Ever since descending to the Blue Sea, Enel had been overwhelmed by the sheer novelty of it all.
Alabasta, as a major world power, was the first stop for Enel and his crew—a logical choice for their initial landing.
For a group that had never seen the ocean before, the vast desert was just as astonishing. The sight of the massive Sandora River was equally shocking.
Not to mention Alabasta's array of unique creatures.
Warusagi Birds, Giant Sandora Lizards, camels, Moving Crabs, Spot-Billed Ducks, Banana Gators—even Sandora Catfish and Kung-Fu Dugongs left Enel's group marveling at their journey.
After spending several days in Alabasta, they happened to witness the massive publicity campaign celebrating Wright's promotion to Admiral.
"So that Vice Admiral Wright really is one of the world's strongest."
Enel read the newspaper detailing Wright's achievements, recalling how effortlessly the man had beaten him before. A cold sweat ran down his back.
"That guy was already that brutal in his teens! Seems like he's mellowed out over the years… If I think about how he acted back on Skypiea—"
Enel's eye twitched, deciding to skip that thought entirely.
This wave of publicity provided Enel with a comprehensive understanding of Wright's power. As a result, he made sure not to put on any "godly" airs in Alabasta.
Joking aside, with the King of Alabasta being on such good terms with Wright, pulling any stunts here would be suicidal.
Enel had already witnessed the wonders of that mysterious teleportation device, not to mention the absurd convenience of Den Den Mushi. If he dared to cause trouble in Alabasta, Wright could appear in an instant and wipe him out.
Finally, after much nail-biting on Cobra's part, Enel and his crew left Alabasta in an orderly manner, setting their sights on the beginning of the Grand Line, determined to make a name for themselves.
And what better starting point than the infamous Whisky Peak, a town that "welcomes pirates."
Originally a secret stronghold for Baroque Works, Whisky Peak had been home to numerous bounty hunters specializing in ambushing rookie pirates for their bounties.
However, after Baroque Works collapsed, most of the bounty hunters had either fled to become pirates themselves or been taken down in the aftermath. Only a few non-criminal bounty hunters remained.
Enel hoisted the pirate flag—though he had little personal interest in being a pirate, it was a necessary step on the path to becoming a Warlord of the Sea.
A strict rule was established for the "Thunder God Pirates": "Do not attack non-pirates." Anyone who broke this rule would have to answer to an Admiral personally.
After learning exactly what an "Admiral" was, not a single Skypiean dared to test the limits.
The Thunder God Pirates' Jolly Roger featured a skull with long earlobes, crossed by twin lightning bolts, and encircled by a ring of drums—an unmistakable emblem.
"Is this Whisky Peak?"
Enel glanced at the burning town before him, tapping his golden staff.
"Someone beat us to it? And I hear two interesting 'voices'…"
"Enel-sama, it looks like all the pirates here have been wiped out. You said two voices…"
Priest Ohm tightened his grip on his Iron Whip. "Could it really be just two people?"
"That seems to be the case."
Enel strode into town. "Let's go see for ourselves… These flames… interesting!"
...
"Hey, Deuce… I might've overdone it a little."
Ace scratched his head, looking at the pile of unconscious bounty hunters—former pirates—before him. He adjusted his hat with a troubled expression.
"This fire… it's kinda hard to control once it starts."
"You just realized that?! You got way too excited the moment we ran into our first batch of Grand Line pirates! These guys aren't as tough as you think!"
Deuce sighed. "The buildings here are toast. Do you have any idea how much this is gonna cost?!"
"Well… we can just use the bounties from these pirates as compensation!"
Ace grinned sheepishly. Then a thought struck him. "Wait a second—Deuce! There's nobody here who isn't a pirate. Who exactly are we paying?!"
Deuce blinked, about to respond, when he noticed a strange-looking man approaching, golden staff in hand, flanked by a few subordinates.
His crew was even stranger, each of them bearing small wings on their backs… but none were as bizarre as the man with a ring of drums on his back.
"Ace! Someone's coming!"
Ace turned, locking eyes with Enel.
"This guy…"
Both of them felt the same sensation in that moment.
"Who are you?"
Deuce watched in confusion as Ace's expression shifted into something he rarely saw—battle readiness. Ace was usually easygoing, but now he radiated fighting intent.
"Hm, following the rules of the Blue Sea…"
Enel narrowed his eyes. "I'm Enel, Captain of the Thunder God Pirates. Did you start these fires?"
"These guys were all pirates. As a bounty hunter of some renown, I got ambushed. I didn't hold back."
Ace adjusted his hat with a smile. "And you… you're a pirate?"
"Bounty hunter…"
Enel motioned for his priests to stand down, planting his golden staff into the ground.
"What an annoying profession. That guy was a bounty hunter too…"
"These pirates were supposed to be my first step toward making a name for myself, but you beat me to it. That's a bit of a problem."
"Making a name for yourself? You don't look like a rookie pirate."
Ace raised his right hand, flames igniting in his palm. "I just got to the Grand Line, and already I've found someone interesting. Those pirates weren't even a challenge!"
"Fire? Yahaha! So you're a Logia user too? What luck!"
Enel laughed loudly, his eyes flashing. Ace's gaze sharpened—"too"?
"So you're a Logia user as well…"
Lightning crackled from Enel's hands, blue arcs dancing along his fingers.
"Too bad… you're not a pirate."
"Too bad?" Ace's grin widened as he threw a punch. "Nothing unfortunate about this!"
"A Lightning user, huh? Looks like you've never fought another Logia before. Let's test this out!"
"Yahaha! If you're making the first move, I won't hold back!"
Enel's right hand transformed into pure lightning as he swung forward—
"Judgment of God!"
"Fire Fist!"
A massive pillar of lightning clashed against a raging firestorm, the explosive collision sending flames and electricity bursting outward, threatening to engulf the entire town!
As the explosion settled, Ace and Enel stared at each other, unscathed.
Logia abilities were simply unfair.
If their elements had physical forms, there might have been a victor, but lightning and fire?
Deuce covered his face. These two monsters were completely immune to each other—how ridiculous.
"Che…"
Enel clicked his tongue. "You don't have Armament Haki either? This fight's pointless. Looks like you won't be catching me today."
Ace chuckled, adjusting his hat. "Seems that way… Well, these pirates are all yours. We couldn't take them all with us anyway. See you next time!"
"Deuce, let's go. This town's done for—let's find some food at the next stop!"
Deuce hesitated. This wasn't like Ace…
Then, as Ace turned, Deuce caught a glimpse of his right hand—and his pupils shrank.
Though hidden from view during their fight, Ace's hand bore fresh wounds it hadn't before.
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