"Is that it?"
Seeing Judge confidently deploy Germa's advanced weapon, only for it to be effortlessly caught by Kaido with his bare hand, Nicholas couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. The gap between individuals was truly like a chasm. If it were a weapon developed by Vegapunk, Kaido wouldn't dare to handle it so casually.
Judge's face also turned grim. According to his calculations, even if the attack couldn't severely injure Kaido, it should at least wound him and destroy an enemy ship. Instead, Kaido blocked it single-handedly.
To make matters worse, the Navy had arrived.
The only consolation was that Germa was not directly caught between the Beasts Pirates and the Navy fleet. Otherwise, Judge felt he might have considered surrendering, hoping to negotiate a better outcome.
As Judge was lost in thought, he saw Nicholas walking up to the wall, his hand slowly forming a long sword crackling with lightning.
With the sword in hand, Nicholas adopted a stance full of lethal intent, placing the back of the sword against his shoulder.
"What is this?" Judge pondered, watching Nicholas's actions.
...
"Hmm?"
The dangerous aura emanating from Germa's war fortress drew the attention of the nearby Beasts Pirates. Sensing the impending danger, the crew's instincts kicked in, causing their hairs to stand on end.
"There's a very dangerous guy over at Germa," Kizaru said, hands in his pockets, his sunglasses masking his eyes.
The Warlords on the other ships also looked towards Germa with mixed expressions. They had initially seen the battle as primarily between the Navy and the Beasts Pirates, with Germa being a minor player. However, it seemed Germa was not as simple as they thought.
"Crocodile, do you think Sengoku anticipated Germa's move?" asked Doflamingo, crouched on the ship's cannon, eyeing Sengoku on the Navy flagship. Doflamingo knew exactly who Nicholas was.
"Sword aura?" Mihawk noted the gathering sword aura from Germa's direction, his brows furrowing slightly. He instinctively used Observation Haki, sensing the brewing threat.
"Kaido-nii, that move?" King asked, his expression serious as he felt the accumulating pressure.
"Hohoho, that guy is here too. This is getting interesting!" Kaido said, excitement evident in his voice.
"It's coming."
A faint rustling sound reached the air, almost imperceptible.
"Hmm?"
Kaido and King, both highly attuned to their surroundings, caught the disturbance at the same time.
"What's coming?" Queen asked curiously, aware that something terrifying was brewing but unsure of the details.
From the Navy's side, Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, and others also sensed the disturbance from Germa.
"Could it be..."
Vice Admiral Strawberry glanced around at the senior naval officers' expressions, then at the reactions of the Warlords on the nearby ships. He looked towards the sudden burst of bright light from Germa's direction and, realizing what might be happening, broke into a cold sweat.
As a massive white pillar-like shockwave surged rapidly from Germa's war fortress, the Beasts Pirates were left in shock.
Boom!
The shockwave sliced through the sea, cutting a path through the water.
Judge was left speechless, staring at Nicholas who had unleashed the stored sword energy.
And then—
Nicholas's voice echoed softly in Judge's ear.
"Conqueror's Sovereignty."
An attack with such power when fully charged was on a completely different level compared to an uncharged one. At that moment, Nicholas unleashed the charged Conqueror's Sovereignty, a powerful shockwave wrapped in white light that sliced through the sea like a comet, heading straight for the Beasts Pirates' fleet.
The immense power of the attack made it clear that if it hit the fleet, the damage would be catastrophic.
Many members of the Beasts Pirates panicked at the incoming attack. As most of them stared in shock, the column-shaped shockwave from Nicholas engulfed Kaido at the ship's bow.
In an instant, the aftermath of Nicholas's attack stirred up towering waves, sending them crashing towards the nearby ships of the Beasts Pirates.
Suddenly, a screeching sound, like claws on glass, emanated from the shockwave. As the residual energy dissipated, everyone saw Kaido, transformed into a dragon, coiling his massive body in front of the ship, having used his formidable dragon form to block the attack.
"Boss Kaido!"
"Lord Kaido, amazing!"
"Lord Kaido, invincible!"
On the ship behind the dragon, the crew, including the officers, showered praise on the imposing figure standing atop the ship, floating on flame clouds.
This guy... truly has a monstrous body. No wonder he's so terrifying with the power of a Mythical Zoan Fruit. A body already formidable, combined with a Devil Fruit with high compatibility, creates a monster like this.
Could it be that Sengoku didn't assign him a specific target because his opponent was predetermined?
Rosinante, having rejoined the Marines and wearing his uniform, watched Sengoku standing calmly at the bow of the ship, silently guessing.
"Deduced even Nicholas's presence? Truly the 'Buddha' of strategy, Sengoku," Doflamingo muttered darkly, seeing that Sengoku wasn't surprised by Germa's unexpected actions.
"Quite the greeting, Nicholas!" Kaido, in his dragon form, laughed, his eyes full of intimidation directed at Nicholas, who had just sheathed his sword on the Germa fortress wall.
Nicholas exhaled calmly, unaffected by Kaido's threatening gaze, and turned to the astonished Judge and his three sons, saying regretfully, "I thought I could sink several ships at once. I guess I was overestimating."
Judge remained relatively composed, but his three sons looked at Nicholas like he was a monster. They had always prided themselves on being superior to ordinary humans, especially their so-called useless brother.
But seeing Nicholas's way of greeting Kaido left them questioning their beliefs. Despite their confidence in their exoskeletons, knowing that ordinary guns and cannons were insignificant, they realized standing next to Nicholas that being caught in that sword strike would have torn them to shreds. And yet, that monstrous dragon had blocked it with his body. It was beyond comprehension.
As the Conqueror's Sovereignty's power faded, everyone's eyes shifted between Nicholas and the dragon-form Kaido.
Even the Navy fleet halted their advance, seemingly waiting for the two to fight it out, so they could pick up the pieces.