Kong Tai, who had been leisurely drinking, felt the power in this strike and slowly sat up.
This guy was indeed a genius. Such a move was never used in the original work.
Perhaps this guy was too arrogant and was defeated by Luffy before he could even use it.
The power of this strike was no less than Kuina's Azure Dragon slash just now.
Therefore, it was worth him sitting up to show respect.
"If it's just this, you still can't defeat Kuina!"
This guy's Devil Fruit ability was strong, but his physical fitness could not compare to Kuina's. This led to him being unable to sustain a long battle. Therefore, if it dragged on, defeat… was only a matter of time.
Kong Tai stared at the battlefield below, his sake gourd floating to his left. He stroked his chin with his left hand, lost in thought.
Then, from somewhere in his right hand, he produced an apple and took a bite.
Crunch—!
"Mmm! So sweet."
…
On the ground.
Kuina looked at the approaching Azure Light Thunder Giant Arrow, and a sword-like sharpness flashed in her autumn-water-like eyes.
Before the Thunder Giant Arrow even reached her, the immense pressure stirred up a whirlwind, kicking up dust all around Kuina.
Her blue hair, like waves on the sea, rustled in the wind, as if playing the final anthem for this battle.
Screech—!
The rapid, crisp sound of the sword drowned out the thunder in the sky.
The Azure Dragon reappeared and collided rapidly with the Azure Light Giant Arrow. In their struggle, the shockwave dispersed the surrounding air, kicking up dust from the ground, like a level twelve hurricane, rapidly swirling away.
As those watching from afar squinted, they couldn't discern who among the two combatants was winning or losing.
Kuina, on the ground, raised her sword above her head, blocking the Azure Light Giant Arrow. She squinted, her eyes narrowed, and she stomped forcefully on the ground. Using the earth's power to strengthen her grip, she pushed upwards with her sword.
Immediately, cracks like shattering glass spread, with light seeping through.
Cracks appeared all over the Azure Light Giant Arrow, spreading throughout its entire body. As Kuina continued to exert force, with a deafening roar, it completely shattered, scattering into starlight.
To put it simply, this Azure Light Thunder Giant Arrow was an energy light arrow condensed from lightning.
Although the energy was immense and the power astonishing, how could it compare to the solidness and resilience of a swordsman's close-range slash?
With the obstruction gone, the Azure Dragon, in its colossal dragon eyes, seemed to gain emotion. It looked up at the Thunder God in the sky and let out a silent roar. With a bang, it stomped on the ground, and with a flash of azure light, its dragon head tore through space, instantly appearing before the chest of the Thunder God in the sky.
The Thunder God's indifferent eyes held no human emotion. He stared at the Azure Dragon, as if he could see through things, seeing their very essence. He raised his right hand and swung it towards the Azure Dragon's forehead.
As he swung, the giant lightning bolt that had transformed into a bow, like a swimming azure dragon, suddenly came alive, turning into a three-pointed spear. The shaft was held in the Thunder God's massive hand as he swung downwards, and the tip of the spear was aimed directly at the Azure Dragon's forehead.
All of this seemed slow but was actually extremely fast.
Before the shockwave from the first collision had even dissipated, the second collision followed.
Clang—!
A deafening roar echoed, scattering the surrounding dust.
As the onlookers retreated, they could once again see the figures of the two combatants in the distance.
"Too, too, too, too strong!!"
Jie Bao bent over, one hand holding his hat and the other gripping a nearby stone to prevent himself from being swept away by the shockwave. He squinted at the two figures in the distance, who were like deities descending to earth, his throat bobbing as he stammered.
His companions were no better off. They stared into the distance, all pale.
"Is this the enemy they've always faced, and the enemy they almost fought in Apalado?"
"The shockwaves alone from their battle made them breathless."
Thinking of this, everyone, including the four leaders, wore expressions of lingering fear.
Compared to the predicament of the Shandians, Ah Hua and his group were faring much better.
After all, the gap in strength was still significant.
Ah Tao took a deep drag from his cigarette, his legs planted on a rock as if rooted. He stood unmoving as the shockwaves assaulted him.
"I didn't expect this guy to be so powerful!"
"Yes, truly strong."
Ah Hua nodded beside him, pushing his glasses up. A hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes behind the frames.
Looking at Enel, who had transformed into the Thunder God, he said sternly, "We are still too weak. Besides Kuina, if all of us went, we probably still couldn't defeat him. He truly is worthy of being called the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Damn strong."
A Luo clenched the hilt of his Gōgū tightly, his eyes flashing with a strong ambition to become stronger.
Among them, he craved power the most. Looking at Enel in the distance, he knew that guy was probably among the strongest they had encountered since setting sail.
He also wished to spar with such a powerful opponent, but…
His strength, while strong, was…
Very strong.
This was acknowledged by Kong Tai, Kuina, and everyone else on the ship.
But to say he was truly powerful was a bit of a stretch. Ever since he obtained Gōgū, he had indeed felt that his strength was on par with others in this world.
Perhaps it was the opponents he had encountered along the way that gave him this illusion.
But Enel today had given him… and them, a profound lesson.
No matter how strong you are, as long as you haven't truly reached the pinnacle, you must be cautious when facing anyone.
Because you never know if your opponent has also eaten some monstrous Devil Fruit.
Before seeing Enel, even after seeing him, they had actually scoffed at his strength in their hearts.
A god, merely an island lord confined to a small sky island, who hadn't seen much of the world. Even if he was a Logia-type, how strong could he be?
Their previous state was akin to Cavendish, whom they had encountered in the sea between Clock Island and Alabasta.
They actually felt that with Armament Haki, they had a psychological advantage against Logia-types, which led to their inflated egos.
For those as strong as Kuina and Kong Tai, it was understandable.
But when Enel truly fought Kuina, even though he was constantly suppressed by Kuina, they knew that if they had stepped forward, even with their full strength, they wouldn't have been able to inflict much damage on Enel.
As if sensing something, Indigo and Robin on the side glanced at Ah Hua and the other two, then shifted their gaze away. They exchanged a slight smile and said nothing, then returned their attention to the battlefield.
It seemed they now understood why Kong Tai had gone to such lengths to specifically set up this battlefield.
On one hand, it was to prevent Enel from escaping and to facilitate Kuina's fight. On the other hand, it was probably because Kong Tai had long seen the psychological issues of Ah Hua and the other two.
Sometimes, one's vision can indeed determine the upper limit of their achievements to a certain extent, but it can also cause one to become so arrogant that they lose themselves.
Therefore, for anyone, maintaining a certain degree of reverence, knowing oneself and the world, is a necessary psychological quality to become a true powerhouse.
He believed that after this incident, the companions would grow a little.
Following Kong Tai was good, there was no danger, and their strength improved quickly. But because their strength improved too quickly, they sometimes inevitably developed an inflated sense of self.
What Kong Tai could do was to let his companions experience stronger opponents, experience true battles between powerhouses, broaden their horizons, and at the same time, examine themselves, so that they could truly see themselves and become genuine powerhouses.
…
In the center of the battlefield, the clash between the two sides ended, and it entered its white-hot phase.
Despite the Thunder God's massive body, he was surprisingly agile.
He continuously brandished the lightning spear in his hand, blocking Kuina's endless sword slashes at close range.
Clang clang clang!!
The sound of blades colliding, mixed with the impact, continuously radiated outwards.
As lightning flashed incessantly, the entire sky was filled with the figures of their battle, making it seem like the end of the world. The blinding azure light, interspersed with occasional explosions and the pervasive storms, caused the entire space to tremble.
And as their battle intensified…
Eventually, black cracks, like shattered space, appeared in the sky, resembling a spiderweb.
The external wind poured inwards through the cracks with a howling sound.
This added a true doomsday wind to the already apocalyptic space.