Chapter 51: The Looting Begins — Gold in Exchange for the Right to Stay!

At this moment, Enel had completely lost control of his body.

For the first time in his life, he felt true despair.

"T-This... this is impossible..."

His voice trembled as he muttered those words.

Even now, he couldn’t accept this cruel reality.

As a Logia Devil Fruit User, he had always believed he possessed the power of a god. Yet now, he had discovered just how fragile he truly was.

Despite suffering such severe injuries, Enel did not die immediately.

The power of his Devil Fruit gradually restored his body, but his fighting spirit and confidence had already been shattered.

He knew the battle was over.

Jozu burst forward in a single stride.

His right arm was instantly coated in Armament Haki, covered in a layer of hardened black armor that looked as tough as steel itself.

Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed Enel by the throat and lifted him up as easily as one would pick up a chicken.

Then he tightened his grip slightly.

A powerful shockwave erupted from his palm and passed directly through Enel’s body.

"AAAAAH!"

Enel let out a miserable scream.

The impact nearly shattered all of his internal organs.

Even so, he still coughed up a large mouthful of blood that splattered across the ground.

"Heh. Weren’t you acting pretty impressive a moment ago?" Jozu sneered. "Calling yourself a god and putting on a show. Now stay put and behave."

With a cold laugh, he released Enel and looked at him with utter contempt.

Several crew members immediately stepped forward and locked Seastone handcuffs around Enel’s wrists.

The special restraints greatly suppressed Devil Fruit powers, leaving him completely unable to resist.

What confused Enel most, however, was that these people carefully collected every drop of blood he had coughed up.

Not a single drop was wasted.

What were they planning to do?

Fear and confusion filled his heart.

"W-Who exactly are you people?" Enel asked with difficulty.

Jozu smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough."

He then walked over to Ron and grinned.

" Ron, mission accomplished."

" Enel , captured."

Enel: "..."

At that moment, he genuinely wanted to die.

"Jozu, what was that move just now? It looked amazing!" Marco’s eyes lit up. He was desperately eager to learn new techniques, especially flashy ones.

"Heh heh..." Jozu stroked his chin proudly. "Naturally, it’s something I developed myself. Ron only gave me a tiny little hint."

Ron ignored the bragging and walked straight toward the limp and exhausted Enel.

Enel’s eyelids drooped heavily.

His head was still ringing.

He couldn’t understand how he’d been captured so easily.

One moment he had been sitting comfortably in the sky, and the next disaster had fallen from the heavens.

More importantly, how were these outsiders so powerful?

He had been defeated almost instantly.

The most absurd part was that they could casually handle the lightning powers he had always been proud of, treating them like toys.

His entire worldview had collapsed.

For the first time, the title of "God" felt like a cruel joke.

Looking into Enel’s eyes—three parts resentment and seven parts emptiness—Ron smiled.

"Enel, in a few days, you’ll realize just how fortunate you are to have been captured by us."

"..."

Seeing that Enel remained silent, Ron didn’t continue.

The man needed some time to process reality.

Enel might be arrogant, but he wasn’t stupid.

Ron was confident that within a few days, Enel would be begging to join them.

The reason Ron wanted to keep Enel around was simple:

His Observation Haki was extraordinarily powerful.

It was like having a perfect 360-degree surveillance system attached to the entire island.

No matter where someone was or what they were doing, Enel could monitor it all with remarkable clarity.

For that reason alone, Ron needed him.

The Sky Island wasn’t particularly large right now, but once Ron obtained Golden Lion Shiki’s blood and acquired his abilities, he intended to expand the island’s territory indefinitely.

As the territory grew larger, there would inevitably be areas he couldn’t personally oversee.

His own combat strength wasn’t particularly impressive either.

Although he possessed the Heaven-Splitting Sword Draw Technique, its power depended heavily on his physical condition. At present, his physique was only comparable to that of an ordinary pirate—stronger than normal civilians, but far from the top tiers of the world.

When that time came, Enel’s abilities would become extremely valuable.

"Ron , can we start looting this place now?"

"Yeah! This is the City of Gold! I’ll definitely earn enough to become a Devil Fruit User!"

"What about these locals? They look pretty wealthy too!"

"..."

Excited chatter spread through the crowd.

Many people could barely contain themselves.

After all, Ron had already promised that anyone who contributed wealth worth one billion Berries could become a Devil Fruit User.

"Benefactor, y-you... you really..." Conis looked at Ron with fear in her beautiful eyes.

She couldn’t believe he intended to seize this place.

Noticing her unease, Ron gently rubbed her golden hair.

"Conis, I’ve dealt with Enel for you. Now it’s time for you to fulfill your promise."

Conis nodded vigorously.

"I will."

"Also, nothing in this world is free."

Ron continued calmly.

"Gather everyone on Angel Island and tell them to come out. They can use gold and other treasures to purchase the right to remain here."

"The right... to stay here?" Conis blinked in confusion.

She understood what gold was, but she couldn’t understand why these people valued those beautiful yet seemingly useless treasures so highly.

Ron replied:

"From this moment onward, this place is a base of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Anyone who wishes to remain here must prove their value.

Those who have no value will be sent down to the Blue Sea below.

I’m not some bloodthirsty butcher who kills indiscriminately."

A trace of sadness flashed through Conis’s eyes.

The feeling was strange.

It was as though they had just escaped a tiger’s den only to enter a wolf’s lair.

Yet when she recalled everything Ron had said and done, a quiet voice deep inside her told her that he would never rule them with the same cruel tyranny that Enel had imposed.

"Understood, Ron ."

Conis respectfully bowed.

Then she turned and ran down the road known as Angel Avenue.

"Everyone, come out!"

Her voice echoed loudly through the streets.

"We’ve been saved!"

Seeing how sensible and efficient she was, Ron felt quite satisfied.

Turning toward all the members of the pirate crew, he spoke firmly:

"Everyone, search this road thoroughly and collect every valuable item you can find."

"That includes the areas beyond it, especially Upper Yard."

"If you encounter any locals, clearly explain our terms."

"Those who cooperate may stay."

"As for those who refuse to contribute anything—once everything is over, send them down to the Blue Sea."

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