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

Watching his crewmates brimming with excitement, Wayne couldn't help feeling a little worked up himself.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

It was the cornerstone of his grand plan. With it, no place in the world would be out of his reach.

As for Enel? Sure, the self-proclaimed god was powerful but without Armament Haki, he would always be fatally vulnerable. Wayne was confident he could take him down and seize the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Wayne's eyes turned sharp. He unleashed a sweeping wave of Observation Haki, casting it over the entirety of Sky Island, carefully scanning every corner with razor focus.

"Found him."

He turned toward the direction of Upper Yard, the so-called "Island of the Gods," and led his crew forward.

This was exactly why Wayne had paid the entry toll earlier he needed the element of surprise. Had they snuck in illegally, Enel might've sensed them through his Heart Network. But now, with no alarm raised, Wayne had a chance to strike first and hard.

Soon, they arrived near the temple on Upper Yard. As expected, the self-proclaimed god was likely inside.

Wayne was ready to storm in and take Enel's head.

But before they could reach the temple, four eccentrically dressed men appeared with a group of guards in tow, blocking their path.

Enel's Four Heavenly Priests.

Wayne exchanged a glance with Robin and the others. He didn't have time to waste on these henchmen. They needed to be dealt with before Enel noticed the intrusion.

Wayne dashed past them and headed straight for the temple.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw a shirtless man with absurdly long earlobes lounging on a throne, lazily munching on an apple.

No doubt about it this was Enel.

"Who are you?" Enel demanded, his eyes narrowing. "How dare you trespass upon the domain of a god! Where are my priests?"

Enel's fury boiled over as he activated his Mantra his version of Observation Haki instantly forming the "Heart Network" that spanned all of Sky Island.

In mere seconds, he grasped the situation.

"A foreign invader? Such blasphemy against God! Very well. Let divine judgment befall you!"

Electricity crackled around his wrists, growing in intensity until a bolt of lightning surged toward Wayne.

Wayne leapt aside just in time, narrowly dodging the strike. The floor where he'd just stood was now scorched black.

His expression tightened.

Enel wasn't going to be easy to deal with.

Wayne began to mentally break down Enel's abilities. First, there was the Heart Network his formidable version of Observation Haki, enhanced by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Unlike normal Haki, it allowed him to detect not just physical movement, but thoughts.

Then there was his speed, practically teleportation, and his terrifying destructive power, not to mention his pseudo-regenerative electrotherapy, which bordered on resurrection.

"This is gonna be a pain..."

Wayne wasn't like Luffy in the original timeline. He didn't have the natural immunity of the Gum-Gum Fruit to counter Enel. But Wayne didn't need that. His own attack power was more than enough to kill Enel.

The real question was whether he'd get the chance to land a clean hit.

"So I've only got one shot..."

Wayne knew what had to be done. He had to deal a critical blow before Enel realized that Wayne's Armament Haki could actually harm him.

He dashed forward, closing the distance in a burst of speed.

"One-Sword Style Heaven's Thread!"

His blade shimmered as it cut toward Enel.

"I told you," Enel sneered, "mortals cannot harm a god."

The attack left no mark. Not a scratch. Instead, Wayne was hit with residual electric currents, his muscles seizing slightly from the shock.

But Wayne only smiled.

Enel had taken the bait.

From that point on, they clashed for dozens of rounds. Wayne's sword never quite connected, phasing through Enel's elemental body without effect. But Enel's lightning strikes were constantly evaded by Wayne's refined Observation Haki.

From the outside, it looked like Wayne was on the defensive.

And that's exactly what Enel thought too.

Amused by the mortal's resistance, he decided to play with his prey.

Time to end this...

Wayne dodged a "30 Million Volt Thunderbird" and silently counted the rhythm in his head.

Then, without warning, his entire body surged with Armament Haki. It flowed down his arms and onto his blade, turning his sword Jet Black in an instant. He drew a deep breath and suddenly appeared above Enel, poised in midair.

"Flying Heaven Sword Style Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"

Nine devastating slashes, each imbued with hardened Haki, launched from his sword in all directions, sealing off every path of escape.

"What is this—!?"

Enel panicked. The mortal's speed had skyrocketed, and this technique was unlike anything he had seen.

He tried to flee.

But he couldn't.

The nine Haki-infused slashes struck true.

The decorative backpiece Enel wore was shredded. Deep gashes split across his body nine in total. The longest stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood exploded from his wounds, splattering across the room, dyeing Enel crimson.

Wayne's Observation Haki confirmed it: his heart had stopped.

"He should be dead now," Wayne muttered, breathing heavily.

Even with his own defensive Haki, Wayne had taken minor internal injuries from the constant contact with Enel's subtle electric field. His limbs were sore, and his muscles twitched involuntarily.

That final attack, Nine-Headed Dragon Flash, was a technique he had developed after his battle with Aokiji. It allowed him to pour all of his Armament Haki into a single strike, dealing overwhelming, unavoidable damage perfect for fighting Logia users.

He stood still for a few seconds, then pulled out his Devil Fruit Extractor, ready to claim the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump-thump...

A faint heartbeat.

Wayne's eyes narrowed. He turned sharply.

Enel's body rose.

Slowly, with effort, the blood-soaked "god" flipped himself up into the air, hovering again.

His face twisted with shock and rage.

"You... you accursed mortal... how did you manage to wound a god?!"

"ARGHHHH! The pain—! Damn you! I'll reduce you to ashes with the wrath of heaven!"

Wayne stared at the trembling figure hovering in the air.

He sighed.

"So... the worst-case scenario still happened."