Oda's One Piece has seen the introduction of some of the very best villains over the course of time, as is expected of a series that has run for so long. The quality that Oda has maintained for his storytelling as well as his character writing is subliminal. Not only are the main characters written to absolute perfection, but so are the villains. Of course, when thinking of the best One Piece villains, fans often turn to the likes of Doflamingo, Crocodile, or Kaido, to name a few, however, one of the very best ones who often flies under the radar is Enel.
Enel is an incredible character who played a very important role in the Sky Island Saga of One Piece and, at the end of it, was defeated by Luffy. Despite the incredible role that he played during the arc, Enel was somewhat forgotten among the fans. That might change very soon as One Piecehas now entered its final saga and there is room for the return of this character once again.
Enel's Role During Skypiea
During the Skypiea arc, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates went to their first Sky Island, where they encountered a new race of people known as the Skypieans. Soon, the people of the Shandora race, known as the Shandians, were also introduced to the fans. With time, Oda explained to the fans the conflict between these two races and the one who took advantage of it and ruled over them all, Enel. Enel was introduced to the fans as the God of Skypiea and he played the role of the main antagonist in Skypiea. Believing himself to be God, Enel passed judgment on the people of Skypiea, including both the Shandians and the Skypieans.
Being a majestically powerful villain, it was no surprise that he bore the power of a godly Devil Fruit – the Goro Goro no Mi. Using its powers, Enel could become lightning, as well as create and manipulate it according to his will. Naturally, Luffy ended up becoming his natural enemy due to his rubbery nature and he played the role of the savior of Skypiea. With his rubber powers, he knocked Enel off his perch and saved the land of Skypiea from utter destruction, which is certainly something that all people of Skypiea were expecting at that point. Eventually, Skypiea's former God, Gan Fall, took the throne once again and the conflict between the Shandians and the Skypieans was solved as well. The arc of Skypiea had a lot to offer, however, the aspect of it offering a spectacular villain often goes unnoticed.
Enel On Fairy Vearth
Enel's motivation during the Skypiea arc was somewhat whimsical at first. He passed judgment on people he thought went against him at some times, and at others, he just did what he wanted. However, Enel was not a man without motivation by any means. Enel was obsessed with the concept of "Vearth" that the Skypieans had found when a part of Jaya shot up to the sky and became the Upper Yard. However, to him, the horizon was much broader. Instead of settling for the Upper Yard, Enel had set his sights on something much greater – the moon, which he called Fairy Vearth. Enel had forced the God's Army to work as slaves and create Ark Maxim for him – a ship capable of flying with his powers.
On this ship, he planned on flying to Fairy Vearth and originally, he intended to take Nami with him. Thankfully, Enel was stopped in his path by none other than Luffy and completely defeated. Skypiea was saved, however, his dream wasn't shattered at all. Shortly after his defeat, Enel rose up once again and set out for Fairy Vearth all by himself. Although, at the time, fans thought that the end of his character, Enel made his return via cover stories, where fans ended up seeing him play a very important role on the Moon.
Shortly after getting to the Moon, Enel ended up fighting against the Space Pirates and he came across the automata. Finding out more about them, he ended up saving them from the wrath of Spacey, the captain of the Space Pirates. Enel continued his search on the Fairy Vearth and, eventually, he came across an ancient city that was built by none other than his ancestors.
In an attempt to destroy the city, he inadvertently restored it to its former glory. At the same time, Enel also saved all the automata while attempting to zap them with his powers.
Learning the true history of his own roots, Enel then accepted the army of automata as his own and the self-proclaimed god found himself in a position of great power once again. Of course, this was a clear indication that Enel was not done and that he would be significant to the story later on in the series. This is especially true because the races of the Skypians, the Shandians, and the Birkans are very important to the overarching plot of One Piece, and their history dates back to the Void Century and before it, which makes them very important.
The fact that Enel is privy to one of the biggest secrets there only means that he is going to be important at some point in the story. Oda has previously been asked about Enel's return and, although he has been tight-lipped, the chances are that this phenomenal villain will once again make his way back to the main story of One Piece, having become much stronger than ever before and, more importantly, carrying the deepest secrets about the origin of some of the races to exist in the One Piece world.
Enel's Return In The Final Saga
One Piece is currently in its final saga and it is here that Oda is going to tackle the biggest and deepest mysteries of the entire story. The origin of Devil Fruits, the Void Century, and the existence of the winged races, among many other things, are finally going to be revealed here, which brings Enel back into the fold as well. Enel holds secrets that are somewhat related to Dr. Vegapunk. The automata that were sent to the moon were created by a resident of Karakuri Island, which is where Vegapunk is from as well. In fact, on Egghead Island, fans get to see the automata working for Vegapunk.
There is certainly a connection here that Oda is going to explore later on in the series. Vegapunk, despite being smart, might not know everything there is to know about the automata, the winged races, and the truth about why they descended from the moon to the Earth. This is where Enel comes in and, given that this is a very important part of the story, it is likely going to become a reality for the fans. Enel's return is almost certain at some point in the story and when that happens, fans can expect a strong adversary for Luffy who has become much greater in terms of power, and, at the same time, a source of deep information about the races that live in the One Piece world. Of course, this can happen only if the Straw Hat Pirates go to the moon and, given that One Piece's adventurous scale is boundless, fans shouldn't be surprised if that ends up happening at some point in the final saga.
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