Haki

"Yahahaha!"

Enel's laughter echoed through the air, unrestrained and full of pleasure.

His body vibrated with euphoria, every fiber of his being electrified by the sensation of absolute power.

This was the ecstasy he sought, the tangible manifestation of his divinity.

For him, this act of unbridled destruction was the very essence of being a god.

He should be standing on the clouds, dispensing judgment and punishment at will. Mimicking this, a shiver of delight ran down his spine, extending to his scalp in a pleasurable numbness.

"What do you find so amusing?"

A serene voice interrupted.

"Huh?" Enel's laughter cut off abruptly, his expression frozen.

The lightning dancing around him began to dissipate, revealing a sight he never could have imagined.

There, before his astonished eyes, stood Michael.

His ethereal figure remained intact, without a single visible scratch on his immaculate white robe. His golden hair waved gently in the breeze, as if Enel's devastating attack had been nothing more than a soft caress.

Michael's smile, still serene and compassionate, contrasted dramatically with the confusion and growing fear on Enel's face.

"As you rightly said," He spoke softly. "Disobeying the gods is an act of foolishness. However... on this occasion, I grant you my forgiveness."

His eyes, as blue as the distant sky, fixed on Enel with compassion.

"From this moment on, this island and all its inhabitants are my property. You too, Enel. That's why I forgive you."

Having decided to embark on the conquest of the world, he understood the need to adjust his mindset.

Pettiness had no place in the plans of a divine conqueror.

His words ignited instant fury in Enel. His face contorted into a mask of pure rage.

"GRRR!" he growled, his teeth audibly grinding.

He had barely mastered the power of thunder and already proclaimed himself a god. How dare this intruder challenge his authority?

"BZZZZT!" Enel's body wrapped itself in a dazzling cloak of electricity.

But before he could act...

"Stop. Now." Michael ordered again, his voice calm but laden with authority.

WHOOSH!

An invisible but incredibly powerful blue aura emanated from his body. Like a silent shockwave, it instantly swept over everyone present.

This was the Conqueror's Haki.

Thanks to the combined talents of Kaido, Big Mom, and Luffy, three natural Kings, Michael's Haki possessed a potential and power that surpassed even that of Shanks.

Conqueror's Haki, an ability that cannot be conventionally trained, only strengthens as the user increases their strength, courage, and pride.

And Michael's strength...

Although he hadn't gone through any formal training, it already rivaled that of the powerful men of the seas.

Enel, still young and inexperienced, had no chance against such spiritual pressure.

THUD!

The self-proclaimed god, with his characteristic elongated earlobes, instantly rolled his eyes back.

His lifeless body fell from the heights, impacting the ground with a dull thud.

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

Like dominoes, the God's Guards in the street and all residents in the vicinity succumbed to the spiritual pressure.

One after another, they fell unconscious, some even with foam coming from their mouths.

"Tch. It seems I've underestimated the intensity of my Haki," he muttered with slight surprise.

Only then did he realize that, although he possessed Conqueror's Haki, his control over it was still rudimentary, primary.

"Under these circumstances, I'll have no one to guide me," His gaze sweeping over the unconscious bodies of the God's Guards.

A sigh escaped his lips.

His original plan to use these individuals as guides to locate the current God of the island had vanished along with their consciousness.

"Well, in this case, only a more... direct method remains," he declared with a smile.

WHOOSH!

With a beat of his wings, he rose into the sky like a golden lightning bolt, his figure silhouetted against the vast white canvas of the city.

FWOOSH!

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light began to emanate from his chest, quickly spreading until it completely enveloped his body.

Golden and brilliant flames sprouted from his skin, running across his body. His wings, already majestic, expanded even more, transforming into pure gold that reflected the sunlight with a blinding glow.

WHOOOM!

In an instant, the flames spread in all directions like a miniature supernova.

When the glow dissipated, instead of young Michael, a colossal golden Dragon soared through the skies.

"ROOOAR!"

The golden glow of his flames illuminated the entire city, bathing every corner of the island in a radiance.

The temperature rose abruptly. The city's inhabitants, even those sheltered in their homes, felt the scorching heat as if they were on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

Suddenly, the sky lit up with a golden glow. Thousands of eyes rose simultaneously, dilating with amazement and terror at the vision looming over them.

"Heavens above! What... what is that thing?" someone shouted, their voice breaking with panic.

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAR!", the roar of the golden being made the island tremble.

"It's impossible!" exclaimed another, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "It must be a hallucination..."

WHOOSH!

The dragon's wings beat the air, sending waves of heat over the city.

An old man fell to his knees, his face illuminated by the golden glow. "It's the sun! The very God of the Sun has descended upon us!"

Michael ignored all this, floating majestically in the sky, his presence as overwhelming as it was silent.

Waiting patiently.

And his wait was not long.

"What the hell are you?!"

An angry roar sounded, coming from not far away.

Tilting his colossal head. Over a row of houses, a middle-aged man brandished a steel spear, his face contorted in anger and fear.

The man, of robust build and appearing to be about thirty-four years old, wore a shining gold armor.

In the streets behind him, dozens of figures reminiscent of the God's Guards glided swiftly on a kind of skates, responding to their leader's call.

'It must be him,' He thought.

Suddenly a voice came from the dragon's mouth, reverberating throughout the city, making windows vibrate and shaking every inhabitant.

"God of Birka, are you the one who claims that title?"

The face of the self-proclaimed god transformed instantly.

'Heavens above!' he thought. 'This creature possesses intelligence! It's not a simple monster... Could it be someone with abilities similar to Enel's?'

Audibly swallowing, the man stood up on the roof, gripping his spear tightly. "Yes, it's me!"

Who... who is this being? What is his purpose here?

"Excellent," Michael replied. "Then, from this moment on, the title of God belongs exclusively to me. Do you have any objections?"

The face of the God of Birka went pale.

This being not only possessed superhuman abilities, but his arrogance rivaled that of Enel.

Before he could articulate a response, something terrifying unfolded before his eyes.

Flames of an intense gold began to sprout from Michael's body, spreading across the sky like an ocean of liquid fire.

The fire, seemingly endless, expanded in all directions, forming an immense igneous cloud that engulfed everything.

The blue of the sky disappeared, the sun was hidden. Only the flames remained, a golden and threatening mantle that covered everything.

The eyes of the God of Birka opened wide, his mouth forming a silent scream of horror.

Fear, pure and uncontrollable, spread through the city like a plague.

Chaos erupted in a matter of seconds, destruction seemed imminent.

"AAAH! What is that?!" a woman screamed, pointing to the sky with a trembling hand.

"Fire! The sky is on fire!" an old man howled, falling to his knees in the street.

"Run! Save yourselves!" another vociferated, panic evident in his voice.

But where to flee? The entire city was trapped under the mantle of fire. There was no escape.

"Do you reject or accept?"

Michael's cold and flat voice resonated. "Or perhaps I should put it another way: Survival or... destruction?"

At that moment, the flames began to descend from the sky, a rain of liquid gold and imminent destruction.

Michael knew that with a simple thought, he could reduce the entire city to ashes in a matter of seconds.

The scorching heat had already begun to set parts of the city on fire, the smell of smoke and terror filling the air.

Cold sweat broke out on the forehead of the God of Birka, soaking his back in a matter of moments. His hands, once firm on the spear, now trembled uncontrollably.

'Monster!' he thought in panic. 'Birka is being attacked by a nightmare being!'

His body tensed, almost paralyzed by fear. But deep within his being, he knew he had to act, and quickly.

"STOP! STOP, GREAT GOD!" He shouted with all his might, his voice breaking with the effort. "I promise you! We surrender!"

As if by magic, the flames stopped in mid-descent.

WHOOSH!

In the blink of an eye, they dissipated in the air, as if a breeze had extinguished them.

The blue sky and the sun reappeared. Only the residual heat and the imposing figure of the golden dragon reminded the inhabitants of Birka that it had not been a collective hallucination.

"Excellent decision" Michael declared.

WHOOSH!

The colossal dragon began to descend slowly. As it approached the ground, its form began to contract and transform.

Waves of golden energy enveloped his body, the light so intense that it forced everyone to look away.

When the glow dissipated, in front of the astonished God of Birka was no longer the dragon, but a child of divine beauty.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Michael said with a serene smile. "Our first meeting has been intense. I hope to count on your help in the future."

The man was petrified.

How was it possible that this divine creature, capable of reducing a city to ashes, would take the form of such a small child?