Chapter 54: God's Weakness

Chapter 60:

God's Weakness: Rubber Bands?

"Ow," Gin whined, sitting up painfully. Nearly his entire body was bandaged, but that didn't stop Gin from forcing himself out of bed. Next to him were two beds, one with an injured Usopp and the other empty. The man staggered to the door and trudged out onto the deck.

"Gin!" Chopper greeted, running over from where he had been berating Sanji. "You shouldn't be up yet!"

"I'm fine," the man responded, ignoring his aching muscles. "Just give me some painkillers in case I have to fight soon."

"But, Gin-"

"Don't worry about it," the Man-Demon waved off. "What's going on out-?" He stopped as a pillar of blue lightning appeared on the horizon. The sound of thunder followed almost immediately, waking Usopp if the scared yelled from the medical cabin was of any indication. Gin's face darkened instantly. He walked back into the cabin.

"Usopp, I need you to do something for me."

Luffy and Eneru were monsters. Coby could only stare in awe as his captain and the man who claimed to be God fought furiously. Eneru had gotten over the shock of Luffy being able to hit him and was now using his Mantra to avoid Luffy's attacks, however, none of Eneru's lightning tricks had any effect on the rubber-man and Luffy's reflexes were too fast for the man to hit him with his golden staff. Even when Eneru had used his powers to superheat the gold in his staff into a trident, Luffy had countered by grabbing the weapon and quickly snapping it over his knee, earning a few small burns from the heat but being otherwise unaffected. Eneru tried to escape several times, but the lightning-man was starting to slow down and each time Luffy had been too fast, catching him before he could lightning-travel away. Eneru slowing was not only because the injuries from Luffy's first two punches had taken a toll on the man who hadn't been hit in all the years since he'd eaten his Devil Fruit, but it also seemed like he was running out of steam, or charge as the case may be. Coby was so entranced in watching the two fight that he almost didn't hear his den-den ringing.

BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP... BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP...

"Hello?" he answered, holding the snail up by his ear so he could hear the voice on the line over the crashes of crumbling ruins coming from the fight. "This is Coby."

"Coby, it's Gin. Where are you?"

"I'm in the ruins of Shandora at the base of the giant plant."

"Is Don Luffy there?"

"Yeah. He and Eneru are fighting right now."

"Listen. I need you to get them to move up a level or two. Somewhere where we can see them from the Merry."

"Do I want to know why?" Coby questioned.

"Let's just say this crew is getting to me and leave it at that." Gin's answer was vague, but Coby had a feeling he knew where it was going. "Plus I have something to prove. If I can't defend my crewmates, who can count on me?"

"Do you have a plan?"

"I have... 12 percent of a plan?"

"Better than 11 percent," Coby shrugged. "I'll figure something out."

"Thanks." The snail clicked before falling asleep. Coby reset the shell over the tiny invertebrate and eyed the combatants, waiting for a lull in the battle where Luffy would be able to hear him. Finally, the two slowed, staring each other down.

"Zoro-sensei, can you buy me 30 seconds?"

"Go." The man didn't even question the reason. Instantly, the swordsman took off toward God. Coby ran toward Luffy, skidding to a halt next to the teen as the green-haired man cut away at Eneru.

"Captain Luffy, we need you to drag Eneru up the plant," Coby told him.

"Why can't I kick his ass here?"

"Gin says he has something to prove and needs you to stall him. Also, I don't think Robin would appreciate you destroying these ruins."

"Right, sorry."

"Gah!" Zoro went down, a bird made of 30 million volts of electricity passing through his torso.

"Bastard!" Luffy jumped forward as Eneru tried to change into lightning to escape and reach the Ark Maxim. The pirate was having none of that, his hand shooting forward to wrap around God's throat. Eneru struggled, trying to beat the rubber-man's arm with his broken staff, but when that didn't work, he abandoned the staff to pull at the hand choking him. Luffy's arm stretched enough for the lightning-man to get a full gulp of air before Luffy started dragging him upward.

Eneru's flailing body slammed into Giant Jack multiple times as Luffy climbed up in bursts of speed using his free, stretchy arm. Finally, they reached God's Shrine where, if one were to squint, they could see the Merry docked by the east shore.

"Get off me!" Eneru ordered, managing to free himself from Luffy's grip in a sudden push of strength. "A puny mortal like yourself has no business facing a god like me! You cannot begin to list the differences between you and I!"

"Is it the drums?" Luffy asked innocently. "Skin tone? Ears! It must be the ears! One second." Eneru watched in shocked confusion as his opponent grabbed his own earlobes before stretching them down to his chest. He released them, willing the skin to stay stretched.

"Are you mocking me?!" Eneru roared. He shot forward, electricity sparking around him like a beacon. Luffy stepped to the side, but Eneru changed the course of his punch to catch the rubber-man in the face. Even then, it had no effect.

"You," God growled. "You puny Paramecia! Die already!"

"I'm not going to die here!" Luffy shot back as Eneru ducked under a Gum-Gum Whip. "I'm the one who's going to be the King of the Pirates!"

"HAAAAAA!" Without warning, two weights slammed into God's face

(Minutes earlier)

"Gin?" Usopp questioned nervously. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," the man answered honestly, checking again to be sure his weapons were fully covered. He had all but raided Usopp's bag for every rubber band he could find and every one of them were now stretched around the weights his tonfa, insulating them. In theory, he should be able to hit Eneru now. "This is the crew of the Straw Hat Pirates," Gin continued. "Crazy and stupid plans are basically our motto."

"This might be the craziest, though," Usopp muttered. "It's even worse than the time Luffy tried to use himself as shark bait."

"You're the one how told him shark meat tasted better than regular meat."

"He believed me! Who does that?"

"Later," Gin finalized. In the distance, Eneru's powers surged, making him stand out to even the untrained eye. Gin backed up a few more steps, the suction cups on his shoes holding him on the deck.

"Donna, how's the wind?"

"15 miles per hour due East," the woman answered, her and Chopper hiding behind the mast. Sanji and Grace watched from the railing, neither of them speaking out against the man's insane stunt. "Are you really going to do this?"

"Now or never," Gin replied. "Fire!" With a snap, Usopp released the suction cup pads from the Man-Demon's shoes and the giant, makeshift slingshot Gin had forced him to set up shoved forward. One second Gin was there, the next he was gone.

"…You don't thing I killed him, do you?" Usopp muttered.

"He'll be fine?" Despite her words, Nami's voice didn't contain near as much optimism.

Meanwhile, Gin was learning what it was like to break the sound barrier, and it was not a pleasant experience. His captain and God were growing closer every second. With effort, Gin forced both of his weapons in front of his face and trusted Usopp's aim.

"HAAAAA!" He slammed into Eneru with a battle call, making the Devil Fruit user go flying away in a spray of blood. Most of his momentum transferred, Gin rolled to a stop.

"Gin!" Luffy called happily as the Man-Demon stood. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, Don," the man panted in response, his tonfa beginning to spin. "Let me fight God. I have to prove that you can depend on me. I have to prove that the crew can depend on my. I failed the first time, let me make it right. And it's only appropriate that a demon be the one to take down God, isn't it?"

"Oh, two versus one, huh?" Eneru stood, brushing bits of Island Cloud off himself and spitting up a wad of red spit. "That just makes the victory over you meddlesome Blue Sea Dwellers that much sweeter."

"Go on, Gin," Luffy nodded, suddenly serious. "Coby said you had a plan."

"You stupid mortal," Eneru sighed as Gin shot forward. "Do you not remember the last-" Gin's right tonfa slammed into Eneru's face, shoving him into the cloud they were standing on.

"Overconfidence and arrogance are a dangerous combination," Gin growled. "They could cost you your life."

"First the boy and now you?!" Eneru cried. To believe that there was one person out there who could hit him without Sea Prism Stone was unbelievable, but finding two on the same day? That shouldn't be possible! "Just what are you?!"

"I'm a demon," Gin grunted, his headband shading his eyes. "I'm a demon in Heaven who's here to kill God."

"You insolent fool," Eneru tried to laugh off. "You think you have the power to kill a true God like me?!"

"I don't know if there is a true God," Gin responded. "If there is, I guess then there's a Devil, too. Tell him hello when you get to Hell so I can ask him where you are when I get there, too."

"You... you...!" Eneru couldn't think of something to say. Gin smiled and a shudder ran down God's back. The look in the pirate's eyes had changed. They'd been determined before, but when he smiled...

When he smiled, his eyes lost all sanity. It was like he was actually becoming a demon.

"You have threatened my Nakama," Gin began, a creepy grin stretching over his face. "You wish to destroy this land, killing us along with the natives. You have taken a friend hostage and have caused the deaths of many people. In the name of my captain, Monkey D. Luffy, the future King of the Pirates, I sentence you to death. May you rot in Hell." Gin shot forward.

Eneru's eyes widened as he jumped away from the man's first downward swing. There must be something wrong. He couldn't read this man's mind. Well, he could, but there was nothing there about what moves he was going to make.

Kill... smash... murder... fun.

This human's mind was like nothing Eneru had ever thought possible. He was acting on instinct, but it was like there was some sort of supernatural force driving him. The man who claimed to be God only barely avoided this man's wild and unpredictable movements. If Eneru had had his staff, it would have been a different fight, but he'd left its broken pieces in the ruins of Shandora when the rubber-man had had a choke hold on him.

'This is fun,' Gin thought, his maniacal smile widening that much more as he finally caught Eneru's left arm with a spinning strike. The Logia cried out in pain, and it was music to the Man-Demon's ears. He loved it when his enemies screamed. He loved it when they begged for mercy or pleaded for their lives. They were so helpless. But that wasn't what he wanted. Oh, no! He wanted a fight! A real fight where he could beat his enemy, someone who had threatened his crew, into a pile of goo and flesh and broken bones.

Gin laughed madly and Eneru recoiled away from him. The things the lightning-man's Mantra was picking up from this man were terrifying.

"El Thor!" God yelled, firing a beam of blue lightning at the crazy pirate. Gin ducked around and rolled, avoiding the deadly attack without a shred of thought.

"Oh, yes!" Gin laughed, spinning around to hit Eneru in the stomach with his left tonfa. The Devil Fruit user doubled over, spitting blood on the white clouds they were standing on. Gin stomped on the man's back, pressing him flat into the Island Clouds.

"Ten Million Volt-" Eneru began. The Man-Demon didn't let him finish, slamming his right tonfa into the back of God's head. The Rubber bands forced the Logia back into his human state and dispersed the built-up electricity into the surroundings. Gin giggled happily as he felt the shock run through his body. Pain was wonderful.

"You little rat," Eneru spat.

"You won't be needing these where you're going~!" Gin all but sang. He brought his tonfa up and down before the Devil Fruit user could react and broke both rods holding the drums on Eneru's back. Gin smacked them away, leaving them to tumble off the edge of clouds.

It was slowly dawning on Eneru that this was a fight that he couldn't win.

"Please," he tried to beg. "I'll give you whatever you want! You want gold? I have plenty! Or women? You could have any of the women from Skypia! Or maybe you want the Golden Bellfree of Shandora? It can be yours!"

"If we want those," Gin smirked, leaning down so his breath brushed against God's ear, his rubber-covered tonfa pressed into the so-called God's back, "then we'll take them after you're dead."

"You!" Eneru locked his eyes on Luffy as Gin straightened back up. "You're this beast's master, right? Please, tell him to spare me!"

"Gin," Luffy said in an emotionless voice.

"Yes, Don?" Instantly, the man's battle craze receded until it was only a nagging itch in the back of his mind telling him to crush every bone in Eneru's body one by one.

"Do whatever you want."

"I want... to kill God!" Gin brought his tonfa down, pulverizing the Island Clouds below him. Eneru was staggering away several feet in front of him where he had used the last of his strength to zap forward and avoid the attack.

"The Endless Vearth," Eneru quietly cried, a single tear falling from his eye as he stretched an arm out toward the moon. He was empty and was lacking his weapon, his electric drums, and his Ark Maxim. All of them were too far away to be of any help, and without the Ark Maxim, he couldn't activate Deathpia or the Raigo. He had wasted his power on foolish shows during the death game and was drained.(1)

He was doomed.

"Oh, no you don't!" The Man-Demon chucked his right tonfa forward, the rubber-covered iron ball slamming into the back of Eneru's skull. There was a sickening crack as God went down. Gin shuffled unevenly toward his downed foe with a mad smirk, slowly increasing the speed of his remaining weapon.

Eneru was unconscious when Gin reached him.

Eneru was dead long before he left.

The pirate stood over what was left of the corpse of the man who had threatened to destroy the sky islands. Blood was everywhere; splattered over the clouds, dripping from the weapons, and staining Gin's clothes. Rationality slowly returned to the man's mind as he realized that he'd just revealed his darkest side in front of his captain.

"D-Don Luffy," Gin stuttered as his thoughts returned. He dropped his weapons and backed away from the mangled corpse. "You must hate me now."

"Why would I hate you?" Luffy questioned, moving toward his friend.

"No! Stay back! I'm a monster! You don't want me on the crew!"

"That's what Chopper said before he joined," the captain argued.

"Chopper didn't murder a man in cold blood," Gin whimpered. He'd tried so hard to keep his insanity in check. He'd given in when he felt Eneru's power, what if he gave in again?

"Would you murder the rest of the crew?"

"No!" Gin cried as if the very idea appalled him. "I would never!"

"Then we don't have a problem," Luffy smiled, holding his arm out to his crewmate. "But you might. I don't know how to get blood out of clothes." Gin laughed at the unintended dark humor as he took his captain's offered hand. Suddenly, Gin crumpled, all his adrenaline leaving his heavily-damaged body. He hadn't been recovered to begin with, so adding the strain of the fight and the fact that his demon-like state used up nearly all his energy left Gin with nothing to run on. Luffy threw the Man-Demon's arm around his shoulder and grabbed the man's weapons in his other hand before he began dragging his friend away.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a fruit several kilometers away changing shape...

End of Chapter 60

1) I have my own theories about this and it is my own headcanon. I believe that Logias should not be able to create matter or energy from nothing whereby they break the first law of Alchemy. I've written an Omake describing all the specifics, but the basis of my theory is that Logia Fruits convert food eaten into whatever it is and store the energy or matter within the person's body, so Logias would not have an endless wellspring of their element. In this case, Eneru used up all of his stored electricity killing off Gan Fall's old guard and with his flashy power displays during the Survival Game.

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-SwordOfTheGods