A barrage of light bullets enveloped Nicholas, leaving him no space to dodge. However, Nicholas didn't see the need to avoid this level of attack. His eyes, glowing red, glanced at the incoming hundreds of light bullets. In an instant, bolts of lightning appeared before him, forming hundreds of plasma bullets identical to Kizaru's light bullets. These plasma bullets met the light bullets head-on.
The next moment, plasma and light bullets collided in mid-air, each explosion precisely countering the incoming attack. The sky was filled with continuous explosions.
Kizaru's eyes widened in shock. Not only was Nicholas's Devil Fruit power extraordinary, but his Observation Haki was also beyond belief. Kizaru's light bullets weren't slow attacks; they reached Nicholas in mere fractions of a second. Yet, in that short span, Nicholas's Observation Haki accurately predicted the number and trajectory of the light bullets, allowing him to counter with plasma bullets.
Kizaru couldn't afford to dwell on it. Even if his attack was neutralized, he needed to maintain his offensive. He had promised Fujitora he'd keep Nicholas occupied.
Kizaru leaped into the sky, crossing his arms as a star-like light glowed between his hands.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Highly penetrative light bullets rained down like a torrential downpour, covering Nicholas.
"Is this useful?"
Seeing the dense barrage of light bullets descending, Nicholas remained unperturbed. Lightning flashed around him as he vanished into thin air.
Booming explosions filled the sea like a series of fireworks. In mid-air, Kizaru's face grew serious. His speed, akin to light, failed to gain the upper hand against Nicholas's Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Nicholas's exceptional Observation Haki negated Kizaru's speed advantage.
Light bullets, formed from highly penetrative light elements, were ineffective against Nicholas's Observation Haki and elementalization. Kizaru's laser attacks, feared by countless pirates, also lost their original potency against Nicholas.
The only solace was that while he couldn't defeat Nicholas, Nicholas couldn't defeat him either. As light itself, Kizaru wouldn't be easily taken down.
"He's coming!"
Kizaru saw Nicholas, transformed into lightning, breaking through his Yasakani no Magatama barrage, and prepared himself.
Facing Kizaru, Nicholas found it troublesome. Kizaru's speed could be a real nuisance if he decided to play keep-away. To defeat Kizaru, Nicholas had to neutralize his speed advantage.
"Thunder Net!"
At Nicholas's command, lightning materialized around Kizaru, creating a thunderous net. Lightning surged from all directions, compressing towards Kizaru.
"Light isn't so easily trapped."
Kizaru transformed into a beam of light, swiftly breaking through the Thunder Net, reappearing in the distant sky.
With a smug smile, Kizaru looked at the Germa fleet about to be destroyed by meteors.
"Nicholas, your time is running out."
"Dragon, North Blue, Punta Arenas."
Nicholas's words caused Kizaru's smile to freeze instantly.
...
At this moment, the meteor summoned by Issho was about to smash into Germa 66 on the sea. Judge, disregarding the strength difference between him and Fujitora, charged at him with his three sons, all wearing their specialized Germa combat suits. However, Fujitora easily handled them, like an adult disciplining children.
"You... do you intend to kill the innocent people of Germa?" Judge, realizing he couldn't win, shifted to psychological tactics, leveraging the intelligence Germa had gathered on Fujitora's actions in the North Blue.
"Innocent? Are there any ordinary people in Germa 66's war fortress, aside from those artificial soldiers you've created with technology? Besides, for those poor souls born to be warriors, death might be a release."
As they confronted each other, the meteor suddenly halted in mid-air, as if stopped by an unseen force. The unexpected change stunned everyone, making them look up at the suspended meteor. Fujitora frowned, sensing something amiss, and looked toward the battlefield where Nicholas and Kizaru were fighting.
Their battle had ceased, and Kizaru was frowning deeply. Nicholas, however, was slowly walking toward the battlefield. As he approached, the meteor in the sky began to descend slowly into the sea, causing nothing more than ripples.
Nicholas stood opposite Fujitora. "Issho, do me a favor. I still have use for the Vinsmoke family," Nicholas said, looking at him.
In the sky, Kizaru's expression was conflicted, his thoughts preoccupied with the names and places Nicholas had mentioned during their fight.
Issho's pale eyes stared at Nicholas, his right hand slowly tightening around his sword hilt. Though he recognized and agreed with Nicholas's actions, formalities had to be observed.
Nicholas summoned a long sword into his hand and swung it, sending a massive cylindrical slash toward Issho. Simultaneously, Issho gripped his cane sword, its purple ripples blocking the cylindrical slash. The clash of white energy waves and purple ripples created a fierce contest in the air.
Feeling the power in his hands, Issho silently exerted more force, dispersing Nicholas's attack. "Inferno Voyage!" he cried, flipping his wrist to bring his cane sword down on Nicholas's position. The deep purple sword light flashed, creating a wide gravity field that carved a deep cylindrical void in the sea.
Just as Nicholas was about to counter, he sensed something and stepped back. A laser beam struck where he had stood. Looking up, Nicholas saw Kizaru in the sky.
"Oh, have you made your decision?" Nicholas's eyes glowed red, indicating he saw something different.
Nicholas swung his sword at Issho again. Issho raised his sword to block, but before he could, a light sword materialized, blocking Nicholas's attack firmly.
"What a troublesome guy. But don't forget, there are two of us here," Kizaru said, his voice lazy as always. As he spoke, Issho's cane sword swung toward Nicholas from the side.
An unspoken performance began, with Kizaru and Issho playing against each other.