Bege's expression was strange as he sized up the child. Was this really the same arrogant and domineering God Enel of Skypiea from the future?
He hadn't expected him to have had such a miserable childhood.
"Enel, where are your parents?" Bege inquired.
"My parents died a long time ago," Enel replied, his voice choked with sobs.
Bege continued, "I have a question for you. Have you ever seen a strange fruit, a fruit with spiral, lightning-like patterns on it, that gives you a tingling sensation when you get close?"
"I have..."
Bege's breathing quickened, and he hurriedly said, "Where is that fruit? Take me to it quickly."
Enel was startled, becoming even more terrified. He cried even louder, helpless and trembling as he stammered, "I... I was too hungry at the time... so I ate it..."
"He ate it... So, in the end, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit still belongs to Enel."
Bege's expression showed a hint of disappointment, but he quickly smiled again, his voice softening. "Enel, after eating that fruit, did you notice any changes in your body? For example, can you release lightning?"
Enel was terrified, his eyes filled with a hint of despair. He trembled and cried, "I don't know what happened. Lightning suddenly started coming out of my hand, and I can't control it. God, I'm not a demon, I'm really not a demon."
Bege frowned slightly. "Release some lightning for me to see. Don't worry, I can assure you that you're not a demon."
"Really? Everyone says I'm an evil demon child. God, am I really not a demon?" Enel asked hopefully.
"You're not a demon. Let me see your ability first," Bege said gently.
Enel raised his thin hand, and a blue arc of electricity appeared. However, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. His face was strained, as if he was exerting himself. More arcs of electricity appeared on his hand, crackling loudly.
Bege reached out and touched the electric arcs. A black mark appeared on his finger, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation.
"That's right, it's definitely the power of lightning."
The lightning on Enel's hand quickly dissipated. He looked exhausted, gasping for breath. He said cautiously, "God, releasing lightning takes a lot of strength. I don't have enough strength, so I can't release much lightning."
Bege looked at the pitiful Enel, his smile widening. "Enel, you are not a demon child. On the contrary, the fruit you ate is an incredibly powerful fruit. You are a child favored by the heavens, a child of God. Enel, do you want to become my disciple? To become a warrior of God?"
Enel nodded repeatedly, his face filled with anticipation. He had been bullied since childhood, stumbling through a miserable existence for years. He had experienced ridicule and hardship, making him more mature than his peers.
He longed to no longer go hungry, to wear decent clothes.
Now, the powerful new God of Skypiea wanted to take him as a disciple. He knew this was a golden opportunity, and he had to seize it.
"I do, I do! I want to be God's disciple, God's warrior!"
Bege laughed heartily. "Good! Enel, from now on, you are my disciple."
Not getting the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was indeed a great pity, but gaining Enel was just as good. The current Enel was like an abandoned puppy, lonely and helpless, his heart filled with despair. Bege's appearance was like a warm ray of light shining into his desperate, dark heart. As long as Bege trained him well, Bege believed Enel would become the sharpest sword in his hand.
Bege took Enel's small hand and started walking back, pondering Enel's situation.
Enel seemed to have a strong obsession with the "Fairy Vearth". He wondered if the young Enel already had this idea. He had to make sure to ask him about it when they returned and prevent him from going down the same path.
In the blink of an eye, spring turned to autumn, and winter to summer. Bege had been on Skypiea for two years. Through two years of careful management, Bege had gained the acceptance and love of both the Skypieans and the Shandians. Skypiea had truly become his territory.
During these two years, he continuously searched for Dials on Skypiea, scouring the White-White Sea and the White Sea. He found many rare Dials, especially those that were nearly extinct, such as the Breath Dial, the Reject Dial, and many others.
And to ensure a long-term supply of these Dials, Bege gathered the most experienced Dial collectors on Skypiea to begin artificially breeding and cultivating Dials. Currently, they were able to artificially breed and cultivate the common Dials. The rare Dials, under Bege's strong protection, were slowly increasing in number.
Because Bege had sealed off all entrances to Skypiea, no outsiders had ascended to the island in the past two years. Bege had the Skypiean cloud-making artisans construct a cloud path that could reach the Blue Sea. With specially designed ships, they could safely reach the Blue Sea.
During these two years, Bege had dispatched disciples to the Blue Sea several times, bringing back vast amounts of gold and treasure to trade with Umit for many resources. These resources were brought back to Skypiea to continue building up his forces and silently increasing his power.
Brook and Laboon had remained at Jaya Island. Over the past two years, Jaya Island had been secretly controlled, becoming a port beneath Skypiea.
Everything was developing in a positive direction.
On the Shandora ruins atop the Giant Jack, a massive white palace stood tall. The palace was vast in scale. This was the shrine of the God of Skypiea, and also Bege's residence.
Bege had designated the area within dozens of ri around the Giant Jack as a sacred ground, the territory of his shrine.
He had placed the shrine on the Shandora ruins atop the Giant Jack to demonstrate his status as God.
In the plaza in front of the shrine, Bege was watching two ten-year-old boys fighting. Several dozen other children were cheering them on.
"Enel, go! Beat him!"
"Wiper, he's about to lose! Give it your all!"
One of the boys was Enel, whom Bege had taken as a disciple. Over the past two years, Enel had been well-fed and had grown taller. With Bege's personal training, his body was very strong.
The other was Wiper, the son of the Shandian Calsedon. He was the strongest warrior of the Shandians in the original story, known as Wiper the Berserker.
Bege had happened to see him and also took him as a disciple. In addition, he had recruited some talented Skypiean and Shandian children to be his disciples.
Bege intended to train them with all his might.
The two boys fought back and forth, their strength comparable to many adults.
With a thud, Enel was knocked to the ground by Wiper, who then pinned him down.
"I lost," Enel said, utterly dejected.
Wiper stood up and helped Enel to his feet.
Enel walked up to Bege, lowering his head. "Godfather, I lost."
"Godfather, Enel didn't lose. If he had used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power, I would have been defeated long ago," Wiper said, shaking his head.
During their fight, Enel hadn't used the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. If Enel had used it, Wiper was certain he wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds.
Enel shook his head. "Godfather said that there are many strong people on the Grand Line who possess Haki, which can counter the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Only a strong body is true strength."
Bege nodded in satisfaction, laughing loudly. "Enel is right. Even with one of the strongest Devil Fruits, it's useless without a strong body."
"Enel, you possess the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, one of the strongest Logia Devil Fruits. If you also possess a powerful body, you will be qualified to become a top-tier powerhouse of the seas. Therefore, you must not be complacent. You must train your body diligently, making it even stronger, understand?"
Enel's eyes were firm, and he replied very seriously, "Godfather, don't worry. I will become stronger. Stronger than Uncle Modi, Uncle Moria, and the others. I will become Godfather's strongest warrior."
Bege burst into laughter. "Heeheeheehee, then you'll have to work even harder."
Enel nodded firmly.
"Wiper, did I see that correctly? You're looking dejected. That's not the kind of emotion a Shandian warrior should have," Bege said, patting Wiper's shaved head and smiling.
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