Karma!

"Nicholas! How could someone like you show up here!?"

The fearsome pirate, Silverbeard, who had killed his own companion with a smile and easily defeated Kyros, the most outstanding captain of Dressrosa's guard, was now pale with fear in front of these two newly arrived figures.

The stark contrast left Scarlett and Violet deeply shaken.

"Why do I need to report my presence here to you?"

Nicholas scanned the bloodstained deck and turned his gaze to Silverbeard, who was gripping Violet's neck with a tense expression.

Upon hearing Nicholas's words, cold sweat dripped down Silverbeard's forehead.

He quickly realized that the man standing before him was the infamous Thunder God Nicholas, a name feared across the seas.

He was just a pirate with some renown in a small part of the New World. What right did he have to question Nicholas?

If his chances of survival were five percent before, they were now approaching zero.

Scarlett felt the pressure on her neck increase and sensed Silverbeard's growing anxiety. Through the ability of her Devil Fruit, Violet could see the overwhelming fear in Silverbeard's heart.

This must be the intimidation of the world's top fighters. Against weaker foes, they didn't even need to lift a finger; their mere reputation was enough to terrify enemies.

Nicholas calmly observed the extremely nervous pirates.

"So, can you let go of the lady you're holding? Otherwise, those two ships behind you will be your fate."

Nicholas's gaze moved past the terrified pirates to the sea behind them.

There were two ships similar in size to Silverbeard's vessel, but they bore the pirate flags of Goldbeard and Ironbeard.

Nicholas's words made Silverbeard and his crew instinctively look back at their ships.

These ships originally belonged to Goldbeard and Ironbeard. If all had gone according to plan, after returning to Dressrosa and trading their loot for weapons, Silverbeard's pirate fleet would have expanded to three ships.

In the New World, commanding three ships would grant him the status of a small regional overlord.

Boom! Boom!

Two massive bolts of lightning struck from the sky, obliterating the two ships.

In the shocked eyes of Silverbeard, his pirates, and Scarlett and Violet, the two large ships were reduced to ashes by the lightning.

"My strength is still affected," Nicholas murmured, though his voice was soft, it sounded like thunder to the pirates.

Affected strength?

If his weakened strength could easily destroy two ships similar to theirs, what could his full strength do? Wipe out an entire island?

Was Silverbeard's journey to become a sea lord about to end before it even began?

The realization sank the pirates' hearts to the bottom.

After years of pillaging, they had always been prepared to die or be captured by the Navy. They had lived recklessly and enjoyed things ordinary people couldn't even dream of. To them, dying was worth it.

But now, faced with death, they hesitated. They hadn't had enough of life yet.

Silverbeard felt a surge of deep unwillingness at the thought of his hard-won crew being destroyed.

He knew Nicholas's power and that he couldn't possibly defeat him.

But...

He still couldn't accept it.

Intense unwillingness pounded in his mind, transforming into anger that continually battered against his rationality.

Finally, with a mental explosion, his reason snapped.

Only one thought remained.

He had to do something significant. Even if his life ended here, Silverbeard's name would echo across the seas!

Thinking about his name resonating across the seas, a light gradually appeared in Silverbeard's eyes.

He looked at Nicholas, ignoring the pain from his shoulder, and gripped Violet's swan-like neck with one hand, slowly lifting her.

"Nicholas, you better not push me, or this—"

"Are you misunderstanding something?"

Nicholas interrupted Silverbeard before he could finish.

Seeing Nicholas's complete disregard for him, an inexplicable anger surged within Silverbeard.

Nicholas, expressionless, watched the impotent fury of Silverbeard and suddenly said:

"Go ahead. Just don't hurt the lady in his hand."

Naturally, this wasn't directed at Silverbeard but at Dragon, standing beside him.

After all, Nicholas was currently injured, and it wouldn't make sense for a patient to fight.

"No problem."

To the astonishment of Silverbeard and his crew, Dragon stepped forward and glanced at the pirates, led by Silverbeard, with a blank expression.

To Dragon, these pirates who mainly preyed on ordinary people were nothing but sea trash, and he was more than willing to take out the trash.

Silverbeard's expression grew solemn as he fixed his gaze on Dragon. This man, who had severed his arm upon arrival, left a deep impression on him.

As Dragon walked towards Silverbeard, the sound of his shoes hitting the deck echoed like the beating of Silverbeard's heart.

Silverbeard noticed that his heartbeat synced with Dragon's footsteps but had no time to ponder it. With each step Dragon took, the pressure on his heart grew.

The enormous pressure felt like a mountain crushing his heart.

Realizing he couldn't sit idly by, Silverbeard endured the pain from his severed arm and decided to kill Violet.

Since Nicholas wanted Violet alive, he would kill her even if he died. It would be his revenge against Nicholas.

But before he could apply force to snap Violet's neck, he saw Dragon's figure vanish from the corner of his eye and reappear beside him. Almost simultaneously, a blue streak of light flashed through the air.

Silverbeard saw his remaining arm severed.

The falling arm and Violet were caught by a whirlwind and did not crash onto the deck.

A finger-thick tornado then pierced Silverbeard's heart.

"!"

Silverbeard's body shuddered. He looked down at his chest, watching the blood spurt from his heart with each beat.

As he felt his strength fade, the unwillingness in his heart began to dissipate.

He struggled to lift his head and look at Dragon, who continued to slaughter his crew, and then at Nicholas's distant figure.

So, this was the power of the sea's strongest. The gap was truly despairing...

He had fought on the seas for years, surviving countless battles and near-death experiences, which had forged his current strength.

But...

His strength couldn't withstand a single move against these men. How tragic was that?

In his final moments, Silverbeard seemed to recall the weak people who had died by his blade. Their helplessness must have mirrored his own now.

With endless regret and sorrow, Silverbeard fell to the ground, breathing his last.