment for Enel to deliver a killing blow.

But to their surprise, Enel prioritized dodging Gusion's arrows.

Gusion didn't even move as the four priests charged.

Looking at the corpses on the street, he coldly said, "Get lost."

In an instant, dark red Conqueror's Haki exploded out.

The four priests hadn't even attacked before their eyes rolled back and they fell from the sky.