One Piece: Chopping Ace Back to Foosha Village at the Start

What was Wayne most afraid of?

Was it losing to Enel?

Absolutely not.

What truly worried Wayne was that Enel would stay on high alert and never allow him to get close. That he'd simply keep his distance and bombard him with thunderous attacks from afar.

After all, Enel had developed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to the point that anyone within the reach of his Heart Network could be struck at will. That meant Wayne would be facing an endless barrage of "Divine Judgment."

Even if Wayne could use Armament Haki to shield himself from lightning, there was still one problem: lightning travels at the speed of light.

At this rate, Enel might just be the second fastest being on the planet. And the first? Well, that guy was probably still slacking off somewhere at Navy Headquarters.

If Wayne couldn't catch up to him, then he had no way of claiming the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"This is starting to get messy," Wayne muttered, frowning as he locked eyes with Enel floating in the distance. His frustration was beginning to mount. The fruit was practically within reach he couldn't let it slip away now.

He had to try again.

Wayne swung his sword, unleashing a volley of flying slashes imbued with Armament Haki. Enel's pupils shrank he recognized the technique. Instantly, he activated his advanced Observation Haki, his body flickering in and out of lightning form to evade the strikes.

"Damn it, he's evolved mid-fight!" Wayne cursed.

Just a brief clash told Wayne everything: Enel had grown stronger since faking his own death. Especially in his use of Observation Haki.

In the past, Enel's Heart Network could only read minds and sense presence. Now, it had evolved into full precognition, allowing him to sense incoming attacks and elementally shift before they even hit.

This was the same level of Observation Haki used by the Navy Admirals, and the very ability that made Charlotte Katakuri a Paramecia user fight like a Logia-type.

Armament Haki might counter Logia powers, but only if you can land the hit.

And right now, Wayne was trapped in that exact dilemma.

"This guy's a real headache," he growled, ducking under a blast of electricity. Even then, his legs went numb. The entire temple was saturated with a low-level electrical current.

Well—"low-level" was relative.

Wayne estimated the ambient voltage in the air was easily in the thousands. A normal person would be fried just by walking in. Even with Wayne's enhanced body, prolonged exposure was starting to dull his nerves. His movements were slowing.

Across from him, Enel seemed completely relaxed. Discharging lightning constantly, he watched Wayne's struggles with satisfaction. The arrogance of a god had returned to his expression.

"Ha ha ha ha! Foolish mortal! Live forever in fear of your god!" he sneered.

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

A massive dragon-shaped bolt of lightning surged toward Wayne. With his legs half-numb, there was no dodging this one.

"Guess I have no choice but to tank it."

Wayne took a deep breath. His entire body flared with Armament Haki, covering him from head to toe in a matte-black shell. He looked like he was wearing a suit of onyx armor. Two jagged lightning insignias appeared on his chest, and a red lightning bolt marked his brow.

This was Wayne's full-body Armament state a powerful but energy-intensive defense technique. Even with his constitution, it was unsustainable for long.

Boom!

The blinding blue Thunder Dragon struck squarely. The room flashed white for a moment before fading.

Wayne remained standing, panting slightly, but otherwise unscathed.

Enel's eyes nearly popped out of his head. His jaw dropped. So did his snot.

"Wha... what the hell?!"

"You insolent mortal! Again and again, you mock the authority of a god!"

Furious, Enel roared, "I'll erase you from existence with this next strike!"

"200 Million Volts: Thunder God!"

Wayne's eyes narrowed as a colossal energy phantom formed behind Enel. It was terrifying in size and power. He didn't know if his Haki defenses could endure a direct hit from this one.

"Damn it, am I really gonna fall here of all places?"

He hadn't expected fighting Enel would be this much trouble. With a loud stomp, Wayne launched himself forward, leaving a crater in the ground as he rocketed toward Enel at top speed.

"What, you think I'm gonna let you finish casting that? Do I look like an idiot?!"

Before Enel could unleash his final attack, Wayne activated one of his trump cards. A crimson flash flickered in his eyes, followed by a burst of overwhelming pressure rippling outward.

Conqueror's Haki.

The wave of Haki was aimed straight at Enel.

Clang!

Enel's body stiffened. He froze in midair then dropped like a stone.

The Conqueror's Haki had paralyzed him for just an instant.

"A perfect opening!"

"A perfect opening!"

Huh?

Two voices rang out at once. One came from Wayne.

The other came from—

A tall, lean figure burst out from the nearby foliage. Shirtless, covered in tribal tattoos, the young man moved like a blur.

Wiper the Berserker the mightiest warrior of the Shandia tribe.

The Shandians were the original inhabitants of Upper Yard, displaced from their ancestral land by Enel and his priests.

Wiper was one of their fiercest fighters, and judging by the way he charged in, it looked like he'd been lying in wait to assassinate Enel.

"Reject Dial!"

With a cry, Wiper drove a strange device into Enel's chest. It was a Reject Dial a legendary impact weapon from Sky Island, capable of delivering ten times the force of a regular Impact Dial.

But its recoil was just as deadly.

Bang! Boom!

The explosion was deafening. Wiper was sent flying by the backlash, smashing into a wall and collapsing into unconsciousness.

Wayne glanced briefly at the surprise ally, then turned his gaze back to Enel.

Enel was still conscious but barely. He was staggering, unable to stand properly. That blast had hit him before he could transform, and he hadn't managed to dodge it.

He coughed violently, blood splattering the wall as he gripped it for support.

He was gravely wounded.

Wayne grinned.

"Not bad, kid. That was one hell of a clutch assist."

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