Something more terrifying than conqueror's haki!

Watching Whitebeard's movements, Nicholas's pupils contracted, and his heart seemed to stop for a moment.

Driven by instinct, his elemental transformation began, and lightning crackled around him.

Then, a dangerously intense aura approached, causing Nicholas's Observation Haki to see nothing but white.

Too fast! It was too fast!

Almost as soon as Whitebeard threw his punch, cracks appeared in the space around Nicholas like shattered glass.

The force of Whitebeard's attack was unparalleled, causing the cracks in space to spread at an unbelievable speed, almost instantly reaching Nicholas.

"Buzzzz!"

In Nicholas's eyes, everything trembled, and all things vibrated. A surging force pressed in from all sides, making his lightning-transformed hair dance wildly.

"Crack!"

The space shattered, and from Nicholas's perspective, the world seemed to break like glass. Even Whitebeard and the ships on the distant ocean, including the Moby Dick and the Oro Jackson, shattered like reflections in a broken mirror.

Then, with Whitebeard's powerful attack, the space seemed to shatter like glass, shaking the earth, and a resounding impact ensued as the attack struck Nicholas.

Faced with the attack that sealed off any escape, Nicholas couldn't evade. He couldn't evade this strike!

"Boom!"

In an instant, Nicholas's consciousness blanked out as if everything had been shattered. He took Whitebeard's hit head-on.

"Boom!"

As Whitebeard's strike shattered the space, the ground trembled, and fissures spread rapidly, splitting the island apart. The outer regions of the island began to crumble and sink into the sea, while massive cracks divided the island, allowing seawater to surge out.

"The island is breaking apart!!"

"Dad!"

The power required to shatter such a large island was truly awe-inspiring.

"Hey, Captain, do you think Nicholas is done for?"

Gaban wiped the sweat from his forehead, staring nervously in the direction of the island.

He couldn't imagine enduring such a terrifying blow from Whitebeard. Even Nicholas, who had taken the full force of Whitebeard's terrifying blow, was likely on the verge of death.

"It's not that easy to take him down. If Nature-type abilities were so easy to defeat, Nature-type ability users wouldn't be known as the hardest enemies to kill on the sea."

Rayleigh spoke calmly.

"Sigh."

As Rayleigh and Gaban conversed, Roger sighed, attracting curious glances from Gaban and Rayleigh.

"If I knew it would be this interesting, I would have joined in earlier."

Roger looked at the shattered island with regret.

Meanwhile, Rayleigh and Gaban, hearing their captain's words, turned their heads back to continue observing the battlefield.

Whitebeard's strike stirred up gusts of wind.

When the dust settled and the smoke dispersed, the scene on the island entered Whitebeard's view.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Suddenly, a violent coughing sound reached Whitebeard's ears, making him focus.

"You actually held on!"

Whitebeard said in surprise.

Nicholas was still alive, but his condition was extremely poor. At this moment, he had fallen to the ground, kneeling with one knee on the ground and his hand propping himself up. He coughed up blood heavily, and blood flowers fell to the ground like blooming plum blossoms, stunning yet poignant.

His complexion was pale, with many parts of his body blurred, and even some places where the bone was visible, terrifying wounds caused by the cracks generated by Whitebeard's strike.

"Hoo, hoo!"

Nicholas gasped heavily, the scent of rust and heat filling his nostrils.

Whitebeard's strike was the most severe injury he had ever suffered!

"Boom!"

Suddenly, Nicholas stood up, his eyes opening to reveal dazzling lightning, and a vast and imposing aura radiated from him.

Sharp and violent lightning surged around him, enveloping his entire body.

"This is... Conqueror's Haki!?"

Rayleigh and Gaban exchanged surprised glances. Clearly, the overwhelming pressure emanating from Nicholas could only be produced by Conqueror's Haki.

"This Conqueror's Haki with such a range isn't something you can handle. Quickly, keep the ship moving away."

Marco watched as many crew members on the ship collapsed with rolling eyes, loudly instructing.

"No, that's not Conqueror's Haki."

Roger stared intently at the direction of the island, his expression serious. As the owner of the top-tier Conqueror's Haki on the sea, he could easily discern that the aura spreading from the island towards all directions wasn't Conqueror's Haki.

"That's something even more terrifying."

Roger's expression was grave because in his perception, Nicholas's aura seemed to have completely changed, even transforming into a different aura altogether.

Meanwhile, on the island, Whitebeard witnessed Nicholas's state firsthand, noticing the rapid change in him, which filled him with shock.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

Amidst the crackling lightning, Nicholas's figure was enveloped in dazzling purple lightning, and his clothing quickly transformed into a mythological robe woven from lightning. Ribbons fluttered, swiftly outlining mysterious runes inscribed on it.

At the same time, intricate lightning patterns appeared all over Nicholas's body, and the horrifying wounds on his body quickly healed.

Soon, like the god of thunder, Nicholas hovered in front of Whitebeard, causing him to widen his eyes in astonishment.

"Looks like you can still stand up, Kid!"

"Trying to knock me down with this level of attack? You still have a long way to go!"

One tall, one short, they stared at each other, their breaths heavy and deep.

The clash of two forces, lightning and vibration, that were never supposed to intersect collided at this moment.

"Zap!"

Moments later, Nicholas's body once again shimmered with dazzling light, blue electric arcs crackling around him, swirling around his body.

"Newgate! Don't disappoint me!"

Nicholas's voice, filled with blazing battle intent, resounded, making Whitebeard's gaze sharpen. He, too, responded without hesitation.

"Kid, you're definitely going down first!"

Whitebeard swung his naginata, and dust rose from the ground as he did so. Along with Nicholas's surging battle intent, his own battle intent also grew stronger.

"Be careful, Newgate!"

After saying this, Nicholas closed his eyes, his previous injuries and intense battle leaving him somewhat languid. However, his spirit and will had reached their peak at this moment.