Internal strife!

Alone, facing two Emperors of the Sea.

And it seems he's gaining the upper hand in the battle.

But most importantly...

The opponents are completely helpless!

This is how Nicholas performed in the eyes of CP0.

It can be said that CP0, which has been monitoring the relations between the World Government and Totto Land as well as Kaido in Wano, secretly infiltrated the country after Charlotte Linlin allied with Kaido. They were expecting an unusual scene, but what they witnessed exceeded their expectations.

They gained a deeper understanding of Nicholas's strength and raised their assessment of his danger level.

His previous attacks on the Holy Land Mary Geoise and his assault on the Celestial Dragons showed that Nicholas acts without hesitation. Now, daring to face two Emperors of the Sea alone demonstrates his audacity.

The three CP0 members silently thought to themselves.

Albert Nicholas!

Although lacking the initial "D," there's no doubt.

He is one of the greatest enemies of the World Government!

His threat level even surpasses that of the Revolutionary Army, currently conducting a revolution worldwide.

For CP0, they won't miss any opportunity to eliminate Nicholas.

Initially, they thought Nicholas's battle with Kaido and Charlotte Linlin would be a rare opportunity.

It might even solve several problems at once and bring Wano, rich in Sea Prism Stone and Liquor iron, under the control of the World Government.

But...

Given the current situation and the strength displayed by the three individuals in the arena, their presence there was almost useless.

This also made the three regretful. If they had known that Kaido would fight Nicholas after his alliance with Charlotte Linlin, they should have mobilized CP0 to take advantage of the situation.

Now they can only watch the battle from the sidelines, unable to do anything.

This left the three CP0 members somewhat regretful.

However...

Watching Nicholas, enveloped in Armament Haki, clash with the dragon surrounded by Armament Haki, they still managed to gather a lot of intelligence.

"Well, we can't intervene in the battlefield here, so let's carry out another task. Now, only the General's Mansion, Kuri, the Kozuki Family's Territory, and the Northern Cemetery of Ringo are left."

"Remember, this task has a very high priority. We must find the stone inscribed with the true history."

"Understood."

The three men, wearing masks and robes, turned their gaze to a certain direction while conversing.

That was the direction in which the Kozuki and their retainers had left.

Rumble...

Thunder rolled in the sky.

After a long brewing, the sky finally poured down heavy rain.

In just a few seconds.

A downpour enveloped the earth.

A small ninja running in the rain turned her head in astonishment.

Though her Observation Haki wasn't very strong, she distinctly sensed a familiar aura.

"This is..."

The small ninja's heart trembled, pondering in her mind.

Her running legs slowed down.

The rain washed away the tears on her face.

"No, I must go and see!"

With a shaken heart and a guess in her mind, the small ninja clenched her fists silently, then changed direction with determination, leading with Hiyori.

"No matter what, I must ensure Lord Oden's bloodline continues. I must..."

The small ninja looked towards the distant rain curtain.

A flame seemed to burn in her eyes as she leaped several times and disappeared into the forest amidst the storm.

...

In the devastated Flower Capital.

Charlotte Linlin's furious roar echoed throughout the area, even drowning out the thunder in the sky.

Seeing the enraged Charlotte Linlin, Kaido couldn't hold back anymore and directly canceled his Zoan transformation, swinging his club.

Previously, he had sent Charlotte Linlin flying with a tail strike because he was too engrossed in his battle with Nicholas and didn't want any interruptions. But now, he struck with his club because Charlotte Linlin's strange noises were unbearable.

With this strike, Charlotte Linlin was slammed into the ground, as if piercing through the eardrum-piercing noises that abruptly ceased.

Also ceasing abruptly was the train of thought of the members of the Beast and Big Mom Pirates who were preparing to head to Kuri.

They stared dumbfoundedly at Kaido's sudden outburst and the scene of Charlotte Linlin being slammed into the ground.

What's going on?

A plethora of question marks hung over their heads.

Charlotte Linlin, who had been slammed into the ground, was a bit dazed, unable to understand what was happening.

Aren't she and Kaido allies? Why did Kaido attack her!?

But after a moment, the notoriously brutal Queen of Totto Land gave up on thinking. After standing up, she immediately launched an attack on Kaido.

Napoleon's longsword soared in the wind, enveloped in scorching flames, slashing directly towards Kaido.

Clang!

The weapons clashed, resounding with a deafening noise.

Minutes ago, the two Emperors of the Sea had been fighting together against Nicholas, but now they were engaged in an unexpected battle.

The sudden turn of events left many members of the two pirate crews confused.

They could only watch in confusion as Charlotte Linlin and Kaido battled it out.

And what nobody noticed was a minor member of the Beast Pirates, lurking outside the crowd, cautiously observing the battle between the two Emperors of the Sea.

He moved as inconspicuously as possible, seemingly afraid of being swept into the battle's aftermath.

"They're all nothing but monsters..."

The pirate sniffed and wiped away the snot that had unintentionally dripped down his face, looking rather foolish.

When he arrived at a secluded ruin and made sure no one was around, his entire demeanor changed, his foolish expression replaced by a serious one.