__________ POV Narration__________
"I understand... Well then, can you guide me there right away?"
"I certainly can... But are you sure you are prepared?" Kasa's voice took a more eerie undertone as she responded to the Lightning User.
"My Lord will test both your will and body to make sure you are capable enough to inherit his strength... If you are not, then your life will certainly be in danger."
The Emperor smiled when hearing the old lady's warning. He had already expected that to be the case.
"I am prepared—more than I will ever be. I also don't have the luxury to prepare further... I need to awaken and get used to my new powers in a rather short timeframe..." Enel's response made the old lady tilt her head, her smile dying down a bit.
She gazed into the Emperor's eyes, in them she found determination, power. And most importantly... The will of a conqueror.
The old lady gazed into the window to Enel's soul. Inside it, she saw exactly what she was hoping to see.
'Good... I didn't get my hopes up for no reason!'
Old Lady Kasa smiled once more after looking into Enel's eyes for a few more seconds.
"In that case, it will be my honour to guide you... So you may fulfil your destiny." The short lady bowed slightly, her back slouching over as Enel slowly stood up.
Enel and Kasa both turned to the Fallen Monk Pirates.
"Apologies for ignoring you all..." The Emperor waved at them in a friendly manner, and all of them flinched just from seeing him move in their direction.
The only one that was composed was Urouge himself, who slowly stood up and looked the Emperor in the eye.
The Mad Monk realized something crucial at that point.
'He may be our ticket out of this island...'
"Emperor Enel, your character is certainly better than how the government painted it... Though I guess that's to be expected." The Mad Monk crossed his burly arms as his gaze angled downwards towards the slightly shorter Sky King.
"Hmmm, you also seem to be a lot less mad than rumoured to be..." Enel smirked at the 'Not-So-Mad' Monk.
"Haha, I guess that does seem to be the case... Even I am not mad enough to act up against an Emperor..." Urouge sweated a bit as he clenched his fists.
He had actually considered fighting the Sky King for a few seconds, he did wish to prove himself in the New World after all...
But now that he was faced with the pressure that an Emperor could exude, he didn't even dare to move against him.
Instead, he did the opposite.
"Would you be able to help me and my crew leave this island? We would be indebted to you if you are able to..."
Enel raised an eyebrow at the Mad Monk.
'Should I help him? There's not much he and his crew can do for me. But I also don't know if this island will be safe during my awakening... I assume it will be quite destructive...
Well, it may also not be destructive at all, who knows... Just to be safe though...'
"I will help you, however, I can... But first I will be going to the centre.
I recommend you all to sail further away from this island, it's very possible that the storm will become more violent.
I will be protecting Old Lady Kasa, but I cannot assure your safety in the same way..."
Enel didn't really know how the storm would react, he couldn't know. But it was the safest bet at getting the pirates to leave the island right away.
Kasa, the one person that could best interpret the storm, was also not refuting any of his words, which gave them a lot more credibility.
"Understood... Thank you for the warning, we will be anchoring ourselves a bit further away from the island." Urouge bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes as he did so.
The pirates behind him seemed to already get to work.
The very notion of the storm becoming stronger was enough to make them want to run away.
They had enough provisions in their ships to last them a bit, so they weren't worrying about food for now.
They packed their things but left the tents they had built behind. They were quicky to step back onto their ships, leaving only the Mad Monk behind.
"Well... I guess that's that. I wish you good luck in your trials, Sky King, Granny Kasa." Urouge bowed once more to the two people that were to remain on the island.
He brought his palms together in front of his chin as he spoke his farewell, giving them his blessing before departing.
Enel nodded at him, while Kasa waved him off.
"Just go you brat! You're delaying the king's return!"
"S-sorry!" The Mad Monk's eyes widened as he stuttered out an apology and then scampered off, leaving behind a slightly irritated Kasa and an amused Enel.
Kasa waved at them as they left the shores, and then finally turned around and looked at Enel.
"Well then... Now we're on our lonesome... Let us get started." Kasa wasted no time, tapping her wooden cane on the ground as she started walking straight to the centre of the island.
"Of course... Are you sure you are going to be safe? I don't know how this awakening will look..."
"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetie. I know that whatever happens, my lord will protect me.
I also can't know for sure how this will happen, but I do know one thing..."
Enel looked at the old woman's back as she spoke while walking forward still. Curiosity gripping at his mind.
"When you awaken... Your heart will send a thunderous roar to the world, signalling your return, there won't be anyone unable to hear it..."
Enel blinked a few times, remembering the way that Luffy had awakened, how his heartbeat sounded the 'drums of liberation' to a similar effect.
'Does that mean I have to die in order to awaken?'
He wanted to ask further questions, but the old lady became focused on leading the way and seemed to ignore any other probing questions he may have had.
In the end, he would find out during the ritual anyway. He was going to do it regardless of what was required of him.
The journey to the centre of the island was surprisingly easy... For Kasa that is.
Enel however, became a target with each step he took. The Old Lady called it, the 'Trial of Resilience'.
His Lightning clashed with that of the clouds, as he did his best to block the hits. In the process, he exerted himself to the point where his own lightning took a black colour.
Imbued with haki, his lightning was a lot more effective at blocking the Thunder God's tests.
Enel also couldn't teleport away, his test included following the old lady, step by step. And she seemed to slow down at points too, panting slightly.
"My old bones need some rest..." She would say before patting her knees.
Meanwhile, Enel was locked in a struggle. Constantly deflecting and blocking lightning strikes that seemed almost endless.
Thankfully, his training with Garp had tempered him properly. He was able to go through the 'Trial of Resilience' without much difficulty.
Eventually, they came to the second trial... The 'Trial of Power'.
"You need to create a pathway for us to reach the tomb of my lord. He will not give us access otherwise." Kasa told the Emperor as they reached the pillar of lightning that engulfed the centre of the island.
She didn't give him any more specifics.
But the name of the test told him everything he needed to know.
His task? Blow away the clouds above the tomb.
It was simple enough, right?
Well...
The first El Thor that Enel used seemed to get absorbed into the pillar, not doing anything at all, and not even getting close to the clouds.
The second and third weren't much different, even when Enel tried using armament haki, turning his lightning black, the same issue persisted.
For a second, the Emperor even considered using his final move, the 'True Black Lightning God' and clashing with the beam directly. But it just felt like the wrong way to go about things.
Pure power seemed to be the approach of the trial. But Enel's strongest move, the 'Raigo', couldn't be used under those circumstances.
Enel could likely perform a smaller Raigo from his own body, but it was going to be both tiring and likely ineffective...
Instead, the Emperor opted for the easiest option... It wasn't going to be easy, but it seemed like the easiest way for him...
Exerting himself further, the emperor impaled his staff into the ground and brought both of his palms together.
He charged up lightning in his hands for a few moments, before he forcefully disconnected his palms, revealing a thick string of black plasma.
"60 Billion V Black Jamboule!"(Black Thunder Dragon)
From the string of plasma rose a gigantic eastern dragon, it flew towards the skies. Creating a magnetic field of its own as it coiled around the pillar. Instead of touching the pillar, it was getting repelled by it.
Enel smiled as he controlled the dragon to fly into the sky and...
--BOOOM--
A gigantic explosion that shook the seas around the island broke the clouds above. Light shone through them, as Enel's charged dragon coiled around the hole it had created and forcefully sought to keep it open.
"So that's the sun... Huh?" Kasa smiled when seeing that. She had taken quite a few steps back, she was impressed by the Emperor's creativity, but what shocked her the most was the scene in front of her...
A ray of sunlight shone brightly upon the middle of the island, the tomb shone as sunlight reflected off of it for what must've been the first time in over 800 years.
A tinge of hope in the darkness... It was exactly as her lord had prophesied.
"Good, you've passed... Let us proceed." Kasa didn't dwell on the view for too long, no matter how much she wanted to.
She needed to see things through first. She would be able to dream about the sight later. For now, she started walking towards the tomb.
"G-great..." Enel wiped the sweat off his brow as he followed right after the old lady.
The tomb reminded the Emperor of Shandora, the Golden City in the Upper Yard. It was similar to the structure he and Crocodile had unearthed in Alabasta...
It also seemed to be made entirely out of gold. Gold that seemed to have turned black over the yets, likely as a result of being basked in Haki-Charged Lightning for centuries.
"We're here..."
The door to the tomb was mechanical in nature. The Old Lady pulled a lever, and it opened up for them in seconds.
The Emperor smiled as he continued following his guide. His fists clenched as he expected the upcoming challenges to be even more difficult.
"So it seems my successor has walked in... Following the 33rd Shrine Maiden..."
An ancient voice greeted them at the entrance, Enel looked forward to see several golden statues and plants lining a hall with a red carpet.
Statues of skeletons holding up flags with symbols that the Emperor couldn't recognize.
And in the middle of the hall was a throne. A throne with a black skeleton on it.
The skeleton wore fancy clothes, its hands adorned with various rings, and its neck wore a golden necklace. It even had ankle bracelets made of gold.
The Garb it wore was reminiscent of those of the original Enel, with a few differences.
A pair of loose yellow pants, as well as a golden breastplate, shone in the artificial light given off by some strange crystals that clung to the ceiling.
"Silent and observant, taking in his surroundings carefully... I like this one..." The voice spoke out again, clearly coming out of the skeleton this time around.
The Skeleton's eyes shone red as its fingers started taping the arm of the throne.
'This must be Raijin...'
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
I'm really tired now, so Imma go sleep real soon. Hope the trials were fun to read at least ;))
Story Shoutout! : The Last Observer
Discord, again: https://discord.gg/xQTK8caFEQ
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patre_on, you'd also get 15 chapters in advance (or 10/5 depending on tier)
__________ POV Narration__________
"I understand... Well then, can you guide me there right away?"
"I certainly can... But are you sure you are prepared?" Kasa's voice took a more eerie undertone as she responded to the Lightning User.
"My Lord will test both your will and body to make sure you are capable enough to inherit his strength... If you are not, then your life will certainly be in danger."
The Emperor smiled when hearing the old lady's warning. He had already expected that to be the case.
"I am prepared—more than I will ever be. I also don't have the luxury to prepare further... I need to awaken and get used to my new powers in a rather short timeframe..." Enel's response made the old lady tilt her head, her smile dying down a bit.
She gazed into the Emperor's eyes, in them she found determination, power. And most importantly... The will of a conqueror.
The old lady gazed into the window to Enel's soul. Inside it, she saw exactly what she was hoping to see.
'Good... I didn't get my hopes up for no reason!'
Old Lady Kasa smiled once more after looking into Enel's eyes for a few more seconds.
"In that case, it will be my honour to guide you... So you may fulfil your destiny." The short lady bowed slightly, her back slouching over as Enel slowly stood up.
Enel and Kasa both turned to the Fallen Monk Pirates.
"Apologies for ignoring you all..." The Emperor waved at them in a friendly manner, and all of them flinched just from seeing him move in their direction.
The only one that was composed was Urouge himself, who slowly stood up and looked the Emperor in the eye.
The Mad Monk realized something crucial at that point.
'He may be our ticket out of this island...'
"Emperor Enel, your character is certainly better than how the government painted it... Though I guess that's to be expected." The Mad Monk crossed his burly arms as his gaze angled downwards towards the slightly shorter Sky King.
"Hmmm, you also seem to be a lot less mad than rumoured to be..." Enel smirked at the 'Not-So-Mad' Monk.
"Haha, I guess that does seem to be the case... Even I am not mad enough to act up against an Emperor..." Urouge sweated a bit as he clenched his fists.
He had actually considered fighting the Sky King for a few seconds, he did wish to prove himself in the New World after all...
But now that he was faced with the pressure that an Emperor could exude, he didn't even dare to move against him.
Instead, he did the opposite.
"Would you be able to help me and my crew leave this island? We would be indebted to you if you are able to..."
Enel raised an eyebrow at the Mad Monk.
'Should I help him? There's not much he and his crew can do for me. But I also don't know if this island will be safe during my awakening... I assume it will be quite destructive...
Well, it may also not be destructive at all, who knows... Just to be safe though...'
"I will help you, however, I can... But first I will be going to the centre.
I recommend you all to sail further away from this island, it's very possible that the storm will become more violent.
I will be protecting Old Lady Kasa, but I cannot assure your safety in the same way..."
Enel didn't really know how the storm would react, he couldn't know. But it was the safest bet at getting the pirates to leave the island right away.
Kasa, the one person that could best interpret the storm, was also not refuting any of his words, which gave them a lot more credibility.
"Understood... Thank you for the warning, we will be anchoring ourselves a bit further away from the island." Urouge bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes as he did so.
The pirates behind him seemed to already get to work.
The very notion of the storm becoming stronger was enough to make them want to run away.
They had enough provisions in their ships to last them a bit, so they weren't worrying about food for now.
They packed their things but left the tents they had built behind. They were quicky to step back onto their ships, leaving only the Mad Monk behind.
"Well... I guess that's that. I wish you good luck in your trials, Sky King, Granny Kasa." Urouge bowed once more to the two people that were to remain on the island.
He brought his palms together in front of his chin as he spoke his farewell, giving them his blessing before departing.
Enel nodded at him, while Kasa waved him off.
"Just go you brat! You're delaying the king's return!"
"S-sorry!" The Mad Monk's eyes widened as he stuttered out an apology and then scampered off, leaving behind a slightly irritated Kasa and an amused Enel.
Kasa waved at them as they left the shores, and then finally turned around and looked at Enel.
"Well then... Now we're on our lonesome... Let us get started." Kasa wasted no time, tapping her wooden cane on the ground as she started walking straight to the centre of the island.
"Of course... Are you sure you are going to be safe? I don't know how this awakening will look..."
"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetie. I know that whatever happens, my lord will protect me.
I also can't know for sure how this will happen, but I do know one thing..."
Enel looked at the old woman's back as she spoke while walking forward still. Curiosity gripping at his mind.
"When you awaken... Your heart will send a thunderous roar to the world, signalling your return, there won't be anyone unable to hear it..."
Enel blinked a few times, remembering the way that Luffy had awakened, how his heartbeat sounded the 'drums of liberation' to a similar effect.
'Does that mean I have to die in order to awaken?'
He wanted to ask further questions, but the old lady became focused on leading the way and seemed to ignore any other probing questions he may have had.
In the end, he would find out during the ritual anyway. He was going to do it regardless of what was required of him.
The journey to the centre of the island was surprisingly easy... For Kasa that is.
Enel however, became a target with each step he took. The Old Lady called it, the 'Trial of Resilience'.
His Lightning clashed with that of the clouds, as he did his best to block the hits. In the process, he exerted himself to the point where his own lightning took a black colour.
Imbued with haki, his lightning was a lot more effective at blocking the Thunder God's tests.
Enel also couldn't teleport away, his test included following the old lady, step by step. And she seemed to slow down at points too, panting slightly.
"My old bones need some rest..." She would say before patting her knees.
Meanwhile, Enel was locked in a struggle. Constantly deflecting and blocking lightning strikes that seemed almost endless.
Thankfully, his training with Garp had tempered him properly. He was able to go through the 'Trial of Resilience' without much difficulty.
Eventually, they came to the second trial... The 'Trial of Power'.
"You need to create a pathway for us to reach the tomb of my lord. He will not give us access otherwise." Kasa told the Emperor as they reached the pillar of lightning that engulfed the centre of the island.
She didn't give him any more specifics.
But the name of the test told him everything he needed to know.
His task? Blow away the clouds above the tomb.
It was simple enough, right?
Well...
The first El Thor that Enel used seemed to get absorbed into the pillar, not doing anything at all, and not even getting close to the clouds.
The second and third weren't much different, even when Enel tried using armament haki, turning his lightning black, the same issue persisted.
For a second, the Emperor even considered using his final move, the 'True Black Lightning God' and clashing with the beam directly. But it just felt like the wrong way to go about things.
Pure power seemed to be the approach of the trial. But Enel's strongest move, the 'Raigo', couldn't be used under those circumstances.
Enel could likely perform a smaller Raigo from his own body, but it was going to be both tiring and likely ineffective...
Instead, the Emperor opted for the easiest option... It wasn't going to be easy, but it seemed like the easiest way for him...
Exerting himself further, the emperor impaled his staff into the ground and brought both of his palms together.
He charged up lightning in his hands for a few moments, before he forcefully disconnected his palms, revealing a thick string of black plasma.
"60 Billion V Black Jamboule!"(Black Thunder Dragon)
From the string of plasma rose a gigantic eastern dragon, it flew towards the skies. Creating a magnetic field of its own as it coiled around the pillar. Instead of touching the pillar, it was getting repelled by it.
Enel smiled as he controlled the dragon to fly into the sky and...
--BOOOM--
A gigantic explosion that shook the seas around the island broke the clouds above. Light shone through them, as Enel's charged dragon coiled around the hole it had created and forcefully sought to keep it open.
"So that's the sun... Huh?" Kasa smiled when seeing that. She had taken quite a few steps back, she was impressed by the Emperor's creativity, but what shocked her the most was the scene in front of her...
A ray of sunlight shone brightly upon the middle of the island, the tomb shone as sunlight reflected off of it for what must've been the first time in over 800 years.
A tinge of hope in the darkness... It was exactly as her lord had prophesied.
"Good, you've passed... Let us proceed." Kasa didn't dwell on the view for too long, no matter how much she wanted to.
She needed to see things through first. She would be able to dream about the sight later. For now, she started walking towards the tomb.
"G-great..." Enel wiped the sweat off his brow as he followed right after the old lady.
The tomb reminded the Emperor of Shandora, the Golden City in the Upper Yard. It was similar to the structure he and Crocodile had unearthed in Alabasta...
It also seemed to be made entirely out of gold. Gold that seemed to have turned black over the yets, likely as a result of being basked in Haki-Charged Lightning for centuries.
"We're here..."
The door to the tomb was mechanical in nature. The Old Lady pulled a lever, and it opened up for them in seconds.
The Emperor smiled as he continued following his guide. His fists clenched as he expected the upcoming challenges to be even more difficult.
"So it seems my successor has walked in... Following the 33rd Shrine Maiden..."
An ancient voice greeted them at the entrance, Enel looked forward to see several golden statues and plants lining a hall with a red carpet.
Statues of skeletons holding up flags with symbols that the Emperor couldn't recognize.
And in the middle of the hall was a throne. A throne with a black skeleton on it.
The skeleton wore fancy clothes, its hands adorned with various rings, and its neck wore a golden necklace. It even had ankle bracelets made of gold.
The Garb it wore was reminiscent of those of the original Enel, with a few differences.
A pair of loose yellow pants, as well as a golden breastplate, shone in the artificial light given off by some strange crystals that clung to the ceiling.
"Silent and observant, taking in his surroundings carefully... I like this one..." The voice spoke out again, clearly coming out of the skeleton this time around.
The Skeleton's eyes shone red as its fingers started taping the arm of the throne.
'This must be Raijin...'
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
I'm really tired now, so Imma go sleep real soon. Hope the trials were fun to read at least ;))
Story Shoutout! : The Last Observer
Discord, again: https://discord.gg/xQTK8caFEQ
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patre_on, you'd also get 15 chapters in advance (or 10/5 depending on tier)
