While Neptune was dining with Nicholas, a guard from the Ryugu Palace hurriedly entered. Originally intending to report directly to Neptune, the guard hesitated upon seeing Nicholas there.
"What's happening?" Neptune asked, his brow furrowed.
"The Nalo Pirates have breached the border defenses of the Communication Corridor, and the losses are severe! Captain Nalo, one of this year's Supernovas, with a bounty of 150 million, along with twelve crew members, is a small but powerful elite pirate crew!"
The guard from the Ryugu Palace spoke anxiously. For them, dealing with a pirate crew with such a high bounty would certainly come at a great cost. Every time a high-bounty pirate crew attacked Fish-Man Island, it was a crisis.
"What are the details?"
"Besides Captain Nalo, Vice Captain Blood Hand has a bounty of 110 million, and three other combatants have bounties exceeding 50 million! The total bounty for the pirate crew is approximately 500 million!"
Upon hearing this, Neptune's expression became grave. It seemed like it would be a fierce battle.
"As compensation for the meal you invited me to, I'll take care of them later," Nicholas casually remarked. Unbeknownst to him, his strength had skyrocketed. These so-called Supernova pirate crews were no longer on the same level as him. His opponents were the monsters at the very top of the world!
On the Nalo pirate ship in the Communication Corridor:
"These fish-men and merfolk are really weak," a crew member said with a light laugh.
"Heh heh, the disdainful look from that fish-man earlier was pathetic. He boasted all day about fish-men being dozens of times stronger than humans, only to be punched to death."
Nalo listened to his comrade's words and chuckled. "The New World is getting more chaotic. This time, let's return to the West Sea to avoid trouble. We'll capture more merfolk later. Besides selling them at a high price, our days in the West Sea won't be so lonely. I've heard about the beauty of mermaids for a long time."
The other crew members smiled knowingly. These pirates were quite confident. As pirates who had seen the world in the New World, they had considerable confidence.
It's understandable. In the original work, when Luffy and other Supernova pirate crews arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, they considered challenging the Four Emperors once they entered the New World, and even believed that reaching the summit was only a matter of time.
Until they encountered a certain creepy old man who gave them a harsh lesson.
The Nalo pirate crew, having stayed in the New World, had the same understanding of the first half of the Grand Line and even the Four Seas as other pirates in the New World—that it was paradise.
"The guards from Fish-Man Island seem to have received some kind of message; they've surrounded us but haven't shown any intention of attacking," a navigator on Nalo's ship suddenly said.
Hearing this, Nalo, who had originally planned to return to his hometown to avoid trouble, felt a bit uneasy. He had a vague sense of foreboding.
"Thanks for the meal," Nicholas said as he stood up. His belly was bulging comically, and Neptune was dumbfounded. He knew that Nicholas had just consumed almost a mountain of food.
However, his astonishment turned into shock as he saw Nicholas casually pat his abdomen with both hands. In an instant, Nicholas's entire abdomen twisted strangely a few times, then returned to normal in the astonished eyes of Neptune and the others.
Rejuvenation!
This ability to quickly digest food and turn it into energy was extremely helpful for Nicholas.
"After eating, let's get some exercise. Let me see where to go."
With that, Nicholas's Observation Haki instantly began expanding outward.
"Found it..."
Red light flashed in Nicholas's eyes, and then he disappeared from the hall.
As he watched the spot where Nicholas had been standing, now empty, with only a faint voice remaining, Neptune's pupils suddenly shrank, deepening his fear of those monsters at sea.
"Captain, there are people ahead!"
"It's Nicholas, that lunatic!"
The words of his subordinates caused Nalo's pupils to shrink, and he immediately stepped forward to look at the figure appearing in front.
"Prepare for battle!"
Nalo roared, gripping the spear in his hand tightly.
In the blink of an eye, the relaxed atmosphere on the ship vanished. The entire Nalo pirate crew drew their weapons, their faces solemn as they looked ahead.
Just as the Nalo pirate crew prepared to face off:
Watching the approaching pirate ship, Nicholas raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
Following closely, a smell of ozone filled the air as blue lightning faintly emanated from Nicholas's fist.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
A piercing sound rang out. Then, Nalo widened his eyes as he saw a huge ball of lightning, similar in size to their pirate ship, descending straight toward them.
"Oh crap!"
"Boom!"
Thunder roared, and the sound of impact resounded. In the eyes of the Fish-Man Island guards, the huge spherical lightning directly enveloped the entire pirate ship. Lightning bolts and shockwaves swept in all directions.
As the last trace of lightning disappeared, the appearance of the entire pirate ship reappeared before everyone's eyes. The ship looked ravaged, with broken masts, shattered decks, and fractured hulls.
"You lunatic!"
Nalo, kneeling on the ground, looked around at the dilapidated pirate ship and the bodies of his comrades lying on the ground, some with their skin torn apart, some burning like charcoal. His gaze was fierce and full of madness.
With just one move from a distance, he knew that the lunatic blocking him and the others was incredibly powerful, far beyond his own!
This time, even if he risked his life, the possibility of escaping was slim!
Enduring the pain of his torn flesh and skin, Nalo slowly stood up, looking at Nicholas, who appeared at the bow of the ship, and asked, suppressing his anger, "Nicholas, have we offended you!?"
"No."
Nicholas replied indifferently.
"Then why..."
"To destroy you, what's about it? After being at sea for so long, don't you understand this principle? If you have a big fist as a pirate, you're right. If you can't accept it, become an adventurer. If you become a pirate, you must have the resolve to be a pirate."
Faced with Nicholas's indifferent words, Nalo roared, and at that moment, he erupted with his strongest fighting power, rushing towards Nicholas.
With each step he took, the deck shook, and wood chips flew.
"Useless struggle, White Lightning!"
As Nicholas raised his finger, a bolt of lightning shot out, piercing Nalo's forehead.
"Bang!"
As his forehead was hit, Nalo took two more steps forward before gradually slowing down. Eventually, both knees gave out, and he collapsed on the deck, his head tilting back as if wanting to see the color of the sky one more time.
"Lord Nicholas."
After the battle ended, a mermaid approached with a tone of fear. Although they had received a message from the Ryugu Palace that Nicholas was an ally, everything that happened still filled them with dread.
"You guys clean up here. I'm leaving first."
After saying that, Nicholas disappeared in a flash of lightning.
With Nicholas's intervention, Neptune noticeably became friendlier and even helped supply Nicholas with provisions.
After quickly resupplying, Nicholas planned to leave. As he departed, Neptune personally saw him off.
"Neptune, if you ever have a daughter, let me be her godfather."
With that, the ship carrying Nicholas set sail directly for the New World.
Neptune, on the other hand, stood there in confusion. He was still single, so where would a daughter come from???