One Piece: I wield thunder and lightning

Nicolas calmly blocked Imu's attack, and with a sudden burst of strength in his wrist, a wave of vibrating force surged through his blade, instantly pushing Imu back.

"Vibrating power?"

Imu frowned as she looked at Nicolas. She clearly sensed it — the force that repelled her was indeed a vibration, but there were no signs of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit on Nicolas.

"Surprised? It's just a small trick," Nicolas said, raising his sword and slashing a massive strike towards Imu.

Imu nonchalantly waved her hand, and her hand, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, shattered the incoming sword energy.

At their level, flying slashes hardly posed any real threat, mostly used for probing or distraction. Even if the flying slashes were harmless, they wouldn't let them hit. Deflecting them might momentarily create an opening.

Just as Imu shattered the flying slash, Nicolas dashed forward like lightning, thrusting his lightning-wreathed sword straight toward Imu's exposed chest, aiming for her heart beneath.

Bang!

With a loud clash, Imu caught Nicolas' sword with her other hand, intending to crush it with her Haki-infused grip.

Without hesitation, Nicolas swung his leg at Imu's head. Imu, noticing the incoming kick out of the corner of her eye, raised her arm to block the strike, a mocking smile forming on her lips.

Clearly, the 'opening' Nicolas aimed for was a trap set by Imu, who intended to destroy his weapon. Without his sword, Nicolas, even with the power of the Lightning Fruit, posed minimal threat to her.

But soon, the smile faded from Imu's face, replaced by confusion. The sword that had been in her grasp was now gone, leaving only residual sparks in her hand as proof that she had once held it.

According to the "law of conservation of smiles," a smile never disappears; it merely transfers from one face to another — in this case, to Nicolas.

Clang!

Nicolas' sword reappeared in his hand, and he swiftly slashed at Imu once more. A violent surge of black lightning enveloped Imu, followed closely by Nicolas' sword. Caught off guard, Imu was struck and sent flying again.

Seeing the opening, Nicolas pressed the attack.

"Domain expansion: Endless Thunder."

The sky erupted with thunder, as countless lightning bolts rained down, engulfing the airborne Imu. At the same time, Nicolas, holding his black lightning-infused sword, streaked through the sky like a bolt of lightning towards Imu.

"Justice Severed."

In the next instant, Nicolas appeared behind Imu, sword still in a slashing position. As the blade flashed, Imu appeared unscathed — but moments later, black lightning erupted from her chest.

In the blink of an eye, the terrifying black lightning was dispersed by a shockwave bursting from Imu's body.

In midair, Imu slowly looked down at her chest, where a slash mark had appeared on her armor, faintly revealing her jade-like skin beneath.

Gently touching the mark, Imu fell into a brief silence. By now, Nicolas had proven to be a significant threat to her.

This sense of danger…

It was something she hadn't felt in centuries.

"Nicolas, you're impressive. So to show my respect, I'll make sure you die painfully!"

Imu glanced at Nicolas and then took out several blue pills, swallowing them whole.

Gulp.

As the pills went down, an overwhelming aura burst from Imu's body, making her shine like a sun too bright to look at.

The terrifying power surged forth like a rainbow piercing the sky. Above, the swirling black clouds were blown apart, leaving a massive hole through which sunlight streamed down, illuminating Imu.

In that moment, her overwhelming aura shocked everyone near Mariejois. Even those far away in places like Red Port and the Sabaody Archipelago could feel the oppressive force.

Nicolas watched, his eyes narrowing.

"Strength-enhancing drugs?"

He had seen Imu swallow the pills, and from her transformation, it was easy to associate it with the life-burning drugs of Fish-Man Island that granted temporary power.

For most people, such pills were poison, but for Imu, who had likely undergone the eternal youth surgery, lifespan wasn't a concern.

And the pills she took were far more advanced than those ancient ones from Fish-Man Island.

Outside the battle zone, the moment Imu released her aura, many people's expressions changed. The power radiating from her was like a humanoid sun falling on Mariejois.

Everyone on the Red Line could feel the terrifying pressure from Imu's aura.

Even with their eyes closed, people could sense the incredible power she now wielded.

Far from the battlefield, Nicolas' aura was buffeted by wave after wave of pressure, making his clothes flap wildly.

"What terrifying power..."

At Fish-Man Island, deep below the Red Line, Shirahoshi, under heavy protection, looked up as if seeing the fearsome Imu from afar.

She clasped her hands in prayer, whispering, "Can Nicolas really defeat such a monster?"

Beside her, Queen Otohime and King Neptune were silent.

With Otohime's strong Observation Haki, she could clearly sense the terrifying presence above the Red Line, like a blazing sun.

The sheer power made it hard to imagine victory.

Neptune, recalling the ancient records passed down through the royal family, understood a glimpse of the horror behind the person pulling all the strings.

It wasn't that they lacked faith in Nicolas, but the immense pressure from Imu was overwhelming.

"No matter how this battle ends..."

Neptune took Queen Otohime's hand, looking at Shirahoshi with a solemn expression.

"We've already steeled ourselves for the outcome. All we can do now is wait for Nicolas and the allied forces to return victorious."

"Mm."

Shirahoshi nodded quietly, continuing to pray for Nicolas and the allied forces.