As far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of snowy plains stretched out, with winding coastlines covered in eternal ice. Amidst the swirling snow, flocks of penguins roamed. White was the dominant color here, with the cold wind and falling snow creating a stark, wintery world.
This was South Pole, the southernmost point in One piece world. It was also a forbidden zone for human civilization. Even those powerful enough to move mountains and seas were reluctant to set foot here. Nature's long-lasting marks were perfectly preserved in this desolate land.
The sight of the endless icy ocean and sky was awe-inspiring. Cold air swept across the tundra, glaciers, icebergs, and seawater, ultimately transforming into monsoons over the ocean.
At this moment, in the uninhabited expanse of South Pole, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, shattering a large expanse of icebergs. Amid the collapsing ice and surging shockwaves, Nicholas's figure slowly appeared. The collar of his coat fluttered in the wind, and his black hair whipped wildly behind him.
Nicholas's gaze was fixed on the distant horizon, his expression grim. In the direction he was staring, a figure was descending slowly. Snowflakes swirled above their hand, and their luxurious golden hair fluttered in the frigid southern wind, exuding an air of nobility. A crown inlaid with precious jewels sat atop their head.
"It's been many years since I've seen snow. It does bring back memories," Imu remarked, catching an incoming lightning spear and crushing it before disappearing. She reappeared right in front of Nicholas, her seemingly fragile arm suddenly enveloped in a terrifying aura of Armament Haki.
"Don't worry. One punch should be enough for you," Imu said. As she threw her punch, Nicholas prepared himself, concentrating all his Haki on his chest and forming an armor of lightning to block the blow.
But when Imu's flawless white fist struck, the lightning armor was torn apart like paper. The high-level Armament Haki defenses Nicholas had constructed were instantly shredded by Imu's even more formidable Haki. Her fist smashed into his chest without any resistance.
"Crack!"
Nicholas could hear the sound of his bones breaking as the punch landed. Pain engulfed his entire body, especially around his heart, where Imu's arm had replaced it.
Is this a joke? How strong is her Haki?
His Haki seemed no better than paper in front of hers. Staring at Imu's face, just inches away behind a veil, Nicholas found it hard to believe.
"It's a pity your journey ends here, fate-shrouded one," Imu said, elegantly withdrawing her arm. With a flick, steaming blood splattered onto the snow, quickly freezing into blood crystals in the cold wind.
Nicholas struggled to keep his eyes open, his vision doubling. In his haze, he thought he saw June's face. His mouth opened and closed, trying to speak, but no sound came out. With his heart gone, his strength was rapidly draining away.
"Is this the end?" Nicholas's head buzzed. He should have realized it sooner, shouldn't he? The final boss in those hot-blooded manga always had strength several times greater than any previous boss, and it seemed only the protagonist could turn the tide at the crucial moment through sheer will, destiny, or other random factors.
No, if others could do it, why can't I?
But why does it feel so cold? My body won't move.
I still have Life Return. My will can still control my body!
I still have the Goro Goro no Mi!
I still have people waiting for me to return!
Move, damn it!
In the mental world where light was continuously fading and being devoured by darkness, Nicholas roared madly. As his emotions and will burned, his mental world erupted like a cataclysmic event.
In his consciousness space, there was first a faint rumble of thunder, followed by a booming thunderclap. Massive amounts of lightning surged, transforming the consciousness space into a sea of lightning. These bolts of lightning seemed to come alive, flooding every corner of his body and merging into it, reaching the deepest parts of his being.
Hmm?
Imu, who had been turning away, suddenly stopped and looked back at Nicholas's body with some doubt.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap resounded across the desolate Antarctic continent, untouched by humans for thousands of years. As the thunder echoed, the dark clouds in the sky began to swirl, forming a massive vortex above the two figures.
With this phenomenon, the cold wind on the icy plains intensified, slicing through the air like knives, sweeping across the surface of the continent. But near Nicholas, these fierce winds strangely calmed, as if there was something even they feared.
Watching Nicholas, Imu muttered to herself, "This is—"
Before she could finish, a massive bolt of lightning, hundreds of meters wide, struck Nicholas's location from the vortex in the sky, forcing Imu to momentarily retreat. Amid the thunder and lightning, a figure slowly emerged from the massive bolt.
"Roar!"
A terrifying roar accompanied the emergence of the figure. The surrounding wind swept wildly, and the massive lightning enveloping the figure was suddenly absorbed into its body.
Nicholas's hair flew wildly in the air, now interwoven with lightning. His eyes, crackling with electricity, had lost all human emotion. The once wild lightning now seemed tame and docile before him.
Exhaling deeply, the ice plains began to crumble. The ground couldn't bear the presence standing upon it. The figure's body expanded rapidly—100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, 500 meters, and still growing.
When it finally stabilized, it stood as a colossal lightning deity, towering over everything, holding bolts of lightning, surrounded by wind, snow, and thunder. Just standing there, the deity instilled fear in all who beheld it.
Even the giants would seem like mere insects compared to this deity, let alone humans.
"Is this the awakening of a Logia fruit? What a surprising little fellow. But this will be your final splendor," Imu said, without a trace of fear in her eyes as she looked at the towering lightning god before her.
"Roar!"
The newly born god of lightning roared, red light flickering in its eyes. The roar alone whipped up a gust that blew Imu's veil away, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. As the roar continued, endless lightning bolts fell from the sky, causing massive explosions on the ice plains and destroying everything in their path.
Yet, faced with this overwhelming onslaught, Imu only dodged, choosing not to attack.
"Hmm?"
Imu suddenly seemed puzzled. According to her understanding, once a Logia user awakens, they are usually assimilated by the element they represent, eventually becoming one with it. Almost no one could escape this fate because compared to nature, humans were insignificant.
In her view, Nicholas's fruit had awakened, giving him terrifying power. But over time, he would be assimilated by the lightning, ultimately becoming part of it. However, while Nicholas was approaching the state of lightning, even appearing like a lightning deity, his assimilation seemed unusually slow.
"Is he resisting becoming part of the lightning?" Imu murmured as she watched.
"But the will of nature is not something you can defy!" she declared, turning to leave. To her, Nicholas's fate was sealed. Human will couldn't compete with the will of the World. Nicholas would inevitably dissolve into lightning and vanish; it was only a matter of time.
Moreover, in the process of merging with nature, his power would increase exponentially, posing a significant threat even to her. Thus, Imu was unwilling to engage in a battle with someone destined to perish.
[AN - Pray for our boi 😭😭🤞🏻🤞🏻]