Severe Damage!

Pangaea Castle, Hall of Kings.

A tall and slender figure stood silently before the empty throne, eyes with multiple irises fixed on the twenty rusty weapons embedded before it.

The Hall of Kings was deathly silent, as if it had been sealed for a century.

At the top of the stairs, the throne stood alone. Its back was shaped like a sword pointing to the sky, with the emblem of the World Government on it.

This was an empty throne.

It symbolized the ideals of equality between the kingdoms and races proposed by the twenty kings who founded the World Government eight hundred years ago. It also represented their vow to never become dictators.

The weapons at the bottom, some as rusty as the twenty at the top, some merely worn, and others still sharp, represented the kings of the World Government pledging their allegiance by embedding their weapons.

This was a throne no one could sit on.

Yet, the tall figure with a crown and a trailing robe slowly sat on the throne after gazing at the twenty rusty weapons.

It was as if the throne had never been empty, and she had always been its true owner.

The figure sat quietly, silently observing the twenty rusty weapons as if recalling their former owners.

After what seemed like a moment of reminiscing, the figure raised her right hand. The soft rustle of fabric was starkly clear in the silent hall.

As her hand rose, the twenty weapons before the throne began to tremble, as if awakening.

Finally, a rapier among the rusty weapons flew into her hand.

The rust covering the blade flaked off, revealing a luxurious hilt and a sharp blade beneath.

The figure silently ran her fingers over the weapon that hadn't tasted blood for almost eight hundred years.

Then——

She looked towards a certain direction.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through all obstacles, landing on Nicholas.

———

Clang!!!

Nicholas and Fujitora were locked in intense combat.

Violent energy burst from their clashing blades, sweeping recklessly around them.

Countless small stones flew up, only to be crushed into powder by a massive invisible force.

"Gravity Blade."

Fujitora's eyes opened slightly, and immense gravity pressed down on Nicholas.

Crack, crack——

The ground beneath Nicholas cracked and began to sink under the pressure.

Swish!

At that moment, a sharp Rankyaku attack flew towards Nicholas, aiming to catch him off guard while he was suppressed by gravity.

However——

The Rankyaku stopped three meters before Nicholas, unable to advance any further. Under the massive gravity, it visibly disintegrated.

Fujitora frowned. Despite the gravity pressing down on Nicholas, he seemed unaffected, and the ground beneath him remained intact, unlike the surroundings.

It suggested that Nicholas and the area around him weren't under gravity's influence at all.

Nicholas, you've grown this strong?

Fujitora couldn't help but recall their first meeting. Nicholas had been strong then, but not like this, not like an abyss whose depths he couldn't fathom.

"I'm sorry, Issho. Rest for a while."

Though Nicholas didn't speak, Fujitora heard his voice in his mind. Suddenly, the gravity field around Nicholas seemed to dissipate. In an instant, Nicholas struck with immense force, sending Fujitora flying like a cannonball.

Caught off guard, Fujitora crashed hard.

Meanwhile, just as Nicholas was about to make his next move, a terrifying surge of energy erupted from within Pangaea Castle.

"What?!"

Fujitora, Tsuru, and the CP0 elites, along with the Celestial Dragon guards, all reacted with shock.

A beam of white light appeared almost out of nowhere, shooting straight at Nicholas.

His pupils contracted sharply as he tried to evade by transforming into his elemental form. Just as he completed the transformation...

Slash!

Blood spurted.

A chunk of Nicholas's waist was blasted away, as if a monstrous beast had taken a massive bite out of him.

"…"

Staggered by the sudden blow, Nicholas grunted but didn't check his wound immediately. Instead, he looked towards Pangaea Castle, as if trying to discern something.

"Nicholas."

Dragon appeared beside Nicholas, supporting him, but was shocked by the severity of Nicholas's injury.

"You…!!!"

A warrior as strong as Nicholas, injured so badly?

"Go!"

Nicholas commanded. With his severe injury, staying in the perilous Mary Geoise was no longer an option.

If they stayed any longer, they risked being captured or killed.

Upon hearing Nicholas's command, a violent storm erupted across the Holy Land. The sudden hurricane-force winds sent many guards sprawling.

When the wind subsided, Nicholas and Dragon were nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, they escaped!"

"Haha, at least they ran fast!"

…

The Holy Land guards and CP0 agents, glaring angrily, commented on the chaotic scene.

"You dare talk! Facing just two people, you were so pathetic. What a disgraceful bunch of failures!"

The masked assassin master glanced at Pangaea Castle, his expression grim. He knew it was that figure who had intervened.

"This is the true power of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons…"

Fujitora muttered to himself. He had seen that attack, not with Observation Haki, but with his own eyes, as he had before he blinded himself.

Far from Pangaea Castle, in the thick canopy of a large tree, a short man wearing a checkered vest and hat, with a small mustache and rosy cheeks, was staring at the chaotic social square in astonishment.

He held a camera in his hands.

Thinking of the pictures he had just taken, the man's body trembled with excitement.

One could imagine the world would be shaken by these photos.

.....

"Hm?"

In Pangaea Castle, the figure on the throne let out a small sound of surprise, seemingly astonished that Nicholas had survived her strike.

 [AN- i will be going out for a trip for 5 days so, 1 ch per day. When i return i will release 3chs per day to catch up]