At the temple, the God was about to eat the Devil Fruit in his hand when he suddenly heard a furious roar, causing him to turn around.
He saw Doflamingo, his face a mask of anxiety and rage, appearing not far from him, shouting to prevent him from swallowing the fruit.
"Too bad, you're too late. The outcome is already decided. Accept your defeat! Victory is destined to be mine," the God said smugly to Doflamingo, taking great pleasure in seeing Doflamingo's furious and anxious, yet helpless, expression.
Doflamingo knew the distance between them was too great. Rushing over now would certainly fail to stop the God's next move. If the God ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the consequences would be disastrous. Doflamingo was confident he could defeat a newly-powered Devil Fruit user, but with the power of lightning, if the God decided to flee, Doflamingo wouldn't be able to stop him. The speed difference was simply too great.
Of course, the God also believed victory was assured. With such a distance, how could Doflamingo possibly prevent him from eating the fruit? He was brimming with confidence and arrogance, practically begging for a beating.
Unfortunately for the God, things wouldn't go as he planned.
"Do you think you've already won?" Doflamingo said in a chilling voice.
"Then try and stop me," the God retorted, no longer wasting time. He opened his mouth, ready to devour the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Buzz...
Doflamingo unleashed his full power. A terrifying aura of Conqueror's Haki surged forth, bearing down on the God who was about to swallow the fruit. In an instant, the God felt an immense, overwhelming pressure, like a tidal wave crashing down on him. He was immobilized, his pupils dilated, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Wave after wave of pressure assaulted him. The God gritted his teeth, fighting the drowsiness in his mind, struggling to avoid being knocked unconscious by the Haki's impact.
"What... what is this?" The God's heart was filled with terror. He was like a fish on a chopping block, completely at the mercy of others.
Thump... Thump...
Doflamingo walked towards the God, step by step, his Conqueror's Haki intensifying with each stride, seemingly on the verge of evolving. Doflamingo was like a demonic god, exuding an unrestrained, domineering aura. With each step forward, the God felt himself drawing closer to death. Finally, Doflamingo stood before the God, looking directly at him with a hint of disdain.
"You..."
The God struggled to speak. Doflamingo could roughly understand his meaning, considering the immense pressure the God was under. It was already impressive that he hadn't fainted.
Doflamingo gently took the Rumble-Rumble Fruit from the God's palm, as if afraid it might run away.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo gazed at the blue fruit with its lightning-bolt spiral pattern, his heart filled with unbridled joy. The object of his desires, the thing he had longed for, was finally in his hands. The first step of his plan was a success. All his searching had not been in vain; hard work had paid off. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, his Conqueror's Haki surging even more intensely. The God beside him finally succumbed, knocked unconscious by the Haki's impact.
Doflamingo spared a dismissive glance at the fallen God. Without a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the entire Rumble-Rumble Fruit whole.
"How can it taste so bad?" Even with mental preparation, Doflamingo was disgusted by the Devil Fruit's awful taste. He covered his mouth, forcing himself to swallow, afraid he might accidentally vomit it back up. He never wanted to experience that taste again.
"Ha..."
He exhaled a turbid breath, suppressing the urge to vomit. Doflamingo couldn't wait to test his newly acquired powers.
He extended his right hand, and a cluster of silvery-white electricity crackled in his palm. The crackling sounds clearly demonstrated its power.
"Lightning Strike!"
Doflamingo casually flicked his wrist, sending the lightning bolt flying. It struck a wall, leaving it scorched black.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo was in high spirits, unable to contain his laughter.
After a while, Doflamingo calmed down and turned his attention to the contents of the box. He took out the paper from inside and was surprised by what he saw.
It turned out that the box contained the design blueprints for the Ark Maxim and the history of the Skypieans. This gave Doflamingo an idea, and he understood why Enel would have eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Originally, when the Moon People came to Skypiea to seek refuge, they never gave up on the idea of returning to the moon. However, the power of Skypiea was not enough to allow them to return. But the Skypiean ancestors were unwilling to give up. After witnessing the wonders of Devil Fruits on the Blue Sea, an idea was born. They went through great hardships and finally found the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, planning to use its power in conjunction with the Ark Maxim to return to their homeland. Thus, the blueprints for the Ark Maxim came into being.
If Doflamingo's guess was correct, the Enel from the original story had probably had enough of the Birkans' abuse and was eager to leave that wretched place for the Endless Earth. After accumulating enough power and learning about the Ark Maxim, Enel, taking advantage of the God and Priests' inattention, finally obtained the blueprints for the Ark Maxim and the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. With this power, Enel wouldn't let those who had bullied him get away. Therefore, he destroyed Birka, avenging himself, and took the blueprints to Angel Island to build the Ark, intending to use it to travel to the Endless Earth he yearned for.
Doflamingo's eyes burned with desire as he looked at the blueprints. After all, this was a flying ark! Besides Gold Lion Shiki's flying pirate fleet, it was rare to see a ship that could fly.
Immediately, Doflamingo decided to build his own ark. It could serve as the Donquixote Family's flagship and also allow him to launch large-scale attacks, making it a perfect tool for both travel and combat.
While Doflamingo was reveling in his acquisition of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Ark Maxim blueprints, Enel was in a much worse state. Not only had Doflamingo stolen the Rumble-Rumble Fruit that should have been his, but he was also being beaten up by the guard. Poor Enel! He felt very wronged and wanted compensation.
Don't worry, Enel, Doflamingo will compensate you.
Enel's condition was deteriorating rapidly, struggling to cope with the guard's attacks.
It was clear to anyone watching that Enel was in a precarious situation, his life hanging by a thread.
"Hey, big-ears, do you need help?"
It turned out that while Doflamingo was chasing after the God, Pica, Trebol, and the others had also arrived. They were worried to see Vergo so seriously injured.
But Pica, who had a feud with Enel, felt a surge of satisfaction seeing him on the verge of defeat. He even taunted Enel, asking if he needed assistance.
"Shut up, pointy-nose, I don't need you here!"
Enel immediately retorted, refusing any help. It must be said that Enel was truly stubborn. Even though he was seriously injured, he refused to ask for help from his family. After all, Enel was a proud man and didn't want others to look down on him.
"Hmph, who cares about you, big-ears?" Pica said indignantly.
Enel was in danger! The seriously injured Enel finally couldn't hold on any longer. The guard, seeing this, was overjoyed and immediately unleashed his full power, aiming to finish off the traitor.
The residents, witnessing this, were also delighted. They didn't want Enel to survive, fearing his eventual revenge.
"No, dodge! Big-ears!" Pica shouted anxiously. Although the two didn't get along, Enel was someone Doflamingo had personally brought, and their relationship was clearly close. If Enel died, it would be difficult to explain to Doflamingo.
But Enel, as if exhausted, didn't respond to Pica's warning.
The guard's attack was imminent. If Enel didn't dodge, he would surely die. Everyone watched the scene with bated breath.
"God's Judgment!"
_______
+40 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls