"Hehe, it's over, isn't it? That kid seems quite unwilling."
With Shiki's words, Kaido, who had been kicked away, rushed back again, swinging his club fiercely towards Nicholas. Obviously, he intended to smash this guy into pulp.
"Thunder Bagua!"
With Kaido's roar, the club carried an unstoppable momentum!
Bang!
But with a muffled sound, Kaido was blasted away.
After a brief silence, the surrounding pirates erupted into frenzied cheers. Some even started betting, although the odds were a bit outrageous, one to a hundred!
"Hahaha, that kid seems familiar to me, his name is Kaido, right? He was the one they said was a monster in the New World last time!"
"But boss, why are you all betting on that guy named Nicholas to win?"
"He's new?"
"Yeah."
"Give me all the money you have, we'll split the winnings seventy-thirty."
"Boss, here's the money. Can you tell me now?"
"That guy is the captain of the Seventh Division, just like Whitebeard and the others, a real monster! Is Kaido out of his mind trying to defeat him?"
At the same time, on the grandstand, Rocks, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and others watched calmly as Kaido was blasted away.
"Hahaha, just as I expected."
Rocks laughed wildly, obviously satisfied with the scene.
"That guy doesn't seem to use Devil Fruit abilities? His growth rate is really terrifying."
Whitebeard, as a strong figure of his level, could notice details that ordinary pirates couldn't.
"It seems Nicholas is using the Stance from the Navy's Rokushiki, but it's a waste not to use Devil Fruit powers and focus on martial arts."
Shiki scoffed, believing that both Haki and martial arts were supplementary to Devil Fruit abilities. The strong figures in Rocks's pirate group, for example, had all developed their Devil Fruits to the extreme. If Nicholas developed his Thunder Fruit to its fullest, he would definitely be among the top tier on the sea.
"But Shiki, you can't underestimate martial arts. When mastered, they are as powerful as Devil Fruit abilities. Both Roger and the Navy's Garp are tough opponents."
Wang Zhi interjected.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Nicholas and Kaido clashed again. Despite Kaido's fierce attacks, Nicholas seemed to evade effortlessly, like a slippery eel, infuriating Kaido.
"You, are you just going to keep dodging like a rat!?"
Facing Nicholas, who was even slipperier than an eel, Kaido went berserk.
Whoosh!
When Nicholas reappeared, he was standing on Kaido's club, looking down at him. "Is that it?"
Just two simple words, but they carried a deeply insulting tone.
The cacophony around them fell silent, many pirates watching Nicholas in awe. While many were confident in facing someone like Kaido, they couldn't match Nicholas's calmness against Kaido's attacks.
No wonder Rocks's pirate group was called the "Monster Concentration Camp" of the sea.
Kaido stared at Nicholas, his face filled with rage.
But for him, if one blow didn't work, he'd try another.
"Kid, looks like you're pretty strong."
Kaido grinned wickedly, his upper body covered in Armament Haki. "You better not die easily next!"
His massive arm clenched into a fist, aiming at Nicholas.
As Nicholas dodged using Shave, Kaido's club, imbued with thunderous power, swung towards him.
"Kid, your weird martial art relies on airflow generated by attacks to dodge, right? But what will you do when surrounded by chaotic airflow!?"
"Simple, I won't dodge!"
As Nicholas's voice fell, his right arm, covered in black-purple Armament Haki, with blue electric currents, struck out like flowing clouds and flowing water!
Clang!
With a sound of metal clashing, even the air vibrated. A shockwave rippled out from the center where they stood.
Then, a scene that shocked all the pirates appeared: Kaido's club visibly bent into a '7' shape from the center.
The club then snapped in half, while Nicholas's fist, without stopping, solidly struck Kaido's face.
Blood sprayed from Kaido's mouth and nose, even a tooth flew out with the blood.
After landing a blow, Nicholas didn't stop. He appeared around Kaido like lightning, leaving afterimages due to his incredible speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kaido's massive body swayed like a leaf in a gale.
He didn't have a chance to resist, even though his body was covered in Armament Haki, he was still beaten badly, pitiful to behold.
When he hit the ground, he lost consciousness completely.
From being punched by Kaido to hitting the ground, in just two seconds, he endured tons of damage.
With Kaido's fall, the surrounding pirates erupted into loud cheers.
And just as Kaido, who had fallen, tried to stand again, his eyes still rolled back, indicating he hadn't regained consciousness.
"Is it the body's instinctive fighting? What a terrifying guy."
Nicholas didn't show much interest in Kaido, who lost consciousness but stood up again. After all, Kaido hadn't eaten that fruit yet, his strength was far inferior to later times.
At the moment of everyone's astonishment, Nicholas had already casually walked up to Kaido and using his foot pressed Kaido head into the ground.
This time, he wouldn't get a chance to stand up again.