Inside Pangaea Castle
Nicholas moved through the castle like it was an unguarded realm, arriving at a grand hall. This hall, hidden in the deepest part of Mariejois for 800 years, contained the Empty Throne—long seen by the world as a symbol of the World Government's non-dictatorial rule.
The moment Nicholas stepped into Mariejois, he immediately sensed the powerful presence lurking here. Similarly, that presence felt his arrival.
Without hesitation, Nicholas pushed open the massive doors and entered the hall where kings from across the world swore their allegiance to the World Government.
Inside, Nicholas's gaze swept over the long red carpet, climbed the stairs symbolizing power, and passed through the platform filled with the weapons of the kings allied with the World Government. Finally, his eyes locked onto the Empty Throne, a symbol of peace.
But in this moment, a figure was seated on that throne—a tall, slender person wearing a crown.
The one seated on the throne, Imu, lowered her gaze to look at Nicholas, who had entered alone.
A silent stare.
Both their eyes were filled with indifference.
After a moment, Imu looked at Nicholas and slowly spoke.
"Should I call you... Nicholas, or the representative of the world's will?"
This statement, if heard by others, would be utterly confusing.
"Of course, I'm Nicholas. Who else could I be?"
Nicholas's voice was filled with certainty as he looked at Imu.
"....."
Imu continued to look down at Nicholas, silent. However, her golden eyes rippled slightly, as though deep water had been disturbed.
"Actually, I have a question too, and I want you to answer it."
Nicholas turned his gaze to Imu.
There was also a trace of curiosity in Imu's eyes, as if she too was interested in what Nicholas wanted to ask.
"After you overthrew those people, you and JoyBoy should have already stood at the peak of this world. So why did you lead the kings who rebelled with you to attack JoyBoy?"
"The answer to that is quite simple."
Imu's cool voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Even though we held the strongest power in the world, after we overthrew those people, we would have become the sole rulers of this world. We would be gods standing at the pinnacle!
But JoyBoy wanted those filthy beings to stand on equal footing with us!
We are the children of the Creator, and those beings were nothing more than lower life forms, born from the Creator's manipulation of animal cells.
What right did they have to stand as equals with us, the noble ones?!
JoyBoy was supposed to be the new king of the world, but he made a foolish decision.
Even now, I can vividly remember the heartache of killing him with my own hands."
As if recalling that moment, Imu gently placed her hand on her chest, as though it could ease the stabbing pain in her heart.
The hall fell silent.
For a brief moment, Nicholas felt like he was watching a melodramatic soap opera. But he quickly shook the thought out of his mind.
Right now, the most important thing was to defeat her here! To win a battle that would change the entire world.
Nicholas said no more. His eyes flashed with electricity, and the sound of thunder roared around him. Bright blue light began to radiate from his body.
In the hall, lightning appeared out of thin air, striking down continuously around him.
On the Empty Throne, Imu looked at Nicholas with cold eyes, showing no intention of getting up. Although her gaze showed no disdain, her actions made it clear that Nicholas's attack posed little threat to her.
Nicholas stood still as well, raising a hand and pointing toward Imu. In an instant, the lightning around him responded to his command, converging into a massive dragon made of electricity.
"Thunder Dragon," Nicholas whispered.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the dragon let out a roar and, with claws extended, rushed at Imu.
Buzzing filled the hall as the violent lightning ravaged the space, causing the many weapons placed before the throne to vibrate under the dragon's force.
In an instant, the menacing dragon opened its jaws wide and approached Imu.
However—
Imu calmly raised her arm and met the dragon head-on with her palm.
Without any visible effort, the dragon shattered on impact, dissipating into countless tiny bolts of lightning that scattered in the air.
"Conqueror's Haki, is it…"
Although there was no visible Haki aura, Nicholas narrowed his eyes, recognizing the technique Imu used to block his attack.
The moment he entered Pangaea Castle, he had pushed his Observation Haki to its limits. He knew that Imu was the strongest opponent he had ever faced, and he had to take her seriously.
Through Observation Haki, he clearly saw that at the moment the dragon struck, Imu's Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the dragon and directly neutralized the attack.
Putting everything else aside, her mastery of Conqueror's Haki alone was enough to place her at the top of the world.
Conqueror's Haki was powerful but difficult to control. Developing it from its most basic form to advanced stages like imbuing and coating required deep mastery.
Imu's flawless control of Conqueror's Haki only proved her immense strength.
"This is getting interesting. But you still don't seem to be at your peak."
As Nicholas spoke, a long sword appeared in his hand, and his eyes glowed red.
Thunder boomed inside the hall.
In a flash, Nicholas appeared before Imu, his long sword slashing toward her with unstoppable force.
This attack was fierce and inescapable.
Facing Nicholas's strike, Imu raised her palm again. Black and red lightning arced from her body, her Conqueror's Haki enveloping her arm.
Boom!
The tip of Nicholas's sword clashed with Imu's palm, but an invisible barrier seemed to stop it before it could make contact.
The violent clash generated shockwaves, cracking the stone around the throne.
The cracks in the foundation seemed to foreshadow the crumbling rule of the World Government.
At the same time, the unleashed shockwaves carved deep gashes into the walls of the hall.
Seeing these gashes, it was clear that anyone else present would have been torn apart instantly.
After a brief collision, the two separated again.
Imu stood up from the throne, descending the steps.
As she moved, her luxurious robe slipped off, revealing a magnificently ornate set of armor underneath.
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from her, rippling through the space and distorting the air like waves.