novelnext Chapter 133 Enel's Struggle
Chapter 133 Enel's Struggle
Bai Yu's Observation Haki quietly locked onto Enel's figure, like an invisible net, firmly covering him.
He didn't move immediately, but stood quietly in place, patiently waiting for the moment when Enel climbed the Bika Sacred Tree and touched the dark purple strange fruit.
He wanted to intercept Enel just as he thought he had succeeded and was overjoyed, and watch this patient and mean little mouse fall from grace.
Or rather, Bai Yu's purpose in coming to Bika was to obtain the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Since Enel dared to covet the target that Bai Yu had long been eyeing, his fate was already sealed.
In the distant dense forest, Enel, relying on his special Observation Haki, successfully evaded the eyes and ears of the Bika people and arrived at the foot of the Bika Sacred Tree.
The sacred tree soared into the clouds, its branches gnarled and powerful, like a coiled dragon, its crown reaching straight into the sea of clouds. On the top branch, the strange, dark purple fruit emitted a faint blue light, standing out conspicuously in the night, while simultaneously fueling the burning greed in Enel's eyes.
"Then, I'll be right back."
As he spoke, Bai Yu vanished from the spot in an instant.
"Wow, that's fast! Is this Bai Yu combining the so-called Body Flicker Technique with Instant Step?"
Matsumoto Rangiku was somewhat surprised by Uchiha Shiraha's speed and asked Unohana beside her.
"Um……"
At this moment, Enel climbed up the rough tree trunk with both hands and feet. The bark cut his palms, but he was completely unaware, his eyes only on the fruit that symbolized power.
As he drew closer to the fruit, his heart pounded wildly, his breathing became rapid, and he could barely contain his ecstatic joy. He could almost see himself eating the fruit, gaining immense power, and no longer having to live a life of humility. He would make the Bika people pay the price, he would make Uchiha Hakuba, who had given him his charity, pay the price, and he would go to the true infinite land!
Finally, Enel climbed to the top of the sacred tree, stretched out his hand, and his fingertips were only an inch away from the strange fruit covered with spiral patterns and wrapped in light.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the fruit, an invisible thread of chakra, like lightning, pierced through the air from afar, precisely wrapping around the strange fruit. To Enel's astonishment, elation, and disbelief, it gently tugged, instantly pulling the fruit away from the branch and speeding towards the direction of Bai Yu.
Enel froze at the top of the sacred tree, his outstretched hand hanging in mid-air. The ecstasy on his face instantly turned into astonishment and confusion, followed by extreme loss and panic. He stared blankly at the empty branches, feeling the lingering touch on his fingertips. He was struck dumb, frozen in place, unable to move.
He died unable to understand why the fruit, which was so close at hand, was taken away at the last moment. He also did not know that what he thought was an opportunity was, from the very beginning, a charade that Bai Yu wanted to see.
Under the cover of night, only Enel remained frozen on a branch of the Bika Sacred Tree, and in the distance, on the rocky ground, Bai Yu held the strange fruit, a playful smile on his lips.
The evening breeze swept through the woods, carrying soft, rustling sounds, as if mocking the self-important little mouse.
"No...impossible!"
Enel let out a hoarse growl, his voice distorted by extreme shock and resentment. He stared intently at the fruit in Bai Yu's hand, his greed instantly turning into a frenzied venom. He couldn't understand how he could have failed at the last moment when he had it so close, when his plan was flawless, when he had avoided the eyes and ears of all the Bikas, and even when he had deceived Bai Yu, who had always seemed to have been kind and lenient to him.
That invisible force was moving at an extreme speed, far beyond his ability to react, and the source of that force was clearly Bai Yu!
Ever since sensing Enel's evil intentions, Uchiha Hakuha has become increasingly interested in Birka's Devil Fruit. From the very beginning, he has treated Enel as a pawn and a plaything, watching him sneak around like a mouse, painstakingly climbing the Sacred Tree, just to shatter all his hopes at the moment when he is most triumphant and closest to success!
Thinking of this as well, Enel felt a surge of hatred that almost burst through his chest. He gritted his teeth, his body trembling violently with rage. He wanted to roar, to rush down and fight Bai Yu to the death, but reason held him back at that moment. He knew very well that his strength was vastly different from Bai Yu's. The speed, power, and strange abilities that Bai Yu had casually displayed earlier had filled him with fear from the bottom of his heart.
A direct confrontation will only lead to certain death.
A powerful will to survive and an obsession with power instantly overwhelmed his anger. Enel's expression shifted rapidly, from a ferocious malice to a stiff, ingratiating look, and finally to utter subservience. He didn't even bother to climb down from the towering top of the sacred tree; instead, he lay prostrate on the rough branches and addressed the white feathers on the rocky ground in an almost fawning tone, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
"Lord Bai Yu, I beg you! Give me back the fruit! I... I really need this fruit! I'm willing to serve you like a slave, to obey your every command for the rest of my life, please give it to me!"
Enel bowed humbly, his forehead almost touching the cold tree bark. All the arrogance and ruthlessness he had previously hidden in his heart were gone, leaving only naked pleading. His eyes, which were originally full of greed and resentment, now deliberately squeezed out a bit of pitifulness and sincerity, trying to win Bai Yu's sympathy.
On the rocky ground, Bai Yu toyed with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his hand, feeling the powerful energy contained within. His smile deepened, but his eyes remained icy cold. He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Enel, who stood humbly atop the Sacred Tree. His tone was calm, yet filled with undisguised mockery, each word clearly reaching Enel's ears:
"Work like a slave? Enel, do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"
"Do you really think that I saved you and gave you charity because I pitied you? Because I couldn't see the filthy thoughts in your heart?"
Uchiha Hakuba's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge that pierced the night. He then lightly weighed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his hand, pale blue light flowing between his fingertips, making his face appear even colder in the darkness: "From beginning to end, ever since I saved you, you've been cursing me in your heart, haven't you? You felt that my charity was an insult, that I was blocking your path, and even while climbing the Sacred Tree, you were plotting that once you got the fruit and gained power, the first thing you'd do was kill me and make me pay the price, right?"
Every word he uttered precisely struck at Enel's most hidden and darkest thoughts, piercing his disguise like a sharp blade.
Enel's body stiffened abruptly, his posture on the branch freezing instantly. The fawning smile on his face vanished completely, his pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes were filled with extreme terror and disbelief. He abruptly looked up, staring intently at Bai Yu, his voice trembling:
"How...how could you know?! How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?!"