Stepping Stone!

Battlefield of the Flower Capital.

Inside the battlefield.

Nicholas breathed a sigh of relief, his idle left hand gently wiping the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, his chest still ached slightly.

After all, it was a combination technique of two Emperors.

Although he had faced it head-on, it was impossible to emerge completely unscathed.

Even though they were just minor injuries...

But it made Nicholas aware of his current approximate state.

"Now, facing Kaido and Charlotte Linlin teaming up might be a bit tricky for me, but if it's one-on-one, I'm sure to win..."

Nicholas couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth.

Dealing with two Emperors combined, and emerging victorious.

This kind of feat might seem incredible to others, but for Nicholas, it was something he believed he could achieve.

"Before I face that guy who's been at the top of the world for eight hundred years, let you two... be my stepping stones."

Nicholas showed no concern for the pain coming from his body, pointing his sword towards Kaido and Charlotte Linlin in the distance.

For him, both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were undoubtedly formidable forces, but Nicholas had no intention of recruiting or cooperating with either of them. His long-standing personality had made the possibility of cooperation with these two almost nonexistent.

At this moment.

Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were also surprised as they looked at Nicholas.

They had never expected Nicholas to block the combined technique they unleashed.

Although it did cause some damage, it was limited.

"Hey, Kaido, maybe it's because your strength is too weak...!!!"

Charlotte Linlin's face, which was already starting to bulge, twitched as she looked at Kaido with a sidelong glance.

"Tch."

Kaido snorted disdainfully, ignoring Charlotte Linlin's words. Although their combined technique, Hakai, was indeed powerful, it was just a joint attack by the two of them. Therefore, Kaido had already made a certain judgment on the effectiveness of Hakai.

Not bothering to explain to Charlotte Linlin, Kaido looked at Nicholas with a voice full of killing intent, "That guy's words, you heard them, right? Stepping stone???"

"I heard."

Charlotte Linlin's gaze was extremely fierce. It could be said that when she first left the Rocks Pirates to start her own career, there were still many pirates who wanted to use her as a stepping stone to fame. But as more and more people were killed, gradually no one dared to easily use her and others as stepping stones anymore.

But unexpectedly, she heard it again today.

Since the overwhelming attack, Hakai, failed to kill Nicholas, and even failed to seriously injure him, Charlotte Linlin was very displeased. After all, in her impression, Hakai was a very powerful move, and hardly anyone could withstand it head-on without suffering serious injuries.

As for Kaido, he concentrated on Nicholas. When he first joined the Rocks Pirates, this guy was already stronger than himself. He had hoped that after obtaining the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Type, Azure dragon Form, he would have a chance to leave this guy behind. But now it seemed that he might have been overestimating himself.

In terms of strength alone, Nicholas was at least on par with him, if not stronger.

After all, if he were to take that move, Hakai, although he could withstand it, he would definitely be more seriously injured.

Kaido had realized...

The Nicholas in front of him would be the biggest obstacle on his path to becoming the strongest Yonko.

After all, those guys on the sea were stronger than him, but they were all older than him!

As long as he survived for another ten or twenty years, the sea would be under his control.

And the Nicholas in front of him, unfortunately, if he couldn't kill him, would be the biggest stumbling block on his future path.

"Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Type, Azure dragon Form, and Soul-Soul Fruit..."

Nicholas's eyes gleamed.

The Devil Fruit inside their bodies, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Type, in the form of a Azure Dragon, and the Soul-Soul fruit, with the ability to control souls.

It could be said that these two Devil Fruits were quite good. If he could get his hands on them, they would definitely be of great help in future battles.

Especially Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Type, Azure dragon Form. If he could get it.

Nicholas would consider finding a way to turn this Devil Fruit into a Devil Fruit Weapon.

A weapon imbued with the spirit of a Blue Dragon might bring some surprises.

Nicholas was full of anticipation for this.

Of course, these thoughts were just thoughts until he killed Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.

"Thunder Clone: Shift."

Nicholas murmured softly.

As the words fell, lightning began to gather beside Nicholas, and in an instant, a humanoid lightning figure appeared, taking on Nicholas's appearance, and connecting with Nicholas through invisible electric currents.

At the same time, new iris patterns appeared around the Thunder Clone's pupils.

It could be said that the Thunder Clone inherited Nicholas's strength, speed, and the abilities of the Thunder-Thunder Fruit.

Moreover, as long as Nicholas's physical strength could keep up, the Thunder Clone could even exist indefinitely.

"Linlin, don't be careless, this guy's abilities are peculiar."

In the moment when the Thunder Clone acted, Kaido deliberately reminded Charlotte Linlin.

After all, he had fought against Natural Logia users before, but a guy like Nicholas, who was so tricky, he had never encountered before.

"I know..."

Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened, and while she spoke, she swung Napoleon, the giant blade wrapped in flames, towards the Thunder Clone rushing towards her from a short distance away, unleashing a shockwave.

Just to test the depth of the Thunder Clone's strength, Charlotte Linlin didn't hesitate to unleash a powerful attack.

On the other hand, this also showed Charlotte Linlin's high regard for Nicholas, as in battles between ability users, apart from dominance, ability was the most important factor.

On the other hand, this also showed that Charlotte Linlin was a complete physical monster, often not considering the issue of consumption when using her abilities.

This was also because of her abundant resources; she simply didn't care about such a level of physical exertion.

"This is extravagant, but... I never expected the Thunder Clone to deal with you two."

Nicholas looked at the Thunder Clone avoiding the shockwave with ease, his face showing a hint of amusement.

The Thunder Clone was largely an idea of his own, trying to see if he could recreate the "Thunder God" state he had fought in with Roger and Newgate. After all, he was well aware of the power of the Thunder God back then.

However, before dealing with Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, the Thunder Clone was just an idea.

"Lightning Devil Spear: Surge."

Without any flashy moves, the Thunder Clone, wrapped in lightning, rushed straight towards Charlotte Linlin's back.

However, Charlotte Linlin was already prepared. With Observation Haki activated, she sensed Nicholas's movements for the first time.

But she hadn't had time to withdraw her sword after swinging it out earlier.

Although she was extremely confident in her own physical strength and didn't mind taking Nicholas's attack head-on and then seizing the opportunity to counterattack.

But in the blink of an eye, Charlotte Linlin had a way to deal with it.

Originally swirling above her head, the face of Prometheus suddenly appeared behind Charlotte Linlin, followed by a fierce grin directed at the Thunder Clone.

However—

Before Prometheus could engulf Nicholas in flames, Kaido, standing beside Charlotte Linlin, had already swung his Spiked club, covered in black-red electrical arcs, fiercely smashing it towards the Thunder Clone.

Facing Kaido's attack, the Thunder Clone showed no signs of wavering in Nicholas's eyes. Even when Kaido's Spiked club was about to strike his head, he showed no intention of changing his attack to defend against Kaido's attack.

The lightning spear entwined with thunder, continued to pierce towards Charlotte Linlin.

"This guy...?!"

A question flashed through Kaido's mind.

In the next moment.

The lightning spear, aimed straight at Charlotte Linlin, suddenly shattered, and then a huge electric current enveloped Charlotte Linlin.

At the same time, Kaido, wielding his Spiked club entwined with Conqueror's Haki, directly smashed the head of the Thunder Clone, even blowing up his upper body due to the tremendous force.

Seeing this scene, Kaido's eyes narrowed, as if he had realized something.